Broken 16

No offense, but that line would be awful. Holmstrom has no place with those guys.

Those stats don't tell the story and you know it. A) How much more ice time does Crosby get? The dude is double shifted half the game sometimes. B) All of Crosby's ice time is 'offensive time'. He never see's the PK. C) Take Datsyuk's total ice time and subtract about 5 minutes a game that he spends on the PK. He has defensive responsibilities. Crosby averaged 2 more minutes of ice time per game than Datsyuk last season (closer to 2:30, actually). Now subtract 3 minutes from Datsyuk for PK time (I'm being generous) and Crosby is seeing almost 5 more minutes a game of offensive attack time EVERY GAME. Yet he managed to outscore Datsyuk by a whopping 6 points in the regular season (in fact, Datsyuk played 4 more games than Crosby so I'll deduct 3 points from Datsyuk... thats 9 more points than Datsyuk). Not to mention that Crosby pretty much plays every PP minute for the Penguins while Datsyuk has to split his time. Wow... you're right. Crosby is head and shoulders above Datsyuk. Don't even get me started on Plus/Minus. Crosby was +3 last season (that's downright embarrassing for a player of his calibre) . Datsyuk was +34. If you took Crosby's ice time and lack of defensive responsibilty and gave it to Datsyuk, his numbers would be almost identical... if not better.

In a heartbeat...

I don't really want to get into a huge debate on why I think Datsyuk is a better all around player than Crosby. Not here anyway. Feel free to PM me if you REALLY want to know.

You can always count on somebody to dredge up garbage. Are you the "donkey" that Bert is talking about in the article?

Bertuzzi will fill a very specific role under Holland and Babcock. He won't be expected to be "The Guy". I think that could be the difference. I hope.

There isn't a big gap between Datsyuk's offensive capabilities and Crosby's. If any.

Based on what? Just curious.

A standing ovation for Downey!?! Why? He's never really factored into anything with the Wings.

This upcoming season has the potential of being a huge season for Bert. If he is coming to this team with a clean bill of health and a clear(er) conscience, there is no reason not to believe that he will be lethal in this lineup. This season is going to be very interesting.

At the risk of turning this into a who's better debate, it could be argued that all three of the players you mentioned faced significantly weaker defensive teams in the playoffs. Lot's of run and gun stuff going on in the first three rounds in the Eastern Conference. Plus, I would guess (without checking) that ice time is heavily slanted against Datsyuk.

Jason Vorhees/Michael Meyers/Freddie Krueger The Joker/Magneto/General Zod Jet Li/Jackie Chan/Bruce Lee Jabba the Hut/Boba Fett/Darth Vader That chick from the Exorcist/That big head that came out of the closet in Poltergeist That blond kid from Karate Kid/Mr. T Al Pacino/Robert DeNiro Alien Queen Johnny Ringo Coach- Agent Smith Asst. Coach- Beetlejuice

Datsyuk... again.

Looks like everybody is riding Chicago pretty hard. Hope those kids don't buckle under the pressure.

No... he's gotta pull Pauly in a sled and outrun the KGB on a snowy path before he can come back. Maybe chop some wood. Maybe lift his ex-girlfriend and the two hookers in a big ole' wagon.

Oh my God. Hilarious.

Clown? You don't know what you're talking about. He was a bride.

I expect detailed data sheets...

Datsyuk. Skill set and defensive responsibility together are unmatched by anyone else in the NHL right now, imo.

Furthermore... the act of hiring a prostitute and engaging in sexual activity with her is a victimless crime. The act of a pimp holding a woman at gunpoint and forcing her to be a hooker is a completely seperate crime between two different parties. Period.

Again... none of that has anything to do with Hudler, Kane, the cabbie, the two hookers that Hudler was seen with. If you want to start a thread about the injustices of being a hooker, then would happily agree that SOME are victims in some way shape or form. Please enlighten me on how some common street trash hooker with a nasty pimp and a nasty drug habit warrants any kind of comparison between Hudler and Kane. Please.

Ahhh... I see. I misread. Length of contract hasn't been disclosed yet.

Which has exactly WHAT to do with the topic at hand? If hookers are victims, then it's a result of what goes on between them and their pimp AFTER they are with their client. Getting handed money after they perform sexual favors DOES NOT make them a victim. Beyond that, anything that happens has nothing to do with the client (ie. Hudler). Stop mixing circumstances to make a point. Now, if Hudler tried to short the hooker of $0.20 and hit her after she called him on it... Then we could compare.

Wow... HUGE cap hit. I'm curious to see if it's front loaded to soften the cap blow. But at 4 years, I can't see the cap hit going below 6.5... maybe 6.

Not really. Prostitution is still a victimless crime. The hookers ARE NOT victims. That's ridiculous. Maybe victims of their own choices and decisions. But that's it.