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Figths like that serve some purpose (momentum, retribution for earlier cheap-shots), but I think that spontaneous fights have a much greater impact on a game. The Wings' problem is they have only had a pure 4th line enforcer the past few years (except for Lilja). I'd like to see the Wings pick up someone like Carcillo, Rupp, Asham, etc that can play third line minutes and stand up for their teammates when needed.

Bert is so hot right now.

Any idea on who Montreal is looking to deal? I'd like to see us deal somone like Williams for picks and/or a prospect, but I'm not excited about the idea of a trade.

Miller has been a nice surprise this year, but I don't think he has outperformed either of these players. He has outperformed most expectations, but I think he has been close to on par with Helm and Abby. You have to remember that Abby and Helm were playing less minutes earlier in the season and thus weren't as effective as they are now (with the injuries). None of these players are projected to be great scorers, so it's also important to look at stats other than goals, assists, shooting percentage, etc (not to say they aren't important).

What McCarty did was less severe than the Bertuzzi incident. It's terrible what happened to Moore, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. However, I think it is important to remember that Bertuzzi didn't mean to cause an injury and while fighting/hitting/punishing Moore was premeditated, hurting him like that was not. Suspensions in hockey are based on the outcome of the injury to some extent because there is such a variation in the severity of injuries occurring from similar hits, fights, etc. Is this fair? No, but it allows the NHL (and other leagues) to appear fair to those hurt. In hockey, being off by a few inches or seconds can mean the difference between a terrible injury and nothing. For example, if Bradley hadn't been KO'd by Carcillo the other week and instead fought back there probably wouldn't have been a suspension. However, Carcillo rocked Bradley with his punch (didn't let Bradley full square up) and was suspended.

Despite always being thrown around, I've never understood this argument. How does having two players fight (each getting 5 min majors) negate a powerplay (I can't remember the last Wing to receive an instigator to negate a PP)? It's not like a 4th line fighter is taking a roster spot for a potential PP'r either. The only way this argument makes sense is if you subscribe to the belief that an enforcer reduces cheapshots on our players, and you would rather see cheapshots than fights.

I don't think anyone suggested the Wings emulate the Flyers (certainly not me). Carcillo is certainly a loose cannon, which is why the Wings will never have him, but he shows a lot of heart and is not a bad player. I want someone who will go crazy when someone boards Dats or Z. The porn stache is just gravy. What is up with Hartnell this year? He has taken more unnecessary penalties than anyone else I've seen in the league.

FWIW he's playing on the first line and the PP tonight for the Flyers- not that I think he is that caliber of player.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I would love to see the Wings pick up Carcillo. I feel like this team needs someone to ignite passion like D-Mac used to. He could also be a mentor to Callahan (assuming he continues to develop), who is similar sized and picking up some good points in the WHL this year. Just the thought of a Abby-Helm-Carcillo third line is amazing to me.

Great shift by May after the injury. He was hitting everything in sight.

Looks bad. Hopefully BigE is alright.

I'll be at this one. Time to step it up and get a steak going.

Is everyone on the team afraid to get a fighting major? Meech has to stand up for himself there and drop em'.

Again.....Seriously? We seem to get screwed by that rule more times than the rest of the league combined.

I'm excited to see what Abby can do on the 2nd line. He's been playing very hard and physical this year. Hopefully he can work into an offensive grove and move up from the 4th line to get the minutes he needs to develop.

Assuming Lids stays, our main focus will be on reloading the forwards. I would like to see. Franzen-Dats-Z Cleary- Flip- Stajan Helm-Abby-Lieno HW Fighter- Draper- Agitator/MW Eaves or Miller as the 7th Lids- E Stuart- Kronner Kindl- Raffi Not sure about the D pairings, but Kindl and E probably shouldn't be playing together.

How is that no goal? I understand the rule when the puck is put in or trickles in and there is intent for a wistle, but how can they disallow a goal that when straight in?

Franzen with a nice welcome back to Gaborik. Aside from the Dats line, we are not looking good.

Great shift by Tatar. I'm interested to see how he deals with the physical play of the NHL game- he seemed a bit suprised by the scrum

I'll have to read the whole study, but from that summary it seems that teams with more penalties did worse (not necessarily those with more fights). While I'm sure there is a correlation between overall PIMs and fights, the conclusion can only be applied to teams taking many penalties. We all know that if you are on the PK a lot, you will lose more, but I would be interested to see a study done on just fighting PIMs, as this can isolate the difference in being short handed (regular PIMs) and even (due to both players getting 5min).

I am also in the process of finding a solution for NHL. I think I am going with hockeystreams.com this year. It seems like a good, reliable service. I want to go with Gamecenter (and support the NHL directly), but my billing address (used for blackout I've been told) is in both the Nashville and Columbus areas and I am away at college. As a result, a lot of the Wings games would be blacked-out for me even though I cannot watch them live. Also, we are going without cable this year so I need a way to watch the Versus games.

I'm going without cable this year (internet and netflix), so I'll be going with an online service for the games. Does anyone know what the deal is with GameCenter? I can't find anywhere to sign up on the website.

I would take any of these. If Abs is going to be playing in Det, it needs to be with the third line. Therefore, the Wings need a 4th liner who can be physical (hit and drop them) and responsible defensively.

I'd like to see us sign a tough guy like Moen, and hopefully we will invite a few of them to camp this year. ZDH Huds Flip Franzen Leino Helm Cleary Maltby Draper Moen/Abs Lids- Rafi Kronner-Stuart Lilja-Big E Lebda If Abs is brought up, he needs to play more minutes than the forth line would give him. I would like to have him given Helm minutes in the playoffs (being used with a few other lines) to ensure he continues to develop.

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