Jedi

Well, logic dictates that no, he wouldn't have made a difference in the end... Avery's team lost to the Penguins... The Stars lost to the Red Wings... The Penguins also lost to the Red Wings... So, it's like the whole "Do I cheer for the team that knocked my team off because if they win that means my team would have won had we not lost?" dilemma. And in all reality, in that series Dallas was VASTLY outworked in the first three games, battled back in the next two, and were outworked yet again in the deciding game 6. Avery would not have been able to provide the spark needed to beat the Wings. It would have been a fair bit more fun to watch, but I think the outcome would have been the same, Wings in 6.

Yeah, a little over a month ago... One source I saw for this rumor was Sports Illustrated's "Fan Nation, Truth & Rumors" page.

Doc's not bad by any stretch. And he does get more excited as the tension mounts in a game. But my god, if you made a drinking game for everytime he said the word drive... "...Rafalski with a DRIVE..." "and a DRIVE by Lidstrom..." You'd be toasted midway through the first period...

I can't say I blame Scotty one bit. You can't argue too much against a father wanting to be near his two sons, working with one of them, ESPECIALLY being there to support a child battling with cancer. I wish him nothing but the best, except for those 6 nights a year we meet! Here's to you Scotty! Thanks for all that you've done through the years, behind the bench or in the front office! Detroit is the champion it is today because of you!

Sorry, no. Hossa was not with the Sens for the '06-'07 season. Taken from Tsn.ca... Unless of course, you meant to say...

Man... I really forgot how much I missed Gary Thorne and Bill Clement until hearing all those clips. Much better that Doc and Eddie, imo. Doc's ok, but Thorne just seemed to me to get more excited as the game, and series wore on, and his calls during those big goals always gives me goosebumps. It also helps that he called my 3 favorite Wings goals... "McCarty drops back with Niinimaa in front of him, McCarty draws, McCarty in, McCarty SCORES!!! A magnificent goal, Darren McCarty!" "...Lidstrom shot, Yzerman knocked it down, and a great save, THE GOAL COUNTS, THE GOAL COUNTS, !" "Gretzky had it, lost it, Yzerman picks it up. Yzerman moving, blue line chance, SCORES, STEVE YZERMAN, DETROIT WINS!" Gives me chills just thinking about them...

Is it this one?

I prefer if the way it is actually. We own it. They don't. Debate it all they want, nothing's going to change it.

I rest my case.

Heh. The Cup's rich history of being used and abused is almost as old as the Cup itself... There are a few pages elaborating on some of the highlights (lowlights, perhaps?) of the Stanley Cup's long list of abuses... Such as being used for an ashtray, geraniums-pot, popcorn bucket, christening fount and horse-feeder, just to name a few...

GillyFO! Haven't heard THAT expression in awhile! That's a bit of an inside joke dating back to a member that hasn't been on the site in a few years. GilchristFOREVER (or, GillyFO for short). He would almost always include either the or in a post.

That was a free agent signing (recently ranked as the worst Detroit Free Agent signing ever), but I agree.

Alrighty folks. Let's keep the debate about AO vs Crosby based on hockey skills alone. (read: no more comments based on sex/sexuality).

Hehe... None of us seem to be able to stay on topic in that regard... (Present company included!) Dionne kinda forced Detroit's hand in that matter. Long story short, Dionne refused to sign with Detroit at the end of his contract (and in fact signed with Los Angeles as a Free Agent). But the NHL allowed Detroit to trade Dionne's rights away along with Bart Crashley to Los Angeles for Terry Harper, Dan Maloney and a 2nd rounder in '76. From LegendsOfHockey.net...

As Doggy said, though it was an offseason trade and not a trade-deadline deal, easily one of the worst moves Detroit ever made was sending Oates & MacLean (Yes, the same Paul MacLean who is now our assistant coach) to the Blues for Federko and McKegney. Federko retired at the end of that year, and McKegney was dealt after playing only 14 games to Quebec... Not exactly a resounding success... And the Cory Cross trade... That's a bit of a stretch to say it's the worst trade, IMO. Cross was brought in to be a depth defenseman at best. The Wings had a fully healthy blueline, with Lidstrom, Schneider, Cheli, Kronner, Lilja, and Lebda playing in all 6 games of the playoffs. We even had Woolley as the 7th defenseman, so 2 of the Wings blueliners would have had to go down before Cross would have seen any action. Pittsburgh used that 4th round pick to select Alex Grant, a 6'2", 189lb defenseman who was 18 at the time of the draft and is still playing for the QMJHL. If Grant breaks through in the league and wins a Norris trophy, then yeah, the Cross trade was a bust. That's of course assuming that Detroit would have selected Grant in the first place... As far as the best trade, getting Cheli in '99 wasn't bad. The best value for a trade hands down has to be Kris Draper. After all, we got him for ONE DOLLAR from Winnipeg.

