dicksmack

It was fun going around to other team's boards to check out the reaction. The most notable quote I saw was: "short of a plane crash, the wings will be freakin' unstoppable."

It seems to me, this day would be too good to be true if we locked Flip up as well. Hope he doesn't get poached. I think his career prospects are better here in the longer term. He might get some more $ elsewhere now but could do better by staying here and playing with a great team, and linemates and getting all of the exposure that comes with being on an elite team.

I can't picture Sundin in a Wings uniform. Can't see him here and I hope it doesn't happen. Thank-you crazy canucks. Add a mid-level forward and we should re-sign Val against offer sheets. He'll get some after playing so well in the SCF. People remember highlight reel goals in the finals.

Cujo hahahahaha... Things are gonna CHANGE in TO!

Pardon my language but f***IN' A!

So that's 1.2m per monumental playoff gaffe. If Staal could have hit the net when Andreas fell and gave the puck away, it might have changed the series. Brutal goals against are hard to shake off. But I'm glad he's back, forum fodder that he is...

You may be right Harold. It really comes down to dollars and cents. I don't like the idea of wasting a roster spot on a tough guy, strictly speaking. I'd rather insert some guy(s) who can do both, and in terms of the context of my comments, it would therefore obviate the need for a one-dimensional player. I spent 7 years living in Vancouver and watched him a lot when he was the premier power forward in the NHL; I may have more of the "old Todd" in mind, but if the money is right, he's a gamble that is high risk/high reward.

What's ridiculous is you thinking those examples were anything serious whatsoever lol...

If I had to chose between "dancing with Downey" or dealing with Bertuzzi I'd choose the former. Bertuzzi can run you through the end of the rink. I'd be more afraid of him while the game is on, than dropping the gloves. The Wings are going to face some nastiness as the team to beat this year. We'll need some phyical guys that can still play the game. Give Bertuzzi the whole year to get used to our game and he'd fit right in. Is Bertuzzi going to compete with a Laraque? No way. Can he add some toughness to this team? Damn straight. Bertuzzi isn't exactly a universally loved guy but if any organization can extract the most out of a guy like that, it's Detroit. As I said, he's a big question mark for sure, but I think some of you guys underestimate what he can do for the right price. I kind of see it as do or die for him and he needs to remember how big he is and play that way.

He would have a hell of a lot more deterrence factor against cheapshotting our guys than Downey would. Enforcer? No. Deterrent ? Hell yes! And he has skill, which Downey doesn't. When I lived in Van, I watched him play a whole lot and I've seen opposing players give up the puck in a hurry rather than go into the corner with him. People left Naslund alone. Mind you, he was 20 or so pounds heavier and it was before his back problems. At this point in his career, Todd may realize that he needs to offer more than his skill and he should bulk up again. Somebody runs Lids/Pav/Zett? Bertuzzi gets two minutes for boarding, buddy's out of the game and the problem is solved directly. If he had a whole year of playing with the team, compared to coming here as he did off of an injury and out of shape into the playoffs, he could do damage on the scoreboard and in the corners. And hopefully not in his vertebrae! Bert is a gamble and big fat question mark but the payoff (insert Steve Moore joke here) could be nice.

The vets on this team are the chemo. If he had a whole year here, he'd be ready to go for the playoffs. He could solve the enforcer problem too, if he regained some size. he's one mean SOB when he wants to be.

If the price is right, I think we should grab him.

Well first of all, he isn't aware that "sour grapes" refers to rationalization, not resentment... And sure, for every prospect that turns into an all-world player, there are a handful that never even get a sniff of the NHL. So what? Relative to other teams, the Wings are doing exceptionally well. Due to success and trading picks away, the Wings have had to mine the lower rounds. Just lucky? Andersson is the first to admit that but he's outworked his compatriates and look at guys like Franzen, Filpulla and Hudler... it goes well beyond Hank and Dats. The Wings aren't perfect, as this guy seems to require before being impressed. I disagreed about Kindl; I never liked him due to defen"sieve" lapses and bobbling the puck all time; Jakub may come around, but I doubt it. You can't teach anticipation IMO.

That's true, he's among the hardest working birddogs around and you can't find all the secret prospects, but you can scoop the known but underestimated guys (Hank) if you realize speed and skill can be supplemented with muscle but not the reverse...

I must say, Hakan Andersson makes watching the whole draft interesting. The Pierre McGuire theory on Datysuk and Zetterberg being drafted is that if the Wings knew how amazing they were going to be, they would have taken them higher... I think the Wings knew that in Datsyuk's case, he was basically unknown to NHL scouts; in hank's they knew that he was considered too small and weak to play in the NHL, so why waste a higher pick? Andersson has said that his later round draft philosphy is to take a chance on small, skilled fast guys cuz they can get bigger and stronger; wheras big guys aren't likely to get any faster.

