Outsider

Well....if NOTHING ELSE comes of this debacle of a trip to Sweden..... Franzen ROCKS!

**sigh** Believe it or not, the ONLY reason that Brett Lebda was ever even a REMOTELY serviceable NHL Defenseman was because he was paired with Cheli. Now that Cheli's gone, Lebda is irretrievably lost.

Now THIS is more like it. This is Red Wings Hockey. Yesterday was an absolute mess. Just in time, too. Can NOT afford to start the Season down 0-2.

Interesting to note that Oz has jettisoned the Brian's equipment in favor of Bauer. Good.

Perhaps you've misunderstood. ALL goaltenders are "under the spotlight". It's the nature of their position. In a "hockey" city, it's true, the spotlight is a little hotter. A little brighter. But that doesn't mean that anyone, (other than some fans and some deluded Canucks beat writers....."Write/call in with YOUR SC Parade Route, folks!"....), has any real expectations that he'll win the Cup there. You're not SERIOUS about the "The only market where he would have more pressure would be Montreal." bit, are you? Really? Try Toronto. See Curtis Joseph. He made a CAREER out of playing for crappy Teams, and losing in that critical moment. It had been stated by hockey pundits for a decade that if CuJo were on a Team which was even MARGINALLY capable of winning a Cup, he'd have his ring already. It had also been whispered by many, many others that Joseph was nothing more than a paper tiger, and that the real reason he'd never won a damned thing was because he wasn't able to perform in the clutch. Plain and simple. Pretty stats. Spectacular looking saves. No backbone for it when the real Game began. LOL.... You keep right on believing that. All of it. Including the tripe about his MODERATE success in International play in front of Team Canada. You keep right on believing that "not a single player on the Canucks showed up for" that Game 6 against Chicago. And I'll keep remembering how the Canucks kept battling back..... Up by one....only to see it tied up at 1 a bare two minutes later. And THEN to go down by two goals in the 2nd. Tying it up at 3-3. Then the GO AHEAD goal to open the 3rd. Only to watch THAT lead evaporate LESS than two minutes later. Tying it up AGAIN, about midway through the 3rd. Only to watch the Hawks knock in 3 of the FUGLIEST goals a hockey fan could imagine, in the span of a little over three minutes, and on what was it....5 shots?......late in the 3rd Period.... And send the Canucks home again.....when the "best goaltender in the world" gave up 7 goals, on 30 shots, in an elimination Game. And each one of those last 3 goals a BACK BREAKER, and each one uglier than the one before it. I'll ALSO keep remembering his own words, as he CHOKED down the stretch in 2008, getting pulled in consecutive games when his Team was fighting tooth and nail for a Play Off berth: Once after giving up 4 consecutive goals against Colorado in the 2nd Period, with his Team trying to hold a 2-1 lead. Again, two nights later, after giving up 4 goals on 21 shots against Minnesota. What were his words again....???? Ah yes....now I remember...... "I don't really care, my season ended Thursday as far as I'm concerned. I tried to bring it but obviously I didn't have anything left in the tank." Well, gee, Roberto. Sorry to hear that. However.... Perhaps if you hadn't played so dismally in the two consecutive games down the stretch where you were pulled, and followed that up by giving up 3 consecutive goals, in a span of 5 minutes during the 2nd Period, (and a total of 4 goals on 20 shots before the night was through), after your Team went up 2-0, in the game immediately PRECEEDING that infamous and dreadfully disappointing Thursday night..... Well then.....perhaps that Thursday where YOUR Season "ended", (poor, poor Roberto), wouldn't have been such a critical, win-or-go-home game after all. As for your assertion that I'm "bitter"..... LOL. Now THERE'S a laugh. The only difference between the Isles WITH Roberto Luongo and WITHOUT Roberto Luongo is that WITHOUT him there's no Pretty Pretty Princess in the lockerroom flipping his long, greasy locks over his shoulders as he talks about loss.....after loss....after loss. I never could stand him, from the gate. He's yours now. And he's on the clock. You can HAVE him. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

If you've watched him closely enough, for long enough, you'll realize it's a pattern with him. As the pressure mounts, he gets progressively worse. And when it starts to go bad, you can see it. He's down on his knees inside the net after a goal goes in, and when he lifts his mask for a squirt from his water bottle, you can REALLY see it..... Panic. Abject panic. Like a deer in headlights. Or like a drowning man.

