joshy207

but whatever, this is about trades. i think we should trade dan cleary for any black european available by march 2. So... Johnny Oduya?

Honest mistake, nothing should come of it. Hey, even the guy who does promos on Fox Sports Detroit mixes up his Rs and Ws. It sounds like he calls the Red Wings Weekly show "Wed Wings Weekwy" and the network "Fox Sports Detwoit".

The Olympia Room doesn't help either... every warm body in there during the game represents a cold, empty seat.

I used to go to the Post Bar downtown on New Year's. It would always fill up right after the game. Always had a good time there... and it's within walking distance of the Joe.

Kids (and adults) need to know that proper English goes a long way. That means spelling, grammar, and punctuation. if u type like this no 1 gon take u serious cuz its hard to read n most ppl cant figur out wat u tryin 2 say n even if they can its gon take them 4ever 2 make cents of it. However, if you type like this, most everyone can understand what it is that you are trying to say. We have a lot of people on this site whose first language is not English, and I'm sure they can't understand our teenage slang and text-type. It's hard to be taken seriously if you type like that. All that said, to the original poster, cool story!

I LOVE After Hours. Their interviews are great... in-depth, personal, a little playful, and not the typical fluff or scripted Q&A you'd see elsewhere. I think if the NHL was able to expose more fans to a regular show like this, they'd have success in marketing players on a more personal level, not just by hype and highlights. Hockey players are a different breed of athlete, and the NHL should take full advantage of that fact.

I don't mind the duckfoot D as the primary logo, it's less busy than the "Ducks" one. But the striping sucks! I'm sick of the Reebok template jerseys, they're horrible looking. If it wasn't worn in the 80s or before, it's usually crap. I'm glad to see so many teams going back to, or at least adding a third resembling, their old-school unis.

Edmonton had 5 black players in 2000-01; Anson Carter, Mike Grier, Georges Laraque, Sean Brown, and Joaquin Gage.

Maybe FSD should put those ads on the glass all the way down the length of the rink, to hide all the empty lower bowl seats!

So Maltby gets waived, clears, and now he might retire? Didn't he know that being assigned to GR was the most likely scenario?? Either he REALLY didn't believe he'd be sent down, or the Wings' management led him to believe he'd make the big club. Otherwise, why would he have re-signed in the first place?

I thought his time should have been up 3 years ago...

I used to work for Itech, each goalie would get 2 masks per season, usually with different paint jobs. Some goalies (like Belfour, Joseph, etc) keep the same design and adapt the colors when they change teams. I think at one point, Belfour was wearing different color "eagle" masks to match light and dark jerseys.

Oh, he'll get in... if he buys a ticket, just like the rest of us.

I guess the big question is, why did they re-sign Miller in the first place? It seems to me that the whole Modano discussion came about before Miller was signed (he was qualified but not signed) so why didn't they hold off like they did with Helm and Abdelkader? And he has almost zero trade value... like someone said, players of his ilk are a dime a dozen on the waiver wire. I don't see teams climbing over each other to get Miller, why not just wait til Detroit has to waive him and get him for nothing? Ritola, though, I could see getting claimed as he has more offensive upside. Someone asked if Draper could retire and the Wings could keep Miller and Ritola... No. Draper's current contract took effect after he turned 35, so his salary would count against the cap if he retired. They'd have the roster space but likely not the cap space. They could waive Draper if they need to at some point... I don't think anyone would claim him at his age and cap hit, at least not until later in the season when the Wings have absorbed most of his salary. $1.5M for a 4th liner/faceoff man is a bit much. "Loyalty" should absolutely not prevent waiving Draper if it's necessary. It's not like they're dumping him in the Detroit River...

There are a few NHL teams that own their AHL affiliates outright. I think Dallas, New Jersey, and Boston are among those, but I'm not positive. As for the coaches losing players to sudden call-ups... it's all part of the deal at the developmental levels. It's kind of amazing the chain reaction an injury at the NHL level causes... someone up from AHL to NHL, someone up from ECHL to AHL, and sometimes it even goes deeper than that, down to the CHL, IHL, and the lower level pro leagues.

