Outsider

Well..... Hossa's young. And he's talented. How motivated is he? He couldn't overcome the pressure of facing his "former", (of a few months), Teammates for the ultimate prize, even after HIS Team went up 2-0, with Home Ice, in the Finals. I didn't notice any of the Pens having any problem putting HOSSA in his place in that pressure packed situation. So....how badly does he want to stay? Hmmmm? How MUCH does he want the Cup? He ostensibly left tens of millions on the table for a shot at it this year....(although I don't buy that.....had he shown up and helped CONTRIBUTE to a Cup Victory, he'd have gotten every penny back.....probably more.....). How much does he want? What kinda numbers we talkin' about here? Because I'll tell you what..... With Lids pushing 40, and the OBVIOUS need to shore up the Defense for the FUTURE..... $7m+ is a LOT to spend on a 40 goal scorer who turns into a wallflower in the Post Season.

So, Crosby has a Cup. Where do things go from here....? Just means a bit more work for the Cup Keepers in trying to scrub the fecal matter from all the crevices of the Cup once the little whining, diving, cheap shot artist hands it back over.

I'm calling BS, sb. Because there is NO WAY you can possibly have watched his tenure with the Blues and not recognize the fact that he was the ONLY REASON they made the Play Offs during his only full Season there. There's just NO WAY. What do you consider "a ton"? Oh....Let me guess..... You watched ALL the Games where the Blues played the Wings? Right? Thought so. Again.... Integrity, sb. Integrity.

Not an accurate assessment, soonboomer. You're obviously one of those stats junkies. Yes.....Osgood ALWAYS STEPS IT UP in the Post Season. Always. That's 100% of the time. Where YOU make the mistake is to assume that if he "steps it up" it will lead to Victory. Here's your lesson for the day..... Osgood, despite the "stats", the "numbers", or anything ELSE you want to cite...... Played MUCH BETTER this Post Season than he did last Post Season. He was just plain BETTER this year. He "stepped it up" from his performance last PO's. HOWEVER.... His "stats" weren't as good. His "numbers" weren't as good. And in the end....??? No matter HOW MUCH he "stepped it up", it wasn't ENOUGH when the TEAM didn't match his effort. This year he was the BEST Wing on the ice. And they lost, anyway. Last year? He was 2nd best, and Won the Cup. It takes more than ONE Player, no matter HOW MUCH they "step it up". Choose another sport. You obviously don't "get" this one. Either that, or you simply hate Chris Osgood.

Face it, soonboomer...... Not that you'll have the INTEGRITY to ADMIT IT, but....... You didn't even BOTHER TO WATCH a SINGLE GAME that Osgood played, Regular Season OR Play Offs, during the time when he was "the enemy". And THAT is how you can sit here and post meaningless stats to attempt to support your pointless point that Osgood didn't "step it up" in those years away from home. Osgood was THE MAJOR REASON why ANY of the those Teams he led to the PO's even MADE it there. At all. Expecting him to carry them further than he did? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous.

What does the fact that he was "the enemy" have to do with his performance? Or is it fairly accurate to state that what you're REALLY saying is that, as an "enemy", it's not necessary, nor even desirable, to give an OBJECTIVE assessment of his performance?

<sigh> Soonboomer.... Osgood DID step it up in the Post Season for the Isles in 2002. I've got every game on tape. Check my avatar, and note the Team jersey. Get it? Osgood was our BEST player that Post Season. We lost KJ, (our poor-mans Lidstrom), and our Captain on two CHEAP, DIRTY hits that Series. Osgood was the ONLY reason the Isles Team took ToROTno to 7 Games. Period. In 2003, the entire Blues Team was puking into buckets on the bench, when EVERYONE, (including Osgood), went down with the flu. In 2004, Osgood was the ONLY Blue to show up against the Sharks, and he was left HANGING OUT TO DRY as Pronger imploded, time after time after time. Add in the Danton "murder for hire" case, and him being arrested at the Team hotel in San Jose for the offense....and you've got a not-so-great atmosphere for Play Off sucess going on. NONE of those three Teams had ANY business going ANYWHERE that Post Season. That does NOT mean that Oz didn't "step up" his Game. He did. It just wasn't enough, under any circumstances, to make enough of a difference. As for 2001? He DID step it up. AGAIN. He was WIDELY CONSIDERED to be the Wings BEST PLAYER, the "only bright spot" that Play Off year. Sometimes, no matter HOW MUCH a player "steps it up", he just CAN'T DO IT, ALONE! What part of this is unclear to you?

