Hairy Lime

I think Tatar upset the Americans...

Paper cut. A bad one, too, from what I hear. I had one once - missed two months of work. I'm surprised he's going to play in Sochi, but he's a warrior.

Better than Cleary, who should be the Flyer's problem right now. I hope we don't need Bert in the shootout.

If Detroit started their fourth line, I don't think anyone would notice.

Yes, but I still think it's unfair that he gets to use a .44 Magnum. I think it gives him an unfair advantage on the ice. No goalie is going to stop that shot. Well, maybe Hasek ... with his teeth!

Maybe, but will it take two whole games and a fluky goal in OT to do so?

Did Olczyk mention Detroit's "subtle little interference and picks" ... AGAIN? Why couldn't Fox Sports Detroit carry this game.

Orr is playing? I thought teams sat out their enforcer against us. Maybe he's in to avenge the water bottle.

I think he is, but Holland has just put Kocur and McCarty on waivers.

Substitute Tootoo with Glendening and I'd be happy. And I'd still take Bertuzzi over Andersson.

The omission of Neil using Smith as a punching bag is an outrage!

How 'bout Cleary and Tootoo switching lines.

Sammy out, Tootoo in? Wow, this actually makes some sense. Has Babs or Holland been doing some brain training with Lumosity?

To be fair, Abdelkader had a chance to do something himself when Engelland hit him high earlier in the game, but did nothing as per usual. But you have a better chance of winning the Mega Millions than you do of seeing Holland sign/trade for an enforcer. Remember, we make teams pay on the powerplay (assuming a penalty is even called), like we did with that 5 minute major...

That's cruel... You KNOW he would have fallen on his face. Either that, or he would have forgotten who he played for and turned around and scored on Howard, because Howard is probably the only goalie he COULD score on right now. I know, unnecessary and cheap. I feel shame.

This is where Cleary shows Philadelphia what they missed out on ... and they thank us.

“I feel bad he got hurt; I didn’t mean to (injure him),’’ Yeah, and Claude Lemieux did not mean to smash Kris Draper's face in. Too bad there's no Darren McCarty on this team.

Cowbell.

Hahahaha, you don't know Kenny "physical violence makes me wet myself" Holland, do you. The Ottawa players could've had samurai swords decapitating players and Holland would have said that we'll make them pay on the powerplay ... assuming that there were no arrests, which is not a given. There is a reason that an elbow to the head of your best player passes without reprisal.... Give an NHL team an inch, they'll punch your grandmother in the back of her head ... or at least Neil would, and probably has - his own.

Danny, shouldn't you be working on your game?

If he plays well, does Holland offer him a contract?

What, nobody claimed Emmerton off waivers? Shocking. And he'll get the call over Tatar or Tootoo (boy that sounded funny)? Oh goodie, can't wait! But it's still nice to have hockey back, Abdelkader on the 1st line and Emmerton on any line and all. Too bad the season could not have started right, with a Chicago loss.

Ok, now I have to assume you just don't watch the games, or perhaps you have the ability to overlook what you don't want to acknowledge. And I'm mostly talking about the '09 regular season. Examples? How about every game. Detroit was roughed up enough in that season that we got the lovely phrase: "our powerplay will be/is our enforcer" in response to much criticism of Detroit NOT having an enforcer. Just because there weren't a lot of significant injuries inflicted does not mean it did not take its toll. When the strategy of "ignore rather than address" actually yield's results, you'll have an argument. Like I said, I don't care if there is any direct, statistical correlation between team toughness and Championships, that fact is this, Detroit has yet to win a Stanley Cup with any of the soft teams they have iced over the last several seasons, and won with the one that was not soft. You can argue until you turn blue, but it's a fact. Last post-season, Tootoo absolutely should have played. Would it have made a difference? Who the hell knows. But it at least would have been a counter-punch to what Shaw and Bickell were doing for Chicago. You need those types of players in the playoffs, like Drake for us in '08. Hitting can be as big a part of hockey as scoring.

All that I am saying is this, and It is my personal opinion: I believe that having a guy in the line-up, even if all he can really do is fight, is worth more to a team than one more extra scrub like a Kopecky in '09, when EVERYONE AND THEIR GRANDMOTHER'S were taking liberties with Detroit, or an Emmerton/Samuelsson on this team. Simple as that. Teams have not targeted Detroit like they did in '09 for one simple reason: they are not all that relevant anymore. They are not the defending Stanley Cup champions, and they are not the barometer; Chicago and Boston are, and I guarantee you that their coach or GM would never let their top stars take the extra abuse game after game like Holland and Babcock did in '09 without some intervention. Players said that they loved having Downey out there. Ask yourself why. No, he was not a major factor, at east not in a tangible way, in Detroit eventually winning the Cup, but don't knock what he did provide the team during the regular season. I'm not here to present indisputable evidence as to why or how having an enforcer in your line-up during the regular season correlates with winning a Cup, because there really isn't any -at least none that can be pointed to on a stat sheet, and most NHL teams routinely dress one anyways. All that I'm saying is that there is also no evidence that NOT dressing an enforcer during the regular season does anything more for your team than earn your star players a little extra abuse. That's it; that's my argument. Take it or leave it.

This is not the 80's NHL anymore, no one is saying that it is. But to imply that fighting is a thing of the past is delusional. Fighting is trending downward, no doubt about it; but it's not going anywhere. And the most fights in a season in the 90's was the '96-97 season with 907, with Detroit and Colorado contributing a few. Didn't hurt Detroit that season, did it. My point is, dressing an enforcer does nothing to diminish your chances of winning. Only the opposite, actually, as only a few teams have won the Cup in the last 30 or so years that did not dress an enforcer during the regular season, extrapolate from that what you will. If you have a team full of enforcers, then yeah, it would probably hurt your chances, excluding the '07 Ducks. Nothing wrong with protecting your stars, enough of this "our powerplay is our enforcer" BS!