Hank

I'm in the camp that some fixes need to be made. I find it highly comical that the same men that ran the league head-first into the dead-puck era feel there's nothing wrong with the game. It also should be noted that nobody on the BOG has had to pay for a hockey ticket in the past decade. I seriously find it very hard to believe that not one person on the BOG or competition committee thinks that today's goalie equipment isn't out of control. Or the fact that none of them see to recognize that scoring zones that existed since 1900 until 1995 have completely disappeared from the game. Outside of Ovechkin and Kovalchuk, there aren't too many players in the league that can beat a goalie clean from 15 feet out. That was the norm for most good shooters 20 years ago. Trust me when I say that goal scoring will continue to plummit and when the 08-09 season wraps up, and the average GPG has reached 5.00 flat, BIG changes will be introduced regardless if old dinosaurs like Sather or Burke think it's needed or not. And for me, the only change that needs to be made is cutting the goalie gear in half. No need to move bluelines, make the rink or nets bigger, create illegal defense rules, etc. REDUCE GOALIE GEAR. That is all.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...&id=3129968 Great article and shows how much the game has changed. Some of my favourite lines:

Hahahaha. I know. But Dave Keon was a beast for the Leafs. The Wings should have never dealt him away.

I'm in the same boat. I've enjoyed the pro-Olympics but I really enjoyed it before then. The 94 final was awesome.

Do you honestly believe that Phaneuf wouldn't deliver that same hit even if he had the living snot kicked out of him by someone the first time? No. He's paid the price for hits like that in the past and he'll continue to do so. Nobody's going to change that. Especially a 35-year-old washed up hockey player who could barely get through 65 games in his healthiest days. That's up for debate. Up till his injury Drake was earning his paycheck and then some. And when he's healthy again, he'll still be a good price for what he brings to the table. Mac had a shot to remain a Wing. Ken Holland has said on record that he offered to keep Mac around if he quit Grinder. Mac refused and since Holland could see what that lifestyle was doing to him he let him go. And that doesn't appear to have changed. He's still promoting the band and still hanging out with those losers - and that's what they are. He brings too little to the table for so much baggage. If I need a Mac fix I pop in the '97, '98 or 2002 DVD's. He had some dandy moments as a Wing but those days are over.

But Mac can't touch Murph's hair! It's John Stamos like!

As far as I'm concerned, yes Drake and Downey are way better than Mac is. Both Drake and Downey are better skaters and aren't as fragile. Drake has way better hands than Mac and Downey's a better fighter. And if Hudler does get hit again, who's to say that Mac is even in the lineup. He'll probably be fighting off one of several injuries. The point is, Lilja DID stand up for Hudler and I think that does a lot more for this hockey club than if a Downey or McCarty stood up for him.

So a 35 year old player who was injured for half of last year and scratched from every game in the 07 playoffs still might have something left despite the fact that he's injured again until January? Stick a fork in Mac, he's done. Let it die already people. Might as well ask Harold Snepts to come back. EDIT: If he does have anything left, he still wouldn't be able to crack the Wings top 14 forwards. He's slow, has no hands and is as fragile as a broken peice of glass. I don't see him usurping Ellis, Kopecky, Downy or Drake to get in this lineup. He might have a very small shot at making one of the bottom rung teams. But even then, who would you rather give 4 minutes to - a 35 year old drug addict or a 20 something kid with lots of hunger?

I would be willing to bet that he is. In fact, at this piont in both their careers I would say that Dallas Drake is 5x the hockey player that McCarty is. If Mac had anything left in the tank he would be playing right now. But he doesn't. And the baggage that he carries only hurts his cause. McCarty would be lucky to get a tryout for an ECHL team. He's incredibly injury prone, his hands have hardened to the point that cement is considered soft in comparison and I wouldn't doubt he's still having issues with alcohol, drugs and gambling. Time to let it go people. Mac isn't even remotely close to what he was even 2 years ago. Time to move on. P.S. I would be willing to be that Joey Kocur would be the better player if both were to suit up tomorrow night. Might as well start a 'Bring Back Joey" thread.

I'll go to my grave saying that Grinder was the main culprit in his demise. Seeing him still promoting that band makes me believe he hasn't learned his lessen. I feel bad for his kids and ex-wife.

