Theophany

Leino is also giving Zetterberg some really nice passes, as well as crashing the net with Cleary. It's a complete waste to use Zetterberg and Datsyuk on the same line, which a lot of people don't seem to understand. We have no depth at center without Filppula because we have to use Abdelkader, and our normal fourth line (Helm's line) is moved to our third line. Not that Abdelkader is bad—quite the opposite—but he should still be in GR leading that team and getting his scoring touch perfected. I honestly don't see why so many people are obsessed with ZDH, it'd be much better to see Franzen-Dats-Homer and Leino-Z-Cleary. Those are much more balanced lines, and much better overall. We're not Anaheim, we can't run our top like 29+ minutes a night.

Eaves is a viable option, but I have a better scoring touch than Helm does, frankly. I would never put Helm on a line with a playmaker, especially the first line. Don't get me wrong, I like the kid, but if he was trying to hit a barn from five yards away, he'd turn around and shoot the puck in the opposite direction. Eaves at least has a good shot and some speed. I just don't know if he can play at a top line level.

The best place for customization (both price and quality) is sportsk.com. By far the best site I've used.

You're not going to see Dats and Z together on a line in the playoffs (with everyone healthy) unless we're desperate for a win. It breaks up too much of our depth both offensively and defensively to have them on one line. You'll see something like this: Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Leino-Zetterberg-Cleary Bertuzzi-Filppula-Williams Draper-Helm-Eaves (Maltby/May rotating at Draper/Eaves' spot) Defense as usual, though I'd actually play Meech at this point over Lebda, with how he's played. If Ozzie/Howard play how they are right now, I'd play Howard as #1, Ozzie as #2; we all know that Ozzie is a playoff beast though, so he'll be #1.

There are easy ways to get cheaper jerseys—especially the RBK. SportsK has great deals, and when they customize jerseys, they actually sew everything on; I've gotten two jerseys thus far from them (with a third authentic Winter Classic jersey on their way to them right now to get customized), and I've never been unhappy with the numbers/name. They have pretty low prices as well. But yes, the $150 "Premier" jerseys are a bit of a ripoff, especially if you get the NHL.com or commercial customization. I find that they're better than the CCM ones though, if you do your own customization. They just run smaller than their CCM brothers (I normally wear a large CCM but I wear an XL or XXL in the RBK). Here's a size chart for the RBK jerseys.

Rinne, Pavelec, and Kiprusoff are reasons for being shut out, though. And Lidstrom is 39, he's bound to decline sometime. I mean he's still great, but obviously something has to give eventually, or else he's going to be playing 'til he's 90+.

The team doesn't suck. We've faced three hot goalies in three games (Rinne, Pavelec, Kipper), and it shouldn't be surprising to anyone that scoring goals on them is rough. We've outshot every team in the last three games (31-25, 40-25, 40-17) and had more scoring chances; that's not the mark of a team that "sucks". Yes, not scoring sucks. Yes, I wish we had won those games. But we didn't even though we played pretty well. It happens. Calm down, take a deep breath, and I promise that the Wings will win again this season.

I have no difficulty in believing it; Lidstrom loves the game and loves the Wings. The only way he goes out with a Cup is if we win it this year, but I don't think he'll hang them up until he's 45 or so (maybe later). He's seen how a guy like Chelios can stay in the league until he's practically ancient, and Chelios played a much more physical game than Lids does. For his contract, I'd say $4-5m is logical, though he may take a discount. Two year deal is probably what both Holland and Lids are thinking.

I really hope this was sarcasm. If not, you need to get your eyes checked and watch Lidstrom play. He's made a grand total of three mistakes all year. Stuart has either been a huge crappy pylon or has been on fire; Rafalski's blunders have been made up for by some really solid defensive play. Anyone that thinks Stuart of all people has been our best defender all season is obviously either on drugs or doesn't know anything about hockey.

