Broken 16

How long do you think Homer is gonna last? I see Homer being 'not the same' by All-Star break... and that is being generous.

Ok... I'll buy that. Sorry. It doesn't take two games to see that Howard is an issue. It was obvious in the pre-season. Goaltending WILL be a HUGE issue if Osgood decides to take another season off.

I thought the ice was adjusted to NHL size for the regular season games... Either way, rink size isn't an excuse. The Blues had to play on the same ice. I know homers LOVE to make excuses for the Wings but rink size is extremely weak.

Everything needs improvement. The season is only two games in... The penalty kill boggles my mind.

Where's Bill Ranford when you need him? Any chance that Kenny can convince Bob Essensa to stop whatever it is he's doing and come try out for a spot?

Osgood's miraculous performance in the playoffs last season doesn't mean that every goalie gets a free pass for the entire regular season. Osgood looked bad yesterday and Howard looks worse today. They are still professionals that get paid to play an entire season.

No surprise... Jackman is a slug. Howard looks worse than I had hoped. Much worse.

Red Wings penalty kill is an utter embarrassment. Pathetic joke.

Every single fan of every single team that didn't win the Stanley Cup feels exactly the same way. That's why the Cup rules all trophys.

Agreed... fantasy hockey or not.

My Chelios Idea: Get on a train and head back to Doucheville.

He paid his debt. Get over it already. Live in the now.

Again... I don't think it was a conspiracy. Do I think that Bettman pitched a tent after the Pens won? Absolutely. Do I think that Bettman was giving the refs instructions via an earpiece during the game? No. Between the barrage of VS commercials that made it appear as if the Penguins won the Cup from the season before, to all the strange scheduling and the ridiculously inconsistent refereeing. Is it really THAT surprising that some people might think that there was some sort of conspiracy? Bigger conspiracies have been created with much less data. @ Doc Holiday- I don't think the fact that Malkin isn't a known fighter is good enough reason to give him a free pass for a rule that he knew was in place. He f***ed up and he should have payed. That's HIS problem. I think it was an awful call and only highlights the inconsistency present in the NHL.

The players that were on the ice were on the ice for a reason. I don't argue 15 years of dominance. The reason Downey never saw the ice last playoffs was because the braintrust didn't think they needed what he offered. Which has always been little more than a 'Rah Rah' attitude and a heavy punch. Super nice guy... no question. But just didn't have the skillset that the Wings covet. Based on skill, I'd say May would be an upgrade.

I said I don't blame the league. I never did. Things were handled horribly. I don't really think it's a huge stretch that some people think the way they do. God knows the league provides enough ammunition for almost any conspiracy theory.

I know. But I can see it now. Brad May would be the missing link that so many people think the Wings need after they drop a few games. Instead of "Why don't they bring up Downey?"... it'll be "Why don't they bring up May?".

May is our new Downey. Another 'savior'. Lol.

Quebec felt the same way.

I don't blame the league for the Wings losing, but to pretend that there wasn't some shady s*** going on with the schedule and reffing is just plain naive. Bumping the start of the SCF by a week is highly questionable. Back to back games in the Finals is highly questionable... especially after the bump. Malkin not getting suspended is downright ludicrous. 1:20 of too many men with no penalty call is bizarre. (I've never seen that before... have you?) Furthermore, the Wings weren't outplayed. You don't take a 7 game series to 7 games by being outplayed. The series was even aside from the few strange things I listed above.

I don't know... it sounds sexy and all, but I fear that from April on would be frustrating. I just don't see him staying in any lineup for long.

I can't wait to get a closer look at this kid.

I have a few thoughts. Shoehorning a player into the roster just because he is tough is dumb. I think our chances are better this year than they were last year. I think our lineup is much more balanced than a lot of you seem to realize. They are pissed. Larsson is going to somehow emerge and be the next Brodeur. (wouldn't that be sweet?) We don't need another "banger"... if anything, we need a big, huge shot blocker. Last season the Wings overcame every obstacle except utter exhaustion and have only lost Hossa, Hudler and Sammy. Sammy has been upgraded, in my opinion, with Williams. Hudler has been upgraded (maybe not upside wise, but 'right now' wise) with Bertuzzi. Hudler all but disappeared after the Brown hit... Brown nor anyone else is gonna catch Bert like that. You can't really replace a player like Hossa, but he wasn't really a key element in the playoffs anyway. He played solid... but not great by any means. I don't think the Wings offense is going to miss him too much. I noticed you managed to threadjack your own thread with a slewfoot dig on Homer. Tootoo is a clown.

I used to have a hockey card from when he was with the Whalers. That's probably why he popped into my head for them.

I'm still bummed that the Wings were this------->ll<-------close to overcoming some of the most ridiculous s*** I have ever seen (key injuries to key players, no rest between the WCF and SCF, back to back games in the SCF (!?!?), free 6 on 5 for about a minute twenty, etc, etc) and fell just short. No team has balls like the Wings.

I just made a list and put the first person from each team that popped into my head. Anaheim - Chris Pronger Atlanta - Ilya Kovalchuk Boston - Cam Neely Buffalo - Alexander Mogilny Calgary - Theo Fluery Carolina/Hartford - Chris Pronger Chicago - Jeremy Roenick Colorado - Joe Sakic Columbus - Rick Nash Dallas / Minnesota - Mike Modano Detroit - Steve Yzerman Edmonton - Wayne Gretzky Florida - John Vanbiesbrouck Los Angeles - Wayne Gretzky Minnesota - Marian Gaborik Montreal - Patrick Roy Nashville - David Legwand New Jersey - Scott Stevens New York Islanders - Brian Trottier New York Rangers - Brian Leech Ottawa - Alexi Yashin Philadelphia - Eric Lindros Phoenix / Winnipeg - Keith Tkachuk Pittsburgh - Mario Lemieux San Jose - Owen Nolan St. Louis - Brett Hull Tampa Bay - Martin St. Louis Toronto - Doug Gilmour Vancouver - Trevor Linden Washington - Alex Ovechkin