SouthernWingsFan

Let me play devil's adovacate here... I know the Stars winning a Cup in Dallas in the 1999-2000 season has helped their cause, but don't consider that just yet. Wasn't Dallas in the same boat as Nashville is right now? Not monetary/selling wise I mean, but back in the late 90s, they were still fairly "new" in Dallas. Same thing with the LA Kings in the 70s. I attended college in the Dallas-Fort Worth area from 1999-2004, and I actually went to a small amount of Stars games before that from family trips and stuff, well before they won the Cup. Pretty much every time I went then, and the few Stars games I went to while I was in college, they always drew well there, whether it was in old Reunion Arena or current AA Center. I know I am generalizing, but the point is, the Stars had to have time to establish themselves as a "Southern" market and were/are doing well. Nashville, assuming they stay, hopefully has that chance too to get bigger crowds and more corporate support in the next 5 - 7 years as well. And both Dallas and Nashville are pretty strong economically, so I don't see why there wouldn't be support eventually from the business/corporate side in Nashville. I hope the Preds get their chance to continue to find success in Nashville down South. And no, I perfectly realize that hockey will never, ever be the main dish down in my neck of the woods, and I'm perfectly content with that. I like watching hockey and that's what matters most even if I get a weird look from people down here if I watch a game at a bar or restaurant. It's not picture perfect, but franchises have shown they can work in the South (i.e. Dallas, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles). I'm not singling out anybody in particular but I really hate the negative biased towards Southern franchises in here at times. It's like people want hockey to grow, but they don't want it anywhere south of Oregon or Illinois. You can't have it both ways. Anyways, I don't want to go too far off on a tangent so I will end my small rant here.

I'll nitpick a little bit and play devil's advocate. In 1998, McCarty had a fair amount of opening-game goals in the playoffs that really helped the Wings cause, especially in St. Louis. Holmstrom had close to 10 goals in his young years in the playoffs in 1998. I think Detroit's chances of winning the Cup that year were threatened without their production. Same with Holmstrom scoring 8 goals in 2002. There were other contributions as well obviously (Fedorove/Lapointe in '98, Yzerman early in '02/Hull in mid '02, etc.) and I'm not trying to make Mac's or Homer's contributions bigger than they are. But everything else is pretty much spot on. Just because Holland doesn't always sign "tough guys", he loses credit with a lot of people. Or that he "had" Robitaille and Hull in his lap. I'm no Holland slappie but the unfairness he often gets in here really gets on my nerves. Hasek was pretty close to going to St. Louis at the time IMO. And remember, Holland wasn't just "handed" Hull. Yzerman and I believe Shanahan deferred some of their current contract money at the time, if I remember hearing correctly from a Freep reporter at the time.

Chicago - Just You 'N Me

I'd like to see JR on the Wings, if nothing else, just for this. JR gets his groove on

Because that is the PERCEPTION that a lot of people give off in here, whether it is a fair or unfair claim. And I'm not trying to call you out specifically or solely. Holland has a lot of detractors in here that go overboard I think. I hope nobody tells me in here that he/she hasn't read a post in here in the past that has given off the vibe where they think Holland is absolute garbage and that most of the players he's gotten have been 'handed down'. We expect things to happen too fast sometimes. It's a crappy side-effect of being a big fan. When Holland doesn't sign the "hot player of the week" to a 4-year deal, it's perceived that he's rubbish by some, even when that player probably isn't of critical importance to the Wings. We're too impatient, generally speaking. It's like we just want Holland to sign somebody for the sake of it or something to happen just because. And when it doesn't.....BOOM! Holland stinks! I'm going in a few different directions here but all of it ties down to Holland getting treated unfairly by a lot of fans in here IMO. Is he the greatest general manager ever? To tell you the truth, the heck if I know, cause I don't have a damn clue how to manage a business or that large amount of money. But if Holland were as bad as is sometimes perceived in here, the Wings would have losing seasons year after year. I know my perceptions don't represent everybody else's in here, but am I just making this stuff up? Am I anywhere close to being on target with my assumptions?

