BlueMonk

Blue Jackets in shut down mode. This is like watching paint dry.

Really? I think the Wings would destroy them. The Blue Jackets are just good enough to win these games if they're playing desperate and the Red Wings aren't. The Wings don't respect Columbus yet. It's like Chicago earlier this year and Nashville a few years ago.

Brutal defense. Wow.

That was a very nice bounce back effort. Great to see the strong PK and team defense. Great to see Ozzie get the shutout and play a solid game. Really nice to see Kopecky getting it done. This game had it all, eh? The physical play was really amped up and the fight was a doozie! Only downer was the Hossa injury, but the preliminary results on that don't sound too bad.

Great news. Reading this board a couple hours ago, the only question seemed to be about when the funeral arrangements would be.

Is Kopecky responding to the battle Babs is opening up for the 4th line or what?

Filppula is a trainwreck with the puck anymore.

Jackman and Crombeen showing that it is possible to use a defensive system that involves exactly one strategy: cross-checking.

Hehehe, I just saw that. Awesome!

As bad as the singing fish in the McDonald's commercial is, I never get tired of the "Vroom vroom party starter!" ads with Conan O'Brien.

Kopecky, I love it when you prove us wrong!

Jesus, killing a penalty, Stuart to Draper with the weakest sh**, epic fail attempt to clear the puck out of the zone. GOOD GOD, it's not that hard!!

Epic fight! A draw, and not a lot of punches landed, but I give it an A for endurance!

You missed my point completely. I didn''t say they need Downey to win, I said that even though they dressed this supposed talentless pylon, they had great success.

Hehehe. Awesome.

Sure, I agree the SCF hangover is a bigger thing than just one guy. Fair enough. But there are three key players who filled that specific role last year, at least one of whom was pretty much on the ice in every game. I'm not just talking about a fighter, I'm talking about a player with a generally ornery disposition who gives as good as he gets when things get rough. There's nobody on this team like that. The guys on this team who play tough have to be coached to do so. They're not just wired to play that way like Drake, Downey or Mac. The jury's out on this, IMO. From what I've seen, this team doesn't want to hit anybody. If you want to blame the hangover, okay, I can't prove that's not the reason. But the most physical games they've played in the past 5 seasons were the ones I saw last year. There was no SC hangover in the other three seasons leading up to last year. For me, there's just no question that a few key players on the roster were responsible for that. Is it anecdotal evidence? Sure. And I'm subject to being biased. But the Downey game against Dallas this year was certainly not a "mark your calendars" matchup like the games against Chicago or San Jose (who cares about Dallas?), and that game clearly stood out amongst the others. I will say that I'm pleasantly surprised that I was wrong about teams gooning it up with the Wings this year. I expected more of it with the Stanley Cup champs tag they're wearing, but it's been quite the opposite; teams have pretty much left their stars alone this year. I can't explain it. Either there's some kind of respect factor I've never seen before, or the league really is just changing.

This is definitely part of what I'm saying. The other thing is, the team has played differently this year despite minimal turnover. Less physical, much worse team defense. A team's mindset is hugely important, and a good roster with the right components and chemistry are what ultimately is decisive in this league. Just adding a more talented piece is not enough. Look at the Stars pre-Avery and post-Avery; they certainly haven't gotten more talented, but they're winning now. It's not all about scoring. If you have a guy who fits in well and serves a role, that's worth something. If his presence makes everyone else play an inch taller and 10 pounds heavier, that's worth something. Maybe having a tough guy in the lineup didn't make them better, but it certainly didn't seem to make them worse. Meanwhile, we get hockey fights! Which I have never shied away from admitting I love.

You're being coy. You know that's not what I'm saying. Read my post again, you'll find the logic.

Downey dressed for 56 games last year and the Red Wings won the President's Trophy. This year, his roster spot - or, more accurately, the spot that a rotating platoon of Downey, Drake and McCarty filled last season - has been replaced by Marian Hossa. That's right; Marian Freakin' Hossa. And they're probably not going to win the President's Trophy this season. Think about that. And every time you think the Wings are making a mistake when they aren't icing the team with the most pure talent, recite that fact back to yourself. Every time you think you can't afford dressing a guy who isn't a great skater, can't put the puck in the net and has terrible hands, recite that fact back to yourself. Every time you think dressing a guy who will only skate 5 or 6 minutes is a waste of a roster spot and will ruin the ability to roll 4 lines... recite that fact back to yourself.

They threatened to kill him! Context

Heh, you know me. Yeah, context plays a role, sure. As I say, just speaking in general, the big celebrations leave me cold. I'm a lunch pail guy who has a soft spot for players who don't draw extra attention to themselves. I will say that I enjoyed Ovie's antics towards Sid in their recent matchup, though. I hope that rivalry continues, because I think Sid is a wee bit jealous of Ovie's popularity.

Now we're making excuses for him. The game's over, and you're gonna taunt the fans after scoring as your team has just had its ass handed to it? Like the old saying goes, "Scoreboard." Look, I like the guy. He's one of my favorite non-Wings. This is a small part of his persona and it doesn't diminish how much I like him. It just doesn't add anything and I could do without it. As a fan of the NBA and NFL, I'm used to it. But when players go about their business like Yzerman and Barry Sanders, I just happen to prefer it. That's all.

Well that's a pretty precise request. But keeping it in the spirit of the discussion... Sabres blowing out Washington late in the 3rd, and Ovechkin scores and taunts the crowd afterward. I mean, silly.

Well, everyone who said the Wings needed to be thoroughly embarrassed to shatter the false sense of security that they can play bad and win should be satisfied now.

Kenny just made a good point. Look at Arnott, just notched a hat trick in an 8-0 game and didn't go flying into the boards like an assclown. It can be done!