Hank

Looks like the Wings are in prime playoff condition.

Ah, I see where you're coming from. I'm sure the meetings were highly entertaining. And yeah, I think we'll probably hear about the new schedule around the Allstar weekend. I still think playoffs make rivalry's not regular season. The Wings and Ducks aren't in the same division and yet both sides hate each other because of the recent playoff clashes they've had. Lets get back to 2 divisions per conference and winning your way out of your division. THEN you'll see hatred.

I agree. I really thought Sopel would be a great pairing with Nick. But he's been a BIG disappointment so far. I also think Quincy should be getting the nod over Lilja. I'm not a Lils hater but Quincy has more dimensions to his game and he deserves to be in the NHL.

Isn't that basically what they're doing? Illitch even said that attendance has suffered from the schedule. And despite the fact that the current schedule saves $ millions of dollars for some owners they're still changing it. In the end, it IS the fans that are forcing them to change this ridiculous schedule. P.S. And I have a hard time believing that what's going on in this thread isn't exactly what's going on in the BOG meetings; 30 people throwing out what they think would be best for the league.

What I find really funny about all this re-scheduling mess, is that it comes before Bettman talking about having a stronger imprint in Europe. The NHL can't figure out what to do with 3 time zones, what on earth are they going to do if they want to put teams on another continent? What a joke.

Despite being the most western team in the EST, they're still in the EST. They still have to battle jet-lag and time zone adjustments far more than any team in the Eastern Conference. I don't see how that's fair when you have teams like New Jersey that loved and fought for a schedule that featured them having close to 50% of their road games where they could take a cab ride to and from the arena from their homes. If certain teams are going to have that kind of advantage, where almost every night they're going to be in their own beds for night, then certainly some bones should be tossed to either side. And because you can't make teams like Detroit or Anaheim battle less travel, the least you can do is make the Eastern Conference travel more. I guess I've always been very anal when it comes to fairness and this current schedule is so lopsided in that regard that I hate it. Especially when a GM like Lou Lamourello is concerned. I loathe the man as he will go out of his way to weaken the league only to strengthen his club. I'm sure lots of GM's would do the same, but for whatever reason, he has so much power in the league that he's allowed to do it more than others. Why should his team be allowed to travel less in a year than teams like Detroit and Columbus do in October?

What I find funny is that some players are already requesting jerseys 2x larger because they hate the slim look. I bet in 2 years, things will the look the same they did before.

LMAO!!!! Hahaha! That line made my day!

LOL! Yeah, it needs some work. I get the shakes whenever I'm in my seat built for a 2-year-old and some 300 pounder comes up the steps and eyeballs the empty seat beside me.

That's because misery loves company. And if Wings fans are going to get the shaft, you might as well give it to the Leafs too.

I thought he played well. But in my opinion, I think he could do more with better wingers. But for this year, he'll be our 3rd line centre and he'll do fine there. But I won't be surprised if he gets some time on the wing with either Dats or Zetts.

Exactly. Their fans are rabid for the Sabres now. I think it's a good hockeytown but we have to remember that it was only a few short years ago this team almost folded because of financial instability and poor attendance. I'm a homer so I'll always say that the Wings are hockeytown USA, but if anyone else deserves it after the Wings I could pick a lot more teams than Buffalo. Off the top of my head: Philly, New York, Minnesota (the whole state loves their college hockey and have embrassed the Wild), Chicago. I know that some would laugh over my inclusion of the Windy City, but I think it should be noted that the Wolves do very well there and the low attendance at Hawks games has a lot more to do with the fans disgust with team ownership. If you put an owner in Chicago that was as dedicated as Illitch the city would be reborn. As far as how well the team will do, I'm going to go on a limb and say that they make the playoffs and have potential to make some noise. I know they lost Briere and Drury, but Derek Roy is on the verge of exploding as a top NHL centre. And if Connolly can finally stay healthy he could easily top 90 points himself. And I don't even have to mention Ryan Miller. That kid can steal 20 games all on his own. Those are big if's, but they have a very bright future there. Vanek will only get better, Afiniganov is a mini-Bure thanks to the new rules and Stafford is on the verge of blowing up as well. This team will have to work hard to make the playoffs but finishing in the top 5 in the Eastern Conference wouldn't surprise me.

Good news everyone! Sammy's already in mid-season form. He missed the net 43 times last night, including a few open net chances. I think it's amazing that Z is able to make a 10 goal scorer like him into a 20 goal scorer. I swear, if the Wings were ever able to land a decent scorer for Zetts like Slava Kozlov or Glen Murray, he'd turn someone into a 40 or 50 goal scorer. Hudler looked good too, although he missed his fair share of dynamite chances. Ritola didn't play poorly and he got a nice goal, but I'm disappointed in how this kid has developed. I remember watching him in the juniors and the TSN staff were raving about him saying "Looks like the Wings got themselves another great talent. How do they do it?". Ritola was flying in that particular tournament and it appeared he was a lock as a top 6 forward. But somewhere along the way he got really lazy. I hope a full year in GR can clear that up. But who knows? McGrath didn't look too bad either but he's clearly not NHL material at this point. A full season as the #1 or #2 centre on the farm will do him good. Meech looked very solid too. He jumped in the play but never got caught out of position. I think he's a lock over Sopel considering how error-prone Sopel is.

