Learn2LuvIt

"ALL"?? "far superior"?? Woa....I get your point, but that's a little strong. Jimmy isn't that bad. Reality check. He's not a top 10 goalie in the league...but he's not in the bottom 10 either.

Kenny's on the phone with Chris Prongers agent right now. This is going to be awesome!! :|

My list would include Abby and AA. btw..saw Abby on Monday night. He's got the shaved head going. He looks a lot meaner.

I CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!

The last page of this thread......This is why we can't have nice things

That's sports in 2016. It will only get worse with increased sponsorship involvement (e.g. sponsor logos on jerseys, etc.). I guess i don't really care. If this helps our ownership continue to remain financially solid and able to provide this team with all the financial backing/resources needed to continue to run one of the best organizations in all of sports....then I'm okay with it. I do like the above suggestion of just calling it the Caesars Center though.

because he tries to sound like Mike Babcock when he talks

Terrible and sad news. Yeah, he's pretty much a ...planet Earth legend as well. Someone queue up "Baby, I'm A Star" for all of the young Wings pregame. See if that gets anything going. For any of the younger LGW peeps who weren't around when Prince was in his prime...move on...You might not get it...it's music with artists who play musical instruments. Let's do this tonight Wings...come back home and take it "game by game"!!

IF....IF....we lose on Friday, I'd say it's time to give all of the young guys that we played at times during the regular season but now are refusing the play them, a shot. Significant minutes. Give Tampa a different look, give the young guys a chance to turn this around, and most importantly, get them some playoff experience which will be valuable down the road. I'm thinking we'll win on Friday, but IF we lose it's time to start getting long term value out of this series. I realize we'd be coming back to home ice, only down 0-2, "lots of hockey left", "it takes 4 games to win a series"', "anything can happen", etc... Although much stranger things have happened, I just don't see this team (the team that was on the ice last night) pulling out of a 0-2 hole to go on and win this series. I hope like hell we win, but being realistic.

Our D was horrendous last night (again). Our D is flat out slow. We win very, very few races to the corners to battle for pucks. By the time our D gets to the corner, their forwards have the puck and are making are making plays. To be even more specific....E was horrible (again) last night. Constantly out of position. So slow....and that's a bigger problem because when he is out of position, he can't recover. Can't clear the puck. Can't clear anyone out of the front of our net. Isn't physical. He's in such bad shape (I think he knows it as well), he provides zero offense. Not that D are supposed to provide tons of offense, but he doesn't even shoot from the blue line when he's wide open and has a semi clear lane?? Lost in space. I'm done with him...I wish Blash would be as well. Does anyone remember the Michel Therrien rant from 2006 when he was the Pens head coach....saying "at times I think they are trying to be the worst defensive squad in the league"? That's pretty much how I feel. Here's a link for those that want to hear a head coach tell it like it is...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agL3NHgb8Rk At the end he jokes about the only physical guy on this team is Talbot "who's about 5 foot 8 or something".

Wings in 6!!

Does anyone think that Stamkos figures there's is a possibility that Stevie could end up back in Detroit as our GM at some point (soon??)? If so, how do you think this would effect any decision on where to play in the future? Will he not want to potentially play under Stevie again? He'll have a lot of options...so I'm wondering if this could be one of those slight factors that takes the Wings off the table for him.

This team is average (exact) and they are playing how they play on the ice every game.

I think Stevie's situation was a bit different though. Dats has hinted for many years that he'd like to return to Russia sooner, rather than later. He's even hinted at playing in the KHL at some point later in his career (http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/wings/2014/09/02/pavel-datsyuk-detroit-red-wings-khl/14953775/). Stevie, on the other hand, is a North American guy who spent a good portion of the year (summers included) here in Detroit with his family. And, Stevie was assured a front office job with the Wings long before he retired. So, I see why Stevie took less money/a.k.a. "home town discount" for his extension. He had a lot to keep him here and engaged, and knew that he'd be in our front office when he hung up the skates. Dats on the other hand...not sure if any offer remotely out of whack offer to comparable salaries would keep him here. I can see maybe a slightly less than "the going rate", but i wouldn't count on Dats taking a mid-range$ to low$ offer to stay here and play. Which I'm totally okay with. Stevie was/is special to Detroit. Dats is as well, but it's hard to expect a guy that grew up on a different continent with a different native tongue (Dats still kind of struggles with English) to not want to return home as soon as it makes sense (personally and financially).

GM and players aside for this comment: Blash better have these guys ready to play tonight. They lose tonight, I see this as the tipping point of where things don't end well for him here in Detroit. Not saying he'll be fired if we miss the playoffs, However, fair or unfair, he'll have a label on him for the rest of his career here as (the coach who broke our streak), and he'll be under the microscope with fans from here on out...which typically doesn't end well for any coach in any sport. Really, the only way out from underneath the microscope with fans is to win a Championship/Stanley Cup (or come really, really close...like SCF game 7 loss)...which puts very few Red Wings career options on the table for him to get done in a diminishing time frame. Fans tend to start shoveling every team woe on the coaches under the microscope....then it reaches critical mass and bye-bye. I don't know if Blash is a good coach or not. So far (and considering injuries and the roster he's been given), he's average. However, I don't want to see it end badly for him here in Detroit. I respect his career path to getting here, and would rather have had him stay in GR than come here and have it end in a disaster. Let's play with urgency starting after we are down 2-0....kidding. Let's play with urgency right from the start. Let's do this!!