It's only a waste if going to a Contender would have made a difference. In Luongo's case, it wouldn't have. Roberto Luongo is very good at posting pretty stats on crappy Teams. He's very good at looking good. While he's LOSING. What he's NOT good at is delivering in high pressure, high stakes situations. The guy is NOT a clutch goaltender. You think HE doesn't know it? Of course he does. So he's made a wise decision for himself. He'll stay with a mediocre Team for the remainder of his career, and then it can safely be said that the only reason he never accomplished anything of note was because of the terrible Teams in front of him. Can you imagine a real, true WINNER making that kind of decision? Let's face it, his reputation and hype as the "greatest goalie in the game", (despite having accomplished absolutely nothing whatsoever), could have landed him a gig ANYWHERE. He CHOSE to stay in Vancouver and be the big fish in the little pond. No real pressure. No real expectations. Built in excuse for failure, year after year. Said it before. I'll say it again.....and again.....and again.....and again..... Spine like overcooked linguine.

Fortunately, (for me), I don't have to rely on blurbs written by those who, (undoubtedly like yourself), didn't watch a damned one of those games. I've got every one of them on tape. Osgood sucked for the entire first month of the Season. He tried to transition into a butterfly goaltender, and it was NOT working for him. Once he got back to his old tried and true style, right around mid-November, he was fantastic and on many nights was the sole reason the Isles were winning. DiPietro played barely at all that Season, and when he did, he was nothing to write home about. BUT.....he was the First Overall, AND the guy MM traded Luongo in order to make room for, so he was gonna get his shot. He was SUPPOSED to get it in 2001-2002, until the Isles picked Oz off the waiver wire. Mike Milbury offered Osgood a 4 year extension at $4M per year in the summer of 2002. Oz turned it down. At that point, his fate was sealed. He wasn't gonna re-sign - Management and Ownership both knew it. Might as well get whatever they could for him before he walked in FA, and bring the kid up. On the night Osgood went down with that ankle injury, he had just won NHL Player of the Month honors for December, and from December to January 20 was posting a 1.87 GAA and .946 SVP. He had the Isles in 6th place in the Conference on January 20th, and firmly positioned for a stretch run. He was playing fantastic hockey. After the March 9th trade, the Isles were LUCKY to back into 8th by the end of the Season, through no great effort of their own. Chris Osgood won as many Play Off Games in his ONE appearance in the Post Season on Long Island, as all other Islanders goaltenders have combined to win since he left. The Islanders were made exponentially weaker by the Trade they made to St. Louis.

Snow didin't wind up "taking" Osgood's job. Osgood suffered a high ankle sprain when he was freight trained by Bobby Holik in a game against the NYR on January 20th, 2003. He was out of the line-up completely for 2+ months, and didn't recover fully from the injury until the following July. That was the ONLY reason Garth Snow saw that kinda ice time that year. Period. With all due respect, if you're gonna make a statement, at least know what the Hell you're talking about. Talk about revisionist history....

<....sigh....> Firstly that hasn't been established as anything more than speculation. The translation seems to indicate that he advised the hookers that he'd "just broken up" with his girlfriend prior to inviting them up to his hotel room for champagne. Secondly.... For all the Hudler bashing, (and I'm no rabid fan....he was a Wing, so of course I was a fan...now that he's not.....meh....), you'd think this woman, (his now-ex-girlfriend), was some kind of saint or something. He IS a professional athlete, and he IS considerably younger than she. And let's face it..... I don't think he can go "toe-to-toe" with her in the looks department. Who's to say that SHE doesn't just want him for his money, and for the fact that if she DOES "hook" him, she can leave the Czech Republic and come to America as the wife of a multi-millionaire, rather than remain in the CR and be not much more than a beautiful 36 year old Czech woman trying to make a living in the world of modeling, where MOST "women" are in their late teens to early twenties. Not to be rude or anything but hey.... Her "best if used by" date, (and don't take that the wrong way, ladies and gents.....it wasn't meant to be literal.....), is rapidly approaching. She's 36. Never been married. Doesn't have any kids. Her chosen, (Hell....her ONLY "career"), is not going to have "room" for her in very short order. She was ready to settle down and have kids. At age 36, I'd say she's not got much more time to wait. Hudler? He's still a "baby", (and not just by his looks). He wasn't ready. Who can blame him? He's young. He's rich. And, (trust me), he'll have PLENTY of pretty.....even BEAUTIFUL.....women pursuing him throughout his career. Some of you act like he'll never have a chance to date a beautiful woman again. Or WORSE, that the fact that she's beautiful should be the major determining factor in whether to stay with her, or move on.

Trust me, if Chris, (or any of the other guys), had any choice in the matter, you'd have little to no reason to be "icked off". The Players don't schedule signings and events. John Hahn, (Director of RW PR), does. And he's been known for years as a hard-ass who's very, VERY "structured" when it comes to the Players' interaction with fans, so much so that he can be seen MUCH OF THE TIME, standing behind the guys even as they're doing intermission and post game interviews. These guys are heart-and-soul, most of them still with a little bit of the kid who used to dream of Playing in the NHL in them. I hope your son gets the chance to meet Oz. It's getting harder and harder these days, even for the little ones.

