haroldsnepsts

So because a guy is a gutless cheapshotting weasel, it's your own fault for not anticipating him cheapshotting you at any given moment?

Looks like the new LGW whipping boy has been selected. Let the games begin.

Not really a trade deadline deal, but I want Teemu Selanne. What's the latest word on him anyway?

Making it to the conference Finals is choking? Seriously, you have to admit that the last several seasons, the Hawks have sucked. Is it really surprising Wings fans here are reacting like this? Hopefully the Blackhawks do come around this season. It'd be nice to have that rivalry going again.

How funny that Robert Lazy and He Sucksâ„¢ Lang scored the tying goal. It sucks the Wings lost, but having all the people who incessantly ripped on Lang having to choke on that goal is worth it.

No. He just has cheesy rock-star wannabe hair like Niedermayer.

I forgot about that blues game. Man how many 3rd man in were there against Probert? Every time he squares up, another Blues player jumps him. EDIT: At the end of that clip, they show what started it. Look at how many times Probert goes hard to the net. He used to create so much room in front.

In another thread someone suggested removing the 4th line from the NHL. Tootoo is a great argument for that idea. He's the embodiment of the worst kind of 4th liner and a negative trend in the NHL. He's not sound defensively, he has no offensive upside, so he's basically an agitator. Except the way he agitates is largely through questionable hits and cheapshots. He's going to continue to run guys and try and hurt them because it's all he really has to offer at the NHL level. And he's been rewarded for it, as it's kept him on the Preds for two seasons now. If in his 8 minutes of ice time he hurts and opponent, then I guess they figure he's helped them win.

It wasn't as bad as what happened to Robidas because he didn't connect with Laperriere's face with his first swing. It was a standard Tootoo special. He threw a roundhouse right before he even got his gloves off. so I watched the video and no, I don't disagree with Gordie. Quicker on the draw. Seriously man, take off the homer glasses. This is Tootoo's standard operating procedure. EDIT: I've watched the video several times now. Tootoo comes out of the corner and in one motion ditches his stick and gloves and comes around swinging. Quicker on the draw, my ass. Most guys would give a hack or a shove, square off and start swinging. More often than not Tootoo doesn't square up. He just starts swinging.

Actually tennis is the only one that's no contact, so it's not enough said. You've apparently never played basketball if you think it's no contact. Track I wouldn't classify as a contact sport, but watch the guys running any distance greater than 800m. There's jostling for lane position, some elbowing, fighting for position. As for cheapshotting from behind into the boars, obviously the boards part can only really happen in hockey. but the cheapshots from behind happen often in football to wide receivers. or a late hit on a QB. Soccer has elbows, head butts, intentional kicks, slide tackles with the cleats up to injure. Thrown elbows in basketball. hacks to the arms and face. knocking the legs out from under a guy on a layup or dunk. There's cheapshots in about every sport. It's just that most sports don't allow fighting in any capacity. It's not a function of how aggressive the sport is. Football is about as agro as it gets. It's because other sports don't tolerate it. In your football example of how you can get payback, you're ignoring that football also has rules on how you can hit a guy, just like hockey does. There are limitations. Can't hit with the helmet. no hands to the face, no chop blocks, etc. It's the same thing. Oh, and you have to actually have a reason to block him or tackle him. It's not like in football you can just clock any guy on the field any way you want because you're mad. And again, I like fighting in hockey. I think it's a part of the game. When someone cheapshots a Wings player, I want that guy to get a beatdown. But it's got nothing to do with playing the game or hockey being more intense than all other sports. Hockey just allows fighting to happen and other sports don't. And I was joking about the anger management. I should've added a smiley or something. If anything it sounds like hockey is your sport. The one you love and play the most, so it's also gonna be the most intense and frustrating too. But that's how it is for competitive people in every sport.

Football has fast pace and physical nature. As does Lacrosse, and plenty of other sports. Somehow players manage to avoid fighting. And it's not because they don't have boards around the field. It's because it's not tolerated as part of the game. All sports are frustrating and can cause you to lose your temper. Any adult athlete should be mature enough to contain that temper, especially at the pro level. There is fighting in hockey simply because it is accepted in the game and has been for a long time. Simple as that. I'm not for getting rid of fighting in hockey, but your reasoning as to why it's there is weak. And your statement about having the to play the game to "get" fighting is a crock of sh*t. I've played hockey, basketball, tennis, hell even track. And it's easy to get frustrated and lose your temper in all of them. Because they're all competitive sports. If anything you could argue that it's easier to control your temper in hockey because of the physical nature. you can vent it by throwing a clean check on your opponent. Most sports you can't even touch the guy, so there's no legal way to vent that frustration. Sounds like you've got an anger management issue. That doesn't make you more qualified to talk about fighting in hockey.

