puckloo39

Thanks for the GDT, SWF! Not sure how many faithful will be here tonight, with holiday festivities in full swiing. Game day Star Trib The Wild, winner of nine of 12, tries to win five in a row for the second time this season. Detroit, however, is running away with the Western Conference with a 25-7-3 record. The Wild is 7-0 on Saturdays this season. Don't take that stat lightly, Wings! G Dominik Hasek [is] 8-0-2 against the Wild with three shutouts and a 0.98 goals against average G Josh Harding has won four in a row with a 1.75 goals-against average and .942 save percentage. Henrik Zetterberg, who had a hat trick against the Wild two weeks ago, is second in the NHL with 25 goals and 50 points. C Pavel Datsyuk is eighth with 42 points. Marian Gaborik recorded the 55th five-plus goal game (42nd player) Thursday against the Rangers. He has at least a point in 11 of his past 12 games. Just in: He's also learned to keep his head up. Should be a good game. I may or may not be able to do GDT, supposed to go to another gathering tonight. Go, Red Wings! Score a bunch of goals!!!

I am sure you're not alone in your thoughts, 007. Hasek has taken several losses "for the team" this season. That's the point. He knows when he's let in a bad goal, and so does Ozzie. When the team doesn't play well, it's not always the goalie's fault when they lose. I maintain that Dom hasn't been the sole reason for any of the losses this season... no more than Ozzie's been the sole reason they've won any of their games. Truth can be very subjective in this game of ours. It's easiest to blame the goalies. I seriously don't know what motivates any of them to want that job. I guess when things are good, the high is worth all the bashing when it's not? I've been fast-forwarding through the game this morning, and I want to like Lilja. I really, really do. He makes it difficult sometimes.

No, I would have said we need some objectivity here, instead of assuming Hasek would have played worse than Ozzie did (that's been posted... don't deny it!!). Who the heck knows if Dom would or wouldn't have done better? I will bet you that if Dom had played and gotten a shut out, even, someone would have posted that it was easy and he didn't have to work for it, or something along those lines. There's no need to apologize for Ozzie's performance, or to defend him. I don't see anyone bashing him. I do see posts blaming Babcock and implying that it would have been worse with Dom. Um... yay, Red Wings!!! Support them all, including both goalies!!! Yay!!! right you are, Eliot. I love that name, btw, but you're 007 to me... Hi, T! Are you working while playing in the forums? I'm telling! I am off for the rest of the year... hooray!!! Is Homer OK? I haven't checked all my various addictive Wings media outlets this morning...

I wasn't talking about you, 007. But some posters recognize themselves, well... they should think about this factoid and acknowledge it.

Absolutely hilarious. I've said before. kiddingly, that some of you guys would blame Hasek for a loss when he wasn't even playing... and I was right. I could just as easily say that if Babcock had been smart enough to play Hasek, we would have won, given that Dom's won his last two in a row. Play the hot goalie, you know!! Speculation is a fine thing. Here's the LGW Fact 'o the Day: If Hasek had played anidentical game last night, with 3 goals on 24 shots, the fans who only support Ozzie would have ripped Dom's head off, not made excuses. No one is getting on Ozzie for this loss, so there's no need to bash Hasek or blame him because he didn't play. Raise your hand if you're not here - talk about not being able to win for losing. They lost, what the hell. Jackman is a tool on the order of Pronger. OK, not quite there, but he may have learned some tricks from the goon. OK, we lost, what the hell. Next!!

Hi, E! I didn't see the game, and it's quite late here, so I will watch it tomorrow. From what I can tell, Ozzie wasn't the reason the Wings lost. As good as he has been, I really don't think sitting out a game should be an issue for Ozzie and if it is and he couldn't ramp up for this game, we do have a problem. Blame the back to back games and travel, maybe? Or blame the fact that the Blues were headhunting tonight and more determined to win than the Wings? Dunno if Ozzie could have done any more than he did, from what I am reading in the GDT. I wonder how much effect no Cheli had tonight, too. I suppose you could blame Babs for that. Blame me, I missed the game while I was out partying. At any rate, sorry all. I will not skip a game again, it's my fault they lost 'cause I wasn't here. As if I have such power.

Agreed. I've been a fan of the Dom for his entire career, and truly do understand how frustrating it is to see people bashing Ozzie when there's no reason for it. I feel the same way when there are unwarranted slams against Hasek. There are just a few here who feel the need to belittle the accomplishments of one goalie to try to somehow make the other goalie look better. As if that's actually effective, when all it is really is childish in my view. This could go on forever, and probably will, unless someone convinces Dom to finally retire this summer. j/k I bolded your comment, as I too generally don't comment until someone says something completely stupid about Dom, and then I am going to say something. It's been a while since I've seen a fan base where people actively bash a player who hasn't actually done anything wrong, the way they have Dom in this forum. I have been shocked at how hateful and vicious some of the posts have been. I'm happy to say it seems to be calming down a bit. Maybe the Christmas spirit is making everyone mellow?

