Barrie

Nothing against what you said, it's just my personal opinion about Bettman. That's the thing that bugs me most about the guy, and the Board of Governors, is that they don't seem to have a clue about how to make the NHL a premier sport. Bettman seems more concerned about his bankrupt teams than his richest markets. Personally I've been wondering the last few years why I continue to watch, when strange things seem to happen against the Wings in the Playoffs to favor Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Nashville. Bettman seems to have his favorite teams, i.e. Phoenix and Pittsburgh, and continually tried to market the League around one of it's most hated and whiniest player. Also I wonder sometimes who's in charge of market research of the NHL. Including the booos and anti comments for Crosby, take a listen to any sports talk station in America, and Americans wonder why they allow fighting and hits to the head. If you want to be thought of the same as the NFL, MLB, and NBA, you need to listen to your fans. I don't know what the NHL is afraid of if they ban fighting and hits to the head. How many fans would they lose if there was no more fights or hits to the head? I say zero. Plus if anyone just watches for the fights and hits to the head, you don't want them as fans anyway.

Yea keeping Holmstrom around one more year for about a million, isn't like Messier wanting 1st line minutes his last year with the Rangers.

This is the downside to success, these guys that were involved in it deserve a proper send off. The key is to cut ties with them, but not embarrass them while doing it.

Bettman's probably trying to create some interest in the LA-Phoenix series, as LA was in the first waive of expansion. Plus his favorite player, Cindy Crosby, and favorite team, Pittsburgh, is part of an "Original 12" team. Bettman keeps talking about how well the League is doing, but I heard talk today on the Buffalo sports talk station, WGR 550am, about how the clutch, grab, and playing the trap is back in the game. One caller said teams may as well just put 4 players in front of the net to block shots, that's what it's coming too. As mentioned, I haven't been watching, so I can't comment on it.

If the Kings make it to the finals I'll watch, because I actually know some players on that team and they're entertaining. The "star power" in the West just plain sucks! Note: The East isn't that great either.

You're not missing much

Funny story, I was at my cousin's last night and we put the game on. With 8 minutes left in the 2nd Period the TSN announcers said the shots were 12-7 for Phoenix. I said, "12-7 and the game is more than half over?" After that, we decided to watch a rerun of Undercover Boss he recorded on his PVR instead. Edit: Take note NHL, two life long hockey fans decided to watch Undercover Boss instead of the 2nd round of the playoffs!

A few days late, but I guess Nashville thinks it's more serious for missing curfew than the NHL thinks slamming an opponents head into the glass is. No joke, the non Weber suspension has turned me off from the playoffs. I couldn't tell you what the 2nd round series are at right now. I've watched about 5 minutes total of the 2nd round.

I think Bettman and the Board of Governors have been trying to control/fix playoff games and series for a few years now, so their horrible expansion teams and CBA doesn't look so bad. I'd like to see the NHLPA take 'em to the cleaners this off season. I'd be willing to miss another season if it means Bettman is out the door!

I'm sure Luongo would love to get out of Vancouver. I don't care what players make, but there's some pressures they shouldn't have to deal with. The Canucks can't score goals in the playoffs, but the fans and media continue to blame Luongo for the playoff losses, when it's the forwards who should be getting all the blame. He'll say all the right things, but I'm sure Luongo is thinking that Schneider can have all the pressure now playing in a Canadian city, while he goes and enjoys playing hockey again in either Florida or TB. Imagine the reaction from Canucks fans/media if Schneider gets off to a bad start when he's giving the starting job next year? They'll be saying, "This guy is unproven as a starter, we should have kept Luongo" Luongo should just flat out ask for a trade then, and to an Eastern Conference team. That way he'll only have to go back once every two years. By the time he goes back the fans will either 1) won't care because Schneider is playing well, or 2) will cheer him because Schneider sucked, and they want him back.

Sounds like the 2003 Ducks and 2006 Oilers.

Thinking Babcock will be fired is like 2001 when people wanted Bowman fired. Who out there is better than Babs? It's a simple answer, no one!

