BlueMonk

Good lord.

I'm ashamed of myself. I just couldn't help it

Me, too. I'd like to suggest that the Wings show him how much they appreciate him with an all expenses paid trip somewhere nice. Maybe a tropical destination? How about Barbados? Yeah, let's send him on a nice vacation to Barbados. He can stay a nice long time there. Like until late June. Yeah. Happy Birthday, Kope.

After a shaky start, Ozzie played a fine game. The PK is terrible. Rafalski had a brutal game. Hossa was great.

Finally, a win!

VS camera angles suck!

Rafalski better have the flu and be barfing between shifts to justify the way he's playing tonight.

"Ozzie sucks." "No, he doesn't!" "Yes, he does!" "No, he doesn't!"

Ridiculous penalty, the Wings should play angry now. Cross check Jackman in the face, slash Tkachuk in the nuts, draw some blood, take no prisoners, score some goals. Yeah.

Ah f**k.

I've always been a fan of Strader and I don't hate on VS like some people do, but I have to say, every aspect of this broadcast has been bush league. From the excessive dialog at the expense of describing the action, to the brutal lack of replay angles, not describing the penalties... just a terrible effort.

Could VS possibly have a worse replay of that? How about a camera angle from inside the dressing room through black felt? Is that possible?

Another bad goal! Let's just play this one with empty nets.

1. Wrong place on the ice to leave a shooter wide open to take a one-timer. 2. Unscreened shot, goalie needs to stop that.

The Wings goal was a combination of weird events but that was just a flat out brutal goaltending moment for Legace.

Can someone tell me what happened in the first period? I got distracted by some paint drying on my wall and never did get back to watching the game. Ugh, lame period.

Osgood has been a disappointment but it's team defense that has hurt the Red Wings more than anything. If they don't get that part of their game together, no goalie in the world will save them.

The situation with Kopecky really does seem to be linked to Hossa's arrival. I don't know what kind of arrangement they have, but let's assume the Wings' hands are tied in this matter and Kopecky is in the lineup until Hossa is gone. Draper is at least a decent faceoff guy, but Maltby is meat at this point. The Wings may feel a certain sense of obligation towards him, but they've shown they're willing to sit him down already and should do so again. Any one of 4 or 5 guys playing in GR would be a significant upgrade over Maltby.

I was down on Lilja like crazy the past couple years, but this year, the guy's been everything the Wings could ask for. He blocks shots and plays a solid, stay-at-home game. He's still pretty physical, too, although he'd be much enhanced if the Wings dressed a tough guy. I'm pleasantly surprised.

What happens next is the Wings start playing more games at home. I'm not happy about the ridiculous stretch of home/away back-to-backs they play in March, but they still have 9 of 14 at JLA after having played 27 of their 49 games on the road. That, along with getting some injured players back, should help.

Not a good game for the Wings. They look beat up and tired. This is a time of year when a team can survive looking like that, at least.

The lack of hitting and fighting is a turn off to the local fans. I don't know if the fans who cheer the team on from outside the Detroit area really get this, but this is a town that likes the rough stuff. It's definitely a factor in drawing fans in. Even losing last night's game, there was an excitement and emotion to the game that our guys don't bring on a nightly basis. Look, we should all be grateful that this organization is so successful. And with the salary cap and the low draft picks every year, the Wings have to be really resourceful in putting together a roster that wins, and they do it year in and year out. But the downside to it is the emphasis on that aspect of hockey has been sacrificed. Someone said on the GDT that he'd rather see the Wings lose games like the one they played last night than win the way they usually do, implying that it's a very methodical, almost robotic style of hockey that is void of the physical element. I wouldn't go that far; I love seeing the team hoist the Stanley Cup, because I like my team winning more than any of the other aspects. And the skill and puck possession game is a thing of beauty that should be appreciated. But at the same time, I understand that mentality. At some point, the game itself is so different that it doesn't even feel like NHL hockey. The rivalry with Colorado was one of the best hockey rivalries I've seen, and it wasn't just based on two good teams, it was based on the bloodlust and general hatred that existed between the two teams. The Wings can never be part of a rivalry like that with players who just walk away from physical confrontations. You can love it or lament it, but that's just the way it is.

Well despite a lackluster effort, there was some excitement to this game. I forgot what it was like to see our guys really respond to a physical challenge, but they really did tonight. And it certainly got them back in the game, they just fell short.

Weak call, we'll take it. God, Kronner better have the stomach flu or something.