Jesusberg

Waldorf: It's funny cause he's never there. Statler: Especially if you mean his own defensive zone. Waldorf: Or the score sheet.

1-2 games; I chose 2. As mahimahi (free mahi mahi, free mahi mahi... if you will) said, it wasn't an overly vicious hit. He saw the numbers the whole time, but he also seemed to let up a lot, unless he's really just that weak. Blake's not exactly what you'd call a repeat offender either, as far as I can remember. EDIT: Spelling and emphasis on the mahi mahi

As others have said, the key words here are under-discussed and overshadowed. Being in a weaker market and having a more marketable player above him have hurt the recognition St. Louis gets. I've always loved the guy as a player, and I'm happy to see him continue to do as well as he has. They also fell in love with the FoxTrax (glow puck), and were confused and disappointed when they went to live games and it was nowhere to be found

We can say blue waffle??

I would explain it, but I'm not sure if it's ban worthy, so I'll probably just keep it up in the old noggin'.

According to a friend of mine who is a fan of the Leafs, the rumor is that they're throwing the waffles to insist that the players aren't "getting a good enough breakfast and lacking energy". I had a much grosser theory, so I'll just stick to that rumored one.

Of course, when people are trying to discuss something in a civilized manner, someone lets a troll in the dungeon.

Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't he? If Green can be a finalist for his purely offensive skills, why wouldn't Byfuglien? To me he's a shoe in as a finalist at the moment. It's not like he's playing a hybrid style either, as he's played defense exclusively all season, even on the powerplay from what I've seen.

I think Crosby is a ding-dong, but the Winter classic is good for the sport's growth. Hockey fans already aware of the game are going to get annoyed by the same team playing again, but new fans to the sport are going to be more interested in seeing the superstars of the game. Right now Crosby and Ovechkin are pretty much the most recognizable guys in the sport, so it makes sense. I'm going to be watch it, hoping Crosby puts the puck into his own net, but I definitely want to check the game out because it's a fun concept in my eyes.

Yeah, I suppose you're right. I guess I just like Mursak's upside and I'd like to see him get some decent playing time, which in turn would mean less for Eaves. I guess I'm officially a Mursak slappy, lol. I considered that, but I feel like unless Homer gets hurt this year he'll likely play out his contract. He's on pace to have what could be considered a typical season for him, so I don't see him just stopping unless he has to. I gave Emmerton the nod over Filppula because Emmerton's the natural center, and he's shown himself to play very well defensively this season. Both guys will make a good case for nabbing a spot and I think it could come down to training camp if they keep up their play. I would agree with Larsson and Axelsson, except I think they may have talked their way off the team. Both guys are talented, no doubt about it, but I think they've exhibited poor attitudes at times. Based on talent alone I think they'd both have a strong case, but I wonder how management will respond to comments they've made and their returns to Sweden.

I wouldn't be comfortable giving up Helm or Abdelkader, but I'd send over Miller for sure. As you said, though, doesn't look very likely to go down. I agree with Hudler's powerplay efforts. We haven't seen much of it this year, but two seasons ago I distinctly remember him being able to protect the puck in the corner and along the wall on the PP. It seems to me that Hudler is his own worst enemy this season. He touches the puck and gets rid of it just as quickly. His confidence is completely shot right now, in my opinion.

Yeah, I figured on all of the effort issues, but I think a lot of the time changes in scenery go a long way in changing that. I'm just speculating, of course, but maybe a team with a higher contingency of Swedish born players might motivate him (I know ATL has Modin, Enstrom and Oduya, but still). When I glanced at their HF depth chart it seemed like defense might be a more pressing need in terms of their prospects (Kulda and Postma look decent), but their NHL team is pretty solid on the back end. Either way, I'm still for the deal if it can go down somehow.

With guys like Mursak and Emmerton pushing for a spot on the team, I think it'd be OK to let a few guys go or retire (Modano, Miller, Draper). Those two have more offensive upside (I believe) than some of our UFA's, and have enough speed to play the system well. Howard: 2.5-3.0 Million (depending on playoffs) Ericsson: 1-1.25 Million Eaves: 750-900 Thousand Lidstrom: 5.5-6.5 Million I think with Howard the Red Wings won't overpay for a goaltender, either way... not in the salary cap era. Ericsson's price seems fair for a 5th-6th guy who works mostly defensively, and Eaves seems ballpark for his position as well, considering he could be taken in and out of the line-up the way he's been this year. With Lidstrom I think there's a fine line to walk. I think he would definitely agree to around 5 million, but I don't think it's right to pay him 5 million. The man's done so much for the team, but it's the fact that he's still so good in conjunction with this that makes me think they can't underpay him by too much. He's not, let's say, Kris Draper (no offense to Drapes) so it's not a principle based on loyalty alone. I don't know that Rafalski's contract really should have any bearing on Lidstrom's, given when it was signed, but it would definitely feel weird to see it for me personally. I like the team's make-up of... (barring no one gets traded) Alphabetized, not real lines Abdelkader/Bertuzzi/Cleary Datsyuk/Eaves/Emmerton Filppula/Franzen/Helm Holmstrom/Hudler/Mursak Zetterberg Ericsson/Kindl Kronwall/Lidstrom Rafalski/Stuart UFA (Or it's possible to look at Janik, Kolosov [RFA] or Meech [uFA] within the system) Howard Osgood or UFA (I don't think McCollum is capable yet. I also think that Larsson burned his bridges with the team with his recent comments).

