Bender

Even though there really isn't a bad view anywhere in the rink, TSA is a nasty place no doubt about it. AFAIK, that remark about the zamboni is true - and that just serves to further illustrate the fact that the riverdome has outlived it's usefullness. While I'm thinking about it, and in my experience, the cost of attending a Storm game is roughly 5 times less expensive than going to the Joe for a Wings game (figure about $100 per person total for a night at the Joe compared to $20 in Toledo). Especially when you consider that the few times that I have been able to round up enough tickets for everybody (at face value anyway) to go to Detroit we end up in the top of the upper bowl and spend half the game in some line or another. Not to take anything away from the experience, but for my money I would rather have a minor league team to go and see in a new local facility and just buy the center ice package for NHL games. I wouldn't mind paying a little more for tickets to see the Storm if it meant that we get the new building. Hell, I might even buy season tickets.

While it is true that Toledo isn't exactly crazy about the Storm, they aren't really that wild about the Hens either. After all, it's only a small farm team market and most people just don't get exited about these teams in the first place comapred to their upper level affiliate teams. That being said, you have to keep these things in perspective. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Toledo is the next hockeytown by any stretch of the imagination - but in my experience there are plenty of good hockey fans there and hockey in general only seems to be gaining in popularity throughout the area, which I am judging by virtue of activity at the local rinks & people that I have dealt with in the area that are very dedicated to the sport. As far as the future of the Storm, or any pro hockey in Toledo, a new building *should* go a long way towards establishing a more impressive market base. Time will tell, but at this point I have to believe that there is still hope.

First of all, this past weekend the Storm played some strong games against their division rivals and got 4 points out of it while only giving up one - there is a chance that they may still make the playoffs, if they can just keep it going a while longer. I support the Storm as a team, but the TSA is an awful place to watch a hockey game. IIRC, the size of the ice surface isn't even up to current regualtions. Ideally, I would prefer it if they just got a new arena and continued to be a Red Wings affiliate, for obvious reasons. Still, if we must get a new (AHL) team in order to get the arena done I'm OK with that. The point about the Hens rings true in this situation. In my experience, support of hockey in Toledo is only growing more popular all the time - especially what with St. John's winning the state HS championship earlier this month and some recent additions/updates of local rinks in the last several years. Not to mention a good deal of coverage on local hockey from BCSN. With any luck, hockey will continue to grow and Toledo will continue to host a competitive pro franchise for years to come (in some form or another). For what it's worth, you should've seen the turnout for the cup after the Wings won it in '02 - one of the Red Wings staffers is from Toledo, and brought the Stanley Cup to the TSA for anybody who was interested to see it - the place was packed for the entire day with a line wrapped around the outside of the building just for a chance to see the cup in person. Alot of the folks there were hockey faithful to begin with, but the casual observers were impressed by the fanatical dedication of hockey fans in the glass city. Just one more reason for me to suport the Red Wings organization season after season....

I have a bunch a hockey jerseys, but only one with an actual player's name on it: Yzerman

That's...not right....

That's excellent news of course, but I'd rather let him sit for as long as possible before the playoffs. Better safe than sorry - I have no doubt that he will get back into shape during the first round anyway, so there's no reason to rush this, IMHO.

Good Link. Oh, and that signature is sweet....

If I understand this correctly, it's entirely possible that all the available numbers would be taken by CSers before noon tomorrow before anybody else has a chance to enter - which I understand is a benefit of being a CSer in the first place. So my question is, can I register a donation as a CSer & enter the contest all at the same time?

Wings get the W in a 3-2 contest.

Well said.

What happened top the edit function? Anyway, the book I mentioned earlier is simply entitled "The Captain" - apparently commissioned by the Free Press soon after Stevie announced his retirement. It's basically a biography of Yzerman's entire pro career with many quotes and commentary included from noteworthy members of the hockey community. For what it's worth, the Don Cherry quote (pg. 124) is actually: "There has never been a more respected hockey player to ever play in the National Hockey League than Stevie. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If someone came down from Mars and wanted to know what a hockey player was, I would show him the perfect hockey player: Stevie Wonder Yzerman." I'm not trying to beat this to death - I just wanted to make sure I got my facts straight.

FYI: Cherry is quoted in a book regarding Yzerman's career (which I don't have in front of me right now), saying something to the effect of: "If aliens who didn't know anything about hockey came down from Mars and asked to see the perfect hockey player, I would show them Steve Yzerman". I'll have to dig that out when I get home tonight to verify this, and I'm not saying that Don Cherry was implying that Yzerman was the best player ever, just that he did make comments regarding his opinion of Stevie on the record which serve to illustrate the overall concensus. [homer alert] In the context of pure offensive prowess & with all things considered, Yzerman is top 10 material without a doubt. Beyond that, his total contribution to both the Detroit Red Wings & the sport of hockey is matched only by some very slect company throughtout the history of the sport. The rest of the intangible, immeasureable qualities that defined his career and his character leave absolutely no doubt in my mind as to just who is the best player ever. [/homer alert]

Rangers over Buffalo in 7 Detroit over Anaheim in 6 SCF: Can't go wrong either way with an original 6 final - Detroit in 6

Sammy going to the net & Hasek staying IN the net are on the top of my list, but since those are taken I'll go with Jiri Fischer back on the ice (with a bionic heart).

Too bad D-Mac is out tonight. The Wings will probably pick up 1 point to break into triple digits & then give the other point away in overtime.

I don't know how to determine if a partiular city deserves an NHL franchise, but Green Bay & Anchorage sound good in the US. Really though, there probably should be more Canadian teams.

In case anybody is interested, the Red Wing alumni will be playing a charity game on Saturday March 31st @ 4pm in Monroe, Michigan at the Monroe Multi-Sports Complex on N. Dixie Hwy (734) 242-1300. Tickets are only $10 each and both Igor & Mickey are scheduled to play as well as several other Wings alumni. Sorry if this is old news, but I thought that there may be a few other board members in the area who might like to see this. The rinks there only hold several hundred people at best, so this is a good chance to see an alumni game up close.

The Toledo Ice House generally has a better ice suface, but it definitely is a dedicated hockey facility - not that there is anything wrong with that. Tam o' Shanter in Sylvania (just east of Toledo) also has better ice and offers several public programs & ice time for anyone from casual or competitive skaters. Then there is the Taylor sportsplex, which I have never been to myself but I have heard that it is similar to Tam-o.

Funny you should mention that about the ice - it definitely isn't the greatest by any stretch of the imagination - but they do run alot of different programs out of that facility that keeps us going back there.

qft

Exactly. Success breeds competition & healthy competition breeds success.

LOL. That'd be sweet if you could photoshop in a helmet and replace the sword with a stick...

Why are the refs against us? Who knows? Maybe Lilja slept with all their sisters

"Hockeytown Strikes Back" - corny play on Star Wars & good motivational theme considering the results of the last few years.

Kronwall - eh, I'm not really impressed (yet) and I do think that he is being overpaid right now. However, that's not to say he won't be earning it after he gains some more experience. The investment may pay off in the long run, but for now he still has a lot to prove. As for knowing about player salaries in general, I don't see what the big deal is. It's fun to play GM and criticize players performance based on their pay scale somtimes, but it's not my money and I am aware of the fact that I do not know the whole story so I say that as long as the teams are willing to pay for "potential" then good for the players who can get paid while the getting is good. OTOH, when pro athletes get lazy and start to suck after they are awarded a big contract, there could be some accountability (in the form of performance based incentives or penalties) when they don't play up to their potential.