RockyMountainWingGal

An article about hockey from....Columbus?? This from a town that's team is perennially in the basement - snuck into the placeoffs once last year and got promptly swept out by a bunch of old farts.

Yeah not sure why people still make excuses for him. Here was a guy with all the motivation in the world to show up and win himself and the team a Stanley Cup and his excuse was "I was nervous against my old team". I know he is a good all around player but 6G 9A in 22 games for a top line player isn't worth 7.4mill. And if I recall he had no (or 1?) goals in the finals. Just disappointing all around. s*** Franzen just had 4G and 2a in one game. Nice enough guy but a big failure for the Wings in the POs. Did other guys not show up in games 6&7? sure but he had the BIGGEST reason to show up and still didn't = no heart

He looked good until the SCF and then went AWOL. One or two goals from him and we win that series. Other guys were hurt (Pavel, Nick) so we really needed him to step up. Sorry won't ever forgive him for that. Chi fans were bitching about him until he scored that GWG in the first series (after he almost blew that game taking a 5 min boarding call = Preds are lame for botching that one). I predict history will repeat itself (thrice) and if they make it to the finals he turns into Casper again....

Other = playing 73 extra games in the last 4 seasons - more than any other team. Love the Wings - but that's a lot of extra mileage - sometimes you have to regroup.

I'm not worried about it either way. I just hope the crowd at the Joe tonight cheers the Wings win or lose. I don't think some people realize how privileged they are to have watched this team for 19 years in the POs (OK some people are alot younger than me and haven't seen all 19). And since the lockout - where there is supposed to be more parity - we went 1rst round, WCF, SCF (Cup), SCF, and this year? How many teams can say that? none. I paraphrase Caputo on the ticket last night "instead of bitching about Lidstrom and Rafalski, fans should just shut up and go to the games and enjoy it - because you won't see anything like that for a long, long time" This team still has a good shot to at least make this a series but there is no shame in losing in the 2nd round after that record to what just might be the better team right now. Plus the Sharks HAVE to start winning playoff series (and ones not against teams like the Avs). I'll be cheering for the Wings tonight - always swim or sink with the ship - but if we wind up losing the series I'll be pulling for the West to win the Cup back. The East sucks....

Yes. This guy has more class than all of us on this thread put together. Don't presume he is greedy and self-centered and only wants the money - nothing about his 20 year career ever even hints of that. This guy has done just as much or more for this franchise as Stevie Y (whom I worship) and done so for many years quietly and behind the scenes, without asking for due credit. We are not dealing with Fedorov here (love him too but Nick is different). If his desire is to retire so be it - but how any Red Wing fan who has gone through these last decades with Nick can just assume he's only out for the money is beyond me....just be patient and wait and see. The last time we won without Nick was 1955...just sayin' Can the Wings rebuild in the Cap era? sure, but it will be tougher than you think...

I think (and hope) we saw Williams last game in a Red Wing uniform (boy did he go out in style). I'd be tempted to root for the Sharks if I see him out there ...OK that's going a bit far..,but the Williams experiment has been a failure...a few times.

Yes I think a few of the younger folks on here need to be enlightened on what the Lidstrom-less Wings were like.....not pretty. I don't think it will be quite that bad when he does retire, but I think alot of fans are going to be shocked on how subtly he runs the whole on-ice show. Wings will recover, but it won't be easy or quick....

Since Pavel has been great this post season I guess I don't jump on him for not having pts on the board tonight. He did take out Pavelski and was 56% on FOs. Z also did his job tonight. We lost because our GT let in some s***ty goals in the third period...for whatever it's worth. I love Pavel and Hank but the Wings are relying too heavily on those two guys - our depth is not as good as it used to be. I compare it too when Yzerman had an off game, Shanny or Feds or Igor or even MacCarty filled in. In 2008 we had the 4 lines rolling, but the cap era is catching up...score one for Bettman

It floors me how many people actually want him to retire. Maybe some people here are too young to remember the Nick-less Wings - well it wasn't pretty. Forget about crying about going out in the second round. We as Wings fans have a harsh reality to face when #5 retires. Yzerman had so many injury problems his last few years we were able to transition to guys like Datsyuk and Hank pretty quickly. Plus it is way harder to replace a defenseman. Speaking of replace, you cannot with a HOF top 5 dman of all time - you just can't do it. He plays half of every game and played ALL 82 GAMES this year - that is just crazy. He's still the best player on this team. I love the Wings but i know when Nick goes this team is going to take a dive for a few years. It makes me sick to even think about it but I know it's coming. I have to say with the effort the team is putting in, minus a few guys, I wouldn't blame Nick for retiring.

another subtle Jaws reference - I love it!

