Yzerman191

I don't think it's a stretch at all to expect at least 50 a year until he's 32 or 33. He could very well end his career in the top ten goal scorers of all time.

Great accomplishment by a great player. Any bets as to what he'll finish his career at?

First of all, you probably have been a Red Wings fan since before I was born. I was born in '89, and have been brought up on the 'Wings my whole life. Fortunately, I was born into a time that the Red Wings have enjoyed great success, and have put phenomenal teams on the ice for our enjoyment. I think my question was pretty straight forward. What is it that you can't understand about the Red Wings style? Babcock recently said he wouldn't necessarily call this his style of choice, and he likes fighting as much as the next guy, but he coaches in a manner that will allow the team to have the most success. With the 'Wings leading their division year after year, one cannot expect them to be able to draft young power forwards. Every team in the league looks for these types of players. Skilled enforcers are another hot commodity; there definitely aren't enough to go around. My point here is that the Red Wings do the best with what they have. The only chance they have at staying competitive seems to be by drafting players like Datsyuk and Zetterberg. When you keep drafting players that were born and raised on European hockey, it's no wonder our style is the way it is, and why it helps us flourish to play such a style. Over the last few years, our "boring" European hockey has helped us to be better than almost every team in the league. Next, I wouldn't watch a team that I think is boring or uninteresting. I don't see a thing wrong with that. Take the New Jersey Devils, for instance. Sure, they've experienced great success. And that's nice, but from a fan's point of view, it's not all about winning. It's fun to win, no doubt, but I'm not going to PERSEVERE through games to see the end result. Three hours a night, 2-4 times per week is a LOT of time to spend watching something you don't enjoy. If the Red Wings implemented the trap, and played 1-0 games or 2-0 games every night, I think I'd lose interest. It's not something I enjoy watching, and I'm not going to spend my valuable time doing something I don't enjoy. On the other hand, if they lost 6-4, or 7-5, it would make for an exciting game. Sure, they lost, but time enjoyed is not time wasted. Take the last game at the Shark tank, for example. That was one of the best games I've seen this season even though we lost. It was extremely exciting with playoff intensity. Even 1-0 games with stellar goaltending duels can be very exciting. And to be honest, I'd rather Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen (who is injury prone enough, thank you), Lidstrom, and our other talented players stay the hell away from flying fists. If we could get an enforcer that was solid enough defensively, and not necessarily talented offensively (like McCarty used to be), I'd be all for letting the guy stir it up sometimes as long as he kept other players away from our stars. But to say that star players like Datsyuk or Zetterberg, or even grittier star players like Ovechkin or Crosby, should fight is ridiculous. Let's say Ovechkin is on the receiving end of a dirty hit, and is pissed off and decides to go at it with (insert name here). If he gets his jaw broken and is out 6 weeks, he's out just in time for the first round of the playoffs. IMO, Ovechkin should tunnel any aggression into "beating them on the scoreboard." A player as skilled as any of the above mentioned players has no place in fighting (especially Franzen). And you say that the league's best players have demonstrated the will to fight, but you don't get why our players haven't. Don't you think Mike Babcock might have something to do with that?

Actually, I said the absolute worst you could say for the guy is that his play has been average. I still don't think he's been stellar, but definitely good. And that's all the Red Wings ask from their goalies.

I just don't get it. Why do you watch the Red Wings? They don't play a style of hockey that excites you, they don't regularly play anyone on the roster that you seem to actually like, and from what I've seen, none of our players can do right by you. What don't you get about the Red Wings style? We play a fast finesse game, much like European hockey. Maybe micah should start watching the Leafs, since Burke is notorious for the tough and gritty product of hockey he puts on the ice. Personally, if I no longer found the Red Wings' play to be fun or exciting, I wouldn't watch it anymore. I'd watch another team that I felt was worth my time. After all, our time on earth is limited; why waste it watching a three hour long hockey game that doesn't even interest you? I liked the Red Wings back when they had the old Shanahan, and it was a lot of fun to watch guys like McCarty fighting regularly. However, when our style began to change, I found I really liked watching Datsyuk deke the jock off elite goaltenders, or the magic that Zetterberg and Datsyuk can create on the ice together. I love watching the 40+ shots our team puts on the board every night, and the explosive, almost score-at-will offense Ken Holland has put together for us. If you don't like it, don't watch it. Anyways, I don't care much for Crosby but I think that's a great gesture. He definitely came out on top there. As long as he can stay away from the sissy incidents he's been involved with in the past (as well as the immature comments), and if the NHL decides to stop shoving him down our throats, I don't think I'd find it too hard to like the guy. He's got tremendous offensive potential, he's getting better on defense every year, and apparently he's got an unmatched work ethic for improving any aspect of his game that warrants it. If I'm Crosby's coach or GM, though, I'm probably not too happy with this gesture. He's too important to his team to sit in the box for five, or break a hand or jaw or something fighting.

