DirtyD

Okay gang, I've been reading a lot of comments about how the Wings truly lost this series through their inability to win faceoffs, their terrible defensive zone turnovers, and their inability to get to the dirty areas to score goals. I agree 100% with this assessment. The Wings were not even near their best for 4 of the 5 games in this series and, as such, their losses COULD simply be chalked up to that. However, to nullify the refs of any responsibility in the outcome of this series because of the fact that the Wings were not playing as well as they should seems to me to be simply insufficient. In fact, I would say that such a claim does a disservice to the game of hockey in general. The fact of the matter is that the Wings lost all four of their games in this series by one goal, and in three of the four games the refereeing had a direct influence on the end results. For me, tonight was the most painful example of this. A disgustingly obvious interference penalty on Murray was missed about 20 seconds prior to the eventual game winning goal. We can all argue that it was Rafalski's fault for coughing the puck up behind the net as he seemed to do far too often throughout the year; AND IT WAS. However, that does not excuse the FACT that the faceoff should have been at the other end of the rink and that the Wings should have had a man advantage. Do I think that the Wings would have scored on that powerplay? Probably not. The powerplay was incredibly weak tonight and that was another reason that we lost. But this game, like the entire series, was decided by inches and, like every other close game in this series, the opportunities that the Sharks capitalized upon were provided to them by the referees. The Wings sloppy play was the killer, but I will am infuriated that the refs gave the Sharks far too much to run on. Now, at this point I realize that I sound like a sore loser, and I'm sure that there are some on this board who will write me off as just that. By no means am I a conspiracy theorist; I am not deluded enough to think that the league was hellbent on keeping the Wings out of their fourth straight conference finals. I have watched enough hockey this season to realize that the refereeing in this entire league is pathetic. Standards change from game to game (or period to period) and calls are made and missed on the excuse that, "It's such a fast game". Refs are never held accountable for their terrible calls and no improvements are made for the betterment of the NHL experience. This phenomenon is not confined to a single team or conference, but rather serves to degrade the reputation of the league as a whole. Unfortunately, in this series, the NHL's terrible refereeing was against the Wings far more than it was for them. While I realize that it is simply an unfortunate coincidence, I think that it is reasonable for us to be disappointed/mad. I have known a number of die-hard hockey fans to stop watching games because the refereeing simply reduced the sport to near-WWE levels, and I am now on the verge of doing so myself. I sincerely hope that this is a series that is watched over and over again as a tutorial of how NOT to ref in the playoffs so that a series like this is never duplicated in the future. PS - I know that there have been a number of awesome, insightful Sharks fans posting on this board throughout the series, and I would really appreciate hearing your input. In the end, the Sharks certainly played well; as much as it pains me to say it, guys like Thornton and Marleau actually carried their weight. I try to be as unbiased as I can in looking at such issues, and I hope that was reflected in this post.

Kaberle is a quiet option. The guy"s got puck moving skills. In terms of a raw Rafalski replacement, I'd consider him AND I wouldn't be surprised if Kenny didn't do the same. The guy's been an offensive stud for years and I wouldn't have a problem with him at the right price, Wings fans.

Despite what that Stinky Fish Dick guy said, Cleary did have a great game and, IMO, has been having a great series, I remember, back in 2007 against the Flames, identifying him as the type of player that you need in the playoffs. He always goes hard into every battle and plays with that special edge.There is a short list of guys that I wouldn't mind being traded, but Cleary isn;t one of them. He just has that heart and determination that - if we're at a loss (which we never should be) - can carry us forward. Look to him in Game 7, much like in Game 7 of the '09 Western Conference semis. It won't necessarily be pretty, but we know that he'll be there to do something special if the situation does arise.

It's fans like the OP who make it difficult to straight-up hate some of the more hateable teams in this league. Like many people (including our fearless leader), I am fully in agreement with this thread, thread title, and the general atmosphere that seems to be ruminating from the thread's contributors. There is no reason to believe that this team cannot do anything within the realm of the possible.

Hey brother/sister. It happens to the best of us. Pick yourself up off the floor and continue to be jovial and cheerful until Thursday, at which you (like I) will hopefully just be drunk and celebrating a historic accomplishment for this historic squad.

Speaking for your ceiling fan - it forgives you.Ceiling fan knows that it was totally worth it.

No. Hudler - for all his ups and downs this year - was solid tonight. He was winning puck battles and making plays all game long, Regardless of whether or not he plays on Thursday night (and I think that he will), Huddles was clearly playing with a chip on his shoulder tonight.

For a guy who hasn't posted here in upwards of a year, I gotta say... I'm loving the staying power that this thread seems to have had. Just goes to show you that some things never really change.

Words cannot describe how angry it makes me to see that clip again. Despite - and likely because of - Bertuzzi's unfortunate tendency to take stupid, offensive-zone penalties, I'd say that he got boned more than anyone else in the series.

Obviously I realize that. But those stats are right on in terms of illustrating the fact that we scored more than they did in the series.... In all seriousness though, I just thought that it was interesting considering the fact that most people view any 4-5 game series as "short" and any 6-7 game series as "long". Further, "short" series are generally seen as the result of the domination of one team over another. However, I just wanted to point out that this series, however short, was so strange because it was not the result of San Jose's domination. In fact, the only game in the series which was dominated by one team happened to be the Wings' only victory. San Jose's victory came through their ability to find a way to win the tight ("anyone's") games. And, going back to the point of the thread, the reffing in the series absolutely played a large role in their ability to edge out the Wings in at least three of those games. Disclaimer: Again, I think the Sharks played great and proved to be more than a formidable opponent and I think that they were capable of defeating us on a level playing field. I just don't think that such a playing field was ever provided.

