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Fedorov left you cold? Were you watching his brother or Sergei? 91 of the Red Wings was electrifying. This isn't the best argument because Datsyuk was still developing then, but pre-lockout Datsyuk used to try to deke his way through guys and come up short. I distinctly remember thinking he had skills but was overambitious. Back then as soon as he made a move, guys were latched on and watersking. So in a way his style is more suited for the current NHL. Fedorov had finess that transcended even the clutch and grab era.

So much for a gentleman-like discussion. You're right about scoring in the 90's. Albeit, it doesn't really seal the deal for you either (which was what you said to before you ran and "did your research" and edited your post). There are plenty of other reasons I voted for Fedorov. For one, how many Hart trophies has Datsyuk won? Fedorov was considered a dominating force in the league during his tenure.

Definitely not the case. He played in a lower scoring time period after the advent of the butterfly style. Plus, Fedorov was playing in the clutch and grab era and would still go end to end. Some of you younger guys should watch a couple archived games. He was so dominant and such a good skater that you didn't even need a number on his back to identify him out there.

Fedorov in his prime, no question. One of the few players where you felt like something big was going to happen every time he got possession of the puck.

I don't remember who said it, but someone pointed out how a lock-out should be the league's last resort in situations like this. It definitely seems like they've been using it as a first option to push around the NHLPA. I remember when Bettman made the announcement to cancel the season last time, he very clearly stated that the offer they had on the table would have been the best the players would get, and now it's off the table. Then he comes back six years later looking to for a better bargain after the league has had nothing but success. What is wrong with this guy? It shows a real lapse in compassion for the fans. It's one thing to negotiate aggressively, but it's another to take it so far as shutting the game down over and over. I haven't been overly critical of Bettman over the years because the guy is doing his job by playing hardball and getting done what his employers ask of him. I don't know if it's from Bettman or somewhere else in the chain of command, but it's clear that there is a force out there that generally doesn't understand how much it means to fans to have hockey each year. It makes me think things might be different if the commissioner was born and raised in Canada or another hockey hotbed, and not some dude from Queens who was originally working for the NBA.

Yeah, that would just start another negotiation disaster between the owners and players in a new league. Unless you are somehow suggesting the players should start a league on their own , which is an interesting idea but where do you get the cash for building new arenas and such? Maybe if the players pooled their money and bought a bunch of minor league facilities and shared ownership of it, but I am guessing that would cost a pretty penny.

If Howie is no better than our defense this season, then we are going to have issues. Now is your best chance to see it. Of course, if "this season" happens at all.

Yes, Phoenix and Tampa Bay are the premiere hockey franchises. See you later, thread!

2002 with the Avs was really something. It was the crowning jewel in our overall victory in the rivalry. It could have easily gone the other way being down 3-2. The Avs could have easily taken the cup that year if they had beat us in game 6 or 7. That was the scary part and what made it exciting. Also the statue of liberty play was poetic justice on Roy's arrogance.

Jesus christ, was he housing an entire army in there?

I think he would come back if the lockout ended for an abbreviated season. Wouldn't seem like Dats to bail on a year of his contract. Plus I'm sure he'd much rather prefer to play for the cup... So interesting that the impending lockout would only serve to enrich the KHL talent pool. Sounds like a crappy idea to let that happen and allow NHL players to get comfortable playing for a rival league.

I love this mask. This beats Jimmy's masks in my opinion. I like the fact that it is its own design and isn't trying to represent anything particular. Gives his look its own personality, if that makes any sense. Great work.

Sergei Fedorov with a Darren Helm heart transplant.

Plenty of Holmstrom haters though, haha.

This is brought up a lot when it comes to replacing old Bettman. Being commissioner entails more than ust giving awkward stuttering interviews and handing over the cup to a new team each summer. It's a high demand position requiring an educational background in law and labor relations. I don't think any former player except maybe Ken Dryden could make a crack at it.

I think part of it is because he is so good at what he does that it's hard to read the play as a clean hit in real time. I mean, one second your team mate is carrying the puck into the zone, then the next second he's clocked out convulsing Havlat-style on the ice. I guess the gut reaction is to stand up for your team mate. But like I said, you can't blame the guy for being good at what he does. You don't expect Datsyuk to answer the bell for being excellent at deking. Both are legal parts of the game. You could argue that he should tussle with whoever challenges him, but I guess that's not his game. He skates away from the opposition and is justified by the fact that he is never suspended for his hits. Kind of smart actually. Keeps his record completely clean.

If you are that worried about your star players, send them up the opposite wing. No reason to take it out on Kronner for being an excellent body checking defenceman.

LA was up and coming for a couple years before they won. It just didn't feel like it because they struggled so badly with offense for a while. But in a way that really forced Quick to sharpen his game because he had to defend 1-0 or 2-0 leads in order to win. You'll see this year that they aren't the "8th seed" team that everyone talks about. They just happened to fall into that spot because of struggles early in the season. And unfortunately I don't share the optimism that we'll somehow miraculously be an equally competitive team this year given that we've lost so much out of the talent pool. However, I will say this will make for an interesting year and I'm looking forward to see our young guys finally get a shot. Maybe we have some other Datsyuks and Zetterbergs in the system that need to sneak into the bottom six like those guys were doing in 2002.

And how pissed would the hockey starved fans be at that point to see a ready to go outdoor stadium and then Gary Buttman calling it off so he can push around the NHLPA some more?

The worst one was 2009, by far. A game seven loss in the finals has to hurt more than anything. That and the fact that they paraded the cup around the Joe. What made it brutal for me was that as I was watching, I actually believed we were going to tie it up until the last second, even on Lidstrom's last shot. I was so sure it was going in. Then the other team started celebrating and the fall-out and realization of what happened was traumatic. Haha, I'd post the video of that last shot but I don't have the heart to go looking for it.

After one of these in the Joe, people will be raving about this guy. Just wait and see. Kid ran out of gas in the end, but he's feisty.

This board is dry and barren from the lack of news and the anxiety is compressing the nothingness into a black hole. A lines thread in August is kind of silly. There are still a lot of question marks in the air, many of which training camp will sort out.

Maybe then he'll finally get his wish to be the star in Detroit... haha, I'm kidding. I hope we give the Russians their due respect.

Yzerman and Lidstrom, yes. Even Lidstrom probably not for a while. Feds, Shanny, Z, and D, no. That's how hard it is to get in the rafters in my opinion. It's kind of surprising to me people are throwing around so many different names.

I feel like this guy is reading our message board and feeding back the same crap we are talking about as if they were rumors. Yandle with Plan C being Bouwmeester??