daniel1

How to out-hustle your opponent, by Robert Lang.

Chelios to sit for 2nd straight game. I saw him on the ice for Bertuzzi's first practice, but now the Det News is reporting he'll be out "resting" for the second straight game. One game rests for veterans are quite common, but two? This is a weird time of the year to do it to... a month before playoffs even start. I hope it's not something more serious as we're kinda shorthanded already. If he is out will they call up someone? Quincy maybe? He plays with an edge to his game and has been up before too.

That's funny, I was thinking the exact same thing when Dats was coming down on him and walked right around him, lol. Well Chicago can deal with that nightmare now... I wonder how long it will take before they realize his "big" shot on the point isn't worth the shortys he causes out there. I think just not having that guy on the point is going to give us a win in the first round this year. On an unrelated matter... when will Kronwall stop trying to pass through the opposition in our own end? This has gotta change if he wants to become an elite D'man... can't Lids train this guy right?

I have to agree... HNIC could make Mickey a huge star... dump Bob "I Bleed Maple Leaf Blue" Cole and Harry "I Save All Sundin's Underwear" Neal and give me Mickey anyday. The one thing I feel sets Mickey apart from all others is that he calls a spade a spade. Whether it's pro Wings or anti Wings if it's a bad call, good hit, bad hit, whatever... he calls it like he sees it, without the homerism or flat out bias of 99% of the other announcers out there. I wonder if Mickey would respond to a request to join LGW and come on here now and again... hmmm??? Mods, you could always ask, couldn't hurt.

Didn't we already have a thread on this like yesterday? Oh well, probably the second of many like it to come... After watching the Wings walk over the Hawks (i know, it WAS the Hawks), I really liked what I saw from Franzen. He might even get a shot on the second line maybe with Lang and Bert. That being said, it would be nice to see Flip with a couple of Wingers who can score... maybe Sams and Cleary? If Cleary liked playing with a center like Lang, just think of how much he'll like playing for one that isn't slow, lazy or fat? Lol...sorry Bob, but you gotta start movin those feet man! That leaves Calder to play with Drapes and Malts and our first line intact after Z returns that is. There's a lot of good combos that can be bandied about here but this would be mine for now... Z - Dats - Homer Bert - Lang - Franzen Cleary - Flip - Sams Calder - Drapes - Malts Sorry Huddles... you don't crack the lineup until someone blows a tire... or just plain starts to blow (hear that Sams? Malts?, we have options now... so produce or sit the hell down! ) Why not mention the D too? Heck print is cheap and slacking off is sooo much easier than working today anyways so... I would like to see Lebda get a little more time and Schneids a little less time... except on the PP. I love Lebda's speed and he might be able to get back to make up for Kronwall's oh-so-frequent giveaways better than Schneids. Also correct me if I'm wrong but it appears Lebs will be Schneids replacement after this year as I don't think we'll resign Schneids with Kindle and Ericsson on the way. Lids - Markov Krowall - Lebda Schneids - Cheli Sorry Lils... you don't crack my lineup unless every Wings D in Grand Rapids is on jury duty or called to action in the French Foreign Legion. Now if you start using that ugly puss and huge frame to stick up for your teammates like Lebda or Cleary... then I might let you in for a shift or two... till then you're out.

Ya it's funny how the Blues have had some pretty good players over the years and it's never translated into a cup. I can't say I "hate" the Blues or their fans, I'm sure most of them love their team as much as I love the Wings. What I don't understand however, is hating someone for liking a certain team. I mean, you can hate the team because of certain players, coaches, games or incidents, but how can you hate a team's fans? Possibly if you are going to their arena to watch the wings play and their fans treat you poorly, then I guess you've got a case. Overall though, my love/hate for the NHL is for the players and the teams. I couldn't hate a fan just for being a fan....

