haroldsnepsts

Pretty much everything has been said, but when I was looking up Kopecky's stats, I was reminded just how big he is. 6'3" 200+ lbs. How the hell does a guy that size get knocked around so damn much??

I don't know, but if they were wearing Wings jerseys at the time, Kopecky would somehow get knocked on his ass and Leino would get pushed off the Boggle by a 10 year girl.

Exactly. It's the same reason Detroit made the playoffs most of the 80s. As for Phaneuf wearing the C? It seems like a bad move to me, but honestly I don't have a lot of solid info to back it up. Just seems like not the best choice, but I know they're trying to get a fresh start there.

Exactly. The team that won the Cup is completely screwed in terms of the cap. It's interesting to see what kind of wheeling and dealing they'll make to try and preserve the core of the team for next season. It's also interesting because of some of the complexity of the cap. What counts and doesn't, tagging, etc. There is a pinned thread about this over at hfboards (and it's currently 28 pages long). It's not like we're just some Hawks obsessed Wings fans. Fans around the league are talking about this situation.

This and the obsession with Pronger is pretty funny. When the Wings won their Cups, I know I hardly gave a second thought to their opponents once the handshakes had ended. And I can't even imagine chanting that some other team we didn't even play sucks while celebrating the win. Awesome. Just awesome. Even in victory Detroit and Pronger are still in their heads.

Yeah, that's about the time I started watching. the 84 season. Then you remember how empty the Joe was. Easy to get great seats. Not a lot of fans though.

I'm guessing this only made Pronger flash that annoying gap-toothed grin. I get that it's just a lighthearted quote from a guy who just won the Cup. Pronger doesn't fight much, but could still likely tune up Burish, who won't even be remembered in this league in 10 years. And as for the other discussion going on in this thread, to me there is a big difference between a hockey fan ripping on some player on an internet board, or even yelling it at a game, and a hockey player ripping on a fellow player while being interviewed on television. Without Pronger, the Flyers don't even make the playoffs, let alone the Cup finals. Without Burish, the Hawks... have a few less goals against?

It's probably because us Americans pretty much want to swap him with Kane. You guys can have the mulleted 20 Cent ****** who doesn't play a lick of defense. We'll take the stand up guy who's a two-way forward and a good young captain.

Where were the Red Wings fans in the mid 80s? We don't seem like we've got many bandwagon fans because the team has been competitive for so long. But when the Wings were awful, the fans weren't there in Detroit either. It's not very much fun to support a terrible team for very long. It's why I would say Detroit is actually Footballtown™. Because the Lions suck year after year, and us fans just keep coming back for more punishment.

+29

Or skates by and grabs the Conn Smythe from Toews, skating a lap with it over his head as the Blackhawks chase him down.

I think that's pretty much been their gameplan for the last 20 years, and they've never managed to.

Exactly. He could overlook 40 guys lining up at center ice because someone has a mic in his face. It could happen to anyone! I don't mind Toews winning the Cup, but how sickening that 20 Cent scored the winning goal.

I don't know much about Exelby, but if he's close to Lilja in terms of defensive ability, then he's an upgrade. Lilja's got heart, but I've hardly seen him hit guys like that. And Exelby's a better fighter. We just need him, or someone like him, to keep it simple defensively and punish guys physically. I'm not sure how much post-concussion Lilja will do that.

I definitely miss the Probert and Kocur days, but to be clear, that definitely wasn't the clutch and grab era.

Watching that douchebag 20 Cent hoist the cup would be only slightly less nauseating than when Crosby did it.

In general Vladdy's hits were cleaner and more devastating than Kronwall's. He was seriously old school. Skates on the ice, no jumping up into hits. And perfect hip checks. But I'm sure they'd find a reason to penalize somehow.

Irritating for sure. I've never really found Pronger to be cocky. In interviews I've seen he's usually fairly well spoken and humble, actually. The guy's a dick on the ice, but he's pretty friggin smart. And I would've taken him on the Wings in a heartbeat. Yes he plays to the edge, and sometimes over it. But so did Chelios, and several other former Wings players. But I don't lump him in with players who run guys and hide behind teammates or refs. He's not a big fighter, but to my knowledge Pronger's not hid from anyone. But he's definitely got a mean streak that gets away from him sometimes. Still, could you imagine the Wings with Pronger and Lidstrom as the top 2 D-men? Holy hell.

that was a pretty weak call for a crosscheck.

I honestly hold no ill will for the guy for leaving the Wings. That being said, it would horrifically incredible if the poor guy was on three consecutive teams that lost in the Finals. Mainly I'm just rooting for Philly because my hatred for the Hawks is greater than my hatred for Philly. Probably because they're in the east and we never see them. Plus the thought of 20 Cent holding the Cup makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

Yeah, whoever they get, they need someone similar to Lilja, but ideally nastier and more physical around his own net. Lillypads is big, but we need a guy who will punish players around the Detroit crease. right now no one in the Wings lineup does that.

If you're implying it's because he started slacking off once he got his NTC, I don't think that's the reason. 2010/04/04 Missed 4 games (groin). 2010/03/27 Groin, day-to-day. 2010/03/24 Missed 2 games (groin). 2010/03/22 Groin, day-to-day. 2010/01/07 Missed 12 games (separated shoulder). 2009/12/10 Separated shoulder, mid-January. 2008/11/28 Missed 8 games (left eye injury). 2008/11/11 Left eye injury, day-to-day. 2008/03/25 Missed 19 games (broken jaw). 2008/03/11 Signed by the Detroit Red Wings to a five-year contract extension. He's not been the same since he broke his jaw, and has had a nagging groin injury, bad eye, and a bad knee. The biggest question mark with Cleary is his health, and so far things are sounding positive.

Verbeek started around the same time Yzerman was named VP of Operations. For all we know, Stevie was the one who brought him into the organization. We're talking about a relationship with the Red Wings that's gone on for over 25 years, especially with guys like Devellano. I highly doubt Stevie is doing anything to jeopardize those relationships. It's a business and people bring staff with them all the time. There's just too many details I don't know to think ill of Yzerman at this point. If you can't give him the benefit of the doubt, then what pro athlete can you? I guess it could be true, but I'd be shocked if he were paid more money than Holland, considering Holland's track record and the deep pockets of the Wings franchise.

That used to be the case with Drapes, but I'm not so sure anymore. He's got a ton of heart and I appreciate all he's done for this franchise over the years, but he definitely isn't worth his contract for next season. He plays less than 12 minutes a game, doesn't really kill penalties anymore, doesn't really take many faceoffs (he had 319, one more this season than Abby). He's still got decent speed and he hits guy, but when you're talking about losing a bigger, much younger, cheaper player like Drew Miller, that $1.5 mill and roster spot definitely hurts.

Agreed. It's not a huge gap, but I'd probably go with Eaves too. He offers a little bit more than Miller.