eva unit zero

Man, none of our players would be getting injured if only Aaron Downey was on the roster...

With Sammy and Franzen out, the lines I would like to see are: Hudler/Zetterberg/Holmstrom Filppula/Datsyuk/Kopecky Cleary/Draper/Maltby Ellis/Drake/Downey Z and Homer will still produce without Dats, so why not try Dats with Flip and Kopay in an effort to find some chemistry and maybe a second line.

Ok, I'll rephrase my point. Trading Briere for Gratton then would be like trading Datsyuk for Iginla now. And to further the Iginla comparison...Gratton was a better scorer in his early 20s than Iginla was in his early 20s. Is it so hard to think that people thought Gratton was going to be the same kind of dominating offensive force given that fact? Philadelphia sure did, when they gave him a $10m contract. EDIT: Gratton had 15 goals and 44 points in 66 games that season, compared to Briere's 17 and 46 in 68. Nearly identical. If Gratton doesn't completely bomb the rest of the season in Phoenix, he'd have scored about 20 goals and 55-60 points while being physically imposing. I don't know what happened to Gratton, but after Buffalo traded him he was never the same player.

Gratton's numbers with Buffalo that year are virtually identical to Briere's with Phoenix. You're saying you wouldn't trade Hudler for someone with similar numbers who was two years older, much bigger, and physical? Most people on this board have been begging for that deal.

Wha?

That trade happened six years ago. Briere is two years younger than Gratton. Gratton had scored about 150 goals and 440 points at that point, while Briere has only just passed the goals mark, and is still way off from the points mark. Gratton had been a 40 point player six times in his career, seven including the shortened 95 seaosn, and had posted 60+ points twice. Briere had scored 60 points once and was in his second 40+ point campaign, with worse scoring numbers than Gratton at the time. Gratton was big, could play physical, and was viewed at the time as an up and coming power forward. Nobody could have predicted he'd disappear the way he did after the consistent success he had had in his first few seasons. And besides...we get people pushing fo the same type of deal on here all the damn time.

Bettman works for the BoG. Bettman does what the BoG wants him to do. If he didn't, they'd fire him. Since they haven't, he does. Meaning, Bettman won't be fired for 'his actions' because he is doing to BoG's will.

I am interested in why Hasek has been so terrible. Using the standard benchmarks of 2.00 GAA and .900 sv pct, Hasek has had ONE game that meets those, posting exactly those stats. How many games is enough before Osgood, who has been stellar, replaces Hasek as starter. Since we're assuming that current performance is a guarantee of the rest of the season's results.

How about turning the 'plus one' system into a four team playoff? Each year, two of the four bowls would be 'playoff' bowls, with the winners advancing to the championship game. This alteration would have provided the solution to a couple of the dilemmas the past few years; 2004 being the notable year...In the bowls, #1 USC beat #4 Michigan, and #2 LSU beat #3 Oklahoma. A USC/LSU final would have settled all the controversy.

Bertuzzi played a handful of games and did not perform well. Calder played a handful of games with mixed results. Lang's effectiveness was limited all season. Hudler and Filppula haven't played like we were hoping, but it's only six games into the season. As far as Hudler is concerned...Hudler and Datsyuk both have scored one point that did not also involve Henrik Zetterberg. Does that mean that Hudler is as good as Datsyuk, and the only difference between the two is chemistry with Z, which Hudler never had a chance to develop? Let's give it a little more time before we declare Hudler and Filppula failures, shall we?

Let's compare Detroit's defense with Anaheim's, based on defensive play: Lidstrom>Pronger Rafalski>O'Donnell Chelios>Beauchemin Kronwall>Schneider That's a pretty clear cut advantage for Detroit. Markov being added to that group only skews it in Detroit's favor even further. As far as the Kings....they have a sexy defense, in that it has six offensively capable defensemen, but their best defensive defenseman might be rookie Jack Johnson. Since he is, after all, the only defenseman in their top six that has met Bernier...

Eleven teams in the top 25, including five of the top ten of the initial BCS rankings are ranked higher by people than computers (overrated). Those teams are: (1) Ohio State, (3) Boston College, (5) Oklahoma, (9) West Virginia, (10) Oregon, (12) California, (14) USC, (15) Florida, (18) Hawaii, (22) Texas, and (24) Texas Tech. By contrast, the teams with a higher computer ranking than people ranking (underrated): (2) South Florida, (4) LSU, (6) South Carolina, (7) Kentucky, (8) Arizona St., (11) Virginia Tech, (13) Kansas, (16) Missouri, (17) Auburn, (19) Virginia, (20) Georgia, (21) Tennessee, (23) Cincinatti, and (25) Michigan.