The New Mastersounds - La Cova

That's still awesome progress BRTD. I wouldn't worry about 1 pound that much, especially in a two-week time frame. Everybody's physique is different, but my weight fluctuates anywhere +/- 5-7 pounds throughout a day. These past few weeks have been nuts for me in terms of managing the workouts/fit level. The week before July started, I was dealing with a bunch of personal stuff trying to get my former car back into shape to be sold, so I was dealing with both cosmetic and performace repairs that took almost that whole week up. I was on vacation for most of 4th of July week, and while I got some workouts/runs in, it's vacation...And the week after that/last week I had to put most of my efforts into finishing up my research on cars and buying a new car, which I thankfully got done late last week, but I only worked out once. My weight didn't get affected all that much the past few weeks, still hovering around the low 150s. My dieting was inconsistent, some good days of grill food/salads/pasta, then vacation and a few infrequent bad meals here and there. All is settled now though and I am back in a routine again where I intend to get back to working out just about every early morning during the week and kick cardio work into overdrive during the weekends when I have a little more time. Hopefully I can eat good with just a little more discipline and be close to mid-140s by the end of next month.

Eddie Floyd - Knock on Wood Great blues hit from the 60s.

I actually went to the one in Dearborn when I came up to the area the first season after the lockout. It seems more of a stop area during lunch hour vs. a bar/night restaurant scene. I'm not all that high maintenance or hard to please with restaurants though, I liked it. Good decorum and everything.

Let the kiddies play a little more. Besides, Franzen and Cleary are coming into their own I think is dependable wingers for around 15+ goals a season. If they can do their part and Samuelsson get around 20/yr, that'll cover some "2nd line scoring", in a hypothetcial example.

And it’s happened once again, for the zillionth time. I seriously get a kick out of the ***** fest that always results from a large contingency of members in here whenever ESPN is even mentioned. And I’m no ESPN yuppie, I’m not an ESPN representative, etc. but the ripping the network gets is pretty sad sometimes, almost as bad as Robert Lang or Chris Osgood or Mikael Samuelsson or Andres Lilja or Dominik Hasek or *insert bi-weekly scapegoat player* over-dramatizations. Just because a lot of the general public or U.S. mainstream audience doesn’t really watch hockey that much, doesn’t mean that ESPN has to show it all the time or know the life biographies of all the players or coaches. ESPN just shows what the MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES WANT TO SEE. And, as tough as a pill it is to swallow (/sarcasm), a lot of people don’t watch hockey first. That’s the reality of the situation. Not because they have a giant vendetta against the sport, they just don’t watch it as a first preference in sport viewing. ACCEPT THAT. Again, it isn’t ESPN’s fault that the majority just doesn’t decide to watch hockey all the time. Blame the general public, not ESPN. We all like the NHL, we all like hockey, we all are going to watch it no matter what station(s) it comes or doesn't come on, so get let's all just get over it.

In a related article...I've quoted a few guys that I think people in here might be interested in. Haven't really thought or don't have time to understand or consider fitting people under the cap, I'll leave that up to everyone else in here. http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/story/10255974 Markov...wouldn't mind re-signing him Andy Sutton...don't know much of him but he has SIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That should make at least 90% of the LGW community bounce up and down with joy! *jumps up and down like excited 10-year old* /sarcasm Brent Sopel... Would absolutely love to have Gelinas here in a limited capacity as quoted. He was a thorn on the Wings side for Calgary when they eliminated the Wings in 2004, he scored big goals in Carolina's playoff run in 2002.

FIddlesticks!

Insert overdramatic and obnoxious post *HERE* about how ESPN is the worst thing since the abicus because they don't pay as much attention to hockey because the general public doesn't watch it.

Konstantinov raising the in his wheelchair after winning in 1998. Nothing else comes close.

Babcock already had them playing "tough" last playoffs, without a "tough guy". They were pretty much dead even with the physical play and hitting with Calgary and San Jose, when everybody thought they would just run the Wings out the arena. After that run, their level of "heart" or "toughness" or "grit" or "determination" or whatever you want to call it shouldn't be a huge question mark. I don't expect to see much of a dropoff. While I like to see the physical play any day of the week, a big to this post.

Detroit

Try to spread the wealth initially by splitting them up, unless goals are as bone dry as a desert. I actually liked the Flipper-Datsyuk-Homer combo. PP though, without questions you put Datsyuk and Zetterberg together.

Avery has the tools/skills to be a decent 2nd/3rd liner for regular NHL duty. He's done well with that recently in his last year with LA and currently with the Rangers now. I'm all about just going about your business like normal though, don't make too much of a big deal about much, live quietly and don't say or do anything wild. etc. etc. etc. Avery has had a problem with that, and I don't like. If he's curbed his attitude some like it seems, I wouldn't mind having him back. The old and out-of-control Avery on/off the ice, absolutely not.

