Stiffy

This is a problem technology cannot seem to solve!

Either you have really really good vision, or really really bad vision!

Wonder if Mitch Albom will take on the Wings any time soon?

Smartassedness - I like that word! :-) We did see some change. Babcock's scolding to the press about playing a full 60 minutes was interesting. Personally, I want to see more from him along this line. Hard ass coaching, but also smarter coaching. I think that is what this team needs more than anything. People need to see their job as on the line. THAT will change things. So, full circle, unlike the financial firms, no bailouts for the Detroit Red Wings. Nope, they will have to do things the old fashioned way and work hard and smart and dig themselves out of it.

No, that's good. You are like a hockey teacher! Still, do you think not having Chelios around is a factor in the lazy/dumb D plays? He must have been a factor as a mentor. Maybe Lebda should text him during games? Lebda has amazing speed. With wheels like that, it doesn't seem impossible to get him to play smart and not be caught in a bad spot. Then again, maybe he is just a ditz. I mean, really stupid and without someone telling him what to do every shift is totally lost.

Dude, where does this blind faith in hockey management come from? I mean, it's not like they are the guys who manage massive financial firms and are super intelligent, educated, experienced and never ever screw up. I'm just being a smart ass. :-) However, Jimmy Dev said it himself - we are going to struggle this season. It's not "negative thinking" - he said it. We are in trouble this season. Still, I'm not turning off the tube. We have great players and a great team and this slump will not be allowed to continue without action. That part of the Wings won't change.

I don't have a choice! Center Ice says they will broadcast SOME games in HD this year, but I have yet to see it. Imagine how awful it is to watch the games in Standard Def on a HDTV? I actually bought a plasma specifically to get the best standard def image for hockey. Way better than LCD for this, but what a waste - a 1080p TV showing a game in standard...

As for the twins, I am convinced any time they are struggling line combos and coaching are the source. These guys are simply too good. They don't sluff off, they don't lay back, they play their asses off every shift. When they aren't effective, something needs to be adjusted to help them. If we keep throwing them out there with something that isn't clicking, it's simply a waste. They make anyone on their line a scorer and always have. Homer is scoring for one reason (well two, Dats and Hank). Put my second grade teacher out there and she would get some points with those guys. The point is, find someone who helps THEM score.

I know we don't have much to work with, but shouldn't we be seeing some line shifting? Then again, I just don't know.

Avs are the real deal. Not the best team for us to play to get back on our feet. There are quite a few more.

This is hard to watch, but we must. It's our team. If some want to curse everything, I can understand. If some want to put their head in the sand, I can understand that too.

LOL! I had the same song in mind when I read that post.

Well, now we know where they got the ideas for that awful awful show, MVP, He Shoots She Scores.

I found the over top hysteria very effective and funny. You did good!

Those lousy bums! The lace tension cap is killing us! On a serious note, this game is certainly not a harbinger of doom. Wings still in it. Like Nick said at the break (Avs feed), playing smarted D and for all 60 minutes. I think it is going to be a close one with no melt down.

What about trainers or equipment guys? I think they deserve some scrutiny. Zamboni drivers? It's a free for all!

Funny. Perhaps we need a team psychic who can read player horoscopes and auras. I am SURE they could find many potential candidates in Royal Oak and Ann Arbor. Hint to the guys out there. Hippy chicks are sooooooooo, I mean, sooooooooo easy. Just say something far out and pseudo-spiritual and you are in.

Okay, *one* of the best American D-man... :-)

Gasp! Did you just criticize the Holy RedWings Management? :-) Say Ten Hail Stevies and you will be forgiven.

Maybe this was mentioned in one of the 25 Lebda sucks threads, but Chelios may have been a bigger factor than many of us appreciated in keeping him and others smart. I mean, he was only the best American D man to have lived on the planet. All that wisdom, experience... must have been a nice thing to have on the bench.

I think you forgot to add two zeros to your 4! :-) I'd love to get Manny back. If we did, I bet he would hold autograph sessions where instead of signing jerseys fans can hug him and sob together then talk about their feelings and stuff. That would be so cool. We need a goalie who isn't afraid to explore his emotions in public!

This stuck out for me: " I don't know how I can put it any other way than to be truthful; you can't lose those types of players and have the record we had a year ago. We are going to have to work very, very hard to be competitive, and to make the playoffs. That's the truth." and "The way Kenny Holland describes our year, and he has warned our ownership and our people, is, this is a year of transition for the Detroit Red Wings. We haven't had a year like this, maybe, Roger, in nearly 20, but it is a transitional year because of the cap, because of the people that we have lost, and, uh, our goal now is to try to compete and make the playoffs, and then..." All that was more important to me than the "lower expectations" thing. So, it is official. It is a transition year. Interesting days ahead and maybe some hard days, but I can see this management team putting something really good together in the next few years. Maybe the "working hard" issue comes to play. Given this, it seems Wings management will be looking at who works hard and who doesn't. Seems fair to me.

How is Howard looking? I just started watching. I want the kid to have a great game. I'm not on either side of the fence on this guy and of course I hope he works out, but I really like how you can see his youth. The kid gets up FAST. Haven't seen this in Detroit for a long long time.

Good point about the money - that was huge. He had every contractual right to keep it. Not many people would do that. That was a horrible time. It was just awful. It is hard to feel sorry for millionaire goalies, but that must have been an absurd situation for both Cujo and Dom.

I don't know how much, but I think it is a factor. I think the answer is a change in coaching. In the past the Wings were treated like big boys who knew what to do and how to play. I think a little more hard ass approach is worth a shot.