hooon

-Talking about the NHL at large and not just the Wings. -At least SOME objectivity. Wings fans can be some pretty big homers sometimes, so its nice to hear some honest things about other teams as well. -Might not be able to do regularly, but something like a "The Ones That Got Away" feature that tracks how are former Wings are doing. Guys like Leino, Quincey, Ritola, etc. -I like the getting to know the members idea. -And like others have mentioned, just all around good NHL or game analysis. Most posters here are pretty knowledgeable and are aware of the news before it ever hits TSN or NHLN or anything. The analysis on TV is always soo basic and boring and geared toward "new" or "casual" hockey fans, so basically all they do is state the obvious. Good luck!

Great article! Thanks.

Yeah I wasn't saying those guys will lose a spot to the tryout kids, but the added competition in camp should ensure that the 4th liners have to work even harder. While Miller, Abby, Hudler, etc. won't lose out on a spot, some of those guys will be fighting for a top 12 spot as opposed to 13th and 14th. Its a good problem to have. I really hope Brunnstrom plays well and somehow agrees to a 2-way deal. Conner will also be good to have in GR.

Yeah I'm surprised that some of those guys are still available. Has there been any word on Modano yet? He's been really quiet all summer. Did he retire when I wasn't looking? What is he waiting for?

Surprised everyone has Philly so high. They lost their two best offensive players in the offseason and did little to replace them besides signing Jagr. I'll give it a stab. 1. Washington 2. Boston 3. Buffalo 4. NY Rangers 5. Tampa Bay 6. Pit 7. Montreal 8. Philly 1. Vancouver 2. San Jose 3. Detroit 4. LA 5. Anaheim 6. Chicago 7. Nashville 8. St. Louis

Don't stop attending.

Wings get Kopecky back? Eva will be pleased.

For me it will always be the Grind Line. I loved the line when Kocur was on it, and also loved the incarnation with McCarty, Draper, Malts. In more recent times, the Z-Dats-Homer line will always have a soft spot in my heart because of 08. And I really hope the Mursak-Helm-Eaves line becomes something special.

This is exactly how I feel. It creates competition between Emmerton, Brunnstrom and Connor, as well as putting some pressure on guys like Miller, Abby, even Hudler to really work hard to impress the staff.

I live in Chicago, and have a partial season package that usually includes 1 or 2 Wings games. The United Center is a fun place to watch hockey. I'm sure it would be wonderful if I was actually a Hawks fan... but I'm not at all. So I have that kind of "cynical-******* syndrome" whenever I'm there. Its loud, though, and there's a lot of parking.

I love this one. I can't remember another player in recent memory who has gotten absolutely smoked in hits more than Umberger. The amazing thing is, he has still had three 82-game seasons in a row and averages 79 games a season. The guy can take his hits.

Yeah I never really noticed, but now I can't stop seeing it. My favorite part of the video is Cleary's expression at the end. So mischievous.

Definitely prospects/Griffins updates. Being out of state, I usually lose track of the prospects as the season goes on.

Mursak will no doubt be on the team. The fight is between Emmerton, Conner and Brunnstrom for the 14th spot.

It was prophesied by the elders long ago that he-who-must-be-agreed-with (Eva) would foretell of a 4th line so unfathomably quick that all of LGW and their insignificant opinions would be squashed down before thee in a fury of vindication, thus proving that the deity-formerly-known-as-Eva was and shall ever be absolutely 100% correct about anything and everything ever related to this strange realm of hockey.

Well done! Looks like we have a match.

Not really. My vote goes for Al Sobotka.

I have always liked the idea of the Eaves-Helm-Mursak line. Fast.

Helm's 32 points and 12 goals is far better than Abby's 7 goals and 19 points. Helm's production has increased steadily over the past seasons whereas Abby's has stalled. Last year I would have agreed with you about the upside, but Abdelkader hasn't shown any of the offensive abilities he displayed in GR, where Helm is finally starting to bury his scoring chances (he also creates far more opportunities than Abby.) I just think Helm has earned third line minutes far more than Abby has. (Im a homer for Helmer, though!) I'll take a stab at some lines. Flip-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Cleary-Zetterberg-Franzen Bertuzzi-Helm-Hudler Mursak-Abdelkader-Eaves Miller, Emmerton Maybe switch Hudler and Cleary if one or both need a jumpstart.

That third line is beyond brutal. Also I believe Helm will be the 3rd line center over Abby, assuming Flip is in the top 6 on the wing.. Helm is faster, better defensively, better offensively, and is a better playmaker than Abby.

Its tough to say. He still put up decent points the past two seasons, and playing with either Dats or Z, we know he'll get points. The problem with Homer is that he is not as versatile as most of our other forwards. He basically NEEDS to play with the best players, or he is kind of useless. He's not a shutdown forward, and not fast enough for the third line, imo. I think he'll probably start in the top 6, but might find himself on the 4th line or even in the pressbox on some nights. Like others have mentioned though, he is pretty valuable to our PP.

Exactly. The problem with Campbell wasn't so much the actual decisions, it was the rampant inconsistency and lack of any explanation or follow through that was the problem. This and the fact that he had known and publicized biases towards individual players, and that fact that (at least it seemed based on what information was given) that he alone made the decisions. I think discipline by committee is a huge step forward and more closely resembles an actual judicial system. I wish him the best of luck, it is certainly a pretty thankless job.

Damn, it would have been great to get a first overall pick for him!

#13 and #19. Good numbers to have.