At this point, I'm just looking forward to Red Wings hockey. The rest will sort itself out in due time.

Nothing wrong with a gut feeling... (Though, speaking from personal experience only, it's usually safer to bet in the complete opposite direction from MY gut feelings... Take that for what it's worth) Honestly, I think Hossa will have a bigger impact on scoring than did Lang or Whitney. These were guys who were good, but were relied upon to be one-of-if-not-THE top guy in their respective, crappy teams. And so going from being the top scorer in a less-than-average talent level team to a guy fighting for ice time in a LOADED Wings team... Dropoffs were inevitable. They were good players, but not elite. Hossa, on the other hand, signed the big money contract, and he'll be expected to put up big money numbers to match that big money contract. Expect him to be getting ice time either on a reinvented first line, or the second at worst. Figure in PP time, and PK time, and he'll put up good numbers. As for the bet... It's gonna be close, that's about all I can say. Well, that and, Good Luck!

Well, Babs certainly will have his hands full trying to find the right fit for an apparent-budding-powerhouse in Franzen, and an elite winger to join his already elite centers. He's got a whole lot of talent to juggle, so if he has a problem finding the right match, it's at least what I call a "High-Quality" problem... It's certainly better than the alternative... I think we'll see Franzen's torrid pace slow down some in the regular season. He benefitted from top line minutes due to injuries, and from having two of the best players in the world on the same line for a time. I think one of the brightest things about that experience is that he learned from the experience. He didn't just ride the wave until it dried up, he built on it and gained the confidence to play the kind of game that got him the big numbers. He now knows that he has the skills to take the puck hard to the net for scoring chances, or parking that big frame of his in front of the goal to get deflections and rebounds. Those are skills that are valuable in the regular season, and absolutely priceless in the post-season. Since he should see most of his time on the second line, I can easily see big things for the 'Stein.

Small snippet about the Ericsson signing from DetNews.com. Not much to add, but it does state that the deal is a two-way deal, so the cap hit will vary...

I've already asked off for the time at work. Making a trip to Detroit in January is a bit of a yearly tradition with me, so it wouldn't take a whole lot of modification. I want so badly to go to this game!

What, not a fan of this as the next Wings jerseys? Back to the topic, I understand the intention of the rule, but this guy has been playing pro for a few years. Although it's his first stint in the NHL, he should be allowed to have a bit better contract than the entry level one. IMO, at least...

On NBC, yes. Since ABC has been producing the show, they picked it up when it's contract with NBC ran out. Season 8 of Scrubs is expected to premier in January on ABC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series) (yeah, so it's wikipedia, the sources are legit trust me). I am absolutely FLOORED that John C McGinley is doing the voice work for the DVD. Who better to do the narration than a Cheli/Wings fan? Thank God I ordered mine the night they won the cup! Trying to find that DVD here in Tx? You'd have a better chance of getting struck by lightning immediately after winning the lottery!

Yeah, Holland once stated that he'd retire about 10 minutes after Lidstrom retires, but it's always been taken in a joking context. I wouldn't be too worried about that. Though, there is always a little truth behind every joke... I think it's Kenny's way of showing that Lidstrom's presence on the blue line makes his job that much easier.

10 years ago, after we won the Cup for the second year in a row, everyone was pointing to how old we were, and how we wouldn't be able to compete in the NHL for long. 5 years ago, after we were eliminated in the first round against the Ducks, everyone was pointing to how our free spending didn't work, and that we were still too old with too few reliable prospects. 3 years ago, after the salary cap was established, everyone was pointing to Detroit saying that our days atop the NHL were finished now that the Ilitch's couldn't spend spend spend anymore. Our management has been the cream of the crop when it comes to handling this team. I truly believe that if we had anyone other than the Ilitch's as owners, and Kenny, Jim Devellano, Jim Nill, and now Scotty & Stevie in the front office, that we would have fared exactly as the hockey analysts have predicted. We would have faded out and watched other teams win, trying to emulate their style of play/management. You have to give them credit for adapting their strategies to the new CBA, and bringing in fresh talent, while still keeping a very experienced core of veterans.

Vancouver would have to offer something big in order to have a real shot at catching Flip. If they offer him what he's really worth now, Detroit will just match it, and Vancouver gets nothing. If the Canucks are serious about trying to entice Filppula away, they're gonna have to go big, and force the Wings into a corner. It's the same thing Kevin Lowe did to sign Dustin Penner last year. They'll have to offer MORE than what he's worth in order to have a realistic shot at luring him away. So I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if Vancouver offers 3 million or more for him.