Stiffy

I always thought a bandwagon type fan was somone who never followed the sport, but once the team was winning suddenly became a "fan." Anybody who has continued to suffer through this season, even if they are depressed and cynical, fully deserves to be thought of as a true fan. In fact, I would argue it takes more internal effort to suffer like this than to be the delusional "hope never dies" type of fan.

I wonder. As the Nazi's rolled through France in a cakewalk defeat of what was then the largest army on Earth, did some Frenchmen chide others for being "negative" about their chances? Still, viva le Red Wings!

Hey I was on the bandwagon before we had Bowman as a coach. Trust me, this is worse than the bad old days because there is no excuse for it, not with these players and this coach. I can't speak for everyone, but my "negativity" comes from a team that is not showing up and playing to their potential. Any way, I didn't say they aren't going to make the playoffs, so who knows who is talking to who here.

Ryan, you obviously don't have what it takes to be a mobster, but that's a good thing.

Thank you. I thought was alone in a sea of blatant homerism where reality has no meaning and bad memories are buried under a mountain of wishes and worn out sappy cliches. He ******* killed us in that game. He was an absolute idiot in that game. If you can't keep from playing like a complete moron in game 7 of the SCF, then what can you really expect of a player or why would you ever try? I could care less if he had a +75 this year, won the Norris with 100% of the votes and found a way to bring new life to the long dormant womb of Wayne Gretsky's mother and sprung forth to the world the hockey messiah. To invoke another cultural mobster character, Tony Soprano, when it comes to Stuart, "He's dead to me."

If if if.... I don't want it to happen, but if it does, the magnifying glass should be turned on everyone with nowhere to hide - every player, but just as important every coach. There is something systemic going on with a team that just doesn't show up and it has to be addressed.

Val shows up for every game and especially so in the playoffs. I don't care if he hasn't reached a certain level of scoring, if the rest of the damn team had his attitude and work ethic this season we would all be holding hands and singing together with little to complain about. Heart, the kid has it and it's not the easiest thing to find in a player. Val is a keeper. Also, I think he would be a little less wild out there if the rest of the team was playing with as much hustle as they should and could.

I agree with the OP, but sentimental pep talk stuff aside, of course management isn't going this route in the near future. However, this season and next is a test of Wings management. Can they pick up the pieces of this season and come back stronger next season? Can they be as clever and resourceful within the constraints of the NHL? On paper, you would think they definitely can. No fire sale is required, but there will have to be some heavy pruning.

It's true. They take it to a level where it is just dumb. However, I kind of respect them for it. Nobody pushes them around, that's for sure.

I agree, but it would be too subjective and we all know how well that works in the NHL. The worst are the unintentional ones that bring a little blood and the 4 minutes

Wow, this is all somehow not something to be that excited about. Fricken Leino, what does it take to apply yourself and live up to your potential? How many chances can a guy get? How many other players in the league would have killed for that opportunity? Obviously he is not made of the same stuff as someone like Cleary.

The Swedes sound really childish here. Strike that, how about like whiney *******? Completely unnecessary.

He seemed to always show up in the playoffs! We could have a Russian Two!

A FYI, Fischer was known among the team as being quite the ditz. We are talking a total airhead. He is not a smart person. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but we have had plenty of intelligent players including Shanny, Yzerman and Datsyuk (the sense of humor is a dead give away).

This is a pipe dream. Does it make you a better fan than me to be delusional? I say no. Still, of course I HOPE you are right, but it seems we never do well on these trips, even in the past when we were the team to beat.

Of all the things imploding on this team and all the subpar performances from highly paid leaders on the team, here we have 5 pages of comment on a player who shows up with energy every single shift? Man, if this same kind of misguided focus is present in the city of Detroit and auto companies, no wonder things are as f***ed as they are.

Isn't it a coaches job to deal with complacency?

That and a little more I think. Just where does the buck stop? Coaching has to be a factor - something is not working.

You want the truth interminded? You can't HANDLE the truth! P.S. Full Metal Jacket was a Kubrick film and as such was far more cerebral than most war movies that include the worn cliches you bring to light.

It only takes one or two assholes to ruin it for many more people - sports, concerts, movies... you name it. Since it impacts attendance, it is in the interest of the arena to control this. You should have gone to the ushers, but why aren't the ushers more proactive in spotting this crap and stopping it without help? Do they really need ot be told that a hollering drunk moron is bothering people? Nobody likes to be a "snitch", plus you just hope it will change (it doesn't) and things get more miserable as time goes along.

No doctor worth his or her salt would be wasting time here on this forum, but can Lilja really recover after so many months of symptoms? Trust me, I would kill for a big D man, but no way do I want to see a guy risk re-injury. I'm sure they will be smart with him, but you know there will be some goon going after his head.

Got it. How's this? Yzerman Ice Temple The Pizza Box McCarty Stadium and Casino Complex Kilpatrick Arena and Texting Cafe

There is this thing called reality and every once in a while it is a good idea to stare it in the face. I am convinced that beneath the injuries and loss of some players is something more important - playing hard and smart for 60 minutes. In the past we could get away with not playing a whole game and win. Come on and face it, we did this for the past many years repeatedly, but were so strong it didn't hurt us. Those days are over and players AND coaching AND management have to respond. There needs to be accountability from every member of the organization. If they do, no problem, we are in the playoffs. However, what are we seeing from the team lately?

Goldman Sachs Hockey Arena - if anyone owes Detroit it is fricking Wallstreet. Oh yea, at least GM will repay the government.

I read all three pages and don't see some kind of hate fest. In fact, I see far more disrespect and hate right here on LGW. Liked this post: