puckloo39

stop it!!! Let's go, Wings, if they can do this, so can we.

how are those pucks not going in for the Wings? edit: dangit, Gaborik... tackle him, Ozzie!

Rafalski lives in Nick's shadow, not such a bad place to be. He gets to play in Detroit instead of NJ, so maybe that's enough of a reward for him. j/k Pascal got screwed, maybe because he plays for Columbus, small market team? I dunno, there's no logic to some of the decisions. The fans who voted for Dom and LeClaire wasted their time. Nabokov, I assume is there because they needed a goalie from the West coast of the western conference. Otherwise all the goalies for the West would have been from Central and that wouldn't have been "representative" of the league. I am just making stuff up now. I have no idea how or why they pick the reserves, but I am glad Ozzie's going -- he will have a blast with Nick, Dats, and Hank.

you're a dead man, Jeremy. Run!!! Thank goodness for FSN Detroit, I say! Yay!

Dom always admits when he has a rough time, and takes responsibility for his play. He also is totally honest when the team shows up and makes his job easier. He's always done that. Not all goalies do. As for some of us not understanding that Dom's stats aren't his usual stellar numbers... well, duh! Of course we know it... and if we somehow didn't know it, there are at least a dozen people here who will post them over and over and over until we "get" it. Save your fingers. We get it. We don't plan to go around pointing them out -- that's been done ad nauseum. Dom's done his best, and turned things around. I am not speaking for Packer, but I think he's attempting to point out that some credit where it's due would be nice, even if it's not Ozzie we're talking about. Dom's rough beginning (which in truth was only a few games) is not an indication that he won't have a great 2nd half. Recent play certainly indicates that he will be fine, barring injury. As usual, hyperbole rules in LGW -- so generalizations and assumptions about what many of us think are usually dead wrong, but still accepted, since it's posted as truth. Carry on!

true. If there was such a thing, Versus announcers would have nixed any chance of us ever getting one of those things-which-I-must-not-name-aloud-again-or-be-cursed-forevermore. Wings take this one, 6-2.

I've never said that Dom was the reason they won in '02, although I do think he was a key piece of the puzzle to bring it home that season. Setting playoff records for shutouts and OT wins wasn't a fluke. That said, the team was determined to win, for Luc and Dom in particular. Suggesting that Dom is an inferior player because he couldn't win the Sabres a Cup is just ignorant. However, if you don't know anything about the Sabres in the '90s and therefore don't realize that Hasek pretty much single-handedly took that team to the finals in '99, then I guess one could imagine it was his fault he didn't win the Cup in Buffalo. Dom chose to come to Detroit because he knew the calibre of players. He knew Mr I would do what it took to win. He knew also that Buffalo was not going to bring in the players to win and didn't have the resources to commit... so that just makes him smart, in my book. Just one question (not just to you, OsGod, but feel free to respond): if Ozzie tanks in the second half, and Dom keeps going great, what's the verdict then? Of course, anything could happen and there's no reason to think Ozzie won't keep up the great season he's having... but I will be curious to see the reaction. Someone said a while back, as soon as Ozzie lets in a couple of bloopers, he will be the goat again. I doubt that, not around here anyway. Personally, I think there is nothing Ozzie can do that's bad enough tarnish his season, just as Dom won't be able to "redeem" himself (as if there's a need for it) in some peoples' eyes. Perception is everything.

Good for Ozzie! I would have put LeClaire in there over Legace, but whatever. Nice representation from the Wings.

Why didn't Ozzie win a Cup for St. Louis or the Isles, if he is solely responsible for winning the Cup he won with the Wings? Could it be that even despite Ozzie's best efforts and great work there, the teams in front of him couldn't pull it off? Sort of like Hasek and the Sabres, if you think about it for a second.

Even though the discussion is apparently over for some, I will add .02 on this. I am astounded at the ability of fans to ignore what they choose to ignore, while "proving" that one goalie is a better player or better human being than the other. Neither of them are perfect. That's the truth. They're both ours and we ought to be glad, instead of picking them apart. Discrediting Dom or Ozzie, or blaming them for costing the team the Cup (pick a season) or even a game is just biased and downright silly. It's always easiest to blame the goalie. It's pretty clear that people who are over the top freaks for Ozzie are never going to believe Hasek could contribute anything positive to the team's effort at this point. This is despite the fact that he's completely turned around a rough start, has been amazing, and should be given credit for that. The die-hard Hasek fans are going to believe that Dom has the goods to take the team to the Cup. There's a lot of evidence to support that notion. It's not a reason to say Ozzie can't do the same, especially if his level of play continues. I see no reason why it wouldn't. What would be nice is if everyone could be happy that the Red Wings have two incredible goaltenders, and not try so hard to debase one in an attempt to make the other one look better. It would be nice if the few posters who still have the nerve to admit they don't completely trust Ozzie would let it go and realize he's changed his game and is now even better (JMO) and give him credit for that. It would be nice if some would get over the apparent resentment they harbor toward Dom and agree that both goalies look great. It would be nice.

for what it's worth, I don't see why Hank shouldn't go. He seems fine after the recent injury. The east-west game and everything else about the ASG weekend is exhibition and basically no-contact hockey, so he ought to be fine. Hank doesn't need to rest at his age -- or if he does, his back's not the problem. Personally, I wish the Wings would all take a week off, but I can understand wanting to go. It's an honor of sorts and they've earned the recognition from the fans who voted for them. Luongo, on the other hand, has good reasons for not going, to take care of his family (current and expected).

oh, OK. So ASG voting only counts for starter in the case of the first place winner, and rest of the vote totals are meaningless, in terms of "who's next." Not that I really care in this case, but I didn't know that.

My point was that the fans voted for LeClaire as second place. Since Luongo opted out as starter, I assume the guy voted in by fans would be LeClaire, whose vote total makes him next in line. But I don't know the rules for this eventuality. I'm not sure stats and numbers have a whole lot to do with reserve selections, or at least it didn't seem to matter last year in Dallas. Ozzie certainly has the numbers to vie for a spot, no question, if that is a decider factor. I guess all will be revealed tomorrow, when they name the rest of the roster, if not before then.

I assume it would default to LeClaire, if the fan vote counts for anything. edit: good for Luongo, put your family and your own well-being before the PR gig.

Mac couldn't possibly be any worse or cause more damage to us coming in right at the playoffs than Derian Hatcher did. I bet Mac would be lots cheaper, too. Besides, I like him.

Good for Ozzie, and a great deal for the Wings. This comes as no surprise to most, but nevertheless, good news.

Obviously, you haven't read any of the goalie threads in this forum, HC. Smart girl!!

Harder to do when your team is stingy with allowed SOGs, for sure. So, he's been almost perfect - whatever it takes. Yeah, Dom!

I hate Versus, but I love the Wings. Shut out for Dom, again. Yeah, blah-blah, didn't have to do much to earn it, yadda-yadda -- just getting ahead of the nay-sayers, here! Too close for comfort, Wings, but they seemed to know what they were doing out there, even so. Good game for Jose, he was certainly not to blame for zero goal support. Loo's 3 stars: 1. Dats 2. Homer 3. Dom

no, since I've never seen him do that. Not saying it could never happen, of course. Wings need to step on them the last couple of minutes. Do not let up, boyz!

Mule. Go, Wings... get a shortie!!

Dom is holding the slim little lead as the Wings let Colorado spend more time in our zone than I would like, considering. Go the other way, Wings. Theo's net is on the other end of the ice.

agreed. That was a good one, it has to mkae him feel a little better to be stopping the Red Wings on good chances. He just needs to mess up one more time tonight to make me happy.

powerplay coming for the Wings. Please score one more for me, Wings. Thank you in advance!

keep up the pressure, Wings! Theo has been pretty good tonight, though the majority of the shots haven't been that much of a threat, to be honest. I think the Wings are going to be content with a one-goal lead, from the looks of it.