SouthernWingsFan

Jovanovski smells.

This woman needs to be shot in the head, not literally speaking, but not-so figuratively speaking either.

Little dude looks .

Detroit is Hockeytown because it says so on the playing surface they play on! DUH!!! There's my bad joke for the day. *shrugs*

I'm not going into stuff like officiating conspiracy or things like that, but I am not going to get on people's cases in here if they do so as they continue to show they are horribly inconsistent or opening themselves up to suggestions that they are trying to spin games in a certain direction. Make-up calls to balance games out drive me nuts like our game against Phoenix Saturday, and how many PPs did Vancouver have all evening? Couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 (I didn't watch the whole game, off/on while doing house chores) and I know Chicago had a lot more. Again I personally won't go that route but if somebody here makes a claim that refs are calling things to help ratings or to keep certain teams in games or the playoffs, I'm not going to get on them about it and it wouldn't shock me if it were actually true (though we'll never really know if that is the case or not). EDIT: And I'd be one of the first people on here to get on people's cases saying the the refs didn't help the Wings or whichever teams lose, but we've seen officiating overall in general just get worse and worse over the past few seasons, that I don't get surprised or discouraged at people for suggestions, as wild as they might be sometimes, of stuff perhaps going on behind the scenes. I don't think that is the case, I just think overall they and the rules are incompetent so I understand where the wild suggestions come from.

Just saw replays of this on NHL Network. Maybe I was drawing a blank on it because it barely looked noticable or out of the ordiary than any other hit we'd probably expect! Consistently inconsistent as usual.

I'll have to watch a replay later on what you are referring on Helm because my mind is drawing a blank on that one. As much as Shane Doan can be reckless and we hate him, when he hit Franzen that wasn't a penalty, unfortuantely Franzen was just in an awkward position, so I am assuming the Helm hit you speak of is much lighter than that. The Franzen cross checking is ticky-tacky, but if you keep doing something over and over again, the refs are going to eventually get it (like retalitory stuff). One of the penalties where Homer was cross checked 2 or 3 times, the first time they'll let go, the second time was more obvious. So I can (hestitantly) live with the refs there. The interference off the face offs just drive me nuts. Let them play for crying out loud.

Water is colorless, not blue. *shrugs*

Yes. The person below me wants to stuff themself in a cardboard box.

Two with one, but I rarely eat hamburgers anymore. The Birds or The Bees

Gary Bettman is a putz. That's all.

NHL officiating overall: Epic fail. While sadly we've seen worse I think than this game, those "interference" calls on Flipper and Helm immediately off the face-off were absolutely pathetic.

Unless new injuries pop up, I don't see him cracking the lineup just yet, even with the game that slowly went into doubt today. Even though today didn't need to be nerve-wracking, overally in the grand scheme of things these 2 games have gone very well considering how much we've worried about inconsistent play and whatever else. And I'd be one of the first people that would be thrilled to see him play even though he's had a frustrating season overall, but if it isn't broken (or not completely broken), no need to fix anything.

You should be fine. I went to the Phoenix area for the first time ever about a year and a half ago to see my alma mater play in the Fiesta Bowl, which is where the Arizona Cardinals play, right across the street from Jobing.com Arena. And by luck of the draw, the Wings were playing the Coyotes just a few days before the bowl game so I went to the area twice. There's not much in that immediate area other than the stadiums and a few lodging areas and places to eat, but there should be enough to keep you entertained there if you want to do anything before/after the game (large movie theater, decent restaurants, it's just in a very compact area). I never had issues at all either game.

This. And for those who fret about afternoon start times, the Wings have won their last two starting at early times, 12:30et, 11:30 actually for them where they were at (Minnesota and Chicago). Also won their last afternoon game @ Nashville. I understand the concern but it shouldn't be as much of a factor as it is made out to be. They know how to handle earlier than usual games.

Fair enough.

I don't think location should be as much of a factor, but since NBC has never really broadcasted any games with any consistency outside of the Central Time Zone, I'm assuming it is a factor.

