Hank

The issue is two fold: 1. We dont' have a seasoned vet that can carry the 2nd line. Last year, love him or hate him, Bob Lang had the skill and experience to carry a 2nd line. And in many cases he was still able to generate offense despite playing with 2 nobody's. If Z and Dats played on the same line we would have either Draper or Filpulla as our #2. Filp is going to be great but he's not ready yet. It woudl be like having Zetts centre our #2 in his sophomore year. Not a good idea. And Draper has no scoring talent so putting him in the 2-spot would be useless. 2. Zetterberg is better and more complete at centre than on the Wing. He brings a whole new dynamic to the game up the middle. Babs, Holland, Bowman and Zetterberg all want Z to be at centre. He'll help the wings actually HAVE a 2nd line and force other teams to worry about 2 good lines rather than 1 great one. Think about it this way. In 1982, what if the Oilers kept Messier as a LW and had him with Gretzky the whole time forcing Matti Hagman to be their #2? You'd be in a lot of trouble. Same with the Pens two seasons ago. They put Crosby with Lemieux for a time and Lemieux said he loved it as the two had great chemistry with one another as well. But then they relied on Ryan Malone (a natural winger) to be the #2 centre. Eventually Olcyk realised that they needed a 2nd line presence and Crosby was moved back to his natural position at centre. Everyone loves how the two of them play together and it's true they're very good. But with them apart, and with Zetts at his natural position, the Wings are FAR more dangerous and dynamic. With the two of them together, we'll be shut down far too easily as Filp and the rest can't be counted on to carry a 2nd line and give us another scoring threat. It's time for people to let the dream die. Zetts and Dats are both centres and it's best for the Wings if we let them play those positions - seperately.

Is it Skip Bayless you're referring to? If it is, the guy's a complete tool. He'll host the Jim Rome show when Rome's on vacation. But when he does he's bashed endlessly by the clones. I heard him say that hockey was dumb because too many goals are deflected in. He said it's hard for him to watch the puck. So basically, he's the perfect example of ESPN. If you don't understand a sport bash it. That is, unless it's aired by ESPN.

Yup, that is a good deal for both sides. I see Emery being more like a '98 version of Osgood. He's a good goalie and is very competant with a good team, but he's not going to win a Cup for you on his own. They were saying on Home Ice last night that if they went to arbitration and Emery was rewarded anything over $4M the Sens would have more than likely walked away. I would have done the same thing. But now that they have him locked for just over $3M a year that'll make it easier to get Heatley and Redden under contract next year.

Good post d-city. And Nill all but proved that Dats and Z will be playing as centres, on seperate lines, when he said that Grigs would be tried with Dats on the 2nd line. Homer-Zetts-Sammy (worked great in 05-06 season) Franzen/Flip-Dats-Grigs Hudler-Flip/Franzen-Cleary Drake-Drapes-Maltby

Looks good. Although, I believe Quebec still has the rights to the name Nordiques? Just like Conneticut has the rights to the Whalers. Might be wrong though.

I don't know how many of you care, but Bill Simmons recently wrote an article about the debacle that the NBA is in. This is the same Bill Simmons who goes out of his way to insult the NHL. In this article, he still shows hope for the league and keeps the vigil that it will make it through. I think we all know how this piece would have went if this were the NHL that was in the same bind. If you want to let Simmons know that he's a hypocritical ******, send him your comments here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...dback/sportsguy Afterall, the NBA is not exactly flourishing. It's ratings are pathetic and across North America, HNIC gains more viewers than the NBA's top night on Thursday nights on TNT.

Hahaha! Speaking of the whale, I was watching Classic Series' on the NHL Network over the weekend and they showed the '92 series between the Whale and the Canadians. Schneider still looked young (and wearing #8) and the pairing of Andrew Cassells and Geoff Sanderson was a force. I loved that era. The late 80's and early 90's was a great time for hockey. And how can you go wrong with those awesome Whalers uniforms???

