Hank

I'd do it too. Maybe not at this moment, but in the offseason, absolutely. With Zetts and Dats numbers off the book we could resign Hossa. Fipulla has really impressed me so far, and I think he's on the verge of breaking out, much like Z was two years ago. With a great first line of Homer-Crosby-Hossa and a terrific 2nd line of Franzen-Fipulla-Leino/Hudler/Cleary, we'd be set. And like you said, Crosby is 21-freakin' years old. He's not even close to his prime and he's already a better offensive player than both Dats and Zetts. I know some disagree, but Crosby makes something out of nothing on every play. D and Z are both very dynamic offensive players, but in my mind, Crosby is the best in the world right now for generating offense. And on top of that, he's North American - marketing gold baby!

I agree. Just having a weekly game on a Wednesday night, or weekend night would be great. And make sure to get good match-ups too. I'm actually addicted to the Southeast division right now. When two teams from that division square off it's awesome hockey. Every team plays an aggressive style and you always see a lot of goals.

So true. Sports used to be about SPORTS. Now it's about individuals and drama. We've become a nation of voyeuristic douches. It's the only explanation as to why terrible shows like "The Hills" are so popular. People don't tune into football just for the games, but to see if T.O. does something outrageous or if Ocho Cinco will kiss a logo on the field. Just look at that horrible ass-kissing session called The Espy's. It's all about celebrating athletes, but has very little to do with what happens on the field. Even ESPN sportscasters are seen as celebrities. Ugh. I guess I'm getting old because all of this stuff sickens me. When I saw a million reporters run to T.O.'s driveway to film him doing situps I knew the end times were near. But this is exactly what the public eats up. And if the NHL wants to gain popularity in non-hockey markets then this is what needs to happen. If every team had an Avery, I'd to say that the NHL would probably be slightly more popular in non traditional cities than it is right now.

I thought they had effort, but it was very disorganized and sloppy. It was if this team had never skated with one another before. As much as it sickens me to say, Kudos to the way the Leafs played. Besides the first 15 minutes of the game, they completely outplayed us. They had a strong system, and a very aggressive forecheck that the Wings had no answer for. Oh well. It's one game. They'll get better. And if there's a silver lining to this game, it's that the Wings played, arguably, their worst game in a decade, and still lost by only 1 goal. And that could have been the best the Leafs have played since the lockout. P.S. I have to say, out of all the Wings players, I thought Fipulla was fantastic. He made some really nice plays and was able to dance in traffic. Given more icetime and better wingers, Fipulla could be a bonofide star before the seasons over.

I don't have a problem with it either for replays, etc. If you know hockey, the puck isn't hard to follow, but it's a lot more difficult these days compared to 20 years ago. The game is so different today that it resembles pin-ball hockey at times. With the composite sticks and kevlar-type equipment, this thing bounces around like a jackrabbit on speed. It's not a bad thing for replays so you can see if it's been deflected or tipped.

I agree! What's next? Madden Cover????

Exactly! I like Iginla but he's like 99% of the hockey players out there - he's classy and doesn't invoke drama. That's why I love NHL players. Unfortunately, Avery's right in that people today need Heroes and Villains. Without Terrel Owens or Michael Vick, Tom Brady and Peyten Manning don't look as good. It's those stark contrasts that make for great drama and pub. off the field. And people LOVE to hate a'holes in sports. It's just another reason why the NFL is so popular. If it's not Sunday or Monday night you can still catch NFL action by tuning into "Crime TV". This is kind of on the same topic, but if the NHL really were smart, it would focus on a different kind of drama. They talk about European expansion but what they need to do, is split the league in half and put a cap on foreign talent in either conference. So put 20 teams in North America and 20 teams in Europe (10 in Central Europe and 10 in former Soviet countries). Then you cap the rosters to 5 total foreign players. So in North America you can have up to 5 players outside of North American soil, and vice versa. Then when the two sides meet for the Stanley Cup, you'll have plenty of drama as it'll go back to US vs Them. It's the whole reason that the 1980 US Olympic team victory and the '72 Summit Series was so intriging. I know I'm in the very small minority in this thinking. But I really believe this would elevate professional hockey to a whole new level. EDIT: P.S. Regarding Iginla's fame, he's only famous in very small circles. Working in Detroit, I have quite a few co-workers who don't follow sports. The one day I asked one of them if he knew who Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant were. He knew all of them and what sport they played (but couldn't remember what teams they played on). I asked him if he knew who Joe Thornton, Vinnie Lecavailer, Jerome Iginla and Sidney Crosby were. He had only heard of Crosby.