Can it really be a stare of death if it's his normal facial expression? I just think that he had a really sarcastic family growing up. When he frowned, his family would be like, "aw, little Mikey is smiling!" so he thinks that's a smile now. Seriously, it could happen!

Really? It makes complete sense to me. If it were someone like Tavares going to waivers, that's one thing, but a third/fourth liner? Most teams have plenty of those, and more in the AHL. I wouldn't piss off another GM just to get an average at best player.

He's been fine this year, and he's worth 6 million. Green does just about as much as he does. He's had a few bad games, but overall he's not been anywhere near as bad as Stuart, and he's only getting $2.25m more. The defense as a whole has been underperforming (except for Lidstrom), if you want my opinion, so is it really shocking that none of our guys are playing like they're getting paid $3-6 million?

Yeah, not so much if you're trying to listen to the Wings.

It was considerably less to stay in Detroit, and Detroit wasn't willing to offer him the 12 years that the Hawks did.

There's an app for the iPhone called "iheartradio" (free) and it includes 97.1. Either that or it was AOL Radio. I can't remember.

You obviously haven't been watching Pavelec this year.

We could use a guy like that, especially with how defensive most of the team currently is (Miller, Helm, Eaves, Abdelkader, etc). What we really need are Franzen and Filppula, but I'd take this kid in the meantime.

Uh, Havlat scored 29 last year and 10 the year before. Still not 40. And wait, you're saying you don't know what that line can do on their own end of the ice? Hossa was the fourth best defensive forward on a team with two Selke winners and a Selke nomination, and on a team that focuses on being defensively responsible. Toews himself plays on the Hawks PK. It's easily the best two-way line in the NHL just because of Toews and Hossa (unless Zetterberg and Datsyuk get paired again long-term), nevermind the offensive capabilities that the line has.

Some teams have bad days, and some goalies have great games. Howard has had a few for us thus far, and Pavelec really stole the game for the Thrashers tonight. The Preds have been hot in their last 7 games (winning all of them, including beating the Avs tonight), and against the Stars we just had too many giveaways and couldn't put anything in net. The Panthers was a terrible goal let in by Ozzie, but we shouldn't have needed OT anyway. This really needs to be a wake-up for the Wings; I think a lot of the guys (pretty much everyone outside of Lidstrom, Draper, Maltby, and maybe Ozzie) take for granted how good this team has been for the past 10 years. Never once has it even been in doubt that we'd not make the playoffs. We're now just like any other team, and if we don't start actually working every game, we're going to end up in 9th or 10th and be golfing come middle of April.

Are you joking? Kane is absolute magic with the puck, especially for as young as he is. Between him and Toews, Hossa is easily on the best line in hockey, hands down. This is including the Marleau-Thornton-Heatly line. Kane has averaged 48 assists in his first two years in the NHL without a guy that can score 40 goals on his line; his numbers are only going to increase, being line-mates with Hossa and Toews.

Your next post is going to contain a "Detroit sucks" chant, isn't it? Don't worry, your team is good, but you're still an idiot.

This is beyond the dumbest thread I've ever seen; it's the dumbest thread I will ever see in my entire life, and that's saying a LOT, considering I post here. This is akin to saying, "hey, how about we trade Steve Yzerman?" or "hey, how about we trade Gordie Howe?" You just don't do it. If you have that thought, you let it bounce around in your head, then realize you were stupid to even think that, and let it go unsaid. Because saying it makes you look like a moron.

The bolded part is where you're blatantly wrong. Lidstrom wouldn't be considered one of the best defensemen to ever lace up skates if he couldn't clear the crease or at the very least lock up people on the crease. Please don't try to assert things that are the opposite of the truth.

Even if there is a NTC in his contract, players can waive it 99% of the time (due to the language in the contract). A NTC is to make sure that the player has a choice in whether he stays in his current city.

Kinda sad, but I'm more confident about games when Howard is in the net than I am when Ozzie is in the net.