joshy207

Exactly right, it just hasn't been changed yet. It would be a "typo" if the NHL had edited Hossa's profile and typed in 18 instead of 81 for his number.

Fischer didn't HAVE to give up #2 for Hatcher. Whether Hatcher asked for it, or Fischer simply offered the number up, we don't know, but there was likely a gift or dinner involved in the switch. If Fischer was really attached to the number or if Hatcher didn't care one way or the other, he could have kept the number. There are no "rules" but there is a code among the players.

A new arena certainly won't have the same feel as the Joe, but it's not like we're talking about Boston Garden, Olympia, the Forum, Chicago Stadium, or the Gardens here. Those were the really old buildings, the ones with the quirks and the "ghosts" and the real history. (I don't really consider the 90s "history".) If it's done correctly, a new arena could have more seats, keep the great sightlines, and have a concourse that makes the Joe's look like a ghetto back alley. They could also include a wing with bar/restaurants and stores that you don't need game tickets to get into.

Warrior bought the Innovative brand a couple years ago. The Innovative (Inno) sticks you see at Perani's now are a special makeup from Warrior, made just for Perani's.

Your best bet is a 2-piece stick. A composite shaft will give you consistency and (usually) durability, as well as the ability to change out your blade so you can experiment with wood vs. composite and you can try different curves. Also, did you say what surface you'll be playing on? If it's asphalt or cement, you'll want to go with an ABS plastic blade, everything else will wear out after 1 or 2 skates. If it's sport court, wood, or super-smooth cement, you will be ok with wood or composite.

Classy as always.

Legwand is from Detroit, maybe he and Tootoo are skating somewhere around here? Samsonov used to hang out and train in Detroit for the summer, but that's because his wife is from here. He met her when he played for the Vipers.

Gretzky would have won more than a car (which, by that time, Ilitch was no longer giving away) with Detroit. Did you forget that the Wings made the Campbell finals in 87 and 88, losing to Gretzky's Oilers both years? With Gretzky in his prime, Yzerman at his offensive peak, and if Devellano had made a few more moves to shore up the D and goaltending, the Wings would have gotten a jump-start on their return to the top of the league. Had Gretzky not gone to LA--either by coming to Detroit or staying in Edmonton--the league would look nothing like it does today. The Kings would likely still exist, but Anaheim, Florida, Atlanta, and Nashville wouldn't have gotten expansion teams. Tampa and Columbus may not have either. Minnesota, Quebec, Winnipeg, and Hartford might never had moved. Salaries would not be what they are today, as the "big-time" owners like Huizenga (Blockbuster) and Disney probably wouldn't have gotten involved, the League wouldn't have chased a national TV contract in the US (no national footprint and possibly no Bettman), and the owners wouldn't have had the expansion revenues to play with. The European Invasion probably wouldn't have been as big as it has been either, if the salaries were still lower. (Why would so many guys cross the pond if the money wasn't there?) I think the Western Europeans (Swedes, Finns, Germans, Swiss, etc) and the bigger-name Russians, Czechs, Slovaks, and the like would still have come, but not in large numbers and possibly a shorter time. Terms like "Lockout", "Versus", "Salary Cap", and maybe even "ESPN" and "Bettman" would be foreign to us. If we could see the alternate universe where Gretzky never went to LA, I'd say we were looking at an NHL with 24 teams, at least 8 in Canada; average salaries per team around $40M; average player salaries around $1.5-2M, topping out around $5-6M; the Campbell and Prince of Wales Conferences and the old division names would still be around.

Thanks, I knew it was somewhere around there... and I think there's a great chance it will be too.

41 (home) games per year X 10 years = 410 games. Almost 500 would be more than 10 years... Stay away from those volcanoes, guy!!

Yeah, I do... are you talking about Sports Final Edition on Sunday nights? That's usually the only time I see CCHA coverage on Ch.4 unless it's GLI, playoffs, or a UM vs MSU game...

Your point is correct also. What I'm getting at is that here, in Detroit, football is king. Baseball is 2nd, then hockey and basketball--interchangeable depending on who's doing better. If you throw college sports in there, basketball is above hockey and possibly baseball. HS football coverage is lukewarm in Detroit's media, but all scores are listed in the Free Press every week, the bigger games get a blurb, championships are on FSD, and the TV stations give it a little attention during the season. Hockey beyond the Wings gets limited coverage--the Whalers, UM and MSU get the HS treatment (except for the GLI) and HS hockey is lucky to get mentioned or scores listed in the papers. Outstate, especially in the state's smaller markets, HS football gets mad coverage on the weekends.

I'd flip-flop Shanahan and Modano. Good list, there are a lot of quality players to choose from.

