gcom007

I don't even remember. As far back as I can remember hockey has been there. I think I spent more time in roller blades and ice skates than shoes growing up. I was playing in the streets all spring, summer, fall and even winter when there wasn't a pond around. Thankfully I grew up on a street with some other kids that played too. If I wasn't at the pond or on the streets, I was either at school or the ice rink be it for open skating, practices, games, clinics, whatever. Hockey was life, and life was good. Oh, and I'm from Detroit... So I guess it's pretty natural that I grew up obsessed with the Red Wings. I still remember (and I still have it somewhere...) the first poster I ever had of Steve Yzerman in mid to late-80's glory. Steve was my hero, 19 was THE greatest number, "C" was the ultimate badge of honor and the Detroit Red Wings were MY team. I'm proud to say I still love this great team and this great sport more than ever every year.

That would've been my dream Cup...before I die, I want to experience a Wings-Leafs Cup final. That's some "bucket list" s*** right there...

I wish there was a message board application that compiled our thoughts as the season goes on and presented it to us at the end of the season in the form of an easy to digest graphic. I wonder how many people would respond to seeing month after month of negativity, anxiety, anger, panic, frustration, etc. only to see endings like the last couple of years. It just kinda cracks me up. Some people never learn. I blame it on the schools. They're not teaching kids to critically think enough these days...

I respect the frustration about Osgood in the regular season, and generally respect your perspective on things around here, but I've gotta say, if not for last year, I don't think we'd be making these kinds of points. I don't know what happened last year with Osgood. I have no idea really besides simple explanations like laziness and lack of focus. He probably also went in thinking Babcock would give him a bit more credit than in the past and when Babcock didn't really react any differently to much of anything, he probably let it get to his head which doesn't help either issue. After all, Holland was the guy who stepped in and sorted out Osgood's issues last year and got him on the right track. So that was that and the playoffs roled around and he played even better than the previous year despite the team being riddled with injuries. We may have lost, but Osgood put in a Conn Smythe-worthy performance to silence Babcock, the team, the city, even the media and certainly the voices in his head. But now a lot of people want to look at this season and say we're right back to last seasons issues, but I just don't think that's the case. Osgood has not played as great as Howard has lately, but he has been far and away better this year than last. Sans a couple games (and every goalie has those games...) Osgood has been pretty solid. He was much better in October than he was given credit for when the team was playing terrible defensively. Before he went down with the flu and Howard got going, Osgood had three strong games followed by that Toronto massacre that he had no part of. And ever since then we haven't gotten a consistent enough look at Osgood to know one way or the other how up and down he's been this year. I don't think you can make accurate assessments on goalies when they're lucky if they get one start in a week, especially when you've got a guy like Osgood who's used to playing and thrives on the momentum. I'll say flat out that I don't think Osgood will touch what Howard's been doing the last few weeks in the regular season, but I don't think that means that we'd be saying Osgood is playing bad or even "up and down" if he was getting regular starts. I really think he's looked far better this regular season than last in every way. You could see it in his face early on that he wasn't rattled or out of it like last year, but the thing is, he really hasn't gotten a chance to prove it and again, drastically inconsistent starts is not going to help matters much for any goalie used to starting. So long story short, I really think that the notion that Osgood isn't playing well has far more to do with the fact that Howard's been so great than the reality of the situation as it pertains to Osgood. I think once Osgood does get a chance to string some starts together and shake off some rust that the reasonable people will see that. I've been watching Osgood as long as he's been here. I wasn't worried about him coming around last year when he blatantly was playing terribly and I said so again and again. "Quote me on it in June," was my common closing statement and in the end I was right. So this year when I don't think he's been nearly so bad, I've got to say it again, don't count this guy out, today or come the playoffs. And hey, quote me on it in June.

I do agree with you on this. Hell, he doesn't even need to win the Cup to get $3 million in today's NHL. I think so long as he simply doesn't completely s*** the bed between now and July 1, 2011, he'll be worth $3-4 million on the open market. If he wins a Cup, $5 million, easy. I don't like it, and I definitely don't want to pay it, but it is what it is. And I wouldn't call it undervaluing guys. I'd call it valuing the team over the individual and winning. Don't forget, all that "undervaluing" has a lot to do with why the Red Wings have been the best TEAM in the NHL for the last 10 years. I think it's perhaps far more accurate to suggest that too many around the NHL overvalue guys, especially goalies. As said, you need solid goaltending to win, but if you're paying a goalie $7-8 million a year, you're almost guaranteed to have too many other parts missing from the equation to go all the way. I don't like signing young guys to big money and I don't like signing role guys to big money. And I would never sign Roberto Luongo in a million years.