Never said anybody couldn't have an opinion, so you can stop right there with the whole "The people who have been here longer matter more" shenanigans. But when I think an opinion is out of whack, I certainly have just as much entitlement to call that opinion or person out if I choose as long as it is within the forum rules, just as much as that person has to express their viewpoint. I understand where he's coming from, I still think it's silly. He can handle being called out just fine.

While I've been to the Phoenix area once and really enjoyed it, this is hilarious! And to the article/composer, how sad. I got absolutely nothing against the team trying to remain in the Phoenix area, but to tell opposing fan teams to stay away and be 100% serious about is just sad and desperate. Many LOL moments at this piece of write.

Would I have liked for the Wings to have 2 days off with travel to/from the Phoenix area? Sure. But it's silly to get worked up over stuff that pretty much all teams have to deal with and where the majority aren't really making a fuss about it either. Of the things to be paranoid about as a fan thinking there is a conspiracy to screw with your team, this definitely is not one of them. Scheduling isn't a perfect science, and for better/worse a lot of it is dictated by television networks, whether that is fair or not. They are big boys, they can handle it. EDIT: In addition, the other big market or popular teams in the playoffs right now by perception are Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, and Washington. NBC is probably not going to broadcast a Candian team if they don't have to, so the Chicago series is out. Tampa Bay has never been a staple on NBC. New York and Washington are two of the more popular teams at present. Slim/none that Phoenix would be the host of an NBC broadcasted game. Washington, New York, and Detroit would. Now, could the Wings have been moved to tonight and Saturday and Washington-NY Wednesday/Friday/Sunday with the Sunday game being played on NBC? Sure. But it didn't happen. Thems the breaks, and it's not worth getting ticked at when our schedule doesn't appear any more or less whacked out than the schedule of other series either. Double EDIT: (Adding in Philly and Boston as two of the more popular teams as well in the playoffs as not to forget teams, but that doesn't really detract at what I am getting at with this response)

When has NBC ever broadcasted games in Phoenix? Zero. When have they ever come close to considering it? When has NBC ever broadcasted weekend afternoon game on the West Coast? I don't think ever. If the Wings were going to be on NBC this first round, the game was going to be on Detroit. Versus to my knowledge has never broadcasted weekend games in the afternoon either. This current scheduling bit is nothing new to the Red Wings, and it is nothing out of the ordinary that pretty much every team has to deal with as well.

Ease up man. This is what happens when you are one of the more popular teams in the league, you usually get first dibs on TV more often than not. This is nothing we haven't been experienced to before. Better than possible back-to-back night games.

That is just awesome! I hope I eventually find somebody like your girlfriend to do something like this. And I, from heat and humidity land, can also back up the Chicago and "Detroit sucks" thing. It personally doesn't bother me, honestly I kinda take stuff like this with a grain of salt and thought some Wings fans in here overhype Chicago's disliking of them, but have eventually learned it's pretty true and have a story of my own sadly. Game days most the time I put a jersey on and did the same for Sunday's Wings-Hawks game. Sunday evening I went to a music gig in the New Orleans area but didn't change or anything, so I was still in the Wings jersey. A guy went up to me and said "Detroit sucks". His significant other with him told me he was originally from Chicago. I didn't mind it or make a big deal out of it, stuff like this rarely gets to me to the point where I want to make a ruckus (it's rarely ever worth the time), and it made sense obviously between the two (or three of us) at the time and we had a brief friendly chit-chat and she told me they pretty much do the same thing most games when Detroit isn't even the opponent. I know all Blackhawk fans aren't like this but seriously, root for your own team first.

This isn't even close to what I was insinuating, and you know it, so stop. I don't give a gee whiz if you don't like somebody. That's your deal. Plenty of people don't like some players on here. But when you don't use logic and go to extremes, I'll call you out on it (and it goes the same way with obessive likings of players). A book could be written about your track record here regarding this player as well as a few others in the extreme way. Don't get all bent out of shape because you got called out on the obvious. It's nothing new from you, and it's nothing new when you go to your "I DON'T HAVE TO LIKE EVERYBODY" or "I'M NOT A REAL FAN BIT BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE CERTAIN PLAYERS" bit. Again, nowhere close to what I was implying. Just trying to make you understand.

Fair enough. Stop with the woe is me card. You know you do it on here.