soonboomer

It's a can't win situation for Canadian fans. The pain of a Canadian loss for you is much greater than the joy of an American win is for the average American hockey fan. Actually, it's quite funny.

Why should his thread even exist any longer at this point in the season? Howard has far exceeded expectations, and it's way too risky at this point into the season (given the current playoff situation) to take a chance on any kind of "Osgood experiment".

Saw Wade Brookbank play hockey in Oklahoma City years ago. He was the baddest dude in the league.

How does promoting Crosby hurt Detroit?

There is no league conspiracy against Detroit. Makes no sense.

No surprise. The Wings used to play poorly in this situation even when they were good.

Lets see.....they're a puck possession team who can't possess the puck.......they've probably been outshot in more games already this year than in the past several years combined......injuries have seriously disrupted chemistry from the season's start.........well over a decade of never having a chance to draft one of the obvious "can't miss" young guns.........the salary cap............hell, even losing Scotty from the organization........and finally, an accelerated aging process over the last 12 months for alot of the so called core......I guess that's just a few things........We couldn't just cruise into the playoffs for ever, so now we get to see how the other half lives.............does anyone else find you're drinking more during the games this year?

Really? After three years in the league Ive yet to see anything like that. He should be a good player for a long time, but his ceiling is probably not that high.

When was the last time that 8 games into a season you could look at the standings and not see the Wings in the playoff 8? But in all seriousness, with Franzen out, the offensive potential on this team is the worst it's been in many years. There will never be a comfortable moment for the rest of the season.......a time when you'll confidently feel you're a fan of the team that "should always win". Fact is that Z and Dats both have to have near career years for this team to win it all.....if they don't, then we're exactly what the record shows........a 500 team. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Parity and the salary cap have made and will continue to make this an interesting year for all of us.

Chemistry takes time.

I have Center Ice through Direct TV, and my last bill had an installment charge for Center Ice on it. I've also heard that since Direct TV is no longer carrying the Versus channel, the games on Versus will be available through Center Ice on the Fox channel feeds instead of being blacked out. Does anyone have any other info on this?

If you have direcTv try channel 634. It's the Madison Square channel and the game is on.

I have nothing against grit and physical play, but you can't just pick up two or three downey's each year and expect to win. Sure, the entertainment value during the regular season is great. But in past years, and I'm sure there has been an exception or two, the gritty toughs that the wings have had have also been hockey players. You guys think the Pens are a better team....I just happen to disagree.

Most of history is pre salary cap. The days of going out and selectively picking each piece of the puzzle are long gone. Nobody plays the game better than Holland.........take a look at history.

I'd prefer to think that the path to the finals was the difference ibetween 2008 and 2009.

The bookies disagree, but then again, what do they know?

It's easy to say that the Wings won't win since any team vs. the rest of the league is a poor proposition. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to which team in either conference is a better team. I maintain that in a head to head match-up vs any other team in the league, they'd be favored to win a 7 game series. Yea, this in spite of the fact that they're a bunch of soft Euro *******.....they're still the team to beat. I think that fact alone pisses alot of you guys off. The positions of the mob mentality would carry alot more weight if the team wasn't so good.

The thread that never dies........The wings are coming off one goal loss in game 7 of the SCF, and at this point in time (as hard as it might be to believe) are favored in the Las Vegas sportsbooks to win the SCF again in 2010. 2009-2010 NHL Futures Odds – Odds to win 2010 Stanley Cup Finals DUCKS +2000 THRASHERS +7500 BRUINS +800 SABRES +3500 FLAMES +1800 HURRICANES +2000 BLACKHAWKS +1000 AVALANCHE +6500 BLUEJACKETS +3500 STARS +2500 REDWINGS +450 OILERS +3500 PANTHERS +3500 KINGS +5000 WILD +3500 CANADIENS +3000 PREDATORS +4500 DEVILS +1500 ISLANDERS +7500 RANGERS +2500 SENATORS +4000 FLYERS +1500 COYOTES +7500 PENGUINS +600 SHARKS +700 BLUES +3000 LIGHTNING +7500 MAPLELEAFS +5500 CANUCKS +1500 CAPITALS +1000 And yet, people on here continue to call for more grit/enforcers/fighters etc. without any regard for the fact that none of these types that remain have anything to offer in the skill department. Of the actual roster that contributes when it counts (by that I mean the playoffs), the Wings lose Hossa/Kopecky/Sammy/Hudler and pick up Williams/Eaves/Bertuzzi. Even with Williams what he is, taking into account that Helm and Ericsson are one year "grittier" combined with the net effect to the offseason, it's easily argued that they will be a grittier team next spring than last. I honestly think that if I was as disturbed by the way Holland constructs and runs this team as some of the "enforcer" mob on here is, I'd either find a new team or new sport to follow. Part of being as fan is enjoying the journey............and with some of you, thats a ?

Soccer is not now nor probably ever will be a major sport in the United States. Soccer supporters have been saying this s*** since the Pele days with the NY Cosmos in the 70's, but the sport has never caught on as the so called experts projected. Soccer is way down on the list of priorities of the best high school athletes in the states, and the sport has pretty much relegated itself into a game that little kids play before they get involved in the real sports of interest....i.e. football, basketball, and even baseball. My observation of soccer is that the kids in the states who stick to the sport are either children of immigrant parents from countries where soccer is big or kids who are too small, slow, or not athletic enough to play football or basketball. Who wants to watch that boring ass s*** anyway.

Williams probably isn't the answer.......just as the no-skill hack enforcer/grit guys that half of the mob on here want aren't the answer either. Don't expect anything significant before the trade deadline...all that's left are one's the Wings can't afford or ones they should clearly avoid. Oh yea.....some of us married guys do still get ***** (probably significantly more than you)

Just exactly what he would have done......and will do if and when they sign somebody.

Had Hudler accepted this offer, are you saying that the Wings wouldn't have been able to stay under the cap? Holland would have made it happen he or he wouldn't have made an offer at all. Thinking otherwise defies logic.

Why is it that whenever somebody says "Holland should offer him the same deal he offered Hudler", and "him" means almost anybody, somebody always posts "we dont have the cap space"? Obviously, Holland thought that when he made the Hudler offer, Hudler might actually accept it, right? I'm thinking perhaps Holland had other moves in mind at that time, (Don't you?) that if Hudler did accept, would still keep the wings under the cap, right? So, either Holland is an idiot (which somehow I doubt), or the people who keep posting this are. Someone please enlighten me.....I'm no "capologist".

Well said. I've always wondered why so many here want the wings to become more "thuggish". Those guys should just follow the minor leagues. It's a much cheaper hobby.

Never heard that one before.