SouthernWingsFan

Eklund just generates random gibberish IMO more often than not. Why anybody pays more than 2 miuntes of attention to him or even wastes time getting upset at him, I don't know.

Understood. I definitely respect tradition. In the heat of the moment right when/after it's going to happen, emotionals will be different obviously. One side is on the biggest high, the other the biggest low. In the grand scheme of things once the game/emotions have pretty much setttled, both sides in this case I think need to come to an agreement. Crosby or the young people in this case trying to be a little more aware of it, and the older generation realizing that times are changing. Neither side is right/wrong, sensitive/insensitive, it just is what it is. In the grand scheme of things though and a week/two after this has happened, this still has gotten more press than necessary to me since plenty of other things are worse than forgetting a handshake.

I get that they are "traditions". They goofed up, but this isn't like they flipped people off, started a fight, got in a DUI accident or whatever. It's done and nobody is hurt or suspended or whatever. I think it is silly to question character of this in an overanalyzed fashion. When do people move on from this?

Real reason: The winner of the Winter Classic so far has been runner up of the Stanley Cup. We shouldn't have won the outdoor game.

I find it disturbing and sad that people are still all up in arms about this a week or two later. I apologize for me sounding like I'm bringing out the "I'm holier than thou" attitude but it is really pitiful. I know hating Crosby is like a national pasttime for some and it is "fun", but when does it end? What excuse will people come up with next to not like him? That he doesn't cut his fingernails every week? That he doesn't use the right kind of shampoo conditioner? It's just a handshake, it's not like he was flipping people the bird. And it's just like Lebron when he didn't shake hands with Magic players when the Cavs were eliminated early. People are making way too big a deal out of this than necessary and are acting stupid. Yes both should have shook hands with the teams or remembered or whatever. Both didn't. Whatever, that doesn't make them any less of people. Both stories people need to move on from. Both stories are so lame overall they shouldn't even be stories. Just another example of media trying to reach for something that barely/isn't even there. If it weren't Crosby and James doing this, no story would exist. EDIT: Maybe my first blurb is a little bit harsh, but honestly I'm just so sick and tired of hearing about Crosby period in one way or another. I have absolutely nothing against him but the overhyping of him, along with people who take that overhype and just go beyond the deep end for ways to dislike him (I understand disdain to a degree but like above, when does it stop and people start sounding really stupid) makes me not care if I ever hear his name ever again.

You'll do fine. I wish/hope I can get fit again. I haven't exercised in weeks, larely due to stress/sour mood/groundhog day every day unfortuantely, it has just taken any motivation to do anything for me unfortuantely. More about getting in shape than a weight problem. I only weight around 155 - 160, but unfortuantely at one time I was consistently 145 - 150 and I want to get back down to that eventually. Years and years ago I was close to 180 being 5'7".

Razor. I grow facial hair easily so I need a good razor. Sticking your hand in slime or boiled water?

I don't think I've used the Yellow Pages in 6 years. The person below me thought Steve Urkel was/is cool.

Overreact much? Officating is going to be inconsistent in every game, every sport. Referees are going to miss calls. It is natural when human error gets involved. I know this being a sports official myself in the past and blowing plenty of calls as well, albeit at a much lower level of competition. You can whine about the refs and injuries all you want, but thems the breaks sometimes with injuries unfortunately, Detroit still had 2 chances in a row to put the Penguins away and they didn't. Detroit has nobody to blame but themselves, no matter how much you think Bettman has a Crosby/Penguin love fest or how much the referees are out to harm our beloved Red Wings. Opinions are often like idiots in many situations unfortuantely. See above as an example.

If you keep it simple, fans are going to boo in certain situations. Pitt fans also booed Jagr plenty, Red Wing fans booed Fedorov plenty, etc. whether it was fair or not. So I'm not going to get on Penguins fans for booing on Hossa. To me stuff like this is no worse than razzing a goalie if he's let in a few goals. But the source is right. As good as Hossa did for the Penguins last postseason, he was just there briefly, nothing lengthy with the team, no full season, no real buildup (I'm assuming) of establishing a name prescence in the city. I'm all for booing and razzing in fun, but understand the situation and context as well. And I'll emphasize again in here (2nd, maybe 3rd time, etc.) I want Hossa back. Yes the playoffs are about producing. But if we're going to get on people's cases for not producing in a 7-game series or 1 playoff season, you can include pretty much any other NHL player who has had an early round playoff exit or poor playoff performance. It's too small of a sample size. When the Wings bowed out early a few times between 1999 - present, I know our beloved Yzerman might not have entirely produced 1 of those playoff seasons. Certainly Fedorov as well, and they were 2 of the best Wings performers overall in the postseason in he grand scheme of things. And Datsyuk was like Public Enemy #1 in here at times because of a lack of playoff production and getting offered a long-term contract before shedding the playoff monkey off his back. Of course I don't like that Hossa didn't come through but with all I explained above, I want him back because he's still one of the better players in the NHL.