He only "seems to be forgotten" by those who didn't have the supreme privilege of watching him play. To those who remember Boss, and the Trio Grande, well..... <shakes head....> Nah. Words fail to describe the beauty, skill and heart of a Player who played through EVERYTHING, the worst that every goon and cheap shot artist had to throw at him, without the benefit of the Officials and the League "protecting" him. There was no "diving" back then. There was no "protection" for Star Players. You paid the price. Every shift. Boss was brutalized out there. Hammered. And yet somehow managed to fight through everything, night after night, to dazzle and mystify. He was, quite simply..... Magical..

Seeking validation. Recognition. Likely because they know as well as WE do that the Pens got LUCKY to have won the Cup, and that had the Wings been healthy, this Series isn't even close.

Without reading through every post in this thread: No. Just No. Jebus....the Pens needed every conceivable lucky break going for them, coupled with every single BAD break going against their opponent, along with a generous sprinkling of questionable Officiating going their way, in order to BARELY SQUEAK BY a Team DECIMATED by injuries. I'm betting the original poster isn't even old enough to have watched either the Oil OR the Isles during the height of their Dynasty years. If the OP HAD seen either Team, there's no way in Hell this comparison is made between a Team that had to get LUCKY in order to win the Cup this year, and two Teams who used to skate the ice like marauding Huns every night, leaving devastation and subjugation in their wake. Again: No. Just No. A THOUSAND TIMES, NO.

Great. Didn't take long for Cindy to get the Cup to start diving, too. He's ALREADY a bad influence.... I KNEW it!

I think Conklin will sign for whatever the Wings offer. Not only is it an EXCELLENT opportuity for him to play for a Winner, but he's guaranteed plenty of ice-time due to the fact that he'll probably basically split games with Oz again. FedorovMan91 is right.....Ozzie IS 36. And that's why they'll keep him fresh for the Post Season, when they need him most. Couple that with the fact that it's a TERRIBLE market for a UFA goaltender this year, (too many bodies, not enough nets), and I think Conklin will be happy to have a home, to be honest. I think Howard will be traded. I think Wings managment started losing faith in him last Season, and he did absolutely nothing to make them change their minds. If anything, he's REGRESSED every year since he's turned Pro. Now..... They just need to find a way to break the Conklin Curse. And QUICKLY, too.....

Alright..... Someone pass the Secret Decoder ring. I'd like to see this in English.

Absolutely loved 'The Kid's' comments to Alan Robinson of the Associated Press today: "I just won the Stanley Cup, and I think I have the right to celebrate with my teammates." LOL.... Really, Sid? You did? Wow! I hope Maxime Talbot was sure to line up to shake YOUR hand to congratulate you on your great personal accomplishment, and to thank YOU for getting his name on the Stanley Cup.

What I want to know is this: Now that Cindy is officially a Cup winner, will Daddy Mario FINALLY let him move out of the basement and get his OWN place? I know it will be scary, at first, but he can take his teddy bear, and his My Little Pony nite lite, and he'll have his powder blue ice chicken footie pajamas with him. And Uncle Gary can even come over, some nights, and read him to sleep, or they can watch the "....We were playing as a Team, fighting through adversity....." DVD together, and then Uncle Gary can tuck him into bed, pull the snuggly penguins bankie up under his chin, and kiss his widdle forehead.... "Uncle Gar.....(yaaaawnnnn).....?" "Yes, son?" "Don't forget to leave the closet light on. Oh....and the hall light. And don't close the door.....I don't like it when it's too dark.......(yaaaaawnnnnn)." "Sure thing, Kid." "......i'm a champ...i'm a champ...i'm a champ......i really AM a champ....i hope there are pop-tarts for breakfast tomorrow...........zzzzzzzzz......"

Woo Hoo! I'm somebody's hero. Now all I need is a scraggly beard, the surgical excision of a large portion of my character, a few lessons in "Nut-punching-from-behind 101", some practice on my diving, and a handbag to match my pretty powder blue sweater..... And maybe I can be talbot0wnz's "hero", too. Ahhh......to dream.

