puckloo39

huge!!! goal!!!! Canucks are 0-14-1 when the other team scores first. Cleary gets his postal shot back....

shooting right at him, this is practice for Luongo. No challenge yet. Dom has to stop a couple of chances, early, but Lu is probably bored.

well.... at least they're shooting, but Luongo's going to snag everything, since he can see 'em all. Homer doesn't dare get within 20 feet of the goal, or he'll be back in the box.

you're not crazy, you're hearing Larry Murphy. He's down between the benches, commentating.

Luongo can thank the post for that save. Dangit... keep shooting, Danny!!

Hasek gets run over and no interference. No goal either. Ha.

Homer to the box for goalie interference... because Luongo leaned into him. Nice one, Lu. Hope the Wings can kill this one.

Let's go, Red Wings!!! Please don't shoot at BobbyLu's chest tonight, he's got plenty of padding on.

for once, I don't care that I don't get to see pre-game coverage. Pencil boxes? Without back-tracking, did anyone mention that Downey's in and Drake is out tonight (sore knee)?

I'll share.... HC, feel better. The Wings will win for you, for sure.

you had better be here. I have a nice pinot grigio chilling. I say our Red Wings come out firing on all cylinders, and make the Nucks wish they'd stayed home. No predictions from me (I am bad at that lately), except that our guys get more goals than their guys. PS: love your avatar!

very nice article. I remember when he was a rookie, he was practically mute... but he spoke fluent hockey then, too. I Pavel.

smartie... perhaps a kind mod will take pity and fix the date. That's what I get for trying, when I am the only one here at work today in my group... Everyone else has the flu

I dunno what the unemployment rate is in Buffalo, but it sure didn't look very prosperous last time I was there, nor did Pittsburgh. The over all percentage of unemployment may not be the only indicator of who can afford what, where niche markets like hockey are concerned. I am sort of glad I don't live near enough to make it possible to buy tickets, as I would probably bankrupt myself trying to get to as many games as possible. Someone else in the same comments section on this article was supposing that attendance was down because the "TV experience" was so much better now, with HD and big*** flat screens and the convenience of staying home to watch, etc. Maybe... but there's nothing that beats a live game at the arena, in my book. Maybe someday hockey will be played with no live audience and it will all be virtual? That would be sad, but it would end the discussion of sell outs vs. attendance figures.

I used to doubt the implication that people don't identify with the current players as Red Wings. But I am starting to see some rationale for that... there's a post in the comment section related to this article, saying that Pittsburgh regularly sells out games yet their economy is nothing to be happy about. He said it's all about the exictement and Cult of Crosby, plus Malkin. That's who people go to see. It reminded me of Buffalo, when Hasek literally was the one who put butts in seats for a decade... and their economy also sucked then, and now. The team wasn't great, but people flocked to see Dom in his hey-day. So, really... is it that fans don't identify with the players anymore, the way they did with Stevie and Shanny or Konstantinov and Mac? Who is the "face" of the Red Wings now, to the average fan in Detroit? I can kinda tell here, who likes which player.

If Dom's return to form and success in the last month or so has messed with Ozzie's head, then Ozzie's not the person/player I thought he was. << I am joking, before you all throw a fit. Ozzie's a professional, give him some credit. The team has a 'mental' issue over the losses, if anything. They don't need to be down on themselves for a little slip, but as Ozzie said in an article today (which I am too lazy to go look up and link right now), they need to guard against letting this slide go on much longer. True, I have faith they will work it out. In the meanwhile, I haven't noticed any vast Babcockian conspiracy against Ozzie. Babs doesn't like Hudler, best I can tell, but he loves Ozzie. Who doesn't?

Winner!

1. their passing was off the last two games, too. So I guess we play the same lines every game, as a solution. 2. Even Nick was making gaffes tonight, the whole team was off 3. game story link Why in the world would Babs yank Ozzie after two goals? I don't mean to mess up the "what if's" and who's to blame for the loss and such, with actual information, but... "Mike told me after the third goal to get ready, so I stretched a little bit," Hasek said. "I stretched for about five minutes. I felt comfortable going in."

You're right about converting, but they were just really off tonight, usually some of those close calls tonight would be in. Did anyone else catch Babs being interviewed between periods (1st intermission), when he was talking about how the Wings know they don't play physical enough, and how they know they have to do better at that? He was almost panicky, but maybe that's just the way he talks. I don't see that much of him, since CI cuts off the postgames, etc. I didn't record the game (thankfully) so I can't go back and see what he said exactly... And yes, I agree, they will bounce back next game. I sure hope so! Another one like this is... inconceivable!!

Ozzie will be fine, one bad game isn't enough to shake his confidence or to say anything about his level of play. He's not lucky, he's good. The entire team was pretty unrecognizable tonight. They know it, and they will correct whatever is eating them... no doubt. I refuse to say Lehtonen was a hot goalie, though he was good tonight. We made him look better, unfortunately. It will all be better next game, you gotta fall down sometimes to pick yourself up again.

well. No OT tonight, I guess. Go study now.

Kovolchuk misses, Kozzie does not. boo. Oh, well.

Kronner, baybeeeeeee!!!! Thank you, not a shut out, HA!!! That was childish. OK, I don't care.... heh!

unreal... we get within striking distance, and nothing. Crazy.

gotcha, Dallas. Check your PMs, will ya?