You fail on this point. MLB, as a combination of AL and NL, has existed since 1903. The NL was founded in 1876 and the AL was founded in 1886. The first official professional hockey league was the IPHL, or International Professional Hockey League, teams in Houghton, MI; Calumet, Mi; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; Sault Ste. Marie, Ont; and Pittsburgh, PA. The IPHL was in operation from 1904 to 1907, and even included one of the game's all time greats in Houghton-Portage defender Fred Taylor, who was then known by the nickname 'The Listowel Whirlwind' and would later receive the nickname of 'Cyclone' while playing for Ottawa. But the NHL's roots ultimately go back to 1906, and the creation of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association, which included three of the five original NHL teams; Ottawa Senators, Montreal Wanderers, and Quebec Hockey Club (later known as the Quebec Bulldogs.) The NHA formed in 1909, from the ashes of the ECAHA, and future NHL teams in it included the Wanderers, Senators, Bulldogs, as well as a new Montreal team, the Canadiens. This league would play until 1917, when both Montreal teams, Ottawa, and Quebec would form their own league out of protest from having to deal with Toronto owner Eddie Livingstone. As you can see, the MLB is, in all ways, older than the NHL. Not that it should matter.

It's definitely the ITECH 9.8 Prodigy Pro. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/photo;_ylt=A0WTeTbl6BJHrBEBVgBivLYF?slug=f90cd4e6f15f4cd2b6b3f79dd9fcc6c7.flames_red_wings_hockey_mijm108&prov=ap It also looks like changing Section B to red matches Ozzie's trapper.

Last season, before they were reunited on Dec 23: Datsyuk: 34 GP, 7-18-25 Zetterberg: 34 GP, 13-8-21 So Dats and Z had basically equal offensive output last season prior to being united. Z was having his linemates shuffled more than Dats, and was seeing fewer of the Wings' quality scorers; Homer spent more time with Dats than with Z, while Z saw significant time with guys like Draper, Franzen, and Williams. Z was and is also performing much better defensively than Datsyuk.

Datsyuk has scored 7 points in 6 games. Zetterberg has scored 12 points in the same 6 games. There have been six goals where both scored a point. In other words, Zetterberg has outscored Dats 6-1 when both players do not figure into the scoring. That is statistical evidence stating Datsyuk has benefitted FAR more from the tandem this season. The same was true last season.

Does that mean Draper/Maltby/Cleary used Aspect of the Pack last year? WoW I didn't know that...

Henrik Zetterberg is, so far this young season, not just the most valuable player between the two; he's the most valuable player in the league. Z might be the league's best defensive forward when healthy, and after tonight's game he's leading the league in points as well. He has scored a point in every game this season and is averaging two points per game. And if that's not enough, he's more physical, a better leader, and younger than Dats.

Maybe because until the late 90s, there were no European captains? And European goaltenders have won two of the last five Cups. Name me a European captain or goaltender on a Cup-caliber team before the year 2000. I can think of...hmm....you know, I can't think of anyone on a Cup contender in either of those roles who was Euro. However, there were two Cup finalist goaltenders who were European (Kolzig 98 and Hasek 99) and both pretty much carried a major underdog to the finals when they shouldn't have been anywhere near them.

Datsyuk did always strike me as more emo than Cheli...

The fact that you rank Iginla over Ovechkin instantly damages the credibility of your list.

There are two logical optionsas I see it. Add two teams to the Western conference, and divide into four-team divisions. This would cut down on travel and allow for better scheduling. The other option is the non-expansion option; three conferences with two five-team divisions each. WESTERN CONFERENCE Anaheim, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Minnesota, Vancouver CENTRAL CONFERENCE Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Ottawa, Toronto Columbus, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St.Louis EASTERN CONFERENCE Boston, Montreal, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers Atlanta, Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Washington Set up the schedule so each team plays the following: 6 vs Division (24) 4 vs Conference (20) 2 vs Non-Conference (40) Total 84 games. Division winners get automatic playoff berths...remaining ten teams are selected based on overall points...teams are seeded 1-16 based on points.

Felt like throwing up a little hockey trivia, for those interested. I'm going to post some details about a current or former NHLer, and you guys can try and guess who it is. I wore the number I had during my best years because it was the number of my childhood idol. I, like my childhood idol, am considered one of the greatest players ever to play my position. My final NHL game was also the final NHL game of my chilhood idol, who was a teammate at that point. Who am I?

Just for reference, here's the even strength scoring of the seven forwards who have been 'top six' so far this season, based on only games in the top six: Zetterberg 3GP, 0g-3a-3pt Samuelsson 3GP, 1g-2a-3pt Hudler 3GP, 0g-1a-1pt Datsyuk 3GP, 0g-1a-1pt Holmstrom 3GP, 0g-0a-0pt Franzen 2GP, 0g-0a-0pt Filppula 1GP, 0g-0a-0pt I'd say it's pretty clear where the scoring issue is...and it's the Datsyuk/Holmstrom/whoever else line that only has one ES point in three games, and that was Datsyuk's assist on Draper's empty net goal, with Zetterberg also on the ice. Also please note that both Hudler and Samuelsson have scored more at ES than Holmstrom, whom you suggest is the only winger contributing on the top two lines.

I haven't been able to see a game this season, so I can't comment on Kopecky's play so far this year. From all accounts on here it has been disappointing, but some accounts I would say are biased in that respect. Oh and BTW....having an enforcer does not serve as a deterrent to the cheap shot guys. Brian McGrattan was ten feet away when Steve Downie jumped into Dean McAmmond's head. Most guys who throw cheap shots DON'T CARE if there is an enforcer on the other team. So potentially wasting a solid prospect to add a second tier goon for a few regular season games is, to me, just idiotic.