SouthernWingsFan

I never knew exactly when games came on ESPN in recently memory and how many times a week they came on, but I'm guessing they didn't broadcast significantly more than VS. I don't mind the games on VS. Hell, they could be on the Family Channel for all I care, I just want to see the games somewhere. And you can't go wrong with hockey on basic cable. And back in the ESPN/ABC days, ABC started broadcasting games just on weekends starting in January or February as well, so there's no real major difference in terms of the number of games broadcasted between ABC and NBC I think.

All teams go through back-to-backs, nothing new here so you just have to suck it up. The Wings were pretty bad last season or the one before at the tail end of them, but they've done well with them this year for the most part. I don't like back-to-back games for the playoffs though. I'm no expert but it seemed like this just started happening a few seasons ago. What can ya do though, I don't make the scheduling and can't do anything about it, so continously ranting about it does no good.

Step away from the computer, sit down on the couch, calm down and breathe for a few minutes... People think they could come back strong because (1) they are the defending Cup champs so we know they have what it takes and (2) the last time I checked, they are still one of the top-8 seeds right now. Nobody is being overdramatic saying they are having the worst record in the league. Again, they are the defending Cup champs so it is a bit silly to be close to dismissing them from the playoffs all together. Because every team, I don't care who you are, goes through losing streaks and snags. Again, defending Cup champs so they know what it takes mentally to rebound from this rut. I don't know and don't really care that badly to look it up when we all know the Ducks are capable of making the playoffs still. How do you know? You have one of those Magic 8 Balls as well that accurately predicts everything? I've been awake since 7:30 this morning actually. Nobody is being overdramatic saying we are in awe of the Ducks, again I will state we know they are far from done and have what it takes to make the playoffs. I'd like to know what your definition of a good hockey team, as well as a bad hockey team is.

While the losing streak certainly doesn't help their cause obviously, unless you are on the outside looking in like Los Angeles, who has the most difficult chance to make the playoffs I think (and Chicago and Edmonton to a slightly lesser extent), it's a little premature to say anybody is in deep doo doo. Every team has their snags throughout a season, and they all end at some point in time. A team as good as the Ducks will end this snag sooner than later I think.

Thanks for the compliment and the corrections.

Damn straight! As long as the play of either goalie doesn't drop off much, I could care less who starts in the playoffs. Even if 1 of them might struggle down the stretch, the Wings still have it as good as it gets in terms of the 'tending situation. Both goaltenders have won a Cup (in separate occassions), both have a boatload of wins so they have loads of experience, and both seem to have a great working relationship with each other and set any egos aside and seem to worry primarily just about winning. :goalie1: Osgood + :goalie2: Hasek = A damned good goalie tandem

I could care less about what music is played during games. If I came to the event solely to listen to the music, I would just go to a club or just stay in my car for 3 hours straight with the radio on. I go to games to watch the action on the playing surface, not the music in-betweeen breaks.

Pretty much any team that makes the playoffs is a threat and no series is a guarantee. I like plenty of threads on here. Just the Duck talk lately has gone off the deep end I think.

To basically continue off this quote, if most of Samuelsson's shots stink and has a low shot percentage, then with this line of thinking, we should be getting all over Lidstrom's case then since, even though he is a defensemen he is capable of putting up decent offensive numbers for a d-man, his shot percentage is EVEN LOWER than that of Samuelsson's. DISCLAIMER: Before people throw at me, no I am not actually going to give Lidstrom a hard time and I know he is paid to play defense first and has so many other traits that make him great and important. And you know what's going to be pitiful...most people on here are just going to see "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH GARBUNCKLE SAMULESSON BLAH BLAH GARBUNCKLE" and just continue on coming close to getting a wet dream obsessively pinning him as a scapegoat, in an unfair fashion more often than not.

