kipwinger

The easiest way to tell that your defensemen are sucking hard? They only give up one goal against an early season conference favorite. Horrible.

Due to some catastrophic computer failure (about 5 minutes before puck drop) I missed all of the game minus the last ten minutes. At which point it was a penalty-fest and wasn't worth much to watch. Anybody willing to give a recap of the high points?

In college I used to stay up the night before drinking ice beer and watching all my favorite hockey movies before skipping class the next day and getting to the bar...early. I tend to think that would be frowned upon these days.

It was Nyquist getting hit, Brunner doing the tossing. Hence the joke, Nyquist's pregame ritual is getting hit in the balls. I'm juvenile.

Awesome.

Are you suggesting that you wife's bio-rhythms are attuned to the important dates in Henrik Zetterberg's life?

Who has two thumbs and is The Bryz' biggest fan? This guy.

I thought this was...

Well, I wouldn't go that far. I obviously don't like the top line. I would prefer the current second line actually be the third line. And I'd prefer Joakim Andersson go the f*** away. But other than that I suppose it's as good as it's going to be until Datsyuk gets back and Weiss figures out the secret handshake or whatever Babs needs in order to accept his bona fides.

I wasn't.

As much as the forward lines make me want to puke, I will say that there's potential for the Nyquist-Helm-Nestrasil line to do a little damage. It's the same basic dynamic as the Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco line except that Nyquist is a little better offensively than Tatar and Jurco is a little better than Nestrasil.

Was Freddy Kruger not available?

Friends? More like besties.

Troll away troll lol. You'll never get me to bite on opening day. I'm just in too good of a mood.

I'm not saying Mule is a workaholic or anything. But I don't think he's "a soft, lazy, floater" either. If you haven't noticed, once people around here (and around hockey in general) start saying something, it keeps getting said no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. Babcock was using Franzen on the PK last year...before the injuries started to happen. He didn't have to, he chose to. Somehow I doubt that the hockey coach equivalent of IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer would use a lazy, soft, stupid, weak, pathetic, spineless, ***** on the PK just for kicks.

We're certainly not as physical as Boston. Good thing we don't play them 82 times every season. Also, I don't think Franzen is as big a pattycake as everyone makes him out to be. He battled along the walls all the time. Babcock wouldn't play him as much as he does if Franzen didn't.

A great American poet once said "Is it worth it, let me work it, I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it". Truer words have never been spoken. And in that spirit of flipping it and reversing it I'm going to guess Jurco scores on a sexy feed from Tatar. God Bless the Detroit Red Wings, and God Bless Missy Elliott.

I don't think "being physical" matters at much as people tend to think. Many fans (around the league) think if you're big and you're not playing like Backes or Lucic then you're "easy to play against". Which is likely not true. Obviously its harder to play against guys like that, but it's probably no walk in the park trying to body up Franzen for 60 minutes. No matter how "physical" he is (or isn't), he's still 225 lbs. of forward that you've got to try and contain for an entire game. So in short, I agree lol.

It's the most, wonderful time...of the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Piper is WAY better than that accursed Blackhawks propagandist Joey the Junior Reporter. Junior indeed. Piper 4 Life!

Mike Babcock, against all odds, heroically clawed and scraped Stephen Weiss' career back from the brink of oblivion through his genius and sheer force of will; despite Weiss' no-talent ass, whining and lolly gagging the entire time.

I have no idea what you're getting at. None at all.

Don't worry guys, Babs has a PhD from McGill in sports psychology. He's got this.

I agree. We're in the same ballpark. I didn't take exception to your use of "preference". I bolded it so that you'd know what I was responding to in my second comment. No problem with you preferring things. Zetterberg's production last season wasn't going to last, regardless of his pace. But you're right, it's probably a stretch for me to say that his production falls through the floor with Abby. Having said that, it's not unreasonable to think that he (and Datsyuk) would see an increase in production should they play alongside a winger who can pass and shoot better than Helm, Abby (or Bert before them). Again, I don't know that Stafford is the answer and don't want to make it about him in particular. I was just pointing out that if you want an "Abby with hands" go get one. They exist, and are available. Finally, I don't have a problem with teams trying things. I have a problem with not having any other options, and "trying" weird s*** becomes your only hope. Bowman "tried Fedorov on defense" when he had one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Julien "tried" Chara in front of the net while coaching one of the best teams in the league and having a ready replacement on the powerplay point in Torey Krug. We're "trying" Helm on the first line wing because we've got too many centers and not enough wingers, and our GM isn't willing to part ways with one to get the other. Think about it, each year Z and D start out together and the last four guys to play on the other wing were Cleary, Bert, Abby, and now Helm. We've needed a real winger for years. Babs' isn't doing it because he's got too many options, he's doing it because he doesn't have enough.

Your exact words were..."but I suppose you would prefer 5 Semin's". It's a little bit like if I tried to summarize your position on the team by saying "I suppose you would prefer 5 Abdelkaders". It would make me dumb, reductionist, and inaccurate. You're better than that. I hope.