Outsider

I sure the hell hope he doesn't have a dog...

They miss Cheli. Old. Slow. Broken down. Smart. Savvy. Ultra competitive. They miss Cheli, for certain.

Or he could just sign him to a ridiculous contract, only to waive him next year! Oh.....wait....

As an Isles fan, I've had the same opinion regarding the "stardom" of Rick DiPietro from Draft Day, 2000. He's been shoved down Isles fans throats so forcefully, for so long, that sooner or later, his status as a great goalie was bound to be taken as truth by most. Now.....many are starting to see the light. And those who once supported him are now his most vicious critics, because of the disparity between the hype and the reality. If the NHL REALLY wants to make Sidney Crosby the "face" of the NHL, they'd better back off a bit. All the sensationalist s***e and hyperbole is making every fan OTHER than Pens fans HATE the guy. Not a good plan, but hey... It's Gary Bettman. Maybe that IS his plan...???

Wow. Ugly game tonight. The Wings seem to be managing to stay out of the box, but the lack of aggressive, physical play is costing them offense. Anyone STILL want to argue that it's the goaltending which is the problem?

The Wings played stoooopid tonight, that's why they lost. On to San Jose. ***Oh.....unjinx***

That is the gospel truth. As for Oz...? He hasn't been terrible, but he hasn't been good, either. I'm just about the biggest Osgood supporter out there, and I don't think he's playing up to his capabilities. The "weird" or "fluky" bounces/goals? I've seen those go in on Oz many times in the past, and it only happens with this kind of frequency when he's not on top of his game. It's almost like a Murphy's Law type of thing. Everything that can go in, DOES go in. He's fighting the puck right now.

There. Fixed. It wasn't that long ago that going to a Wings/Ducks game at the Pond was like being at JLA West. True Story: I took my best friend to his first ever hockey game at the Pond. Was a late March game, 2002. He asked if he could bring a guest, and as I had unlimited access to one of the Suites, I said HellYeah. We get there, and his guest, (nice girl....her first hockey game, too....), turned to me and said: "I thought the Ducks wore purple and green." I snickered and replied: "Uh....Jade and Grape, to be exact. But yes. Yes, they do." She queried: "Then why is EVERYONE wearing RED?" I just laughed and advised them that we'd better hurry if we wanted to catch warm-ups. As an aside, they were both slightly dismayed by the ear-shattering "Let's Go Red Wings!" chants shaking the roof off The Pond throughout the game.

LOL! I agree completely. Scary to think what happens when they start playing Teams which AREN'T bottom dwellers. They need to pull it together, quick.

Oz looks ineffective out there. He needs to pull it together.

Yes....Lids has looked bad. But he's still adjusting to the visor, folks. He's not a rook. He's been playing without one for a long, long time. Sudden distortion of the ice, and a broken line halfway through his field of vision, has got to be a huge adjustment for him. Oh....and Lebda's game has suffered because Cheli's injured. Say what you want about Cheli being "old" and "slow" but you can't deny that Cheli is also "smart" and "savvy". Lebs is missing that right now.

Wasn't so great watching it in real time. The kid got rocked. His own damned fault, of course, but still....

Wings fans agree with Ozzie's comments because he was bang on in his assessment. But the fact of the matter is, you can't walk up to a guy and say: "Dude, that is one fat, UGLY girl you married. What were you thinking?" even if it IS 100% true. Capice?

With all the calls going against the Wings this year, and at the worst possible times, you have to wonder if maybe Oz shoulda kept his trap shut after Game 6 of the Finals. Maybe Colin and Gary didn't like his comments about how the League tried to "hand" the Game to the Pens, but the Wings wouldn't allow it, and how the League was "sour" that they wouldn't get a Game 7.

Shinny. ShiNNy hockey. Jeez, folks....

And this is why harold is right. Politics shouldn't be mixed with sports. Here, on these boards, you have a group of folks facing tough times, TOUGH times! Perhaps moreso than anywhere else in the nation. They take solace in the fact that they are united as one force, a cheering, rabid, dedicated fan-base, which can escape the s***e that life is currently throwing at them, by coming together in support of the Detroit Red Wings. Now.... Throw politics into this perfect oasis of oneness and solidarity..... And watch the snipes and jabs at each other start to fly. Fark politics HERE.... GO WINGS, GO!!!