Well, if we don't recognize this is a MUST win, and respond as a team and win at all costs.....I just don't really know if we deserve to be in the playoffs. Haven't stated that in many, many, many years. I know beggars can't be choosers...but on top of winning tonight, I'd like to see some dominance. Some ray of light that this team can hang with the top teams in the East. Some sign that we have fight and desire. I'd love to keep the playoff streak going, but if this team limps in to the playoffs without showing any of this fight/desire in the remaining games, I don't know if I can stomach watching Washington blow us up (like nitro) in first round series. Cause the Wings I've been watching the last few months isn't going anywhere in the playoffs. Also, if we show no sign of this in the remaining games, maybe us missing the playoffs with force some big time organizational changes (e.g. GM, Coach, major roster changes, blockbuster deal, etc.). If you think about it, this might be the one scenario that forces these changes....I mean going into a brand new building in two years...they certainty don't want to have a below average team with the NHL spotlight being so bright on the city, the team, and the mother ship of all arenas (and it will...the way this new area is looking, this will make headlines and sub-stories the entire year). Let's do this!!!!

A league designed for parity and the salary cap??

Minus the Stanley Cup he played a big part in helping us win.

As Babs would say, "we need to start on time tonight". I want to see physical, intense Wings. In front of their net. No 30 foot wristers from low percentage angles.. Also, Blash has got to be in sort of a panic....right? I mean, first year here as coach, first year coaching in NHL, and he's in jeopardy of breaking our playoff streak. Got to be some sleeplessness going on. Let's do this!!

Wasn't quite sure what thread to put this comment in, I think this may be the best since it's about line-ups. Watching the CBJ game on Tues I was disgusted. In the 2nd period, after the whistle blew, Abby gets pounded on, in front of the CBJ net by one of their forwards (can't recall who). The guy is punching Abby in the face while he's down on the ice and trying to get up. After he gets up, CBJ's goalie starts punching him in the face with his blocker. He's getting double teamed. Where was his teammates? Skating toward the bench and didn't seem too concerned. I re watched again thinking our players must have not have seen what was going on. NOPE. Our on-ice players saw what was happening to Abby (as this incident lasted a bit)....THEY DID NOTHING!!! What in the hell is wrong with this team chemistry. AA gets in a fight to stick up for HIMSELF (which was great to see), but I don't get the sense at all that these guys have each others backs as a team. I did scream the words "soft #%@#$%^ Euros!!!" However, I don't know if it's that. But, something is wrong. These guys watch their teammate getting wailed on and don't even care enough to change directions and skate in the direction of their teammate getting pounded on by two guys?? You don't have to be a "fighter" to have your teammates back and provide support. I just don't get it. The days when we'd shy away from after the whistle garbage because we were looking to draw a penalty so we could use our deadly PP to our advantage are DONE....that was 10 years ago. Why don't these guys stick up for each other? Weak, weak, weak. Lack of leadership? Lack of North American physical hockey leadership? Not sure, but it's shameful. Lastly, to the point above, I watched the St. Louis v Chicago game last night. There's no way in hell we could handle either of those teams in a 7 games series. Those guys were hitting everything that moved, and not just shoulder bumps, they were crushing people. Both teams played with such intensity....it was fun to watch. Our team, on the other hand, seems to lack intensity (wait, scratch that, we have some intensity but we only show it when we are down 3 goals with 4 minutes left and we've pulled our goalie).

Hello? Would you happen to have 4 tix available for the Canadians game on March 24th? Thanks,

Petr didn't have a very strong game last night. IMO...I thought Seabrooks goal and Kane's goal were stoppable. For the life of me, i don't understand why Petr played last night. There were reports that he's had/has a sore groin. If that's the case, why wouldn't you play Jimmy who has been really, really good as of late?? Give Petr time to heal properly. I don't get it.

IMO...best pre-game atmosphere is The Detroiter (bar and grill). It's located a half a block outside of Greektown (very, very easy to find and get to from Greektown). It's on Beaubien St. They have shuttle on 10-12 minute loop starting a few hours before and after game (although the after game the loop is more like 20 minutes due to traffic). Shuttle ride to game is usually a raucous ride, with Let's Go Red Wing chants and everyone very cool and into the game. Food there is nothing fancy. But it's quick, and pretty good. Many other places above are good as well as mentioned above. Have fun and welcome to Detroit. Go Wings!!

Do yourself a favor while in Grand Rapids area....remain (or become) a fan of awesome beer and breweries, and you'll be in heaven. Ohhh my are they spoiled in that regard.

Could be. Or, he could be a really good player that hasn't had enough talent around him to win, and therefore gets zero recognition for being great. Stevie Y was almost traded to Ottowa in 1995 as some of the Detroit brass thought he wasn't a winner. Great player, just not a winner. Story has it that deal was almost done for us to get Yashin for Stevie...straight up. Mr. and Mrs. "I" are to have said to have stepped in and squashed the deal. It wasn't until we got Stevie supporting talent around him that we started winning, and he was finally recognized as an elite player and leader. Without the Russians, Shanny, etc...Stevie could have had the same label put on him as Phaneuf currently has on him. Matts Sundin and a few other above average players aren't exactly a great supporting cast over the years...as of late that includes Kessel, Lupul, JVR, etc...are good, but their not Fedorov, Lids, Shanny, Vladdy, Igor, Murphy, etc....