Turkey

One of THN's writers has made the argument regarding Sundin's HoF chances for me right here. Yes, I still stand by the assertion that Feds goes in before him.

Never winning the prize has doomed some great players to be shut out of the Hall before. I predict that with Sundin as well. The only thing that might save him is being a Leaf. I sort of think those guys are the mafia of the NHL sometimes.

Over: The Sedins (I consider them one player), Thomas (good goalie but I just don't see him as being as glorious as everyone makes out). Under: Doan, Bouwmeester

Feds goes into the Hall ages before Roenick or Sundin. The idea that either would go in before him seems sort of nuts to me.

I think this guy is going to be a stellar media guy eventually. He's a funny SOB.

I vote we all just go ahead and call him Unkie Homer from now on.

Is this definitely true? Draper isn't exactly big but he played the game with reckless abandon for years. Isn't Helm supposed to be Draper jr?

I PWN him all the time in PMs but I normally don't mention it because it embarrasses him. (the above statement is a lie)

I seem to recall seeing a Det/Toronto game w/ Gordie Howe on ESPN classic just a few years back. Somehow anything that happened less than 10 years ago doesn't seem that classic to me. Maybe we need a new channel called ESPN Not That Terribly Long Ago.

The only thing that's going to help this team is new ownership. Wang and his pet "GM" are killing that franchise.

Hollweg has a brain the size of a walnut. I swear I've never seen a guy more prone to doing something titanically dumb and then sitting on the bench looking angry. You just want to shake him and say "Dude! You're on the bench because the coach can't TRUST you not to do something even more stupid than what you ALREADY DID."

Anheuser-Busch acquired by Belgian Co for 52 Billion. I figured this would be a logical addition to this thread.

I think the reason for these signings is pretty obvious. There is a cap to how much a team will pay for an enforcer. Enforcers sign early because it's absurd to think that holding out is going to earn them anymore money. In other words, most teams want one but just because they all go fast doesn't mean they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. It just means that they (and/or their agents) have the common sense to know that there's nothing to be gained by holding out.

Great now I just laughed so hard I wet myself right here in the office.

'Bulin certainly needs to be moved but I think they should move Havlat too. He's hurt far too much for a guy with his paycheck.

I won't lie. This is exactly what I wanted once I heard Holland was looking for a goalie to challenge Howard. Conklin is a bit of a reclamation project and I think that ultimately Howard will surpass him. In the meantime, I fully approve of an insurance signing that isn't in his late 30s.

I actually think this is sort of hilarious.

The Hudler hate makes no sense. Kronner scored on his own net. Are we screaming for his head? Hudler has more play off points than Kronwall does so let's take a pass on the "bench Hudler" bandwagon, eh? As for Chelly, I love him and wish he would play but if I'm Babcock I make no changes. 9 times out of 10 Detroit wins that last game. No sense messing w/ a winning line up. We lost that game on a fluke and only a novice makes line up changes in reaction to a fluke.

I had Brother Thelonius Belgian Style Ale the other day...that stuff is pretty tasty and probably cheaper than buying an imported beer. Not sure about the cost though, since I didn't buy it.

Melrose was a good coach a long time ago in another universe as far as the rules are concerned. I suspect the folks who believe the game to have passed him by are probably right. Good luck to Barry but I'm not getting my hopes up.

I am not optimistic about Holmstrom so I'd say that seeing Mac soon is a fair possibility. Chelios I'm less sure about. I'm not entirely convinced that Babs wouldn't play Ericsson or Quincey over him. I don't necessarily agree with it but it could be so.

Upon further reflection, I'm not sure I'm as annoyed about this as I was at first. Turning down more money isn't so bad...I can understand it if he wants to play for the Wild (his home team) or if he wants to pick and choose...but I do wonder if this isn't just bad karma!

I'll be living in St. Louis by then. I may have to try and go to this game.

It definitely seems like a prima donna move to me. Pay your dues like everyone else. Also, Phoenix has been a long suffering team for sure but they showed this season that they are making big strides. They'll be very competitive soon enough, I think. I don't like the move.

I'd almost prefer Cleary moved up. Holmstrom, while handling the puck more than he used to do, is basically a "park at the front and wait" guy. I think this works well w/ Pav and Hank because they tend to want to control the puck. Franzen, on the other hand, doesn't stay in front, shots from all over and is better suited to a situation where he is cycling around looking for opportunities. To be blunt, Holmstrom is a one trick pony (albeit a very good trick) and Franzen isn't. For that reason I'd rather have him producing on the second line and move someone like Cleary in front of the net for Pav and Hank. I dunno for sure...I haven't really thought it through....but that's my gut feeling.