Nightfall

It's a bag of s*** excuse. The lost faceoff and two failed clearing attempts that resulted in the goal. Its not like the lost icing put the puck in the back of the net. The Wings have to be better, not look for excuses.

Seriously? After the way the Wings played as a team, getting outplayed for almost two full periods, you are going to blame a single blown icing call? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The Wings were good enough to win this game all along. It was the refs that screwed them. /sarcasm The Wings have got to improve their play. When our 3rd line is the best line out there, we have an issue. When Howard is forced to make many good saves off of miscues, there is a problem.

What I can't stand are people blaming the refs. Yea, a blown icing call. Good teams rise up above that. You can bet that Babcock or the Wings aren't using that as an excuse.

Thats such a cop-out. Vancouver deserved to win. Give them some credit. Don't be a whiny ass. That was a great game even though Detroit finished on the losing side in a shootout. Could have went either way.

Our 3rd line has been the best for us, why aren't they out there here in OT?

That 3rd line needs to be out there every other shift. What hustle.

Well, that was the only way that Vancouver was going to score on Howard.

Howard just looks so calm and collected out there. Since it looks like we are slipping into the prevent defense, we are going to need him to be.

We might be able to get a bag of used pucks for him.

As a team that is currently at the top of the NHL standings, I would hope that they wouldn't make sweeping changes.

While I agree that he deserves a raise, he is 37 years old and his production will start to go down. I would have preferred to see his salary remain the same just due to the wear and tear of father time. I like Bertuzzi though. Get it done Kenny.

Once again, its very easy to look in hindsight and see that it was a mistake. Ken Holland even said it was a mistake to have let him go. Nevertheless, Detroit had a decision to make back then and they took the best defenseman at the time that they thought was going to have the best upside. No team was going to make a deal with Detroit because they all knew that the Wings were going to have to release someone and expose them to waivers. It was just a matter of time, so why deal with a team that is going to have to make that choice? Every team is going to get a shot at claiming the player anyway, and no team thought it was worth dealing for one of the players either. Los Angeles Sure, its a fallacy and hypocritical to say things like that. At the same time, no one can tell the future. Not even you. If you can predict how players are going to do, maybe you should put your resume in with the Wings? Its not that more people don't see your point, but you are making all these calls based on what has happened and trying to look like a prophet.

This post is a good example. Overly critical? Yes. Reason to be? No. Lucky to just hold on to the second seed? Don't want to play the Sharks again? Remember that teams who advance to win the cup typically do rise above the challenge that was in front of them last season. Look at the Bruins when they were the victims of the Flyers when they lost a 3-0 series lead? They win the Stanley cup in 2011. Colorado owns the Wings in 1996 in the playoffs and then win the cup in 1997. You can bet that they will get over that hump eventually.

Actually, from your past posts, you get critical and pessimistic all the time. You don't need a valid reason for it. I too don't tolerate poor performances from the Wings, and I call out poor play, poor reffing, poor goaltending, and so on. At the same time though, I try to be realistic with my expectations. I do have to agree that maybe people were a little harsh on you in the OP, but being as that you have more negative reviews than positive posts, you may want to consider an attitude adjustment.

In short, its very easy to make a decision in hindsight. Everyone complaining about this trade is doing just that.

I have to agree with others here. This is a good pickup. Back when Quincey was let go, I thought it was a mistake after watching him in Grand Rapids. At the same time though, decisions had to be made. He blossomed as a good 2nd line defenseman with his play for the Kings and Avalanche. I know people are bent out of shape over missing out on a first round pick, and I am on the fence about it. At the same time, if we chose to keep Quincey and he didn't blossom, people would be quick to judge about how much of a mistake it was.

There are a bunch of Debbie Downers in this thread. Seriously, the Wings are playing great as a team. Yet, when Dats goes down for just 2 weeks, fans are panicking saying the season is lost. I would hate to see what would happen if the Wings didn't make the playoffs one year. Would the collective fanbase jump off the bandwagon after that? Put things into perspective everyone. Its two weeks without Dats, and we are playing our best hockey right now. The Wings are going to be ok without him for two weeks. Even if the Wings go .500, they will still be in prime position to get that presidents trophy when he returns.

I can agree to that. On the same token, bitching about the NHL solves nothing either. A simple thank you, as you said, is really all that is required.

I have no issues if Joey becomes the backup. Lets just treat him like other backups in the league. Look at Boston and New York for instance. Their backup goalies have played about 15 games so far. Thats an average of every 4th game. If they are going to keep Joey up, then they better play him to keep Howard fresh. There would be no excuse to not start Mac every so often. What I fear is that Howard comes back and they start him 10-12 times in a row and then give Mac a start. You have to keep them both in some kind of rotation where Howard starts 3 and then Joey gets a start or something like that. Otherwise, Mac could get cold sitting on the bench.

I don't know why you got hit with a lot of negative reviews for something that is just so obvious. I for one also thank the OP for his efforts. At the same time, I have to agree with you. This kind of thing wasn't going to last forever. The NHL is a big business, and every major sport out there is looking to squash these free streaming sites. Its a shame when it happens, because all they are doing is making this content available to those of us who don't have cable TV or don't have access to the game. At the same time, we shouldn't be surprised. Thanks again for your efforts! It was good while it lasted.

So says Dorkstradamous.

I hate the prevent defense.

Sharks are hungry now. Wings have to respond.

Yea, that sucked.

Is it any wonder why you have more negative reputation points than posts?