livediehockey80

My picks: Detroit 4 San Jose 3 Anaheim 4 Vacouver 1 Buffalo 4 NY Rangers 2 Ottawa 4 New Jersey 3

Eva, You are a nut job on the political front. But damn...you buried that SJ Shark Troll with that post. Like a Bertuzzi take down of Phaneuf. Kudos!

Canadian fans are arrogant about hockey. They piss on American fans as ignorant about the sport. Maybe Canadian fans don't realize that some of the best hockey talent comes from Minnesota, Maine, Michigan, and upstate New York. for example. You can find just as many good players in those US states as you can find in Ontario.

I remember things were civil between Calgary and Detroit fans at the beginning of the series. It wasn't until the Game 5 thuggery and felon-like behavior of the Flames coaching staff and players did things get testy between Flames and Wings posters on this board. By the end of series, things will not be so nice with Sharks fans either. It always happens this way.

Monday and Wednesday nights are going to suck for me. I better get some Jolt cola just in case. Damn, I hate showing up to work looking like a train wreck the next morning. Hey Bettman...MOVE THE WINGS TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE!!!!! THEY ARE IN THE EASTERN TIME ZONE FOR GOD SAKES!

Monday and Wednesday nights are going to suck for me. I better get some Jolt cola just in case. Damn, I hate showing up to work looking like a train wreck the next morning. Hey Bettman...MOVE THE WINGS TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE!!!!! THEY ARE IN THE EASTERN TIME ZONE FOR GOD SAKES!

Sorry. Nabakov is NOT in the same league as Kiprusoff. Not even Roberto Luongo for that matter. If the Wings fire 50 shots at Nabakov...trust me, they will get more than 2 goals.

Why you shouldn't be dredding this series: No more Kiprusoff. With all due respect to Sharks fans but Evegni Nabokov is no Mikka Kiprusoff. Thaaaaank God. The Wings have home ice advantage. It's a new "season" and the Wings are playing more aggressive style of hockey with fore-checks, hits, and net crashes. This is something that Ron Wilson and the SJ coaching staff didn't see much of during the regular season. We got Big Bert. He's gonna f*** up Joe Thornton and Hannan. That simple. Dan Cleary. I expect big things from him. The Detroit power play is finally starting to click in the playoffs. The penalty kill teams have played really aggressive. This should continue into the SJ series. Everyone is pretty healthy. We sufferend no major injuries in the first round. Brett Lebda should be ready by Game 1 on Thursday. The Wings will be ready to play San Jose. I expect close games and a series that will likely be decided in 7 games. GO WINGS!

The kid played good, smart hockey last night. His first post-season NHL game and he looked real cool out there. I didn't see any big mistakes on the ice. I guess the Wings are deeper on defense than I thought.

Someone should send the memo to those Sharks fans (all 26 of them) that the Wings are not just a *****, puck-control team anymore.

Reasons why I don't miss watching games played in Canada: 1. Canadian hockey fans bashing American fans as ignorant and as cry-babies. 2. The biased TV announcers on CBC who heap more praise on Canadian teams and players. Noticed how the announcer would get REAL excited whenever Calgary was on the attack. Meanwhile when the Wings were shooting on goal...his voice more dull and low-key. 3. The Red Wings always struggle in Canada.

Top Three Stars of the Series: 1. Dan Cleary (The Beast) 2. Mikka Kiprusoff (The only Flames player who showed up for the playoffs). 3. Chris Chelios (There was one F-Up but otherwise he played great defense...and he scored one too!) Bottom Three Players Who Need to Step Up Their Game 1. Robert Lang (despite the goal in Game 6). 2. Nick Lidstrom 3. Pavel Datsyuk...Yes, Pavel needs to play better. He was great in Games 1 and 2. But then Dats disappeared from Game 3 onward. He need to show 100 percent intensity for all games.

It was Mikka Kiprusoff versus the Detroit Red Wings. One guy can't take on like 22 players. Mikka can't score goals for Calgary.

First...the positives: How about Big Bert????!!! Man, when this guy is 100 percent healthy...wooooo look out. I still think Bert is only at 60 percent right now with the back problems and head concussion. But it was great to see him play well last night. Draper. Kris Draper is busting his ass on every shift. Ditto for Cleary. Filpulla. I like this kid. Keep giving him plenty of ice time and good things will happen. And for the best part: The Wankers of Game 4: 1. Dominik Hasek. First, a stupid penalty that led to a 2-man advantage Calgary goal. Second, he gave up a soft goal that would ultimately be the difference maker in the final score. 2. Chelios. COVER YOUR MAN, CHRIS CHELIOS!!!! My God, Langkow was so wide open in front of the net...he probably thought to himself, "No...it can't be this easy!". 3. Schneider. Wow, Matthieu. You have more PIMS than points in this series. This is NOT why the Red Wings are paying you the Big Bucks. 4. Robert Lang. Absolutely useless in Game 4. Ditto for Game 3 as well. Maybe it's for Babs to put him on the 4th line becuase he absolutely sucks right now.

Yeah, I was called "ignorant" by posters in another thread because I cheered the NY Rangers sweep over Atlanta. I wrote that the Rangers series win was a victory for the NHL and the hockey fan in general. People don't realize that teams like the Red Wings, Rangers, Maple Leafs and Habs have a huge fan following. More fans mean TV ratings. More TV ratings mean bigger ad dollars. More buzz and coverage in the national media. You really think if the Atlanta Thrashers or Nashville Predators go deep into the playoffs that this REALLY benefits the NHL?????? Sure, it might benefit the fans in Atlanta or Nashville. But who else is watching? Who really cares. The Stanley Cup Final ratings for the Edmonton-Carolina series were pathetic. Ditto for the Calgary-Tampa Bay series in 2004. The big reason is because Carolina and Tampa Bay were in the finals. Those teams have ZERO fan following outside of their respective cities. You can't say that about the Red Wings though. Edmonton and Calgary are from smaller Canadian cities and many American hockey fans will tune that out as well.

