talex

I NEVER see a scenario where loosing a game is better. If the NHL wants to stack the finals so that the there is no space for teams that go deeper in the playoff series such as they are with back to back games and no week off between the playoffs and finals, so be it. It only will lead to more disgruntled fans if the outcome does not go in their favor. The NHL is becoming a joke with it's moving rules, changing values and no set schedule. A WIN IS ALWAYS WELCOMED. Gooooooo Wings!!!!!

Although I would prefer to wait until we actually win the west, I will bite and add my 2 cents into this. The Pens look to me to be about the same as last year with Malkin stepping up, but w/o Hossa. Gill will be a force again. There is simply no way for the Wings to be fully healed by this weekend (assuming the SCF starts this weekend) and given that it will be a great series. If both teams were 100% healthy I would say Wings possibly in a sweep but with the currently banged up group I think the playing field will be much more level with the Pens a year wiser, I say Malkin playing better leaves them about the same because of the loss of Hossa. I believe Detroit got stronger with the addition of Hossa. The Pens have not seen a team like Detroit yet in the Playoffs with a solid D and an equal if not more dangerous offense, but the Wings have not seen an Offense like the Pens yet either (although Chicago is very simular, they are not the same). Depending on the depth and severity of the injuries this could be one for the ages, alot more than we are aware of the Wings could drop this one, less than our worst fears (most likely) this will be a great series, not significant injuries at all I say the Wings have a real chance at a sweep. It will be exciting to watch if it comes to these 2 teams and I believe the 2 best teams in the NHL will be representing their respective divisions. As far as the teams that both have played thus far, I think the Ducks were the best of the bunch, the Canes were just out of gas for the Pens series and were seriously out classed when it came to energy, not meant to take away from the Pens series victory, it's just a fact. Congrats to the Pens and Goooooooooo Wings!!!!!!!

I have suspected that Lids, Dats and Hoss have all had some sort of injury since the Ducks series, I think this is why some of the lower lines are fighting as hard as they are as well, because they know it... the only thing Babcock can do is play them either way unless they are unable to play, we are still up 2 to 1 and last night was a 1 shot game and who knows what would have happened if Lids stick would not have broken. Z has been playing incredible Stevie Y like 2 way hockey, nothing to critique him for really. An aside to all the retard/*** posts... Stop being so dammed thin skinned and PC, this is a hockey site, grow a pair.

Very, very bad call on Kronner, not that I want him to be hurt but I hope since Kronner has to sit the game out, Havlat does not return either because at least there would be some justice with the call then, although it took away 5 minutes of equal playtime which cannot be made up. It's a shame when call's like that are made in excess especially in the playoffs. As for the Hawk fans crying about it, we had a great defensemen removed from the game over a bad call, if your players cannot keep their heads up they should go to a touch hockey league, that said I hope Havlat is ok, but does not return to this game.

It is looking more and more like a Stanley Cup Finals Rematch. Chicago and Carolina are good teams, but 4 out of 5 against the Wings or Pens I think is a pretty tall hill to climb. I say it will be a hard fought series, but will end the same way as last year... Wings in 6.

Not attempting to jump way ahead, if you read my post I say Blackhawks are a good team, however 4 out of the next 5 is not very likely and anyone with logical thought will have to admit that, same thing goes in the Carolina/Pitt series with Pitt now heading to a hostile rink. Tonights game to me is the most important of the series, but I still think the Wings will sweep this and have said so since the matchup came to reality, at the least I think they split in Chicago and finish it in game 5. I am also not that worried about Pitt, sure they are playing well but it's not like the Capitols threw 4 good lines at them and last nights game the Wings would have decimated them if they played D as loose as they did last night not to mention the Wings are playing far better D than the Canes did last night. All in all I am just preparing the puke bag for all the hype as another poster mentioned about the passing from old to new crap you are going to hear and the 90 minutes to 5 minutes of positive coverage of Sid over any Wing. Anyways tonights game is extremely important but I have faith in this team which is under far less pressure than the young Hawks are right now... Gooooooo Wings!

Would not trade dats, no way. Flip, Huds, Sammy... If keeping Hossa around is possible with some combo and bringing up Helm/Leino/Abdelkader full time is an option I am all for it, the team will have to loose some players which has been stated, which go, who stays and who is brought up is what will matter. I might feel differently if not the pending retirements of Maltby, Draper, Lids which will free up a bit of cap space (lids alot, Malts and Draper a little). Cleary is a keeper and I have been saying that for some time, go to a game in person and watch how hard he works, no way he should go anywhere. Flip works hard, but at 3+ mil I would not loose Hossa just to keep him. If Hossa does not stay, then by all means if possible keep all 3.

no suprise nbc would favor the hawks, they are so biased toward anything liberal they hate success unless you are successful and massively liberal of course the wings are nuetral and the Wings drip of success.

