WhiteLightning91

That can't be right. They have done a nice job of always packing that arena when detroit would come to town. I find it hard to believe they never got more than 14.5k there for one of those games, especially playoffs.

I would hit up the red wings official Twitter account. They can probably help ya out the best.

+10 points for originality

Disagree OP. Not suspension worthy. Simple circumstance of a bodycheck gone wrong. No fault involved. Ballard went awkwardly into the boards and then hit his head on the ice due to turning at the last second. If Martin had malicious intent when hitting Ballard, he would have delivered the hit in a more chaotic, out of control manner.

I would much rather none of the Wings go. Rather, they should enjoy a relaxing vacation or rest an injury. Taking part in the NHL sponsors weekend long circle jerk that is the All Star game seems counter productive. Can we cast negative votes for the Wings somehow?

My thought is that it's just one of those inevitable rough patches that even the best players experience throughout the duration of an 82-game season. Even Crosby is a bit snake-bitten right now, scoring just twice in his last 18 games. The fact that Z is ading the forwards in points, ice team, shots, and is only behind Pavel in FO% makes me think his recent struggles are not due to injury or diminshing skills, but more a result of the bounces not going his way. The only concern I have regarding Z is that him, Nyquist, Franzen are the only 3 forwards without a positive +/-. Not too sure what to make of that.

WIIM is the only consistent (monthly) Red Wings related podcast I have discovered. But there are a few great overall hockey podcasts that are great for following the sport as a whole. My favorites are The Puck Podcast (weekly), Marek vs. Wyshynski (generally Mon-Fri), Hockey Central @ Noon (Mon-Fri), and The Illegal Curve Hockey Show (weekly). Any other hockey podcasts beyond those 4 is pretty hit and miss when it comes to consistently delivering new episodes and/or can tend to ramble on about topics irrelevent to hockey. Some may disagree but that is what I have found. Anyone know of some other hockey podcasts?

"We had good leadership, obviously in our room, we had good leadership on the bench, the vocalness of Dan Cleary and a few unique guys," Babcock said. "Then we just dug in and found a way to get it done." Just to play devil's advocate against the anti-Babcock/Holland crowd.

Good to know the GMs are tackling hard issues like dry scrape instead of trivial affairs such as assisting the referees with video replay review.

Someone clue me in on the Disney.com references I see periodically on this site...

I disagree with your statement of a lot of pressure being put on both these kids.The front office will have no problem with mantha not being able to crack the big leagues this season. I will say there is more pressure on Jurco becuz he is older and more seasoned but at the same time, it's not like this is his put up or shut up season. He will get another season or two before that pressure is placed upon him.

gotta say boys, Glendening is making a hell of a case to be considered one of those great role players who wear a letter based on heart and experience. He already has the heart. Once Kronwall Datsyuk and Zetterberg retire, he'll have te experience. I'll throw him and Smith in the mix.

Marquette

Let the game play out, eh boys? This team is playing better than anyone could have expected. How about enjoy it? I'll personally volunteer to fire up the grill one last time this year for those posters around the Upper Peninsula wishing to feast on crow over the course of the first 7 games.

You guys are embarrassing. Quit whining about the zebra's. It's just the lowest form of complaining in sports. The rule is the rule. Abby F'ed up and made contact with the goalie. Yes, Price leaned in for the call, but distinguishing that in real time is nearly impossible for a ref. The no-goal is a moot point if this team could figure out the power play. If the Wings score even 1 tonight, they win. As for crying about the defense, nope. They've given up fewer goals than all but 2 teams in the league. If you wanna complain about the offense from the back-end, that's a different story. It needs to be better. But defensive zone coverage has been fine. Lapses will happen to every team, every game. Overall, our back end has been more than adequate to win every game. Isn't that all you can ask for? If you want to stand on your soapbox and blow a gasket over the lack of goal scoring, fine. Completely justified, and I will share your frustration. If you want to gripe about the bantam-level power play that has been on display, go ahead. Again, you are warranted. But the grumbling in regards to two or three Dmen every game is just a waste of finger strength and bandwidth. The defensive coverage and all members of the defense have been fine.

I don't see how the two are related...? I read over the summer that the Griffins had the 2nd highest average attendance last season. I think you're off by a few thousand.

Ecstasy of Gold is a good tune, no lie. But nothing comes close to this beauty as the greatest song ever used in conjunction with hockey... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bwZbWZhAaM Of course Burkie had to ruin all the fun cuz he's a crusty and pompous elitist who felt the song made the team seem amateur.

If Kronwall gets injured, and Ericsson s***s the bed, then you deal with the problem then. Until then, Cleary, Quincey, and Kindl take up enough bandwidth on this forum. I think we can save the whining regarding the "what if Kronwall gets injured and Ericsson sucks without him" dilemma for when we cross that bridge.

I never understand this argument. Player X only looks good becuz he's playing with Player Y. Well, what's the problem then? Ericsson will play with Kronwall during the season. It's like being upset that your tennis shoe doesn't feel comfortable when worn with a dress shoe on the other foot. If you're only going to wear it with the other tennis shoe, does it really matter???

My only comment on this topic: If a trade did come, it's not gonna be Callahan and/or Ferraro. Every GM with even a shred of logic would realize those two guys are going be available for free once they are placed on the waiver wire come the end of preseason. Yes, priority is first given to the worse teams for selecting players off waivers but I do not see much of a race amongst GMs to sign one of those two, especially this early in the season when every team is against the cap or their own budget and set with their roster.

In no order, Puck Podcast Marek vs wyshynski Hockey central at noon The Adam carolla show The illegal curve hockey show Those are the only ones I listen to. The others I've listened to just don't have the same consistency of content for me to recommend them. If anyone can offer other podcasts, please do.

Have a journalist hit up the player's parents for info? What do you think this is, Toronto? (Joke that I can't believe nobody has made yet) On a serious note, is the OP sincere in thinking a certain amount of comments will push Ansar to dig for the parents contact info just for their height and weight?? Good for Hicketts, but I just do not see him making anything more than an injury recall appearance since the Wings have chosen a defenseman under 6 feet only 8 times out of 46 D men chosen in the draft since 1998, with the latest being Ben Marshall back in 2010. They clearly have a desire for size on the back end.

I'm pretty sure the criteria for this article was essentially a ratio between winning and the cost of attending a game. Therefore, the maple leafs are in the basement.

Someone needs to explain to me why some posters believe this helps Jurco's chances...? It wasn't like Mantha was the reason Jurco will start the season in GR.

John BucciGRASS? I like how he used the term "shout outs" as well