After watching a lot of preseason games I don't know how Downy or McCarty make this roster. They are the least talented (by a long shot) of the 4. I know we want team toughness and I agree. But McCarty is always banged up and is a middleweight at best. And Downey will never be confused for a top enforcer. This team won a lot of games the last 3 seasons based on a talent set and system that personifies that talent. Judging by what I've seen the last 2 weeks, both Leino and Helm have NHL talent and fit into our system far better than Mac and Downey. As far as toughness, Lilja, Stuart and even Cleary will drop the gloves on occasion. And a lot of our more talented players throw their body around. It's too bad we couldn't have gotten a guy like Laraque. He can actually play the game and would look good on the 4th line. But if we had to carry an enforcer, I would like to see Leino go to the minors where he can be a top 3 forward and have Downey on the Wings. He's much tougher and more durable than Mac and he actually does scare most of the cheapshot artists out there.

Exactly. But usually teams don't play well enough because they are experiencing the hangover. The only thing preventing this team from repeating is complacency. It's human nature to want it less because you've already obtained it. And in today's NHL it's a far greater mental grind than it is physical. It's why the Wings could have a short offseason last year and still win - because they wanted it more. If the coaching staff, veterans and new faces can keep the team feeling fresh and rejuvinated, I don't see why we can't repeat. But if they're not as healthy or if 1 or 2 of their top players face a mental slump in spring, I wouldn't be shocked in the least if we don't even make it out of the first round of a very deep and competitive Western Conference. There's very little that separates the 8th seed from the 1st seed. If you're not mentally and physically prepared for a long post season, you can be bounced before you know it. P.S. We also have to remember that it was Babcock's own 2003 Ducks that suffered a major Cup finals hangover in 04, as they failed to even make the playoffs. Coaches can only do so much. The players need to want it bad enough to repeat.

If we were to lose to a team I'm glad it's an original six. In my mind the Wings, Canadiens, Leafs and Blackhawks have the best logos in hockey (and maybe in sports). The Canadiens logo isn't overly 'cool' but it's unique and carry's a lot of history with it. Just like the Wings logo.

So true. Matthias wasn't on anyone's radar. Now I believe he's rated in the top 30 prospects in the world. Some analysts even believe he'll be centering one of the top 2 lines in Florida and have him rated as their #1 centre (if Horton stays at RW instead of moving back to his natural centre position). If anything, we should look at this more positively. The Wings have shown that they can draft good quality CHL prospects who aren't top 10 picks. They got this kid in the 2nd round. And Cory Emmerton looks to be a future top-6 forward in the next 2-3 years. Good things are coming!

Toronto's only rival is the Detroit Lions. So this would be a perfect fit! I wish Stevie well. I wonder how his family would like to be uprooted after living their whole lives in one place. But that's the life of a hockey guy. Can you imagine if he was able to win a Cup for Toronto? He'd be a legend on both sides of the border.

I'm lucky in that I work in downtown Detroit where my parking garage is free. I then take the people mover to the Joe for a whole $.50. Nice!

I agree. I buy them for my kids and put them up on their shelves. I have no issues with people buying them as collectibles but I have to admit that I get peeved when some of the freaks out there buy everything up in site so fathers like myself or people who just want to own them can't find any. I can't remember which figure it was (maybe Datsyuk) but I was trying to get a Wings player and couldn't find one anywhere in a 50 mile radius of my home. Every Zellers, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us didn't have it. I asked one of the employees at a Wal-Mart "What gives?" and he said they have grown men waiting outside their store at 6am waiting for the delivery truck. When it arrives, they buy everything in site. Not just the chase figures. He said it's uncanny how these guys know when the shipments of new figures are due to arrive. I guess it's good for them because they might be able to make a few thousand 20 years from now, but it sucks for guys like me that just want to buy a toy for their kid or put some Wings/NHL memorabilia on their desk. I eventually had to have my brother in Winnipeg buy the stinking figure for me.