I don't think Edmonton is in the market for a goalie. They have three right now... Khabibulin, Deslauriers, and Dubnyk. The latter two are young goalies whom the Oilers like, but they saddled themselves with Khabibulin's HUGE contract (3 more years at $3.75M PER YEAR). Deslauriers and Dubnyk made a combined $1.3M and both are RFA. I bet the Oilers would gladly dump Khabibulin in exchange for another bad contract so they could keep the other two goalies...

Thorne, Clement, and Levy were absolutely horrible. I hated having to watch games that they called. Their voices were nails on the chalkboard. Same goes for Doc Emrick. Can't stand his voice, his terminology, or how much he talks. The game's on TV, Doc, you don't have to describe EVERY LITTLE THING that happens... I can SEE it! He's probably best suited for radio. Strader was/is excellent, I never understood why ESPN didn't use him more. He calls a nice game, doesn't get overexcited at nothing, and doesn't use ridiculous terms to describe routine plays. Daniels is good but at times he wears on me; he could stand to tone it down a decibel or two. Redmond is pretty good too. Hughson, Bob Cole, Harry Neale, and Chris Cuthbert are all good, very easy to listen to, especially Cole in his heyday. I've heard clips of Pittsburgh's Mike Lange, he's funny.

I heard the same, Yzerman got one of the richest contracts for a sports executive. It was reported on 97.1FM in Detroit, our sports flagship station. I don't know how much he was making in Detroit, but I'm sure the money offered by Tampa had *something* to do with it. (I've also heard the same speculation about Nill's salary and I figure it's probably true.) As for the guys he's taking with him from Detroit... that's nothing new. Coaches, managers, executives like to work with guys they're familiar with. Besides, Martin is taking a better position (Assistant GM instead of "Capologist") and I'd guess Verbeek will have a larger role in Tampa's scouting department. It's not like he's taking Babcock, Zetterberg, or someone else integral to the team's success.

The KHL is another WHA. Throwing about money it may or may not have, raiding the NHL for players, and has franchise stability issues. I think the KHL and the other European leagues should put together a Super League with their strongest franchises, on and off the ice.

The "FA" part of UFA and RFA means Free Agent. So if you sign a player to a contract, he is no longer a free agent...

In the '64 Stanley Cup Final, Game 6, the Maple Leafs' Bobby Baun blocked a shot and broke his ankle. He returned to the ice in overtime and scored the game winner for Toronto. The Leafs beat Detroit in Game 7 and won the Cup. Yeah, it was against the Wings, but that's pretty impressive.

Don't do this... local hockey shops aren't personal fitting rooms for online shoppers. Support your local store whenever you can! You'll come to appreciate the service, advice, and personal attention they can offer you. If you're going to buy online, call or email that company to ask about the equipment. I also agree, skates are the most important purchase. Find something that fits your foot well and is comfortable and supportive. You'll have to spend some time getting fitted properly, this won't be a 10-minute purchase. Ask questions, try different brands and price points, spend some time in a skate if you think you like it. Minor pressure points can be punched out, and some skates can be baked to improve fit and reduce break-in time. Experiment with sticks, try a few different curves and stiffnesses before you settle into something you want to use over and over again. I'd go cheap on the rest of the gear, you can begin to replace it if you're going to continue to play.

Howard probably should have been able to stop one or two of the goals tonight, but the Wings HAVE TO start covering opposition players in front of their net. Ericsson walked away from Doan on the OT winner; Zetterberg (I know he's a center, but centers are the 3rd defenseman in your own zone) never even looked at Jovanovski, who was 2 feet away from him, on his goal; Stuart got outworked going after a rebound on another goal... If you play bad D, you will give up bad goals. If the Wings want to make the playoffs, they will play better in their own zone. Everything else falls into place after you do that.

This Lakeport Beer ad aired on CBC during last year's playoffs... Truly classic!!

I'd love to see a tournament with teams like this, even if it's only American and Canadian teams. Maybe not based on NHL teams' locations, but by USA Hockey's and Hockey Canada's districts. Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Mass., and New England would be strong, as would most of the Canadian regions.