Nightfall

This post is just further proof that according to some Wings fans no goalie is good enough to goaltend in Detroit.

*GASP* Say it isn't so! The team let him down? No way! You might not want to say something like that because it just upsets the Howard haters.

Maybe if you are rooting for the Edmonton Oilers. The Wings are in the playoffs you know. The Vancouver Canucks could use a fan like you right now. Why don't you go cheer for them?

Its apparent you haven't paid attention to the goaltenders in the farm team this year. McCollum has been crap. Pearce has been much better, but I don't think he is even close to Howard. As for your faith in Howard, I can't fix that. You can point to numbers and scoff. I can point to the lazy defense and team play, as apparent to last night, and say they need to be motivated. In the end, who is right? Maybe a bit of both? Not that you will blame the lazy ass players in front of him. As I also said before, the Wings could have the best goalie in the league and people would still *****. There is no human being good enough to play for the Wings. I have faith in him because I am a Wings fan. I back my team 100%, no exceptions. The management of the Wings has delivered 4 cups in the last 14 years. That alone should be enough to give you faith. If not, well, the Vancouver Canucks could use you as a bandwagon fan.

Sorry, but I disagree. He has yet to be tested. He had two playoff rounds and this year he will get another opportunity. I figure that the Wings will give him his due in the next couple years. If he can't cut it, they will find someone else. You really can't judge Howard's career because of how young he is. Even great goalies have had horrible seasons when they were young. Hell, Tim Thomas had a crap season last season, and then he rebounded and has had his best season to date. You and other fans want to talk about consistency? He is tied with the most wins in the league. I would rather his playoff performances be the judge of his consistency though. Last season was a learning experience. This season the stakes are higher, especially with a squad that will place 2nd or 3rd in the NHL. "What matters most" is the playoffs. Until then, I do think its irrational to expect perfection from any human being in net. If he starts 60 games and wins 66% of them, thats a 40 win season which is great for any goalie.

I agree. Cujo was unceremoniously run out of town for the playoff losses. This from a guy who really was a class act in the organization. Yes, he got hurt. He went down for a conditioning stint and then came back and really played out of his mind. The contract was a bigger stigma than Cujo ever could bear. Many people hated him for that contract alone. As I have said before, if you want to goaltend in Detroit, you had better be ready to get a lot of blame for the losses and little to no credit for the wins. Any rebound you give up is going to be analyzed and blamed upon you. God forbid you let in a weak goal. Deflections, defensive breakdowns, and the team in front of you that doesn't hustle is no excuse. Look at Manny Legace for instance. The guy got no goal support in the playoffs when they were beat by a hungry Edmonton squad. He was chased out of town after losing in the playoffs, and it wasn't all his fault. Not as bad as the Cujo situation, but still bad. The Red Wing fan mentality is really out of whack here, and needs to be changed. I am a firm believer that fans who actually play the game are much more educated on the game of hockey than those armchair fans who sit on their asses and think they are experts because they watch one team 82-100 games in a season plus playoffs. From my standpoint, I became a much more realistic and understanding fan after I started playing back in 1998.

Which is why Osgood continues to be a whipping boy here after he helped deliver 3 cups to Detroit.

Lets just cut through this shall we? There is no goalie good enough to wear the Wings jersey. You name it, every goalie has good days and bad days. Every goalie gives up rebounds. Every goalie gives up soft goals. The team in front of the goalie makes all the difference. The Wings are 3rd in the NHL because they have a good team. So Howard had a bad game, big deal. Hell, the entire Wings team had a bad game last night. The funny part is when the team in front of him plays like crap, he still gets pushed under the bus. Personally, I am glad that they signed Howard to the 2 year deal. I am also glad that the collective Wings fans are not in charge of the team. Hell, these are the same people that will lambaste their team all season long, and then when they win the cup, will take credit saying it was the best team ever assembled. Look at the Dallas Drake signing a few years ago. People scoffed at that signing, yet he was a valuable depth player. In the end, he wins and cup and everyone takes credit for saying how good of a signing it was. What a load of crap. Here is an idea. To the ones who are critical of the players, get on board with being a fan of the Red Wings. If you want to bandwagon it up, go jump on board the Vancouver bus.