I don't know if it's a sense of entitlement so much as it's a desperate cry for acknowledgement. After all....they have sucked, so badly, for so long. It took a decade of throwing entire Seasons, alienating their fanbase to the point of pending bankruptcy, and a "fixed" Draft lottery to get them to this point. I guess the knob-slobbering from the Media isn't enough. The adulation of their own fanbase isn't enough. The obvious bias and favoritism of the League and Commissioner's office isn't enough. Hell.... Not even the CUP ITSELF is enough. What do some of these fans seek? Approval.....acknowledgement.....recognition.... From those who KNOW Greatness. From those who recognize it when they see it. From those who have witnessed it, first-hand, for the better part of two decades. From Wings fans. Why? Simple, really. Because deep down, in their heart-of-hearts, where they live and breathe, where they can't hide from the truth, not from themselves, not in the quiet dark of the night when there are no cheering crowds to deafen them, no sycophantic broadcasters to pump them up, and no headlines about their amazing "march" to make them feel secure that this is real....this is really, really, REAL..... They know the truth. That they got lucky. Opportunistic, yes....definitely. But lucky. That they didn't so much WIN the Cup, as they were there to take advantage when the tired, injured Champs stumbled, and let the Cup slip from their grasp. They know the truth. The painful, awkward truth. That the Wings are STILL the better Team. And apparently that fact stings enough that not even watching their little girly-boy kidtain have his brief stint with the Cup is enough to make them feel "good enough" to truly compete with the REAL Class of the League. The Gold Standard. THE Model Franchise. The Best of the Best. Our Detroit Red Wings.

The Wings best shot blocker, during the past two years, both Regular Season and Post Season, was: Andreas Lilja. Like it or not, belive it or not, his absence was HUGELY felt this Post Season. And I never, EVER could have conceived of typing those words. Hope he gets well, and comes back better than ever.

LOL.... We don't have to be jealous, Princess. We've seen a few of those in our time, too. Of course, when the Wings Won THEIR 4 Cups, they usually did so in a convincing, dominant manner. They didn't squeak by, by the skin of their teeth, against an exhausted, injury riddled Team. Now that I think about it..... Mmmm.....yeah. Still an ugly little worm, after all.

I wouldn't re-sign Hossa, but if I HAD to choose between the three you've mentioned, he'd be the ONLY one I'd consider. Dany Heatly is a world class talent, true. But now, at age 28, he's making his SECOND "demand" for a trade from his Team? I understood his demand for a trade from Atlanta, all things considered. But this? Look, I KNOW the Sens, (who were, coincidentally, touted as a posssible 'young dynasty" in the making, by the way), are currently CRAP, but come ON, Dan. Suck it up. There's talent there. WILL it to Win. BE the Leader they signed you to be. He gave the Thrashers 3 years before jumping ship. He's given the Sens 4 years, and now wants out. AGAIN. No thanks. Speaks to (questionable) Character, as far as I'm concerned. There's something wrong in that Ottawa lockerroom. Not sure if he's a part of it, but I'd rather he not bring any infection into the Family. As for Gaborik? I'd avoid him like the PLAGUE. Not only is he a hold-out, he's perpetually injured. And I'm not just talking about "fluky" injuries, either. These are MAJOR injuries which will probably shorten his career by quite a space, and will drastically limit is playing time on the way to that happening. Bad choices, BOTH of them.

LOL..... Oh yes you do. You, most especially, more than others, apparently. And that's why you're here. <smirk> The truth finally comes out, eh? Ahhhhhh......Perhaps. Perhaps little caterpillar. Perhaps now you can finally stop being the nasty little worm, and can begin to think, to imagine, what it might be like to be the graceful butterfly. Perhaps..... Again..... Like the pudgy, ugly, stuttering sibling. Always in the shadow of the popular, svelte, desireable sibling. So now you've lost some weight. And your skin has cleared up a bit. And you've grown out of that "awkward/gawky" stage. And the most important thing to YOU is not that you can stand on your OWN now.... It's that you might finally, FINALLY, be able to measure up to the standard. And so, the repeated cries: "I'm pretty now, too! I'm juuuuust as pretty as YOU are! I'm just as good as you! See? See??? SEE?!?!?!?!?! Look at me! LOOK at me! TELL me I'm pretty! TELL ME I'M PRETTY!!!" It's gonna take more than your smarmy, oily, nut-punching, diving, whining little girly-boy of a kidtain to lead his troops to the greatness you so dream about.....Cindy is no Stevie Y. Not by a long shot. It's gonna take more than Bettman and the media to MAKE Cindy the "bestest" Player in the world. And with all his varied "injuries", so early in his career, and with a target now on his back....... Hmmm..... And..... It's gonna take a bit more than one Cup victory, swiped, juuuuuust barely, from the grasp of a Champion who stumbled, temporarily, due to fatigue and injury, to measure up to nearly twenty years of excellence. But hang in there. Could happen. Could. Someday that cute little ice chicken could instill the fear, awe and respect that the Winged Wheel has for nearly the past two decades. And if not....well, there's always this: Those powder blue jerseys are jutht faaaaaabulouth !!!!