He's earned it as of late. Had he not shown signs of improvement when he came back from his break, and had Conklin not had that rough patch, I think it'd probably be Conklin's to lose. I think Babcock's plan all along was for Osgood to start in the playoffs unless he kept up his disastrous play, and it's hard to argue with him. When you have both a proven and unproven commodity that is playing poorly, naturally you want to go with the proven one. However, Osgood's play has improved (aside from the two 8-X games for both goaltenders, which you can't really blame either for), and I think the worst you can justifiably say about his play since returning is that it has been average. No complaints here as long as we're playing the guy that's going to get us further in the playoffs.

I'm not sure how much more of that Kronwall-Stuart pair I can take. I would definitely like to see Babcock break that pair up and put Lidstrom and Kronwall together, and Rafalski and Stuart.

I've heard some talk about this, and I'd like to see a source. Do you have one? The Red Wings just plain didn't deserve this one. Conklin was terrible, the defense sat back, and the forwards were invisible in the third period. If the Flames didn't hand us powerplay after powerplay in the first period and a half I wonder how the game would've turned out.

I've always looked at GAA as being more of a team statistic. To me, all those numbers say is that the winner is always a good defensive team with a solid (but not necessarily great) goaltender in net.

In other news, CuJo is also on the cusp of becoming the goalie with the most losses of all time. Lorne Gump Worsley has 352, and Joseph has 350. And with Toskala having surgery, he's sure to get a few more starts.

Stuart's is until the end of the 2009-2010 season, after then he can be traded. Here's the link. http://www.nhlscap.com/no_trade.htm

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_dadd...ebutt,+innuendo Not sure how reliable the guy is, but Puck Daddy, from Yahoo!, claims that the 'Wings are looking at Roberts or Laperriere as a Drake-like addition before the long playoff run: Not sure how I'd feel about either. I can't really see how they'd fit in the roster. While it's true that Drake had a huge role last postseason, Helm and Leino both deserve a roster spot, IMO. Helm just provides too much energy to bench him, and Leino can score regardless of who he's paired with (as Babs said). Anyways, take it for what it's worth. I wasn't sure whether this belonged here or the rumor mill.

First off, let me start by saying that this thread is NOT about goaltending. If you don't think that the defense is the problem, and you'd rather blame the goaltenders, please just move along. As for the majority of us, we've all acknowledged at some point in the season (and what better time to talk about it?) that there is just something off with this team's defense. While I've noticed a decline in overall team defense from last season (which has improved a little once D and Z got back together, IMO), it seems the defensemen contribute to that decline just as much. Personally, I think Lilja (not counting tonight) and Lidstrom are the only 'Wings on the back end that have performed as expected. You might be able to argue that Lidstrom has declined a little from last season, but he's still been stellar. And even after a game like this, it's hard to argue that Lilja hasn't been worth his salary or roster spot. Rafalski has been great offensively, however, his defensive game has seen a few costly lapses over the season. Generally, I think he's had a decent season. My main concern is Stuart and Kronwall. Both have really underachieved thus far. Kronwall has refrained from delivering bone-crushing (or any whatsoever) hits, he's been streaky offensively, and oftentimes, he's been atrocious defensively. I think Stuart delivers fewer hits than we expected him to, doesn't contribute much offensively (although that was never one of his strengths), and has been making some pretty bad decisions with and without the puck for most of the season. These two are my beginning to scare me. Some nights you think they're finally turning the corner, and then the next you wonder why the hell they're making a combined total of 7M. Personally, I don't think we need to bring in another defenseman (not that we could, since half of our D has a NTC) I think Lidstrom should be paired with Kronwall. To me, when a team has two first lines, it makes sense to compose your defense pairings the same way. With Lidstrom and Rafalski being our best two guys, I think we should split them up and put one with Stuart and one with Kronwall. I'd like to see a Lidstrom-Kronwall pair, and a Rafalski-Stuart pair. We've seen the Nick-Nik pairing once this season, and that was when Kronwall went on a tear offensively. I think that pairing allows Kronwall to play to his strength, and jump into the play offensively knowing that the best defenseman in hockey is covering his back. The Rafalski-Stuart pair might excel because Raffy is an offensive defenseman and Stuart is a stay at home defenseman. Both pairings also see a little more variety added to each line (considerable offensive potential, solid defense, and a little physicality). So, what do you all think? What changes, if any, should the Red Wings make? Swap the pairings? Leave everything, and hope when push comes to shove they'll snap out of it?

I think New Jersey has really surprised a lot of people this year. During Brodeur's return tonight, they shutout Colorado 4-0. Does anybody consider New Jersey a top contender this year? They've fared pretty well against the best (lost to us, but won 2/3 against the Bruins, and their lone game against the Sharks) while having Clemmensen in net. They've got a lot of offensively-capable, but very defensively responsible forwards up front. While lacking the big names they've had on their blueline in the past, they've been pretty solid on the back end this season. And if Marty Brodeur is back to his usual shape (that man is gold in the playoffs), they're among the best in the league in net. I think they're legit contenders. They've got the experience that many players on the Bruins lack, and they're much more defensively responsible than the entire Washington Capitals. Aside from those three teams, I wouldn't call any other team from the Eastern Conference a contender. They've got about 2.5M in cap space (they could take a fairly large prorated salary on), and could really bolster their blueline next Wednesday. If the Ducks are out of the race, perhaps they'd consider trading Neidermayer back to the Devils for his last run at the Cup? What do you guys think? Who do you see coming out of the East?