There's a couple of other things to consider here with these trades as well. First, Willy was a painsy before Torres knocked him out, but at least then he was a painsy with decent hands, some speed and confidence. After the Torres hit he became an uber-painsy, a *****-extrordinaire who was afraid to engage in physical play and whose confidence had deteriorated to the point where he couldn't have hit water if he fell out a boat. Getting rid of him is a huge boost to the whole team's confidence level. Bringing in Calder, who by all acount will hit and will go into the corners and who also has a 26 goal NHL season under his belt is just a bonus; the real plus is getting rid of Willy. Never again will I have to watch this puss bobble the puck on the blue line during our PP and have it lead to a 2 on 1. Secondly, the Bertuzzi trade (if you can call it a trade, we didn't really "trade" so much as just agree to take him) shows the whole team that management really feels like we have a shot at the Cup this year and that Bert was the "missing piece". We wanted size, grit, toughness, and scoring, and we wanted all that in one player... basically we wanted Shanny about 10 years ago. Look around the NHL and tell me how many players like that there are? I think we got the only true Neely/Shannahan/Nolan type power forward left in the league. Yes, he's not 100%, but there had to be some risk involved to land a guy who is this big/mean/nasty/talented for basically.... nothing. I think that the true value these two trades will have is the effect it will have on the rest of the team. If you're in that dressing room today in Chicago and you look around and say "wow, we already have Lids, Z, Dats, Schneids... and today we ADDED Bert and DUMPED Willy!"; that's got to be a huge boost to your team's confidence. Everyone will feel a little taller and few pounds heavier when Bert's on the team.

I wonder what the temptation for Babs will be to put Bert on the top line with Dats an Z? Homer goes down to play with Calder and Lang? You have to consider it as Bert would create TONS of room for Dats and Z... he could play the net presence just as well as Homer too. Also, Bert would be a much more effective protective presence if he was skating on the same line as the guys we want him to protect. Just a thought, but anyways he is the exact type of player we all wanted and he returns to form (or even close to it) we have a great pickup for relatively cheap. I hope he plays well and we resign him to a 3 year deal. He's 32 now and I would think he still has at least 3 more good years left in him.

You do realize that our "first" round picks are usually no higher than 25th? Given that we have been one of the top five teams in the league for the past few years, our first rounders are very low.

After taking the Oilers pre-game skate in a vintage Johan Garpenlov jersey, Ryan Smyth then refuses to take a spot in the starting lineup and can be overhead by the incredibly inept Pierr McGuire saying to head coach MacTavish that "I'm not killing penalties for you anymore! You no-talent, no-hands, coat tail riding, helmut-less wonder!". Kevin Lowe hears of this and jumps to the phone, quickly ringing the trade-master: Kenneth Abraham Amnesia Holland III. "Kenny; it's Lowesy here... I've got to dump Smyth, is there anything you can give me for him? I've got to get some more skill on our lines and Smyth is just taking up space in front of the net these days" Kenny replies, "Kevsy baby, these aren't the old days you know... we can't just throw away our picks and prospects like they grow on trees anymore. How about a top 4 D'man and a PP point specialist for Smyth?" Lowe thinks it over and resigns himself to the fact that it's probably the best deal he's gonna get for a malcontent underachiever with no heart who also has serious man-love going for Garpenlov. "Kenny - let's do the deal", he says. "Great!", Kenny quips back quickly as the saliva drools down his chin and immediately contacts Babs to tell him that Lilja and Williams are "unavailable" for tonight's upcoming game. Babs tells Kenny, "If the Lilja-monster goes.... I go with him dammit!" Stevie steps in as head coach, motivates Smyth and turns him into a gritty heart and soul type guy and we win the Cup. Datsyuk wins the Con Smythe trophy after scoring 12 goals and adding 1 assist in the playoffs.

Markov had our last one. Quite a few games ago too I believe. Oh well, when Bertuzzi and Lapoint get here they will drop the mitts I'm sure. /wishfull thingking

I would like to see what Flip can do on the PP. Stick him with Lang and Cleary for a 5 or 6 game tryout on the PP. It wouldn't disrupt the lines too much anyways as Babs seems to always come back with Draper's line after a PP whether we score or not. I'm all for giving Willy's pp time to someone else though... even Franzen, lol

Dats-Zetts-Homer Bert-Fillpula-Sammy Cleary-Lang-Lapointe Malts-Draper-Franzen Williams, Hudler - traded.

