Jesusberg

I've got my Zetterberg jersey. I'm good.

Can we drop the puck now? Please? EDIT: Also, I would like to apologize to Mrs. Willa Mandy Ford-Modano for any false accusations I made against her in regards to Mikey coming to Detroit. I'm stupid. You're smart. I was wrong. You were right. You're the best. I'm the worst. You're very good-looking. I'm not attractive.

I really wish I would have grabbed my passport already. Living in Windsor, it'd be really easy for me to get back and forth for each day. I think I should quit procrastinating and get'r done.

First off, this is awesome. Secondly, I agree with this 100%. If we need grit anywhere it's on defense. Ericsson just doesn't have any kind of mean streak, and he needs one badly. To me, defense who can strong-arm opposing forwards out of the crease has been one glaring issue on the team. Every time I think about it, I remember when Rob Niedermayer (I think) pushed Hasek into the net and O'Halloran (I think) counted the goal. That still pisses me off to this day.

Ha ha ha... That's gold.

Bada Ba Ba Ba... I'm hating it. Seriously, who let that happen? Quick, someone who knows how to use photoshop put Ronald McDonald's head on that bad boy.

I'm grateful for everything Malts has done for the Red Wings, but I sure hope not. It's time to move ahead with youth. There are too many "possible" forwards pining for the 4th line. You've got Abdelkader, Helm, Eaves, Miller, Draper, Ritola, Maltby and Downey as possibilities. Unless a couple of those guys are willing to play in Grand Rapids, namely Malts and Downey, I doubt they'll be with the Wings in any capacity.

So far he's done nothing but exceed expectations. I think that he'll have to put on some weight to compete at the NHL in the future, but his hockey instincts are apparently off the charts. I really hope he pans out. Probably another gem by Hakan Andersson.

Not that I'm against player progression, but I almost hope that Helm doesn't develop too much of a scoring knack. Chipping in 10-15 goals and grinding it out the way he does is perfect in my opinion. If he becomes too much of an offensive threat his value goes up, along with his cap hit. If we can keep paying him in the 900K-1.5M area he could very well be a Red Wings player for years to come.

I think the idea definitely has some merit, but as has been mention his energy might be best conserved for the PK. Several players who work on the PP work the opposite side of their handedness for one timers, which is how I could see Modano being utilized. The issue with having such a deep offensive team is that there's only so much PP time to give out. I think we're going to see Hudler and Bertuzzi really battle it out for a spot on that second unit. I also wonder if Babs would slot Huds, even with his lack of face-off experience, into Filppula's spot if he doesn't play as well on the PP as Mike expects. Like I said, I definitely think the idea is worth tinkering around with, but there's just so much offensive talent that it might be hard to get him some time.

It's kind of like a lot of baseball fans hating the Yankees, or football fans hating the Colts. When you're at the top there's a lot of envy coming your way.

I think it's a fine line to walk when balancing skill and grit. The Brian Burke model of a team sees the Top 2 lines filled with scorers, while the bottom lines are essentially grinders/enforcers. Detroit's lines aren't so black and white. It really seems to me that at the end of the day, scoring depth is what wins championships. Your skill can take you through the regular season, and once the playoffs hit a lot of your skilled players are willing to battle and grind it out anyway. I don't mind not being the grittiest team in the league if we can be the most balanced scoring threat. Also, as it's been mentioned guys like Cleary and Bertuzzi, while not the biggest hitters, can provide some grit themselves. If you have enough skill on your team you can play a strong puck possession game, which allows for less grit to be required. Either way, I'm just really pumped for next season to start, even if it means I'm back to classes.

Well it is Shark Week... they had to do something.

He's in it for the money making 1.25 million? Give your head a shake, eesh. I think you have this preconceived notion of Mike Modano in your head, and so you're going to be anti-Modano regardless. I highly doubt Modano is going to throw a ton of hits, block shots or fight... he never really has. Modano is coming to Detroit to provide scoring depth. It's like you're just aiming at his all of his weak traits so you can find a reason to criticize the guy. If Mike Modano has a 20-20 season at 1.25 million... that's huge. When that happens I hope you'll at least acknowledge that he was a positive for the team.

I had a dream last night where Eaves threw a huge hit in the corner, then Abs did the same in the opposite corner... then the puck went up the middle and Helm had a huge open ice hit. All three guys dropped the gloves and had an all-forward brawl with the other team... Make it happen.

I think he should for sure hit the 20 mark. Adding Modano and Hudler (who also has playmaking skill) to the line is really going to be a boost. Couple that with all the hard work Dano has put in this summer and I expect big things out of him. I think it's awesome that our top 3 lines are all going to mirror each other. Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Franzen-Filppula-Bertuzzi Hudler-Modano-Cleary Each has a sniper, playmaker and net presence. Looks really good on paper. I'm pretty pumped about this season.

Not gonna lie, the way Hudler was used I really am surprised to see this. They're like a couple who just needed a little break to make things fresh.

He might as well be a Red Wings player, considering all the help he's going to give them.

There's Willie post-concussion issues, talking to a little girl in the stands.

Modano: "Everyone, we're here today so that I can announce that my wife has yet another name. She will now be known as Willa Mandy Ford-Modano. Also, I am not Jon Heder. Thank-you."

Turco's mentality... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwfHMXcfPcQ

I would consider the Red Wings as my favorite team. I can watch any game they play in without question. I know I'm a Red Wings fan because I actually get upset when/if they lose, and I can't say the same when I watch other teams. On the other hand, I'm a fan of hockey in general. In particular I like teams that are struggling and looking to build a solid team from scratch. I pay attention to teams like Toronto and now Tampa Bay because I find it entertaining to see which moves do and don't benefit the teams in the short term and in the long run. However, if any team plays Detroit I don't care about their building process; I just want them to get stomped out by the Big Red Machine

I want what everyone who thinks we're getting Doughty is smoking, haha.

I totally agree with this. He really doesn't get credit for his physical/defensive play because he's so good offensively. Doughty really is the whole package when it comes down to it.

There's pretty much no way to replace Lidstrom, but next year's pool of defenders is pretty deep. UFA: Chara Markov Kaberle Pitkanen McCabe Jovonovski Ehrhoff RFA: Doughty Weber Bogosian Johnson Yandle Any of those guys would lessen the blow of losing Lidstrom, but I feel as if some of them will already be locked up before Detroit even gets a sniff. I'd love to grab any of those RFA's, and a guy like Chara, Markov or Kaberle would look pretty good in a Wings jersey too. Once again, no one is going to replace Lidstrom, but someone from this list could surely help out.