Opie

I could be wrong but that is what I saw, but recreational chemistry has screwed my perceptions a little!!

The article was absolutely stupid, waste of time reading but I thought it would spawn a good debate here! BLOGGERS SHOULD BE SHOT!!! Well at least the ones who pretend to be real journalists but can not remove their homertism!! GS&T I made that word up for you!!!!

Yeah but it was Carey Price or Huet. Not like it is a 3 time cup winner or an unproven. And Price had played at the NHL level and was excelling. Larsson nor Howard have played enough time at the NHL level to risk what the Habs did. And being in contention one year was not my point, I was talking about teams that are in it to win it (Like Yzerman, sorry) every year. Last year the Habs were a top seed, what about the year before. I was more referring to teams like SJ, DET, COL (back in the day), NJ (with a healthy Broduer), so on and so forth. Also when did J-Ho get a chance to prove himself? You mean last year when he came up and the top D pairing Was Lebda and Lilja due to injuries and he lost 1-0 to Dallas?

Something has to improve those ratings. To me every league should drop the all star games. They are pointless and more and more players back out of them for rest, family time, nagging injuries, planned vacations. Just drop it all together and shorten the season by a week! (By removing all of the down time the ASG takes!)

I say Cheli, but I agree with the people who said the last couple of years in Detroit took the shine off of his luster. Lots of times players stay too long, maybe Barry Sanders (I am not a Lions fan and I was saddened by his retirement) had it right, leave while on top, leave them wanting more. To me BS was the best running back in college or Pro history, raw talent (and stat wise in NCAA), that man was unbelievable!!! Had he stayed three more years and had the stats dropped significantly (in the nfl when a back goes down hill they go down fast) does that impact your thoughts on Barry Sanders, well probably not Barry that would be like saying the Wizard years ruined Jordan's career.

That must be the case, I use NHLNumbers due to ease, but that must be right, it blew my mind that he could do that when the Isles or Sabres (I think) had a player this off season that had to restructure the deal.

Why not he is not suspended by the league anymore, it is a team suspension. He fulfilled his penalty to the league, he served his time I don't think they should be able to tell him no if he has served his punishment for them. This not playing now is a team decision, which I am surprised the PA hasn't done anything about!

I believe Stompee, that was the Simon incident.

This my friend is the exact reason why he is in GR (IMO), well that and that pesky Hossa put the wings in cap peril and they can not call anybody up. The Wings could have brought up J-Ho as the back up, if he failed gone after another back up of Conklin's ilk. However up against the cap they would be hard pressed to find a back up with the solid seasons Conk block has had as a back up for that price. Maybe they could have made a play at Emery but me thinks he would have cost too much. Ericsson and Howard and Leino and Helm have all been touted by Babcock as highly talented (well not J-ho) and have been sent down. Not because the Wings don't have faith or don't think they can do the job, but because the wings are up against the cap, calling up anyone right now is near impossible, even Downey who they signed to a 2 way deal to have some relief. Unless a player goes on LTIR the Wings are stuck with what they got right now.

Another thought, The Pens (much like most Eastern teams) are lacking on the back end, have they pulled a TB lightning? Load up on the front end and then have to win with 6 goals everynight? Crosby, Malkin, Fluery, Staal, Whitney, Orpiks are all signed and they have a lot of FA's coming up. But the 6 guys I listed are tied up for a lot of money. Horrible, horrible tangent: Anybody else think Malkin's contract should be voided, he has 4 years at 9 mil and then 3 at 2.85, I though that was too steep of a drop off? Didn't a couple of players already have contracts negated by the league for that?

You don't even have to send anyone to KHL, just get rid of the instigator rule. Avery rarely backs his mouth or his actions up with his fists, why? He doesn't have to. Even if he is not suspended by the league for his comments do any of you really believe that either Iginla or Dion would have gone to blows with him. Sure they would have tried to, but all Avery has to do is act like he doesn't want to throw with them and they both risk 17 minutes worth of penalties. So Avery gets 2 or maybe even 5 minutes, big deal he just took either the flames best forward or D man, that is a win for Dallas. Now if it is a 5 min major for fighting and no stupid ass instigator s***, Iggy can rain down thunder all over Avery's ass sit for 5 and it is a relative wash. With the instigator Iggy or Dion lose almost a whole period of Hockey. STUPID F**KING RULE!!!

Flip went for 14mil 5 years 2.0 2.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 Edit for comparison last season's stats Flip Regular season GP78 g19 a17 pt36 +16 PostSeason gp22 g5 a6 pts11 +7 Staal Regular Season gp82 g12 a16 pts28 -5 Post Season gp20 g6 a1 pts7 -4 This year Flip 39 5 11 16 4 Staal 41 11 10 21 -5 The cap is projected to go down next year and he is making 2mil more than Flip over the term of the deal. Not saying it is a bad deal but more than flip doesn't seem right, I also don't know what he adds to the locker room presence so that could make up for a lot if he is a future 'A'.