Penguin trolls are wonderful too. Actually, not so much. If you think soembody was out to purposefully injure Crosby, you need to decrease the dosage of whatever you are on. And we all know Crosby is a competitior. Thank you Captain Obvious.

Nope, b/c I don't live there, I've never played inline hockey, and my knee would not be able to handle skating/getting run into. The person below me thinks the Yip Yips are hilarious (while creepy ).

When most of your rosters stays intact after winning a Cup and coming just 1 win away from winning a 2nd straight, not much needs changing. Granted the roster will probably change some if Hossa is re-signed, many teams would kill to have the roster of the Wings in the grand scheme of things. The roster is fine, you can't win every year. As long as you have a roster that is competitive and consistently get the playoffs and make a serious threat to win it all at the very minimum, you're pretty well off.

This. And this. And now it's time for the 8:00am news and your local traffic report.

Come on man. It's game 7 of a championship. You just lost. Of course you are going to feel extra angry or sad. On the flip side, the team that won is going to be the exact opposite, on the biggest emotional high and celebrating and living in the moment with teammates/coaches first. The only reason this is getting this much pub is because it is Crosby, and Wings fans are bitter. This is just like when Lebron James didn't shake hands with Magic players due to large frustration of being eliminated. Only reason that got pub was because it was Lebron. Any other Cavs player, little/nothing would be made about it. When you are emotional you're going to forget some basic or simple stuff, I don't care if you are Crosby or Charlie Brown or Darth Vader. It's a handshake. A fricken handshake. The next thing we're going to see for list of reasons to hate Crosby or Pittsburgh is that it rained last Sunday. This should barely even be a story.

Basically a copy/paste job from the other Hossa thread... I'd like the Wings to re-sign him. I get that playoffs are about results, production, blah blah blah. Overall, Hossa didn't produce much. However, a 7-game series or 1 playoff series is a really small sample size to critique a player. Not saying that Hossa shoudln't be critiqued but if we're going to get on his case for 1 season alone, then you can just as easily do the same for pretty much any NHLer that has played in a playoff series without the desired outcome. Yzerman didn't always have productive playoff seasons whenever the Wings bowed out early, Fedorov as well, etc. Hossa is still a helluva player and I'd like to see him back. ----- I don't see how Hossa's value cannot decrease to some degree after this playoff year. However, with that though process above, I'd love to see him back.

This is just another thing that sports media just tries to make a big deal out of when there is very little. Personally, I don't give a flying rat's rear end about it. This is just like whne Lebron James didn't shake hands with Orlando Magic players after they eliminated his team. Any other player in both situations, this gets little/no publicity. I don't think one way or another about Crosby more often than not, but people are seriously reaching for excuses to dislike the guy that much more.

Um, yeah..... Anyways... I haven't like some of your posts that I've read BTP, but personally even when we were up in the series this was a hard place to be in and I'm busy anyways. Congrats to you and a big on celebrating with some dignity.

Hockey is played on ice, but can also be played on a concrete surface with either roller skates or on foot. Golf can only be played on grass or in sand bunkers. You know something? You're right! Again, you need to decrease the dosage of whatever you are on.

Both teams are good. Are ya kidding here? A little bit bitter? Pittsburgh won, the Wings lost. Pitt came from 2 down to win, the Wings blew 2 games to win. Good teams win. Get over it.

Oddly enough, right after it happened, I wasn't feeling all too bad. Had some brief light-hearted conversations with both Wings and Penguins fans for a brief while after the game which kept me thinking about it. Went home, I woke up early in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep and started thinking about it and was a bit bitter. I'm bummed still but life goes on, I'm dealing, got plenty other stuff that's bugging me right now more important than watching my favorite sports team so...

Whatever you are on, decrease the dosage.

You rarely see that on here, and it's a shame. It is either one or two players just completely sucked and alone cost the Wings the game, or the team is lazy/sucks. Pretty much any franchise would kill to have a rsoter like the Wings. It still doesn't guarantee victory. Other teams are good too, ya konw. And it's not like the Wings played utterly terrible. Pitt just played a bit better the last 2 games. They won fair/sqaure playing better.

Osgood was a Conn Smythe candidate. Wings have plenty of players who can score. This team just lost in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It's not like this is a terribly team. Pittsburgh just played a little bit better.

Hockey's a team game. You win as a team, you lose as a team. Yes, Stuart made mistakes, but so did plenty of other people. For the mistakes that Stuart made, I could easily make a list of others. Why didn't some players score? Why didn't Osgood stop those shots? Blaming the game on one player is a cop-out. And, heaven forbid, maybe just maybe the Penguins played a better game than Detroit.