Boy...the Wings better win Game 4. If the Flames tie this series at 2-2, the momentum clearly goes for Calgary into Game 5. I know the Flames are a sucky road team but that playoff momentum can change things. Coming back home with 3-1 series lead is a HUUUUUUGE difference for the Wing's confidence. I predict a final score of: Detroit 4 Calgary 3 In Double Overtime Detroit Goals: Cleary, Holmstrom, Datsyuk, and Lidstrom (Cleary gets the game winner in 2OT) Calgary Goals: Tanguay, Conroy, and Huselius An eery slience falls on the Petworth Saddledome after the GW Cleary goal. Wings fans rejoice when the clock strikes 2:00 a.m.

Looking ahead to Round 2 is pretty stupid since we have to battle Calgary for two more wins. The series is only 2-1 for Detroit and anything can happen. Nashville and San Jose are in a far, far away galaxy at this point.

This might be the year that teams from the South lose their luster. Thank God. So long Nashville and Atlanta. I don't think Tampa Bay will go far either. Maybe those fans can focus on Nascar races now. Every die-hard hockey fan who appreciates the history of the game was rooting for the NY Rangers to beat Atlanta. The NHL was cheering for the Rangers too. TV ratings will go up. Ad dollars will go up. Then again, I am an original six snob.

Out of all of the Wings players during the playoffs so far, Robert Lang is the biggest disappointment.

Yeah, I was laughing at Flames fans before the 2004 Wings-Flames series after we spanked the Preds. I was laughing at the Oilers fans last season because we won the President's Trophy and the Wings looked great heading into the playoffs. I wasn't laughing much after the Oilers *****-slapped Detroit. I have very low expectations for this 2007 team. If the Wings get bounced by Calgary in the first-round playoffs...I will just yawn. What else is new, right? Same story every year except for '97,'98 and 2002.

My Heart Says: Red Wings in 6 games My Head Tells Me: Flames in 6 games. Folks...this is going to be the same story all over again. Flames out hustle the older Wings. Flames out fore-check the Wings. Kiprusoff stands on his head and does somersaults...Wings forwards can't score. Datsyuk remains scoreless. Flames out hit the Wings. Flames fans slam Red Wings for not filling up the seats at JLA and cheering like crazy for the Wings. Sigh.

I really want the Dallas Stars. Second best choice would be San Jose. You guys keep underestimating the Wild because of the regular season match ups. The regular season doesn't mean s*** when it comes to playoff time. The Minnesota Wild trap will eat the Red Wing forwards. We are dead meat against the Calgary Flames. Let's face it...the Wings don't do well against Western Conference Canadian teams in the playoffs. If we manage to win the first round and then face Vancouver in Round 2...there could be another un-happy season conclusion for the Wings. We just can't beat Canadian teams in the playoffs.

Well, it looks like the Western Conference playoff seeds are about in place except for three positions (5-7). It's safe to say that the Avs are out and Calgary is the caboose in the playoff round. It looks like the Wings will either finish as the Number 1 seed or drop to Number 4. There is a way three-way battle for the Number 5 position between the Wild, Sharks and Stars. So if you are the Red Wings: Do you prefer the prize behind hidden behind Door Number 5 or do you like your chances against the 8 seed Calgary Flames? I think the Wings are better off dropping to the 4 seed position. I hope the Dallas Stars are number 5 seed team. The Wings match up very well against the Dallas Stars. Marty Turco is cursed by the Wings. I would say the Wings would beat Dallas 4-1 or at worst 4-2 in the playoff series. Second best opponent is the SJ Sharks. Sure, SJ has heavy offensive talents with Thornton, Marleau, Guerin et al. But I see the Wings edging them on defense and superior goaltending from the Dominator. I think the Wings take the Sharks in six or seven games. The Minnesota Wild are scary. They are the New Jersey Devils--Western Conference Version. A first round match up with Minnesota could be a disaster for Detroit. Besides Demitra, Gaborik or Rolston, I couldn't name a forward on the Wild. But that trap system can kill any team. It all depends on Niklas Backstrom as the netminder. If he becomes the 2007 version of 2004 Kiprusoff or 2003 JS Giguere or 2006 Roloson then the Wings are roadkill in the first round against the Wild. We don't want the Wild. Last but not least, Calgary. No way the Wings beat the Flames in the first round. I just don't see it. The Flames and Wings haven't changed their styles much since the last playoff match up in 2004. The Wings have more forechecking muscle with Bertuzzi but that's it. It will be the same story...Calgary out fore-checks the Wings, Calgary out hits the Wings, Calgary out hustles the Wings, Calgary out-goaltends the Wings. I have to root for the Preds to take the Central Division and get that Number 1 seed. A Preds-Flames series would be the most entertaining match up for the first round.

I think the Wings should have a third jersey. It should be patterned after the real classic "Detroit" sweaters. Maybe throw in some black and silver as additional colors to the red.

Maybe Illitch should spend his dollars on a new hockey arena in downtown Detroit. JLA is horribly dated as a 21st century sports facility. A new arena should have corporate luxury boxes. So most of the corporate types will be watching the game in their boxes or at the mid-club seats level. REAL hockey fans can sit in lower bowl and scream like crazy. Of course, you will have to take out a second mortgage to afford season tickets in the lower level. Problem solved and no one will be bitching about Empty Seats disguised as Red Wings fans.