ESPN is a collection of douchbags that care more about turning their sportscasters into superstars and kissing as much NBA and NFL ass as they possibly can. And if ESPN broadcasts a sport, you better get ready for it to be jammed down your throat. Notice how before this summer you never saw or heard anything on the Arena Football League? It's no surprise that they started doing shows and highlights on it once they got the licence. They will go out of their way to bash anything they don't have rights to, hence the lack of coverage and the disdain their writers and sportscasters have shown towards the NHL. What's funny is that they've actually been better lately once they got back into talks about showing some games again. Has anyone ever seen PTI? You know, the show with two morons that think they know what they're talking about? Well these two bunghole lickers go out of their way more than anyone to make fun of the NHL. So you can imagine my surprise when they had Jeremy Roenick on a few weeks back. And if you weren't a JR fan before, prepared to turn into one. When JR got on the show he said "Guys, thank you for having me on, but let me ask why you have me on? You slam hockey constantly, and your own network choses to flat-out ignore the NHL. So - is this some special day or something that you guys want to talk with an NHL player?" He was being absolutely serious and Kornheiser and Wilbon lost total composure and became completely speechless. They deserved that shot and I hope it reminds them that even though they know diddly about a sport, that doesn't give them the right to bash it. Sure, the NHL has it's issues, but it's not like we're dealing with crooked officials, steroids or players that are constantly being arrested for murder, drugs, or killing innocent dogs. Out of 700+ players the most you ever hear about is some idiot drinking and driving. I challenge you to pull 700 names out of the Yellow Pages and not find one guy that hasn't been picked up on a DUI. Meanwhile, you can turn on Court TV and at anytime see your favourite NFL stars. ESPN sucks. It's basically the MTV of the sports world.

Man, I didn't know guys still wore girdles in the NHL. I know that Chelios and Roenick do and Lindros did. That just looks weird.

I don't think anyone's going to argue here. However, the bigwigs in the front office need the Wings in the West. Without them, it's a far more boring conference and the gates of several WC teams will suffer. Money makes more sense to the BOG than logic. Think about it, what team is the 'must see team' in the West with the Wings gone? If Chicago was any good they might make a case, but beyond that perhaps Colorado? There's really no marquee team in the West other than the Wings. And we as fans have to suffer because of it. That's why I say, if the Wings can't move to the East then move swap some teams. Move Toronto in and move Columbus out. Problem solved. And if Leaf Nation doesn't like it, they can suck it.

LOL! My bad. Thanks for the correction!

I wanted to add that I desperately want to go back to divisional playoffs. I know I'm showing my age but I loved facing a lot of the same teams every year in the first and 2nd round. THAT'S how rivalries are formed not from playing the same team 8 times a freakin' year. This is how my breakdown would look: Western Conference Central Detroit Nashville St. Louis Columbus Chicago Dallas Phoenix Pacific Vancouver Minnesota Calgary Colorado Edmonton Los Angeles Anaheim San Jose Eastern Conference Atlantic New Jersey NY Rangers NY Islanders Atlanta Carolina Tampa Bay Florida Washington North East Buffalo Ottawa Toronto Montreal Boston Pittsburgh Philadelphia

I'm honestly shocked. Everyone knows that Lou Lamourello and his giant Bald Eagle head run this league and hold the entire BOG by the short and curlies. I wonder how they'll be able to get this past him. Afterall, every rule in this league is made to benefit Lou. I wonder how he'll feel about having to actually fly out of the Eastern Time Zone more than once a year.

Human beings are lazy and they suck.

Oops! My bad. I forgot he wanted nothing to do with the AHL.

I wonder if the Wings coaching staff are trying to send a message. Why on earth would they place their most coveted offensive prospect on the 3rd line with grinders during pre-season? We'll see where he's at for game 2 tomorrow night, but I doubt both Dats and Z will be in the lineup. I would like to see this kid get at least 5 games on the top line during the preseason. If he can't produce, then ship him to Grand Rapids.

I can 2nd this. My wife and I have been to two Cbus games and both were sold out by loud, passionate fans. It's a good hockey market. If there were to be contraction it should be for teams that have proven to lose money and struggle due to poor attendance and an apathetic fanbase. The minute situations arrive like the Preds fiasco, the thought of contraction should cross the owners mind. But that will never happen. The league will continue to grow as more and more teams are placed into non-traditional markets hoping to slam the sport down the US's throat. You could put an NHL team in every city in the States and it's not going to make Juan Valdez in New Mexico watch the game anymore than he is now.

Very true. But it's sure fun to watch in the regular season.

Facts have been leaked that Bettman 'asked' Leopold not to sign the agreement and eventually cut of ties with Ballsillie. If the league can ask an owner like Jeremy Jacobs to be it's Chair, I don't see why a person of Ballsillies wealth and passion should be blackballed.