betterREDthandead

15 in 61 games, which is almost precisely the pace Flip scored this year - 19 in 78. And Flip is the same age - 23 - that Z was in his second year. But the big difference is, Zetterberg has always had more assists than goals, but with Flip it's the opposite. Quite a bit fewer assists. But - I am a huge Filppula fan, and I do think he will be a star. Not quite Zetterberg's numbers, but I think some 30-goal seasons are in his future.

That's what sells the merchandise. My point about the coach comes from this: Most 20 year old athletes are in college and therefore their coach is usually an authoritarian father figure type. He coaches them not just on the field but in how to deal with the media, balance his time, etc. Crosby doesn't have that luxury. Pro coaches are 90% X's-and-O's guys. Worse, his coach has been setting a terrible example in dealing with the media. He has to muddle along. Mario and Steve were all class, but I'll bet it didn't always show when they were 20 either. Maybe some of the veteran guys could/should be taking him aside every now and again, but they're in a tough spot too - they've grown up and got set in their ways, and those ways have never involved having to mentor the team captain.

It might not happen tonight. Might even take 7 games. But the Penguins are not winning three in a row.

Who's he supposed to learn it from? Obviously his coach isn't providing an example.

Getting to read the reactions from pissy Pens fans is exactly why this is so awesome. That and punking the arena security. Some level-headed Pens fans remember that they'd think it was equally awesome if one of their fans pulled such a stunt. Good for them - they seemed to think it was funny after all to put a Pens jersey on the Rocky statue in Philly. (I enjoyed it as well.) Then there are the troglodytes like this: The following statement is directed at folks like that: SUCK IT

Who cares? Best player in the playoffs won't be remembered by points, it'll be by who gets handed that big silver maple leaf. (OZZIE)

My brother just got me drinking Sea Dog Blueberry Ale. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!! For anyone who likes beer, and who also likes the flavor of blueberries, it's a must have. I don't know how widespread it is - it's a microbrew from Maine and I'd never heard of Sea Dog outside of New England.

We had one on Belle Isle, but it closed. Octopuses were never brought there anyway though.

Welcome to the ever-growing club! 1) The next big things are today's big things: Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. They will be the anchors for a long time. Franzen, Filppula, Hudler and Kronwall made their mark this season and will be huge in the future. For guys looking to break in next year, look for Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Ericsson. You should also hear from Tomas Kopecky, who played a steady role this year but got hurt and missed the playoffs. 2) The most common expectation is that Ozzie will start next year and maybe the year after, while Howard assumes the backup role and transitions into the starters' job. 3) The Wings have a super-scout in Sweden named Hakan Andersson, who's been with the organization since 1991. He's the reason for drafting Swedes like Zetterberg, Franzen, Kronwall, and Holmstrom, and as the director of European scouting is also responsible for guys like Filppula and Hudler. Others, like Samuelsson and Lilja, are guys who happen to be European that fit the Wings' free agent needs, and no doubt were attracted by the already sizable Swedish contingent. Plus, the Wings have always been very proactive about scouring Europe for talent - they took chances on Russian talent before the fall of the Iron Curtain and have thus always had a European flair. 4) They are dumped into the Detroit River. Handy, since it's right next door.

I'd much, much rather have twice the picks.

Nothing at all, which is the point. There's nothing to make the West that much better than the East, other than the old reputations. What makes Dallas the 2nd best? Because they made it to the conference finals? If so, then Anaheim doesn't belong on the list of the top 4. Would they? Dallas? I don't think they would. They might. San Jose would have the best shot. The Pens played each of those teams this season - they beat Anaheim, wiped the floor with Dallas, and lost to the Sharks in a shootout. What's for sure, IMO, is that those three teams would have this series at 2-2 at best, and might be down 3-1 instead of up. The West was 83-67 against the East this year. This is good - it is not good enough for people to make outlandish claims like "Crosby would be just another player in the West". It's not good enough to act like the East is the JV conference. The Wings are not dominating because they happen to be in the West and the Pens would get owned by just any Western team. They're dominating because they're the dominant team in the league.

Linky McLinkerston?