Well done sir... well done. Scroll to 1:15: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewkuCU-Afbg&feature=player_embedded#!

I'm actually curious as to why Atlanta even wants to trade him. I know that he's not physical at all, and doesn't win puck battles in the corner, but he's got good offensive numbers. I think taking Hudler would be redundant for them, as Bergfors is essentially the same player as Hudler, with three times the offensive output this year. I agree with titanium, there's going to have to be something else going their way. The prospect pool they have now is a bit shallow in terms of defense, so maybe sending Kindl over would make the deal work. Of course, they should send a 3rd/4th rounder back too, but Hudler alone wouldn't get the deal done. Bergfors is three years younger than Hudler, much faster/agile and a right-handed shot. I'd definitely be in favor of the deal, even if we had to lose Kindl in the process. The defensive depth in our system is a little better than people think. Smith has the potential to be a first pairing guy, Almqvist and Fournier have some serious potential if things go right for them and Lashoff and Jensen have some serious sleeper potential. When you combine that with Ericsson playing much better, Kronwall and Stuart being solid Top 4 guys and our ability to test the market should we need an elite defenseman, moving Kindl wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I wouldn't exactly consider Bergfors as struggling. He's got 18 points in 27 games, which puts him on pace for a 55 point season. While he hasn't been as consistent in the past as Hudler, he's only three years younger, so he's got more time to get better.

Well... this escalated quickly...

That was seriously one of the most ridiculously displays I've ever seen. I understand that they heckle Detroit because they're like our jealous little brother, that's fine. What I don't understand is how they can boo a guy who was pretty much your best defenseman for 9 years. Is your hatred and envy for Detroit that strong? I seriously hope that one day Toews, Keith or Seabrook demand a trade, leaving their organization with a huge hole in it. You're a bunch of spoiled brats throwing temper tantrums. You're a drunk prom date who can't hold her her liquor. You're that guy at the bar who gets kicked out because he keeps taking his shirt off. Now I'm a hypocrite because I've thrown a tantrum too, but I'm moving on like you guys should. Grow up Chicago fans.

Osgood starting on the 23rd seems likely, as it's a back-to-back, but I'd really prefer them to hold off until the 31st. Let Osgood play the Islanders. Right now Dallas and Vancouver are the only other home games in December, and each team is at the top of their division. I'm down with Babcock's all business approach, but this is a pretty important milestone too. Let him do it at home with a higher chance of winning.

Don't get this move at all. He played very well defensively and put up some points to boot. Hopefully this puts a chip on his shoulder now and it just pushes him that much harder.

Like others have said, that needed to be 5+ games at least. If McQuaid wasn't angled the way he was the result would have been a lot more severe. Complete bonehead play by Shelley.

Right score, not the right scorers (minus Dats)... but I shall take it

Being as objective as I can, I've listened to lots of other broadcast teams. I get the NHL Centre Ice package, so I get to check out plenty of games. I think the biggest difference is that while the Redmond-Daniels combo clearly get excited when the Red Wings score, they don't constantly praise the team. They spend a lot of time focusing on the opposing team, and they give credit where credit is due. When they see a bad penalty either way (esp Redmond) they really call it out. I don't think there's a more objective team in the league right now, although I do like the Rangers broadcast team as well.

I've been a fan of P.K. awhile now, but I have a feeling tonight he may get on my nerves, lol. Either way, 4-2 Detroit (Zetterberg, Bertuzzi, Cleary & Datsyuk)

I was wondering about the significance of the waffles myself. I know that outside of North America waffle can be used to describe babbling. Wikipedia says it can also refer to a politician switching sides on issues and indecision in general. I'm not sure any of those really apply to the Leafs, but I will leave with some advice for the team: "The Waffles are a trap..."

I'd love to see him become a 25-30 point guy, while still dropping the gloves when the need arises. I think any guy who's going to be an "enforcer" for Detroit has to excel in other areas of the game as well. I wouldn't wanna see him get heavier than 200-210 pounds, that way he maintains his speed as well.