betterREDthandead

Pleh. Stanton better than Troy Smith? I think Stanton is still being evaluated more on his potential and so-called tools than his accomplishments. I've never been impressed with the guy. We'll see. I suppose this, along with the McCown trade, elevates Orlovsky to the backup role.

Today's girl earns respect for picking up two at once and NOT using a shovel.

My point was this. Who's got more to lose? The Penguins, or Crosby? And my other point was this: If you're that concerned about Crosby's safety and the possibility of a devastating career-ending injury, why visors? Why go halfway? Why not the full face cage? Helmets are different. Helmets, as Bill Masterton would have attested, save lives. Visors do not save lives, and neither would a face shield.

Why argue for visors? We all know they won't protect someone from a mouth or neck injury. Draper would have been hurt just as badly by Lemieux with a visor as without. But a full face cage would have prevented that injury. I say, go all the way or go home. Mandate full face cages or no mandate at all. They play with them in college and it doesn't seem to affect the quality of the game from the fan's standpoint. - "But those are the younger kids, they need more protection." Most of those college kids are older than THE new face of the league, Sidney Crosby. - "But the players would REALLY complain about loss of vision on the ice." And many have the same complaints about visors. If you're really serious about preventing facial injuries on the ice, a full face cage is the only solution. Visors are half-assed. And for the record, I do not favor mandating either a visor or face cage. The players don't want them, and the players are the ones who ought to know best what their risks are. Sure, these guys are an investment. But who's got the greater investment - the team that can replace the player the following year and move on? Or the guy who can only have one career? If you do take the stance that a visor is for the players' protection and should be mandatory, then why not go all out and protect them from nearly all injuries instead of just the ones that come in at a certain angle and a small portion of the face?

LetsGoWings: Ruining the other hockey message boards for everyone since 1996 Welcome aboard, Grypho! As good as LGW is, I've got no doubt it got better when you joined. But China?? I thought I had it bad when I lived in Virginia and nobody seemed to care about hockey much.

Shouldn't really come as a surprise that any hockey fan would know about the octopus. It's not some crummy little local thing like the Alberta beef whatever. It's one of the NHL's preeminent traditions and it gets brought up by ESPN and everyone else when the playoffs roll around. It's like being surprised that someone outside Boston knows about the Curse of the Bambino.

Well, this one again.....here goes.... Even if Atlanta's slightly further west than the Wings, their travel schedule would be far more murderous than Detroit's if the league switched them. The Wings can practically ride a bus to Chicago and Columbus. Atlanta would be close only to Nashville - the rest would be some long plane rides for divisional opponents. And their western Canada swings would be torture. Meanwhile, Atlanta has some pretty easy trips already to Raleigh, Tampa, and Miami. No, it makes no sense whatsoever to switch the Wings and Thrashers. It's pretty well accepted that the overwhelming general consensus around here (me included) is that the Wings are better off in the East if it can be done. Better travel, no more 10 PM games, O6 matchups, the works. The Wings themselves think so too, so really, you're preaching to the choir here. If there were more western expansion teams (expansion being a completely different debate, however) or an eastern team moved west, then hell yes, move us back East. But right now, circumstances dictate that we stay in the West. Any proposal to realign without the landscape actually changing is just artificial construction designed to please Wings fans at the great expense of several other teams. P.S. I also believe it's been established that Columbus is technically a couple miles east of Detroit. So if you go strictly by geography, as in the Atlanta example, Columbus gets to go East before we do.

Can you go back in time, say to about last June or July, and tell that to the legions of adoring Wings fans? There was a stretch last summer where Mark Bell was the guy, the it guy, that Holland just had to get or else he was a no-account goon. OK, anyway the question. I gotta think that Lidstrom will be out there any and every time Thornton is. As NN said, the Wings' top line will be too, and having so much offense in one place might just nullify the scoring power of Thornton and Cheechoo and force them to play defense or get burned. Against the second line, might either see the new Grind Line, and let the defensive abilities of that squad try and take care of Marleau and co. Either that or throw Bertuzzi out against them with Flip and Rex or Calder. The Marleau line looks like the smallest and maybe Bert can knock some heads. Lang's line has got to go against whichever is least offensively oriented. I don't want those guys to have to try and play defense.

Rumor has it the Islanders are preparing a 9-year offer to be presented when free agency begins....

Oh no, oh no, whatever shall we do?? They picked against us!!! They have an independent opinion!!! They're not bending over to kiss our pretty red ass!!! Good lord. What is up with you people who can't get over the fact that maybe, just maybe, the entire frickin' hockey world isn't gulping the Red Wings Kool-Aid? No, don't take it personal, D#1F, 'cause you're not the only one at all.

'Cause it was a response to mine. If I'd known you'd be so touchy about it I wouldn't have bothered.

"Dismissing" the experts....that's part of my point, see....."pssshhh, they didn't pick the Wings to win, what do they know?" That's how it sounds to me.

Yep. A pretty fair number of those OT losses are shootout losses.

The Sharks were 2-for-30 on the power play against Nashville. That can only help us if that trend continues. Still, what that means is that they were terrific 5-on-5.

WOW! Nice vid. I'd have said you're bats*** insane if you told me an octopus could totally eat a shark.

OK. Lemme know when you've found an LGW member that's played, coached, or GM'ed in the NHL and I'll match 'em up with ESPN's crew. Sheesh. This whole thread is because ESPN had the audacity to pick against the Wings. How dare they.

And if I remember correctly, ESPN wasn't the only one thinking that. In fact a lot of people around here were guilty of the same miscalculation. God forbid they criticize the Almighty RED WINGS. Jerkoffs.

The Tank could sound like a jet engine through 10-foot speakers and it wouldn't be as intimidating as the sea of red in Calgary. Hats off to the Flames fans for that one, 'cause that's really something. But I digress. Welcome, Sharks fans! Hopefully after the series is over you guys will stay and post a bit year-round. I think this series is gonna be interesting because neither team really knows what to expect, the last playoff series being 12 years ago. Other than the latest expansion teams, we've had a crack at every other team in the West since then. Some of them five times.

Actually, of the "same jerkoffs", only two of them picked the Flames.

Well, bring on the Sharks then! I wanted Dallas for the travel, but I ain't skeered of the Teal Warriors.

Looks like the Sharks fans may get their wish with the Canucks holding on to a 2-1 lead late in the 3rd.

Mainly because Kipper was knocked woozy for a couple seconds. They'll stop the play for anyone, goalie or not, if it looks like they're lying on the ice with some kind of head injury.

Hey now that ain't cool.

Yes, those are LGW things. No idea if they ever made it into the world at large - I'd be pretty shocked if they have.

A win here by Dallas would go a long way toward cementing the Canucks' reputation as HUGE chokers in the postseason.