Yup. Each team had a geographical territory inside which it had rights to every player, plus Montreal got first crack at the French-Canadians. The young players all had to sign what was called a C-Form, declaring themselves property of whatever team it was. My dad had to sign one to play Midgets and Juniors in the early 60s. Players outside those regions were able to sign with whichever team they chose. The pursuit of Bobby Orr in his early teens is legendary. Boston signed him to a C-Form at age 14.

But Detroit IS a football town, first and foremost. Despite the fact that the Lions have had virtually no success in the last 60 years, the local fanbase is rabid and the Lions dominate sports talk radio, newspaper, and TV coverage, even in the offseason. College football is also extremely popular, not just U-M and MSU, but the Michigan MAC schools have a good following in Detroit, too (probably because there are a lot of EMU, WMU, CMU alums here). High school football gets local TV and newspaper coverage. The fact that the Lions sell out despite being the worst-run franchise in pro sports just exemplifies the fact that this is a football town--and football state for that matter. If you put the Wings, Pistons, Tigers, and Lions all on equal ground--let's say they all finish first in the regular season and win their respective championships--except for the diehard fans of the other sports, most of what you'll hear about is the Lions. National media coverage and team success may factor somewhat into the equation, but are definitely not the defining points of what makes a certain city a hockey town, football town, or whatever. Montreal was the NHL's top franchise for so long because they had exclusive rights to all French-Canadian players. There was no entry draft or equal division of incoming players' rights until 1967. You can bet the farm that having those players' rights impacted the Canadiens well into the 1970s.

55 fan, you make a strong case. I agree with your point that Chelios is the best of the available candidates for the #8 spot. Quincey doesn't have to have a 2-way contract to be sent down. 1-way, 2-way, 3-way simply means that they have different pay scales depending on what roster they're on. Damian Rhodes was on a 1-way (NHL) contract but was playing in the ECHL. I think Arturs Irbe was in the same situation. Still doesn't mean I want to see Chelios back. I'd rather see Lebda, Quincey, Meech and Lilja (yack) split 5 & 6 minutes in a rotation. But hey, whatever. As for Maltby, I wasn't happy he was re-signed and was pissed when I found out it was for 3 years.

The mere fact that Chelios would be on the roster means that one of Lebda, Meech, Quincey, or Lilja will have to be traded or placed on waivers and risk being lost for nothing. If it's one of the first three, is it worth giving up a guy who can potentially play here for the next 5-10 years to let Chelios extend his career by 50 games or so? And is the same situation going to play out next year, when Ericsson can't be sent down? At what point do you say, that's enough? The loyalty that Ilitch and Holland show to their players is really something unique in pro sports, but I think they almost are too loyal, to a fault. Players have received contracts that they don't deserve, and they don't know when to just let go. And younger, cheaper replacements have been brought into pro hockey since... well... the beginning of pro hockey. Look at NHL rosters from the 80s... it's rare to find 2 or 3 guys over the age of 30. Not 40, 30. Guys who could still play the game were being forced out at 31, 32. A player who was over 35 was considered a living fossil. It's not a new practice by any stretch. Also, at what point to ability and physical limitations outweigh "experience" and "leadership"?

Woods... great guy, horrible announcer. Or uh, should I uh, say, uh... He sounds like Yoda with a speech impediment. I've been trying to figure out for years who "Kirta Malpy" is. Kal wasn't from CBC, Daniels was. And speaking of Daniels, I'm getting tired of his incessant yelling too. He would call a brilliant game if he'd tone it down a few decibels.

The GAME itself wasn't excitement enough for you guys? Like I said, it could have been a better call, yes, but I'd rather have that than Emrick or Thorne screaming. The commentator should be secondary to the game, not the other way around.

A lot of the newer NHL markets have seen rapid growth in youth and adult hockey participation. Dallas and LA/Anaheim are probably the best examples, but San Jose, Columbus, Miami, and Phoenix have also seen tremendous growth, not just in quantity but also in quality. Dallas, LA, San Jose, and Phoenix teams are competitive on the national stage and have begun producing college and pro players.

No, that was not "excitement". Nor was it boring. It actually kinda mirrored the emotion of that moment... as that last-second play developed, I got nervous as Pit approached the net and got that shot off, and when it looked as though they might score, then the buzzer went, I didn't move, breathe, blink, or think for about 5 seconds. All I could do was stare at the screen before the feeling of relief hit me, then the realization that the Wings won. There could have been more emotion in Cole's call, but do we really need some screaming a-hole (Thorne, Emrick, etc) to tell us that the Wings won it? I don't.

There's excitement with dignity and class, like Bob Cole and Chris Cuthbert, then there's just yelling for yelling's sake like Thorne does. It's great to get excited, but you have to know how and when to tone it back down.

Thorne is brutal and Emrick is worse. If anything, VS should go after local guys or Canadian guys (TSN, CBC).

Ha! I used to work with Juddy, after his minor-league playing days were over. Great guy, GREAT stories!