Thank's for the link. I only got to hear a short amount of it, but I like how he addressed the issue that scoring is down and defensive systems like the trap are as prevelent today as they've ever been. He made mention that the league and the competition committee are looking into this. I hope they find a way to resolve it without tinkering too much. Getting the goalie gear to human standards would be a perfect start.

LOL. I'll 2nd that. I have 4 toques at home with 2 of them being Wings hats, 1 Team Canada hat and 1 Montreal Canadiens hat (from my not-funny father).

I'm not sure how many people are interested in this but Gary Bettman and Bill Clement will have a weekly, 1 hour show at 4:00 pm. You can listen to it on your XM radio or at NHL.com (http://www.nhl.com/radio/index.html). Because I forgot my stupid portable XM radio and my companies firewall blocks access to the NHL radio would anyone mind listening to this show and report back what's being said. According to the guys at XM 204 Bettman will be answering phone calls and emails and he won't avoid hard questions from fans. Let me know how the first show goes if you could. Thanks!

LOL. That is exactly what first came to my head when I heard about Burke's complaints about suspension length.

Well said. Bob MacKenzie said as much on TSN last night - that the problem with the Leafs is that there are too many execs making decisions and fighting with each other to make change. Tanembaum apprently wants JFJ gone but Richard Peddie has been protecting his dumb ass for almost 3 years. But this morning Peddie finally admiited that hiring a rookie, inexperienced GM to handle the Leafs in a CAP league was not a wise decision. I wonder if that's the first crack in the wall? Maybe Peddie is finally ready to take JFJ off of his lap and out from under his desk to find someone that actually knows hockey? However, saying that, I don't see the Leafs winning a Cup any time soon. As in over the next 20 years. The franchise has proven it's a goldmine despite putting some abysmal teams on the ice since the lockout. What incentive do they have to make change? Why would they pay out JFJ just to pay someone else to do his job if fans continue to buy tickets and merchandise? The Leafs could literally go 0-820 over the next decade and the ACC would be sold-out for game #821. If fans really care about this team, they'll stop going. It's pretty simple. Hit ownership in a spot they actually care about - their wallet.

I was a big Hartnell fan at the start of his career. I was on board with a lot of other hockey people in that I thought he was going to be an elite power forward in the league. But he's degraded into a stone-handed, cheap-shot artist who hide's behind a massive visor. That's 4 suspensions for the Flyers. Obviously the games missed and money lost is not deterring this team from playing like a group of barbarians. Maybe it's time to sit their best player when a team reaches "x" amount of supsensions? I'm sure the Flyers would make the message clear that they need to get their heads straightened out if they were forced to sit Daniel Briere for 5 games. Regarding the lack of respect in the league, that's what happens when equipment gets better and better. I guarentee you there would be none of this if helmets weren't allowed and shoulder pads had to look like the ones Guy Lafleur wore. Obviously that'll never happen and I don't want to see guys getting killed because they aren't wearing helmets. But idiots like Hartnell and Downie are fearless because they're dressed like a damn Gladiator. Maybe if their noodles were a little more exposed they wouldn't be so inclined to ram guys into the boards from behind.

Good post. I'm on the same side as you as I felt that Hudler would have more points at this point but I didn't expect him to net 30. Filpulla on the other hand is someone I felt wasn't ready for 2nd line duty. He'll get there in another season or two, but he's better suited as a 3rd line center. Nobody should have expected a 65+ point season from him. He'll have had a good year if he gets anything over 40. If Babs ever does split up Zetts I can see Hudler netting 25 goals still. But I hope the Wings go out and get a big scorer at the deadline. Glen Murray might be nice.

The problem is the Leafs hired a very inexperienced GM to lead a team within a CAP system. That means you have to be smart. JFJ is not smart. He used a great majority of the CAP on defense - one of the worst in the league. If you're going to put all your eggs in one basket it better be an iron clad basket and not the rotting seive that is the Leafs blueline. JFJ deserves to be fired and the only way he should be associated with any NHL club is as a ticket holder. But in the end, I'll believe it when I see it. Peddie has a massive hard-on for JFJ so I really don't see him leaving any time soon. I hope I'm wrong though.

