Rice

No it wasn't. He was garbage after the Torres hit, plus he was signed for another year and Calder was slated to be an UFA. The Wings dumped his contract. He wasn't going to amount to anything, he just benefitted from being on one of the greatest regular season teams of all time.

Absolutely not.

Yeah. I'm sure we'll look back at the end of the season and say, "Damn, missing that one point hurt us, and it hurt us big." It's one game guys -- easily one of the worst defensive efforts of the season and we came away with a point.

A superpower? Don't think so.

It's not like he had a ton of suitors like Sundin or Forsberg. He wanted to stay with the Rangers. When Sather told him that didn't work out, he began looking for offers from other eastern teams. I'm sure if he could've played a full season he would've.

I agree with the rest of your post for the most part, but Shanahan wasn't a power forward anymore when he left. He was purely a perimeter player and a PP specialist -- just like he is now.

I remember that article --- and Christ, talk about jumping to conclusions. This was a few weeks into the season, the first without Yzerman and Shanahan in a long, long time, and Cox was labeling it the demise of the Wings? Funny stuff. The thing is, though, that hindsight is 20/20. I seem to remember the LGW faithful panicking at the beginning of the 06-07 season, too. Hell, there was panic around here just prior to the Wings steamrolling through the rest of the league in the playoffs last year. This kind of talk just shows how close of a microscope the Wings are under due to their consistent success and, in turn, the consistently high expectations people have of them.

Kopecky won't be going anywhere. He was a big factor in Hossa signing here and he could prove to be a big factor in Hossa staying here.

Turco, for all the reasons stated above.

Yeah, that was hysterical. I actually missed Hossa's goal because I was rewound to watch it again.

I hate Pronger, but I'd love to have him on the Wings. He's just that kind of player.

I've read Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. Sundin is meeting with the Rangers on Saturday.

If I recall correctly, the Wings wanted Berglund in the '06 draft. The Wings had the #29 pick and traded it to Phoenix for two second rounders almost immediately after Berglund was selected. They ended up drafting Emmerton and Matthias in the second round. Can't blame them for not getting Berglund... the Blues just picked him first.

This roster can win the Cup -- but the way they're playing now they'd lose in the second round.

Funny stuff.

Beauchemin's cap hit is $1.65 million. That's nothing for a defenseman capable of playing thirty minutes a night.

Sorry about that, Mack.

A few games come to mind. The first was in 05-06... I think Atlanta was up 5-0 on the Wings. Not quite sure of the score, but it started out as a rout. The Wings ended up making it a game, I think, but it was a terrible game, nonetheless. Second one I remember was 06-07 against San Jose, the night they put up nine on Hasek.

Don't forget about McCollum.

For everyone's viewing pleasure: Yeah. It sucks... especially against Anaheim. The Wings, did, however, deserve to lose. Too many penalties and too much sloppy play.

Just my opinion, but I think those angles make the game unwatchable. I was watching a Ducks-Coyotes game earlier in the season on Center Ice and couldn't stand it.

At this point, Helm and Leino would likely contribute much more than Maltby and McCarty. The thing is, the organization is extremely loyal and that's one of the keys to their success. As long as the veterans aren't hurting the team, they'll be in the line-up over the rookies -- although in my opinion, McCarty was a liability in the playoffs last year. Helm, Leino, and Abdelkader will get their time soon. It's just the way the Wings operate... and it works. As for Draper, he showed his value in the playoffs last year. As you said, he's excellent on face-offs and still has great speed.

I took a screenshot of it: I don't think it was a cockiness. Brind'Amour probably said something to Conklin after the save that made him smile. What makes you think Brind'Amour was pissed off by it? I didn't really notice anything before or after I saw Conklin smiling.

Gross. Does the shoulder patch remind anyone else of this?

More talk of Shanahan returning from Ranger Report. Weird. Still can't see it happening.