Dabura

This will change everything.

I thought they were decent in the first. But yeah, for the most part: s***. But let's be clear: everyone was off. Nick got burned on a by-the-numbers 1-on-1. Stuart looked like he hadn't played in three years. At one point, Dats got stripped at center ice, stopped, and just kind of threw his hands up as if to say, "Well s***." It's only the first game of the regular season, so it really doesn't matter. But here are some thoughts on the lines: 1st line: Hossa and Datsyuk seemed to gel as the game progressed. Hossa was cheating up high in the defensive zone, which he tends to do. Hank doesn't do that, so I think it took Dats and Homer some getting used to. Once they did, things started to click. I'm really excited about this line, poor game aside. 2nd line: Mule and Hank looked OK. Hudler looked really out of place, but he gets props for challenging five Leafs at once after the whistle. heh 3rd line: Needs a little more muscle, I think. Flip looked lost. Sammy was crap. Cleary had a pretty good game, actually. He wants Hudler's second-line spot. 4th line: Everyone on this line seemed replaceable. Kopecky...he has his moments, but his judgment is just so poor.

Nope. You asked why fans care. Fans care because they want this sport to reach as many people as possible and thrive. (Any hockey fan who says he/she can't understand why another hockey fan would want hockey to be the most popular professional sport in the States is kidding himself/herself. Seriously.) To do that, it needs to be able to hold its own against the likes of the NFL and NBA -- or at least attract/steal more of its fans. To do that, it needs villains and all that.

Good hockey game so far. Brain fart on Ozzie's part -- looked like he swept it up the middle instead of off to the side.

It does, though. He put himself before the team -- and in a really s***ty way, at that. And then he went and flirted with doing it again. That's not good leadership. I'm not saying he's not a good captain. But he's showing his true colors, and they're not especially admirable.

Marketing. There are two general approaches Bettman and co. can make in marketing the NHL. One is to ignore non-hockey markets and squeeze the most they can get out of die-hard hockey fans -- in other words, play to the league's "strengths." The other is to expand the demographics and attempt to "convert" non-hockey markets. Bettman is clearly in favor of the latter. Now, here's the thing about that approach: if the league is going to expand in this way, it can't just expect Jarome Iginla's class or Nick Lidstrom's grace to rope in new fans. Hockey is the bastard child of the professional sports league family in the U.S., and if it's going to get more attention, it needs to utilize other forms of appeal and other avenues through which that appeal can be transmitted. To that end, stuff like Sean Avery's internship at Vogue and Vinny Lecavalier's appearance in SI Swimsuit spell "good business." No, it's not "hockey," but in reality, hockey is hockey's own worst enemy here in the States. No one cares about how tight that PP umbrella is or how strong Pavel Datsyuk is on his skates. People -- as in, the people Bettman and co. have chosen to target -- want excitement, drama, controversy, sex, violence, rock & roll. And, like him or not, a guy like Sean Avery can give you those things.

Dallas is starved for offense. That'll make you do some silly things. Learn from the Stars' mistakes, kids.

Not sure I've ever fully agreed with you -- until now. It's one thing to say, "Give me a couple of weeks. You'll have my decision then." It's quite another to do what Niedermayer did (twice!), knowingly handicapping his team for an extended period of time because he, the "leader," couldn't find it in himself to make a yes or no decision within a time frame that would be in the team's best interest. "Hey man, give him his space, he's only human" is an argument you make for someone who's calling in sick for his 9-to-5 job at Staples because he's clinically depressed -- not for the anointed leader of a multi-million dollar professional sports team who, bottom line, shot his team and franchise in its collective foot, and then had the nerve to flirt with that scenario a second time! If he were Tom Brady (i.e., "Gisele Bündchen vs. Work"), then yeah, I might give him a pass.

You want to complain about people who are complaining? Write them a PM. (See how easy that is?) ESPN blows.

Downey Sent Down to GR; Wings Sure to Lose Big This Season Full story at 10!

It's a terrible idea. If the NHL should be courting anyone, it's Canadian markets.

I heard he beat up some kids in a parking lot. This guy is bad news.