It would be classless because it does not relate to Hockey however I disagree that it would be like the instances you mention, the victims in the cases you mention were innocent, many 3rd party vendors, small diners and other business that serviced the auto industry are innocent, but the big 3 and UAW are not. With the government and the union taking over the car companies it is only going to get worse for Detroit and Honda and Toyata's market share just continue to expand with all this bailout and ownership changing which is sad, Ford will survive this as long as they stay out of the bailout mess, but the other 2 will not, it is very sad but it cannot be compared to 9/11 or columbine.

DET/CHI 4 - 0 PIT/CAR 4 -1

I have watched to many games with people new to hockey who sometimes get frustrated watching and feel you could flip a coin during the playoff's because the refs have such a power over the outcome of the game making it hard for them to vest in the sport. I'm with the guys that want Coaches to be allowed to challenge, it would not slow down the game as there is usually already a stoppage in play. If the Coach wins, the call goes in his favor, if he looses, he has to put a player in the box and the opposition gets a power play or a 5 on 3 etc. It would not slow down the game and the pp aspect would force the coach to use these wisely, at least if the NHL implemented this the pressure would be on the coach and add a new aspect to the game, I'm all for it.

ROCK YOUR HOUSE BEFORE THE WINGS ROCKS THE DUCKS! My entry

#1 - The Mule #2 - Z #3 - Hoss #4 - Dats #5 - Nick Sr. #6 - Ozzy #7 - Homer #8 - Huds #9 - Raf #10 - Nick Jr. Not neccisarily in any order...

I seen Mac play in 5 or 6 games this year, he looks pretty good, was skating strong and even had a decent shot going. Contrary to most posters, having seen him and Downey play this year I would have no problem with him or Downey replacing Meech in Game 6, in fact I would prefer it.

Seems weird to me that more details have not been released about Draper and Rafalski. The obvious thing to me would seem concussion like symptoms they are trying to hide so that no cheap head shots like Franzen took last year would happen if/when they return, but if it's so obvious then why not just say it? These are 2 no-bodies, they are major players with Raf being critical and Drapes being more important this time of year then regular season. It just seems strange that such a long lay-off this critical time of year would go without details on what is going on or is it just me?

You may choose not to blame the refs, I do not fully blame the refs, however the game is meant to be competitive. 10 power plays without scoring does not matter if when they score it does not count. The bottom line is the refs very well could have cost the wings the game, can you dwell on it? no but it does not change what happened. Both teams play hard, some have better periods than others and when either team steps up and takes advantage and scores it should not be negated, it is a travesty for a decision like that to cost the game. I again say especially in light of this call that there should be a rule in the NHL for no-goal calls, goalie interference calls where the coach could challenge a ruling on ice, if he wings the goal/penalty is awarded in his favor, if he looses the opposing team gets a power play, simple elegant solution to this problem.

Well if you do not think that was an obvious bad call then you have to be retarded so I will treat you gently. There are bad calls some obvious, some not so much. Ones that cost the game are horrid no matter what. I would not want my team to win a game with some crap like that being part of it. No calls/bad calls on non-goal's are one thing when the game is not close or during the regular season, dis-allowing a goal during the playoff's is another. I do not know if the Wings will show up hungry or not on Thursday, if they show up hungry they will win, if not they will loose, either way I doubt highly the ducks will end this in 5, so there will no doubt be more bad calls, hopefully not ones that cost a game for either team.

Your defense and goal tender were only better because of an obvious bad call, (in my opinion 2 because the Niedermayer goal was interference, but at least excusable in comparrison to the no goal call). The ducks came out hot in the 1st I'll give you that, in the 2nd it was a wash and in the 3rd the Wings dominated so unless you are talking only about them wanting it more just in the 1st, I think your whole post is a load of b.s.

I am not panicked, but very pissed off. I watched the 2nd goal by the ducks about 5 times as well and it would have been goalie interference if it was homer no doubt about it, Niedermayer was bowling over ozzie before the puck passed the line, an extrememly horrible no call. Add to it the stolen goal and you have the refs winning the game for the ducks last night and that is a travesty, even as a die hard wings fan I would not want to win that way. I now believe the NHL needs a new rule, simular to the NFL's where the coach can challenge, no goal calls in the playoff's should be able to be challenged because each goal is so hard to come by. Situtations like the no goal call last night should not be deciding games period, I am sure every team has seen it's share of heart aches and bad call's, but the past couple playoff seasons have seen some doosies for the wings with the calls against homer and the no call's when ozzie is ran over, there needs to be a balancing effect to these game changing calls so it does not feel like these games are won or lost based on how the refs call the game and you would be lying to yourself if you said you never felt that way or were aprehensive about how the refs were going to call a game. There needs to be a simple rule which lets a coach have 1 or 2 challenges during a game with maybe something like loosing the challenge being penalized with faceoff in their own end or a power play for the opposing team. That's my rant, time to put that joke behind us and win this damn series. Gooooooooo Wings

I think it is safe to say... kiss Hossa bye bye unfortunately.......

