gcom007

Exactly. Can't take anything away from what he did in 2008, but as the playoffs in 2009 went on, it felt more and more like he was carrying a broken team on his back. He wasn't the only great player, but he was our best player, and he took us about as far as you can go and as close as you can come to the Cup without winning, and again, I think it's fair to say the other side got more than a few beneficial calls along the way.

I'm still steaming as well. I absolutely still feel that the NHL did what they could to help Pittsburgh over the top in 2009. It's just a shame we were so beat up because it wouldn't have even been a contest if we were just a bit healthier.

He was absolutely great in 2008. Two shutouts to start the finals against that Pittsburgh offense speaks for itself, great team in front of him or not. But I actually thought he was better on an individual level in the 2009 playoffs, despite putting up worse stats. When you consider how well he played despite having to play behind a very battered team that even lost Lidstrom for some games, I think there's no way he wouldn't have won the Conn Smythe had we beaten Pittsburgh.

Man, I miss Maltby sometimes...sometimes I think Kirk Maltby is my spirit animal.

I get it, but they are a much, much, much better looking team this year than any of the last few years. Not saying there won't be some slumps along the way, but comparing last years team to this years team is an apples and oranges scenario if there ever was one.

I should say a part of the game that shouldn't matter because it's just a stupid part of the game today. Sure, I'd like to win, and I wish we were better, but the whole team sucks at it, and if it's the worst of our problems this year, which I believe it to be, we're in pretty good shape. Especially come playoff time when overtime is decided by playing a hockey game again. On a random note, any chance your user name is a Wire reference? If so, bravo.

Worst part about this is that the stupid Howard shootout thread is bound to take on new life. I'm surprised it's survived. I get that it sucks that he's not a great shootout goalie, but we can't score consistently in the shootout either, and it's the stupidest thing to be pissing and moaning about, because it's the damn shootout! Howard is great in the parts of the game that really matter and we've got to have a thread about the ******* shootout. Ridiculous.

So apparently the power of positive thinking doesn't always work. So sick of the stupid shootout. Just a stupid, obnoxious way to "lose."

I think Howard pulls it off tonight.

I just don't even...sheer, visceral pain.

Absolutely true. Howard may indeed suck in the shootout, but so do out shooters. The Wings are just not a good shootout team. It doesn't bother me at all though. I'm sick of the shootout. Bring on 4 on 4/3 on 3 overtimes before going to the shootout if you have to keep it around. That sounds infinitely more exciting and likely to yield more satisfying hockey results.

I didn't think Babcock was going anywhere before, and I'm more convinced of that now. I still wouldn't be utterly shocked if he left, all things considered. But the way the team is playing this year so far, and that he does seem to like being here, as he's said numerous times, I think a better man would be wise to put money on him staying with the Wings next year. I do think it's highly likely that he sticks to the one-year contracts he keeps talking about though.

I can't believe this thread made it through the night.

The sky is falling and stuff.

Howard's shootout mediocrity aside, I really would be thrilled to have the shootout out of the game, or at least give the 4 on 4 followed by 3 on 3 followed by shootout option a try. It's just such an irritating way to lose hard fought games, and the thrill of the wins is generally pretty cheap.

I'm just going to blame NBC for everything that went wrong tonight, namely Reimer. But I'll blame Howard for the shootout. The guy's been really damn good this year, no doubt, but for the love, it just seems like he is about as bad as they come in the shootout. I could be wrong, as I don't pay much attention to shootout stats for him and other goalies, but we sure seem to get the short end of the stick in the shootout when he's in net more often than not.

That sure is what it looked like to me as well. It looked a lot like an unlucky break that resulted from Ballard awkwardly trying to scramble away. Hopefully he's alright, but it's hard to look at that as an incredibly vicious hit.

******* love it. That's the kind of confidence we need. Here's to hoping a full year up for some of these guys and a 2nd year for others will help them become more ready for the playoffs, but they've got to be feeling great about their chances right now. More often than not thus far, they've gone out every night and given themselves a chance to win against any team and done so. This is not the sputtering Red Wings of the last few years. This team has swagger, and this team is learning how to finish. This is why I like our chances and why I don't want to rock the boat with trades.

When it came up in the last GDT, this is what I said: "I hope I'm eventually proven wrong of course, but I never expected Z to come back as the same player from that injury. Back issues typically never fully go away, and they only become harder to deal with as time goes on. Z's going to be an important player on this team no matter what though. He's a great leader and it's not like he's utterly failing to rack up points. The shape of his game is likely to continue to change, but I'm not too worried about the impact it'll have on the team. He might not contribute as much offensively, but he'll likely compensate by contributing more in other ways. Other people will pick up the slack on offense. Hell, just look at what Dats is doing offensively this year. He's picking up all the scoring slack himself and some. And Z's still plenty capable of lighting it up when the opportunity strikes. But whether he gets the scoring going again or not, I fully believe Z will remain as valuable to this team as he ever was." Basically, whether Z scores goals or even puts up points like he used to or not, I think he's going to remain as valuable to this team as he ever has been in some way for as long as he plays. Players like Zetterberg find a way to contribute, and he's a great leader. I'm really not worried. He was bound to start slipping in some ways with age eventually, and his back issues are not really new problems. But all that said, he's still a fantastic guy to build a team around.

As he should be.

We've still got a lot more offensive power than defensive. If we're going to make a move, we really ought to save the pieces for a defenseman. Dats and Tats might slow down, but maybe Nyqvist, Z, and Franzen will pick up then, for example. Weiss is getting things going fast now that he's a regular. And hell, we've still got a few tricks we could potentially pull out of GR if things get really rough. I think we're fine on offense. Not worth tinkering with.

That, and because of the universe exploding time paradox LetsGoWings.com Yandle witch monkey curse...

Just one more thing to cross off my sadness scavenger hunt...

Yandle will become a Wing when he's 37. Just be patient you ingrates.........

I hope I'm eventually proven wrong of course, but I never expected Z to come back as the same player from that injury. Back issues typically never fully go away, and they only become harder to deal with as time goes on. Z's going to be an important player on this team no matter what though. He's a great leader and it's not like he's utterly failing to rack up points. The shape of his game is likely to continue to change, but I'm not too worried about the impact it'll have on the team. He might not contribute as much offensively, but he'll likely compensate by contributing more in other ways. Other people will pick up the slack on offense. Hell, just look at what Dats is doing offensively this year. He's picking up all the scoring slack himself and some. And Z's still plenty capable of lighting it up when the opportunity strikes. But whether he gets the scoring going again or not, I fully believe Z will remain as valuable to this team as he ever was.