Broken 16

Step one to building a dominant franchise- Loyalty

Why stop there? Why not add Quincy to your roster and we can fully wonder why some players didn't fit the Wings organization.

I don't think it would completely negate it... just for teams that are good enough to make the Finals. Lol. The salary cap is more of a means to sew up deep pockets so every team has the same chance. I'm just not clear on why the league would want to give great teams a better chance next season. Maybe this could work if everyone's contract was up at the end of each season, but it seems to me that if contracts fell a certain way, some teams would actually be granted a slush fund to improve their team after making a Finals appearance. It makes no sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something?

So the great get better and everyone else stays the same. Forgive my ignorance if I'm not understanding right, but that seems really dumb to me.

A 1 vs 2 match-up in the WCF's? That doesn't seem lucky to me. Ya, they swept them... maybe that was the lucky part? Sorry. I guess I just don't agree with the whole notion of trying to discredit another teams accomplishment by looking for instances of luck. I'll find another thread.

And I'm saying that you can take every Cup run from any team that has won the Cup, dissect it and point to probably half a dozen occurances and say "Man... if that wouldn't have happened, they wouldn't have won the Cup". On paper, Chicago was one of the best, if not THEE best, team in the playoffs. They met expectations and got lucky along the way. Like everyone else that has won a Cup. You say their road was easy and I say it was a lot easier because they had a good regular season and were rewarded by having to play lower seeded teams. So is it luck that they finished strong enough in the regular season that they were able to draw easier opponents? I say no. Sorry.

Every team that wins the Cup gets a little lucky. In fact, most get a lot lucky. Luck played a part in every Wings Cup. So... yes.

That's funny... because I've never seen a poster more preoccupied with what other people are posting about. Still trying to determine if this makes you a hypocrite... I'm thinking yes.

I think a lot of you guys would be surprised to learn how many low and high profile players browse message boards and fan sites. It's not like 'the old days' when you had to be tied to a PC in order to browse the web. Everyone can literally have the internet their pocket. It's naive to believe that hockey players, for some ungodly reason, are somehow above lurking a message board. A lot of people like to put hockey players on this high pedestal, like they are above getting involved in message boards. I can only lol at that notion. I'm not gonna get into a big name dropping tangent... but trust me, a lot of them do. It's no different than a movie star listening to critics. They downplay what critics think... but they read.

Wow. What a goal.

Did I just see Leino go down and block a shot?

Is it wrong that I'm literally talking to my TV screen? Begging the Flyers to win.

Just when I think the Chicago media couldn't be any more dumb, they go and do something like this... AND TOTALLY REDEEM THEMSELVES! Seriously... who's making the decisions there? They have to be the dumbest media outlet in the entire country.

See ya. Never cared for him, no great loss to me.

I picked Avery. He's the closest thing to what the Wings need on that list. Pronger seems obvious but he would just be a band-aid at this point. His best years are behind him, imo.

So whats wrong with discussing hypotheticals? This season is a make or break season for Cleary. And he knows it. And that's good.

This. He would get reputation calls like Holmstrom. Guaranteed.

Oh man... It would have been ugly. At the height of Eric Lindros' career... he was afraid of Vladdy. I remember interviews with Lindros where he would describe Vladdy as a "red blur in the neutral zone". The guy had enough skill to be a seamless cog in the Russian 5 and was a freak of nature throwback. He was one of a kind and his likes may never again be seen in the NHL.

Depends on how loosely you define 'fighter'. Sure.

Are you kidding!?! I loved watching all those staged fights that had absolutely no impact on the final result. Great times! It would be nice to have a fighter that can score and play a decent two-way game... but doesn't every team?

Vladdy was a man amongst men in an era when men, not a bunch of whiney, diving ballerinas, played hockey. Remembering Vlad only reminds me how much the league sucks now compared to then.

I'd have to say no since there are at least three regular posters who are actively farming neg points.

dirtbags=stanley cup Holy crap! You're dumb.

God... why does everything have to be about Hudler... even when it isn't.

Get off your high horse... jesus... There's no guarantee that Yzerman will EVER return to the Wings. You may not have a problem functioning in the state of delusion, but don't expect everyone else to eat corn bread just because you are convinced Yzerman is a saint. Yzerman is a competitor. If you think he is looking at this opportunity in Tampa as a 'tune up' for a future job with the Wings... you are HIGHLY delusional. He's there to win and, knowing Yzerman, win NOW. Seriously... get a clue.