All season, 3 for 5...8 goals against regardless of who is between the pipes. The consistent factor is the players and the coach, not the goalie, it doe snot matter if it's Osgood, Conklin or Howard between the pipes, same result. Unless they somehow turn on some factor that has been off (which would piss me off because I have to pay for every game and we as fans have every right to expect 100% effort every game) and I think that is just not true. Someone will have to pay the price if we have an early playoff exit and the D coach would be the obvious choice and I have no problem with it. We are becoming Hat Trick Central. As to the poster who quoted Helms comments about players confident in their goalie play better, I think that is a 2 way street and right now the consistent factor has been the D, does not matter who is in the pipes, the D steps up or we stay Hat Trick Central...

Hi All, Topic's been discused a bunch, but we are approaching the 6 weeks Holland said it would be until the next guy was signed (assumed either Hossa or Franzen). I know he also hinted that it would happen before the playoff's, but the countdown clock on this one has started... So who will it be? How much do you predict? How long a term? Let the party start...

Cap or no Cap has been argued Ad nauseam, but here goes my 2 cents worth... The NHL wants parity, it wants small markets to compete with large markets, it seems to be getting what it wanted. The Cap dropping is stupid since teams do not have to spend the cap and it forces teams to have to play with poltics they should not have to, a hard cap is enough, a fluctuating cap forces teams willing to spend near the cap to make decisions on guess work which is a game that should not have to be played and only serves to punish successful markets, the hard cap should be enough for this and there is no reason why a rule could not be put into place to protect or not count against a team that spends it's cap dollars in the event the cap drops, in other words if you sign all your players at cap level x and a year later the cap drops to y then you get an adjustment and future signings would have to comply with cap y, not rocket science. The NHL will never see all the markets they have opened be profitable, there will always be markets that will drag on the league which is s a shame because the obvious fix is to not force the product into markets that cannot support it and the hard cap only marginally helps those somewhere in the middle, the crappy markets still only support crappt teams for the most part or they become 1 hit wonders and any excitment quickly goes away and they struggle again, all the while weakoning the stronger markets, take for example the empty seats at the joe topic that seems to pop-up on here every other day... if the wings could spend what they want, the joe would be packed, whether the issue is not enough grit, to many euro guys... you name it, the issue could be rectified and the joe packed night in and night out, but under the cap these changes are not possible, thus although maybe not drastically, the hard cap does hurt large market teams, the luxury tax implemented properly could potentially resolve both issues, but it will not happen. I agree with the others about the home grown talent as being a good solution, players drafted and matured by an organization should get some kind of a lesser cap hit in % over FA, this would make the organization have to be competitive not just financially and on the ice, but in all aspects of team management, but this would possibly degrade that all important parity... face it, at some point after enough time all teams will be equally mediocre under the cap, it is the design... so the NHL will gain some fans in weak markets and loose some in strong markets, it is what they wanted and eventually it is what they will get...

Just curious about this speculated cap drop... down to 50 Mil? Not being sarcastic but where does such a drastic number come from? That is like a 12 or 13% cut... It would seem to me that if the NHL needs to cut things that drastically to achieve parity, they should start considering a different system with something of a luxury tax system or they risk keeping non-profit, loose profit markets while loosing some fan interest in currently profitable markets... not to mention that at some magic point players will make the same or better money in the Euro/Russian leagues, I think the NHL needs to be very careful with that number...

Just for the record. I read somewhere and am confident I remember this correctly, but unless Leino is on the Wings next year he said he is heading back to Finland. Also I believe we have to bring up Helm and Howard or loose them, hopefully Howard is gone, Helm however is a keeper. Just something to keep in mind. Also I agree with another poster who expected a signing by now and am wondering what must be going on and judging from the plethra of opinions, strategies and lineup options something simular must be happening daily in the Wings organization. I think the longer this goes the more likely we will be suprised by what may be coming, especially highlighted with Homer out for a game again right after returning... running close to the cap makes it a tougher spot to be in than it should have to be. My thoughts in a couple years when the cap might drop would be Lids will either retire or just might make up the difference in a new deal, either way he retires a Wings. Malts retire and Homer most likely re-signs to a short relatively inexpensive 1 to 3 year deal. Personally I have no clue what will happen at this point, I thought for sure Hoss would be signed by now or at least more speak of 1 or the other being close... all we have heard is both would like to stay (Of the 2 Hossa seems to have been more vocal and aknowleding a hometown discount). If I am Holland right now I have absolutely no finger nails what so ever...