I whole-heartedly agree. The problem in hockey is that it's an extremely fast transition sport. And because of this there is no middle ground or gray area. It's like saying "she's a little bit pregnant". Hockey players will take a mile if given half an inch. While I get tired of seeing some of the ticky-tacky calls on some nights, the fact is, if the refs started officiating game based on how they feel it would take no longer than 7 days before the league looked like it did pre-lockout. And I for one want nothing to do with that kind of hockey. It was horrible. In some cases you have to look if one of the teams was playing their 2nd game in as many nights or their 3rd game in a 4 day road trip. They talked about this on XM204 and the stats were pretty telling. When teams were tired, there were a lot more penalties commited by that team. Next time you see a game with a lot of penalties called, check to see if one, or both, of the teams was on the end of a long trip or 2nd game in 2 nights. Most of the time that's the case.

No flame from me. I agree with you whole heartedly. Actually, there was a great documentary about Goride on CBC a few months ago. Basically, it's his wife that has turned Gordie into a money seeking old-timer. If it was up to #9, he'd do everything for free. But because he made so little in his time, his wife capitilised on his name and legend. Even Rocket Richard once said "Gordie's wife leads him by the nose". I remember hearing a story once where someone tried to get an autograph from Gordie on the street but his wife stopped him and told the person to attend an upcoming signing if he wanted it. Of course, they were charging $40.00 at the event. EDIT: Ted Lindsay on the other hand is a class act. Close to 15 years ago, I was a student working at a mens clothing store in a little town in Canada about an hour from the Detroit border. Just before Christmas time, low and behold, Terrible Ted and his wife come strolling through the door. I just about feinted. Turns out that Ted and the owner of the store knew each other quite well. So I bolted for the back room where we had a Wings puck that we used in a winter display. I grabbed it and ran out to get an autograph. Ted was more than willing to sign it for me but we had no suitable pen that would show up on the puck. So Ted asked me if I'd still be working at the store after New Years. He said he'd come in then with a better pen for me. I said 'thanks' and he went on his way. I was bummed and actually thought there was no way he'd remember. But sure enough, about a week after New Years, he comes walking in with not only a silver marker but a plastic case to house the puck. What a great guy! I bumped into him again a few years later at the first Darren McCarty Cancer Foundation gala. I told him about the puck he had signed a few years prior and he remembered me. He even took a picture with me and my fiancee (now wife). He made sure that we both stood on either side of her; as he put it "Put the rose between the thorns". Hahaha. He was great I spent most of the night listening to a lot of great stories. That dude had a LOT of scars on his face. His wife even told a great story about how after their first date, she ran to a library to find out about Ted Lindsay (he was in his prime at that time). She couldn't believe the sweet guy from their date was known as "Terrible" Ted Lindsay. She said he's as sweet as honey off the ice. I can attest that he was a great guy to talk with and was exceptionally friendly to my wife and I the entire night. I'm sure Goride would be the same. That is, if you can get past his watchdog wife.

Yup. You can't replace the kind of skills he brings to the table. He's easily the front runner for the Hart so far this season. But I'm sure T.B. could use a dman like Kaberle on their blueline. Of course, Vinny wasn't half the player in 2001 that he is today. Now, I would assume a much bigger package and a potential Norris winner would have to be included to pluck Lecavailer from T.B.

That's a steal for the Ducks. This kids going to be a dominant power forward in a couple of seasons. Boy, the Rangers must be kicking themselves for picking Hugh Jessiman instead of Getzlaf. What a bust Jessiman has become.

I can't help but think this thread was started in sarcastic jest. Rafalski's been a terrific signing thus far. Everyone with the exception of Lidstrom has made some mistakes. But Rafalski's good far outweighs his bad.

But that's the thing, he's not an enforcer. Nobody in the league or on the Bruins expects him to trade hands with guys like Boogard, Laraque or Orr. He's a hockey player first and a scrapper second. He's very much in the same mold as a young Wendel Clark, Cam Neely or Brendan Shanahan. Only time will tell how good his hockey skills are but if he develops into a 25 goal scorer with the ability to hold his own against heavyweights and destroy middleweights like Bell, the Bruins will have themselves a dandy. This is why I wish the Wings had better scouts in the CHL. It's obvious that Hakan Andersson is the cream of the crop when it comes to eyeing European talent, but we're weak on the North American front. We need to find the equivalent to Andersson in the NCAA and CHL. But I suppose it's hard to pick guys like Lucic when our teams philosophy is puck-possession and speed. Players like Lucic don't mesh too well with a system like that. He's better suited for teams like the Bruins or Ducks.

Yup. I can only think that Marchant's injury is worse than they thought. And he could possilby line up on the wing on the top 2 lines with Bert being out - but that's doubtful.