mybeardismycopilot

commodore will step up for our players when we need him to. i remember a game a few years back against the blue jackets he stepped in to a scuffle with rick nash. i dont think hell be dirty or get out of line but i do think he will "protect" our key players.

there are a lot of really good places to eat in the downtown area (plenty within walking distance of van andel) comedy club across the street in the BOB. art museums etc. the bar and night life scene is not bad at all if youre in to that stuff. friday nights are dollar beer/hot dog nights. if you come during art prize thats pretty cool. good music scene not a bad place lots of things to do www.experiencegr.com

hes solid. he gets better every year and will continue to do so. tim thomas, he came out of nowhere in his early 30s, as mentioned earlier howard isnt broduer in his prime but i feel that he will continue to work hard and refine his skills and will come out with a similar career to the likes of someone like thomas, never a gem but hard work and a good team sticking to the game plan will bring many exciting and long stretches into the playoffs and a cup or two. about the soft goal debate, i could be totally wrong but i think that if the nay sayers watched another teams goalie as much as they do redwings games they would see just as many slippery goals that should have never gone in. the trio we have going with howard conklin and macdonald is good im confident that they can come up big for us this year.

im all about it, 750k for the year is a great deal. he was good in detroit i became a big fan when he was behind ozzie. if he plays 20-30 games in net i think he can handle that load well enough to get maybe 60% of them in the win column.

he deserves it he will get in but there are more than a few in front of him.

ahhh old sean avery, yes. its all boiled down to this- if zherdev could be had for cheap, is it worth the risk knowing that the red wings have been able to polish a few turds in their day (not all of them) what hockey player wouldnt be excited about playing with datsyuk zetterberg franzen etc and try to prove people wrong and buckle down? if the price is right try it for year. if its a bust throw him to grand rapids or else where. with the cap space take a chance maybe? he does have talent and skill could babcock death stare him into being a hard working team player?

Emery has health issues so does Osgood and most of the older goaltenders that would take a #2 spot.. if any of them didnt have any worries of injury then they probably wouldnt be free agents waiting to hear from a team to fill a back up role. how many free agent goalies got signed that were not expected to be a number one? back to zherdev. has he played for a legit contenders? not really, yeah he was in new york and philly but his ice time dropped and was put in the role of a chump on those teams. what im saying if a team makes him happy he might work a little harder if he thinks he has a good chance of winning and really what does hudler do that he doesnt? bertuzzi,cleary- questionable attitudes and work ethic came to detroit and stepped it up eaves, miller- both maybe not as questionable but showed that they were kinda on the outs or about to get lost in the sea of nhl turned to ahl lifers hasek- was lazy he came to the wings and knew he was in a great situation to make a run at the cup or how about every draper maltby helm type playeer that probably would be nowhere near what they are now had they not played in our system. playing in detroit is a privilege if they dont see something in you or potential to make a change into something you wont be here long. players know this and it makes them work harder. should i go on or do you know understand what it means when a historic team that is pretty much the favorite to win 8 of 10 games and make a long run in the playoffs for many years to come can change the attitude of a player. well try to put it this way. you sit and eat s***ty cake every day crymson you begin to hate it and you dont want your s*** cake anymore. you start off by showing up late to eat said s*** cake not finishing it all giving it away etc. now out of the blue youre given a cake that taste great and you realize what you had what you lost and what you have now. im sure you can relate. you tasted that moist almost too tasty to be true cake and even you would get off your ass and work to make sure you never got the s*** cake again. its not fail proof and its not going to work every time but its worth a shot. wearing the winged wheel can do mysterious things for has beens and should have beens and never weres.

zherdev- if he is super cheap give it a year see how he pans out. i dont think the wings can turn every lump of coal into a diamond but i also believe they have a special way of lighting a fire under the ass of players who have gained a bad rep when it comes to attitude and work ethic. it really is kind of an honor for lack of a better term to play for the wings, a perennial cup contender. this i feel makes some players realize the chance they were given and they come around. emery- always liked him, he is injury prone but i feel if we can keep his games to a decent number he can really be a solid #2. i am confident he is the type of guy that would embrace the chance to play in detroit and clean up his act and get his attitude and work ethic in line. between him and conklin thats a tough one maybe conks gets the edge for having played in our system before. i like them both over ozzie i think, its hard to say it i am a big fan but i think ozzies years are behind him and his groin is going to blow out every year if he continues to play.

I heard that it was injured in the second to last game last season against the wings. wasnt given proper attention and through out training it became worse. i think hes just a frail little kid, he will take his fair share of hits and cover up little injuries only for them to worsen and keep him out of the line up many times in his career.

I like having him aboard. he will throw down and protect his team mates. Z and Dats are gonna take less hits wait and see.

I personally think its a good move by Ken. I read they worked it to be 2 way the first year and a 1 way in the second year of the contract. Also that they are still looking for a back up and have gotten at least one trade offer sheet featuring a goaltender. This leaves me to believe they are going to take a chance on an older guy (Oz) or someone like Emery or Nabokov for a year. I like Mac. He can be pretty solid in net when we need him. Great #3 that might make a push for the back up spot throughout the season.