egroen

They have plenty - they got Schneider in order to hit the floor.

Do you think Konstantinov deserved to be ahead of Lidstrom in the '97 Norris voting? Lidstrom had a lot more points than him as well. Blake and Pronger were beating Lidstrom because they were destroying people on the ice and making a much more noticeable impact on games (goals, hits)... I dunno, I am trying not to be homer here, and I think Lidstrom's game really has improved a lot since the 90s. He was not "Mr. Perfect" then. I do agree it took a lot longer for Lidstrom's play to be really appreciated, but he was the runner-up for the Calder, so it is not like he was an unknown. Babcock saying he never really had an appreciation for Lidstrom until he actually saw him play on a day-to-day basis is pretty telling... I am just trying to look at it from all angles.

Yup... and that seems to be almost completely lost by a lot of GMs. Crosby could literally be seeing new wingers almost every single year the way they are setting up the team right now.

It will be an interesting year for the Pens -- no Whitney and Gonchar for a while will really hurt... but if they are making the playoffs without them, they will be able to afford a huge trade deadline deal like Hossa last year with all the cap space they will be saving. The Penguins forwards are probably better at the beginning of this season than they were at the beginning of last season.

Hmmm... so the entire first line is injured right now? Please let it all be minor, whic it thankfully appears to be.

Yeah, that's a strange one. Satan making Crosby into a goal scorer is out there as well.

I think Babcock and Holland actively campaigning for him helped him finally get into the top 5 in Hart voting. If Lidstrom has another year where he really dominates the other defensemen, and there is not a spectacular forward netting over 60 goals or over 120 points, Lidstrom just might get it. He finally is getting recognition. Lidstrom has always had Yzerman and Fedorov and now Datsyuk and Zetterberg. I do strongly feel he would have a Hart if he were playing on other teams, but it is hard to be the "most valuable" when you are consistently on such a good team. I wish the Pearson was not voted on by the players - some of their choices over the years have been head scratching to say the least. Most of them do not even see many players but once or twice a year and I do not think they are the best judge. It would be nice to see an award based on votes from coaches and GMs.... guys that are actively watching and studying tapes of the entire league.

There are a lot of defensemen the Wings never would have had if Konstantinov was still around. It seemed every year they tried to replace him, and really fell short. I do not think we are romantisizing Fischer... he just screamed potential, was already very good and was getting better every single year he played. It would not have been that unusual for him to not hit his potential at the age of 30.

Agreed. These lines are crazy... they have three scoring lines and 4 checking lines. Unbelievable. It's like Babcock could look like a coaching genius by never even bothering to match lines.

I really want the Wings to beat a Canadian team (preferably Montreal)....

I agree... but honestly, it is a lot of fun to ***** and moan when someone denigrates the team you are a fan of (especially if you have others of like-minds to do so with). I appreciate being able to pigeon-hole media "villains" whenever they disagree with me. Let's face it, a lot of us are not able to play hockey any more... at least at a real competitive level, so it's nice to have an outlet for some healthy hostility. Though I am saving most of mine for Blackhawk fans this year!

I really hope he and Hudler have a lot of chemistry this year.

Well it certainly will not be Toronto he ends up at I can't watch it now... is he really doing play-by-play and not color commentating? He's a bit dry, but I have always liked him - I just think Daniels and Redmond are so good, it is hard to look good when you are used to them.

Agreed. Fischer was the real deal... and probably could step on the ice and be better than Ericsson right now (I hear he was schooling the prospects, at camp). Big defensemen like that are often late bloomers, but Fischer obviously was ahead of Ericsson in development, though they do have similar builds and games. The thought of Kronwall and him on the second pairing....

Bobby Orr had probably the greatest haul ever: Norris, Hart, Art Ross and Conn Smythe in 1970 (before the Pearson)

Correct to a point... but there is a reason teams have checking lines that often do not produce offensively -- it is awfully hard to check, especially against the league's premier talent, *AND* produce offensively. You just do not see what Yzerman, Fedorov, Datsyuk and Zetterberg have been able to do very often. It does take a lot out of your game... obviously if you are playing on the PK, but also if you are relentlessly forechecking and backchecking during regular strength. It is utterly exhausting. Crosby is not a "cherry-picker", he'll forecheck but he will often let up when backchecking. He rarely plays on the PK, except during the last few seconds and for the most part lets his defenseman get the puck to him... which is obviously a traditional role of a forward. So while not a total cherry-picker like Bure was, most of his energy and effort when the other team has the puck in the Penguins zone is still where best to find the open space and to get in the best position to make something happen once his team gets it back. Others, like Brett Hull would rarely go into the corners or along the boards to get the puck... instead, his energy was finding the open space to be in a scoring position. There is no way Hull would have produced the way he did if he played like Yzerman did later in his career.

Babcock will have a fit when Ericsson makes the team. Will he still keep a right-shooting forward on the point when he has a 100 mph shooting defenseman, whom unfortunately also has a left shot?

I know I am going to sound condescending, but how old are you... or better put, how much of Yzerman's career have you been able to watch? It was pretty apparent how his game changed and has been well documented over the years. I mean, really apparent. Bowman almost had Yzerman traded because they were butting heads over this very issue. I highly doubt when Bowman and Yzerman talk about this later they are lieing or making excuses for what you seem to attribute to a degradation of his play. Yzerman first missed 16 games in '88 because of a knee injury. He scored over 150 pts the very next season with 3rd liners. Three seasons he was above 125 pts, 6 seasons in a row over 100. Bowman comes to town and he never scores 100 pts again. Do you really think a player like Bure would have been as offensively productive if Bowman was coaching him and riding his ass all day to play defense? You really do not think that might play a large factor? Really? You do not think Datsyuk and Zetterberg sacrifice offense in order to be Selke finalists? You think Detroit is typical for the style of play the organization demands of its forwards?

He just needs a bad comb-over and a cigarette to complete that picture.

His conviction Anaheim will take it leaves me scratching my head though.

Bettman may have effectively put out some fires during his tenure, but they were fires largely of his own making. I will never be able to forgive two work stoppages.

Clement is doing his best to get back on ESPN.

Put Avery and Cherry in a room and have them go at it in a pie fight. Clown fights rule.

It's hard to do with the this Wings team because they tend to hold onto their players. Shanahan is the best example there because he came over while in the middle of his prime, and his points defenitely went down... while still being a first liner. Yzerman is another great example because he really did play for two different Wings teams. When Bowman came and demanded he focus a lot more on defense, his point decline was huge. If Zetterberg and Datsyuk were playing on numerous other NHL teams they would not be playing on the penalty kill for almost 3 minutes a game, they would not be checking other teams first lines and they would probably be getting more ice time to concentrate on just being offensive. I do not think I am way out of line with my assumptions here.

Heh... if you want to do it throughout their entire careers, try Hull and Robitaille I think Lang and Shanahan's few years preceding their stay in Detroit are more relevent than their entire NHL career.