Behind Enemy Lines in CO

Yeah something to the effect that Abby has played with Dats and Z and only has 11 points. They should write that on his tombstone.

From the Ottawa Sun - Sunday April 21, 2013: Whispers out of St. Louis have players frustrated with the antics of coach Ken Hitchcock. It seems Hitchcock has the ear of players wherever he goes in the short term, but his constant picking apart and calling them out has gotten old. The team has performed far below expectations and is struggling to hang on to a playoff spot. Many league executives believe a quick exit could lead to changes for a team that is operating on a shoestring budget where ownership is counting on a deep playoff run to minimize losses. And we complain about Babs not calling the team out.

Rangers get 2 games because they will be held around the same time period as the Super Bowl is held in New York/New Jersey.

Remember how in years past we all complained about the Wings offensive strategy - Cleary or Zetterberg entering the zone next to the boards and doing the 180 degree spin to look for a player heading down the middle or a trailer for the pass. You could set your watch to that kind of play. Now all we see is a Wings defensemen meet the red line or a forward meet the blue line and shoot the puck in for someone to chase. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see Flip in the overtime period do the 180 degree spin and guess what - there was actually someone to pass to who was heading to the net! Also, I remember seeing on George Malik's blog last Fall a mention of a story from the Windsor Star that had a discussion with Jim Nill about the state of the Wings and Nill supposedly saying that transitioning away from being a puck possession team was one of the items the Wings top brass was considering given the change (decrease) in talent on the team. And to all the hate for Holland - he did say before the season started that he was unsure the team would make the playoffs. That is because THIS season was always about NEXT season; the vets were brought in as a band-aid to get to the land of magic, the UFA and salary dump market in July 2013.

Love the picture in the article of J-S and Roy where a young J-S is wearing huge pads that make him the same size as Roy.

Just put the following items up for sale on ebay. Willing to sell off ebay to a LGW member if you are interested. 1. Detroit Red Wings Authentic Jersey Fight Strap Reebok 6100 Air Knit Sz 56 http://www.ebay.com/itm/171019169368?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 2. Easton S19 Z-Shock Helmet Medium Detroit Red Wings w/Visor http://www.ebay.com/itm/171019182223?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 3. Detroit Red Wings Franzen NHL Pro Stock Hockey Pants Shell Sz 54 http://www.ebay.com/itm/171019177557?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I believe it has all to do with potential. For the older players (Cleary, Sammy, Bertuzzi, Abby, Miller, Eaves) it is the POTENTIAL to perform at a high level that keeps them IN the lineup. For the young studs it is the POTENTIAL to screw up that keeps them OUT of the lineup.

So here's the question: If both Parise and Suter were available today and it was known they were on the trading block what do you think it would take to acquire these two players? What would you be willing to give up to acquire both? And for sake of argument if we did acquire both Parise and Suter would that be enough to make us a cup contender this year? Any transaction outside of a UFA acquisition would require giving up some of the kids. Which is apparently not what the Wings want to do, so they again will put all their eggs into the UFA basket. Last year they struck out (Plan A). Plan B was to acquire some other lesser quality players which they also lost out on. Plan C ended up being Sammy and Coke-Cola with an eye on waiting unit UFA season in Summer 2013. Holland himself said he was unsure the Wings would make the playoffs this year so the Wings are/were comfortable with the current player status.

I think the Wings strategy around Flip is to wait until FA starts with all the expected salary dumps due to the lower salary cap and let Flip find out that his salary demands will not be met by other teams in this tight fiscal environment. Then they offer him the $4 million and he signs.

Is this true that he was never drafted? (Sorry, not up on all the news concerning this guy). So, just to stir things up, if he had been drafted by a team, would he have been able to stiff them and sign elsewhere like Shultz did to Anaheim last year? Can you imagine how we would feel if the Wings had drafted him, then Kenny tells him he has to earn his way into a playing spot, he holds out and signs elsewhere! Get out the tar and feathers, boys!

Franzen has the potential to be a good power forward if only he could fight. Either his game consists of sniping/floating from the outside which has not been effective the past few years or spending more time in front of the net and mixing it up. And by mixing it up I do not mean all the face washes he gives while being held in the arms of the referee. The way the game is officiated right now, he is going to get mauled every time he approaches the net and the only way to stop guys taking liberties is to drop the gloves and defend himself properly, not this after the whistle crap. This is the definition of the soft Euro tag. I'm not sure what else he can do - it is apparent to me that he is trying and is engaged, he is just getting mugged in front of the net. I do not recall Shanny or even Bertuzzi (in his prime) taking that kind of abuse. Is the Kronk gym still open?

I say he should have been at the Tae Bo with tongue in cheek. While fighting is a part of the game, I do not prefer/recommend it except in this situation where Franzen needs to establish himself as someone who will not put up with the abuse. And what the hell is up with the NHL and all the after the whistle scrums, especially during the playoffs. It is a disgrace - if the NHL wants to condone fighting and roughing, then let the players go at it, concussions or not. But to let players get abused anywhere within 3 feet of the net only encourages the "I can get away with it anywhere anytime" mentality that brings out the goons in the sport. Sorry for ranting. I see 2 problems here. The league allows the after whistle scrums that encourages more senseless violence in other parts of the game. And Franzen needs to send a message that he will not be cross-checked to the ice without retaliation. Unfortunately Franzen also has a glass jaw so what am I going on about?

