DickieDunn

If 3 or 4 teams are strong and the rest of the league is weak, it's going to hurt the strong teams too. The Wings are in a down trend while they reload and wait for a couple prospects to mature. We saw the same thing between 98 and 02, and again between then and 08. Team starts losing more, fewer fans watch. Team wins again, people pay attention. The same is true of the Tigers, Pistons, and most other teams in other cities.

It's not the NHL publishing those numbers. Nationwide the NHL is more popular. Numbers might be down in Detroit, but that's largely due to the fact that they've fallen off a bit and because of the makeup of the team. I've heard a lot of people who want a more North American team with hitting and fighting. And really, it sounds like that's your argument too. It's not the league itself that's more unpopular, it's the ratings here in Detroit that are down, and there's a lot more parity. Detroit can't go into some bottom feeder's barn and win 4-1 while taking it easy, and top seeds aren't more or less automatic to advance in the first round of the playoffs anymore.

OK. But the differences between then and now are the cap, Atlanta/Winnipeg, and how long it had been since the Wings' last Cup. The expansion had already happened. So it sounds like you're not enjoying it as much because of parity or the fact that the team is in a bit of a down period. That or it's the makeup of the team.

These contracts for young guys are risky both ways. If he implodes the team is stuck. If he gets really good then he's playing for less than he could be making..

If players develop like they should.

So you were good with the NHL 10 years ago. When there were 30 NHL teams, all of which are playing where they're currently located except for Winnipeg. The difference is the Wings were a dominant team then and now they aren't.

Spare the rod use a wingtip He has some knowledge of the game. That doesn't mean he's not a creepy little man.

If you want to put it ins Wings centric point of view, let's say somewhere in Florida there is a 12 year old kid kid very similar to Calvin Johnson, only instead of football or basketball, he started playing hockey because TB has a team. 6 years from now he's 6'5" and has the frame to fill out to around 240 pounds with all that speed and athletic ability, and Detroit ends up drafting him. He never would have played hockey if if hadn't been for NHL expansion, and now Detroit has a future superstar. If the NHL expands their player base that type of scenario will happen. Maybe not with Detroit drafting him, but a star player from one of those terrible markets.

To be fair Matt Millen is also considered a respected analyst and he's a f-ing moron

This is one of the more ignorant things I've read in awhile.

Yeah, they're not winning Cups. To make the game better you need the best possible athletes playing the sport. To do that you need to expand the base of available players, which means expanding the game to new markets and giving them time. I was talking to someone from Dallas about how the game had grown and he said there used to never be kids playing hockey there. Now a lot of kids play. That can only be good for the game unless you're some xenophobic bigoted dinosaur. Fans complain hockey doesn't get respect or coverage then complain about attempts to grow the game. Can't have it both ways.

Are you serious? And in case you didn't know, Detroit didn't support the Wings for a lot of years. Should they have lost their team?

The article just gives more reasons he's a giant ******.

And does anyone remember Pronger physics? Or how a suspension is longer if a top player is hurt or a star creams a 3rd line guy? You can't say Crosby got hurt and no suspension to wipe out years of double standards.

The cap is not an issue. They have $1 mil in space now. They will get more regardless of who they dump and Nyquist and Andersson aren't going to get much money. They'll be fine.

Yeah they're also the only one not in the eastern time zone.

It does, but if the NHL puts some effort into getting kids playing and can change the perception that it's a "white sport" I think most of the southern markets could be solid. Last year 4 of the bottom teams in percentage of tickets sold were older markets, NJ, St. Louis, the Isles, and Avs. Colorado being down is hilarious the way they bragged about their attendance right after they got a ready made contending team from day 1.

I think football's popularity comes down to 2 things. First, a ton of people play it and in a lot I'd places it's THE sport for their high school. Second, there are so few games people don't get bored with them. Longer seasons have too many "meaningless" games, where in football, especially major college football, every game is important.

New rules aren't needed. If anything take a couple out like the trapezoid. Enforcement of the current rules would help a lot more than anything.

You've played in different leagues than I have then. In my experience the amount of no shows and dickheads in any given league or sport have been pretty consistent across the board. Paying more doesn't matter much, and for some people tossing $200 away is like other people losing out on $20, and the gear is already bought and tends to last awhile. Espn tracks their ratings pretty close. More hockey means lower ratings because most people in the US don't care much.

HKS SUK

I don't see them getting a d. They don't need to shed cap space either. Once they drop 2 guys they'll be ok

Better in that they're designed to reduce the risk of head injury but they look bulkier and fit tighter so guys won't wear them. That isn't eliminating them though

Where did I say better helmets eliminate concussions? I said there are better ones out there. The only way to eliminate concussions is to make it illegal to touch another player

Don't forget Tatar is younger too. He turned pro at 18. I think both will eventually be better than Brunner, in different ways. Tatar has a little more sandpaper in him. Nyquist is smoother. Tatar reminds me of Hudler, only bigger and a better skater. Nyquist is more like Zetterberg lite. Just please remember that they will be rookies and don't wrote them off when they make rookie mistakes and score 10-15 goals and 30-35 points.