How does this thread embarrass me? Let me count the ways. First, to the OP, well done sir. It seems you've been gifted with perspective that's lacking in most others. I know our Wings are about to be crowned The Best, but it is in fact OK to give a little credit where credit is due to those not wearing our winged wheel. So let me start dissecting: Again with this "weak East" bulls***. The Wings are not the Western Conference, they are in the Western Conference. I can't see a single team in the West suffocating the Pens like this. Want proof? The Pens were 8-1-1 against the West, in case everyone forgot. Crosby's numbers against the West: 5 goals, 8 assists in 8 games. Wanna hear a secret? That's a better scoring pace than he had against the East. I can't believe I'm about to defend two of my least favorite players ever, but here goes. I don't deny any of that stuff about running back to Sweden, having daddy fight his battles, being a spoiled little prima donna, flopping, getting owned by Vladdy, etc. But Lindros, before he got hurt, was a ******* hoss. Forsberg was always his team's best playmaker, and amazingly enough he still has the skills. He lacks desire and health, but his skills are there. Between 1993 and 1996, Lindros racked up 282 points in 183 games. In a full 82 game season that's 125 points - 53 goals, 72 assists. Then the concussions hit and he was never the same.....but still better than a point a game for 5 more seasons. And Forsberg will be in the HoF - Cam Neely made it, so will Forsberg. Back to the "West is so much better than the East" crap. That's a myth borne out the three straight West sweeps in the late '90s, and the 6 of 7 Cups won between 96 and 02. It was true then. The East put that crap to rest by winning three straight Cups with Jersey, Tampa, and Carolina. I hate when Wings fans spout that s*** because it makes us sound uneducated. And worse - it takes credit away from the Wings. It implies that what the Wings are doing here is not their doing - just playing out the string against the JV is all. If the Western Conference is so ******* brilliant, why didn't the Avs and Stars make it any harder to get here? The 2, 3, and 4 seeds got upset. Some conference. The only team that gave the Wings a real honest-to-god scare was Nashville.

This is actually a far more balanced objective look at Crosby than most of my fellow Wings fans. Is Crosby a little immature? Yeah, he's 20 years old. Got some growing up to do. This is what happens when you throw a guy like that into the fire by handing him the captain's C. I don't really disagree with the idea even, but we gotta remember - most 20 year old athletes are in college and have a father figure coach to speak for them and who can set the example when they talk to the media. This 20-year-old athlete has a horrible example for a coach when it comes to press conferences, and he's the captain, so who else can he take an example from? Of course, I do find his quote about "anybody would have done that on the PK" pretty amusing. Given the time he spends killing penalties (zero), how would he know?

The NHL doesn't decide the Conn Smythe.

2nd. You'll see some "Avs-centric" stuff in there but it all balances out with Wings-centric stuff too. And there's TONS of "inside stuff" that NEVER comes out to the general public. IMO Blood Feud is the official chronicle of the rivalry.

By what metric? That's a claim that needs to be backed up.

Actually, yeah, it happens all the time. Otherwise how do you figure the guy had the foresight to plan ahead and buy the extra ticket?

Wings fan throws octopus, kicked out of Pittsburgh arena, sneaks back in This guy bought an octopus and an extra ticket. Threw the octopus before the national anthem, got kicked out, put on a jersey over his T-shirt and walked back in the game. Well done sir. Well done.

"Sensei, teach me defense?"

I think Osgood has been insane. No matter how many or how few shots you face, stopping nearly 94% of them is absolutely outstanding. Granted, Giguere faced like twice the shots Ozzie has. (Almost literally.) But I think if you replaced either Ozzie or Hank with an average player, the greater loss would be Osgood right now.

Crosby plays at least as much defense as Yzerman did when he was 20. And MW, any link between the league's marketing of Crosby and how the game will be played is heinously imaginary. Think about what you're saying. Do you really think Bettman - all by himself - can force a style of play onto the league's coaches using TV commercials?

Indeed. But you can't give the Smythe to a unit. It will be Ozzie. The writers took notice after the two shutouts in a row. Seems like every media outlet that had ever heard of hockey wrote a real nice "Osgood getting his due" piece. He's deserving.

Just got back from Boston where I watched the game with my brother. Totally man-crushing on Osgood right now. He is Robo-Goalie.

The problem with Winnipeg is that its metro is roughly the size of Akron or Knoxville, and has 300,000 fewer people than the smallest NHL market, Raleigh. Plus there is absolutely nothing in the surrounding regions that even resembles a population center. Nobody is gonna drive in from friggin' Brandon or Fargo on a Tuesday night in January to watch the classic showdown between Winnipeg and Columbus, they're 200 miles away. The list of cities that should be in line in front of Winnipeg to get an NHL team is very long, quite distinguished, and includes such names as Grand Rapids and Albany.