therock48880

What don't you understand here? I was saying I can't stand Holland to add emphasis to the fact that I agree with what he's done this year. If anyone in the world is going to find fault with him, it's ME. Yet I see nothing wrong with what he's doing. By the way, everything after my initial post was in response to Eva. Apparantly you'd prefer it if I didn't respond to people's comments?

Ooops, meant to type Fedorov. I was hurrying. Sigh............ If you go back and read the posts, my original post said that I don't like Holland but that I agree with what he's done this offseason. My point was, even a Holland-hater like me can't find fault with what he's doing this offseason. Then, a few people started ripping on me. Should I not respond to their comments, they responded to mine? My goal wasn't to change the subject, it was actually to defend a guy that I don't like very much.

What are you guys NOT understanding here? I'm defending Holland! I don't blame him for not doing anything this offseason. Prices are out of control. P.S. I assume Mr. Illitch has a say in the final decisions being made. Great point. Of course I never mentioned anything about any defensemen wanting to come to Detroit. What I said was that Holland benefited in 02 because some very key players WANTED to come to Detroit. Hasek, Hull, and Robatille are the ones off the top of my head. Holland has benefited from a very good scouting system in Europe also. This thread is amusing. For one of the first times in my life, I tried defending Holland for his lack of moves this offseason and everyone is jumping all over me. Players, up until now, have been priced too high. I think it's great that he hasn't done much. Geez. It's like you're trying to argue with me and I'm actually agreeing with you. Wait a minute...... are you my wife? Federov

You and I could keep the team in the upper echelon with an 87 million dollar payroll. In 02 he had a few guys who wanted to come to detroit to win a cup. It wasn't that he did anything special. He had the core in place and went out and signed and traded for hall of famers who wanted to come here. That doesn't make someone a great GM in my opinion. I wasn't trying to hijack this thread anyways. My point was, I can't stand Holland but I don't blame him for not doing much this off season. Prices are WAY too high for the guys the Wings are/were interested in. In other words, I'm defending Holland.

I can't stand Holland and have been ripping him for years. I think he gets WAY too much credit. When he took the team over, the core of the great teams was already in place. Having said that, I don't blame him at all for not signing a top six forward. They were way overpaid and the teams that signed them will be stuck with the big salary cap numbers. I was furious when I found out that Bertuzzi went to Anaheim until I found out his salary. It would've been stupid for the Wings to invest so much into an injury prone forward. Especially when you consider that Lidstrom's contract is coming due.

I think the Wings could use some of Avery's unpredictability. Plus, there's no denying that he messes with peoples' minds when he's on the ice. (I say that in a good way).

Yeah, that's my favorite memory also. I remember watching that game at a friend's house hoping and praying that the wings would finally be able to beat the avs and to get revenge for the Draper hit. I was sitting on the couch and I was so wound up that my body was involuntarily twitching. It was like I was shivering but I wasn't cold. I haven't had that feeling since then but I came close this year in the Calgary series when the Flames started their "goonism". I was able to control it this time though. I honestly thought I might have a heart attack or something that night. It was bizzarre. In terms of the Red Wing memory that I remember the most vividly and probably always will, it would have to be the game against the Preds when Fischer had his problems. That night is etched in my memory and always will be.

I agree 100%. Did you notice the number of scrums when Bertuzzi was on the ice? Very few. How about how many times Hasek was run while Bertuzzi was on the ice? Very few. It seemed like every time there was a disturbance on the ice, Bertuzzi was on the bench. The Wings have 4-5 million left in cap room, why not sign a big guy to be on the end of the bench just in case? Schneider was even quoted last year saying that he preferred having a "nuclear weapon" on the team. He went on to say that if the opposing team has two, then he'd want two. I guess he won't have to worry about it now.

You're exactly right. A year or two ago a similar thread appeared on this site and I said I'd love to have him back. I was TORN APART by most of the posters. The dominant thought at that time was that he wasn't worth the hassle and the penalties. Funny how things change.

So that leaves over 5 million in cap space. Maybe Kenny is planning on making a bunch of trades close to the deadline and then re-signing the guys after the season. That didn't work too well this year, though. p.s. I still think they should sign McCarty for the minimum and let him finish his career where he belongs.

This is why I was opposed to the Rafalski signing. The Wings have tons of young, talented D-men in the organization and signing Rafalski makes it impossible to get an impact forward. I like Rafalski, but not at the expense of another talented winger. Our best hope is this: Flip, Hudler, and Grigorenko are all ready to become top six forwards. Filpulla I think is ready, not too sure about Hudler, and I'm skeptical of Grigorenko.

