Bender

It's not just about geography & revenue, the success of the RedWings franchise over the last ten years makes it one of the few nationally recongized pro hockey teams in the US (sadly). They are the stuff that marketing plans are made of and that is where the real value of having them frequently play out west lies. If the Wings spent most of their time in the east, the league would pretty much risk losing the relevance of the western conference as a whole until the cup finals. Not even Bettman is that stupid. Not to mention the obvious fact that all of the strongest US hockey markets are in the eastern part of the continent already. There just isn't any need for Detroit to be included in that group when they can generate more interest out west. Case in point, we see time & time again the Wings helping to draw crowds out west simply by virtue of their very presence on the ice. I would rather see Toronto in our division again somehow, even if it meant re-thining the whole eastern/western conference by geography concept. By the same token, imagine if eastern teams like Toronto, Montreal, Boston, NJ & Carolina played more games out west as well. It would accomplish the same thing as Detroit playing on the west coast and allow the Wings to mix it up with more of the eastern teams. It would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath.

IMHO, dark colors at home are traditional but I have personally always liked the Wings in whites better at home for some reason. Eh, I think we are fortunate that the Wings jerseys look great either way though - so it really doesn't make any difference to me. Of course, I also think that the league just needs to make a frackin' decision and actually stick with it for once. edit: As far as I know, anytime a visiting team wears 3rd jerseys, the home team is supposed to where white so the home fans get to see a different look too.

For the 1000th time, the Wings aren't going east; this franchise is the lynchpin of the entire western conference. Regardless of what happens with the Penguins (and I would be very surprised if the actually move) the west needs the Wings where they are & the league just needs to schedule a few more Montreal / Toronto / Detroit games for good measure.

How can you hate somebody as a teammate that you have never played with? I can understand if you don't care for his game, but that's only part of what being an effective teammate is all about. Sammy is a solid depth guy, and has had a habit of scoring when our top lines are not producing much. The Wings could do alot worse, IMHO.

What a clown. We can't get rid of this guy fast enough....

edit: Ya' just beat me to it

I don't get the box score either - wouldn't the actual PP in this case be a result of a high stick (+ blood call) or was it for unsportsman-like conduct ? Unless I missed something, they were still on the PP even after the GWG went in...

I don't disagree with you about the controversy & entertainment angle...Relatively speaking, I just meant that this sort of thing is exactly why the NHL has a harder time breaking into new markets on the commercial level - ironically, the very activity (dirty plays & the drama in their aftermath) that may attract new audiences and generate higher ratings are the same things that sometimes give the league a poor image in the eyes of potential business partners and television/marketing executives. Thus, making it more difficult to get a decent TV contract for the rights to the games and ultimately causing more harm than good...IMHO, anyway.

At least the news today isn't all bad

Dammit, this is just the kind of bad publicity the league doesn't need & the type of crap that crosses the line between just playing a tough game and losing control of your common sense. This is exactly the problem with the NHL nowadays - the whole sequence should just have been settled it with a good ol' time hockey fight, but instead results in a situation with much more aggrevated consequences for the parties involved and even the rest of the league in general. As a fan, I would basically just call it an unnecessary cheap shot that deserves a suspension for at least the rest of this season/playoffs. As a hockey parent, I hate having to explain to my kids why they shouldn't take shots like that on other players - while at the same time worrying that other players might do that to them. Like it or not, these pro athletes have a responsibilty as role models for the next generation of players and should be dealt with accordingly when incidents like this occur. It is unfortunate when a player excercises such poor judgement and takes an extreme action in the heat of the moment, but they must be held accountable in spite of themselves - especially in the case of a repeat offender.

Yeah, being married to another wingnut is definitley the way to go. Although we are on the wait list, there is probably no way we'll have the money for season tix anytime soon - still, the few games we have been lucky enough to attend were well worth the expense.

Of all the possibilities, I really didn't think this one would happen. Way to build a helluva second line though if they work well together with Lang....

Hudler on the top line? Maybe. Or maybe Filppula instead. Also, I don't think Smolinski will be there tonight

Is that the one about the college goalie who mooned the refs? I just heard it on Paul Harvey of all places...

That would be OK if the Wings end up with somebody tougher going into the playoffs.

I know it's a long shot, but I figure somebody here may have a vintage Curtis Joseph jersey from his time in Edmonton with the Oilers that they would be willing to part with. I don't care if it's authentic or replica, home or away as long as it's an actual sewn jersey with Cujo's name & #31 on it. Preferably adult Large or X-Large in wearable condition. This is intended as a gift for a collector I know, and I'm havng a heck of a time finding one so if anybody could point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it. I'm willing to pay a fair price for anything that fits this description between now & Xmas.

Anybody ?