Yzerfan1999

Hey guys - I got a second copy of this set of DVD's for Christmas from my sister and didn't have the heart to tell her I already had it, haha. Its still in its original packaging (in fact I haven't even taken it out of the Amazon packaging it came in). I am just looking for a trade with someone who may have doubles of another piece of Wings memorabilia. It can literally be anything, from flags, cards, other dvds, t-shirts, etc. Oh, and I also collect the Todd McFarlene figurine series, for both hockey and baseball players - so if anyone wants to offer those in a trade - that would be awesome. It has around a $40CDN value, but it may be more in stores. Who knows I am not really looking for fair cash value in return, just something neat. If anyone is interested, let me know!

I was thinking about this the other day... When do you guys think the Wings may go through another playoff slump, like the 70's and 80's? We have two aging goaltenders, a captain that will be retired in 2-3 years, Chris Chelios, and Draper and Maltby - who are not getting any younger. Sure we have a decent core of younger players outside of Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but do you think Hulder, Kopecky, Meech and Kindl have the ability to keep the team in the playoffs and keep them competitive? I think this year, maybe just because of the Wings recent struggles, it looks like teams are starting to really even out. Look at Chicago, and Columbus gave them a hell of a time last night. Both of those teams are just going to get better, seeing as they are both very young teams. St. Louis is much better this year then last, and while Nashville is a shadow of last year's team, they still have a decent squad. It just looks like the Wings and the Jackets/'hawks are going in different directions. Even outside the division with Edmonton, who suck this year, but have a really bright future. Can they compete with Pittsburgh and Ottawa in the East? What can Holland do to keep up? Should the Wings be concerned about matching the youth some of these other teams have? What about goaltending? Is it a now or never kind of feeling in Detroit this year? Thoughts?

"And as Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman put it: 'There will be more of a premium placed on skating.'" Forwards: Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Logan Couture, Sidney Crosby, Matt Duchene, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Getzlaf, Claude Giroux, Taylor Hall, Chris Kunitz, Andrew Ladd, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Rick Nash, James Neal, Corey Perry, Mike Richards, Patrick Sharp, Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Joe Thornton, Jonathan Toews Defense: Karl Alzner, Jay Bouwmeester, Dan Boyle, Drew Doughty, Mike Green, Dan Hamhuis, Travis Hamonic, Duncan Keith, Kris Letang, Marc Methot, Dion Phaneuf, Alex Pietrangelo, Brent Seabrook, Marc Staal, PK Subban, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Shea Weber Goalies: Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby, Roberto Luongo, Carey Price, Mike Smith My Picks: Forwards Nash - Crosby - Stamkos Tavares - Giroux - Toews Staal - Getlzaf - Perry Nash - Richards - Carter Bergeron St. Louis Defense Doughty - Weber Keith - Seabrook Pietrangelo - Subban Letang Boyle Goalies Luongo Price Smith There are plenty of guys, especially at the forward position, that I would be happy with on this team. Tough to leave out speed like Hall and Sharp, and great talents like Thornton and Neal. Defense is an easier pick for me. I never want to see Phaneuf on the team, nor do I want Letang and Subban playing at the same time...too unpredictable. Goaltending? Er..........

Hey Guys, I've got 4 tickets (all together) to the Toronto Marlies vs Grand Rapids Griffins game at Comerica Park on December 30, 2013 as part of the Winter Classic Package. I am in Toronto and won't be able to make it down to the Detroit area before the 31st, so I'd like to get rid of these. $38 is the face value on each, but I will take the best offer!

Elliotte Friedman reporting now via twitter that Cleary's deal with the Flyers is now OFF. "Not exactly sure why, but it appears as if there is some complication between Daniel Cleary and PHI. Told he will not be joining the Flyers"

In this context, I think the pollster is asking us to identify a player that needs to have intangible aspects to his game (different or unknown aspects from last season) in order to solidify our defense. I agree that DeKeyser played very well in the short amount of time he was with the Wings. Because of that, I think we know what to expect from him (though I think many of you are thinking DeKeyser will be better than he actually is). I said Smith would be an X-factor because you don't quite know what you'll get - he has shown the ability to play really well, but has often made poor decisions with the puck and with his pinches. If he can cut those down this year and learn from his mistakes last year, he will be the X-factor. That is to say our D is good to average right now, but if Smith *plays like he can*, the overall outlook of our D will be much improved. I also don't think DeKeyser is clearly the better overall defenseman. He may be better defensively, but Smith has more offensive upside. We also only saw DeKeyser play a dozen games. Don't get me wrong, I want him to be better, but I think the statement is a bit premature.

Smith. I expect he will be saddled with a bigger role than Dekeyser, and the Wings ultimate success will depend on whether or not Smith can actually be a #3 defenseman. Kronwall and Ericsson will be similar to what we've come to expect, Kindl should be something like what we saw late in the season and in the playoffs (though I think a case can be made for him being an x-factor too), Quincey will be his typical mediocre self, and I think Lashoff will be used sparingly. Just look at the minutes Smith got last year and imagine what the D would look like if he just performed a bit better.

Yuck. 1995. I was 9. I remember thinking it was Detroit's year. One of the most painful hockey memories of my youth. I recall the Wings going down 5-0 in game 3, Vernon getting pulled and my mom telling me I needed to take a bath, so I sat in the tub sobbing for an hour completely heartbroken. Things got better after that, hahah.

