Hockey Convert

And guess what? Now we have injuries on D and need the depth! Brilliant! (Quincy out tomorrow, Lidstrom possible)

Like it or not, this team needs an Ott. The league has decided guys running stars and playing on the edge is OK, and will hand out power-plays like candy. Might as well acknowledge reality and adapt.

Huh? Sarcastic, yes, but I wouldn't call that passive-aggressive. And I grew up on the west coast; believe me, I know me some passive-aggression.

No, that's ridiculous. Nothing could ever possibly influence the team's play unless it's something Holland-approved like a really skillful pass, power play move or maybe Kronwall hit.

Agreed on this, and I don't understand it. They have the talent to put something together in Datsyuk's absence, yet they certainly are not doing it. Frustrating.

Frankly, I would ask for his money back on those. Sad effort all around. Good thing we got Quincy instead of Downie, who is clearly useless. I would love to rant about it, but clearly the apologists are already out, so screw it. Plenty of time to talk it over after another 1st/2nd round exit.

Capgeek seems to have his contract going through next year; am I reading that wrong? Still, pretty good return for Minny, it seems.

Seriously. With his record, that should turn out to be $100k to $200k per game... Any bets on which way it will swing?

I absolutely agree and think they need a shooter in general; I just don't know where they're going to find one without giving up more in trade than they can really afford for the future.

Exactly. Almost that entire game was spent in the Wings zone. Horrible turnovers and lack of puck possession. The Canucks beat us, plain and simple.

It never really ends.

Ug, after watching that effort... you might have a point there.

I saw that, and it made me feel warm and cozy inside.

Would you really rather have Darren "Granite-Mits" Helm have a penalty shot than the Wings have a PP?

Did anyone else see Ericsson absolutely bury Sharp on that last Hawks PP try? Usually I'm shouting at E to be more physical, but that was AWESOME. Good for him. Of course, the NBCSports bobbleheads are refusing to show the replay...

Yep, totally agree. Give a realistic offer. If Philly, for example, wants to go nuts again and blow up their team to offer $100M over 10 years... well, good luck with that; I'm absolutely fine with not trying to compete with outright fricking crazy. I also agree though that if we could put up a cup win, or even just get them to Detroit, Holland and co. could bring them around to staying here for a reasonable rate. You never know.

Wow, "injustice"? Really? I think it's to some extent a Philly thing. Philly sports fans in general are overly passionate at best, and I'd have to use the term "raging douchebags" at worst. I haven't listened to local sports talk all that carefully here in New England, but I certainly haven't heard any bile like that about the record. Hockey fans here seem to be more indifferent, and focused on how the Bruins are slumping. Also, hockey in general is still overshadowed by the angst and tragedy of the Pats, plus already gearing up for "tha Sowax!!"

LOL. Sounds about right.

Hehe, could have been worse; at least there was no Pierre! This was a good 60-minute effort by the Wings, great to see. And MacDonald has been huge; love to see him get a win against the Sharks.

Oh, come off of it. Your arguments seldom hold any more water than this.

Yep, for a couple years now. It seems like he's ALWAYS whining about something, at least when he's not busy throwing cheap shots after the whistle. He's a disgrace, the absolute opposite of Lids as a captain. Agreed here too. They just cannot get away with sloppy passes and puck handling against the Sharks, and that's all they're bringing. Has to tighten up if they want to close this out. Joey has been their best player today.

See, here's my concern about free agency; I'm all for Suter and Parise too, I think everyone can agree on that. The thing is, does anyone really think prices are going to go down this summer? After the whole Richards circus, I have to think that a) some team is going to be absolutely willing to give up assets to get the negotiating rights in both cases, and b) some teams are going to offer ridiculous money. I have to see it taking 8 million+ per year to sign one of these guys. The way contracts have gone in recent years, I just don't understand how anyone can realistically expect otherwise. And much as I love the Wings, I really don't see this "they'll want to play for Detroit because it's Detroit" being grounded in reality. I understand and in principle support the "we don't overpay" mantra. My worry, though, is that Holland and we as fans are going to have to adjust what we think of as an "overpayment" for a top free-agent or top player in a trade. Maybe it's just me.

He did indeed; I know they haven't been good recently and probably won't be for the foreseeable future, but I assure you they have a following. Some people might also consider the Sounders a "major sports team" now-a-days; I'm not sure, they were just starting out when I moved away.

I agree with this to some extent. I think part of the issue- and the size of the part is debatable, granted- was that Conklin was a victim of shaky road play by the team. I do wish they'd given him a couple starts at home, to see if that could give him and the team in front of him some confidence. Now, though, it seems pretty clear that the team plays nervous hockey in front of Conklin, and is playing well in front of Joey. So if I'm Babcock, even if I think Conklin didn't get a fair shake my hands are tied; you got to go with MacDonald. Sad as it is for him as a player, I think if Niittymaki cleared waivers, I have to think Conklin would too and maybe he can get his game back in Grand Rapids.

I just don't know about the NHL-team-in-Seattle idea. I grew up there, and I can tell you that hockey is just not something that is in most people's frame of reference. I had no idea how awesome it was until I started dating a girl from Michigan. Ponds/lakes do not freeze there; freezing conditions cause those people to panic and abandon their cars in a flash. I remember how surprised I was when I found out the U. of Washington actually had a hockey team. Yes, there are hockey fans there. Maybe they could support a team; maybe. Eastern Washington would definitely be more into it, but not many are going to be driving six hours from Spokane, let alone in bad weather, to see a game. I'm just saying you have to realize it's different than Michigan where kids grow up playing in the driveway.