LeftWinger

Yes. Glad he is doing well. As long as he is doing well somewhere else. He f***ed the Wings over in 2009 and I have hated him ever since. This is a team, not an individual. Holland offered him $3.5M which was way overpayment and he opted for arbitration because he wanted more...then he left for Russia. I have no room on my team for individuals, so long Hudler, I hope you score 50 goals, just don't EVER try to put on the Wings sweater EVER again...

Abby has his place on this team...he has his role...he plays his part very well...he doesn't belong with Datsyuk. Abby on the 4th line is a valuable member of this team, Abby on the 1st line is deer in headlights. Cleary on this team period is just asinine....

yes, that certain Russian was baffling on some nights... Maybe Franzia thinks he deserves more money now that there is a certain guy who score 30 goals making $12M right now and he is only making $5.2M...

^ Something I seen happening since they re-signed him. His played has steadily declined since that signing and he is on a fast track to garbage...I am so glad everyone is seeing it now. It took a while for everyone to see Hudler for what he was and now you all are coming around with Franzia... I like it!

Well, fast forward to now...nothing stings more than watching this team struggle to score goals...I have said it all season long, and before the season, Corey Perry would be great here and I have always beat the drum of Bobby Ryan. Power Forward or not, I would take both of those guys over what we have playing with Datsyuk now AND Franzia... I would like that as well, but man, at what cost?

are you sure you are a Wings fan? I don't care either way, but you seem to get off by rubbing losses in our faces (the 94 Sharks and Datsyuk v. Neiderlander fight) I will just say this...I will take the 94 loss to the Sharks, the Datsyuk v. Nederlander and Perry draws or losses, I will take the 95 sweep by the Devils and the 96 heartbreak the Av's because I have 4 Cups since we lost to the Avs, what do the Sharks have? Of course your brother is going to be bitter...what do the Hawks have? 1 Cup...as matter of fact, since the 05' lockout only two teams have been to the finals twice and they each won a Cup and since then the finals opponents and winners have all been different. I will take all that along with the 4 Cups, 6 Presidents Trophies and 21 straight playoffs... St. Michael's Brother: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYfJ9vxx8os Couldn't resist! BTW what exactly was it about the 94 Wings that reminds him of the Hawks? If anything he should refer to the 95 Wings or the 96 Wings for huge letdowns... Sure the Sharks beating the #1 seed Wings in 94 was an upset, but it was 7 games and Osgood was a rookie goalie...tell him to talk about the Wings when the Sharks manage to win a Cup or 4...

Uh...do you really need MY opinion of Franzia? To keep it clean, NO he is far from a sniper and FAR from a power forward...I will stop there.

Ya, its just like I said earlier, Perry is more of a scorer than a power forward...either way I would love him here....

I love and share in your confidence that Dekeyser will be a Red Wing! Get it done Kenny!

Ya....Dats just hung on and waited for Perry to fall....I didn't see Datsyuk throw any punches at all...let alone land a couple. According to the description of Perry in this thread, he should have just beat the shiit out of Datsyuk then. In that fight he landed just as few punches as Datsyuk did. In this case, since Dats is nowhere near a fighter...he won.

This is what I am saying....if Perry is what describes a Power Forward in todays game, so be it, and I already said a million times I want Perry on this team, but when it comes down to definition of a true power forward, Perry is not it. Last I checked Datsyuk knocked Perry to the ice....

I hate to bump this subject back to the first page, but yesterday I watched two games: Rimouski v. Moncton and Ferris State v. Michigan... I have to say in these two examples only, the quality of play swayed more towards the CCHA game. Just my opinion from watching both games... These two games are just a small sampling of the two leagues, but for me, the CCHA game was much better and more entertaining....and I am a MSU fan, so its not just a Wolverine thing...

as much as I would love Perry here...getting beat up by Datsyuk automatically removes you from the power forward list.... just saying....but if that is the closest thing, then fine...I think of someone like David Backes more of a power forward though...

I doubt it. Besides it's not Babcock that makes that decision...and Holland loves him some Sammy...it is SOP in this organization that as long as the player has options to be sent down, he will. No matter the skill he possesses...when all forwards are healthy, Tatar and Andersson will go back to GR...unless they make it to the time of year when you are allowed to expand your roster. Stupid, yes, but that's Hollands MO. Hey here's a thought...maybe we are all reading it wrong....maybe Tatar IS in the top 6 and Datsyuk got demoted to the bottom 6....hmmmm.....