Hey - how exactly do you pronounce Brunner? 1. Brew-ner 2. Brun-ner Just curious.

I signed up for NHL Vault only as I rarely am able to watch games live and supposedly can watch them 24 hours later or 48 hours later if blacked out. So as of this posting time the current 2013 season games are not in the NHL Vault to watch. I called the support line this morning to inquire about this and they told me that they are having a significant amount of problems with getting the content all set up for this season and also that the blackout rules have apparently changed and they are trying to sort them out, hopefully by the end of the week.

I'm trying to figure out what I will do here in the Denver area. My family just dropped its DirecTV service because no one in the house was watching any tv, and I now have an antenna in my attic which provides 20 local HD channels for free. However, the Avalanche/Nuggets NBA games are only shown on cable/satellite so I have no broadcast avenue at the moment. I will probably look into the NHL GameCenter Live option, and even then only if it is offered at a discount for the shortened season.

Have not seen any mention of realignment in the new CBA - has anyone heard anything? I did hear somewhere that the shortened season would be conference play only and if so, Winnipeg will be spending a lot of time on the East coast.

In regard to the team name, I think we are just running out of good names. Throw in the major league soccer, lacrosse and indoor football teams and the suddenly the good names are already gone. The cutthroat fish is the Colorado state fish by the way.

Announced yesterday he will play for the new Denver Cutthroats CHL team this winter. They are an affiliate of the Avs. They will play at the old Denver Coliseum where I used to take my kids to see the circus. Really old, small and in bad shape. Cheap seats are $15 so I might take the boys to some games.

And here is a link to the team web site with Quincey pictures and a look at the new jerseys. http://www.denvercutthroats.com/home/

I wonder if the uncertainty of a new CBA played any role in this. Can you imagine if Nick decided to return, put in all the off-season work and then there was a lockout and/or shortened season.

I believe this all goes back to Rafalski's decision to retire. I believe it caught Red Wings management off guard, and when they stood back and looked at their situation (including guessing how many more years Lidstrom would play) and looked at the FA market last Summer, they decided to sit on their hands and bring in the kids to see what they could do. They also figured that if things were not working they had a pot of gold to throw at someone at the trade deadline. So they make some small changes (White, Commadore) and bring in the kids. Babcock himself said in his interview a few weeks ago that he told management he was not sure they would make the playoffs. Sitting on a backlog of prospects in Grand Rapids means at some point in time you have to use them. And guess what. The team plays fairly well, Jimmy is having a great season and the off-season gamble they took appears to be paying off. Then, a few injuries pop up (Howard, Eaves, Datsuyk, Lidstrom) and suddenly the mask is pulled off and the remaining team is exposed for what it is. The trade deadline comes around and while management is interested in a few potential targets the asking price is too high given management's sight is now firmly focused on the upcoming Summer FA market. Management brings in Quincey for some additional blue line help/upgrade to Kindl and decides to rely on the return of injured players to make a playoff run. In management's eyes, if the healthy team can play in April/May like it did in December/January then all will be well. However the chemistry never did return with the injured players, and the loss of Helm was the dagger in the heart. The playoffs exposed the Red Wings for not having a solid 4th line, i.e. the Grind Line. That should be one of their top priorities in the off season; reconstruct a new Grind Line, either with in-house players or bring in some new guys. The playoffs also exposed the Red Wings for not having a "sniper" forward and a true "power" forward.

My thoughts also. If the Preds get the jump then the Red Wings only win game 3 at home. The Red Wings need to start game 1 with smash-mouth hockey and not take the foot off their throat the whole series. Nashville does worry me because of the roster additions they made at the trade deadline. They are not the same team the Red Wings handled earlier in the year. Fingers crossed but not getting my hopes up.

Can he make the first pass? Despite Ericsson's other problems, he can definitely make the first outlet pass and that is one of the highly prized factors the wings look for in a defenseman. If not, then despite his physical skills he would be a bust.

So what is Plan B? I understand that the Red Wings did not want to overpay for anyone but they stated before the trade deadline they were looking at 2 things: 1. A top 6 scorer 2. A bottom 6 grit player Now they have neither. So what is Plan B? Is moving Franzen to the 3rd line an effort to turn him into a grit player since he apparently has no interest in scoring goals? Or maybe Emmerton will decide to now play with reckless abandon and hit everyone and everything on the ice? How about Hudler - all that MMA training over the Summer should have taught him to be a grittier player, or at least someone who knows that the most damage is done when the other player is on his back. So take the other guy done and get to work! And whom do we now count on to fill a top 6 scorers role - any of the GR kids ready to step in and light it up? Nyquist? Tatar? Really? Again, I understand not wanting to overpay but the 2 things you said you were lacking are still lacking. You just cannot use the excuse that new players were too expensive. Red Wings need to make some adjustments, either personnel wise or attitude wise. I think we all are waiting.

The only thing I remember Babcock saying about Sammy back in 2009 was that 1. He had a hard shot and 2. He finishes his checks. Those were the reasons he was playing.