I've always been a fan of Big Valley, but it's taken a long, long, LONG time for him to crack an NHL line-up, even as a back-up.

**unjinx**

Roberto Luongo is a talented goaltender. Same as Rick. They both have alot of talent.

Well now..... You didn't ask me about my opinion on Luongo, now did you? I'd have to say that yes..... They are, indeed, very similar goaltenders. In some aspects, at least.

This is where you and I will have to agree to disagree. Rick has absolutely NO fundamentals on which to fall back. Rick's SELF TERMED "sizzling bacon" style of goaltending relies on reflexes and athleticism alone. It's why his game goes completely, and I DO mean completely, in the crapper when he's hampered by any injury or ailment which compromises his speed even the slightest bit. And before you go annointing him as one of the "top 15 in the league", you might wanna take a look at his record in high pressure situations. Not just a select few, either, but every high pressure "win or go home" situation he's ever faced. From college to present..... Rick is highly rated by alot of people who watch him play a few games a year, against their team. People who've heard for years how "spectacular" he is, playing on such a garbage Team. And because he's got Adam Graves' looks, with Patrick Roy's arrogance. Takes more than highlight reel saves to come CLOSE to a "top 15" in the NHL. And having a couple, (yes, a couple), of morons decide that they're gonna buck the trend and make HISTORY by being the first to draft a goaltender #1 overall is a weak indication of talent level. Milbury was the first to admit that he drafted Rick 1st overall on CHARISMA alone. He never once saw him play in a game prior to Draft Day, 2000. Also, bear in mind that Rick opted to enter the Draft a year early, due to the fact that 2000 was a WEAK draft year for goaltenders, whereas 2001 was, (at that time), thought to be stacked with loads of goalie talent.

Thank you! Finally, someone ELSE who gets it! Couldn't agree more. And now that he's got two surgically "maintained" hips, a surgically "maintained" knee, (not repaired....apparently HE doesn't consider them to be "injuries" that have required major surgery, but more along the lines of "routine maintenance", and states that "that's what the summer is for"......<heavy sigh>), and a growing number of concussions, one wonders if he'll last another 2 seasons with the "sizzling bacon", (HIS words, not mine), style of goaltending he plays, let alone the THIRTEEN years remaining on his current contract. <heavy, HEAVY sigh.....>

Check the stats again. In each of the two FULL, injury free, seasons that Osgood played for the Isles and Blues, his stats were nearly identical to the stats he posted while with the Wings. Oh, and as an Isles fan.... You've got DiPietro ranked high. Waaaaaay high. As do most others. Funny how that scrambly, out of position, desperate type of goaltending can make a 'tender look "exciting", and therefore more "spectacular" than he really is.

I suppose there's nothing wrong with it. Unless you're one of his teammates, that is. It kinda smacks of his days with the Islanders, and his sickening comments about what a "waste" it was for him to "kill (himself) making saves", when his Teammates weren't capable of winning, anyway. And yet.... He doesn't. On any Team he's ever played on. Ever. Sure, he posts pretty stats. Just can't seem to Win. Of course, that has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he's more interested in the Shut-Out than he is in the Win, and once the Shut-Out is broken, he grows less and less interested in the game. It's ONLY because he's never had a "good" Team in front of him. Right? Like that other poster, (a fellow Isles fan), on that other board said: "True colors..."

A perfect example, (though not the only one), is found in Luongo's comments after the final game of last season. I believe someone posted a link on another board. Someone else on that same board posted an opinion I agree with wholeheartedly when they stated that Luongo's "true colors" come out when things get tough. As an Isles fan, I can attest to that. It's that reason, and not the overwhelming skill of the guy who was drafted 1st overall to replace him, which resulted in his trade to Florida. Mike Milbury may be nuts, but if it weren't for the fact that he DETESTS weakness, (especially in goaltenders), that trade never happens. Ever. That wishy-washy, noodle for a spine, snivelly, pretty, pretty, Princess attitude has always put MM in a nearly homocidal rage. Anyway..... Can you imagine if anyone, ANYONE, on the Wings roster, in ANY year, ever made a comment like this? “I don’t really care,” Luongo said. “My season ended Thursday as far as I’m concerned. I tried to bring it but obviously I didn’t have anything in the tank.” Some kinda Leadership, alright.