'Tis was an interesting game indeed. The way it was going, I would've been happy if the Wings just got 1 point out of the deal even though it was a game they controlled for the most part, b/c they just couldn't get many breaks and bounces, and whenever they got them Budaj played splendid. Thankfully it did not come to that though.

Pardon me for going to sound like a jerk here, I'm not trying to get on the case of the original creator of this thread specifically, it's been a lot of others as well, but seriously what is the deal with all the Duck threads lately? I get it, they are hated on here. They are the defending champs. So what? Move on... Is there any other reason(s) why are we so focused on them? Because the amount of attention they are getting in this forum lately not just from the original poster of this thread, but from plenty of other people, is getting a wee bit ridiculous.

Not much denying it, but he is still too young, still has plenty of potential and upside, to pull the plug on him or deem signing him a joke as you are suggesting, not to mention it is still way early in his contract since it doesn't expire in 2012. I perfectly understand your discontent towards the situation since he can't shake the bug it seems, it sucks, but it's not like his career is done/all but done from this injury/past injuries. This, along with what I explained above are still why I am glad Holland is still taking a chance on him. It'd be one thing if Wings management is offering such a contract for a once well-established defenseman in his latter years and being close to retirement and he got injured, but again Krownall is still young and has plenty more potential despite him not having much luck right now. I understand you might not be willing to chance with him in the long run and nobody will probably change your mind beside Kronwall being healthy, but I'm willing to be content with taking a chance on him despite the scenarios that have occured.

This actually crossed my brain today, but I don't think there's enough teams in each conference to justify it, plus a handful of games in a series to decide the match (up to 7). That is just too much time off between games for a team to not deal with rust/layoffs. If it was a single-elimination tourney, perhaps I'd entertain the idea, but professional playoff hockey is as good as it gets for us fans. Around 3 months of extra hockey, some games being with extra time/sudden death, I could go on and on. Nothing about professional playoff hockey should be tweaked, in terms of games, length, etc.

Not necessarily. I used to think the same way for a lot of people if some players were on the Wings (i.e. Iginla, Kariya, et al) but some fans just don't like certain players for whatever reasons. It may not always be "right" to me or you, but it's nothing new in sports and it doesn't make these certain fans dumb or hypocritcal in that sense. I'd be willing to set any reservations I had with Tootoo aside if he could help the Wings, but I perfectly understand why some in here might not as he definitely isn't well-liked in the league by many people. That doesn't make me any better than other fans that might not like him or more better in the behavioral or hypocritical sense.

Again I will stress, even though tandems are generally frowned upon in the playoffs, I will take great enjoyment if both Hasek and Osgood continue to play around a high level into the playoffs, and both goaltenders play and have a large share in helping this team go deep in the playoffs and hopefully win the Cup, even though that's probably not realistic to think as tandems are generally frowned upon. Unless the play of one of the goalies just completely falls in the crapper, which I am not counting on, play them both roughly a same amount of games. They are both doing splendid so why change anything? The only controversies with this are drawn up by the fans or the ones who either just dislike Hasek/his playing styles or who just still cannot trust Osgood for whatever reasons because of OMG SOFT GOALS FROM THE BLUELINE or whatever else. Hasek and Osgood, judging by their working relationship it seems, could really care less (or that badly) to make the other look bad or start controversy or just say "I'm going to do anything it takes to be the absolute #1 guy and if the other goalie doesn't get it, that's his tough s**t! becuase I should be the #1 guy without question!" :goalie1: Osgood + :goalie2: Hasek = an awesome goalie tandem and a really good chance at winning the And for everybody's enjoyment even though we've probably seen this 6 or 700 times, look who is famous enough to make StupidVideos.com. http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/sports/G...to_space/#49520

Marvin Gaye - Ain't that Peculiar

Samuelsson has unfairly become the new whipping boy in here, sorry to ruin the party. He isn't my favorite but the backlash towards him is just getting downright pitiful now. He's only costing the Wings $1.2M/yr in salary. Lang's tag was $3.8M/yr, and despite his 2 big goals in the playoffs last season you would have to say he and the Wings didn't see eye-to-eye it appeared around the end of last season, if I had to guess. Samuelsson is doing very little or nothing to cost the Wings any losses, and he's doing what Babcock wants him to do, which is shoot the puck. So members in here are telling then that he should NOT do what the coaches tell him then? I don't know what is more silly in here, the multiple threads, most of them undeserved and overexaggerated....or that hold a grudge to him or what people act shocked like the world has ended when he scores like he's never done it before in his life.

