Mark THS

I'm sure you were falling over in love with Chelios when he was in a Chicago uniform. The "*****" is destroying the Wings tonight and your argument is moot considering that Bootland has played just over a minute and a half and Tootoo has put up over four and a half minutes. Bootland is small fries to Tootoo tonight- he's single handedly throwing the entire Wings team off stride tonight

Totally He's bunched up everyone panties, raped the Wings left and right tonight, and created a power play goal. I'd say he's been incredibly effective so far.

In the whole minute and a half that Bootland played in the first period?

A betting man would say that Tootoo will be able to lure Bootland into a cheap penalty sometime during tonights game.

Maltby of yesteryear. During the better part of the 90's, when Maltby was actually an effective agitator, he would get away with s*** like that left and right. He was the king of making a check and facewash and waiting for retaliation which was quickly penalized.

Now you guys know how the rest of the league feels about Maltby. I'd love to have Tootoo in a Wings uniform if the chance ever arose.

Exactly And what better way to avoid them than to KEEP YOUR HEAD UP. You dont think that has anything to do with players feeling like they can skate anywhere under the new rules? Its so blatantly obvious. Guys are getting comfortable under the new rules that they wont be touched because so many cheap, frivolous penalties are being called. With the comfort comes the cross ice skating, the dropping of the head, and the pass admiring. A lot of players feel invincible and too comfortable to skate anywhere on the ice. Keep your head up, watch for hits, and limit the 'strolls' across open us. The league is much less violent than it was years ago- but the pads are harder nowadays, guys are too comfortable, and feel invincible

Just another example of the pussification of todays NHL. Dont stop a guy from making a clean check on a guy who was boneheaded enough to put his head down as he skated cross ice. Want to cut out elbows? Stick work? Leaving the feet? Thats applauded by me- but dont create a system of rules that protects a player who puts his head down and skates through open ice. Mickey Redmond would have a field day with Thomas. How many times has he harped that if you put your head down and admire a pass- you're going to pay for it.

Your efforts would be better suited to criticize a player for skating cross ice with his head down than to criticize a player for making a perfectly acceptable, clean hit.

The NHL is pathetic. This garnered at 5 minute major for charging.

They must want to make Detroit look bad to help build the Boston market, right?

Oh right, I'm sure the NHL is dreaming up ways to bury the Wings, the Flames, the Leafs, and the Rangers in favor of building up teams like the Trashers and Blue Jackets. Do you actually take yourself seriously?

People were bitching about the officiating IN THE GAME TODAY, so I didnt realize that offering a dissenting opinion was off limits. Is this thread limited to 20 people simultaneously announcing the occurance of any goal or penalty?

So I guess the league is out to screw the Wings? I guess the refs thought "Hey, it'll be in our best interest to conspire to make the Wings lose against BOSTON" Missed calls happen all the time. They happen to every team, whether you are first or last in the league. This isnt something exclusively happening to the Red Wings, like many of the little bo peeps here would like you to think

They get the TV time, they get the intermission segments on national TV, and they get a fair amount of coverage. They have a good record and deserve it- but there are a slew of guys here that freak out whenever announcers talk about another team or criticize a Wings player and have an overall feeling that the Wings have some sort of media target on their backs. Thats so assbackwards.. And the Wings get a tremendous amount of officiating help. The league loves a team like the Wings that plays the style of game that they want to market. There are plenty of teams in the league that dont get the 'grey area' calls that the Wings get.

Its funny, the Wings are one of the most protected, ballwashed teams in the league, and some of you feel like the league is out to get them. It all goes both ways, take the blinders off.

Someone tell Lang not to throw his hands up in innocence everytime he touches a guy

Exactly, you take the good with the bad. Thats just Dom being Dom. Take away that mobility that causes the injuries, and he's not nearly as effective. At 40 years old, you dont suddenly decide to be conservative when you've made a career off of being a high risk/high reward goalie.

Its a 'live by the gun, die by the gun' thing, though. Nothing about Hasek's style is conducive to sitting in net where you're 'supposed' to be. If you want the 'slinky spine' saves and handstands, you've gotta take the 20 foot dives to go after pucks along with it all.

That whole 'unorthodox style' thing really hasnt worked for Hasek over the course of his career, has it?

Yeah, I'd love to see more totally non-descript, forgettable players with zero character and clone talent. Boyd Devereaux, anyone?

Dude, the "emotion and intensity" you are seeing is coming from Grand Rapids players. His point holds MORE weight, now. Its time to see someone in the regular lineup show some emotion. Of course guys like Bootland and Langfield are going to give it their all- they are fighting for future roster spots. Cherry was dead on last night

OH MY GOD A FIGHT

More consideration that the title 'Hockeytown' isnt fitting for Detroit, much less any US city.