These very same things were said about J-Ho right after he was drafted as well. He was supposed to be ready to start out of college. Goalies for some reason seem to take longer than any other position to really develop. Even Hasek wasn't HASEK until a little bit older age. A guy like Roy (great from day 1 on) is very rare, the Habs may have found another one in Price and Maybe Fluery ww/ the Pens, but even they had sloppy starts. I think the only teams that can afford to develop young goalies are the teams that are not competing for the cup every year. Since the Wings aren't in that category it is a much bigger chance to entrust your team to a young unproven netminder. Unlike any other position one player makes such an impact, if Ralf is struggling the rest of the D is there to share minutes or pick up the slack. If Z is slow there are 12-13 other forwards that can help out. A goalie is on an island and the more they struggle the more (to me) it seems to get in their heads. Goaltending is all about confidence, believing that no matter what the break down in front of you, you have no doubt you can make the save. A bad game can lead to a bad week to a bad month much easier for a goalie. I too would love to see the Wings develop a young goalie (especially J-ho, seeing as I am from Maine) and bring them up to the ranks of starting Stanley cup netminder, however the last one to do that was Ozzie, and that was the start of the era of domination, so the risk was a little less, plus with no cap they could go out and not worry the price tag of a starter. Now if they bring up J-ho (pretending Ozzie and Conk don't exist) they are hindered by the cap as to whom they can go out and get, where as before the cap they could go out and sign Cujo when they already had Hasek and Legace.

Look when Peters goes to pull his hand back you can see Ruutu's mouth closed on the glove and that is why the glove comes off. You can't see Ruutu actually clamp down on the finger but you can see that the jaw was closed and the glove is pinched in between. You can even see his head turn as Peters pulls the glove away. Now whether or not like another poster said it was a reaction to keep from getting mouthwashed as well as facewashed I don't know but you can clearly see his jaw clenched on the glove. 2 games seems alright with me, but I would like some consistency from the NHL, this makes the Avery thing seem like a lot longer suspension now. Doesn't this also impact the game negatively, I mean it is all over the internet, was ESPN's only hockey highlight of the day, was on Yahoo's home page, for all the reasons what Avery said was bad for the game so is this, and this was a guy biting another. On the other hand there is a precedence for this already and this suspension is longer than that one (Savard) so I guess all in all I am ok with two games it is better than none!

I agree with the announcers that was a clean hit! That also was a clean punch, Ohlund needs to work on his defense a little, that almost sent him to nighty night land!

ESPN sportcenter had a pretty good view this morning where you could see the hand in mouth but you can't actually see any biting movement. Which could be the hang up here, suspension wise. If Peters is face washing Ruutu, and is trying to say he was bitten I don't see the jaw/biting movement. If his hand was on Ruutu's shoulder and then you saw Ruutu's head go down and chomp the league has no out, in this case they have an out. Not that they would use it on Ruutu, but it could be hard to prove where the bite was, time wise. After Egroen's video you see the clenched jaw!!

Bring him up mow, GRRRRRRR grit toughness!! Easy there, just kidding

He is by far my favorite wing now, Lids was after Stevie, but dats has just become the guy to me. Now saying that Lids and Z are still up there but Dats is my guy! I to try to stay level headed but it doesn't always work. To be honest I was expecting a different retort from you, with the an answer ready for you "were you asking the original slammers to be level headed". However with your reply all I can say is 100% agreement!

It is funny that a bunch of people are dogging on the guy for saying I was right and you were wrong. When more often than not in the original thread the person who turned out to be wrong was stating that X would happen with 100% certainty. Some people even going so far as to say, mark my words. I have been the one that was right and the one that was wrong but I try to not let my opinion come off as 100% correct and everyone else is wrong. If you thought Dats was not going to live up to the contract and stated it as your opinion he is not talking to you. It is the people that come on here and state up and down that X will be the way things work out,only to be 100% wrong and not ever admit. So you dog on this guy for stating that his way is right, but the people he is referring to had flaws in their arguments, when during the debate, people SWORE up and down Dats would be a bust and would not come close to the 6.7 million. Calling him names, demanding the Wings trade him, calling him a greedy Russian. There are times (Last years Trade deadline, or this case) where reminding the people who were way overboard wrong, that maybe they should have a little more open mindedness or optimistic point of view!

I have a serious question: If you are going to be super anal about what the Jersey looks like, stitching, name size, patch location, smell or whatever else, why bother buying a discounted cheap replica? If it means so much to you, logic would dictate you spend the coin for the real deal. Otherwise buying a cheap knock off and expecting it to be the real thing is a little weird. Would you buy a Rolex off of the street in Mexico for your wife/gf/husband/bf and get pissed when you could hear it tick? The point of posting this link (IMO) was to show people how to get cheap jerseys, not how to get completely accurate game worn authentics for 22.18!

My prediction: Holland will not hurt nor greatly help the team. If a small piece that he thinks is the "Missing Link" is out there he will make the move, but with the cap and upcoming free agents I don't see him making any real moves. But I also didn't see him getting Hossa so take that for what it is worth!!!