Please see my post, above. With all due respect, your bias is showing. I'm trying to keep this civil, before we BOTH, (all?), face a temporary ban. No one wants that.

In all fairness, soonboomer, I didn't "pick" the years. YOU did. I was simply responding to YOUR post. However, conversely, choosing to cite instances where Osgood had to CARRY Teams to the Post Season, Teams who had no business being there, and who wouldn't have made it there at ALL without him, and then using those years, and the fact that he couldn't take them any further than he did, as examples to support the fact that Osgood didn't "step it up" in those years isn't exactly objective, either. Is it?

<sigh> Osgood wasn't traded.

What is going ON here.....??? Doesn't anybody READ anymore? Your question was, "Which is sweeter? Option 1, or Option 2? You're answer was "I'd take Option 2". I only responded that Hossa had ALREADY chosen Option 1. Tell me how losing the Cup last year, then leaving that Team to go to ANOTHER Team to Win the Cup THIS year, only to LOSE IT to the Team you left in the FIRST PLACE isn't and EPIC FAIL. I never said that there was anything shameful in losing with dignity? Where did that come from?

Ahhhh....see? Here you go again! Stats don't always tell the whole story. Sometimes, in THIS Game, it's helpful to actually WATCH the games. Osgood was left hanging out to dry by the Blues that PS against the Sharks. He wasn't spectacular, but he was definitely better than his stats reflect.

That's the same opinion you carried all Season long regarding fans who believed that Osgood would turn it up once the Play Offs began. No one is "overmatched" here. Your baseless arrogance is comical, though. Rather like it was ALL SEASON LONG.

Once should have been enough. And no need for a dictionary here, thank you very much. Your assumption that you're the only one with a grasp of the English language is laughable at best. At worst? It's nasty, snide, condescending and rude. Hmmmmm...... I'm noticing a pattern, here.....

Might want to go check the microfilm, (do they still store stuff on microfilm?), at the local library before you go stating that Osgood was "shipped off" as a result of the debacle against the Kings in '01. It was widely held that Osgood was the only Wing to show up for that Series, and he was even touted as "the only bright spot for Detroit". All of the internet listings of those articles are long since gone....but the hard copies are still around. Osgood was "shipped off" because Dominik Hasek demanded a trade.... TO DETROIT. He negotiated the terms, and had final approval on what went back to Buffalo in exchange, so his chances at a Cup weren't compromised. Osgood had 3 years left on his contract at $3.5M, $3.75M, and $4.0M, respectively. Legace had one year at $550K. With the Isles, Oz took them to the PO's for the first time in 7 years, and won more games that year alone than everyone playing goal for NYI COMBINED has won since he left. He CARRIED the Blues to the Post Season in 2004. They were the lowest scoring Team to make the Post Season that year. You're off base. And once again, completely wrong about Chris Osgood.

?!?!?! Whaaaat? AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I wrote PRECISELY what I wrote. Nothing more, nothing less. Is there any way to write, other than "literally"? The etymology of the word "literal", after all is from the Latin "litera", meaning LETTERS. Simply READ the letters typed out. How YOU interpret it is not MY responsibility. If you can't comprehend the words that are typed out and lying there for your perusal, I don't know what to tell you. But the fact that YOU come back with an attack on MY understanding of the English language simply becuase YOU don't, (or can't), understand, (or interpret), the written word, (no matter how LITERALLY presented), is laughable.

Well.... Perhaps YOU would choose #2, "for sure". But Hossa certainly wouldn't. He'll take #1. How do we know? Because he's already done so. That's PRECISELY what he did when he LEFT the Pens in order to come "Win the Cup" with the already stacked Detroit Red Wings. Fail. Epic Fail.

AGAIN.... Your READING COMPREHENSION sucks. You appear to be able to READ the actual words, as typed, but have a bit of a problem grasping the CONTEXT in which they are written. Once again.... You postulated in your original post to me that you, in particular, never posted the following comments: That you "gave up on him." That he was a "piece of s***" That he was a "worthless human being". And that he would be "SO BAD, that the Wings would be lucky not to be bounced out in the First Round." Specifically, YOU accused ME of having you "confused with one of (your) butt buddies. None of these words were ever posted by me." In response: I posted that YOU WERE RUDE TO ANYONE WHO DISAGREED with THOSE WHO DID POST such comments. One more time, just so you can follow along: I never accused you of MAKING those comments, (as you accused me of, initally), only of being RUDE TO THOSE who didn't AGREE with the comments when they were made by others. As a side note: Please, kids..... Stay in school.

