Jersey Wing

Selanne charged at Turco and STOPPED and flicked one in, Turco backed too far in and couldn't stop Hiller makes save, DUCKS WIN CRAP

Getzlaf beats Turco Modano hits crossbar 1-1

Turco stones Ryan in a full spilts James Neal SCORES on Hiller!!!!! He started from his own goal line and charged up and beat Hiller

Turco stops Perry--Good! Hiller stops Brunnstrum 0-0

Shootout in Anaheim

I watched that game and YES, it WAS a distraction and that should be the end of the discussion. It was a DISTRACTION and therefore no amount of money should allow it to stay.

Joe Louis Arena uses what look like male high school players to go scoop up the snow along the boards and in the crease during a stoppage in play. The Devils and Rangers do the same, guys skate out with big snow shovels and play human Zamboni. The Atlanta Thrashers don't use teenage boys, oh no, they use the 'Blue Crew', and I've really been enjoying stoppages in play watching Atlanta home games on Center Ice. Go Thrashers! Commercial breaks have never been so much fun

I know WHY they do it. I'm also glad they do it

In Gary Bettman's NHL he just committed a crime. He "hoisted and or waved and or flung an octopus which could result in oco-goo getting on the ice or blinding a player or causing cancer or other health malady", a direct violation of NHL Rule 37-B, subsection C, paragraph J, "Rules that only apply to Detroit"

JeffBridges you are bordering on manical over this. You seem absolutely intent on proving your point at any cost. If I may, you asked what if ANY proof people had that Zetterberg was remotley close to Datsyuk in skill or numbers or whatever. The NHL has this thing they give out at the end of the playoffs called a Conn Smythe Trophy, given to that season's playoff MVP, not just given for 5 on 3 pentaly kills, not just for faceoffs, not just for points scored but front to back, beginning to end playoff MVP. Last year, that trophy was won by Henrik Zetterberg.

OK, I made my first foray into MSG tonight for the Rangers vs Sabres game. It was an OK game, no great shakes. It's awesome walking in as you enter from 32nd Street, You kinda just wander in past giant banners of the only player who played there, Mark Messier. I kid I kid. The building just kind of envelops you as you head in. So you go in and take a few escalators up and up and up to your level. I was in section 215. While it looks fresh for the most part you can tell you're in an old building. The ends of the concourse are very narrow. VERY narrow. They have footlong hot dogs! Big ups there. Damn straight. The fans seemed very friendly (Of course I was wearing my authentic Reggie Dunlop Chiefs sweater which just tends to make friends whever it goes) and knowledgeable. Now, that knowledge is not all seeing, it ends when it comes to seeing things through Ranger colored glasses. The guy sitting next to my wife was screaming, I mean screaming for a too many men on the ice call against Bufflalo as two guys came on and the other two went off a tad slow but not penalty worthy. Sure, if one of the guys coming on had played a puck or touched it, you'd get the call. He seemed angry about a lot of calls to be honest. They are very very passionate. And LOUD. That place holds sound in. It feels like it's rocking when they score. And that chant when they do is pretty cool---Goooooooal Gooooooooal Goooooooal HEY HEY HEY is fun. My wife and I were doing that. Some other observations: *I've never seen an arena empty like that place between periods for the bar (where most said they'd be headed) or the food line. Entire rows go missing. *It' is COLD inside. I mean runny nose cold in there. Good for the ice, not always great for fans. *I like how the scoreboard while the penalty time is ticking along has the reason for the penalty listed. *Tiny bathrooms compared to Joe Louis Arena, or in Nashville, Columbus, Chicago, or New Jersey, all the places I've now seen pro hockey games. *Sean Avery is a hero there. There were dueling Av-ery Av-ery chants when they couldn't make them work as one. *Several gals would kick up a chant of FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT whenever there was a scrum. Loved that *My wife asked my how stupid a franchise has to be to retire the same number for two different guys. She has a valid point ya know? Both Andy Bathgate and Adam Graves have #9 retired. *It looks bright on TeeVee but trust me, it's dark and dingy looking down at the ice from the stands. *After the game you're in the middle of New York City, makes looking for a boffo place to eat pretty f*ing easy My night in MSG, I'll happily go back as I'm making New York City my second home now. I'm gonna weigh 900lbs by September, the food here is that good