You'd do that at the expense of a top 6 forward? It's either one or the other, a forward or another d-man. There isn't enough money to have both. Plus, the fact that the organization has tons of young, talented, albeit inexperienced, defensemen. Nothing against Markov because I liked the way he played, but I'd pass on him at this time. Were any of them in their first year in the league? Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to see this team with a fighter, but not at the expense of a young, rugged, gritty kid that just needs experience.

I find it interesting to see that Hasek hasn't signed yet. I'm trying not to be pessimistic but he said something to the effect of I'll wait a few days and see how much money is left. Could he really be saying, I'll wait a few days and see what the team looks like? He's stated repeatedly that he's only playing to win a cup. Maybe he hasn't signed yet because he doesn't think that this team, as currently put together, can win one. I hope that isn't the case but it's been bugging me for the past few days. Unrelated note: Someone earlier mentioned getting rid of Kopecky because he hadn't done anything to earn a roster spot. I hope you're kidding. He's EXACTLY the type of player the Wings need for the playoffs. Babcock even said so himself before last year's playoffs.

Wouldn't it be easier for Babcock if Holland actually signed some gritty players for a change? Then Babs wouldn't have to do that whole "square peg, round hole" thing. I completely agree with harold about the Wings lack of size. I get so tired of seeing Hasek (IF he signs now) getting run and nothing being done about it. How many times did Giguere get run? I can't remember many, if any. Yet I remember Hasek getting run at least 6 times in the playoffs last year. How about all the cheap ass boarding penalties during the year? At one point, Lebda had to get up with a concussion and defend himself because no one else did. Unbelievable. It's easy to forget that a HUGE part of the back to back cup winning teams was the fact that each line had at least one person who was big and would defend a teammate. Lapointe, Shanahan, Mccarty to name a few. This team, as constructed has Lilja.

I wasn't excited about the Rafalski signing either. Not that I don't like him; to the contrary I think he is a VERY good player. But, there is a ton of young talent in the system and I don't think it's too far fetched to think that one or more them may be able to contribute this year. The depth up front should have been addressed first, imo.

I hope you're kidding.

Every year the Wings have made the playoffs since 98 (with the exception of the 02 star studded team that illitch bought) they have been beaten by bigger, tougher teams. That's what I'm basing my statement on. It doesn't matter now, though. Bertuzzi for 4 million is absolutely ridiculous. I was thinking he'd get half that. Burke's an ass and always has been. I hope this comes back to burn him. He's had a vendetta against the wings since his Vancouver days and I wonder if that's not clouding his judgement a bit.

Well, that actually makes me feel a little better. No way I'd give him that much money for TWO years with his back issues.

I agree with the s***ty bounces and I'll add s***ty officiating. I disagree on the wearing down though. We can agree to disagree, again. lol

Sorry I don't have the same rosey opinion as you. I've been frustrated by the lack of toughness on this team for years. I hate seeing the goalie run and no one doing about it. I hate seeing guys blasted from behind (Lebda) and nothing done about it. Babcock has mentioned numerous times that the Wings need to be harder to play against. Last year I got excited because they actually added some gritty guys to the lineup. I was thinking if they kept them and then Kopecky got a full season in and Franzen continued to develop............................. I was totally excited about next year. For you to say you're going to ignore me all year because we don't agree on one thing borders on ridiculous.

Feel free to explain to me how in a seven game series the Wings won't be beaten up, bloodied, and beaten by these two HUGE teams. I'm sorry, I've seen the Wings get pushed around year after year in the playoffs and I see no reason to believe that won't happen again. The reason they advanced so far this year, and no one can argue this, is because of their grit. Babcock keeps saying the Wings need to get grittier and he's doing his best to make them that way. Wouldn't it be easier to do that with guys who are gritty? You and I have had this discussion since 2002 on here and I've still yet to see a cup.

What'd they win last year? That's right, nothing. The same will hold true next year. Maybe we have different goals. I want the Wings to win the Cup. Couldn't care less about getting the President's trophy or winning the division. This team is too soft to win the cup. That REALLY bugs me. Why not find a weakness and address it? What happened against the Ducks? They wore the Wings down with their physicality and borderline cheapness. You think that won't happen again if they play?

Maybe you forgot that Bertuzzi led the forwards in hits the entire playoffs until he started having spasms again. I guess that doesn't count either, right? p.s. did you see anyone else on the team willing to drop the gloves to defend a teammate or themselves? Markov did. Oh yeah, he's gone too.

This is the softest team in the NHL. You really think they can beat Anaheim, San Jose, Calgary, etc... in a 7 game series? This is what we've been seeing since 2002. This team, as it's constructed is too small and soft. In the past few years the wings have lost, shanahan, mccarty, hatcher, bertuzzi, and calder.

Why don't you ask Dion Phaneuf if he saw any of those qualities.