Double standard = discrimination! White Vs Colored or Star Vs Role player or Celeb Drunk driver Vs You/I drunk driver or Bank going bankrupt Vs You/I going bankrupt Either way you are providing something to one group that you are not providing to another simply based on who they are. Not what they have done in this particular situation.

Turning last second before a hit, watch his shoulders!! name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>&"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" />

He doesn't turn he stops, yes his skates change the direction they were going but that is a hockey stop, from the crease Heward heads toward the wall where the Crease and the wall meet, half way there he changes his angle to go about 3 feet up the wall, but at no point does he change directions! Whilst 10 is funny none of these describe the motion that Heward made. He was shoulders parallel to the board from the painted crease into the walls!!! Turn: 1 a: to cause to move around an axis or a center : make rotate or revolve <turn a wheel> <turn a crank> b (1): to cause to move around so as to effect a desired end (as of locking, opening, or shutting) <turned the knob till the door opened> (2): to affect or alter the functioning of (as a mechanical device) or the level of (as sound) by such movement <turn the oven to 400°> <turn the music to full volume> c: to execute or perform by rotating or revolving <turn handsprings> d: to twist out of line or shape : wrench <had turned his ankle> 2 a (1): to cause to change position by moving through an arc of a circle <turned her chair to the fire> (2): to cause to move around a center so as to show another side of <turn the page> (3): to cause (as a scale) to move so as to register weight b: to revolve mentally : think over : ponder 3 a: to reverse the sides or surfaces of : invert <turn pancakes> <turn the shirt inside out>: as (1): to dig or plow so as to bring the lower soil to the surface <turn the compost weekly> (2): to make (as a garment) over by reversing the material and resewing <turn a collar> (3): to invert feet up and face down (as a character, rule, or slug) in setting type b: to reverse or upset the order or disposition of <everything was turned topsy-turvy> c: to disturb or upset the mental balance of : derange , unsettle <a mind turned by grief> d: to set in another especially contrary direction4 a: to bend or change the course of : divert <a battle that turned the tide of history> b: to cause to retreat <used fire hoses to turn the mob> c: to alter the drift, tendency, or expected result of d: to bend a course around or about : round <turned the corner at full speed> 5 a (1): to direct or point (as the face) in a specified way or direction (2): to present by a change in direction or position <turning his back to his guests> b: to bring to bear (as by aiming, pointing, or focusing) : train <turned the light into the dark doorway> <turned a questioning eye toward her> c: to direct (as the attention or mind) toward or away from something d: to direct the employment of : apply , devote <turned his skills to the service of humankind> e (1): to cause to rebound or recoil <turns their argument against them> (2): to make antagonistic : prejudice <turn a child against its mother> f (1): to cause to go in a particular direction <turned our steps homeward> (2): drive , send <turn cows to pasture> <turning hunters off his land> (3): to convey or direct out of an inverted receptacle <turn the mixture into a baking dish> 6 a (1): to make acid or sour (2): to change the color of (as foliage) b (1): convert , transform <turn defeat into victory> (2): translate , paraphrase c: to cause to become of a specified nature or appearance <turned him into a frog> <embarrassment turned her face red> d: to exchange for something else <turn coins into paper money> e: to cause to defect to another side 7 a: to shape especially in a rounded form by applying a cutting tool while revolving in a lathe b: to give a rounded form to by any means <turn the heel of a sock> c: to shape or mold artistically, gracefully, or neatly <a well turned phrase> 8: to make a fold, bend, or curve in: a: to form by bending <turn a lead pipe> b: to cause (the edge of a blade) to bend back or over : blunt , dull 9 a: to keep (as money or goods) moving ; specifically : to dispose of (a stock) to make room for another b: to gain in the course of business <turning a quick profit> c: to make use of <turned her education to advantage> d: to carry to completion : pull off <turned a double play> <turn a deal> 10: to engage in (an act of prostitution) <turn tricks>intransitive verb Whilst 10 is funny none of these describe the motion that Heward made. He was shoulders parallel to the board from the painted crease into the walls!!!

First off in my mind you are vastly underrating players, because Simon and Hollweg don't end up on the stat sheet that much you mean they have no value. Well what about Maltby, Downey, McCarty, Draper? You're right about changing the names changing nothing, Hossa should be suspended if he hits a guy like that. Not sure why you brought that up. I have been saying all along that changing the names should change nothing, but my point was that if you insert Dats and Pronger people on here would be up in arms. That is wrong, that hit should be punished the same way if Crosby, Hossa, Modano, or Bobby Ryan do it! Great player or not a penalty is a penalty, because he is a great player do you let him get away with a slash? How about offsides, does he get an extra half a puck? How about goals, does he get to count the ones that touch the line but not cross it? If you are going to bend some of the rules for him why not all of them? Sidenote: I won't comment on the Lilja thing because I have a huge problem with officiating in all leagues and that to me is an example of officials not being able to keep up with the talent on the ice. What are most officials, frustrated Athletes who didn't have what it took to play the game at the next level so they officiate. what happens they are usually late or out of position and make a reactionary call. It is like a 5' tall Ref in basketball, what in the hell can he see in the game that happens above 6'!