Quincey's play wouldn't have been icing though...it was a PK. But ya, instead of trying to bury it, he could have flicked it up high. Of course on TV it's an easy play, but on the ice, in the moment, Q was probably just thinking get this down the ice as hard as possible.... OMG....did I just defend Quincey?

It all seems so easy for us...wonder what the motive is for Babcock....seriously. He has to know that Tatar is better than Abby and Cleary, and he has to see what we all see. I just wonder what is the motive....I don't get it. There is a reason that I am not the coach and he is, but I just don't get it...

Well, I guess, but it seems that Cleary and Abby are just dragging him down. Maybe if one of them were there Dats could make that one player better, but when both players are clearly in a whole different class than him, Dats can just shake his head when he makes a great play only to have Cleary screw it up or Abby whiff on the shot... For sure, but my point being Brunner was put there and proved himself worthy...Tatar wouldn't waste to opportunity either. He is already proving he belongs in the NHL, but if given the same playing time as Franzia, I think he plays just as good as Brunner and renders Franzia useless...which he already is anyway.

It's true that we aren't out of the playoff race as of now....I wonder where we would be if Datsyuk had an actual scorer to play with instead of two grinders...With the way Chicago is playing, we wouldn't be any higher than 4th, BUT we'd have a good amount more points and be more solidly in 4th.. Yet Brunner steps right in to a top 6 roll...and proves himself worthy of it...Babcock is baffling...

...but maybe a change of scenery....just kidding! I agree with you all...no thanks. Not that he sucks, but our D is starting to gell fairly well right now. Why change it? Let these guys grow together...I know I was all over the get rid of Q and K bandwagon, most the time I was the driver, but it seems the more they play together, the less I dislike them....like I said above, add Dekeyser for the playoffs and then next year go with what I wrote above...re-sign Kindl and Huskins to shuffle in and out of the #6 spot and injuries...

Name them... BTW, I accept paypal and cash for the use of the nickname.... Kenny is that you?

Well then you would assume that Holland would go after a player like Perry or Penner or Morrow or even Anthony Stewart...but he passed on him on waivers, so does he really want to get harder to play against or does he just want the same team? Bertuzzi and Sammy are not hard to play against. Cleary makes it easy for my 9 year old to play against him and Abby is not a top 6 player. Sure, Babs makes he lines, but Holland controls the team. He has to see the problems here. I give/gave him TONS of credit for Tootoo and almost signing Suter. But to always say he wants to get bigger and tougher to play against and then keeps the likes of Cleary and Franzia on this team, is baffling... He has to know he made a mistake by keeping Franzia over Hossa, he will never admit it, but he needs to fix it. He isn't getting Hossa back, but he can stop the bleeding by letting go of him for something...if nobody wants him, waive him. You are not loosing anything by not having him on this team. It's sad that Holland took that risk on him and lost, but he is no longer the player we had in 2009. Cut your loss and get rid of him. Right now Tatar and Brunner are outplaying him and out-hustling him. Hell Tootoo plays better than he does. If you must keep him, put him on the 3rd line. Bottom line, if Holland wants to get harder to play against, cut ties with Bert, Sammy, Cleary, Franzen. Instruct Babcock to either change the lines up or get fired... I know coaches coach and GM's, well, GM. But Holland runs the risk of losing Datsyuk after next season and making him play with players the likes of Cleary and Abby will make him leave skid marks out of the Joe when he does leave...if you want Datsyuk to stay longer, you have to get him players that are going to win and that are going to highlight his skills...and that still isn't a guarantee he stays. Keep him playing with bottom 6er's and he will bolt for sure...That will be entirely Babs doing and Holland's fault if he doesn't fix it.

I agree. He would be the score of the off-season...that being said, he won't be here. Holland still has all his eggs in the Franzia basket. Joanie Franzia, OUR Power Forward!

I think maybe he heard himself back when he talked about Yakapov....he must have realized he sounded like a d0uche bag....

Get used to this lineup, minus Tatar and Andersson because Holland is not going to get Morrow, Clowe, Perry or anyone. Bertuzzi and Sammy being healthy will be the acquisitions and they are both still under contract next season. He won't buy out anyone. He proved that he doesn't want those type of players by not claiming Stewart off waivers...he seems to think that when all healthy, he has himself a Stanley Cup winning team... Not only is Babcock guilty of CUI, Holland is guilty of MUI...they are both borderline CWI and MWI....

Uh....what was the call? The only thing I would have questioned was that he came like a freight train across the ice and hit him. Maybe charging? But the hit itself, there was noting wrong with it...