I know. This guys a fan and how many fans have said "this team sucks or that team sucks". I'm sure all of us would just be flabbergasted if a Detroit official said "Anaheim sucks" or "Colorad Sucks" before a big event. Who cares.

Says who? There have been plenty of players that were called up who got top line minutes - Joe Pavelski and Andrew Brunnette come to mind. You obviously only read what you wanted to read. My argument is that if you're going to call up an AHL scoring machine, what's the point of sitting him on the 4th line. Give him a shot with the big line and see what happens. We all know we're going to make the playoffs and probably the President's Trophy again. What does it hurt to give an AHL scoring champ a couple of games with Dats or Zetts? Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. But who are you, or anyone else to say, that it should never happen?

It can't be attitude or pesonality issues. He was named captain of the Wolves last year and their coach (John Anderson) wouldn't do that with a head-case or primadonna. Considering that it was Don Waddell that never gave this kid a serious chance, I wouldn't put much stock in his not sticking with the Trashers. Waddell has basically done nothing with that franchise. At the very least it'll be great for a young centre like Cory Emmerton to have such a skilled winger on his line in GR.

I really like this signing. I watched him play a few times in Atlanta and he has some potential. My wish is that when he does get called up to play with the Wings he gets top line minutes. It's always bothered me when coaches bring up an offensive player and then shove them on the 4th line, for 6 minutes a game, and lament on how they're displeased with their offensive output. Stick him with Dats or Zetts for a game and see how he does. He can obviously finish in the AHL. Why not see what he can do with real talent in the NHL?

Yup, it's definitely Shanahan. I just saw it the other day on one of the tapes I used to record that years finals.

Bahahaha! I LOVE your avatar! Good work brother!

I'm not against an enforcer and I want one. The issue is that with our teams DNA, an enforcer doesn't fit in too well. We need guys who can scrap but can also play. The teams that won cups in the 90's didn't have a true enforcer but they had a lot of guys to stand up to cheapshots; Shanny, McCarty, Lapointe, Fischer - even middleweights like Rouse, Dandenault or Pusher would drop the gloves on occassion. Teams had a harder time taking liberties with that club because there was almost always someone on the ice that would take care of business if it did occur. With today's roster, you basically have Cleary and Stuart that will fight. And they don't do it all that often and they don't scare anyone. That's why teams will take liberties with our club throughout the year and why Holland would like to carry at least one enforcer - which is why I think Downy gets the nod. He's a far better fighter than McCarty and not as injury prone.

He might not be the #1 prospect but he'll be in the NHL faster than all of the above. When Babcock, Bowman and Holland all say he's a top 4-dman, you know he's good. Babcock in particular seems to love this kid and we've all seen what that means. When Samulesson can score 5 goals in 22 playoff games and continue to skate on the 2nd line, imagine what his man-crush on Ericsson will do for him. Mursak sputtered greatly last season and Howard hasn't progressed the way they'd like. Kindl will be on the team in the next 2 seasons whereas Smith is probably 4 years away. Ryno also went back home for various reasons. Who knows how he pans out? Abdelkader is going to be a great checking forward but nothing more than that. At this point, Ericsson probably has more NHL shine to him than all of the above players mentioned.

Not going to happen. There's not enough money or spots on the team for this. He'll offer both of them two-way deals (maybe only 1 of them will get this offer). The truth is a rookie, 20-year old Helm, got the nod in the SC finals over a far more experienced McCarty and Downy. If that's the case, McCarty has a very limited role on this team and should only get a 2-way offer.

I thought it was a great first step for him as well. But I'm still suspect of his motives. Is he really owning up to all his screw-ups? Or is he simply singing the right song to get himself back in the NHL after next year? I have to believe there was some coaching by his agent.

You're going to argue technicality's over 1.6% from capacity? Get a life.