The only number I care about with this series will be the Nielsen Ratings. This has disaster written all over it!

I think Luongo will ask for a trade. I compare to Osgood to Jeter, Jeter has never had the best numbers, but he's a winner, just like Ozzie was.

Looks like this year's playoffs is going to be as interesting as 2006, when all the best teams/players were eliminated early too.

I've been thinking since the 2009 final the League is fixed by Bettman. Bettman's only interested in saving his bankrupt markets and doing away with dynasties so his horrible CBA looks good. Every year since our last Cup there's something questionable going on. 2009 Malkin wasn't suspended for starting a fight with less than 2 minutes, 2010 the Sharks weren't called for diving, 2011 Bettman tried to do away with our Octopus tradition by not allowing Al swing them over his head, now 2012 Weber wasn't suspended. With the Wings and Pens eliminated, and the Canucks, Bruins, Black Hawks, and Rangers on the brink, I'm hoping the TV ratings for the next 3 rounds of the playoffs are horrible. I have a feeling with the NBC Sports Network now showing games, they'll tell Bettman to smarten up and have his best teams advance, or else they won't show games anymore. NBC isn't interested in saving Phoenix or Nashville from bankruptcy, they want Detroit, Chicago, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, etc. deep in the playoffs so they can make money selling ad space.

Let's Go Tigers!

I'm ok going out in the 1st round. We have time to reevaluate things and make changes. When you hum along, you get into bad habits. Not at all. Think of it this way, if Pittsburgh and Vancouver go out 1st round, are they a less desirable destinations? Nope. Remember in 2001 when we went out first round, in the off season we signed Hull and Robitaille, and traded for Hasek. 2003 when we went out 1st round we signed Hatcher and Whitney. We are the premiere franchise in the NHL.

This team is younger than the 2001 team. Datsyuk and Zetterberg in 2012 are younger than Yzerman and Shanahan were in 2001, plus overall there's more, and better, young talent coming up in 2012 too.

I don't think there's a lot that needs to be fixed. Mostly we just need to free up cap room by letting Hudler, Stuart, and Holmstrom go. I think for a few years Holland has planned that this off season he'd make a big move or two. I can see Nyquist, Tatar, and Smith playing full time, which frees up money to sign Parise. Suter, I don't think he'll sign here, but we have enough good guys on D if Lidstrom retires, or Holland will make another mid level White type signing. We can still win one more Cup with Zetterberg and Datsyuk as the leaders of this team. I think long term, and I don't see going out in the 1st round this year a bad thing. Holland can use the early exit to make some much needed changes, and the core of the team will be hungrier going into next year. This could be like 2001 all over again.

If I was Luongo, I'd request a trade and let Schneider have to deal with the Vancouver fans and media. He gets no goal support in the playoffs, but everyone blames the loses on him. It's not his fault his team can't score goals in big games.

I wouldn't start loading this team up with tough guys. The way the playoff games have been played, someone is going to get seriously hurt and things will change over night.

How quickly people forget these "pretty boys" won the Cup in 2008 and was only 1 win away from repeating in 2009. There's 26 teams full of "pretty boys" who've never won a thing!

I don't think we'll see anything major. This is still a great team with a chance at another cup, but with Hudler, Stuart, and Holmstrom gone, I can see Smith up full time and Parise signed. If we sign Parise, I can see Nyquist playing full time and somehow getting rid of Franzen to make room for him. I think all we need is a consistent 35-40 goal scorer. If Lidstrom retires, we'll have more cap room. I'm good either way if he's back or calls it a career. Z and Filp are going no where, I'm surprised people want to see them traded . Sometimes first round exits, in the long run, are a good thing.

Typical CBC favoring the team with the most Canadians in their broadcast. If the Wings get eliminated, they'll be happy until they see their ratings for the first game on the 2nd round, and watch some of their advertisers drop out. With the Wings gone, there goes half their audience. What do you expect from a TV station that's run by the Government? The Government doesn't know how to make money, they only know how to waste it and expect the tax payers to pay for their mistakes.