I hope it remains strong. I know they have some very diehard fans there and I'd hate to lose a team if I was really into them. The rivalry has been great up to this point so it'd be nice to keep them around and in the same division.

Exactly. And lets not forget that even being an expansion team I believe the BlueJackets had consecutive sellouts that spanned over or near 2 seasons. Even now, they get a pretty good turnout. I went to see a Wings-Bluejackets game in Columbus 4 years ago and the place was jumping! The fans were nuts and it was a sellout. Nashville has never been able to say the same thing. Sure, they have had games sellout but I don't think they've had anything over 10 consecutive games that were. Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix and Washington all should be folded or moved. All of them get very poor fan support and nobody in those cities seem to give a crap about their NHL team. Phoenix was a decent hockey town but they've had such abysmal seasons that people are staying away. I guess I can't blame them. But in Nashville's case (I hate to keep beating a dead horse) but they've been one of the best teams in the past 2 seasons and yet, still, nobody wants to watch them.

What I find amusing about this whole thing is that in many places it's turned to Nashville vs Canada, when that's not the case at all. The fact is, the city of Nashville doesn't like hockey and it's corporations have done nothing to support it. You can't blame poor ticket sales or corporate support on the fact that they are bad team, have a bad building or don't have an owner or management core that isn't dedicated to winning. The last 2 seasons the Preds have been one of the best and most exciting clubs to watch in the NHL and yet you couldn't give tickets away. Whether this team goes to Hamilton, or Blind River or Vegas, it's beyond the point. The fact is, Nashville is a poor hockey market and shouldn't have been placed there in the first place. I'm sure the 2 Preds fans that visit here will be angered by this statement and try to disprove it but there's no stats or proof that would suggest otherwise. The reason why Liopold triggered the out clause was so that it made the sale more attractive. Who's going to buy a team knowing full well you'll lose money. And whether you want to point out that the deal includes other businesses that have been profitable, the fact remains that if Liopold was still making money, he wouldn't be selling the team. It's a sinking ship and whomever buys it will want to have that out-clause so they can move it to a city that has corporate sponsers that will support it. I've never had anything against Nashville or the pittance of fans that support the Preds, but I'm tired of NHL teams going to cities that have no interest in the league or sport. If Seattle, Portland, KC, Vegas, etc can support a team and fill a building, I'm all for an NHL team going there. But lets stop putting clubs into spots that don't want them there.

I'm no expert but make sure you watch it on the Atkins. I don't trust diets that tell you "Don't eat fruit but have all the bacon and cheese you can handle!". I noticed a big difference in weight loss when I went to eating 6 small meals a day that were high in protein, low in carbs and featured both a peice of fruit and cup of veggies. I lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks just from doing this and my regular workouts.

I wonder if his former supermodel girlfriend Carol Alt will like visiting him in Russia?

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have painted all Russians with the same brush. There have been a lot of great Russians play in this NHL (and currently do) that love the game and genuinly care about winning and competeting in the best league in the world. Players like Larionov, Konstantinov, Pavel Bure, Fetisov, etc. Unfortunately there are a number of Europeans that have come across seeking only the mighty $$$. I can't say I blame them as some have come from horrible means and living conditions. Also, a lot of them didn't grow up with the Stanley Cup and what it means to North American hockey players. But in Yashin's case, it's quite obvious that the guy would rather chase the dollar than an opposing player.

LOL! My diet hasn't been the strictest the last few weeks (or even months). I've noticed that I've put on some very unwanted pounds and it has to do with eating too much fast food. My wife and I have a couple of young boys and on some nights we're both too tired to make a real dinner. But I've been trying to stop a lot of it lately. If I can eat only 2 fast food meals a week I'd be happy.

It just shows you what kind of character Yashin has. He's always been about the $$$ first. Unfortunately, there's too many Russian players that are like that.

I'm honestly shocked that the Lions don't have 80% of the share. Judging by the radio, tv and newspaper time the Lions soak up, you would think we're a one-team town.

Bump.