We lost to the Avalanche 3 out of 4 times in the regular season back in 1997 when we won the cup. The regular season doesn't mean s***. Playoffs are all that matters.

Being as that the team wasn't hustling, I would take that bet. Sure, Howard didn't play very well tonight, but the team as a whole were getting beaten by a hungry Penguins squad. To be honest, the Wings came out thinking Pittsburgh was just going to roll over and let them have the game. When they fell down 4-0, and even when they scored on that weak ass backhander, they were getting outplayed. It wasn't until the 3rd period when they brought everything they had and played desperate. Hockey is a team sport. Win as a team. Lose as a team. The loss doesn't fall on one players shoulders. It falls on the team's shoulders.

How about we point out players that are actually playing well. I will put Lidstrom's name out there. Aside from that, maybe Z. Anyone else? Didn't think so. Everyone on this team is playing like a sack of dogcrap right now.

Crap defense, crap decisions on offense, bad rebounds. This is an entire team crap effort.

I did say "Just about everyone else". Not "everyone else".

A goaltender in Detroit is probably the toughest. Look at Osgood for instance. 3 cups in Detroit and he is still on the verge of getting run out of town. Even when he resigned with Detroit with Dom, he got zero respect. Even when he went in for Dom back in 2008, people thought we were sunk. The smart hockey fans know that the playoffs are not going to be won or lost alone with Howard. It will be won or lost as a team.

So, a failing grade then? Don't worry, just about everyone else on LGW gave him the same grade.

Remember the LGW goalie report card that most members follow here. Howard played a good game if all of the above criteria are met. 1. .925 Save percentage or better 2. 1.50 GAA or lower 3. 2 rebounds or less in the course of the game 4. No weak goals --- I thought Howard played a great game today. 1st shot was screened. 2nd shot was just a heck of a shot and was probably screened by his own defenseman. Aside from that, he stopped all shots he needed to stop. The Wings themselves are playing well. They outshot Washington and really had more scoring chances. Lets see what they bring against Columbus tonight.

As long as he finishes his education, thats the most important thing. Abdelkader went back to school to finish his degree. Nyquist can do the same thing.

Some players just do better with a change of scenery. Nuff said.

This I agree with. The stuff about Dats and Lids are nonsense though.

helm is a beast

How does 7:53 left in the 1st sound?

That was a heck of a shot. Wings will get it back.

Tells me the Wings are playing well, but the opposing goalie has had to play exceptional. I feel this is a good sign.

I agree. If you want real hockey talk, go over to the hfboards. The hockey fans there are much more down to earth and its refreshing. I come here to discuss the games with fans of the team I love, but it seems here, too many red wings fans have brain damage. Howard let in one bad goal. Hell, its a goal I let in probably once every two weeks. Anyway, he rebounds and plays solid, yet still gets the shaft. Just further proof of the lofty expectations that wings fans here have on their goalies. In order for a goalie to be great here, 3 of the 4 things must happen every game. 1. A shutout 2. No rebounds 3. Less than 1.50 GAA 4. Greater than a .945 Save Percentage Print this out and circle the ones that are applicable. If you can't circle 3, he is a bad goalie and should be traded.

This was the way my rec league team felt on Wednesday. They had 8 skaters, and all their top scorers were gone or out with injury. We are the #1 team in the league with a +40 goal differential. Yet it was a 2-0 nail biter to the end. Sometimes players rise up to carry a team. I think that is what you saw out of Edmonton tonight. They wanted this game and they hustled for it. In hockey at this level, there are no "blow them out of the water GUARANTEED" games like there are in the rec leagues.