Jersey Wing

Suppose you're right. Let's just say the Red Wings got screwed over worse than any team in the history of professional sports playing for a title. What are you going to do about it? Complain about it? Are you going to walk around still claiming the Wings are champions? Screaming about it changes nothing.

I think rather than blame the loss tonight on the officials, and yes the obvious icing call that led to the Pens first goal was brutal, it'd be more fair to say the officiating throughout the ENTIRE playoffs was poor and inconsistent. The Wings got screwed out of a goal according to some in the Anaheim series although the rule on that is somewhat clear. Anaheim fans think they got dicked on Cleary's series winning goal. I saw calls in other series that were stunning in their lack of consistency. One night holding up or even bumping a guy going after a shoot in was a 2 minute interference call, the next game it wasn't. It wouldn't have mattered in the outcome but Pittsburgh should have been awarded an automatic goal for a holding call while heading towards an empty net earlier in the series. The first Penguins goal in game three was offsides. One night across the NHL everything was called, the next night we were back to rodeo. Carcillo gets a game suspension for instigating in one series, Malkin has his waived in another. I think the officiating was poor this year, something I don't normally say. For whatever reason, it wasn't the caliber of officiating world class players deserve. Linesmen were particularly lacking. But to say the Penguins didn't earn it is wrong and poor sportsmanship. They did earn it. They made the most of the breaks they were given. Something, in the end the Red Wings didn't do, Staal's call tonight was a joke, the Wings could have made hay in that 4 on 4. They didn't. Pittsburgh did just enough to win a one goal game 7. Hopefully for the players and fans sake, the league will take a hard look at the officiating's consistency and the linesmen's blown calls and if necessary rotate the worst ones out. Refereeing or being a linesman in the NHL is a privilege, not a right.

No, he didn't have his best game as a Red Wing and he'd probably be the first one to tell you that. To be fair, the first turnover for the goal shold have been blown dead on an icing call. It wasn't so he has to live with that, not you or me. I'm glad he's a Red Wing though, he's really playing well overall. A great compliment to Kronwall.

Doubled it, sorry

Agreed, the Grand Rapids pipeline looks more than promising. The core is strong, VERY strong. I'll leave you all with this tonight. It made me giggle. Feel free to sing along

I'd put this up there with The Hudlers. Well played!

Hear me now and believe me later, the first goal will be scored by Dan Cleary from Datsyuk and Rafalski 6 minutes in

There's a game tonight? FIRST!

The Wings are 11-1 at home this playoff season. The last two Final series vs the Penguins they are 5-1 outscoring the flightless birds 21-6 within the friendly confines of Joe Louis Arena. They're rested, as healthy as they're ever gonna be for a game 7 in the Final, they have Mike Babcock behind the bench, last change, and 20,066 of their closest friends ready to blow the roof off. Gordie, Ted and Stevie will all be there. I for one am going to sleep like a baby tonight. I seriously don't know why everyone is so freaked out. See you all on the morrow

Here's that Cup/Detroit skyline I posted below. It might need an update this time tomorrow night, might have to lay one in the river

If I were PLAYING tomorrow I might be a little nervous tonight. I'm not. I'm merely a fan. I've seen this team play in, and win so many huge games over the last 15 years I'm just rather confident another one is coming up. All signs I use to determine such things point to them winning....

I'm over in Jersey City, if you're stuck jump on a PATH train and take it to Journal Square, I'll meet you there, you're free to watch the game at my place. I'll not have a Wings fan left with nowhere to watch a game 7

Actually they did make mention of his lack of ice time on NBC too, saying he had only played 11 minutes through two periods and that just wasn't enough. It sounds like he is nursing some kind of injury suffered in game 5 or 6 and that really benefits the Wings if there is carryover to it after two days off. With the last change don't think Babcock won't notice a slowed or hobbled Crosby and adjust the Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Cleary line to Staal or Malkin. I mean you could still get a top notch defensive performance from Draper or Helm on Crosby if Babcock wanted to move his first line around to check what he perceives as the next biggest Pens threat line. This thread made my day.

