kipwinger

Didn't they hit the bar once or twice as well?

It's a good thing we're playing all these non playoff teams. I shudder to think about what would happen if we played like this against good teams...oh wait...I guess I did watch the Boston game.

Smith had to take the guy behind the net who started the play, Quincy was responsible for covering the guy crashing the net. Boedker was a forward trailing, and our forwards are responsible for picking him up. Particularly Alfie, who was the closest forward to the eventual goal scorer. Quincy and Smith suck, but that goal wasn't on them.

According to the rumor sites, Vrbata will likely be on the trading block if Phoenix isn't a contender at the deadline. Yes, please!

For once I'm going to defend Smith and Quincey, that was Alfie's guy.

Nice play by my boy Kindl there. Whoot! Ericsson get's one while I'm typing.

Well according to the Free Press Babcock thinks the Wings need to play "heavier"...whatever that means. So we can expect to have Tootoo in the lineup, since he's an actual fourth liner and "heavy" is the name of his game right? Oh wait... Heavy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I completely agree with you. Like I said, maybe a fine, but definitely not a suspension. But you're right, it is unnecessary to explode upward on a hit like that. Here's hoping Kronwall keeps hitting with his butt, because if this gets three games, Kronwall would get life.

Just watched Shanny's video explanation of the hit. The suspension happened because Stuart extended "upward and outward" on the hit, rather than hitting Nash squarely through the shoulder or body. Don't know that I agree it's suspension worthy, but figured I'd pass the info along in any case.

I wouldn't say outraged, but it's most definitely a bad call. A fine, at most, and only because he came a pretty long way to deliver a hit which was, at worst, borderline.

Dude, you said "take a run at them" and "knock them out of the lineup". You didn't say, "compete harder". You were clearly implying that they should injure the vets. No matter what you're saying now, that's what you said before. We all realize it, and now you're dodging it...poorly. You aren't nearly as clever as you think. Just own up to the absurd s*** you said and move on.

So you meant that the young guys should out compete the veterans, but you said "take a run at them" and "knock them out of the lineup for a bit"? Not buying it. Seems duplicitous to me. I'm not stupid and neither are you, if you had meant that they should outperform veterans, you would have said so.

How is that hit to Nash's head any worse than this hit Nash put on Kopecky and didn't get a suspension?

Ok, so what did you mean when you said young guys should "take a run" at veterans and "knock them out of the lineup for a bit"? Just curious, since I've obviously got it wrong and god knows you couldn't possibly have meant to say something so dumb.

But you'd agree that based on the numbers, Frank's assertion that "the Joe isn't as packed as it used to be" is probably not accurate, or even remotely true? Which was the whole point I was making to begin with. Edit: I'd also like to make sure you and I both understanding that yielding this point does not mean that somehow one or the other of us is right about the place of fighting in hockey, but simply that one of us is right when discussing the overall popularity of the NHL, and the Red Wings in general. Conceding that point simply means you see the evidence and believe it, not that you've somehow changed your tune with regard to fighting.

Ok, I'll read that when I've got a minute. But just for the record, based on the links I've provided do we at least now agree that more people attended Wings games (on average) last year than in 97-98 when they had their tough guy enforcers?

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance/_/year/1998 Ok, this is it...finally. I'm watching this Tigers game and hardly paying attention to anything else. It's an amazing freaking game!

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance/_/year/2013 This link will give you the attendance for any year you want, including the two I mentioned.

Haha, cute. Except none of the "anti-fighting" crowd is questioning anything like this, mostly because it's not true. It's just another thing you've completely made up to legitimize your personal preference. Here in the real world, dominated by facts, league revenue and television viewership is still steadily increasing, despite the diminishing number of fights. Edit: Also, Detroit was third in the league in attendance last season. We actually had higher average attendance last year than we did during the 97-98 Cup season. So it really is just as full as it ever was. Here's proof... http://www.hockeyattendance.com/league/nhl/2012/?sort=avg_att Maybe don't make stuff up if you want to have intelligent discussions here on the discussion forum. Just a thought.

I mean, it might well have been because of injury, but as dense as I think Babs is sometimes, surely he must have noticed that their combined 7 goals and 8 assists (at even strength) in the playoffs was an INCREDIBLY effective effort for a third line.

I think you'll see it before long. Babs had no problem playing the kids on that line last season. I think right now they're trying to showcase certain players for potential trades, and also trying to figure out which guys they want to keep. I realistically imagine that the kids will form the third line, and some combination of Cleary, Emmerton, Miller, and Bertuzzi will make up the fourth until Helm is healthy. It's coming, but we've all got to be patient. A few more stinkers like last game will undoubtedly speed up the process as well.

Haha, the U.S. is the "greatest in the world" because we injure our friends and teammates to get what they have? It's funny, I don't remember them teaching me that in basic training when I was in the Army. Tell me again about what makes the country great?

So you'd be ok with it if Jarnkrok took a run at Zetterberg and injured him to "win the job"? I don't believe you. And this is a big if, but even if you actually believe that it says quite a lot about your character.

If nobody were allowed to change their minds I'd still think Sesame Street was the greatest show in the world, and I'd still want to be a transformer when I grew up.

Do you honestly not see any difference between an enforcer taking boxing lessons, and one teammate taking "a run" at another teammate in order to "knock him out of the lineup for a while"? I think that you do, and I think you're just being obtuse just for the sake of it. Futhermore, I certainly don't think you'd have advocated this position if it were say...Filppula hurting Datsyuk in order to gain an opportunity he didn't previously have. Nice try, but I'm not buying what you're selling.