Kabrok

But both Lidstrom and Datsyuk sat out for stretches of those playoffs, were they ******* who weren't fighting through it?

I think it's more than plausible for the Wings to pull an upset against any four of those teams in the first round. Though I think we'd match up better against Phoenix or Vancouver to me our positioning is less important than resting Howard and gearing for the playoffs now that we've clinched a spot.

Quebec City is too francophone-centered to be a big draw, plus it dosen't have an adequate arena. Neither does Red Deer, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Lethbridge, Brandon, or Saskatoon. MTS would need an expansion but it's far more NHL-ready than any kind of facility any of those locations you so sarcastically referred to. To say nothing of the kind of money that could be brought in by the pockets of someone like Thomson. Sorry, replying to a question that exploits a logical flaw in your argument with a snarky, sarcastic reply dosen't cut it. Especially when the snarky sarcastic reply is in and of itself easily refuted.

So? The Phoenix metro area is larger than most existing Canadian markets and a number of American ones, does that mean that the Flames or the Sabres should be getting the axe? If it was just about raw population why not put teams in Europe? London has about seven million people to Phoenix's four, does that mean that London is a more viable market? After all, in your mind whether or not a given population is hockey-crazed or not is completely irrelevant. Plus, a potential team in Winnipeg would almost certainly receive ownership support at least in part from David Thomson, the richest man in Canada. He owns the media group responsible for TSN *and* the arena a potential NHL team in Winnipeg would play - he would directly make money that would go towards the NHL not only from every Winnipeg game but also from every TSN broadcast and every event at the MTS Centre NHL-related or not. For all those people in Phoenix, they sure aren't climbing over themselves offering to take ownership of it there, let alone anybody with anything even close to the financial clout of someone like Thomson.

The Coyotes have essentially given away the entire arena's tickets for various games this season in order to put up 'sellouts' - even though even with a packed house the event is still probably rung up as a financial loss. Anyone know if the game in question was such a game? Makes you wonder, if the overall average attendance is 11000-12000 a game, how bad does it get when lower-bowl tickets DON'T cost 20 bucks?

But if Calgary loses tonight it won't matter, they won't have gained any ground on the Avs.

Thou mad.

And when Crosby comes up to a player from behind while being pinned by a teammate and punches him in the back of the head out of fustration, I guess fans should 'grow a thicker skin' about that too? The keyboard mashing happens because what Crosby does isn't an isolated incident, and it often isn't nearly as 'clean' as what happened tonight as you appear to suggest. Funny that someone who goes to pretentiously, eye-rollingly over-verbose lengths to demean people about not following hockey remains completely ignorant of that fact.

I think part of what makes the goal so iconic was that it encapsulates Orr's talent as a defenseman. To storm the crease like he does in that goal was completely unheard of for a defenseman before his time, and even now would seem out of place for most blueliners. He completely revolutionalized his position and is likely the best two-way player who will ever play the game; the fact that he demonstrates those facts by literally winning his team the Cup with the kind of completely unconventional defenseman goal that defined his career is in my mind what gives it the legacy that it has. Plus, his jump afterwards is one of extatic celebration - why wouldn't he, he just won the freaking Cup. Heck, to go back to the Yzerman goal this thread was started over, didn't Y's celebration of the goal after he scored it make the moment all the more sweet and memorable? It's the same thing here. To me it embodies what the players are fighting so badly to earn during the playoffs; reactions like Orr's in my mind reflect an expression of an undying love for the game. To say nothing of the tense drama that is overtime playoff hockey.

It's my hope that the Wings got a collective kick up their butts after last night's game. Even when they were carrying the play in the last half of the game everyone on the ice looked like they didn't care. I'm happy to have gotten the one point out of last night, because the Wings definitely didn't play like they deserved it. That said, the Wings usually seem to find fresh motivation by playing teams that rank above them, so I wouldn't necessarily use yesterday's game as a litmus test for how they'll do here. If they can manage to get 5 out of 6 points on this WC road trip I'll be happy.

Thing is, if he's not willing to take some time to develop his game down in the minors (which at his size I would think would be needed irregardless of potential) he probably wouldn't be worth pulling the trigger on in the first place - see the aforementioned Brunnstrom.

Just got back. Our defense looked really jekyll and hyde - the giveaway that led to the Calgary goal was brutal, but they put up the brick wall on the PK. I'll take the two points, particularly in such a tight race for a playoff spot.

I wonder if there's beer on the sun Seriously, being from southern Alberta, I'm not sure whether to feel ashamed or proud to be from the same region as Rowsdower I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's maybe because Calgary isn't on the west coast?

I'll be at the game! I finally got around to getting my WC jersey numbered, seems like a good time to get it christened so to speak.