Nightfall

He actually signed a 2 way deal so if he goes down to the AHL, he will avoid having to pass through waivers. This is a great deal for both the Wings and Brunnstrom.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2011/10/red_wings_assigned_eight_to_gr.html Nyquist is on his way to Grand Rapids, as we all thought. This is great news because he is going to get top line minutes and a chance to develop.

Thats part of the reason why I like no touch icing. In college hockey, icing the puck in the last minute while you are holding onto a one goal lead is only useful if you can win the faceoff. The icing takes place right away and just a few seconds elapses. Its not like the NHL where the defenseman has to hustle back to touch the puck and you can get a good 5-10 seconds off the clock before they touch.

I have to agree with this. So far, this coaching staff really hasn't shown me much. Even when they had good talent, the coaching staff isn't able to get much out of them. IMHO, if your coaching staff isn't leveraging the talent of the team, its time to get rid of the coach. I have been a season ticket holder for the last couple years and this year I didn't renew. The crappy play of this team really did grate on me. I will still go to some of the games, but I won't spend $500 plus again on season tickets. Especially when I see the effort on the ice and wonder why there is no consistency. I am hoping for a return to playoffs this year, but I am not holding my breath.

The first hockey I really enjoyed was college hockey. I was used to no touch icing by the time I started watching the NHL about 4 months later. I really tried to understand what the benefit was to having touch icing. Yes, there are races for the puck and sometimes icing is negated. There are some times when someone gets shoved from behind or goes into the board awkward during the race causing injury. I firmly believe the risk of injury is not worth the races for the puck. We have already seen a couple injuries because of races for the puck in the preseason. I really don't want to see any player risk injury like that. Just my .02 cents.

I think that the suspension to Smith was acceptable. Was it excessive? Not in my opinion. Smith was caught out of position and his shoulder did hit the head. To me, this was a easy decision to make. If Ben Smith wasn't injured, it probably would have been a "rest of the preseason and 1-2 regular season games" punishment. We all aren't going to agree on this. Some Wings fans are going to try to put the onus on the puck carrier here. Some Wings fans are going to look at the video with their Wings glasses on and try to find fault with the puck carrier or with the punishment. I am a realist, and its good to hear some Wings fans on this board have the same thought process.

I think he will get the rest of the preseason and 4 regular season games.

I just got back from the game. I thought it was very entertaining. The only complaint I have is that all the Wings players like Dats, Z, Mule, and so on left in the 3rd period. The only Wings left playing at the end were Flip and Hudler. I was hoping to see more of the Wings players, but thats the way it goes. It was worth watching. Especially Dats when he had the puck. That guy is awesome to watch. I paid $20 each for my lower bowl tickets. No ticketmaster fees since I bought them through group sales directly through the Griffins. I put on group outings for the Griffins and they let me buy direct through them. It was more like 15 minutes left in the 3rd period is when all the main Wings players retired to the locker room.

I really like the videos that Shanny did. http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?&id=124282 He shows the hit, explains the rule, and his reasoning behind it. If this is the way that he is going to handle all disciplinary matters, I am all for it. No other sports league does it like this. I hope this trend continues and we see a video like this with each infraction that carries a suspendable offense.

The quality of the streams are just not as good as HD quality on my cable TV or even through Directv or Dish. Streams are nice as a stop gap if you are not at your TV, such as you are traveling. I bought hockeystreams before just to watch some out of market games and that was pretty nice. Still, when it comes to the Wings, I just don't look at streaming sties as a replacement for the 1080i quality of FSDHD on my cable provider. This is good to know. Thanks for sharing. I was thinking about spending the $100 a year for the hockeystreams package this year. I think I will hold off.

The #1 reason I don't kill my cable off is because of live sports. Sure, I could use free streaming sites like myp2p.eu or free streaming sites, but the quality is what I love. With every game in HD, it just makes sense for me to keep my cable subscription, especially during the hockey season.

Here is the preseason schedule. Looks like we will see more preseason games this season than we have in the past. More are on TV which is a good thing. I would love the NHL Network to televise all the preseason games like the NFL network did.

http://www.xmhomeice.com/onair_audio/11-09-20%20Ken%20Daniels.mp3 A really short interview with Ken Daniels on the upcoming season.

I think that too many people are reading too much into this "tryout". Thats all it is and nothing more. The young kids need someone to push them and Johnson will do that. If he beats out someone in training camp, I am comfortable with adding him to the lineup. If our younger players really work hard though, they won't be upstaged.

I could have made it to the NHL if.... I started playing hockey when I was 5 years old instead of waiting until I was 27.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=374436 Apparently, his headaches are still happening and he is getting second opinions. This is very bad news for his career. I am not a Crosby fan, but he is a great player. Would hate to see his career end on a note like this.

I would rather have a player that is over prepared for the NHL than someone who was rushed in. Wings fans are not patient when it comes to young players. A few mistakes can put a player in a negative light. This is the culture that is established after a 20 year consecutive playoff appearance streak. Players like Kronwall who came up through that system to be a successful player were successful at the AHL level. I believe that Smith has more to learn after a single season in the AHL. He needs more minutes with the minor league club. Not less minutes with the big club. The only way a move to the big club would be worthwhile would be to put him with Nick Lidstrom for the entire season. Have him learn from the best.

As someone who has watched Smith in Grand Rapids last season (I had season tickets last year and went to 34 games), I can tell you that he needs another season in Grand Rapids as a top line defenseman. Now, if he can get partnered with Nick and play first line minutes in Detroit, that would be fine with me as well. The experience of playing with Nick could go a long way to helping his career. What I don't want to see is Smith playing 3rd line minutes in Detroit. He needs a bit more experience. For as gifted as he is, there are people here that would lambaste the guy because he would be a lot like Rafalski. He is a offensive defenseman and can make some mistakes when it comes to pinching in on the boards or trying to make a play.

http://www.xmhomeice.com/onair_audio/11-08-16%20Team%20Preview%20DET%20%20.mp3 Here it is.

I have been a subscriber to the hockey news for about 6 years now. That magazine is probably one of the best I have ever subscribed to. Can't wait to read the article.

Fixed it for you. This, after all, is what everyone on LGW wants.

I am a big fan of the shootout as well. At the same time, I would rather see a 4v4 5 minute OT followed by a 5 minute 3v3 OT. In some games 5v5 isn't going to cut it. I believe that a 4v4 is more exciting and a 3v3 would be even more exciting to watch. Just my .02 cents.

I remember when this guy was looking to sign somewhere and every LGW fan was saying how this guy was worth signing. They belittled Holland for not working harder to get him. Yet, when he flopped, all the LGW fans quickly changed their tune and started thanking God that they didn't sign him. Fast forward a couple years later and we have a signed him to a tryout. I think this is a good opportunity for him. He has potential to really make a positive impact. I really don't see him going to Grand Rapids though. I also don't see him in the NHL with the Wings unless he really tears it up. Cracking the Wings lineup is not easy.

Gamecenter Live is much better than it was back then. Still, check out the free preview at the beginning of the season. I think its worth it if you have the coin.

If Nabby was so smart, he would have reported to the islanders last year. He really was signed for a fraction of what he is worth and he would have only played a 1/2 season anyway. As it turned out, he refused to report. Now, instead of playing a 1/2 season and being a free agent this year, he has to play for a full season at that small salary for the Islanders. I just don't get it. I would have reported and worked my ass off for a contract this year. I do wish him well though.....