Barrie

I didn't watch it or see any highlights, I went go karting last night, so can't comment. I'm not watching the All-Star Game either, Seinfeld and Pawn Stars is on

Vancouver hates everyone and everything outside their isolated city, they win. Edit: Seriously, I'd vote Calgary-Edmonton.

Filppula seems like a down to earth guy. During warmups at the December 2nd in Buffalo, a girl beside me at the glass had a Filppula Finland jersey on. She got Filp's attention, showed him the back, and Filp gave her a big smile.

The sad thing is you can say that about most Canadian hockey fans who cheer for Canadian teams.

I really like this team, we have it all this year. NBC pointed out how gritty we are this year, and I agree. Lots of sand paper, as they call it, on this team. We're far from soft, as some people here think. I think the two straight 2nd round exits are going to help this year in the playoffs. We're more rested. Anyway, great game!

I appreciate Crosby's doing everything he can to comeback, but he's done. I heard on 1050 TSN radio in Toronto that Crosby got a serious concussion when he was 11. Just like Lindros, every concussion since that one is making things worse for him.

There's talk out there about doing this every second year now, for the point you brought up. Soon teams will be in it for a 3rd time. They're running out of markets to have it in. I've been saying the last few years that the outdoor game should be the All-Star Game. That was you can expand and use Canadian cities too, which will cut down on their moaning and crying. Edit: Despite saying that, any word on the street about when tickets go on sale for the Wings-Leafs game and average price? My cousin and I are interested in going.

People in Vancouver and Montreal should keep their mouths shut! But then again, that's why Vancouver and Montreal have such bad reputations as cities, and are embarrassments to the rest of Canada. I'll throw Calgary in there too. People in those cities are absolutely clueless, small minded, and are extremely jealous and racist of anything Toronto related! The reason why the 2013 outdoor classic needs to be at "The Big House" is because of the demand for tickets! There's 8 million people in the Toronto area, and 5 Million in the Detroit area, and we're all hockey fans! This game is going to be the biggest one yet, and probably will never be outdone! 24/7 ratings will be through the roof as well! Detroit and Toronto are the biggest hockey fan bases in the NHL.

As a Canadian living in the Toronto area, all I can say is, that's what Vancouver does best is complain. I had to laugh at this: Vancouver this winter has had a ton of snow! The Canucks in the Winter Classic would be a ratings disaster! Even the NHL isn't that dumb!

Wow! They just built a new arena, and the Nets are moving to Brooklyn! In a few years there may only be one team in the NY city area! Seriously the league is a mess financially, despite what Bettman says. They either need to move 6 teams to better markets, or just go back to 24 or 26 teams. I don't think there's shame in getting rid of 4-6 teams. Hockey just doesn't work in certain cities, and the NHL needs to come to grips with it. Edit: I'm getting a little tired of all the negativity with the NHL all the time. Concussions and Bankrupt Teams are always the main topics. It's got me more interested in Baseball and Football.

From today's Detroit News: Make no mistake: Wings have fury to match their finesse

Also, I don't get how people saying we're a soft team. We usually have more hits in games then the opposition. Datsyuk, Kronwall, Abby, Helm, Stuart, Bert, Franzen, etc. all throw their weight around. Just because we don't fight, doesn't make us soft. I tend to lean more towards being more worn out, because we've played so many playoff games, for our last two 2nd round exits. Our guys have played another season or two more games than other teams.

I'd like to point out that the Wings 2007-08 enforcer, Aaron Downey, played 0 games in the playoffs. Also in 2001-02 McCarty and Shanahan, who Cherry mentioned in his rant, were past their primes when it came to fighting. We won two cups with fighters like Kocur, Lapointe, and McCarty (in his prime). The other two were with guys past their fighting primes or none. Cherry was half right. Two of our Cups were won with toughness, the other two (because the game is changing) were won with skill. Enforcers are usually healthy scratches in the playoffs anyway so they aren't out there taking stupid penalties. Plus the pace of the game in the playoffs is faster and they can't keep up. Quicker guys need to be out there.

I agree

America may have fights, but Europe is known for fans actually being killed at games.

I didn't like the new realignment anyway, so it doesn't bother me the PA rejected it. The owners liked it because it meant they could raise ticket prices even more, with more out of Conference "elite games". I'd like to see the PA crush the Owners this time, so Bettman is out the door. Time for some new blood. America has had 3 Presidents since Bettman took over. Imagine how sick of Clinton we'd be if he was still around?

Anyone know how much tickets were to the other outdoor games? Are they over priced, or because of the amount of tickets, they're reasonable? My cousin said he wants to go to the one in Detroit, and of course I'd be interested.

At the beginning of the year I said the Leafs would finish 12th, they're currently 10th. Tampa and Buffalo should pass them. The Leafs just don't have a star player or two who can carry the team through tough times.

When I was in Buffalo December 2nd, the Sabres store did have some Wings stuff, but not much.

Nothing against the Wings, but personally I've been more interested in the Tigers and Lions this year. For years the Wings were the #1 team in town, but things are changing in 2011 and 2012 with us Detroit fans also wanting a World Series and Super Bowl Championships to add to our 4 Stanley Cups. Go Wings, Tigers, and Lions! Pistons too, but they suck ! Edit: There was a time when the Wings had all the best athletes in the city, but now Detroit has Verlander, Cabrera, Stafford, Johnson, Suh, etc. to cheer for along with Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg. We did have Billups, Hamilton, Prince, and the Wallaces in the mid-2000's, but the Pistons are 4th in Detroit in popularity, and have been for decades.

I gotta agree with you about Game 6. That was a fun week winning 3 games in a row! We were so close to coming back, but just ran outta gas. We wore the Sharks down for the Canucks. San Jose and Thornton suck ! I recorded that game and put it on DVD, I should watch it again!

It's only Bleacher Report, but still a good list of The 50 Most Popular Teams in Sports. Wings are #9, and highest among NHL teams . Can't argue with that! http://bleacherreport.com/articles/979699-the-50-most-popular-teams-in-sports/page/43

Wow! They have to start slowing the game down somehow! As mentioned in another discussion, I think the speed of the game is leading to this huge increase in number of concussions. Great quote!

Ericsson >>> Commodore I agree with previous comments, unless there's an injury, Commodore will be watching games. Plus, take away that 6 game stretch where we didn't win a game and we're 19-4. There's no reason to make changes.

Whip lash is what Cindy has, Giroux could be out for a while. The NHL is just to fast since the lockout, I think that's the biggest factor with the increased number of concussions. They sped up the games without taking into account it could lead to an increase in injuries.