datsyukonethree

Sometimes this board cracks me up. Come on guys. Wilson is a cocky bastard but Babcock isn't? Or Ruff? Or Laviolette? The list could go on forever. The best coaches are usually hardasses, and the ones that aren't get reamed by us on a routine basis (Lewis anyone?). Wilson is smart, creative, and connected to his players. He's one of the best coaches in the league, and the hostility is totally unnecessary.

Yeah, right, until he needs to pass the puck.

Anyone else imagining a freak arm-wrestling accident?

Wow. Can someone with connections arrange to have that shown at the Joe before the puck drops for Game 1?

Same thing here in Pittsburgh. You don't see anything supporting the teams until playoff time. Then they deck out everything. The career office at my school even has player name and number signs plastered on the windows. It was the same thing last year with the Steelers. I feel like most people just don't have the patience for regular seasons, but when the playoffs come they're interested all of a sudden. I'm pretty sure this happens everywhere.

TSN did a Top 10 Playoff Goals segment last week and I thought it would be number 1 for sure. Somehow it didn't even make the list. I lost a lot of respect for TSN right there.

As much as we've outplayed them so far, it could be a different story in the Saddledome. Having Bertuzzi back could offset some of that energy, so as long as Samuelsson is the one to sit, I'd be all for having him back. Clearly if the injury is still an issue, he should not play. But part of me wonders whether this strategy of being extra careful with Bertuzzi is being driven by the terms of his trade (the less he plays, the less we have to give up).

The first hockey game I remember going to was the Wings against the Caps. I liked their logo and the sweet red jerseys and the fact that their best player's last name started with a Y, so I rooted for them at that game and have been doing so ever since.

Maybe he's been growing another injury beard while he's been out of the lineup. He'll have a huge headstart and no one will be able to catch up. And TheLegend19, if she can't appreciate your playoff beard for what it is, she's probably not worth it.

Hahaha. I can understand being bitter about the result, but watch your language. There are chidren that read these boards.

Another vote for Samuelsson.

Zubrus is neither. He's a big body that only plays like it when he's got the puck, and he's evolved into much more of a playmaker than a scorer. He's Lang with more hustle but without the shot. There's a whole slew of players who could help this team much more. Let Atlanta have Zubrus.

And don't forget Mikael "What is a tape to tape pass?" Samuelsson.

Hahaha, I'm pretty sure none of these are right! Here's what they were last time I saw. Kozlov-Metropolit-Hossa (don't know who centers them now, but Hossa plays with Kozlov) Malone-Crosby-Recchi Ovechkin-Zubrus-Clark Vanek-Briere-Pominville (but this was while Hecht was out... he's usually the LW on that line) Kariya-Legwand-Erat Not sure. Renney's been screwing with things over there. Clowe-Thornton-Cheechoo New Jersey has offense? Heatley-Spezza-Eaves

1. I played in my rink's house league during high school because my school didn't have a team. One game we were playing against this team that had a really cocky defenseman, probably converted from forward. He had great skills but was a total puckhog and would just try to go coast to coast on us each time. He never made clean defensive hits, but he'd run our guys when they weren't paying attention. Basically, he was an ass and was pissing off everyone on our team. At one point in the middle of the game I got sprung on a two on two. I blew by this jackass d-man, sliding the puck on the inside and speeding by him on the outside as he was trying to check me, picked up the puck again, now a 2 on 0 with my right wing. Freeze the goalie with a fake, send a perfect backhand pass to my wing who just misses the open net. We didn't score on the play, but it put that defenseman in his place for the rest of the night and we won the game. It was pretty sweet considering I had been playing for two years and this guy had probably been playing his whole life. 2. The year before that my team was in the playoff semifinals. We were up by one with just a few minutes to go. The other team had been pushing us hard all period and we were worried they'd cap off the comeback. My line is taking a defensive zone faceoff. The center wins it to me and takes off. I thread him a perfect pass through their D and he goes in alone on the goalie and scores. We won the game and I got to keep the puck, and we ended up winning the final too. 3. The year after that I scored the first goal of the semifinal game on the first shift of the game against the best goalie in our league. We dominated the rest of the way and won the game, but unfortunately lost in the final. My favorite memories though are just the little inconsequential things that don't necessarily translate into sweet plays or timely goals. Stuff like great coaches and great linemates and team chemistry and whatever. It sounds sappy, but I've played sports all my life and those last two seasons of high school hockey were some of my favorite experiences.

Man, people sure are going to be disappointed around here when the Preds snag Forsberg for picks and a young puck moving defenseman (which they have a lot of and which Philly desperately wants). I'd love to see Forsberg here, but I just don't think we've got the assets that it'll take to land him.

Hahaha, my thoughts exactly.

No way. If we're giving up Lang, we're going to need to get that kind of offense in return.

Eklund is reporting that if Shanny returns to the Wings, it could make a trade for Giguere possible because the Wings would then have offset the possible loss of a forward. If there's any truth to this, I'm guessing that the trade would be Lang for Giguere. Lang makes 3.8 and Giguere 3.7, if I remember right, and Anaheim has a number of young skilled Wingers in need of a center. So either get on the Lang for Giguere bandwagon, or start complaining.

Eklund is now reporting that Biron to the Wings could happen soon. He rates it an E3. Then again, this could just be because I reminded him of it in the first comment on his previous post. Commence with the bashing.

You guys are forgetting the Babcock factor. Either he'll motivate Cross to play at a level that will help the team, or Cross won't play.

Or TSN (aka real news): http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=14...371&hubName=nhl I think the last thing the Pens need to be doing is trading away defensive defensemen, but hey, it's not like they can make things much worse.

Check your PMs.

Which store was that?! I don't live in Detroit, so I need to call these guys ASAP!

In the event that anyone actually is looking for a Datsyuk jersey, mine's available. For real. It's the dark home jersey, KOHO replica, size L. I actually am serious, so make a serious offer.