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Everything posted by haroldsnepsts
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I don't think the call on Dats was incredibly weak. To me the only reason I was surprised it was called was because of context, because it was late in the game. If memory serves, he wasn't moving his feet and pretty clearly slowed the guy up. The Ducks definitely mastered intereference without the stick. They figured out faster than the rest of the league that as long as you've got both hands on the stick, you can pretty much set picks and run interference without getting calls. Either way, the point is that it was more than that one call or play that kept the Wings from the Cup. To say that if they get that break, the Cup is theirs is unfounded and pretty arrogant.
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The plot thickens... This is a surprising move. I know a lot of people here overstated it, but apparently Babcock wasn't happy with how Dom has performed either.
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I agree with most of what you said, but this is a massive overstatement that's been thrown around a lot here. Even aside from one "bad" call (are you referring to the one on Dats for interference? because that was a pretty solid call) or one bad play by Lilja, or whatever people claim is the one bad break that cost the Wings the series, they still had to win two more games against Anaheim. That's a tall order. And that was just the conference finals! It's not like they lost in OT of game seven because of an unlucky break. They had to win 6 more games against two very good teams.
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C) is the one that really speaks volumes to me about Grigorenko. How do you not show up in shape and ready to take your shot at cracking the NHL lineup?
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But a 3rd liner is something Downey will never be. I think ellis and Kopecky (mostly ellis) have the potential to be gritty. As I mentioned, Hank's goal the other night was because of Ellis's hard work around the net. If he keeps that up, he's already more valuable to the team than Downey. I don't see how Ellis and Kopecky hurt the team any more than Downey does when he's on the ice. He's not exactly a two way player. Or even a one way for that matter. Like I said, and you seem to agree, Kopecky and Ellis have the potential to be third liners. That's way more than Downey will ever become. There's a chance they can play grittier and be defensively responsible. But they're gonna need the ice time for that to happen. Whereas Downey is a dead end. Why waste the minutes?
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This team needs good players who are gritty. Not just grit in any form. As much fun as it might be to watch Downey out there mucking it up, the trick is to do it without the puck ending up in the back of our net. I'm not sure I understand the rest of your message. you'd rather have a 4th liner like downey, than a career third liner. are you saying that'd kopecky or ellis? Like I said, these are younger guys who are just breaking into the league. They need some time to develop on the big club before we know what they can really do. This team needs grit for sure. Downey is not the answer. As for Kopecky, I haven't seen him play a ton but in his last season in the AHL he had 32 goals and 40 assists and was +24. Clearly there's some talent there. Hopefully it will translate to the NHL. Downey on the other hand has done little other than amass penalty minutes in any league.
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Ellis is relatively young (26) and cracking into the NHL. There's a chance he has upside once he adjust to the game. Same goes for Kopecky. He was looking pretty good before the broken collar bone. Hanks goal the other night was mostly due to Ellis's hard work crashing the net. Both of those guys have a better shot at becoming solid role players. Downey has kicked around the NHL for 5 or 6 years now and is a known quantity. A guy who'll throw the occasional hit and drop the gloves, but isn't good for anything else. I seriously don't understand the fascination with Downey. Why waste a roster spot on a 33 year old who can't do anything but fight (and not that well), when we have younger guys that may actually develop?
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And before someone suggests that Lebda is better than Kronwall, Kronner plays the third most minutes among the defenseman, at over 20 a game. Lebda is on the ice for a less than 15. Lebda plays well in his role. That doesn't mean he'd hold up as the third defenseman.
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Why not just put Cleary on the 2nd line and demote Hudler, keeping the ZDH line remains intact? I think the offensive production of keeping that first line together may outweigh the benefits of moving Homer down to the second line. At least with the potential guys we've got on it right now.
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A new defensive partner, plus the whole team has been out of sync with their defensive play. It's way too early to start worrying about Lids.
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Actually under the current rules, isn't there a good chance throwing Downey out in the waning minutes of a game out of reach could lead to his supension, a fine for the team, and a potential fine for Babcock? I understand why Babcock kept him on the bench. the Wings had a decent shot at winning that game until late in the third. I definitely think this team needs more toughness, but it does seem like people are overly fixated on Downey. It's probably more of a sign of how desperate we fans are for it. It's nice to see Drake out there hitting and dropping the gloves once in a while, though I'm a little concerned that he's already a -5 playing 10 minutes a game. I have a feeling Downey would be even worse.
