Dabura

From a different angle, this might look...suspect.

Yes, because I said Franzen is the only player who failed to produce this postseason. (For the record, though, he's considered one of our big guns.)

I especially like how he says the regular season bores him and the postseason is what it's all about, then disappears in the postseason while we get our collective ass handed to us, then says the team needs more...joy. At any rate, bleacher labels this a rumor, but it's really just speculation.

He has a big nose.

http://www.roman-colosseum.info/colosseum/water-battles-at-the-colosseum.htm So close.

I love "Olympia Stadium." As a stadium name, I mean. That's all I've got.

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/teams/depth-chart/MIN/minnesota-wild

This combines two of my favorite things - hockey and Classics.

Someone call Terry Tate.

Wanted to add, re: the original post (much of which I agree with)... - Quincey is Stuart's replacement. Colaiacovo would almost certainly be on the third pairing. - Basically, we don't have a replacement for Nick. Smith is gonna be a force in a few seasons (if not before then), and I've no doubt he'll ultimately grow into the #1 or #2 role, leading our D corps for years and years to come. But in the here and now, we've got no answer for that gaping hole in the earth called Nick's Absence. - Yeah, yeah, I know - you can't replace Nick Lidstrom. But you can at least get an elite #1, which we don't have. Kronwall is great, and it looks like he's our #1...but the ideal top-pairing would be... [Elite #1, e.g. Weber] - Kronwall. Next best thing: Kronwall - [solid, legitimate #2. More-or-less equal to Kronwall] - White is a second-pairing guy. Ideally, he's not your #2. And if he is, you'd like for your #1 to be Nick Lidstrom, if at all possible. And even then, it's gonna be a little bumpy. We're in for a very interesting, potentially painful season* on the back-end. (*Blah blah blah lockout blah blah blah)

Was hoping for a red smoke-monster fighting a ginormous mechanical octopus piloted by a cigar-smoking, laser-eyed Larry Murphy. This offseason is an endless succession of bitter disappointments. *sigh*

On-topic: That story made my ungodly godawful day a little better. The man is one of a kind.

No way. In a couple more years Wheeler will be a Wing. [/obligatorywheelercomment]

Seconded. I thought our red scheme is generally regarded as the best uniform in U.S. pro sports. Have I been living a lie?

That's pretty sexy. Of course, I do have a bit of alcohol in me now. Booze makes everything better. You wanna know why these negotiations are going nowhere? No booze.

We're gonna need all the scoring help we can get. True, Cleary had a rough go of it last season, but he was injured for, what, pretty much the entire ride, right? He was good for 26 goals in 2010-11 (the season before last). That has to count for something.

Also - lack of size up front. Nyquist - Datsyuk - Franzen (5'11 - 5'11 - 6'3*) Filppula - Zetterberg - Brunner (6'0 - 5'11 - 5'11) Bertuzzi - Helm - Cleary (6'3* - 5'11 - 6'0) Tootoo - Abdelkader - Samuelsson (5'9 - 6'1 - 6'2) (*Doesn't play like it most nights) Should also mention our top pairing: Kronwall - White (5'11 - 5'10) Ouch.

Go away, Gary.

MAF.

The COO needs to organize a coup.

Conflict of interest, I suppose.

Bump because this is really great.

John Collins. Surprised no one's mentioned our own Ken Holland.

Every sports team owner needs a Dasha Zhukova.

Sorry, I was essentially saying no. (Oh, how I delight in misleading all of you!)