You gotta feel for this guy. He just cannot catch a break with an injury every now and again. And, unless his play just magically drops off the map, or he stays injured for this for years and years (i.e. Uwe Krupp "dog-sledding" incident), I think his play as of late has shown that the long-term contract he signed was worth it, and I will still stand by this opinion despite what many people will probably call him "injury prone". He is under cotract until 2012, so that is a LONG TIME before we should say that the contract is disappointing or what not. Plenty of time for him to get back on the ice, plenty of time for him to perform well again as he has done recently. You can't expect him to just change his game overnight, which is aggressive more often than not, just because he might get "injured". He's not just going to not throw his body around all of a sudden. Signing him to a long-term contract is still not a joke or a bad move by management right now, so we all need to calm down in that regard. As with the separated shoulder, I'm guessing roughly he'll be out towards close to the end of the regular season, best case scenario I am guessing late February. I'm definitely no doctor though...I just think shoulder and separation is rarely ever good. If it's just a week or so like Coach Babcock says, I'll be ecstatic, cause Kronwall has been great as of late. I will confidently say though it is far from doomsday for Kronwall like some have perceived in here.

And you know this how? Magic crystal ball? Nothing against Hasek or Osgood, I like BOTH OF THEM and BOTH OF THEM have been playing around the top of their games lately. If this keeps up I could care less who starts in the playoffs due to the high quality of play of both goaltenders as Hasek has proved he is still a very capable #1 despite being "over the hill" and Osgood has without much question played his best season to date so far. Either one of them could start in the playoffs. EDIT: Even though 'tandems' are perceived to be frowned upon in the postseason, I would thoroughly enjoy if both Hasek and Osgood continue to perform well up into the playoffs, and the tandem continues in the playoffs, where both play roughly an equal amount of games/contribution to help the Wings win the

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/hock...e.ap/index.html Not as big as it was made out to be according to their personnel, but obviously not Emery's first debacle this year (also said by personnel).

I understand a lot of the resentment towards Tootoo. He's not my favorite guy around the block. That being said, I'd put any discontent with him aside, or anybody else for that matter hypothetically speaking, if they could help out the Red Wings. He has some ideal traits of hustle and hitting to play on a 3rd or 4th line. I'd be cautious with the way he composes himself during fights and the like, don't really need to go into detail as people already have done that regarding this on here, but I wouldn't mind taking a chance on him if it ever happened. However, that chance of happening I think is as good as me all of a sudden becoming 6'6" and dating Jessica Biel or Jessica Alba.

Saying the Ducks are Cup bound in this part of the season is just as accurate as saying the Wings are Cup bound, or the Senators, or Stars, or *insert teams most likely to make the playoffs this season here*. Nobody knows. That's why hockey and winners are determined on the ice, not sports Internet forums. If we could decide the outcome, that makes the season very boring to watch and less satisfying.

Harlem Underground Band - Smoking Cheeba Cheeba No, I don't smoke Cheeba Cheeba in real life, but I do like this funky song.

:caution:

Are you kidding me? I'm no perfect gentleman and I think we've all told a few fibs/lies in our lifetime, but pretending your kid has cancer? That is just downright low. And any responses you might give me will not convince me otherwise. I hope the father will eventually learn his lesson from this. I hope that the kid will grow up to be wiser as he goes into his teenager/early adult years. Fortunately, he has more time to learn.