Terri, you're in charge of the GDT and Booos-whoopin' tonight. I got talked into going to a Christmas party. What was I thinking, when the real party will be here? Got the DVR rollin' so I won't miss the fun. Ya'll have a great night! I will czech in when I get home. Some of you are bound to still be here.

judging from your avy and signature, Tazzer, you have a definite favorite here. So do some of the rest of us. It's OK. Clearly, you don't have a problem with Dom playing whatever number and placement of games he's handed by they coachig staff. I know I don't... most of the games have been alloted to each goalie in a fashion that is fair and makes sense. I am willing to bet neither of them have a problem with the rotation. Personally, I would love to see Oz and Dom platoon their way to a Cup, so everybody can shut up and not mar the experience by saying any of the following: "See, Dom won us the Cup. We wouldn't have won with Ozzie the Choker in there." or "See, Ozzie is the reason we won the Cup. Dom would have failed us, the old fart." As if we have any idea what could or would have happened. OR "See, we lost because Babs sat Dom and let Ozzie have the nets. I knew we should have played Dom!" or "See, we lost because Babs sat Ozzie and let Dom have the nets. I knew we should have played Ozzie!" How about: "Hooray, we won the Cup because all of the players did their best and contributed, including BOTH goaltenders."

great job! You got a lot farther than I did back in November with TWC. The rep (marketing person) I talked to then was so disinterested that she pretty much told me they were never going to offer it. A tech on the support line, however, read me the corporate memo that says what you were told -- that TWC-Austin should have rolled NHLN out in November, before the NHLN pirated our games off of CI. I think they just don't care about hockey (duh, loo!) How many Wings fans are there in here from Austin now? I know of at least 8. We rule!!

True. Going forward, I can only see things getting better for Hasek. Before one of you wags jumps in to say it could hardly get worse -- you know who you are! -- at least admit that Dom is getting his game back and that the goals he's let in are no worse than the ones Ozzie lets in. Unless you're being influenced by the name on the back of the jersey, that is. It isn't always Hasek's name on the jersey when that line of reasoning is involved. If the past doesn't matter in terms of Dom's successes, then the past, as in his play earlier in the season, shouldn't matter. Can't have it both ways, either the past matters or it doesn't. Hockey is definitely a sport where what a player did yesterday seems to carry more weight than proven successes. Maybe that's just the way it is. Dom and Ozzie, and most goalies I know of, live for the next game, leaving the one they just won or lost behind them. They'd have to, or else go completely crazy nit-picking and over-analyzing every shot and save. Kind of like we do. Hopefully we see our guys with a shiny silver Stanley Cup. I don't particularly care which goalie is in net, in fact, I'd prefer both. Maybe that will happen. wow... great post, Packer! Blind wasn't the word I would have used, but it will do. Thank you, Mac!

Hoping to see Downey tonight -- but they could put Drake in bec. it's his old team, or something dumb like that. Maybe the poster at LGB heard a local radio source in St. Louis or something on Sammy and Draper being out. Malts is the only one listed as out tonight, because of his back problem. The game will be on Center Ice, so you all won't have to listen to half of us in here b*tch about missing the game. Yay!

It's been discussed to death, actually. Game is at 7:30PM to those of us in Central Time, btw. Booos will not be kidding around tonight, coming into this with a big losing skid - this will be five in a row, and they won't want to lose at home again. I would say watch out for Jackman, but he's not scary at the moment, projected -36 for the season? woo. Legace's knee will hold up tonight, against his former team. 5-4 Wings in a SO. Hudler with the SO winner.

My comments are not aimed at you, lfd, you saw what you saw. Just borrowing from you as a springboard. Dom seemed to have a pretty good clue where the puck was 18 times, including point blank saves on several attempts and when he stopped Kopitar on an odd man rush. He did the same against Ovechkin in the last game. He let in two (OMG) goals, one on a shot screened by his own defenseman and the other, which he probably should have had, off a lost faceoff. I only saw highlights, thanks to NHLN swiping the game off CI, but I did see various highlights of both LAK goals as well as a couple of stellar stops Dom made to keep the momentum. 6 goals against poor LaBarbera helped the 'momentum,' too, obviously. I was gald to see the goal support for Hasek, btw. They do need to watch the ill-timed penalties. The first goal was courtesy of Franzen taking a hooking call with less than 2 minutes left (I have no idea if it was justified). I hate those last minute goals more than anything (unless we are the ones scoring, then I love them). Good for the Kings for capitalizing on that situation.

the times I have seen the Wings on the road, they've been at which ever hotel is less than a mile from the arena, and is the most expensive. Adams Mark in Dallas, Fairmont in San Jose. When the Avs were in San Jose a few years back and I was also there, I saw Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejdik walking to the arena for practice. No one knew who they were, apparently, besides me.

that's good.

I emailed yahoo support and told them to wake up the drunk guy who was supposed to set up the game feed. Yahoo, like pretty much everything else online, isn't answering either tonight. Sorry, Dats. I don't have any other ideas, aside from NHL radio.

really? I can't see, so I will have to take your word for it.

is it me, or is it becoming a habit for Detroit defensemen to score on their own goalies?

thank God for NHL radio... except I tuned in just in time to hear there was a deflection goal on Detroit. Kings on the PP, I assume?

should I shut down the browser and start over? I get "this broadcast has not yet started" over and over. I assume they changed their minds, or the dummy who is supposed to flip the switch to send the feed is drunk or asleep.

Dats, so sorry... I guess Bettman paid off yahoo to jerk their feed offline, too. It's not happening tonight, so far.

since most of here can't see it... no.

not yet. Keeps saying the broadcast has not yet started. Someone with FSN? Do we have a game yet, or not?

we could use some of that good mood here, Ter. Has the game started? What's going on?