Matt

Widescreen: 1920x1200 | 1920x1080 | 1680x1050 |1440x900 | 1366x768 | 1280x800 4:3: 1600x1200 | 1400x1050 | 1280x960 | 1280x1024 Enjoy!

I'm changing it up a bit this season and NOT going with a monthly "featured" player (at least for this month, depending on feedback). Oftentimes the addition of a player messes with the layout when adjusting for other aspect ratios, or I have a rough time finding a nice, high-resolution picture to use. I hope you like this year's edition! Widescreen: 1920x1200 | 1920x1080 | 1680x1050 |1440x900 | 1366x768 | 1280x800 4:3: 1600x1200 | 1400x1050 | 1280x960 | 1280x1024 Enjoy!

A producer for Sportsbrand Media Group is filming a segment dedicated to fans of the Detroit Red Wings for its show titled "More than a Game" this weekend ahead of the Red Wings' season opener this Friday at the Joe. Are you interested in taking part in an interview? If you're a passionate Red Wings fan that'll be heading to the Joe on Friday please send me a PM through the forum here (or via Facebook Message or Twitter DM) with your contact information and I'll try to get you in touch with one of the show's producers!

I'm changing it up a bit this season and NOT going with a monthly "featured" player (at least for this month, depending on feedback). Oftentimes the addition of a player messes with the layout when adjusting for other aspect ratios, or I have a rough time finding a nice, high-resolution picture to use. I hope you like this year's edition! Widescreen: 1920x1200 | 1920x1080 | 1680x1050 |1440x900 | 1366x768 | 1280x800 4:3: 1600x1200 | 1400x1050 | 1280x960 | 1280x1024 Enjoy!

The official LetsGoWings.com Open (free) Fantasy League has a small number of spots available for this season! This is as 12-team head-to-head league and the competition is fierce! Interested? Here's the details on this Yahoo-based league: Draft: Saturday, October 1st @ 8:30pm ET (Attendance Required) Starting Positions: 2 Center, 2 LW, 2 RW, 4 D, 1 Util, 2 G (6 Bench, 1 IR) Scoring Categories: G, A, PTS, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, GWG, W, GAA, SV%, SO Invites will be sent out in groups, so registering for the league is a first-come, first-serve basis. This is a long-running league, now entering its 11th successful season. This league uses the same scoring as the 5th-year Buy-In Challenge. PM me here through the site or e-mail me at mattschwartz@gmail.com. In both instances please make clear the e-mail address you want the invitation sent to. (Invitation requests in this thread will be ignored.) Thank you and good luck!

Thanks to all those that send in their requests! It looks like we've got all 12 teams decided upon. If perchance a spot comes available, those that have already submitted a request will be contact first. Good luck to those who entered this year!

Registration time for the 5th Annual LetsGoWings.com Fantasy Hockey Buy-In Challenge is upon us! This is a 12-team, head-to-head league hosted by Yahoo. Scoring and draft information is below: Cost: $25/team Draft: Saturday, October 2nd @ 8:00pm ET Starting Positions: 2 Center, 2 LW, 2 RW, 4 D, 1 Util, 2 G (6 Bench, 1 IR) Scoring Categories: G, A, PTS, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, GWG, W, GAA, SV%, SHO Prizes: 1st Place = $175, 2nd Place = $90, 3rd Place = $35 ___________________________________________________________________________ Right now there are invitations out to GMs that took part in last year's league. Returning GMs will have until Sunday, September 17th to re-register for this upcoming season. Starting on Monday, September 18th, I will be granting the remaining spots to new GMs that have expressed an interest to join. Once those GMs are sent an official invite they will be required to post the $25 team fee. If you are interested in joining the league this year, please PM me here through the forums. I likely will not respond until the 18th, when the first batch of invites are sent out. Invites will be sent on a first-come, first-serve basis. ___________________________________________________________________________ Attendance at the LIVE ONLINE DRAFT is highly recommended but not required. Remember, this is a buy-in league, so it's in your wallet's best interest to take part in everything. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Entry Fee Payment All GMs are required to pay the $25 entry fee (via PayPal). Unlike in previous seasons, I will allow GMs to register their team before making full payment. Payment, however, will be required before October 5th.

Tragic.

I like the primary logo, and this comes from a guy that uses Illustrator every single day in my profession. It's clean, it's simple. Looks good. Not overly fond of the "winged" secondary one and the logotype for the other will have to grow on me.

I'm honestly surprised that he's retiring via a conference call -- shocked, really -- even if he is taking up a position within the organization. Perhaps this was Osgood's personal choice as I'm sure a press conference in the Olympia Room and a retirement forthcoming at least a year before the player wants to reach that point is going to be extremely emotional. Thanks for the memories, Ozzie. It was a helluva ride.