There are "positives" here? POSITIVES? Are you kidding me? Look you, here..... And here..... And here.... And here.... And here..... And here.... And HERE.... And HERE.... Look you, CLOSELY. Examine them closely. Mark and REMEMBER them. Let them roll slowly, PAINFULLY around in your mind. And THEN point out the "positives" from this SCF Series. See the pain, exhaustion and disappointment displayed on some faces, and the jubiliation and triumph on the faces of others. Kindly note the location of the triumphant celebration, the Logo and Crest so proudly displayed at Center Ice, and then note the identities of the celebrants. "Positives"? There are no "positives" here. NONE.

Of course Hossa has "no regrets". He managed to get through the Post Season healthy, completely unscathed, while the majority of his Teammates were trying to play, and WIN, with moderate to severe injuries. He's got that $7.4M paycheck to comfort him. And he fared no worse than he did last year, when he watched the opposing Team skate the Cup on ice he had NO VESTED INTEREST IN, while his Teammates have bled for years defending it.

Kindly re-read the post. And TRY to pay attention. I'll respond to each of the comments you've highlighted: I never stated that you, in particular, "gave up on him". I never stated that you, in particular, called him a "piece of s***" or a "worthless human being". What I DID state was that it was THOSE fans stated these things, (and there were MANY OF THEM) who were the ones "throw(ing) s*** against the wall", rather than those of us who KNEW BETTER, while YOU claim, in your previous post to Shoreline, that HIS belief in Osgood was "throwing s*** against the wall". The other comment? I never stated that you, in particular, ever posted that Osgood would be " SO BAD, that the Wings would be lucky not to be bounced out in the First Round". What I STATED is that you, and many others, were nasty, snide, condescending, and rude to anyone who didn't agree with those who DID believe that. So, not only are you DEAD WRONG, not only do you have NO CONCEPT of the capabilities of your own goaltender.... But your reading comprehension sucks, too. Pay attention next time.

With all due respect it was far from a guess, wishful thinking, or even, (as you so eloquently put it), "throw(ing) enough s*** against a wall" for those of us who KNEW, (yes....that's right....KNEW), that Osgood would step it up in the Post Season. He always does. He always has. It was fans who gave up on him, calling him a piece of s***, and a "worthless human being", who were throwing s*** against the wall, assuming that he wouldn't step it up.....AGAIN. Just as he PROMISED he would. Just as Holland SAID he would. Just as Babcock KNEW he would. Just as his Teammates BELIEVED he would. And yes..... You, and many others, were nasty, snide, condescending, and rude to anyone who didn't agree that it WOULD, 100%, be Osgood who would not only cost the Wings the Cup, but who would be SO BAD, that the Wings would be lucky not to be bounced out in the First Round. It wasn't about being "wrong". It was just plain not knowing what the Hell you were talking about, based on lack of knowledge of your OWN goaltender and his tendencies. Just as those of us who KNEW his tendencies claimed. That's okay, though..... Oz? He forgives ya. That's just the type of guy he is.....

Kind of ironic, don'tcha think? Two goals.....just two goals..... Doesn't seem too insurmountable a task for a 40 goal scorer making $7M+ per year. Especially one who claims to have COME HERE ONLY for a chance to Win the Cup. Two goals. Just two goals..... Hell.... Kris Freakin' Draper had ONE. The rookie Defenseman had ONE. How many did Drapes pot this Season? Big Rig? Two goals. Just two goals....

Firstly, Wings couldn't afford Giguere, even if they wanted him. (I'm thinking they DON'T). Secondly? Giguere hasn't been the same since the NHL instituted the new restrictions on goaltending equipment. You're off base on Stuart. He had some bad moments, (alright....some VERY BAD moments), last night. Overall, he was solid this Post Season with Lids injured and Lilja out completely. When it came down to crunch time, the Wings couldn't score. The HIGHEST SCORING TEAM IN THE NHL COULDN'T SCORE MORE THAN ONE GOAL PER GAME IN THE FINAL TWO GAMES OF THE STANLEY CUP FINALS. They FAILED to SHOW UP until it was too late. Period.

Bear in mind that IMMEDIATELY, (and I do mean immediately....as in....players had just come off the ice), after the 2006 1st Round ouster against the Oilers, Chris Osgood was the first Player to approach Manny Legace, pat him on the back, and tell him that he did a "great job". Oz just doesn't have anything bad or negative to say about anyone. And he CERTAINLY wouldn't say anything bad or negative about a guy he's "shed blood" with in battle. I've said it about Osgood's comments/opinions about OTHER Players before..... Osgood's opinions/comments about his Teammates are a reflection of the type of person HE is.