Opie

Hey NFM that looked like what I just typed!!! LOL

There is a difference between being worried that if you walk out your door you can get hit by a car, and nearly dying on the ice. The 100% argument is not as valid in this case because, yes as I just said life is not 100% and you could die watching Family Guy Sunday night. However with Fisch he has a heart condition that nearly killed him 2 years ago, the man was dead on the bench and then brought back to life. There are countless articles about how if the wing's medical staff wasn't sitting where they were and if the defibrillator was as close as it was he would have died. That is slightly different than saying well Dats could get hit awkward and things could happen to him too. The outside chance something could happen is different than, you almost died doing this once because your body couldn't handle. And oh by the way we have no idea why it happened, what caused it, or if it will happen again.

There are times when this board really gets on my nerves, the whole trade this guy because he hasn't scored in 2 games bit (Sammy, Huds, you know the drill) and then I realize that it is because we are spoiled. As wing's fans we haven't had to deal with the horrible rebuilding years, missing the playoffs, WWW or Jacobs, etc.... it is a class org from top to bottom. Players like Yzerman are not only the face of the team, but display the attitude and mentality of the whole org. It is nice to be a wings fan I will tell you that!!!

I just hope Holland doesn't so something unnecessary just to do something. Again with a NE reference for you: Theo Epstien signs Eric Gagne, and almost costs the Sox the division and a playoff appearance altogether. The sox were 2.5 games from losing the division at one point which would have made them the wild card leader by 3.5. And with Gagne continuing to suck ass, the Sox could have missed the playoffs, instead Francona never (well in pivotal moments) plays him again and the Sox win the world series. Please Ken Holland I beg of you do not make a trade simply to appease the people who think you have to make a trade at the deadline. If some one good is out there than by all means do it, but don't mortgage the future just to say you made a deal!!!

Look at the difference between Lehtonen and JS. That is drastic. Now I know pad choice and size are different from goalie to goalie just like Cheli's pads vs everyone else, but man that is a big difference.

Because they still don't have a handle on what caused it and how to prevent it from happening again. Training is one thing, being out in the game where emotions run high (which also impact heart rate), where he will get hit again, those are things I am not sure his heart can handle and neither is the medical profession.

You gotta wonder what being allowed to hang out with, travel with, workout with the wings has done to keep his emotions up. I have got to think that it has helped keep him a little bit more positive than if he hadn't been. In this day and age of what have you done for me lately pro sports it is good to see an org keep a guy around the team and franchise even though he is probably done with his career and his career was very short.

I cannot believe that little chicken s*** ran away like that, I am surprised he didn't hide behind some one!! I saw a fight similar to that between the Lewiston Maineiacs and Baie-Comeau, by the end of the fight Lewiston had 6 players left on the bench and baie Comeau had 4 and 3 more in the box. One of the guys in the box had been knocked out at the start of the fight. He hit a guy behind the net after his team had iced the puck. He was in the box with no gloves, no stick, no helmet, just and ice pack on his head. But one of the guys took a cheap shot on a Baie Comeau player and then headed for the Lewiston bench, abotu 5 Baie Comeau players left their bench and headed to the Lewiston one. Crazy fight.

I knew Ralf would fit in well, but not this well, on the PP he and lids seem to be step for step with each other and passing very crisply and setting each other up. Although on that first goal last night it looked like they had a little Led Zeppelin, you know communication break down!!!! This team has a good mix of players and I wish I could watch them more often, I may just suck it up and pay for center ice!!!

The other thing besides being healthy, lets just say for arguments sake, he gets cleared to play hockey again. What kind of shape is he going to be in, will he be in NHL shape or has it been too long. Look at the rust players get after a couple of months on the shelf, this guy has been on the shelf for years now. I wish him the best, and think for the sake of his family he should hang them up for good, but then again I have never been a pro athlete and had it (and almost my life I might add) from me. Either way I wish him the best!!

This is becoming a Babcock team, which is a good thing, either you earn ice time or you sit your ass down and like it. The effort this team puts out there on the ice night in and night out is impressive.

I think Franzen would fit nicely on a Cleary Franzen Draper line and move Malts either to the 4th. Then you let Downey, Kopecky, Ellis and Drake fight it out the next couple of weeks to see who deserves to be on the 4th. Overall I think the 4th will end up Ellis Drake Maltby with Downey getting regular stints replacing the young Ellis and resting the aging Drake. Unless Kopecky really picks his game up I see him being in the press box or GR. But I believe you are spot on with your assessment SoutherWingsFan, this team has a good balance of everything. Top to bottom they are not the most skilled, nor the toughest, roughest, not the best at really anything (as a team) but the do everything well. That is a good sign!

This has got to be the best I have seen Osgood play in years. I see highlights of him and I sweat there is no way this is the same guy who play with the Isle and the Blues. Granted that save last night on Iginla was a lot luck, but still there were plenty that should have been goals and he made huge saves. As much as I love Dom it is nice to see a more conventional style in net, I am not calling for Osgood to take over (yet) just saying it is nice to see some one not flopping around and doing snow angels. How in the hell that works for him I have no idea. So to the loyal Osgood fans, I have to apologize for the not so kind words I said about Ozzie in the pre season. He is playing like a man possessed!

