Opie

Who knows? Maybe if you throw in a ham sandwhich?

Umm Manny Legace has proven he is not option #1 on any team that has cup aspirations, yes he made the All star team last year, after 2 goaltenders bailed on it. Mason has shown streaks of brilliance followed by streaks of extreme average-ness. The blues now have option 1b and option 1c they do not have a bonafide #1 that can take them to the cup. Maybe they are hoping they can draft one?!

Dude, I am not trying to correct you, just bring some emphasis to your point, he is the only person under the age of 60 I believe to have this surgery, most people have this surgery with the intent that they will walk normally, not skate normally and definitely not skate NHL caliber Stanley cup leading level. This man is the reason I am a hockey fan and is my number one hockey memory. Some of that has to due with the person that I watched the games with but a lot of that has to due with the fact of how hard the guy played the game. The Vladdy wheel cheer although sad is my number 2. But the career of Steve Yzerman even up until the end where it he takes the puck to the face. This man's career was a testament to testicular fortitude, he easily could have walked away and nobody thought less of him many times.

Agreed, and please note that this is in reference to Dino not Igor. Dino was a great Red Wing and the fans love him, he was not HOF material, IMHO!! But the professor on the other hand: CONGRATS!!!!! Well deserved, like posted by another, the KLM line was one of, if not the most vaunted line in Hockey history! This line was a machine, just nasty! And they had a ferocious blue line behind them! The question is do any of the other two make it?

Just a rule of thumb if you misspell a pretty easy to spell name of a player in your post you are probably going to lose creditability, his name is Stuart, why is it that some people on this board can't get it right. Or am I missing some inside joke like 4rd period.

These two posts sum up my feelings pretty well. Those of you up in arms you do realize he understands that he will probably play 30-45 games, unless an injury or rash or injuries crop up. This is a depth signing nothing more nothing less! So far this team has the following D signed for next season: Lids Ralf Kronwall Meech Chelios Lebda That is 6 with 2 RFA's (Quincey Ericsson), I am not so sure that is exactly a log jam now that I think about it!?

Maltby? can I ask what he did that made him better than what people think he is, which would be an agitator that plays decent defense.

So lets say in your scenario: Crosby 8.7 Malkin 7 (at min) Hossa 7 (at min) Fluery at least 5 if not 6 At best they are looking at 27.7 mil there, you add 6 more for Gonchar (not sure if that is a full hit or not) 2.7 in sykora 36.4 mil tied up in 4 forwards, 1 netminder and one D-man OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They still have to sign Orpik and Malone, How with that kind of money already sewn up in those 6 players!!! Then you add Ryan Whitney at 3 Sydor 2.5 Gill 2.1 44 mil Scuderi and Letang barely make a mil combined so there d is full, in terms of having enough warm bodies; Staal, Kennedy, talbot are about another 2.5 mil 47.5 mil in 14 players and still no Orpik or Malone. With a 56 mil cap they are hurting badly they need atleast another 7 players at bare minimum!! And no backup! Granted my numbers for Fluery, Malkin, and Hossa are guesses but I would say accurate guesses, seeing as Hossa made 7 last year maybe he goes to 6, still that is over 46mil for 14 players they will need a bunch of players signed at about 500k.

Stevie Y!!!!!!!!! He is probably the only ex-star player humble enough to admit that he needs to be an assistant before becoming a head coach!!! Stevie has always known his role (thanks Rock) and I think he could actually work under Babs and do it without causing more turmoil than good! However I still really see him becoming the GM after Holland, but I wouldn't mind seeing him.

That my friend I think is the whole reason to this!!!!

Slight difference there, word order makes all the difference in the world!

I will give you that, I just know in my head, I have reasons for each of the guys I listed to be it and reasons some one else should be. But I think Lids sets the tone, I think he is the best all around player in the world, he is the best defenseman in 30+ years, and he is the core of the best PK and PP in the league, with out him are the wings still good, without a doubt and that is a testament to the org, but would they be as good or as dominant, I lean towards no.

AHHH gotcha!!

You know I had that typed out, but seeing as I defended him all season I knew I would get a bunch of s*** and I was too interested in the Prestigious award thread to defend myself in this one as well!

Who was? May I ask, not arguing with you because to tell you the truth, I am not sure who was. Ozzie? a back up that won as many games as the starter with better stats? Lids? Hank? Dats? To me they all could be, which is why I have a hard time saying one of them deserved the Hart.

Why choose a photo from 10 years ago when the uni's are definitely different now?

Truly anyone who says they are or were the best is a little to arrogant for my liking, having said that Gretz is probably the only guy with ground to stand on if he had said it!

In your opinion, yes but in my opinion I will take a team that barely ever retaliates and wins the cup over a team that fights a bunch and loses in the SCF!!! So maybe instead of TBH you should have typed IMO!! I have watched a local Junior Hockey team that had fights almost every game, but lost almost every game, it wasn't that entertaining to me, then they became a team that fought less and then won the QJMHL championship. That was way more entertaining in my book. If the two can happen at the same time than yea that makes for some damn good hockey!!!

That sucks ass, and I am a C's fan, I want the one with the bigger story, you know a team winning a championship!! SON OF A B*(&(!!!! Mother BEEEEEEEPPP!!!!!

Hudler

RE: Gretz point well taken, my argument wasn't strong one to begin with. I just think with Edmonton he was the most impressive player on that team, and in the league, but IMO he gets a lot of credit for them winning and Kurri was one of the early Euro's that didn't get nearly enough credit, and Mess was well Mess, but you are right. Gretz in LA took an atrocious team further than they deserved and he was a major factor in Edm. I should have prefaced my thought better, by classifying, either way my statement was wrong!!! BTW take a look at Bure's 93-94 season in which he played 76 games and put up 60 and 47 or 92-93 when he put up 60 & 50 with a +35. What keeps Bure form being mentioned in a lot of the all time greats is his Prima Donna attitude and his injuries. To say AO is better than Bure ever was is a bit of a stretch this is a guy who was over a PPG player. Currently AO is on track to be the better player and has the natural talent, but has yet to proven he is better. Would it surprise me if he was, no way in hell!

Yeah me too every time they play the wings!!!!!

I never said he didn't deserve it, because based on who has received it in the recent past and what they did to receive it, he deserved. But to me a guy who can score 90+ points and still be counted on to kill penalties (and score a few shorties) is more valuable to a team than a guy that scores 65 & 47 but can't kill penalties. Is AO the most gifted and talented offensive player in the game, with out a doubt, but so wasn't Pavel Bure at one point in time. All the offense in the world isn't going to help your team if you can't stop the other team from scoring or every time your team is shorthanded they give up a goal. I value defense as much as offense and in the post season even more. Edit: I will argue that without Messier and Kurri, Gretz doesn't even get a sniff of the Hart, plus in that era the game was all about scoring, not stopping scoring, the game has evolve from that.

Hey cool man that is your opinion I was just stating mine, if you can admit that it is your biased or selfish reasons, at least you are an honest human being and that goes a long way in my book!!!!!!!!! But I will say the reason I think none of us can question what he put into the preparation for the SCF is because the wings won, had they lost, I would be screaming right beside you that he should have spent more time focusing on the wings not the sharks, imo that makes all of the difference. Because I have no proof it impacted anything, and I am a person who considers people to be trustworthy and honest until proven otherwise, unfortunately for me that has cost me a few burns in the past!