The Wings get the matchups they want with last change, they get to sleep in their own beds, they have the best coach in the business, they have the best support staff in the business, the best owner in the business to make all things possible. BUT the one thing they have that may well prove to be the difference is they will have 20,066 of their closest friends with them every minute. 20,066 of the loudest, most passionate, involved, rowdy, never say die fans this league has ever seen. Fans who will remind the officials when a foul has just occured on a Red Wing player they may have been going to overlook. Fans who will loudly and eagerly serenade Fleury should the boards be too much for him. Fans who will pick the team up should they need it. The Red Wings and their fans are family in ways other franchises like Pittsburgh can only dream of. Friday the family comes together for important family business. Should the family take care of business Friday night, 20,066 will become a million along Woodward Avenue on Tuesday.

Like I mentioned in the meltdown that was last night after the game--If, at the beginning of the season, before the puck drop of game #1 on the schedule, if someone said would you be willing to right now take a one game, winner take all for the Stanley Cup in a rematch vs. Pittsburgh IN Joe Louis Arena would you take it? My guess is that fans and players and management would say yes. So, we have that now. The Red Wings title destiny is in their own hands, in their rink. That's not so bad is it?

Datsyuk's hit on Malkin was the turning point of the 2009 Stanley Cup finals. By DAVID STAPLES 06-07-2009 Though they won only two of them, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked to be the clearly superior team over the first four games of the 2009 Stanley Cup finals. Then Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings, the league's rightful most valuable player, got in the game. The moment when the series shifted, when Detroit established itself as the team that would almost certainly win the Cup, came at 8:11 of the first period, Game Five, when the Russian star of the Red Wings cranked the Russian star of the Penguins, knocking him over and knocking Pittsburgh off its high horse. Read the rest: http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjour...by-respond.aspx

Meanwhile, back at letsgopens.com: thegreat66: Oh you guys you should totally have seen it. I went over to the Wings forum and totally laid the smack down. I told them nobody wants this cup more than Sid. It was sweet. I totally told them what was up. AND I did it all on the home computer before I went to school

"We're doomed, DOOMED I say, oh the pain the pain" Ok, have your pity party in here, Tell us why Hossa sucks. Tell us why Rafalski should be benched. Tell us why they'd be better off with Meech and Chelios playing, fire up and get it off your chests

I agree. Also, some were under the influence of firewater

Exactly, I figured some of them needed a place to bounce doomsday ideas off of like minded fans so I wanted to give them a thread with their patron saint at the top

The last two meaningful Game 7's at Joe Louis Arena the Wings beat two excellent teams in Sakic and Roy's Nordilanche and the Getzlaf and Pronger Ducks. No bad hops, no freakish horrible bounces, just the Wings winning two make it or break it games. Don't tell me "Oh but those weren't the Final". They were Game 7's at JLA.

For you nervous Nancy's who completely are frozen with fear about the spectre of "THE BAD HOP" costing Detroit the title (insert Sir Graves Ghastly music here), that will only happen if you sit back and wait for the worst to happen. I've watched hockey a long time and I've yet to see a team lose the Stanley Cup because of some bad hop. If the Wings go out, establish themselves as the more aggressive team, use the last change wisely, and let the fans keep them walking on air, there's a good chance the team in red WILL parade the big silver shiny thing around Joe Louis Arena and it'll be one hell of a party Friday night in downtown Detroit. In fact, I just checked the weather, mid 50's and clear Friday night/Saturday morning for the biggest bestest party downtown Detroit has ever had. Stop worrying unless of course you're going to go put on a sweater and help the club.

So don't watch. It appears you have your mind made up they'll lose OR You're giving yourself an ulcer over something you can't control. #1 How can you be absolutely certain they won't blow their composure? You can't know this and just because you say it doesn't mean it's so. Fact, the Wings played sub par hockey for them tonight. They came awfully close to tying the game and or winning it if you consider Zetterberg's post shot. The Penguins threw everything they had at the Wings and SQUEAKED out a win. Word--The Penguins have never played a game 7 Stanley Cup Final game either. I like the Wings chances, they've played in far more BIG GAMES over the last few years than the Pens have.

I wouldn't call Malkin's cross check, Guerin's high stick, and Cleary getting behind their defense with a one goal lead with three minutes to play composure