kidish

Surprised they missed "the Captain" of all the names listed on here. Other than a couple omissions, though, it was a pretty fun article since they attached pictures to everyone.

To numberthirtynine (didn't want to quote all that!): I think Dats is an amazing player. I'd just be hard put to say he's number one when he's played on a great team all along. And nobody here can say Detroit isn't what all other teams in the league consider "stacked." Detroit is the measuring stick for the rest of the league, but that should be a compliment to you all. Whether it's reputation alone or truly earned isn't my say really, but back-to-back trips to the Finals tell me that Dats isn't having to be the best player in the league to get his team there. The Caps just got talent added last season -- Ovie was still amazing his rookie year, with nobody around him. Same with Crosby: he didn't start with Malkin and crew there, but he made everyone better. I'm not saying that lessens Datsyuk at all, I just think it's more difficult for anyone to say where he stands when he already stands on a great squad.

I'm liking the positivity I'm reading about the Leafs on here -- I certainly hope they appear in the playoffs. I'd prefer them as an eighth seed myself. That being said...I don't know, I can see it being one more year in Toronto before they go. I don't know how I feel about the Chicago-Detroit thing. I don't think you guys lost all that much to make a significant difference -- assuming your regular season goalminding is more consistent. But Chicago has to fit in some new pieces and hope Huet can be real good, as they tend to give up lots of goals. I don't think San Jose will do as well either. They all but walked to the President's Trophy last season, but they faced Phoenix, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Anaheim the most -- and Anaheim was only good at the end of the season. That's an easy way to inflate points, and all those teams (except Phoenix) should be improved this season. I can see Philly beating out the Pens. Philly is in fact the team to watch in the East, I think. Although I do agree with Washington being the top seed. This is a pretty good predictive list.

Datsyuk is amazing, no doubt. But without the just-as-deep Detroit team around him, would he be as effective? This is one of those scenarios where since your team is real, real good, it is harder to quantify individual success.

Probably not! Haha. I was viewing "a top 50 list" on the Habs site that someone posted. Now isn't that special if it isn't the proper one here. Edit: yeah my bad, it is an older list (I missed that one) from McKeens.

Crosby

Edit: smart people don't post the drivel I did in error. Thanks for pointing it out, toby91.

Lindros' parents will bully anyone who doesn't let him work.

I think it's because the team in front of him isn't the Detroit or New Jersey quality team that makes him stand out. Keep in mind how wildly inconsistent that team has been since the lockout -- missing one year, making it the next, missing again, then making it again. When they make it though, he carries his team as far as he can. (One of the reasons why, pending other changes and dropping salary, the nucks team this year looks real promising -- it has some vital pieces its been missing while he is still in goal.) I just think of the 06-07 playoffs. In the series with Dallas, it went seven with tons of overtimes. They matched up with Anaheim next, but despite only picking up one game in the series, he made that team work for it. (Whereas when Detroit met Anaheim, it was more of the entire TEAM who made them work.) The guy is pretty good considering the team that's been around him since he's been there. The Sedins have been the only other highlights, and that's not a whole lot really.

Not that Billy is who fans here want to hear from, but he says it right on...not a bad article: http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1948588

I don't know if I'd call him overrated. He's done pretty well with what I'd consider to be one of the more middling defenses out there, despite their defense heavy play system. He's certainly more consistent than Kipper, who I think shows more flashes of brilliance anyway. If Luo were on a team like New Jersey though, I'd have to imagine him to be nearly unstoppable. (The older, more proven NJ teams, I should add.) It would have pissed me off had Luo come to Detroit though! It would have been too damn tough to score against you guys!

If he does all that with Philly, I can imagine that entire lineup giving other teams fits. What almost any team wouldn't give to have a guy like Mike Richards among them...man.

Getzlaf and someone like Iginla together on a line...that'd be a tough line.

I thought the Nucks were over the cap already! Gillis must have some genius accounting people...

With my choice or just by going with a goalie in general? I wanted to shake it up a bit.

Martin Brodeur. If I had to form a new team, I would want my first spot to go to strength in net. Most ice time per game. All that. Cool idea OP. Kills off some time before the season!

Although be fair, a lot of posters on this forum think posting someone's sign-up date proves all sorts of arguments. It's a message board thing. That fans from all over come here to chat hockey and stir the rivalries of our favorite teams is just another sign of respect at the end of the day.

Selanne's visor cut him. I was surprised when the Joe booed an injured player getting off the ice though. Playoff emotions run high indeed! Glad nobody was hurt in this series. It was rough and tumble and fun, but at the end of the day, these guys are just doing their jobs.

Oh definitely, nobody likes the game winning goal against their team. That it was a legitimate "garbage" goal is just harder to swallow and probably makes people play with the storylines more. Not every goal can be the beauties of the first two -- this is the playoffs! I was rooting for the Ducks in this series, because ultimately Detroit is the measuring bar. I haven't read anywhere (credible) that the Wings didn't deserve to win. They most definitely did, they got it done and Anaheim didn't! But again, I say all that as a Leafs fan, and when the day comes when we're good again, I want to see it against Detroit. (I love the Wings organization tremendously.) The better team won. The goal was clean. I haven't seen too many people "bitching" about it, but of course Anaheim fans are taking it rougher. But that's their watercooler talk now that the season's done for them. They'll replay the whole series all summer while the Wings are playing hockey -- but all of us hockey fans do the same when our team's knocked out! It was simply a good goal, a true playoff goal. Cleary beats the Anaheim defense. Period. Anaheim's failure to convert on their power-plays is most assuredly the reason they couldn't dent Detroit in game seven. Big time credit to the Wings penalty kill.

Exactly. Anaheim's defense should have prevented Cleary from being there. Although I think the post above you was more that he recognizes why Anaheim fans are angry -- it wasn't a goal anyone wants their team beat on. But it's a good goal, because yeah, Hiller didn't have control of the puck, clearly. Just a good playoff goal, that's how it's played.

The Wings don't cheat in the faceoff circle. What they do is a Babcock thing that he coaches, because when he was in Anaheim, everyone (especially in the big towns like Detroit) said the Ducks cheated at faceoffs. It's just a certain style, and Detroit is actually really good at it.

Anaheim has a lot of realistic fans over on their message boards, and they don't tend to come to other people's boards for the trolling. Then again, there are morons on every board. That being said, from the folks I've talked to, they are proud of their team for going that far against what most will admit is frankly a better team in Detroit. Hell of a series.

I didn't read the whole thread, it may have been stated already. That was a good goal, it was a breakdown by Anaheim's d-men to keep that area clear. I talked to some Ducks fans this morning, and although they are certainly bitter about it, they recognize it was a good goal nonetheless. Of course, there's always an unenlightened fan in every fanbase!

I thought Osgood finally outplayed Hiller last night, he made some monster saves for you guys. That was a great game.

Pfft, in hockey, a brawl can change a series or even a game. Why have fighters been sent out to start scraps when a team is down? Why does a big hit get fans alive again even if their team is behind? The physical aspects of this sport can bond teammates together like nothing else. I think that brawl set the tone for what was to come.