Finnish Wing

Detroit is experienced and three losses won't change that.

Paul Martin could be a good choice, yes. But can he play D? Although we don't have to pair that possible new guy with Rafalski.

You're supposed to at least win the home games.

I didn't notice anything because there was that big mule blocking the sight.

Great win, but we need both top lines to produce when playing away from home.

Franzen leads the scoring and Abdelkader leads the penalty minutes. Looking good.

It's not the MVP award anymore. PPG matters more in this one.

Would be nice to see that other line get it going as well. They're going to have the home advantage next game.

It was Murray, not Boyle.

Man this is going to be a boring game...

McLellan should've called the timeout after the 2nd goal. Too bad for them. xD

FRANZEN SUCKS TRADE HIM I WANT HOSSA!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUYuIVbFg0&feature=fvst

I too want to add some toughness to this team, maybe an enforcer. But that doesn't mean I want our game style to change. It would be a big mistake IMO, if we started playing the dump and chase game or something like that.I think many pre-cap era teams would win this team. Rules have changed and you really have to play the game nowadays. The anti-hockey element is gone.

Oveckhin easily. Missed 9 games and still almost won the Rocket etc.

That was before Zednik almost lost his head.Seriously though. You don't pay a guy 5m or something for blocking shots. And Anton Volchenkov is definitely not "arguably the best defensive d-man in the league". Lidstrom, Chara, Pronger... those are all better. We need a guy like Weber who can add offense too.

Hockey is going towards puck posession game. It's different than in the 90's. Back then it was more about just being tough and playing anti-hockey. The new rule changed a lot. You can't hook, hold etc. like you could back then. You now have to actually PLAY the game. The team who has the puck more usually wins.San Jose Sharks have gone towards our style as well. Todd McLellan is the biggest reason for that. It's also the biggest reason why they're dominating right now and why they won the Western Conference. That game style is also maybe the biggest reason why we have had this success recently and other teams are trying to do the same. So, the modern hockey is definitely more about skill and less about toughness. We definitely don't need to change the way we are playing.

He also lost us game and a half that series. And I don't agree he was the best player on the ice in any game except the shutout. Zetterberg was a beast.

I was actually talking about international tournaments where Finland has gained success with hard work and grinding against the more skilled countries.It's just that most of the people here think "Europeans are soft", in GENERAL. Even outside hockey. Then again. You don't know basically anything about players who don't play in the NHL. You don't have a clue what kinda players there are. I've said it before that if there are two players battling for the 4th line spot and they're both equally good in everything the spot usually goes to the NA guy. That's why most European players who want to succeed in the NHL have to offer something different. That's the biggest reason why you don't see many tough guy Europeans in the NHL. There are always less players who are skilled compared to players who are tough. There are numerous tough players, tough guys outside NHL but they really have nothing special to offer. If you are an European player growing up it's more likely that you get in to the NHL by taking the skill road. Of course that has also made the European players more skill-wise, because everyone wants to get in to the NHL. The thing is, most of you guys have never watched a single game of any European league. The general picture you have of Europeans is flawed. You think there are only Europeans and North Americans, and you probably even think that it's the same way in real life - that NA guys would generally be tougher. Basically it's about demand and supply. There are many tough players in the NHL, but there have always been surplus when it comes to the skilled players. That's why European players who crack in the NHL are usually skilled.

Wonder what he would've been in the even more tougher UK league then.

Then I don't know how you determine the types, because for example Finland plays more Canadian type hockey than USA.

I predict he'll just fall down to his REAL level. He was playing better than he really is this season. Mason is a guy who's going to be one of the best in the game in few years.

Mike Babcock is one of the best coaches in the world. He's one of the few coaches in the NHL who actually know that the modern hockey is about puck posession and controlling the play, not just dumping in, counter-attacking and defending. McLellan may be even a better coach than him, but Babs is still easily one of the best.

Hudler and Filppula will both be in top6. They're the Euro Twins vol. 2! Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Hudler-Filppula-Franzen Cleary-Abdelkader-Eaves Miller-Helm-"TOUGH GUY" + Draper, Ritola Lidstrom-Rafalski Kronwall-Stuart Kindl-Ericsson + Meech Howard Osgood I think we'd have a cap space to get a better 3rd liner than Eaves or a better d-man than Ericsson or a better goalie than Howard, BUT I just left it like that. Someone can count the cap, but I like those lines already, even if there would be 5m cap space.

Choker-Nabokov has outplayed Howard by far.