YoungGuns1340

Haha, I second this. I seriously love the guy. My girlfriend lives 30 minutes from DC, and Im just itching to get tickets to a game, but sadly, I might have to wait til next season.

Nordstroms has a kitchen?? And here I was thinking they were just a department store..

You said it at the beginning that Franzen had more potential than Homer? Was this when Franzen was 16 and Homer was 24??? Its hard to compare two guys that are separated by some 7 or 8 years, especially when Homer didnt start seeing top 6 minutes until he was 30 years old, due to the Wings having an absolutely stacked roster. You dont use potential where a 34 year old vet is concerned..

Homer played on the 4th line and a PP specialist until all of Detroits big guns left. He was essentially in the same role that Jiri Hudler is now. Vyborny played on the top 2 for Columbus since hes been on the team - 7 seasons. Either way, Zherdev-Nash-Vyborny may be Columbus' top line, but not even close to being a top line in the league. I cant think of many "top NHL lines" that dont feature one single 70 point player.

HAHA. Why do I feel the same way. I couldnt stand his chipmunk like mug and the constant praise this kid got. But now that he looks like a man (does he look to anyone else like he could be Adam Foote's younger brother in that pic?) and we dont hear as much hype about the kid being the next 50 goal, 100 point guy, hes kinda grown on me. I dont really mind him now. Still not a fan, but I like how hes matured..

Yeah, I dont know about anyone else, but Pronger off the ice for ANY amount of time is better than "the league watching him." Hes the most suspended player in the league. If the league "was watching", theyd have been all over this. Fact of the matter is they dont go around making examples out of their star players. its just a fact.

In that case, what were they doing handing out a suspension to Simon when he cross-checked Hollweg in the face? Hollweg had just given Simon a questionable run into the boards. Guess that was enough provocation for Simon to be let off the hook.

The TSN article is actually really interesting. All it does is stat the facts, and those are that Chris Simon and Chris Pronger performed the same kind of actions. One got suspended for 30 games, one didnt. It just makes the league look like the ******* joke that it is. There is absolutely NO logic that could support the discrepancy between a 30 game suspension and not even a slap on the wrist for the SAME DISGUSTING MOVE. The worst part is, Prongers was probably worse. Theres more protection from a skate than there is on the calves.

The only time it pisses me off is if he scores against the Wings. All other times its ok in my book. And I cant really blame the guy. If he celebrated everytime he scored and was just some average joe, it would be one thing. But 1) He scores more than any guy in the NHL, so obviously were going to see him celebrate more, 2) He scores like 1 in every 3 of his teams goals, so theyre important goals whenever they come and 3) hes trying to get his team somewhere. Hes probably the most competitive guy in the league, and that shows up on the ice. He wants to win all the time, every time. And hes been trying to get his team into the playoffs since he played his first NHL game. IMO, thats how he see it. Every goal he scores gets him closer to the Stanley Cup. Its simply not the same for other players who can rely on teammates to help them make the playoffs. Ovechkin has to elevate his game and the game of others around him in order to get the Caps into the playoffs. Personally, Id love to see more raw emotion out of the Wings.

Actually, hes a 33 year old vet whos had 2 good years, 2 ok years, and is going on his third "nothing special" year despite getting good ice time since his time with the Jackets. Hes AT BEST a 2nd line player. As for Zherdev and Nash, theyre franchise players in theory, but they arent quite there yet. I'm still waiting for either to break the 70 point barrier (this will be Nash's first 60 point season), but Im willing to chalk that up to the lack of a good offensive center on Columbus..

No, it's not.

I remember last season Chris Pronger had a leg/ankle injury of some sort, and he wasnt allowed to skate, but he was allowed to work out, and he said it actually benefited him in the long run, because he was able to build back up his muscle tone, a lot of which he had lost during the season because he couldnt do as intense of workouts in the thick of the hockey schedule. Stamina and timing lost? of course. Muscle tone and strength? I dont see anything that could stop him from using weights and drinking protein shakes, but thats just me.

I dont think our defense is better than Anaheims is. But one thing Id like to point out is that Beauchemin by all accounts has been ABYSMAL this year. Hes a shadow of the player he was last season. Kronwall >>> Beauchemin this season in a landslide, especially with Nik continuing to improve this season.

Hes a f**king vampire? Well there you go! Id probably want my shot at killing him too...

I agree. I think theyre more or less *** for tat in terms of skill, with Crosby having the edge in playmaking to Ovechkin's ability to score, but Ovechkin seems to have this killer instinct that is unparalleled in the NHL right now. Maybe its just because Ovechkin has a few years on Crosby, but I think Ovechkin definitely has the better ability to channel his emotions into the game, whereas Crosby often gets frustrated and it takes away from his game, although hes gotten better in that department..

Yeah I agree. In a few years, there will be other players to talk about, if not next year. If Toronto lands Stamkos next year, I'm sure the media will be all over how and when Stamkos is going to turn the Leafs franchise around. Or it not Stamkos, then Tavares after that. Im just curious to know though..how long is it before we see Crosby sacrifice a little of his offensive game for the defensive end of things. Right now hes decent defensively, but I wonder if hell soon take the route Steve did and become a great defensive forward. Malkin is already better than Crosby is in that department actually..

Actually Rolston has done a pretty good job lately of getting 30 goals or close to it. If hes on Datsyuks wing, then Id say Guaranteed 35 goal season with 40 goals in sight. Brian Rolster has one of the best slappers in the league. He knows where to put the puck right up there with the best of them, and hasnt had much of a center to work with at it either. With Datsyuk - or Hank - we could see some fireworks, although Id prefer to see him with Datsyuk too as the playmaking/sniper combo would suit both Rolston and Datsyuk better.

2nd Line Free Agent - Brian Rolston

Dont look now, but Nik Kronwall is a healthy +23 on the season..

oh i SO had him pegged for 2.8 million. Really nice deal. Flip, youre up next!

Im with whoever said whichever teams are closest. The last thing I want is a cross-country first round opponent.

I want Hank to net a couple. Its high time he had a 40 goal season. Id love to see a big score for us tonight. Goals for Filppula, Franzen, and Zetterberg at least.

Actually its pretty obvious that theyre going with really small guys. Zetterberg is actually listed at 6'0, and Datsyuk is only off by a little bit. I dont think people go around saying either Datsyuk or Zetterberg are small guys. Of course theyre not big, but theyre not small either. This list is nothing to get hyped about.

If Im not mistaken, Hudler was benched in the playoffs last year. I wouldn't be surprised to see any of Hudler, Samuelsson, Kopecky, Downey, Drake, or McCarty sit even if its just for a game. Babs gets cutthroat in the playoffs and if someone (whos not key player) isnt playing up to par, and youve got energy guys like Drake, Mac, and Downey waiitng in the wings, youd better be on your toes.