Honestly fighting in hockey means less to me the older I get and longer I've watched it. If there were no fighting in hockey, I would probably still watch it as long as there was still hitting, and there weren't spineless players cheapshotting guys because there's no real repercussions. The refs catch a lot, but there's still a lot that guys get away with in the game. I feel like the mutual respect among players has already eroded at the NHL level. My fear would be that removing fighting would only make it worse. The way the game is played today, I want it in the game. And I want more guys on the Wings dropping the gloves after they get run at it. It was frustrating as a fan last season watching them get cheapshotted with no repercussion, other than the occasional penalty. EDIT: oh, and the argument that you can't talk about something unless you've done it is crap. If that were true it would pretty much invalidate this whole forums. I don't see a lot of NHL players in here. And lord knows that pickup games and beer leagues are a world away from what goes on in the NHL, so I guess no one would be able to talk about it.

They should keep the sleeve size the way it is. If goalies don't like it, they can wear smaller arm pads.

Sorry, but for me hockey attendance does equal fan interest. Attending a game is the top level of fan interest, because it requires a greater level of commitment both physically and financially. You've got to get up off the couch, shell out hard earned dough for tickets, and drive to and from the game. Someone may be a big Celine Dione fan because they buy all her albums, but I am a bigger fan because I own all her albums and go see all her concerts within a 200 mile radius of my house. See the difference?* And Detroit being safe has nothing to do with it. If anything the area around Joe Louis is as safe or safer than it was in the mid 1990s. *Do I really need to point out I'm kidding? I'm not insane. It's actually only a 100 mile radius.

ah. because he's not currently under contract anywhere, we'd have to sign him by dec. 1st? Well, if it were to happen, I'd still rather it be as late as possible.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to waste a roster spot on a goon. But it'd be great to have a few more guys who can play the game and will also drop the gloves when necessary, like the Wings used to have.

Agreed. It's counterintuitive, but there's something to be said for having a few powerhouse teams that can keep marquee players. It doesn't guarantee a Cup *cough* Rangers *cough* but it does give you great rivalries like Colorado and Detroit. It's hard for those to develop if the rosters rotate a lot. And it also adds the underdog element. It's exciting to watch a small market team upset a big one (as long as it's not Detroit). And I said this in another thread, but I always thought it was a little silly to call Detroit Hockeytownâ„¢. Detroit is a great hockey market, but there are plenty of others. And it's easy to call this Hockeytown when the Wings are regularly among the best in their conference and winning Cups. The Joe was dead in the 80s, and I'd bet the same would happen again if the team didn't perform well. With all the success of the last ten years, fans are probably even more likely to bail if they're struggling. If anything, this is Lionstown considering how loyal their fanbase is in spite of being disappointed season after season. As for not selling out opening night. that is shocking. Bad economy, Yzerman and Shanny gone, and some spoiled fans are probably why.

I was thinking the same thing last night. Even for those who don't think the Wings need a guy who will drop the gloves, as soon as Drake sticks up for himself, everyone gets totally fired up. Wait til he sticks up for a teammate. That's been a rare occurence on the Wings lately.

That's why I always thought it was funny Detroit calls itself Hockeytown. I love the Wings, but let's be serious, Joe Louis was nearly empty when the Wings weren't good. It became hockeytown during the Cup years. By coincidence. This should be Football Town. The Lions get tons of support and have been mostly a horrible team over the years.

I'm pretty sure Chelios said that once too. The only way I'd want Floppa on the team is if he were known to be healthy, and a trade deadline pickup. We don't need him to dominate the central division. And the shorter time he's on the team, the better. Since it's Eklund though, you can almost guarantee it's not going to happen. There's a greater chance of Forberg coming over to clean my house (e3).

so, turning on the players happened a whole 30 minutes into the season?

Having those two teams in the Cup finals would be great for the NHL.'s popularity.

No kidding. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Did anyone keep track of how far it got into the new season before people here turned on Wings players?

I see the goodwill Lilja built up through is performance in the playoffs has already vanished.