kidish

Brown on the top line? I doubt that. I see him playing a good third line though.

Absolutely. It stands out because it is simple.

Haha, mindfly said the Sharks are entertaining to watch. That was worth posting on the forums.

With Chicago picking up Ebbett from Anaheim on waivers, I bet Detroit's super nervous and s***. Haha. I don't see Detroit making any big splashes. Young season, let the boys get their s*** in order.

I like that every game highlight clearly shows seven guys there. Counts them, numbers them, shows a frozen frame. At some point, maybe egg-in-the-face will, like, make a difference. Right.

These guys are obviously destined to be the team for the Finals this year.

This is why it's hard to take the NHL officials seriously.

I haven't, but I've been seeing everyone complain about the Game Center s*** so far. It drops off all the time. They're so related, I know. Good luck with that s*** man.

NHL officials are ******* screwy. They reply to fan concerns with "you don't know hockey, let us do our job." Literally. We might be fans, but a lot of us watch a lot of hockey -- we know a missed high-stick that injures a player when it happens. I hope this random nobody wins.

Here's a video of the Corey Perry head-goal. It's pretty ******* crazy. You see Anaheim's coach, Carlyle (aka, perma-Grump), laughing with Selanne because Temmu had turned and said, "hey, why is Perry killing penalties?" Then Perry heads it in, and Carlyle laughs and says "that's why." Note Wideman's response, just like, "oh what the hell, even that goes in?" with the hands up and everything.

This is a big game for Detroit! Brad May being in the lineup will only help this club. (And if Eager is out, that's rougher on Chicago.) But this one should be a riot to watch.

Nolan creaming him into the boards was the best thing in the world, and Odjick deserved it then by cross-checking a downed and prone player. Or when Domi knocked him to the ice in a fight. Ah the memories.

Toronto against Ottawa should be chippy as hell. I think Pronger and co. will put a lid on Washington's high powered offense. Plus Philly will wear them down with the body, so I'm thinking that will be a lower-scoring game. Still highly enjoyable! But hell, everything else has been topsy-turvy so far this season, I'll be dead wrong about tonight. Good hockey to be had tonight though!

I totally agree, it'd be good for your club.

He's less known for his dumb penalties than his penalty killing. But you're right, there is no Moen in Detroit. There can be May, however. Similar player, except May has more foot-speed. He won't kill penalties, but Detroit wouldn't need him to anyway.

This.

Moen, Ott was suspended for eye gouging.

And yet Moen's scored goals in the first two games with Montreal -- so the man can play. And Montreal's system is similar to Detroit. But what Moen added to the ice in the video I put out is just this: Ott was going to do his s*** no matter what. But instead of some star players dropping the gloves for a hug-fest (and see Pronger about ready to jump into that...he CAN'T fight), or Giguere being left to hug it out with Ott (which was happening), Moen grabs him and *****-slaps him around. And with the group on the ice at that moment -- Pronger, Getzlaf, Perry, Neidermayer, and a pissed-off Giguere (he's caused line brawls before, see early Anaheim-Calgary game on YouTube) -- there were NO other scrums or cheap shots given by the Stars. The four players listed above (plus the goalie) AREN'T enforcers, but they are tough enough to go when the situation demands...and that limited the situation from compounding or from Ott getting away with his tomfoolery without a little pain. The point I've been making here with Detroit is just that: someone like May can play in limited minutes on ANY line. He won't light up the lamps, but he will create space and prevent scrums from getting out of hand. Will he win you a Cup? No. But he might give some players a chance to get there without injury. Better yet is a couple players like May...that'd help Detroit during the regular season grind as well as the playoffs.

A pure "enforcer" isn't ever going to discourage the rough stuff that happens on the ice. And there's also very few guys in the league who can ONLY fight, that's it. The modern enforcers in the league need to drop the gloves still, but even if they lack softer hands or strong legs, they have to hit. Players like May aren't enforcers. They fight and hit, but they can also skate on a line and make a pass or two. They aren't complete dead-weight. And while there will still be some rough stuff on the ice regardless of who is out there, it DOES lessen it. Watch any Anaheim (or Philly now) game: when Parros is out there, scrums break up QUICK. He's a forward, so there's no defenseman coming below the hash-marks to stop him. Or hell, there's a great clip of exactly what it means to have a tough guy on the ice. Ott is cross-checking Niedermayer repeatedly, Giguere from goal rushes him...then Moen hands him his ass. 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" />

Getzlaf isn't as defensive minded, but he likewise hasn't been given the same defensive opporunities in his team's system. Who knows, he might be a master and nobody really knows it. (He sure played opposing top lines well in the playoffs.) But I can give no edge to Getzlaf in fighting. No way. Props to him for being willing, but the guy just flat-out can't do much more than make sure he doesn't get whupped. He's no Iginla in that regard.

For better or worse, Gretzky coming to L.A. is one of the biggest contributing historical events that shaped the league today -- with teams in nontraditional markets and all that. In some cases, it hasn't worked, but to say that it's a wholesale failure is also ignoring facts. Los Angeles is a joke team now, but it has a rabid fanbase (don't know how). Anaheim has a fairly successful franchise, and San Jose does real well too. Dallas doesn't suffer from the same problems as Nashville or Phoenix either. So some of these nontraditional market teams work out...even teams like St. Louis included. I don't know if you remember or not, but when Gretzky was a King, there was a cartoon about superstar athletes and some kid who hung out with them -- they were a superhero team, basically. The recurring characters? Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky. And yeah, maybe Gretzky would have ballooned into the mainstream even in Detroit, but there's something to be said about his coming to L.A. too. Who knows, it's a cool bizarro reality consideration though.

Because Meech has such a cool name.

Culturally speaking, the "Great One" coming to Detroit wouldn't have been as beneficial for hockey. When Gretz came to Los Angeles, the Hollywoodization of the entire thing put hockey on the map for many, many people in the U.S., not just in the West. It turned into one of the best things to happen to hockey in the modern era. Had Gretzky come to Detroit, would it have been as big of press? Hard to say. I do think he would have won a Cup again with Detroit though.

I know most of you are prepping for Detroit in a bit. It is the first intermission right now, no score. Huet has needed to make a couple real good saves and has been up to the task. I'm really looking forward to the Chicago-Detroit games.

It was just one game, and the Blues had to work their asses off for it. I don't really think it spells doom and gloom for Detroit. s***, next game will probably go to Detroit anyway. It's a long season, judging everything by the first game isn't really applicable. And from my understanding, Ozzie didn't play much during the preseason, he needs a couple games to find his flow anyway.