clutchngrab

My have our own Guerin and his name is Robert Lang.

Seriously, probably Hasek. He was rightly overshadowed by Kipper, but he made some very key saves at crucial times and only let in maybe 1 bad goal.

Lang for not costing us a single game with a turnover.

I really agree w/ the poor state of officiating. I undertand and agree with the concept of opening up the game since the strike, but the calls have never been as inconsistent and games determined so arbitrarily in the 30+ years I have been watching hockey. The Calgary Detroit series has been an absolute joke, but you can look at any game anywhere. The only positive thing I can say is that they let the boys play in game 6, when it would have been easy to make this an "officials" game after the shenanigans of game 5 - so maybe there is hope.

I really agree w/ the poor state of officiating. I undertand and agree with the concept of opening up the game since the strike, but the calls have never been as inconsistent and games determined so arbitrarily in the 30+ years I have been watching hockey. The Calgary Detroit series has been an absolute joke, but you can look at any game anywhere. The only positive thing I can say is that they let the boys play in game 6, when it would have been easy to make this an "officials" game after the shenanigans of game 5 - so maybe there is hope.

The cool thing is that Hank and Bert should only get better as they get more games. Cleary, Franzen and Flip have been great. Drapes has been good and Sammie had a very good game tonight. My only concern is D. What's the scoop with Lebda?

Playoff hockey is all about checking and disallowing time and space. As long as Lilja can count on agressive back-checking from forwards, he is fine and even good. His only real weakness is skating and that only burned him once in this series.

I finally have to say something good about the officiating. They could have over reacted after game 5, but instead let the boys decide it on the ice. Whodathunkit?

Hey Calgary, Kipper is the best and your team played with alot of passion. I was not one of the whining Detroit fans calling for suspensions. I think they reacted the way they did because they sensed that was their shot and they missed.

All I know is when Iginla calls me to be 4th for golf after tonight I'm gonna say no. Lord knows what he'll do with the 9-iron after he bogies.

I thought he was slumping a bit in the later half of the season, but there is no doubt he has upped his game for the playoffs. Hitting hard and skating fast. The goal is a bonus.

So if we actually get past the flamers, we get SJ assuming Van wins. Not an easy road to the cup for a number 1 seed now is it? Is Barry "I got the" Trotz gone? Interesting to watch.

I love the nostalgia threads. They have nothing to do with winning a cup 10 years later.

On the positive side we have dominated 5 on 5, though we don't have the goals to show for it. Overall we have outplayed the Flames on the ice. On the negative side: Our special teams are as bad or worse as they were during the year. I blame Babcock for that since he had ample time to work on it and make it a priority. Our 2nd line is not a cup winning 2nd line by any stretch of the imagination. Again, Babs needs to play productive players in key roles. That means relegating Sammie and Lang to the ice time commensurate with their play. In the other direction, how do you not play Flip 2nd line minutes? As a bench coach Babcock is a moron. Our best players have not been our best players. Nick and Hank have been disappointing in my opinion. Lastly, Hasek cannot match Kipper, Luongo or Nabbie in ability at this stage of his career. We will not win western conf. series on goaltending because all of them are as good or better than Hasek. After all that, I think we can still win this series as long as Babcock starts to manage this team properly.

I don't think anyone is blaming last night's loss on Lang, but the fact remains that he is the 2nd line center AND on the second pp unit. Show me one other team competing for the cup in the western conference where the 2nd line center is as unproductive.

The same reason people don't like Pronger or Chelios in his prime. Dirty, dominant, tough, effective and talented = hated

that's what i am afraid of. The amount of interference and obstruction that has crept back into the game is disappointing, while still calling ticky-tack hooking penalties. NHL officiating is a complete joke, but that's a diff thread.

This series will be determined by officiating. If the playoffs are called as they should be, then wings in 5. If the refs allow felonious assault on the ice, then flames in 7

I thought we were done with crappy forwards on the point when Williams got traded. Babcock's moronic personnel moves never cease to amaze.

Lang has always been a streaky player up until this year and now he is plain lazy and sucks. If I were Babcock, I would send him a message by cutting hic ice time instead of treating him like an under-perfoming prima donna. I've defended this guy too long. Bert deserves a better center.

It's almost comical how everyone says "poor Kronner is unlucky". Luck has nothing to do with it. There are reasons why some guys get hurt more than others and some guys don't seem to get hurt at all. For a defensemen, at the nhl level, if you do not learn to protect yourself you won't last long. Especially since forecheckers can attack unimpeded nowadays. Kronwall is a good player, but he hasn't learned to be a very smart player yet. Lebda is the same way. Hopefully, these younger guys can learn before it ends their careers.

Not to be negative Nelly, but is just as easy to take the opposite view, that the Stars, who the Wings have owned, have finally lost the mental jinx and now have the confidence they lacked.

The real issue is that I like this team as they are now constructed. I would love to see the same basic team come back next year minus Lang, Lilja, and possibly Sammuelson. But I see no way that they will be able to sign Calder, Bert, Dats, etc. w/ the 7.6 mil salary. Maybe that's OK and you sacrifice some of these guys, but I would hate to let any of the 3 I mentioned walk regardless of the playoff outcome.

Your detailed argument is excellent, though I don't think overpaying others is a good yardstick and I don't think any defenseman at 7.6 is a bargain if you are a GM and must be responsible for fielding a competitive team. Frankly, I think GM's are still adjusting to the cap idea and that is why you are seeing inflated salaries. Also, there are plenty of GMs out there willing to overpay for perceived marque players and surround them with youngsters and and a wish and a prayer mostly for attendance reasons. Look, if you consider cost vs. value then this conversation is moot. No one is going to argue, say, Yashin vs. Zets with regards to this. If you want to field a great team then how can you argue Lids vs. someone like Visshnesky or Pheneuf (sp) ? You can't. I've heard the same argument applied to Datsyuk and no one seems to blink, though I think Dats will prove this year to be in the elite post playoffs. There are few if any players worth 7 mil in the salary cap era. Nick, I would agree is close.

No, not quite - I am 498 years old. Seriously, I agree w/ your points about tough guys, but as far as teams go, the Flyers and the Bruins changed hockey as defined by "pretty boy Montreal and Guy Lefleur" into something else completely. Hockey wasn't the same until he Oilers rolled around again. Sorry, I'm 498 and babbling, but a least I got to Olympia once.