egroen

I am freaking out here.

Creeping doom is settling in - not liking this.

Draper an Kindl.

Always stresses me out when the Wings outplay an opponent that badly but can not manage a goal from it.

0 shots on the PP - sweet!

Wings actually playing well defensively but completely impotent offensively.

Good things happen when Detroit employs 2 forecheckers.

For how close these games have been it has really been a boring series. Constant man advantages and delays in the face-off circles killed a lot of momentum for both teams.

Wings in desperate need of Viagra.

Hudler's a wild man!!

Forgot about 08. Oh, and thanks for the clarification on award voting - I'm new to hockey and had no idea.

More so than any other award, playoffs should factor into the Jack Adams. When asked who the best coaches in the NHL are, Babcock is going to be right up at the top of everyone's list, but it is the playoffs where he really differentiates himself (and all good coaches). The fact the greatest coach of all-time only has 2 Adams, and the best in the league currently has never even been nominated just means it is really a bull s*** award and about as meaningful or relevant as the Messier award. The Adams should be voted on at the same time as the Conn Smythe, and regular season and playoffs should factor in.

Though it is funny how you used the Wings' 4 recent Cup wins to highlight why the Wings do not have what it takes to go all the way, ironically versus 3 teams that have never won a Cup.

Take blind runs at Datsyuk. Don't bother to clear the crease, Detroit is inept there. Rotating goalies twice every period confounds the Wings. Play your enforcers. All of them. Don't waste your time chasing rebounds. Shots from the red line are key. Slow and steady vs. Detroit. Taunt Bertuzzi. Focus top defensive pairings on Helm. Find a way to get C. Lemieux back. Murray needs to be on the ice every second with Datsyuk. Thornton needs his fast food. Remember, Detroit is old - that means they suck. Exploit Lidstrom. Play keep away in the neutral zone. Work on endurance: Run the bleachers before and after every game. Steroids. Neimi just won a Cup: Count on him to steal most games. Stare down Babcock. Study hours of tape, and finally figure out just what Holmstrom is saying. Tony Little motivational tapes coupled with sleep deprivation. Publicly insult and mock Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman and the Ilitches. Relax, you beat them in 5 last year. And finally: Touch the Octopus! .

Suck on my knuckles, *****! This thread is way too civil for my taste.

I think it's definitely tongue-in-cheek, and rather hilarious.

The Canucks do have the best goalie, the best defensive forward, the two best offensive forwards and the next Lidstrom on their team this season. Or at least I have heard and read throughout the course of the year, in addition to them having the best post-lockout team, by far. Yeah, that does get annoying.

Most hated Canadian franchises to least hated: 1) Toronto 2) Montreal 3) Vancouver 4) Ottawa Things in the hockey world can get pretty annoying when the Canucks and Senators are looking good, but Lord help us when the Canadiens or Maple Leafs have even a remote chance. Thankfully the world wide web did not exist back when they last won a Cup.

It looks like a lot of the big-name national media types are voting Weber, but a lot of the regional team writers are voting Lidstrom.

I think the Wings make short work of the Hawks and that would be by far the easiest route. I think Nashville and San Jose are more realistic options, and that is more of a pick your poison. Wings have struggled against both teams, but I would ultimately pick San Jose largely because I think Neimi is not near the goaltender Rinne is, and the Sharks are stumbling against a Kings team they should have beaten up on by now and moved on.

I tend to believe the PK was weaker than possible because Babcock was resting Lidstrom and those games were mostly in hand - but the Wings have had playoff PK difficulties since 09, and they have suffered almost 1 PPG per game since then. It's a definite problem, and could really hurt them against a defensive team. That's it though - this team looks better than most, I will say.

MVP Runner-up would be more interesting.

Mursak is the replacement for Modano. Draper wants back for another year, and I'm not sure with the way he has played this year, that you can say no to him. This would mean Emmerton would be lost on waivers. I think Emmerton is better than Ritola, but Losing him would not be the end of the world. Lidstrom has given more hints be is playing next year than he normally does, so I think he is staying. So the defense either stands pat, or they let Salei go for Smith. I think Holland is going to be in a position to make a trade or two, unless he wants to sit on several million dollars worth of cap space.

It is ridiculous Lidstrom has never won it, as he is the ideal the award represents.

I will say it feels good to roast the Coyotes like this while resting Lidstrom a lot and having no Zetterberg. I sometimes forget they are without their leading playoff forward in these games. Tough to find much to ***** about. PK is my only concern right now.