Yes, I have been to the Prudential Center, 5 or 6 times. VERY nice facility. Cheerleaders, UGH

Are you kidding? I was in full on Beavis voice screeching "Yeeeeah, Yeeeah, Hit him again Staubitz, kick his ass yeah heh heh yeah kick his ass"

TooToo and Staubitz each got five for fighting but TooToo got the extra two minutes for soaking the ice in blood

Oh MY, Staubitz just DESTROYED TooToo in a fight, just opened him up,

Oh, and it was great to hear the Irish jig tonight when the Wings scored! Doc Emerick made mention of that during the first period of the Devils game on MSG Plus tonight. He said he was talking with Barry Trotz at one point who said he was SO TIRED of hearing that song when he came to JLA. He said it ALWAYS seemed like Shanahan was scoring on them and he grew to dislike the jig.

Loved tonight's game. Once again Zetterberg and Datsyuk show why they are the best 1-2 combo in the NHL by playing in all three zones at such a high level. Babcock never needs to hide them like say, the Pittsburgh coach might need to. Some strong games tonight by several Wings. They'll need to keep it going against Atlanta who have won 6 of 7 and have some great scoring. Philly does that same tired routine every game I watch them in, they try to run teams over, beat them up and see how long they can get away with it or if the other team will buckle. The big nasty routine has grown stale and their treading water routine in the Eastern Conference standings shows that. Final thoughts, Osgood held the fort when it needed holding but more importantly, the Wings find ways to win with guys not in the lineup and without Leino and Helm in Grand Rapids still. If they get healthy and guys are fighting to crack the lineup, they become that much better.

Maybe it's just me. I watch a lot of games or so my wife tells me. Over the last month or so I'm noticing a lot of pucks, more than I ever recall, hitting and getting caught up in the skates of referees and linesmen along the boards. A lot of them are happening when a defenseman is trying to reverse the flow of play in his own end and throw it back around to a winger. A few are on shoot ins and many are late in games on attempted clears or, with less than a minute to play, "just get rid of it" plays. It hasn't cost the Wings goal yet and I haven't seen it adversely affect the outcome of any game I've watched but it would seem if it IS happening it's only a matter of time before it does. I know officials don't WANT to ever be involved in the play and do their best to contort themselves out of the way when possible, it just seems like it's happening more than I ever remember before. Your thoughts?

No I know there's nothing preemptive that can be done, it just seems like it's happening with much more regularity for some reason. Maybe they are all on a Koharski diet or something and not as fleet afoot

You made some very good points. Yes the Hossa angle wil more than help deepen scoring lines, Helm and Leino will bring a hunger and passion and hopefully inspire and Lilja will certainly help. From the net out your point stands up. Like most people I wonder and hope those additions will keep less rubber from our netminders who really are struggling.

I see the Western Conference like this come playoff time as far as favorites go: You could pick Detroit, San Jose, Calgary or FIELD and right now FIELD is looking like a real sexy pick.

Nothing we as fans can do about it but lay in some extra Rolaids come playoff time. Enjoy the ride. It's gonna be a bumpy one. Maybe they can turn it on full bore once the playoffs start and become the Big Red Machine again. Maybe it's another horriffic 1st round blow up to Edmonton or god forbid Nashville. Neither scenario would shock me. Like I said, lots of Rolaids

And of course the Sharks announcers can't see why this would happen. It was just a scrum in front of the net, these things happen. Of course they then admit they didn't see it but it was a bogus call nonetheless. One wonders about the length of a suspension....

Exactly

The 4 or 5 times I've had a chance to watch a whole Sharks game on their feed they do get plenty annoying. Nobody is as good as they are and they sometimes, it seems to ME anyway, expect calls like it's Jordan in his NBA heyday