I disagree. The other poster was saying that Crosby has won an MVP award; so has Zata, and more recently, and in the post season at that. Zetterberg scored the game-winning goal to win the cup. The goal itself wasn't pretty but Hank made something out of nothing and made a nice play, and drove to the net. The clearest example head-to-head is Zata erasing Crosby's power play goal-mouth gimme (Sid's specialty) on the 5 on 3. You won't see the reverse cuz Sid doesn't play on the pk or as well defensively. And Hell, Datsyuk was more dangerous offensively in the cup final than Crosby was. Right now, I wouldn't say Crosby is the best, the argument for that is weak.

Conn Smythe

Damn straight, bro...

How is it that your opinion is fact and those of others are biased? It's a value judgment. Crosby will be the best someday... If you have to resort to points per game to award a scoring "title" your reaching... Zetterberg has a superior goal-scoring touch than Crosby, as do about 50 other NHL'ers. Goal scorers can take control of a game more directly and effectively than passers. Zetterberg can be put on the ice in any situation and succeed. Who's the more valuable player? Crosby didn't repeat the magic of the previous year, sure he was injured for part of the year but them's the breaks... Crosby's top 5 on any list and he deserves respect but I wouldn't put him up with 99 and 66 just yet. As for top ten lists, who cares? And I think you just wanted to put Crosby at #1.

Unconvincing. Zetterberg lead his team to the cup... Two-way players beat one-way wonders.

Crosby's better than Zetterberg? Based on what? If we learned anything from the Stanley cup final, it was that head-to-head, complete players win hands down...

Nobody comes close to Datsyuk in stick-checking ability. Everyone knows that. If there's a battle for the puck in the corner, Datsyuk comes up with the puck 8 or 9 times out of ten. Zetterberg comes close but he's not as good. If plus/minus is a stat affected primarily by one's linemates, then Datsyuk was better than Zetterberg. I said Datsyuk was a lock early on. I could see that there wasn't an argument for Z relative to Pavel. A lot of the "shut down" guys were injured or didn't have good years, so I could see that it would likely go to an offensive guy a la Gilmour or Fedorov. People were ridiculed for saying Datysuk could do what Feds did and win a Selke. It's relative, obviously, to one's competition that particular year. For me, it came down to Madden and Datsyuk. Madden had a good year, but Datsyuk's numbers looked a lot like Feds'/Gilmour's when they won the Selke. Datsyuk can do anything Madden can do and do it better. You can't say the reverse and the reason the roles are different, is because Datsyuk is our leading scorer in the reg. season the past few years. You can't waste a guy's offensive side on being a shut down guy, but if you were nuts enough to do so, Datysuk would be better than Madden at it. I think the crazy takeaways stat swayed a lot of voters for the Selke. It should have. Extracting the puck from an attacking player is so effective because you can, if you also happen to have the best stickhandling ability in the NHL, dangle your way out of danger and clear the zone or waste more time off the clock or GOD FORBID , counterattack and turn those attackers instantly into defenders. In addition to takeaways, it was his uncanny ability to win puck battles all over the ice. Datsyuk almost always comes out of the corners with the puck, whether he's outnumbered, battling a larger opponent or whatever. He's extremely solid physically, has great balance and he knocks guys on their asses. Sure he gets knocked on his can now and again, but that's cuz he's not afraid to go to the difficult areas and he's is only 5'10. Pound for pound, he's as solid as they come. We all know he's one of, and probably the best one-on-one in the NHL, (ie stickhandling) and his stickchecking (ie takeaways)is clearly the best. So... (drumroll) he's got the best hands in the game and it's not even close. That skill can be employed both ways. Datysuk was almost always the first guy on the backcheck all year and prevented way more goals than he scored. For you guys to say he doesn't deserve it is laughable and to the someone (eva) who said he shouldn't even have been nominated it shows your lack of understanding. Datysuk was always the first guy on the backcheck all year and prevented way more goals than he scored. I think it was the dismissive nature of the attitude here that irked some people. Nobody gave him a chance and he won. Realize it or not, you've been humbled on this one... Don't worry Datsyuk underestimators, keep watching and perhaps you'll catch on...

Well said... When you're top scorer is also a defensive machine in all zones and you happen to have a stable full of quality pk'ers, why would you burn out your top guy? Who says pk minutes have to be necessarily referenced to your team anyway? The voters I think realized that if Pavel was (absurdly) used as a shut down guy he's the best. Takeways don't matter much? Extracting the puck from another player is one of the clearest forms of defensive play: Instant puck possession. But it's so much more, the way he reads plays, angles guys off on the forecheck, picks off or knocks down passes and Counterattacks! You can't score when you give the puck up to a thief and are forced to defend. In the defensive end, he does the same stuff. He takes/battles for the puck, dangles his way out danger. You have to marvel at how often he comes out of the corners with the puck! Automatic. Pavel is also a master at getting the maximum out of his small, solid frame physically. This guy can do it all and deserves this award.

They don't have the balls to eat crow.

GOT SELKE?