SouthernWingsFan

Welcome to the boards under_par!

To a certain degree, I think that the instigator rule has an effect to where there could be more fights if the rule was abolished. I'm all for it being abolished. And I like your good run-of-the-mill one-on-one fight just like everybody else. However, I absolutely do not like being labeled that I am an anti-fighter or hate enforcers like it is being suggested in this thread (not me specifically, more generalized) just because I do not place as high of an importance on such a guy. Detroit is not the most wussy-like team in the league as suggested in here either. There are varying degrees of "toughness" and "physical play" and so forth. These past two playoffs by the Red Wings serve as a good example of it with hard work, good forechecking, continually skating fast/hard, grinding, etc. I realize/respect that there are plenty fight fans in here and people like that type of game. I do get that enforcers answer questionable hits and may prevent future stuff later in that same game and don't mind having them, but the need for fighting or enforcement is so often overblown in here I think.

Cold Blood - Kissing My Love Magnificent early 70s funk tune. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE5U5DK5rjw

A large part of Helm's status as full-time/part-time on the Red Wings largely depends on waivers in the minors as well as the health of Kopecky and if Hartigan will come back to the Wings next season (isn't he a free agent, please correct me if I am wrong). I think due to a solid overall playoffs and with ACL injuries taking a long time to come back from, he has a slight edge of Kopecky for the final forward spot, assuming no other deals are made in the offseason. However, I'm also guessing Helm doesn't have to clear waivers, so it might do good to start out or be in the minors during the beginning/middle part of the season.

Yep. Blogs -> Opinions Opinions -> Idiots So everybody that has written a blog has opinions. And opinions are like idiots. So everybody that has written a blog is an idiot. /bad joke

Don't drop the soap!

Seriously though, while Bertuzzi didn't come close to producing at the $4M tag Burke had on him this past season, he still put up halfway decent numbers. Good finanicals given Bertuzzi's recent underperforming/health risks, but along with the possibility he could get back into somewhat of a consistent power forward role. I'm not one to hold grudges or anything like that, he's far from my favorite but nonetheless I wish his luck.

Sorry if I have re-hashed anybody's combos, haven't really read this thread at all. Mine are going with the assumptions that Dallas Drake retires and Mark Hartigan finds an opportunity elsewhere for playing time (I am assuming he is a free agent, please correct me if I am wrong). Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Homer Frazen-Flipper-Hossa Maltby-Draper-Cleary Hudler-Kopecky/Helm-Samuelsson *Insert McCarty/Downey when needed*

Sly and the Family Stone - Hot Fun in the Summertime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRTbugyDq-E

It's been said from the start that if Chelios comes back, he will probably be the 7th or 8th d-man. I'm not saying he's done or terrible now, far from it. He's an absolute nutjob when it comes to keeping in shape so if anybody can play at such an age in his mid/late 40s, it is Chelios. There's little or no harm to this re-signing. It'll be for a minimal amount, in all likelihood Chelios won't play every night, he can mentor young defensemen.

Cool and cute little kid there.

Wrigley Field isn't all too big in terms of seats for baseball, about 35,000. If the game in Buffalo had little trouble selling out, I doubt there will be empty seats this time arond. Whether they'll have to add seats or move seats forward b/c a baseball diamond is obviously a different shape than a hockey rink and football field like in Buffalo, who knows. EDIT: Correction, about 41,000 seats. http://www.worldstadiums.com/north_america.../illinois.shtml http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictu...o_wrigley.shtml

How so?

And while the agent does definitely work for the player, agents want as much cash/commission as possible. You need to make your client happy in the long term, but I'd be a bit foul (though understanding of the client's motives) as well if my client rejected higher contract offers.

Some media is trashing him b/c he said he was pretty open to signing a long-term deal in Pittsburgh, but then changed his mind.

How is this article ridiculous? Of course with a sports hometown journalist you might have some positive homer bias towards your team. And it's not like Pittsburgh is bare of talent after all this, they are still probably going to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference next season.

nm

S**t! Guess I better start writing my will out...........

Coaches don't control who gets put in the seats or not. And playoff games were going to be sold out at JLA this past season regardless of McCarty's status/playing time.

Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way

I think a big thing of what people are missing, and I apologize if it has already been mentioned here by others, is CORPORATE SUPPORT. Plenty of average Joe's in places like Winnipeg or Hamilton might like hockey more than people in Houston or Albuquerque or Tampa Bay or other decent sized cities in the South. Places like Houston though have businesses, A LOT of businesses and size who can afford to fork money over to support a professional franchise, or even multiple professional franchises. A liking and passion for the game is nice, but not every average Joe can afford to go to games every night, or even to just 1/2 a season where you talk about roughly 40 games, at $70 a pop plus spending at least $20 more on food drinks, $10+ to park, etc. EDIT: Albuquerque is a bad example, but also consider Winnipeg and Hartford had NHL teams, they couldn't even support just ONE professional franchise there to keep them in place.

Latest/greatest news on Flipper, on what Ansar Kahn from Mlive and Flipper's agent think might happen. http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...ffer_sheet.html

I get it bigtime. I've stated plenty that a guy like Downey is important to a roster and I like having Downey or a guy who plays a similar game where it's largely all/just about fighting/enforcement/hitting. I want BOTH of them on the roster if possible. To say that Mac was just utter garbage late in the season and in the playoffs though is going off the deep end. He's not going to do much anymore at this day and age, but given his current situation personally and professionally in his career, he did all right given the circumstances/limitations OVERALL in the playoffs. If Downey could or would have been that much more effective in the playoffs playing a similar game as McCarty, put Downey in then. I just don't think he would've made that much more of a significant difference in the postseason to favor him over Mac.

No. It is true. And it is sad. Not all decent-sized big cities have the wherewithall and corporate support to support one or multiple sports franchises, even if hockey is popular in those areas. Winnipeg has been mentioned plenty in this thread supporting this case. I haven't seen Hartford mentioned in this thread much, if any. Why did they move south to Raleigh, where perceptively people could give two s**ts about hockey then? Why did Winnipeg relocate to Phoenix? And before people blast me for not knowing anything about how hockey is worshipped up north and very little in southern states because I live in a southern state near the Gulf of Mexico, I get it. I know it might not work in plenty of southern markets, but it has worked in some such as Dallas and Tampa Bay, and Houston could be a decent addition. It is one of the biggest metropolises (spelling?) in this country, even bigger than Dallas, etc. etc. etc.