therock48880

I thought the official was in the zone. Another complaint they could have had was that one of them (dats or Z) tripped the one d-man that was back.

This is one of my biggest concerns with the Wings heading into the playoffs. I'm not as worried about the physical aspect as I have in the past, but they just seem horrible on faceoffs. I know Draper will help a lot, but they waste so much time on power plays chasing the puck down that it's going to haunt them eventually.

You have such a way with words! Well said.

I think you found the key to the whole problem!!!!!!!

Is this some kind of a joke? Because if not, I can't follow your logic at all. Since Downey's a fighter that has proven he won't cost the Wings a game with stupid penalties means nothing because he's a fighter? Meanwhile, Abdelkader who has a history of getting LOTS of penalty minutes SHOULD play, even though he's a rookie? Wow!

Actually, for tough guy, Downey plays very intelligently. He rarely goes to the box alone. So, your "Downey in the penalty box" theory doesn't hold up well.

I agree that his equipment is oversized, but he's had some AMAZING playoffs in the past. Basing it off that, I can see their reasoning.

Lilja brings a lot to the team as a number 6 d-man. He blocks shots, hits people, etc... The problems with him start when he's forced to play as a top 4 d-man. For example, last year's playoffs due to injury. As a #6, he's very solid. As a top 4................. not so much.

Sorry about that. I didn't pick up on the sarcasm.

Way to overreact. So, because he stated a fact (that Datsyuk and Z didn't play well on the road) he should become a Ducks fan? I guess maybe I should become one also because one of the Wings' biggest weaknesses last year was the lack of production from the top line on the road.

The problem isn't goaltending so much as it is defensive intensity in front of them. If it was just Dom having problems that I could see it, but lost in the debacle of last night was the fact that Ozzie had an .864 save percentage also. Add in the fact that he had an .810 his previous game and I think a pattern is emerging. They BOTH need more support in front of them.

Best post I've seen in quite awhile. It's almost like you read my mind. I'm so tired of hearing how the Ducks got lucky and about bad officiating. That being said, I think the Wings are more physical than they were last year. Franzen has become a beast, Cleary is as gritty as ever, Stuart is a big, strong, d-man which they didn't have last year, even Kopecky (who seems to take a lot of heat on this site) has been playing physical. Then you throw the question marks (McCarty-Downey) and hope that one of them plays well.

Yup. Especially if Homer comes back healthy. Him, Franzen, and Cleary (maybe McCarty too) can get those playoff type goals.

I find that 4th line interesting. Could be fun to watch.

Well, there lies our disagreement. Most "experts" (I'm certainly not including myself in that list) rate Sayers as one of the top 5 of all time and I tend to agree. Vladdy's situation was a little different in that his injuries didn't come from playing the game. His longevity was compromised by a car accident. He was 100% healthy and appeared to be getting better when his injuries occured. I can understand penalizing someone for not being able to stay healthy playing their game, for example Sayers, but Vladdy never got hurt playing hockey. He was strong, durable, and dependable.

Remember how badly Scotty hated him due to his lack of defensive effort?

Yup. 94-95 season. I think that was his third Norris. Edit: it was his third Norris. First and last with the Wings. The norris seems to be biased toward offensive d-men. For example in 96-97 when Leetch beat out Konstantinov in an absolute highway robbery.

Then you wouldn't put Gale Sayers as one of the top running backs of all time? Personally, I have him at number 3, behind Barry and Jim Brown. Sayers played 5 seasons, Vladdy played 6. In your final line, I would argue that Vladdy was GETTING better when he got hurt. Had he stayed healthy, he would have been the best, imo. Plus, the whole "generational" arguments are impossible to debate. Would Kelly and Goodfellow have been as good if they had played against the bigger, faster players using composite sticks? Who knows? Personally, I doubt it. But if you ask me to choose one Red Wings D-man to have for a season, I'd take Vladdy. He was very sound positionally, mean, and very skilled.

If Nick's number 1, then Vladdy is number 2 in my book and I would argue that if things hadn't happened the way they had, Vladdy would be number 1. In 95 he had a plus 60 rating and in what turned out to be his last year he was ROBBED of the Norris, finishing in second. He had just turned 30 when the accident happened so he had a good 7 or 8 years left in him. For a guy who was 5'11 and weighed less than 180 pounds, he was a BEAST. For reference sake and this is not meant to be a negative toward Lidstrom: Vladdy in his career averaged a plus 31 and his last two years he he averaged a plus 49. Lidstrom in his career has averaged a plus 24.

I think some people don't remember how good he actually was. The man was PHENOMENAL! Lidstrom (although he was young) was the second best d-man when vladdy was there. I hate to think about it, but what if.......................

They should save all their cap space and use it at the trade deadline! (dripping with sarcasm)

I'm hoping for a forward and not dman. If they re-sign Stuart, which I think they will, then they could go with Lidstrom-Rafalski, Kronwall-Stuart, Ericson-????. The last spot could be Quincey, Lebda, etc....

Ah yes, there you go again with your "anti-enforcer" feelings. You've been spewing these for years now, even though several Wings, including Yzerman, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, etc..., have expressed their preference for having enforcers on the team and the value they bring. But, you're right, enforcers bring nothing to the team. Let me ask you this, if Downey (or whoever) doesn't prevent anything from happening, why is he on the team? I doubt if it's his goal scoring ability, I doubt if it's his skating ability. Yet, he's played more games this year than ever in his career. Why is that? Could it be that because what he DOES (toughness) bring to the table is USEFUL and the team knows it?

yes

I just found this article. Thanks for posting it also. I didn't realize Flip was playing tonight too. Downey's out any way you look at it.