I agree. I can't help but feel like this series should not be over yet and that we did not deserve such a quick fate. s***, consider this stat: San Jose: 4 wins, 15 goals Detroit: 1 win, 17 goals Entirely disregarding the poor refereeing, the fact that we outscored by 2 goals the team who beat us in 5 games is just a tough pill to swallow.

I think that in general you are right. Stuart does a tonne of great things out there for us, and is a hell of a workhorse (as was illustrated when half of our NHL roster was out with injuries). Throughout the playoffs he proved that he is a great stay at home D-man who can pitch in a bit of offense here and there. In all, he was probably our 2nd best defenseman behind Lids in the playoffs. Unfortunately, Stuart does also have the tendency to make his mistakes at the worst times possible. Game 6 against Phoenix was a great example of this (or game 7 against Pit last year). Those moments tend to lower his value a fair bit. Nonetheless, I think that in these playoffs (and the whole season) Stuart proved that he is an integral part of this team and will continue to be for years into the future.

You've been a class act as well as a number of other Sharks posters throughout the series. Good luck in the coming weeks as, I'll admit, I've suddenly lost all interest in following the NHL playoffs. I am now off to cheer on Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns as they make an inprobable run to the NBA Finals. Cheers.

THANK YOU. Everyone seems to be talking about how Cleary has been invisible. Fact is, last year in the playoffs Cleary played with Franzen and Zetterberg and had a great run (good enough to earn him an invite to the Team Canada camp). This year, Cleary has played primarily with the grinders: Helm., Draper, Miller, Abs, Eaves, etc. Babs has acknowledged the fact that Clearly is probably the most versatile player on this team. It is surprisingly difficult to find a player who can fit in perfectly with the top-6 and the bottom-6. Bertuzzi is not nearly as capable of playing with the grinders and, as he showed tonight, can still put up points with the big boys. Thus, Cleary is going to continue to play with the bottom-6 for the time being and playing the role of a checking forward seamlessly. If we need him, Cleary can move up to the top-6 and start producing immediately. He is one of my favourite players and I don't think that he deserves the heat that he's been getting around here and I applaud Lidstromboli for pointing that out. Cleary has proved that he is as versatile a player as your going to find in this league.

Assuming that by 'ho' you mean 'no', then I completely agree. Obviously I (like I assume many here were) was looking out to see what he could provide, and I saw nothing that I didn't like. To be honest, I thought that he would be more of a softer, skilled player, the type of guy who can't really work in the bottom six. Perhaps a Leino, but obviously not that abysmal. But from what I saw, he was solid and strong on the boards and he worked like he wanted to play another game or two. I think that its safe to say that Williams is FINALLY done dressing in a Red Wings uniform, and that is just awesome. Anyways, I'm feeling pretty good about the win right now - Franzen is a f***in beast - and I'm feelin' pretty good, but I'm at least 4/5s in the bag right now from Captain Morgans and Stroh's so I hope that I made some sense here.

This was the first thing I thought when I heard about this, as well. While I do think that Boston is more than capable of beating the Pens with the way that both teams have performed thus far in the playoffs, eventually the injuries (first to Sturm, now to Kreicji) are going to be too much. I would say that a healthy Boston would probably have the upper hand over the Pens given their performance against two laughable Eastern Conference teams thus far, but the odds are starting to stack up against them. It must be nice not having to work too hard to win your conference. Nonetheless, I'll be rooting for Boston should the Wings fall to the Sharks because Savard, Lucic, and Chara are some of my favourite non-Wing players.

It took me a few minutes but I'm now at peace with the situation. 99% chance that we lose and no one is surprised. 1% chance that we do the unthinkable, add a whole new level to the "Red Wing mystique", and simultaneously push this previously pathetic San Jose franchise to an all-time low. The only problems I have is that the reffing in this series has been terrible (including this game, though it was not directly the reason why we lost) and this would be a 2-1 series if the reffing had been competent. I am painfully disappointed, albeit not surprised, in the fact that their is a rule for diving set in place and yet the refs seem hell bent not to call it despite the fact that the Wings have been calling attention to it. The fact that the Wings have been taking penalties at a 2(+) to 1 ratio in comparison to the Sharks is flat out crooked and it really stings that the refs have blatantly affected the outcomes of at least 2 of the first 3 games. Regardless, the Wings made their own bed in this game with an embarrassing, but somewhat familiar looking 3rd period. It sucks that we are probably going to be the team that helps San Jose to shake their playoff choker label much like we've allowed Thornton (who, for me, has still looked entirely weak all series) to start shaking that label of his own. The curtains have started to close, and its time to see if our boys have anything left.

I'm just pissed that he's soiling the good name of Stepbrothers in the process.

2007. We had to play Calgary in the 1st, San Jose in the 2nd, before losing to Anaheim in the 3rd. Ironically enough, that same year the Presidents Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres got to play the Islanders in the 1st (interstate), the Rangers in the 2nd (interstate), before losing to Ottawa in the 3rd (inter-division). Sorry, that last point was irrelevant but I always get steamed when I think about how much of a joke the Eastern Conference playoffs are. Anyways, GO WINGS! Take it to 'em!

SJS/DET: 4-2 CHI/VAN: 4-3 PIT/MTL: 4-2 BOS/PHI: 4-3

double post

He sure has. There is absolutely no variety to his game whatsoever; it's get the pack, skate close enough to the net, and shoot. It just isn't working and I find it to be hilarious.

As much as I would loathe to see the Pens get the easiest ride to the Finals in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, watching the might, structureless Caps falter against a team as s***ty as Montreal has been pretty hilarious.

Meh. Would have been nice to have Babs thrown into the mix, but I think that each of those three guys are really deserving. Plus, just like the three Vezina candidates, each of these three coaches are on the golf course right now while Babs is getting the boys ready in San Jose. To me, that's really all that matters.