I think the Wings will kick the living out of Toronto. Their goaltending is weak, and their tough approach (ie gooning it up) only works when the other team wants to fight. The Leafs got too many wins against Ottawa and MTL last season because those teams thought they could stand with them. Had they actually played HOCKEY, they could easily beat the Leafs. I actually think the Leafs would have missed the playoffs if they had played a full season last year. Bolland is a good pick up, Clarkson was the biggest waste ever. I guarantee he doesnt score more than 15 goals. He will crack under the pressure of the Toronto media. Other than the Wings, Boston is the most solid team in the division, but to be honest I think every other team is dreading the arrival of the Wings. Should be fun.

Hahaha - what idiots. I thought the orange piping on the numbers and the shoulder caps looked really good. This is definitely a step backwards. The Oilers and Leafs learned that stripes at the bottom of the jerseys were necessary a couple of years ago - seems like San Jose wasn't paying attention. Brutal.

What do you guys think? I actually think he has really progressed nicely. By the end of the season/playoffs he was making better decisions with the puck, he carries it well, and doesn't panic in his own end. I actually would have liked to see him get more ice-time last night instead of Smith, but I'm guessing Babcock knows how much he can get out of Kindl before he starts making mistakes. I liked having him on the 2nd PP unit, too. Thoughts on his future?

The Wings have invested too much in Kindl to trade him for Franson.. That, along with shipping off one of our higher prospects is a drastic overpayment, IMO. Plus, now that DET and TOR are divisional rivals, don't expect any trades between the two teams.

Hmm... you emphasize the skating part by cutting Nash, yet you have Lucic on the team. Lucic is a big, tough power forward, but he is definitely NOT known for his skating or his speed. I think he'd get into a bit of trouble on the big ice. I still think Nash is a better skater and scorer than Lucic. Ladd is also an interesting choice. Great player, but I don't know if he has earned a spot over some of the other guys. He surely deserves a camp invite, and he may play really well during the first part of the season...so who knows. Hard to quibble though, I like all of these lineups.

Heehee, I did the same thing. See you there UK!

er...I guess. But didn't half of those guys get chased out of the NHL for being lazy? I also didn't see Afinigenov or Zherdov among the invitees. Maybe I am blind... I think any combination of the remaining Canadian options are much better.

Probably, but Russia's other potential lines don't match up as well, IMO. Other than Malkin there is a pretty big drop off after those guys. Then again, they have home ice advantage. They may all play like superstars.

The big ice should give the Euro teams an advantage. It will be interesting to see how Canada and the US keep up.

I have no problem with any of the rosters I am seeing on this thread. Should be an impressive team. Hopefully they perform!

Yeah I think Crawford has a really good shot, but I am thinking (hoping) the Hawks have a bit of a Cup hangover and don't perform well in the first half...maybe he's partially to blame.

Yeah - the Gaborik thing is just dumb, but the rest of the images are marketing the original 6 matchups this season and I imagine Crosby is there as a symbol of the new Eastern Conf. matchup and their rivalry.

HAHAHAHAH - touche What an idiot.

For those worried about how Detroit's bankruptcy might have an impact on the new arena deal, here is an interesting article. Granted, it was written before bankruptcy was filed, but it does answer some questions. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130621/BIZ/306210043 What is Detroit doing? In the same week that Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr details his restructuring proposal to off-load retiree health care to the feds and cut pensions — in or out of Chapter 9 bankruptcy — the Ilitch Family takes a big step toward its $650 million complex downtown, $283 million of it to come from public sources. But the potentially jarring optics of this apparent contradiction are deceiving, especially when perception is willfully disconnected from reality. The multi-use project, including a new 18,000-seat arena for the Ilitch-owned Red Wings, a hotel, offices and retail, does not depend on revenue from cash-strapped Detroit or beleaguered Wayne County, the two jurisdictions that would benefit most. Nor does it propose to levy new taxes or dump more debt on the city and county. It does, however, represent a homemade phenomenon unspooling before our eyes: The very real threat of bankruptcy for Detroit isn’t slowing the pace of change and investment in the city. It’s turbo-charging it, chiefly because Orr and his team are acknowledging the depth of the financial crisis, sharing it with the public and moving to do something about it. From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130621/BIZ/306210043#ixzz2ZVEVF8xo Now I guess we will see what bankruptcy actually does to these plans...

Are you sure this isn't taken out of context as a joke? I live in Toronto and every year its the same joke. Sign a big player, win a couple games in a row, blow a team out, its always "lets start planning the parade!!". Leaf fans are aware of it and play into it all the time. I'm not sure this is any more than Leiweke playing into that joke.

Here are my bold predictions; Alfredsson scores 30 goals playing with Datsyuk/Zetterberg. Dekeyser takes a step back - he starts to actually look like a rookie. Smith steps up and becomes an actual 2-3 d-man, and he scores 40 points. Kindl scores 10 power play goals. and, The Red Wings win the Stanley Cup. There's something about this team when they acquire a vet who hasn't won a cup yet (I mean a real vet, not Hossa). They stepped up in 2008 when they wanted to get Drake a Cup, I think that the desire to get Alfie a Cup along with the play of these younger guys could be the recipe for success! Either way, should be an exciting season.