So I was interested to see what people's all time all star team would be. I guess it could be an all-time wings all star but when I originally thought about it I was thinking entire NHL. Post your all time all star roster ( mine are a little center heavy) Bo. Hull - W. Gretzky - G. Howe B. Esposito - M. Dionne - M. Richard M. Messier - S. Yzerman - J. Kurri J. Jagr - M. Lemeiux - M. Bossy N. Lidstrom - R. Bourque B. Orr - E. Shore D. Harvey - D. Potvin Sawchuck Broduer Wings- Abel - Howe - Lindsay Delvecchio - Federov - Gallant Shanny - Yzerman - Probert Ullman - Larinov - Ogrodnick Lids - Fetisov Konstantinov - Coffey Larson - Kelly Sawchuck Hasek (I know, I know only a couple of years but he was damn good in '02)

If the wings truly get him as a rental player for this post season, he would be on the cheap for this year and nothing says they have to sign him afterwards. So it really wouldn't impact the signing of Zets or Lids and the salaries of Ralf and Dats would not come in to play.

Spot on assessment as usual eva! There were some guys on there stat wise that (like Sid Howe) that I didn't know a lot about so I over looked them. Pavel and Hank, I didn't think have earned their way on to the list yet, but I think the ability he had even as an old Fogey was still high on the list to me. But this is an opinion based thread so I would like to see others, even if it is just the tweaking of mine like is going on now. Good discussion!!

The problem I have with getting rid of Kindl and Flip is that is overpaying for a rental player. Hossa would be a last minute deadline deal and the team that gets him will have him for a couple of months and then he is a free agent. If he is already saying he wants out of ATL then the teams looking at him are in a better situation. Take the Kobe fiasco for example. He wants out and will not come back after his contract is up. The Lakers have two choices, trade him and get something in return, or keep him and get nothing at the end of the season when they lose him to FA. That could be the same case with Hossa, so with that in mind the price to get him comes down a little. It is not like you are getting him with 3 years on his deal. This is a rental player situation.

I know it is early in the season but wasn't it me that got bashed in a thread for saying that they were not the cup favorite. Mind you I didn't say they would suck or that they would miss the playoffs, just that they weren't the odds on favorite because they lost almost all of their scoring when they let two players (selanne may come back) go. Everyone told me I had no clue and that there D would be incredible even without Neids. Amazing how many people on here now think they suck. Amazing how people on here change their opinions more often than I change my socks. In case you forgot what side of the fence you were on before the season started here is a little reminder: http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.ph...;hl=neidermayer

BeeRyce- Interninded never thought of it that way, good points.

I have never heard of Hossa being a player that isn't really a team player, but when a gifted natural goal scorer like that opts out of a shootout because he is not "feeling it" that worries me about him. That is a very primadonna attitude and that changes my opinion of him.

Hudler's role is to provide secondary scoring. He isn't a top 6 forward he is a 6-9 forward. However on this wings team he is being asked to play top 6 minutes. 13 games in he appears to be getting more comfortable with Flip and the seem to be gathering some chemistry. Again I am going on what I have read here and on sites like Yahoo, ESPN, NHL. Feds is an aging veteran who is not what he used to be. Huds has a better +/-, in more games played. So what exactly is it that Feds does better than Jiri. Is he really that good of a defender still? He isn't a leader, Ana and Det will tell you that. His scoring touch isn't what it used to be and neither are his wheels. He is 38, hey wait that is the same age as Dallas Drake, that some of you on here think is too old. If Drake is too old to do his job and play his type of game why would Sergei still be able to do his? Feds = Too old, not what he used to be, I would rather see the young guys get a chance. Forsberg= Too often injured I don't trust him, I wouldn't freak out if they got him just not my first choice. Hossa = I can only hope that at the deadline ATL is no where near the playoffs.

I wouldn't recommend holding your breath. Some people don't understand role players and expect every wings team to be like the 2002 roster. Eventually fans will get used to the new era of salary cap and realize that the price tag of a player and the output you get from them need to be looked at carefully. OH and BTW left winger look at your stats and standings again, Feds does not play for one of the worst teams in the league he plays for the second place team in the central a 7-3-1 team that makes them 5th overall in the league. So I think comparing Huds and Feds works out pretty well, but I didn't expect you to research your post, just babble on with you man love for feds. I should have known better!!

Not to be a jack ass here but last week maybe the week before Ellis was one of everyone's whipping boys, now he is a contributer, interesting. But I have a hard time believing Kopecky does "absolutely nothing", but maybe this is Babs way of giving him a chance to prove himself and once all are healthy and in the line up again he will not have earned a spot and Ellis will have.

Well to be fair detriment was not the only reason I gave you. But if he his not skating and not playing well that is cool, that is jsut not what I have read or heard. Thanks for the info.

What is it about Kopecky that has you so bent out of shape with him? I ask this as an honest question. I can not watch all of the games but from what little I have been able to read on the games and the team he is playing his role, and not being a detriment to the team.