Some of you seem to be forgetting that this is a bottom-of-the-pecking-order fourth-line spot. As such, no one (Sammy) is going to be "replaced" by whoever gets this spot, and whoever gets this spot will likely share it with other contenders in some sort of rotation scheme. That said, if someone's going to hold down that spot more than other guys, I think I'd like for it to be Leino. He really showed up; he's been very impressive. As NN said, of the guys in contention for this spot, he probably stands to gain the least from playing on the farm. Helm, on the other hand, could really benefit from an expanded role in GR. McCarty plays before Downey, imo. McCarty's not a fighter at this stage in his career, but he can drop 'em if he feels it's necessary, and he actually has a game beyond scrapping. Downey had a s***ty training camp and preseason. Dress him for games against teams with a goon, but otherwise, give the nod to Leino or Helm. Or Mac.

Wings should just forfeit the season right now.

If only we had a logjam on D... Oh, right.

It's a copout point being made by someone who doesn't want the Wings to win, but, seeing as how this team is about as strong a team as you're ever going to see in the post-lockout era, can't come up with a single strong knock against them. Every Wings fan knows that if Ozzie is the only piece of the puzzle the Wings to need to "worry about," they're in phenomenal shape. Ozzie is coming off winning the Cup as a starter in the playoffs, putting in some of the best performances of his career along the way. The counterargument is "Yeah, well, he didn't log many minutes in the regular season." But that's why management went out and got Conklin, who will split time with Ozzie in the regular season. Anyone who knows even a little bit about Ozzie knows that he, at least in this stage in his career, needs a backup who can handle a considerable workload in the regular season if he's going to be able to go on a tear in the postseason. This isn't news; it's been that way with him for some time now. Of course, as every Wings fan also knows, the Wings' blue line is light years ahead of any other unit in the league, so Ozzie won't even need to go on a tear. All he needs to do is play good, solid hockey. Why anyone would think he can't do that this season is beyond me. Oh, wait, that's right -- this is Clement we're talking about.

God almighty, this argument again? Fact: neither Helm nor Leino is going to bump Sammy from the roster this season. The only people who think otherwise are those who have an irrational, personal dislike for Sammy, a dislike that, being irrational, is not rooted in any kind of had facts or any semblance of objective thought. Sammy can rack up 40 points and provide strong two-way in a role he's not even supposed to be playing -- that of a second-line scorer. Now he's going to play the role he's made to play, and there's no reason whatsoever to believe that he won't do great things on what is looking to be a very dynamic, effective checking line. Helm is, right now, a fourth-liner on the Wings. I love the way the guy plays the game and think he has a very bright future in this league. But right now, Sammy is a safer, more reliable, and all-around better player. In all likelihood, Helm will spend the season on the farm, which would probably be for the better anyway. Leino is a great talent, but he simply would not be able to replace what Sammy brings to the fold this season. He's new to NA hockey; the shortcomings in his defensive game and fitness will be exposed over the course of a full season in the NHL. Why rush him in? There's no need. Sammy stays this season. Get over it.

Not to talk for NN, but... I don't think the argument is that Sidney has no room for improvement and won't improve, but rather, that people seem to be assuming that Sid will grow in the ways they're projecting. He will improve, there's no question about that. But how much, how fast -- those answers aren't set in stone, aren't a sure thing.

I ASK, WHERE ARE OUR ENFORCERS??

Uh, he was asked to compare playing with the two of them and he pointed to Datsyuk's playmaking abilities (which are second-to-none) as the key difference he's picked up on so far. I'd say that's fair. Also, why is everyone suddenly talking about the forward position as if it's only about putting the puck in the net?

No, the more *that Carle hit, which was clean, but ******* awesome nonetheless*, the better.

Wait, hold up, are people actually arguing this was a dirty hit?

That is an awesome hit. I imagine Carle was out for so long not because the hit was dirty (it wasn't), but because he was caught off-guard.

Can we just skip the preseason?

Then again, management's probably told him something along the lines of "It wouldn't be fair to them if you stay." Meh, who cares at this point.