Seraph

Just flew in from LA on business and got tickets to the game. Let's hope the losing-fest ends today. 2-0 win, Franzen (2), with an empty netter.

It sounds cool in our heads, but my gut feeling is it's going to be some super safe lame-looking thing.

I like the idea of touch icing. You gotta give teams the option to strategically dump it and have someone go in chasing after it. Sometimes this happens in a desperation play from behind the red line. If you don't let something like that fly, it limits the flow of the game in my opinion. For example, if we're in the closing 20 seconds of a game and a player attempts a wild shot from behind the red line and misses the net, I want the option of having Helm chasing it into the zone to make one last effort. Though I will admit, this is not the case most of the time when icing is called. So I would be open to a hybrid system.

I'm not done with the Joe. That place is awesome. If we get some fancy upper bowl/lower bowl set-up with all kinds of bells and whistles, it just wouldn't be the same.

If you don't want to deal with blackouts and are planning to watch games on the computer, go with hockeystreams.com. They are based internationally, so they can break all the rules that Center Ice has to deal with so there are no blackouts or restrictions. I had to rely on it one summer for the playoffs and the quality was amazing. I was sketched out by giving them identifying information, so I just bought a gift credit card and used it. If you have a nice TV setup, then I would definitely recommend Center Ice because it's just not as fun watching games on your computer.

I think East or West has its pros and cons. I also don't think anything we do will affect the decision. It's kind of a contradiction to be such a diehard fan of team that you would boycott going to their games. That wouldn't make you a fan at all, actually. It's also kind of an empty threat seeing as if the team does stay West, the league knows people would eventually go back to the games if they just wait it out and do nothing. Let's just see what happens. It would definitely be an interesting spin to see us going East.

I voted for 02. I was only 13 then and probably didn't understand the intricacies of the game like I do now, but I just remember my stomach being in knots the entire time, even on non-game days. Man we hated the Avs so much then. It was a rivalry that I haven't seen duplicated with any other teams since. It felt so good to take them down and go on to win the cup. It was the last major chapter on the rivalry and it was what left us on top.

Haha, Scotty left Barry Smith hanging at 1:05. Scotty has ice in his veins for real, man.

If it's a new jersey I'd dry clean it. I have to go there anyway to pick up my grown up clothes. So I take it with me and it's like 2 bucks to wash.

It's not Helm's time yet. Kid has the guts for it but needs to earn it. My vote is for Cleary. He's always a workhorse.

Haha, I like the fake ones better.

I actually like these. Wasn't too thrilled about the logo, but it looks like it might come together in the end if the officials will resemble this. The use of the two shades of blue is nice.

For hotels, I always tell people on here to use priceline. I've made a handful of trips and have used it with great results. The city isn't exactly a tourist destination, so a lot of the four star hotels in downtown are empty. Most of them are also very close to the Joe. So if you get on there and start low-balling the four-star hotels, you usually come up with something very good. Three out of five times we got the Renaissance center which is walking distance to the Joe and the view is great.

You guys are all shuddering now, but EVERYONE on this board was complaining about his playoff performance at the time. There were so many threads on who to trade him for. How quickly we forget.

At least NBC Sports Network actually sounds like something... not a reject sport channel where faltering leagues go to die. It'll be a good move as long as hockey remains the channel's featured event. Otherwise, we might be taking a back seat to other sports like when we were on ESPN.

I was away one summer and needed a reliable way to watch the games. I was sketched out by hockeystreams.com and didn't want to leave a paper trail with them. So I got a gift credit card from the bank and used it to by a subscription to the playoffs. Worked out great.

Wow, terrible. The old was way cool. This is not.

Here's to you, Ozzie. Since I was in 1st grade, you were our dependable home-town goalie, through thick and thin. A true Red Wing if I ever saw one. Good thing Nick didn't retire this year because that would just be too much to take.

The Nashville Mustard?? Not a satisfying color to look at by any means. The logo has to go too. It's a good idea but not executed right.

If I were building a team from scratch, I'd take Datsyuk over Ovechkin. I think as an athlete, Ovechkin is much more impressive. He's big, strong, fast and scary. However, Datsyuk is complete and a proven winner. Ego aside and all.

That's happened every year for a long time, at least since the lockout. Some players don't even pause to take the picture with him, a la Rod Brind'amour in 2006. I'll give it to you though. I think the fact that ALL the Vancouver fans are knowledgeable about how the league is run, it was SUPER loud. That plus the fact that they were pissed that they had lost, haha. There was also a "Bettman SUCKS!" chant that was very audible on the broadcast. Kind of ruins the moment, but pretty hilarious.

If Vancouver wins, everyone will know that Luongo did it s***ting the bed at least a few times. He can't feel super good about that. Go Bruins!!

Let's go B's!! No offense to the Canadian folk, but it pisses me off that during the season you all have your rivalries but then it's Canada's team for the cup.

Sorry to say it, but there's no way Stevie is coming back. First, it's not in his character. When he starts something, he finishes it. He was our captain. He will be their GM. Second, the guy moved his family out to Florida. He's retired from hockey. Why of all places would he come back to Detroit? He has it made.

I think given that EVERY game we play these guys is a one goal game, we would need to get so lucky to win the series. There is natural variation in the game of hockey and out of the next four games, San Jose is more likely than not to win a game and end it. I won't stop fighting for it and believing until the last buzzer, but realistically it will be quite the feat to accomplish.