He has to be coming back. A player with the history he has with this club, three Stanley Cups, does NOT retire via a conference call with the media. They'd do an actual press conference in the Olympia Room in the same manner as Brian Rafalski, who has a much less storied history with the franchise. You re-sign for 1-year at a bargain-basement salary with incentives via a media conference call.

I was ultimately underwhelmed with The Lost Symbol and I'm engrossed in A Game of Thrones so far. Can't wait to get all caught up on this series...

I see a lot of the beer hipsters coming out, but no one offering up there own suggestions lest they get blasted by dissenters. Come on now, have at it! (Miller sucks. Can't stand that wheat-flavored cat piss.)

I was just going to post about this. I'm completely new to the series but just finished watching HBO's first season of Game of Thrones completely riveted by it. Ever since I got my iPhone a few months back I've been gobbling up books to read (I used to do it frequently years ago but got away from it because of the hassle of carrying a book around, but with the phone they're always with me). I, like Jack, am currently reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol but I'll have that finished this weekend in time to start the first of Martin's fantastic epic series. Before that I read Howard Wasdin's Seal Team Six.

Not sure why, but for some reason I think the Wings may be serious players for Richards come Friday. Cement the 2nd line center and PP point, Hank plays with Pavel, clutch player... Key would be accepting the Wings' new "self cap", which I would assume would be Datsyuk's $6.7m/yr, which I don't consider a big sacrifice when you combine it with what his agent said Brad is looking for: a cup contender and a hockey market. If the Wings can pull of a miracle at the $6.7m they still have plenty of cap space to throw around to land a decent defenseman, goaltender, etc. (Honestly, I would prefer they go for an impact player and a lesser defenseman than overspend in a seller's market on Wisniewski/Ehrhoff when the Wings will be right back in this position next summer.) If Holland is somehow able to pilfer off Hudler that'd make it even easier. Oh, the joys of dream scenarios...

No. Just, no...

It's not that at all -- breaking up the draft thread over two days (just like it's already done) makes more sense instead of everyone diving into a mega thread looking for where the 2nd round talk started. Mega threads are a PITA to sift through when abused in certain cases.

I will say that I'd be shocked if the Wings keep all of those 2nd rounders and use them to draft players tomorrow. You've got Nick for one more year, it's additional ammo you can use to bolster the roster. Use it!

Heck, the more I think about it.... What's to really stop Chicago from making a run at Wisniewski to keep him from Detroit while bolstering their own lineup? It's a double-whammy: You keep him from your chief divisional rival (because he fills a glaring need for that club), he's already spent nearly four years with your club previously, you *do* have the need on defense, etc.. What's not to like about that if you're Chicago, unless you've got your eyes on a bigger free agent fish?

Oh, please. The "WE ARE THE WINGZ" talk only reaches so far. And if we did miss out on him and he was the Wings' true target... Who are we going to get for that second rounder that's better and available? At that age, skill level, etc.. Let me know and ease my mind a bit. Comparing a defenseman to a high-priced goaltender is apples and oranges. Phoenix had a VERY limited market to sell him to because of all the talk from Bryzgalov's camp about breaking the bank this summer and the fact that he's gotten shelled in the playoffs for two years now. Phoenix was lucky to even get anything, let alone a third, before he hit the market. Heck, Vokoun was still out there, so that even further diluted the market for elite netminders. The market for young, skilled defenseman about to hit free agency is markedly higher.

The only way I see a trade like this happening is if Montreal grants Detroit permission to speak with Wisniewski's agent prior to July 1st (think Marian Hossa in 2009, though Detroit didn't trade him prior). If they have a deal in place and Detroit doesn't want to run the risk of another club offering bigger money and term clouding things you make that deal. That's it. The moves made today now makes Chicago a potential suitor (another tour there? meh), and the Montreal beat writer that first mentioned the Habs were shopping his rights replied to me via Twitter that he's heard on the draft floor that the Wild were interested in trading for Wisniewski's rights as well. There are plenty of suitors for Wisniewski -- and all the warm fuzzy "pls home HOME!!!1!" talk means less and less the more years and million(s) you attach to a contract. Make no mistake, if Wisniewski hits the open market I would be shocked if the Wings would have the highest offer on the table for him.

Yep... Think the Timonen/Hartnell deals that Philadelphia did a few years ago. They would've done the Bryzgalov trade the same way if they didn't have to worry about NHL tagging rules and existing contracts.

If true it only makes sense if Wisniewski agrees to a deal prior to July 1st. The Wings likely wouldn't want to miss out on him in a July 1st bidding war, where the price they would sign him at would be higher due to more suitors. Gut says that the Wings were interested in Burns but the price was too high and the move back in the draft tonight gives them the ammo to be proactive in getting "their man" prior to the 1st. We'll see. Personally I don't think the Wings will miss out on Wisniewski if they want him, but they'll definitely pay more on July 1 than they would over the next week.

Detroit Red Wings Hockey: "We'll Beat You With Our #%!@s"

Correct. (And "Boooooo!"... Labatt > Molson)