Barrie

I think eventually teams will be moved back to Winnipeg and Quebec City, and there will be a second Toronto team. Also I think Columbus will move East before the Wings. The Wings are the biggest draw in the West. No way they move East.

I don't have a problem with Abby's hit on Erat being called a penalty. I don't want opposing players to hit our guys like that. Those kind of hits can end careers.

I still can't believe Lupul's goal last Saturday, when he sat on Howard, was ok, and our's was called back.

All-Time is Jeremy Roenick. Current, Ryan Getzlaf. Can't stand him as a Duck, but would love to have him on the Wings. He'd instantly be my favorite Wing, wouldn't even have to play a game before it happened. I'd get the jersey too.

Great post, couldn't have said it better myself, +1 to you.

Wait until the playoffs before you start analyzing the coach. As I've said in other discussions, this is the problem when 16 teams make the playoffs. All the attention in the last couple months is on who makes the last 2 playoffs spots. There's no motivation for the best teams to play , they're just killing time for the playoffs.

Funny how a list of the most skilled players of all-time includes players who won't make the hall of fame.

I think it was called right on the ice and by the League.

I still can't believe when Eaves got punched in the head there was no call. They really need to reevaluate what is and isn't a penalty. It seems like player safety is always secondary.

Bettman sucks!

Screw the refs, at least we got the point. Time for some Helm magic in OT.

Whatever. It's every game, NBC, Verses, and TSN! Seriously, enough of Pierre!

Can someone please hire Pierre McGuire as a GM or something, I'm sooo sick of him on TV!

They really need to re think penalties. Eaves get's punched in the head, no call, Ericsson slows a guy down, penalty. Think back to last game, Lupul sits on Howard and Rafalski's bad knee gets hit, no calls. It's a joke!

I don't watch the OHL at all, but I'm a Spitfires fan.

Fair enough. I just wonder in this situation it seems more likely it would be started by Leaf fans, they're the frustrated ones, not us. If roles were reversed, I could see Wings fans starting it.

I think that kind of proves my point about Baseball. Also, with your championship comment, I should point out, Baseball only allows 8 teams in the playoffs, but since 1993, there's only been 2 teams that hasn't made the playoffs, Kansas City and Pittsburgh, in a 30 team league. The reason why they haven't made it is their own fault instead of the current set up. Now that's parity! That's why the first round is a best of 3.

I agree. Just like the NFL, I think the first two teams in the conference should get a bye, and the 3-6 seeds play a best of 3, with the winners moving on to play the well rested best teams in the Conferences in a best of 7. There's to many upsets in the hockey playoffs with teams finishing 7th and 8th playing the trap and riding a hot goalie, making very poor match ups in the later rounds, decreasing interest overall. I've been complaining about this and posting about it for years. With the way it's currently set up, the last month of the season, there's to much focus on who's going to make the final two playoff spots, while the top teams in the League are just killing time. To many times with this set up, the best teams get eliminated early in the playoffs because they've been playing meaningless hockey for to long. The current system gives to much of an advantage to the .500 teams. IF the league only allowed 6 per conference, the focus would be on who will finish 6th over all, instead of 7th and 8th, and there would be focus and a race by the teams leading the division on who finishes in 1 + 2 to get the byes. More teams would be playing more meaningful hockey, and the season would actually mean something. This system gives the advantages to the best teams, and that's the way it should be. I know the League won't change because without a American TV deal, it's a gate driven league and needs as many playoffs games it can get. However, I think if the league cuts back the playoff teams, you'd have better playoff match ups, more interest, leading to better TV ratings, giving the League a better chance at landing that TV deal they want/need.

Great clip, Datsyuk's reaction to the penalty is classic! If the NHL was consistent, we probably would have won the 2009 Stanley Cup. Malkin would have been suspended for Game 3, for starting a fight within the last 5 minutes of Game 2, and the Pens would have had a to many men penalty called against them in Game 6 when they had 6 skaters on the ice for 20 seconds. I still think Pittsburgh's 2009 Cup is tainted, and probably always will. They got that Championship handed to them with a bow on it from the League. Plus I remember someone during the playoffs said the Pens in 75% of their games had the first Power Play.

I agree, no need to rush him back.

You obviously don't know what Leaf fans are like . A lot of them are loud mouths, they've self proclaimed their city "The Mecca of Hockey", and are envious of the Red Wings.

Not to sound like a homer, but I would assume the Leafs fans started the fights, it's usually the road team's fans that do. My guess is, when the Wings had the lead, Leaf fans probably started shooting their mouth's off with the usual "It's our game", "Toronto is Hockeytown, not Detroit", and "Detroit is a dump and has high unemployment" crap.

I agree. The Yankees are a perfect example. People complain about them all the time, but the only time they put a dominate run together was 1996-2001, when they played as a team. Since then, they've forgotten team play and only won 1 Championship since. Drafting is the way to go, big spending teams still need to have a system to win. Right, the NBA is by far the worst. They have 5 super teams, and then everyone else.

Actually I think the league that has the most parity is the one without a salary cap, Baseball. Since 2001 there's been only one team to win the World Series more than once, the Boston Red Sox. Small payroll teams win the World Series almost as much as the big payroll ones. List of World Series Champions

My guess is early 90's? 1990-91 season?