Goalies are part of a team, no? I think it's tough for a goalie to win a Cup on his own, I'll give you that. You can look at Hasek in Buffalo, Cujo in 2004, or even last year with Osgood and the Grand Rapids Red Wings as examples of that. You need all the parts kicking to win. But I'll tell you for certain, a goalie can very easily LOSE you the Cup and kill a teams momentum. We've been really lucky to only have one goalie screw us in the playoffs in the last 15 years, and that was Manny Legace. We've never lost a series because of goaltending sans when Legace was starting. Though the team wasn't great that year, they weren't so bad that we couldn't have made it out of that series if we had Osgood, Hasek or Cujo in net. Why? Legace fell apart and gave up every backbreaking goal imaginable and he did so against marginal offensive pressure at best. Basically, he just sucked. It doesn't help the team when you've got a goalie playing like s***. If Howard sees action and s***'s the bed like Legace did, what do you think that's going to do to the team? When Osgood goes in there and is cool every game and making the big saves, that's huge for a team. Now, I'm not saying at all that Howard can't be that guy, and I sure as hell hope he can, but it's yet to be proven. Plenty of guys have proven that they can win games and look solid in the regular season only to fall apart in the playoffs when the real pressure is on. I'm not taking anything away from Howard yet as he obviously hasn't had a chance to prove himself one way or the other. But make no mistake, it takes a top notch goaltender playing sharp hockey with a clear head for two months straight to win the Cup, and that's no easy task. That said, should a goalie be up to the task, there's still no guarantee of 16 wins. But I can most certainly guarantee you that no team will win a Cup without it.

We're not going for the Cup? Really? I know Jimmy D has said stuff here and there and I don't fault him for it, but make no mistake, this team wants to win the Cup this year and they know they've still got a shot. Howard will get a lot of experience sitting on the bench watching and observing the best playoff goalie of the last two seasons while in his rookie season this year. And don't take that sarcastically. I'm not trying to be demeaning at all. Watching this year from the bench and being the backup will be outstanding experience for him. Remember, he's signed through next season as well, and if he's going to pan out, he needs another solid regular season to prove it anyways. Both he and Osgood will be in the final year of their deals next season. If Howard has another strong regular season, outplaying Osgood or at least playing as well, I think then you have to see what kind of a playoff goalie he can be. He'll be more ready for it after two regular seasons and watching a veteran do it firsthand in the playoffs this year and thus stand a better chance at success. If he proves he can hack it next post-season, he gets signed again to starting money and Osgood will likely retire. If he blows it in the playoffs or regular season even, I think he'll still get signed, but for less money and Osgood will likely get signed up again as well if he plays as well this year and next as he has the previous two years. Holland won't let that go at a million bucks if Howard is shaky. But this is a question for next year. Again, I see far more benefit in starting him next year as opposed to his rookie year. Babcock may not like Osgood, but at this point, I think he even knows that, or at least knows better than to test Ken Holland on the matter...

Bang. Love it.

Still, at the end of the day, there is no way in hell that 2003 team played well enough to beat Anaheim. They lost that series as bad as they've lost any series in the last 10 years. Cujo gave up some softies, but the fact that people remember that over how horrible the team on whole was is a testament to how unbalanced most are in their perspective. Don't forget that the Ducks ended up going to the Finals that year on the back of Giguere. Even if Cujo stood on his head like in 2004, I think it's a huge stretch to think that we could have won that series the way the rest of the team played. We just didn't have it and the Ducks did, hence why they went to the Finals.

How many goals did we score in that series? Kbye.

Paul McCartney and ____...?

Nothing changes here. It's been like this as long as I've come here. This team has more issues than we've had with scoring, but that's mostly due to more issues with injuries than we've ever had. I'm honestly thrilled with how well this seasons going so far. I'd say it's more of a success than the last few years all things considered. We've got all the injuries in the world and every other team in the league is better yet we're still putting up points. I think this team is a sleeping giant at this point. Can't wait for the playoffs!

I toyed around with the idea of entering for ten minutes but decided it wasn't worth my time. I now regret that decision. I have zero doubt that I would've won now.

So much genre crossing these days...not sure how I feel about that...

Absolutely. As is so typical in Detroit and on LGW's, people ripped into him and vilified him at every opportunity, but in the guy's second year here, he was the only one in the playoffs giving the team a chance to win. On top of that, it was after a horrible season for him in which Holland made a stupid move by bringing Hasek back which raised all the drama in the world, for nothing. It's a shame as Cujo's always been a good guy and he was a real good guy in the Detroit community while he was here. He threw a lot (A LOT!!!!!!) of money around to numerous charitable causes and never sought any attention for it. Nothing went in the press. He was a real humble guy off the ice, truly committed to his family and doing as much "right" in the world as he could on any given day. It was a shame the Detroit Red Wings failed to give him the treatment typically afforded to players on this team. The guy played great for us when it mattered despite being screwed by us earlier in the season, and on top of that, he was a great guy to have in the Detroit community in general. It's sad to see it end for him without a Cup, but Cujo's a humble guy, and a grateful guy who never took the opportunity to play for granted. I wish him and his family the best as he transitions into a new life.

Don't misinterpret my meaning. I'm not worried or upset at all. I'm saying I'm not worrying if we don't put a huge win streak together. We've done a good job just avoiding a major losing streak and I'd be more than happy to keep that up as it'll get us into the playoffs.

