Jake Ryan

Helm's new nickname is "The Ringer". Ringer comes in at the end of the season and gives us the little extra we need for the cup.

I heard someone say "Nightmare on Helm Street" a few weeks back. That's exactly what's going to happen to Crosby. The Penguins would be wise to keep Crosby off the ice when Helmer is out there, because Helm will be looking to make an impression.

The Penguins should have been eliminated in 5 games last year. We took their third best player, and they replaced him with someone less talented. Unless the Penguins are on a hyper-amphetamine and roid diet for the past 2 months, they are not going to get past the Red Wings. I don't care what you say, but the Red Wings are the best TEAM in hockey. The Penguins may have 2 of the best PLAYERS in hockey, but there's where the difference lies: The Wings are going for a team trophy while the Pens are shooting for the individual ones.

Watch the replay of the game winner and watch who comes skating in to watch the blackhawks celebrate their overtime goal instead of backchecking to prevent the goal in the first place. Yep, Ninety-SUX. Blueline to Blueline players are worthless in OT. I still can't figure out why Babcock won't ditch his HHO and get someone who's willing to hustle out there. It's so frustrating to watch this guy cost us games.

The only jerseys I fear on the ice are the striped ones. They are the only ones who can put the Wings defense of the cup in jeopardy.

Nice work, Arms-Crossed-Guy. Keep digging up more info and keep us posted.

That would have been such a great way for him to END his career.

Testing

I dunno. It's about time I got one, huh? Ok, I'll try and photoshop one. Hold on.

http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20082009/GS030325.HTM Props to Homer for doing whatever he did. He helped that puck get over to Helm, and the rest is history. He needs that assist, buddy. Please don't try and get it taken away!!!!

I really hope one of the Wings knocks the poster boy into next year. I hate this Bettman/Crosby love affair.

That would be nice. 2.5 million for him is a little steep. 1 million is more along the lines of his value as of right now. Won't the Players Association step in and force Marian Hossa to sign a deal for more money if his deal is too low? I would be upset if I was an NHLer and guys signed below their market value.

Me Too!!!!

Props to Homer for knocking that puck loose so Helm could bang it in. Ninety-SUX deserves the game puck.

Nah, they just need to dump some of their baggage.

Do you want me to dig up a post by you saying something about Datsyuk or Hossa? Do you really want me to find it and point it out? HOLMSTROM HARD-ON (HHO) is not an easy condition to live with. I get that. But seriously, are you blind?

I have to say that I like a game with only 2 or 3 power plays for each side, but only if the game is being played very cleanly. "Playoff Hockey" always seems to translate into "Screw the Red Wings out of 3 or 4 calls a night Hockey", so I think I'd rather just have the officials pick a set of rules that they're going to enforce and do it during both seasons. I don't like the fact that we have to beat the other team and beat the referees in each game, as well. That's tough to do year in and year out. What do you think and/or what do you prefer?

"****** nozzle" ha ha ha ha ha ha Mind if I steal that? The one thing that pisses me off to no end is when a referee is out of position and blows his whistle. Take your pick: the official screened by all the players and the goaltender from seeing the puck go in the net because he's not where he's supposed to be (behind the net) OR the referee making a call from center ice when the other official is 10 ft away from the play. I can't stand it when the official blows his whistle when he's not in position to make the call. That is when officiating is at its worse, in my opinion.

Here's where I have the problem. Removing Datsyuk from Hossa wasn't what got Hossa going. It was taking Holmstrom away from Hossa. Notice how our HART TROPHY CANDIDATE continued to struggle when Hossa was taken off his line? Why do you think that is? Because NINETY-SUX wasn't taken off his line. It's not rocket science. That's the thing that baffles me and why I've come up with the HHO (patented, btw) slogan. HE HAS ZERO POINTS IN 11 PLAYOFF GAMES AND IS A - 2 OVER THAT SPAN. What is possessing you people to look at that and relive Homer's glory years and think that we're still living in them? He serves a purpose on the power play, but he should be used sparingly 5 on 5. Just say "I agree" and we'll all move on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOpIfbneeHg

Honestly!! I didn't know Tomas Holmstrom replaced Steve Yzerman as the most indispensible Red Wing. I thought that was Lidstrom, Zetterberg, or Datsyuk. My bad, clearly.

If only you could apply your dedication to your math homework the way you do your LGW topics!!! You'd have passed Calculus.

Fair enough. I agree with you that he is a psychological player in the capacity you mention. I disagree with the value of that, seeing as how it hasn't produced anything but a minus 2 rating over the last 11 playoff games. But I see what you are saying. I will watch tonight's game. When people started criticizing Datsyuk and Hossa around game 3 of the Anaheim series, it immediately triggered a response from me of the "WTF" nature. Those two guys are two of the best 10 players in the league in ANYBODY'S book, so I knew something wasn't right. I have been watching Holmstrom with a fine toothed comb for 9 straight games now. It didn't take me too long to see that Datsyuk AND Hossa were both being marked by a forward and a defenseman. And it didn't take me to long to realize that the opposition could do this because of Ninety-SUX's lack of speed and ability during 5 on 5 play. That's why I have been lobbying for Helm on that line forever. Watch what happens when the opposition has to play one on one with either Helm, Datsyuk, or Hossa. It's not a big secret that a few of our players are going to get shadowed and shut down during the playoffs. We do it to the other teams' players every series. Kane looks like half the player he was in the Vancouver series because of our defensive prowess. But it is the coach's job to recognize a problem and make an adjustment when certain players are getting frustrated because of the lack of success they are having. So far, Babcock has made minor adjustments, and it's hard to argue that he isn't pulling the right strings because of the team's success. But the team would have gotten out of the Anaheim series faster had Ninety-SUX been yanked down to 4th ling responsibility and replaced by Helm. That was the extent of the line juggling needed.

I do agree with you that the Wings aren't exactly stinking it up as far as the 2009 playoffs are concerned. I mean, they have an 11 and 4 record. That's pretty damn good, considering 3 of the losses came against Anaheim. But message boards are for discussion. And the discussion doesn't always have to be an agreement between posters. For example, what fun would it be if the threads were: 1) The Wings are Awesome, 2) Lidstrom is Great, 3) Zetterberg is a Great Center, 4) Kronwall can hit ??? Every post saying "yah", "yep", and "you got that right". That would be a gigantic waste of time. The reason you read things on a message board is for OPINIONS, not facts. And my opinion is that Holmstrom only serves a purpose on the power play. The stats and video back my opinion up. I like to hear your opinion, too. If you have good evidence (which you don't, in this case), I definitely will take it into consideration. And hence, FUN!!!!

I got him on the first line, bro!!! Come on. I know Helm is the SHIZ. I've got an HHO, but it aint for Holmstrom.

Helm-Datsyuk-Hossa Cleary-Zetterberg-Franzen Hudler-Filppula-Abdelkader Kopecky-Draper-Samuelsson Lidstrom-Rafalski Kronwall-Stuart Ericsson-Fedorov Osgood Howard That wouldn't be fair. I think we need to keep Chelios just to make it fair for the rest of the league.