LeDs

One of the reasons Helm is playing is they needed another good face-off guy, dont see Maltby helping there. Maltby isn't the player he used to be, he no longer has the grit and doesn't get under the opposing players skin like he used to. As far as replacing Mac with Maltby I think that would be a mistake. Mac is the only intimidating force we have, the last thing we need is zetterburg or Datsyuk getting injured on a cheap shot. Having Mac in the lineup will help keep that stuff to a minimum. Helm has better speed, hits more and is better on faceoffs, so Maltby sits IMO.

After watching the replay, its worse than I originally thought. Forsberg had his stick steady and under control. There was no reason to swing his stick in that direction. I think it was intentional. Loved Redmond calling him an idiot.

Every year people want to run off Chelios and every year he turns out to be a valuable player. I hope he plays till he is 50. If you want a youth movement become a Columbus fan, they have been on a youth movement since they started. If I was to move someone to make room for a younger player or Stuart, I would move Lilja or Kronwall. Lilja is the least talented and doesnt use his size, and Kronwall is just too small and will always be injury prone.

Would love to see it. Most everyone likes a comeback story. I think he would have to be very driven to do it though. He still has gas left in the tank I.M.O.

They need more energy from Malltby , otherwise I think he is dead weight. He doesn't seem to work as hard as he used to.

LOL I knew it a bunch of soccer fans on here.

When Datsyuk or Zetterburg are seriously injured by a cheap shot maybe some of these people on here will understand. If you don't like fighting go watch soccer.

Who knows more about hockey than anyone on here. Answer: Scotty Bowman. Why did Bowman go out and pull Kocer from the beer league. It wasn't to necessarily fight and it certainly wasn't to score goals. It was about intimidation. One aspect I think people are overlooking is how this affects the skilled players. When a player is entering the offensive zone is he worried about someone taking his head off ? How aggressive is he being checked. The less aggressive the defenders are the more room and freedom the offensive players have. It's about more than fighting. Do you honestly think that Anaheim would have taken so many cheap shots if Kocer or someone of the like was on the bench. Think about it, when Shanahan would drive the net and be in front of the goalie after a play ended how many players would push him away or cross check him. Not many. Most would just skate away. I remember Kocer coming onto the ice and seeing fear in the eyes of the other team. Believe me it does have an impact. I want our skilled players making plays not thinking of their safety. When I mention the space the defenders are giving the opposing player an inch or two can make a big difference.

Great stuff. I miss that part of the game in Detroit, hopefully that will change this year.

Quincey had 126 penalty minutes last year. I don't think he drops the gloves very often but at least he doesn't shy away from contact. hopefully he enjoys boarding and crosschecking.

Nice post. Interesting stuff. Would be nice if there was a way to measure how exciting or passionate the different arenas were. I live in Ohio so I don't get to go to the Wings games in person but from watching on TV it seems as if the crowds at the Joe have become more and more boring. I think there are too many corporate types and not enough passionate fans. I was blown away at the Calgary crowds and the energy and enthusiasm they showed during the playoffs.

Quincey is bigger, plays a sound physical game and will stick up for his teammates. Lebda is small and gets pushed around, hmmmmmmmmmmm I'll take Quincey

If the WIngs plan on adding players who are more physical and play a tougher style of hockey then someone will have to go. Right now I would quess the ones to go would be Hudler and then Kopecky. I would think the Wings would prefer to keep Kopecky because he is bigger and plays a more physical game. Also take a look at the defence, who is going if we add another defenceman, that would be Lebda. I think Quincey proved in the playoffs last year he can handle being a 6th or 7th defenceman. The Wings have several up and coming defenceman. I would think the Hudler and Lebda are both available.

Bottom line with the Ducks, they overpaid for Schneider and for Bert. The two players they picked up are not as good as the two players retiring. I think Bert is going to continue to have problems with his back, the bigger you are and the more weight you carry the harder it is to recover. The Wings said his back was ok but how do we know if they actually believed that. However, we do need some more size and grit. I am tired of watching the Wings getting smashed around. Isn't Detroit a blue collar town, since when do they stand for that.

Bert is a major risk. He hasn't been the same since the Moore incident. You also have to worry about the back, he basically lost an entire season with it. If his back holds up and he returns to the physical player he used to be then great, but I don't think you offer him more than two years, if he flops your screwed.

The Blues would be my biggest worry. They are very close to being a Stanley Cup contender and a top Goalie would put them there.

Hasak is a must. What other options do the Wings really have at goaltender. After that a power forward and a physical defenceman. I am not sold on Bert, unless he comes at a discount I would move elsewhere.

We have to get someone who can stand up for our players. Think how many times Hasak was ran over, and how our pliayers were harrassed and threatened during the series. Belieive me than had an impact on the outcome of the series. You had players running our goalie over and punching him in the head and we do nothing. Holmstrom had his head bashed in, they were constantly taking liberties , throwing elbows etc. How many times did you see a wings player not play the puck in the corners on a dump in because they thought they would be smashed. Would they have done this stuff if Kocer or Probert was on the bench? This team has a great core of players but we need to add some toughness like we did in 97 with Shanny and Kocer.

This shows how sad the Wings have become when it comes to fighting. IMO the fight was embarrassing if your a Wings fan, we would have been better off not to even have had a fight. Lilja throws a punch and misses and as soon as the other guy throws a punch he dives to the ice and grabs the guys leg. Why didn't he just lay on the ice and turtle up? I would rather have my ass kicked than to act like that. That kinda stuff will sure send a message to the other team, I bet they got a good laugh out of it. I liked what they did over by the bench that showed me more than the fight. Dont you miss the days when we had guys who could actually win a fight. Kocer, Shanny, Mac, LaPoint, Konstantinov, Ward, etc. Why cant we have at least one guy who can fight.

Would be nice to know what's going on if anything. You would think the Wings or Fischer would put out some kind of statement at some point.

Teams going for youth movements usually are watching the playoffs from home.

I enjoyed watching Bootland play and I though he added some grit to the team. He is an agitator not an enforcer. There is no way he can go at with the heavyweights in the NHL game after game.

Desperately need a tough guy/enforcer. The Wings had fewer fights than any team in the NHL last year, we can't afford to get any softer. We need to keep the opposition honest and open up room for our skill players. Teams can be intimidated and it DOES affect their play. The only fit i see is Todd Simpson or some young guy just coming up.