There are three reasons why I think Osgood will get the nod: 1) Osgood has been the best playoff goalie the last two years, won a Cup in the process, was one game away last year with a Conn Smythe-worthy run, has the experience, 3 Cups, 2 are his, yada yada yada...it's tough to bet against this guy again no matter how well the rookie has played. 2) Even if Jimmy keeps playing in a manner that suggests he has what it takes, there's no reason to "test" his playoff legs in his first year when you have Osgood who has proven throughout his career and the last two years that he is one of the best goalies when it matters most. 3) This one is definitely a stretch so bear that in mind, but I can't help but think Holland has or will consider it: there's no reason to rush Howard along too much at this point when he'll need to be signed to a new contract sometime next season. He's continually proving that he's got what it takes to be a solid goalie in this league and his biggest issues can be worked through over the next couple summers. I don't think they need or want to get Howard to $5 million/year or more status so soon when you've got a guy like Osgood around who you can count on to be good enough to win a Cup. It makes the most sense to keep Howard in "learning mode" this season and next not only for his own development (taking it slower with a goalie is not a bad thing) but for the sake of signing him to a reasonable contract next year. I want the guy to stay, but I don't want to become one of the many teams who makes the mistake of paying their goalie too much money.

That'd be nice, but I'd be content if they just avoid putting a losing streak together. If they can keep from losing more than a game or two in a row and can win 2-3 games in a row most of the time, we'll be fine.

We can beat Carolina. We can beat Dallas. I think we'll lose to Chicago, but we probably won't get shut out, and it won't bother me. Beating Chicago means nothing to me as they're too good and too far ahead to let the division slip at this point. Let them be cocky heading into a playoff series against us. They're a great team, but the Red Wings still have what it takes to not just beat them in the playoffs, but to humble their asses and then some. We can beat Washington, but they will beat us if we don't give our best effort no doubt. We can beat Minnesota. We can beat LA. None of it will be easy, but sans Chicago and Washington, I think all those games are very winnable.

First of all, leave "gutless" in 2009. Second, we've got 52 points in 45 games and we're 6 points shy of 3rd in the conference. I don't think we'll catch Chicago for the division but I didn't think we'd beat them out for it before all the injuries. This isn't blind homerism, this is a good team that has found ways to win despite more adversity than any other team in the league has had to deal with thus far. That's something to be excited about considering we're going to be getting Kronwall and Franzen back which will help our production (our biggest and really our only serious problem) significantly. I have no doubt that we'll break some of these shutouts earlier once we get those guys back which will help our momentum tremendously in these ugly games (and there have been a lot this year to be sure...) and that will translate to more points. We can skate with San Jose now. We'll be toe and toe with Chicago when we're healthy. Another thing to consider is that there are bound to be some more teams on the back end that pick up their game down the stretch and handing more losses to the top 8 teams now. I think St. Louis has a lot more in them than they've shown thus far and I expect they'll still make a push. Anaheim and Dallas can still do more as well. So if we keep putting up points at the pace were going, I think we'll be fine. I think we'll improve on that pace though. We'll get helped when the teams that 5-7 points behind us start beating the teams that are 5-7 ahead of us. The top 3 teams are locks if you ask me and will most likely take their divisions. I still think Colorado is a "new" enough team to slip from 4. 5-8 means nothing as of now. We're a far better team than those teams and I have NO DOUBT AT ALL that we'll get in there before too long. I'll say it now...when all is said and done, I think we'll finish 4th or 5th and I'm totally fine with either. I'd rather not come in the back end and potentially have to face Chicago in the 1st round, but I really don't think it's an issue. By the time things even out, I think we'll get that comfy 4th or 5th slot and I think we'll take our 1st round opponent. Hell, I think once the playoffs start, we can take anyone. Chicago has what it takes to beat us, but we have what it takes to beat them and it'd make for a great sequel WCF series. I'm not scared of anyone in the East. Bring it on.

Damn... I missed this one due to a rehearsal and I had this strange feeling driving home that we probably got destroyed. It would happen after the last few games. I watched the summary on NHL.com and man, what an ugly story just that was. It didn't take much video to see no one had their legs tonight. You can't expect Howard to stop everything every night and it's tough to get on his case for the goals based on what I saw in the replays. I'm surprised Babcock pulled him (based on the video summary) considering it seemed like it was the defense that kept letting him down. Was he otherwise bad or something? And Osgood's goals were weaker no doubt, but I'm not really surprised or upset given all the circumstances. Probably not the worst way to break the bench streak in some ways as he can't get too upset at himself given the nature of where the game already was and where the team's heads seemed to be. If you're going to be rusty, might as well lose a little rust in a game that's already lost. I mean, after all, the 2010 Red Wings (as of this point at least...) can't really be expected to come back from a 3-0 deficit. We have a hard enough time putting 1-2 goals up some games let alone 3 when we're already back against a wall. Whatever. I'm not upset at all. It was a solid road trip and we proved that even in a battered state we can still skate with the better teams in the league. We'll be fine.

No joke...I got flack earlier in the season for saying Howard deserved a chance! It's funny that many who have argued with me lately (against Osgood...) about these issues were the same people calling me an idiot for saying we need to give Howard a chance a few months ago. Fickle bunch around here...

Just don't go to Australia...

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No. Just no.