NeverForgetMac25

So at 11:42 these were the lines: Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson Hudler-Filppula-Kopecky Draper-Helm-Maltby Now at 1:13, these are *supposedly* the lines: Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa Franzen-Zetterberg-Cleary Hudler-Filppula-Samuelsson Kopecky-Helm-Maltby (Draper some shifts) This doesn't add up with Cleary leaving earlier in the practice. ________________________ Draper's a no-go and given that Cleary can't go for Game 1 I'm gonna wager something along these lines (no pun intended): Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson Hudler-Filppula-Kopecky Leino-Helm-Maltby Personally, I'd rather see: Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa Franzen-Zetterberg-Hudler Samuelsson-Filppula-Kopecky Leino-Helm-Maltby If Cleary can go, this is what I'd like to see: Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Hossa Franzen-Zetterberg-Hudler Samuelsson-Filppula-Cleary Kopecky/Leino-Helm-Maltby

Enjoy:

I'd rather Kopecky sit than Maltby, but Kopecky has been stronger the second half of this season than he's shown prior (not that that's saying a ton).

But you're also assuming that he's gonna be the one with the puck on his stick the entire shift. Depending on who he'd be playing with there's a distinct possibility that the line would be geared toward shutting down the opposition rather than focusing on putting the puck in the net. That's where Babs likes to use Helm. This is no excuse for Helm to be sitting at the -7 he is, but a good chunk of that number was when the team as a whole was on a losing stretch. Of course Leino is going to be the more creative forward, but the Wings number 1 concern heading into the playoffs has to be with keeping the puck out of the net, and we can't assume Leino is going to dominate his opponents to the point where he's got the puck on his stick the majority of the time.

^ Classic "A Christmas Story" reference!

So he had 5 points and *only* finished +1. What does that tell you about his defensive play at this point? That was the point of my post. The Wings aren't struggling in the scoring department...the same can't be said about their defense.

This post I can get on board with. While I can understand you taking offense to the way thedisappearer came off in his post, I think his reply (and mine for that matter) was in regards to people claiming that Drake is *what* put the Wings over the top. I completely agree with you that Drake was a solid motivating factor for the Wings, but I also feel that the Wings would've won the Cup with or without Drake. That being said, I completely agree that Drake's presence made a great thing even better.

Just plalying devils advocate here, because next season I'd love to see Leino replace either of Maltby or Kopecky but what you conveniently left out was the defensive side of what these players can do. Leino (while improved) is still pretty raw on the defensive end and that's something that hasn't been the Wings' forte this season. The point is, its not as simple as just discussing the massive offensive upside Leino has over either Maltby or Kopecky. There's more to it than that.

Montreal. I think the Rangers will sneak one out.

Saying they wanted it for Dallas doesn't mean they didn't want it just as much for themselves. Keep in mind that you listed players that have all won Cups before. Zetterberg hadn't, and that was the example thedisappearer gave. I agree with him. Of course they wanted to win it for Dallas, but it wasn't Drake that *made* it happen.

Well...pack it in then. See you all next Fall.

I did this one with Jose Theodore last year, but since I'm having some trouble being creative I've decided to update it to make it current:

Very Impressive stuff. The simplist things always seem to be the best. Point and case: Last years' Cup-lifting commercial (as mentioned in the article).

Important: Please don't forget to make picks for both Conference Champions along with your Stanley Cup Champion.

That's probably because the schedule hasn't been loaded into DirecTV's database yet. The schedule wasn't released more than 12 hours ago and its takes time for them to load that into their system. Give it a day or two and I bet our receivers will be updated with each game listed accordingly.

Important: Please don't forget to make picks for both Conference Champions along with your Stanley Cup Champion.

As some have already posted, I've never run into an issue with having Center Ice cut before round 3 of the playoffs. They continue to show games that aren't on Versus so people subscribing to the CI do not miss any games. They do cut once round three begins because the league doesn't play games at the same time or day as the other series, hence they can show all the games at that point on Versus or NBC without missing any other action.

From 7th last year to 25th this year....thanks for posting that info Aussie. The really sad part is I ended up 2nd or 3rd two seasons ago. I'm really heading south.

For those of you that have already made your picks, please re-read the rules. I've made a couple changes to incorporate last years suggestions, and I wanted to give everyone that's already made their picks the chance to adjust them if they so choose. Most importantly, please pick who you feel will represent each conference in the Stanley Cup Finals and pick the Champion as well. You can use the same format/template to make the finals prediction (I.E. DET/NJD 4-2)

That's not a bad idea, and it keeps people from getting screwed by making a bold pick. How does everyone feel about 3 points being awarded in that situation? I'll drum up the old suggestion thread after last years' game. That had some good ideas that we talked about implementing.

Just for Round 1. I'll post a thread similar to this one at the conclusion of the first round, and then everyone will have the opportunity to make their picks for Round 2.

I'd like to thank all the little peope that allowed me to finish with the wonderful 25th Rank. Nice battle edi!

Friday Scores: NFM = 2/4 Edicius = 1/4 We're all tied up heading into the final two days!

Once again, a massive thanks to Aussie for the game. I know how much time something like this takes and its most appreciated. Friday: Nashville @ Minnesota Columbus @ St Louis Calgary @ Edmonton Dallas @ Anaheim Saturday: Carolina @ New Jersey Philadelphia @ NY Islanders Chicago @ Detroit Vancouver @ Colorado Boston @ Buffalo San Jose @ Los Angeles Ottawa @ Toronto Pittsburgh @ Montreal Tampa Bay @ Atlanta Washington @ Florida Minnesota @ Columbus Anaheim @ Phoenix Edmonton @ Calgary Sunday: Detroit @ Chicago St Louis @ Colorado Boston @ NY Islanders NY Rangers @ Philadelphia

IT'S NOT WORTH WINNING IF YOU CAN'T WIN BIIIGGGG!!!!!! Probably one of the best movie lines of all time. I'm also fond of "It's not worth playin' if you can't win." God Bless Coach Reilly!