Nor should he. First, Bertuzzi may not have even been the one that crippled him. Did you see that pile-up? Can you say without question it was the hit from Bertuzzi that did him in? Neither can a doctor. Second, if Moore had turned to face Bert as he was grabbing on to the back of his sweater they would have exchanged maybe one or two punches before the linesman were all over that and it would have been over. Cowardice is a poor excuse for injury. Third, Moore didn't seem to mind taking liberties by inflicting a hit which could have blown out Naslund's knee and ended HIS career, which was then and is now worth a whole lot more "dimes" than Moore's was ever going to be. Bert did something that EVERY member of this board wanted one of our players to do after cheap shots to Williams, then Franzen, then Cleary, then Hasek... the list goes on. Bert has balls. Bert has good hands. Bert has a mean streak. Bert has size. Bert has loyalty to him teammates. Make the trade Kenny! He didn't intentionally cripple Moore. It's not like he was thinking, "ya, I'm gonna cripple this guy, derail my own career, become a hated NHL'er, get traded to a crappy team, and face years of legal battles", as he was tugging on Moore's jersey while skating down the ice. He just wanted to slap him in the face and say, "Don't take out our star player's knee, be more careful you spineless, third line, cowardly Avs monkey". If Shanny had crippled poor Roy when he jumped at him, or if Mac had crippled poor Claude when he pummeled him as he turtled on the ice would you portray Shanny or Mac as vile villians who should be hung in the town square? I think not... Trade for Bert. Hudler and a pick. My only concern is that Bert should sign here for at least another year or two as part of the deal. He's exactly what we need. Filpulla with Bert on his wing would be deadly.

I have to agree with this. Osgood has been a good team guy, when he was actually with Detroit. Where are his Vezina's? Where are his Conn Smythe's? Where are his Hart trophies? Zilch in the hardware department folks. I believe that to have your number retired by a franchise, the following three requirments must be met. 1. Individual accomplishments. Your peers/pundits/fans have had to have acknowledged you specifically for your outstanding play over the years. NHL awards, all-star appearances and voting, player's choice awards, etc. 2. Dedication and loyalty to the team which bestows upon you the honour of forever recognizing your sacrifices, hard work and contributions. I can't really put a definitive "number" of years here because there are contributing factors which may have been out of that players control, trades or age of the frachise for example. Did Stevie ever "hold out"? Did he ever sign an offer sheet somewhere else? Did he ever once make public his desire to have his contract "renegotiated"? Heck did he ever once even complain to the press about Bowman or playing time or player personnel moves? No to all the above. Same goes for Lids. Datsyuk on the other hand... well we're getting a little ahead of ourselves with him, he's got a LOT to prove before I would ever consider him for something like this. Zetterberg has a nice start going though, in the team loyalty department he showed his character by signing for the amount that he did and the amount of years that he did. (Dats and his agent could learn a thing or two from him) 3. Team success. I'm not saying the team has to win 3 Cups in 6 years or anything like that, but the team has to have enjoyed some success as part of that player's contribution. Whether it's playoff rounds, Presidents Trophies, Stanley Cups, whatever. The playoffs are where I feel a player truly earns his reputation. If all three of these requirements are satisfied then that player should definitely be considered for jersey retirement. Who off the current Wings do I think deserves it now? Lidstrom. Only Lidstrom. Drapes, Ozzie, Homer, etc, these guys are what you call "supporting cast", not franchise players. Who from the entire NHL now? Stevens in Jersey. (if they haven't already, I don't follow them real close) MaCinnis in Calgary. Messier in Edmonton. (again this might have already happened) Who has the best chance of having their number retired in the future by the Wings. Zetterberg. A couple Selke's, maybe a Hart or Conn Smythe and one or two Cups combined with his current unselfish play and leadership would make a strong point for him. He's 27 now... let's dig up this thread in 10 years time and see if my prediction comes true. As a side note, it will be tougher for him than it was for Stevie or Lids due to the cap. We won't be having anymore Stevie/Feds/Shanny/Hull/Robitaille/Larionov/Kozlov type lineups to help Zets win a Cup.

Sorry to burst your bubble but NO, there's not tons of 13 year old kids who can do the same and better out there. At 13 he's probably in grade 8 or 9, think about that for a minute and then put it in comparison to yourself or your buddies at that grade level. I've been coaching high school hockey in Canada for 10 years now and seen literally thousands of kids play during that time. I've yet to see a player in Grade 11 or 12 who is that adept at stick handling and shootout moves, let alone someone in Grade 8 or 9. That kid is a special talent, I'm not saying he's a sure fire NHL'er or anything because there's a lot more to making pro than being able to stick handle, but from the standpoint of that particular skill alone, he's light years ahead of 99% of hockey players his age.