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I'll give you that Schneider had a great shot from the point, but he's the exact same size as Rafalski. Actually depending on what source you check, Rafalski is listed as a few pounds heavier.
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He also stole his signature.
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That's definitely true. I'm less worried about the defensive end, to be honest. They work because of team defense, and that's more about not making the bad play. Rookie mistakes, mental errors, etc. That should improve as the season goes on. But man, that second line (or lack thereof) definitely has me concerned. Whether it's Cleary, Franzen, Flip, Hudler. A couple of those guys are going to have to step up and score goals. And honestly Franzen will score some, but that's not really his full role. So then it comes to Sammy who only scored what, 14 goals last year? and two 23 year olds in their second year in the NHL. Unless Cleary gets put on the second line.
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Well, he's already won one, has a Hart trophy, and honestly could've had a Conn Smythe. I didn't think I was going on out a limb there.
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I know. so I can understand it taking a while to get his game back and develop it to the NHL level. What I don't understand is him showing up to camp out of shape. The Wings desperately need a winger with a scoring touch. The opportunity was there for the taking. And he couldn't even manage to show up in good shape.
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What a disappointment he's been so far. There was so much hype for this guy here, then he doesn't even make the team.
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I don't see how it could be worse than Goodenow and Bettman. The tone from both sides was a pretty strong indication that the season was lost. Thankfully Goodenow is gone. Now I'm just praying for the day Gary gets the boot.
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I'm not much of a baseball fan, so I don't really have a vested interest in either team. But watching it even Joe Buck was pointing out several questionable calls. And uh, why is that douchebag Dane Cook doing all the promos for MLB?
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Well then suit up dammit! The wings could use another Dman, especially one who drops the gloves.
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I still think if you watch the replay Gordie, it was a breakaway when Lids started chasing down Niedermayer. It didn't become a 2 on 1 until after Pahlsson outraced whoever that was next to him at center ice. Lids has got to stop the breakaway first, then try and react when it became a two on one. I don't know that he even had time to dive and take away the pass. Even if he did, Niedermayer could just as easily put on the breaks and then it's a 2 on none. Niedermayer smartly got that pass away right as Lidstrom caught up and was trying to make the play. I'm not saying Lids doesn't make mistakes. I just don't think this was one of them.
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Yeah, after watching the replay a few times though, basically it was a breakaway for Niedermayer. Lids had to go like hell to cover him. Then Pahlsson outraces whoever that was next to him. If you look, Pahlsson is actualy behind the Wings player when the breakaway starts, then pulls away to make it a 2 on 1.
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The article is about guys in the mold of Tootoo who as the article says "ly around the ice looking to hurt unsuspecting players by leveling a slightly late, often high and always malicious body blow." Pronger has his cheapshot moments, but is a Norris calibre defenseman.
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Or maybe because after the inital takedown, the officials realized that Tootoo was playing it up and the clothesline wasn't early as bad as he made it seem. Because Tootoo is such a little punk, I'm sure his dirty reputation did factor somewhat into the equation. If a standup guy had been taken down like that, the officials likely would've given them more of the benefit of the doubt. You reap what you sow. Saw this in another thread. More sportswriters are chiming in about Tootoo and his ilk. it's not just us Wings fans here because of some "rivalry" with the Preds. It's the prevailing opinion of pretty much everyone outside of Nashville. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...ting/index.html
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Hindsight is 20/20. The thing is Lidstrom was on the other side of the ice and was hauling ass just to get back. He not only had to race back to his end, he also had to come from the far boards. He was already behind the play, so it's not like it was a pretty standard 2 on 1. Nik had to angle off Niedermayer with the puck to prevent a clean breakaway and hope someone picked up the trailer. Niedermayer just got the pass away before Lidstrom got to it. Obviously since a goal was scored, some other tactic might have worked better. But as the play unfolded, I see why he played it the way he did.