I know I was impressed with L.T.'s wife. Yow!

You can say that again. I'd LOVE to face a team like the Islaners or Thrashers or even the Lightning in the first round. Those aren't bad teams but they're very, very beatable. In the West you have very good teams in the bottom half of the conference. I wouldn't have been surprised in the least if teams like Calgary, Minnesota or the Stars went to the Conference finals or even the SC finals last year. You can't say that about half the teams in the East that make the playoffs. Even more of a reason that I want Detroit in the East. We would have gotten to the finals in 15 games or less.

Absolutely. The NHL isn't going to miss out with this guy playing in Europe.

That would be sweet! Maybe if Calgary's struggling down the stretch the Flames will be forced to do with Kipersoff what the Oil did to Smyth. But I have a feeling that they'll go right into July 1st trying to resign him. Flames without Kipersoff=bottom 10 team. But I'd love to see Kipersoff here. Who knows if Lids takes a home-town discount. But he might if he knew that Kipersoff was in the plans. We could easily win a Cup with him and our current roster.

Ron is WAY better than Don in the biased department but Ron still is a bit biased. He interviewed Colin Campbell and actually showed him some clips where he felt hooking or holding would have resulted in a goal. I like Ron, but he whines way too much about the 'new' NHL. But Don is great as far as entertainment and you're right when you say they're the best out there for hockey broadcasting. Although, I secretely love the VS crew and the job they do. They bring a lot of knowledge to the table and have a very professional and prepared shine to their presentation. And I think you were referring to Kelly Hrudey. I like him just on the basis that he's the only guy to call out Giggy for being all pads and having no real athletecism.

Don't let the door hit you...

I agree! No person or thing on this planet deserves that kind of insult.

LOL! Nobody touches Brian Fantana! I believe his name translates to "Whales ******". Anyway, I guess I'm in the minority when it comes to liking how the NHL has cracked down on obstruction. I don't like some of the phantom calls that have plagued the league in the past 2 seasons but this is a necessary evil until they iron things out. I've been watching a lot of classic hockey on the NHL Network. Last night they showed Game 3 of the Devils-Lightning game of this past season. Immediately following this was a 1992 playoff game between the Rangers and Devils. And then the other day they showed a game from the 2003 Cup final (again Devils - not sure what's up with the Devils manlove). Anyway, the difference in all three games was drastic but one thing you couldn't help notice was the lack of any flow, excitement or creativity in the 2003 SC final game. In the 1992 game you could tell it was much slower compared to the 2006 Devils-Lightning matchup. And there was still some hooking. But the difference in that game was that there was no neutral zone trap, 3 forwards almost always attacked in the offensive zone, and the lack of 'defense first' was obvious. Not only that, it was shocking to see how small the goalies looked compared to today. Even Brodeur looked smaller compared to now and he still uses most of the same equipment from back in the day. In the end, I wish the game was a hybrid between the 1992 and the 2006 game. I loved the speed and and lack of obstruction and hooking in the modern game but I loved how offensive minded the players and coaches were in '92. But what I do know is that I can't go back to watching how hockey was played in 2003. It was atrocious and to be blunt, it didn't even look like hockey. The skilled players never got a chance to do anything because they always had 2-3 hands or sticks wrapped around them and only 1 forechecker ever pressed the defensemen in the attacking zone. I think the game now is a lot better than what it was and we have to continue with the assault on obstruction. But it would be nice to make sure a standard is still enforced. Regarding the comments on hockey radio where everyone complains, I've found that 99% of the time, the caller is complaining because his or her team lost. I very, very rarely heard a fan call in to complain after his team won. Just look at the CBC crew. Ron MacLean and Don Cherry ***** and moan worse than anyone. But who's their team? The Maple Leafs. And since the lockout, with the CAP and new rules, the Leafs have proven to be pathetic. I'm sure if the Leafs were winning Cups or in contention for it, we wouldn't hear one word out of either of those guys concerning the 'new' NHL. Just my $.02.