drwscc

We shoulda brought up Downey for this one. Wings need a spark.

#5 - two minutes for playing defense

This game is making me sad. Even my wife, when I told her there was a game on Versus, said "Why bother. You're just gonna get mad" And she was right.

Yeah, look how well that working out for them. Avery *was* the cause of all their issues. Now that he's suspended, Turco has stopped looking lost out there, all their injured players have been magically cured..it's a miracle! They've won all their games since he was suspended, right?

If the NHL had never addressed his comments, this would have been a non-story. I think the pundits would have talked about it for a couple of minutes in their "Avery being Avery" segments, he would have been pounded by Phaneuf and Iginla in the game, and that would have been the end of it. No 40 page thread. No Stars throwing him under the bus. Over and done. His teammates would have had to field a couple of questions about them, answer with a no comment, or I dunno, didn't see it, and it would have been over. They wouldn't have been able to use him as "an escape goat" (any OandA fans should get that one) There was nothing inherently *bad for the game* in the comments. Sure, they don't have anything to do with hockey, and sure it was not the best thing to say, but it was funny, and it was Avery being Avery.

"Man, I heard some Steve Avery dude make some comments about this big defenseman for the team he's playing against tonight. I bet he's gonna get the sh*t kicked out of him. Think I might tune in for that." or "Man, the NHL did a great job in suspending that Steve Avery guy for making derogatory comments. That kind of thing has no place in sports. I think I will become a fan of that league, since NBA, NFL, and MLB have so many problems." Really. Which of these statements is more likely? Which sounds more like a non-fan who might actually watch a game?

THIS sums up perfectly how I feel about the whole situation.

Maybe Shoreline is Marty Brodeur, and still holds a grudge against Avery for calling him Fatso. Avery is Avery. I still think this should have been left to the team to handle. There was no need for a 6 game suspension for this. By this logic, Thierren from the Pens will get suspended for the entire playoffs when he whines about the lack of obstruction calls.

I don't recall anyone being suspended for *any* off ice comments before Avery. So no, Hull wasn't suspended, but there wasn't a precedent set either.

Where are the Hulls of today? Where are the up and coming Roenicks? You NEED entertaining players to help market the game and make it more entertaining. All Bettman is doing is stifling anyone who wants to be the next Brett Hull and provide some entertainment. If I'm a player, I would be terrified of making some of the comments Chelios and Hull are famous for now, for fear of getting suspended and losing my job. But hey, lets just have everyone in the leage give the same interview as Crosby all the time, and watch the interest dwindle. At least it's "sportsmanship" right?

SL..esteef is talking about OFF THE ICE, which has been pointed out several times in this thread. It's boring to watch some analyst talk to (Player X) and know you're going to get the same answer from (Player Y) and (Player Z) Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios - they all give (or gave) you something different, besides the pat answers you normally get. That makes things entertaining. If you kill off anyone's desire to demonstrate personality, you're going to end up with a league full of PC drones noone wants to hear talk.

EDIT: Removed all complaining about complainers, who complain in threads started by complainers about complainers.

If it was the team suspending him, that would be one thing, but I don't think the league should have stepped in. Really, his comment wasn't that bad. He didn't use any profanity, and all he really said was that Phaneuf was dating his ex, which is true. Shoreline, you seem to think that this is going to become some trend in the NHL because Sean Avery did it once. How many people in the league respect Avery, do you think? How many are lining up to emulate him? I've never heard a comment from any players like that before, and probably won't again. He's just not that cool, and he's not a trendsetter.

There's also a big difference between playing on the Wings 3rd D pairing and the Kings 1st pair. I don't think you could make an argument getting Q on the 1st or 2nd pair in Detroit, so the situations are not comparable.

BURN!

I don't think this will be the one to turn the team around, unfortunately. They still scored 6 goals, and got a point from the game. This team is going to have to get humiliated by Colombus or something, and lose big before they really get it. The Pens are a good team, and the loss can be rationalized due to that. "Well, we just met up with a better team tonight..we'll get em next time." I expect more of the same type of play until a REALLY bad game. Something like a 6-2 loss to Nashville.

HOT!!! The Pens RULE!!!

Penalty against the Wings - not allowing Staal to score the 4th goal and win the game.

Man, the puck is bouncing all over this period. Must be jumping over all the frozen Crosby tears all over the ice.

THIS

Homer rules. I don't know what this team would look like without him. Can't imagine what it would be like playing against him. Hope he retires a Wing, but not anytime soon.

I always had a soft spot for Mike Richter. Liked Dan Blackburn, too. Hasek. I liked Cechmanek for a bit as well, when it seemed he would become Hasek Jr. Ozzie has always been my favorite though.

So, you think Leino would be better served playing McCarty's 3 mins a night, rather than a full compliment of shifts in GR? That doesn't make any sense. Leino is supposed to be a top tier player. Which player on the top two lines do you want to sit to give Leino meaningful minutes? Unfortunately, the Wings are stacked, and there is no room for the young talent, unless they can beat out established players. Moving to the Kings was the best thing that could have happened to Quincey. He went from playing for the Grifs, fighting for a spot on the Wings roster, to playing 20 + mins a night. Seems like a win to me.

Dang it. You beat me to it. Finger's gonna earn that hefty *mistaken identity* paycheck this year.

I have a feeling it will be Hudler. Babcock/Holland have repeatedly demonstrated that they hold Sammy in high regard, and for the money, Sammy is a good value. Hudler makes the most sense, as sad as I will be to see him go.