haroldsnepsts

strange. but I'll take it. seems like most times they would've just called one of the two and let the other one go.

He's got great wheels to break out of the defensive zone and up ice fast, but then he seems to cross everyone else up or make a bad play that negates it. Like if you're gonna take a wrist shot from the blueline, at least get it deep so a teammate may be able to retrieve it. Because there's almost no chance it's gonna make it on net.

anyone know exactly what that call was about? a 4 minute delay of game???

Flip with a goal and assist. I can see the threads now about how the Wings don't need to split up the ZDH line cuz Flip is on fire.

I think these San Jose announcers are among the best I've heard for local broadcasts actually.

That's assuming they'll be able to land someone at the deadline. I'm sure they'll definitely be trying, but actually winning the bidding war is another story.

Well he is Russian. It's not that hard to understand what the draw would be playing there. If the money was comparable and he was going to be a 6th or 7th defenseman, I could see why maybe he'd want to play at home.

Agreed. Koci had his nose broken just two games ago. With it being broken that recent, hell I could rebreak his nose with a punch. Basicaly it's still broken at that point. Also, did you hear them saying how when Dave Lewis was coach he told Chara not to get in any fights? Figures.

I watched it again. It's from his nose. As the announcers say, he's fighting with a broken nose. You can see after a punch Koci grabs his nose and blood is pouring out. It was just smeared all up his face and forehead.

How exactly will the second line be fine?

Better now than in the postseason. The Wings can afford to lose a few in an 82 game season. Not so much in a seven game series.

I hope you're right. Otherwise it's the second time he's tweaked something enough to miss a game, and we're only 10 games into the season. That doesn't bode well for the long haul...

I'm not surprised. A one line team will ultimately kill them in the playoffs. It may not be as fun to watch in the regular season and could cause some weak line combinations until they get it sorted out, but they need to figure out how to get scoring from another line by the postseason. Otherwise teams just match their shutdown guys against ZDH. It already happened some last playoffs, which is why Z and Dats weren't nearly as productive on the road as they were at home. And as much as people dogged Lang, the second line last season was a much greater scoring threat than the current one. Someone unexpected either needs to step up in a massive way, or they need to go out and land that scoring winger. Which is why I would love for them to get Teemu, even though I know there's a 99.9% chance it would never happen.

So Grigs was called up from Grand Rapids, but then was a healthy scratch. So now he's not getting playing time anywhere? I'm confused.

Chelios is very good for his age and the minutes he plays, but he's not better than those guys. They all play at least 6-10 minutes more per game than Cheli. And based on the minutes and games he plays, bonuses kick in to his contract. Yes he should pay what they're worth. But Nick just won yet another Norris trophy, plus you have to factor in the cap going up. The league max is already higher than it was when Lids signed his last contract (which wasn't for the max) and will likely continue to go up for the next couple years. That's why a major pay cut like 5 or 6 million seems unlikely. I just can't see him making the same or less than Rafalski. And it's not Lidstrom's job to worry about signing Hank and managing overall payroll. Thats' Holland's problem. I'm sure Lids will sign for less than make, but there will likely be the inevitable complaints about him not giving up millions of dollars to take as big a hometown discount as some people here think he should.

*waiting for Eva to come and defend Daigle*

I think you missed my point. I would hope that a competent commissioner who cares about the sport (which Bettman is neither) would make the necessary changes, even if it means changing something back to the way it was. But honestly I'd be surprised if any commissioner actually uttered the words "I was wrong" or "I made a mistake."

I see Dom is listed as probable goaltender for tonight. No official word on who is starting yet?

The article makes it sound as if he is. I wouldn't have minded Forsberg at the deadline if he were healthy, but three years would be crazier than signing Bertuzzi for the length he wanted.

Yeah but then they may be stuck with his broke down ass for three years. Actually I can't see any club being dumb enough to sign him for that length. But he could probably get two years out of Colorado.

I'm not even looking for him to say "I messed up" because I think it's unlikely that any commissioner would make such and admission. But it'd be nice if he at least acknowleged the things fans were unhappy with, instead of just denying they exist. And maybe make some statement how they will look into it, or they're working on things, or even asking fans to be patient because changes take some time to get tweaked and sorted out. Instead it's the "eveything's great! the fans agree!" crap.

If he really is looking for a three year deal, then thank god he's not interested in coming to the Wings. Though honestly I couldn't see Holland being fool enough to sign him for that long anyways.

Yes, 5 to 6 million would be an insult relative to the rest of the league. The guy is still one of the top defenseman in the league, evidenced by his Norris win last year. Imagine you're one of the best in the league at your position, one of the best defenseman of all time. Would you want to get paid the same or less than Scheider, McCabe, Redden, Zubov, Blake...? And this comment isn't directed at you, but an attitude that will likely crop up if it hasn't already, which is that he's made millions long enough so he should be willing to give up a several million a year for a hometown discount. It's really easy to give up money when it's someone else's. Beyond that, it's about being paid what you're worth relative to your peers. I just have to laugh every time I hear someone say he's made enough money and should take some huge paycut.

That's the part that really infuriates me with Bettman. Because either he's an idiot, or he just thinks hockey fans are. He'll cite some fictional poll or conversations to defend unpopular decisions. "Fans come up to me all the time and tell me how much they love the new schedule." or regarding clutch and grab hockey "The players are happy with the game. And the fans love it." Then during the lockout they decide to create new rules, in spite of Bettman's denial for years that there was nothing wrong with the clutch and grab game.

First off, "a ton of mistakes this year?" Are you going to stand by that statement? or admit that it's a gross exaggeration? Lidstrom averages 28 minutes of ice time in 80 games per season. How many other players in this league even log that much ice time over the course of the season? Of those players, how many do it at a Norris-caliber level of play that Nick does? Think about it. For nearly half of every Red Wings game of the season, they have one of the best defenseman to ever play the game on the ice. He's worth every penny. Regardless of age, Lidstrom still warrants league max type pay. And plenty of teams in this league would be willing to pay it. His last contract wasn't even for league max, so he's already taken a bit of a discount and probably will on the next deal as well, in spite of racking up yet another Norris trophy.