LOL those were all great. I like the subtlety - ^^ this one is my fav....

Wow this PP looks even worse than ours did yesterday.... Come on Preds - at least take this one to 7....

Me too. Would be excited to get Doan as a Wing. I feel bad for the guy. Hasn't seen the postseason since 02 (tells you how spoiled we are). Could have run our goalie but purposely overskated him and took himself out - of the series. Yeah he was laying the hard hits in the first few games - but hell i was wishing the WINGS were doing that. You are right the Wings are only showing up in spurts - for some reason (?). Too many years of going deep is catching up - sadly. I hope the Wings pull it out tomorrow, but if not I got no problem with the Yotes and will pull for them to beat the Sharks...

LOL - as a scientist if I reviewed this paper I would have to reject it on selective data-mining....

That makes no sense. That's 4 or 5pm Phoenix time (can't remember their daylight thing). It must depend on the Van-LA game. If Van closes out I don't see why they would play so early. I can't get home from work by 4 or 5 either. Wings are better in the night games anyways.

The whole team sucked today. Blaming Lidstrom is well kind of ridiculous. Without Nick we probably aren't in the POs and are minus a few Cups. Is he the player he used to be? No but he's still better than most D-men out there. This team is going to take a real dive when #5 retires, I dare say even more so than #19. Defense is harder to replace - and well you can't replace guys like that. I'm going to enjoy every minute I get to watch him play - even if Tuesday is the last game of the season. Should he step it up? I think so but the guy is already on the ice half the game - someone else needs to do their job. I'll never question the guy or run him out of town even if his game slips - I think he's earned that.

Yes. Hossa almost cost his team the series yesterday - then got lucky and redeemed himself. Before that, Chi-town was ready to run him out of town. And what has Hossa won? imo he almost single handedly cost us a Cup by going AWOL in the finals. Same for Pitt the year before. I don't know what is wrong with Franzen - he is either hurt or just having a bad POs - but at least he has proven he can show up and win. This Wings team isn't as good as the 08 or the 09 team. We have a rookie GT who is learning the playoffs on the job. We have an aging defense that is still good, but has lost a step. Our team play is hot or cold - puck po has been lacking for long stretches. And we are playing a pretty good team who is motivated even without their captain. I like the Wings' chances in game 7. Am a little bit worried about JH's first game 7, but wings seem to play better on the road for some reason... Go Wings!

Agreed. Raffy = 3 Cups; Schneider = 0. Does Raffy come with a few downsides? sure. But overall he has fit in our system well - and was an upgrade over Schneider. I even liked Schneids as a Wings, but Raffy is better..

Very sad day indeed when Nick is no longer even nominated for his trophy. It is true this is the changing of the guard and Nick did not have a good enough season to deserved the nomination. The real sad thing is I see no newer, younger "Lidstroms" coming up. When Nick starting winning - there was still Borque, Leetch, even MacGinnis or cough cough Niedermeyer (ouch). Maybe one of these guys will turn into a defensive superstar as far as the position goes - but I don't see it. Chara doesn't cut it - he's already 33 and that was likely his only Norris last year. Just goes to show how hard it is to develop and keep a perennially great defenseman. Nick may have been a once in a lifetime gift for us.

The East downright stinks save for two teams. Most of the bottom teams would not have even made the POs in the West. As much as I like the Caps - played 6 games per year against Fla, Tampa, Atlanta, and Carolina - not to mention you get the Leafs and Isles 4x - well s*** any team should win the Pres Trophy. (still hoping Caps come out of East). Kings and Preds are tied 2-2 don't give up yet. The Sharks by all rights should have swept the Avs - but well they're the Sharks. They really should have been down 0-3 save for a last ditch effort in game 2. Don't worry though - there is plenty of time for them to fold yet....

Vegas is pissed - but I am happy. Nice guts Sens - at least they are wearing the Pens out...

Wow - took a break - this game is STILL on? Come on Sens score already! They already used up their recall in OT on you...

Have the Sens even had a full 2 min PP this game?

Respectfully disagree. Did NOT see any "kicking motion". He went for the puck with his stick but missed and it went off his skate. I agree w the other posters - if that was Pitt - it's IN.