therock48880

I predict the wings are still too small and will get roughed up in the east again. Nagging injuries will plague them and the playoff streak will end. Sorry to be pessimistic, it's just how I feel at this point.

Why not "overpay" for a good player if they are going to overpay for two terrible ones? (cleary and quincey)

I don't even want him in Gr taking minutes from kids that could develop into useful players. Unreal.

Not sure why there's a double post. Sorry.

When you aren't a premiere destination teams need to overpay some free agents to become more attractive to other free agents. Similar to what the tigers did when they signed pudge. Kenny has done nothing. Again. His best move since the cap was the Hossa signing and that only happened because Hossa called him.

When you aren't a premiere destination teams need to overpay some free agents to become more attractive to other free agents. Similar to what the tigers did when they signed pudge. Kenny has done nothing. Again. His best move since the cap was the Hossa signing and that only happened because Hossa called him.

I never said having a fighter guaranteed a cup. I said the last four times the wings won a cup they had a fighter on their roster during the regular season. There's a big difference there. Btw, May played less than half the season in Detroit this year. Someone mentioned that it does no good to have a guy on the fourth line that only plays five minutes a game. Several times this past year a fourth liner, who wasn't a fighter, played VERY sparingly during a game. It's not uncommon for a fourth liner to play 5-10 minutes a game. Personally, I'd rather that person be a big person that scares people than a person like Maltby. I agree. Although I'd like that one big scary guy just in case.

Like it or not, the last 4 Wings' teams to win the Cup all had a fighter on the roster during the regular season. As Babcock says, "they keep the flies off" the stars.

There's a part of me that's sad that Philly doesn't get to beat on Crosby and Pens for seven games in a row. Although, I'm still thrilled that the Pens lost. I think Philly is becoming my favorite team from the east.

I'm on letsgopens at times too. I have the same username but rarely post there. I find it fun to read their perspective on occasion. Yes I remember their complaints about obstruction. I also remember Datsyuk with the puck on his stick at center ice about to ice the game into an empty net when he was tripped and had the puck taken which led to the Hossa almost goal. There is no possible way the every ref on the ice missed that play. It's really not worth debating. There once was a time when I felt the exact same way you do. Maybe in a couple of years you'll have converted over to my way of thinking. Actually, I'd prefer that the NHL do some thing about the horrible officiating (something I think everyone agrees on) and this concept would just fade away. However, I don't think that will happen and I beleive that certain teams will get the benefit of the doubt more than others will, just like in every other sport.

No, I never said refs were told to favor anyone. I doubt that happens, but there isn't a doubt in my mind that certain players and teams get star treatment. It happens in every other sport and I think it'd be naive to assume it doesn't happen in hockey. No, I don't think the Wings get favorable treatment in any way (especially in the playoffs). It seems odd to me that they went from the second least penalized team in the regular season to the most penalized team in the playoffs.

The too many men penalty was after FIVE consecutive power plays for the Pens and the one on Crosby was very early in the first. My point was, as soon as Montreal got the lead, the power plays for the Pens started rolling in. Coincidence? Maybe. If this had been a one time thing, then maybe I'd buy the coincidence theory but that trend happened repeatedly throughout that series and I don't see how that can be denied. I think it was in game 6, someone took the time to look up how long after Montreal scored a goal that the Pens got a power play. I think it was 2 minutes or less each time. Do you think the NBA refs favor Lebron, Kobe, etc...??? Clearly the answer is yes. So, why is it so far fetched to think that the NHL's version of those two wouldn't get the star treatment from the refs?

Not really. The Habs got a big lead and the Pens got five straight power plays. The Pens lost because they couldn't convert on those chances that were handed to them.

Two years ago I was a person that would vehemently argue against conspiracies against one team or another. However, my views have changed after watching the last two years of playoffs. I don't think there's an outright directive to favor anyone, but I definitely believe there is an unspoken rule to favor some teams and players. Kinda like when Jordan was playing. He could get away with murder. Lebron and Kobe would be similar examples. Remember the Ducks last year and what they did to the Wings? The disallowed goals, the phantom holding penalties, etc... Then the famous six men on the ice for the pens for over 30 seconds that wasn't called at a CRUCIAL moment of the series. Tonight's game is a perfect example of the league trying to make games more interesting. The Habs go up by four and suddenly the Pens get four straight power plays. Montreal hasn't had a power play since the first period. I saw a post on lgw after one of the Pens games about how quickly the Pens get a power play after the other team goes up by a goal. All of that can't be a coincidence, imo. So, is there a conspiracy? Probably not. Is there an effort to try to keep games close and to give the golden boy an opportunity to be a winner? Yes, I definitely think that's happening.

There you go. That's exactly how I feel. The last two years the wings haven't been able to do anything at the deadline due to being up against the cap.

Holland says this every year. I can't see him re-signing Lilja if it costs having to trade Miller or Ritola. That would make no sense at all, imo.

Exactly. I wasn't counting on him to replace Lidstrom as a top two dman by any stretch of the imagination.

I'd certainly take 60 games from a dman that instills fear into the opposition, especially in the playoffs. I'm tired of seeing people camp in front of Howard, and tired of seeing dmen that are too soft to overpower someone for a puck in the corners. Someone asked how much he makes and I think it's around 3 million.

They didn't lose to the sharks because they couldn't score. They lost because they couldn't play lock-down d like they used to. Signing Kovalchuk looks nice, but I still don't think that addresses the Wing's biggest weakness. The team needs a big, strong d-man that can move people away from the front of the net and single handedly retrieve a puck from the corner. The Wing's dmem, other than Stuart, are too soft, imo. They need a guy like Sutton. As well as Howard played this year, he only had one shutout in the regular season and one in the playoffs. He's faced more shots in the playoffs than any other goalie. Remember the days when the Wings could hold teams to 20 shots per game? This year the shot totals were MUCH higher. Defense wins in the playoffs, not offense.

Andy Sutton! Great big, mean, stay-at-home d-man that moves people from the front of the net and can overpower people in the corners. Those are two traits the Wing's d-men sorely lack.

Sounds great in theory. Except Lidstrom's 16 year old son just enrolled in an elite hockey league in Sweden. http://detnews.com/article/20100510/SPORTS0103/5100412 I don't think he'd be enrolling in a league in Sweden unless moving back over there was a distinct possibility.

A common theme in both series this year was watching smaller Wing's players battling in the corners with behemoths. Getting rid of Bertuzzi helps that situation how?

This is exactly right. Montreal fans should be just as upset as Wings fans right now. That series has been horribly officiated too. It's become a joke.

My guess is he's not being played because Howard's better. However, maybe you are correct and you are a better judge of talent than Babcock.

Did Sutton hit him twice or something? The reason I ask is I can't figure out how anyone would think the first hit was a dirty hit. His elbow was at his side during contact and came up AFTER the hit. Unless being 6' 6" is illegal in hockey, he did nothing wrong. Out of curiousity's sake, what do you guys think Sutton should have done? Crouch down since Leo wasn't paying attention? Utterly ridiculous.