Perfect world; Williams for Lapoint, Sammy for Guerin. Sprinkle in a pick here or there and a mid-level prospect. Neil would be a great alternative though.

Jason Williams for Marty Lapointe. In a heartbeat. (and of course the Hawks would have to take Lillypuss as part of the deal)

...oops

Laraque would look damn good in a Wings jersey. 15pts in 27 games and he's the undisputed heavyweight in the league. I really wonder why Holland did not make a pitch to him last year? If Phoenix is out of it by Feb. I hope he tries to trade for him. Lilja for Laraque? (we could even throw in Lilja's plane ticket to Phoenix as part of the deal)

Go to MLB and help Pudge start in the All Star game. The real shame is the race for catcher is the closest one and Pudge isn't that far behind Jason Varitek of the Red Sox. Pudge is having a WAY better season and deserves the start. You can vote a maximum of 25 times and once you vote vote the first time voting again is just a couple of clicks and that's it. WWW.MLB.COM

It seems to me that Cross is a tiny bit of an upgrade over Rivers. I can remember when he played for the Leafs and he was an effective penalty killer for them. Maybe Holland was thinking along the lines of using him as a PK guy if Cheli went down or something. I would have liked to have seen us grab Salei or Mitchel, but a D with Lids, Schneids, Kronwall, Lilja, Cheli, and Lebda with Wooley/Cross as reserves is still pretty good.

I'm not going to put Witt in this list because I think he will probably take too much to get and Kenny is not going to give up Hudler for him. These other guys are a little more "under the radar" but I'll give you my rationale for picking them up and hopefully one of them will wind up here. Steve Staios - he was voted the MVP on the Oilers by his teamates just two years ago. He has some offensive upside but with the Oilers acquiring Pronger and the emergence of M.A. Bergeron this year, he has not seen as much ice time, or PP time. He is no pushover, he plays with an edge and is not shy about dropping the gloves (137PIM in 01 , 108 in 02 and 96 in 03) he is also one of the fastest skaters on the Oilers and moves the puck well too. He makes 1.6 this year but I don't know how long he's signed for. If it's just this year, great; if it's this year and another one I'd be OK paying him that next year too and dropping Woolley/Chelios. Denis Gauthier - loves to hit, open ice, along the boards, and in front of the net. Doesn't drop the gloves much but if this is a "for playoffs" pick up then you can throw fighting out the window cause it never happens there anyways. He is decent defensively, won't contribute much in the way of offense but we have lots of guys for the PP anyways. Phoenix won't make the playoffs, they may take a mid-level prospect and a pick for him. He makes 1.3m this year but again I don't know how long his contract is for but I would keep him even if he had another year left on it at that price. Brad Lukowich - Islanders aren't going to the playoffs. This would be a guy you could have for a second/third round pick. Prototypical stay at home defensman. Not a big hitter but will clear the net and put the body on forwards coming into the zone. Has the rep of being a good team guy from his days in Dallas. Only makes 1mil this season. Would not be my first choice but would be a solid depth 5/6th guy to have around. An upgrade over Wooley/Rivers for sure. Andy Sutton - 6'6, 245lbs. Plays a physical game. Will drop the gloves for teamates when needed. Can take bad penalties but on a disciplined team like Detroit, I don't think he would be as prone to that as on a Hartley coached team like Atlanta. Addresses our "toughness factor" in a big way (can even take on the heavies). Doesn't upgrade the position over Woolley/Rivers, but brings a much needed element while not hurting us as a 5/6th D man who could also play the wing if toughness was needed to be injected for a certain matchup (Nashville). He is making 1.8m this year and is only 31. Out of these 4, I would prefer Staios first, then Gauthier, Sutton, and as a last option, Lukowich. Get on the phone Holland, there's picks and prospects to be dealt!! (btw I wouldn't part with Hudler, Grigs, McGrath, Quincey, Filpula or Abdelkader for any of these above guys, I think they could all be had for 2nd rounders, mid grade prospects or both).

I would like to know why they wouldn't give him a chance. He has a big frame, good shot and seems to have a knack for scoring. Maybe if he was Swedish?? Jokes aside, they eagerly gave Sammuelsson a shot and he had yet to prove himself in the NHL. Why not give this guy a chance too? He'd be cheap and you gotta think he could be of more value than Mowers is currently.