In my opinion, it's just trying to understand the balances of "playing for the name on the back" and "playing for the crest on the front of the jersey". Some professional athletes in any sport currently aren't business owners, or aren't the CFOs, CIOs, or have a major high-end position of a company. They just currently play hockey, baseball, football, etc. to support themselves or their families, much like we do at our current job or career. These people will probably be looking out for themselves or the best interests of their family FIRST, and might not consider much else. There's nothing wrong with that, and it that means trying to play for more money elsewhere, then so be it (specifically pointing to the case of Bertuzzi quoted). It's not all about greed. Business owners or general managers of a sports franchise or other business have more responsibilty than looking out for themselves or their family. They have to consider costs, managing pay/contracts of other employees, etc. etc. etc.

Not too shabby, I've always liked their designs. Good color combos, but nothing too over the top or distracting either throughout their years. I liked their original lettering/numbering logos, I wish they would've kept those, but that's nitpicking a bit.

Man that hurt my eyes for a sec! A actually kinda like it, but the current Sharks jerseys were some of the best in the league I think. I love their usual home jerseys of the blue/teal/black/gray combinations.

And most of this team is still intact from last year, and they nearly made it to the Finals. He re-signed Hasek to a bargain again. I don't care what people say, he showed last year he was worth more than the minimal salary he earned due to injury concerns, and showed that when healthy, he hasn't lost much of a step even being over the hill. $2M for him is still a steal. He signed Rafalski, a younger puck-moving defenseman, to replace the older puck-moving defenseman in Schnedier. I liked Schneider but this seems like a good mission accomplished to start. Dallas Drake isn't going to get 70 points next season. That's not his job. His job is to just piss the other team off by throwing his body around and playing a grinding style on a 3rd or 4th line. He re-signed Holmstrom and Datsyuk, two of the Wings leading goal scorers in recent years, to lengthy contracts in-season. How is he doing a bad job again? See statements above... While I like them, it's not all about "tough guys" in this league and this team showed in the playoffs that can keep up and throw the body around wtih "physical" teams like Calgary and San Jose in the playoffs. I wouldn't question much the heart/desire/tenacity of this bunch, it's there. It'd be nice to see Holland go for perhaps one more d-man like Markov or Sopel, or somehow try to sign a 2nd/3rd line offesnive guy. O'Neill, while I won't go ga-ga over him, could still be a decent option for the offense while not getting the burden of carrying a team offesively.

How is this giving the perception that they are admitting mistakes? I'm not seeing it. Everybody is concerned about the upcoming season every year. This team hasn't changed all that much from last year's roster, and they almost made it to the SCF. They got a younger puck-moving defenseman to replace Schnedier which, at first glance, seems to be a great move. Younger guys who produced in Flipper and Hudler will get more playing time due to Lang and Calder leaving. Calder just fell off the face of the earth unfortuantely and Lang, while I definitely liked him, seemed overpaid in his contract. He could score some big points and was streaky, but when he wasn't producing, he was just on another planet. It was disappointing to lose Bertuzzi I think, but I understand not paying him $4M/year with his back and not playing a full season last year. I would've like to have kept him here but good for him taking a chance in Anaheim, I wish him the best of luck. Signing Drake gives the Wings some snarl/size that Bertuzzi or somebody else might have bought to the Wings. And the Wings could still re-sign Markov to have another one of those annoying pest players. This roster isn't perfect, but it's still pretty good.

Got to disagree here. I don't know what Fedorov was making prior to the year he had a lengthy sitout in 1997-98, and you definitely want to measure what you worth is in any job/career, compared to other people doing your job, but I remember specifically seeing one report of the Wings offering him $11M/year I think at one point, or something with that figure. You got to think they were increasing the offers for him, even before Carolina made a huge offer to sign him, which the Wings eventually matched. And this was in the late part of that season, so it invovled a lot of $$$'s, and I don't remember seeing/hearing many other teams make a pitch for Fedorov that deep in the season other than Detroit and Carolina. And he signed with Anaheim for less than what Detroit offered him a few years ago, if I remember correctly. I'm not one of those who doesn't appreciate what Fedorov did with the Wings, I don't get into the razzing/booing of him, I like Fedorov. But, at initial glance, I think it's a stretch to say that the Wings 'screwed' around with Fedorov and his contracts. It's a business, and with that large of an organization and $$$'s you got to consider 20+ players, other high-end office employees, etc.