Anyone else notice that Lilja didn't have another shift after that fight?

I'm not talking about tonight. I'm talking about the entire season to date. IMO, Lidstrom and Lilja are the only two that performed at or exceeding the level that was expected of them. Of course, this statement might not go over so well following a game where Lilja was one of the worst players. Also, I didn't bother including Meech. He won't be in for the playoffs unless we're plagued with a decent amount of injuries. I fully expect either Chelios or Lebda to be in over Meech, and if someone goes down, whoever is NOT playing out of those two will sub in.

I don't think it was bad as Witt's either. What I don't get is why the league doesn't make an example out of some of these jackasses. They put a memo in each locker room stating that they're cracking down on headshots. They suspend a guy here and there for a few games without pay. So what? The next time somebody decides to intentionally serve someone a nice big elbow to the head, throw his ass out for 30 games without pay. If they consistently hand out severe punishments, eventually this crap will stop.

Just curious as to who you all think is the most improved from last year's roster. I'd say Lilja or Datsyuk. Last year, Lilja was absolutely brutal. He was constantly turning over the puck, making bad decisions with it, leaving his man unattended, etc. It was just a terrible, terrible season for him. When Holland resigned him I was pretty angry, wondering why we were going to waste a roster spot, and valuable cap space, on this loser who has proven he cannot handle the role of being a third-pairing defenseman. However, this year, he's head and shoulders above where he was last year. He's blocking shots, he's taking his man out of the play, delivering timely hits, getting the puck up ice, etc. Datsyuk is another choice. While he was amazing last year, he's gotten even better (how is that even possible?) this year. He's been much more physical (I think that San Jose game may have been in his top three games he's ever played), even MORE offensively dominant, and he's doing both of those things without sacrificing any other element of his game. Absolutely incredible. So what do you all think? Who is your pick?

What's five times zero goals? Any mathematicians out there?

Agreed. It really rubs me the wrong way when somebody posts something like, "If Osgood had been in net that would've gone in for sure!" A lot of posters have taken criticism to the next level and have just started bashing him.

I don't really think it's turning on him. I think a lot of us are being critical of him because his play has warranted criticism this year. I definitely do not hate Osgood, and I'd like nothing more than to see him succeed. I think we're tired of this, "I feel great" quote because we've heard it so many times this season. I can remember three times (each being after a loss) where Osgood attributed the game to bad bounces, or penalties at the wrong time, or bad luck, and continued to state that he "felt great!" What people seem to forget is that the Red Wings are definitely still in the hunt for home ice advantage. And with the season series tied at 2-2 with the Sharks (each team winning both games at home, and losing both games away), home ice is definitely a factor. Zetterberg said so himself after the win on Wednesday that they're definitely not planning on coasting through the remainder of the season; they want that home ice advantage. I'm not sure we can afford to keep trying to get Osgood going. It's do or die over the next week or two for him. Conklin hasn't been amazing, but he's been good enough, and that's all this squad needs. Good luck tonight Osgood! I'm hoping for some solid saves behind a solid defense!

Yeah, I see your point. Practically every team in the league has a player that could be viewed as a Lady Byng candidate. However, since Datsyuk has won it three times in a row, I figure he's a pretty good fit for the kind of player they're looking for! I still think he's a better candidate than Marleau; they're similar defensively, Datsyuk has the edge in points, assists, and plus and minus, has a similar hit count, he's soft spoken, and he only has a few more PIM.

What makes Marleau a better choice than Datsyuk though? Datsyuk is on pace for the fourth most points in the league (top five in assists), top five in +/- (a useless stat anyways), among the league leaders in takeaways, among the team leaders in hits, and he's on pace for just 24 PIM. Also, he only missed one game, and that was due to a bogus suspension.

On second thought, that'd give a little substance as to why Detroit would have scouts at the Colorado game. However, that could also be where this rumor came from.

With 21 games left, Malkin has 87 points and Crosby has 79. Ovechkin has 23 games left and 75 points. Datsyuk has 22 games left, and 74 points. We all know that Datsyuk turns it up towards the end of the season, and I think he's got a pretty fair chance at it. I would absolutely love to see him win it; maybe then he'd get the recognition that he deserves. He's definitely got a much larger handicap than the other three do, as he gets almost three minutes of ice time less and he spends a lot of time on the PK and in his own zone. Also, Malkin and Crosby are essential the entire offense of the Penguins. So, what do you guys think? If you don't think so, who do you think will win it?