drwscc

Holland will wait and wait and wait until Dats decides to leave, and then he'll hang his hat on Crosby or Stamkos deciding to come here, and when that doesn't happen, he'll say "We're happy with the team we have." The end.

Most of the responses in this thread deserve Bud Selig as the new commish.

And the players *don't* want more money? They're being just as greedy as the owners here. I wish everyone would quit acting like the players are being altruistic, and are totally "just out for the fans." If that was the case, why not accept the initial deal? That would get a new CBA in place, and allow the season to start on time. The reason is, the players are greedy too. They see all that pie, and they want more of it than the other guys. I didn't mean you as in you, just the general "you" that watches hockey. They don't care about the fans in general, because they don't have to. They know that the die hard fans will come back pretty much no matter what. How many changes were made after the last lockout that everyone was outraged about? Yet, league revenue has grown a ton. They won't take any notice or do anything good for fans because they don't have to. Not until they start experiencing some pain in the pocket book.

No league really gives a crap about its fans. They're big corporations. They could care less. As long as money keeps rolling in, they'll do what they want. When the money stops coming in, they'll make just enough changes to get the cash coming back in. To think anything else is really naivete. The owners don't care about what you want. The executive offices of the NHL don't care about what you want. The players don't care about what you want. They all just want to make as much money as possible.

This thread is so full of fail it's ridiculous. How many times does it have to be pointed out that Gary Bettman is a mouthpiece for the owners/BOG and is not working on his own. The owners tell him what they want and what to say, and he goes out and says it. Getting rid of the "dwarf" will not make anything better. You'll just get another mouthpiece for the owners, and the message will stay the same. The owners are going to push for what they want. It doesn't matter who delivers the message. Maybe because the league is making more money than it ever has, and because revenues are increasing every year? Pay for performance, right?

So, this means Kenny is going after Lebda now?

You mean the Board of Governor's mantra, right?

Nuh UH! It's all Bettman's fault and not the players at all. They should totally make like 90% of the league revenue, and the owners can all live off of the 10% the players decide to leave. I mean, the players play the game, so they should make all the money. The owners are just rich old men that write checks and sit in their owners boxes. What do they contribute to the game? Once the players get 90% of revenues, then the minimum salary can go up to like 3 mil per year, which is only fair, since the players sacrifice so much to get where they are.

The baseball hall of fame is terrible. It's full of scrubs that just played long enough to hit the magic cutoff of numbers you're referring to, and has lots of marginal players that got in that way. I don't see why you would want that. I don't think the requirement should be "If I say a name, you remember who that guy is even if he wasn't on your team." It just seems silly. Look, if they did a ring of honor thing, like the Dallas Cowboys do, I'd absolutely say Feds should be there. I think Feds should make the HHOF with no problem. But jersey retirement is and should be, to quote the VP, a big f-ing deal. Also, I never advocated for Dats and Z to be retired either. Do I think they have the potential? Sure, but they're not locks. If we move into dead things phase 2, absolutely not.

That's kind of the point. These are honors for the best of the best. Who wants to be part of a HOF that includes scrubs that got in on a technicality. (Well, he did win 300 games, so I guess he should get in.) Where is the honor in that? It's the HOF/Jersey retirement, not a participation ribbon. Because he's your favorite player doesn't necessarily mean he needs to be in the HOF or have his jersey retired, Lot's of people like Darren McCarty, but noone is advocating for him to get in or get a jersey retired. If the total package is there for enshrinement, then absolutely get them in there. It's one of those situations though where if there is enough sentiment against, or you have to fight really hard to defend the selection, then you're not really dealing with the best of the best. You're dealing with "pretty good." Or, it could be people just don't see enough there to qualify him for the honor. Do you think Ozzie should have his jersey retired? I mean, he has so many wins and playoff wins, and Cups, right? I know there are people that want this to happen, but it's just not logical. At the end of the day, these honors should be reserved for the Yzermans, Howes, Orrs, Lidstroms, Gretzkys, Richards, Roys. That's a hard club to crack, but it should be.

The litmus test is this: is there a litmus test? Then the answer is no. It's the same argument about Ozzie going into the HHOF. Does he have the numbers? More or less. Is he a HHOF goaltender? You have to work really hard to make a case that maybe he should get in. If you have to make a case for it, then the answer is no. Should Gretzky be in the HHOF? Without a doubt, and I don't think you'd find anyone that says different. Should Yzerman and Lidstrom have their jerseys retired? Again, find anyone that disagrees. Now this thread illustrates perfectly that Feds is not on that same level of an automatic "Yes" EDIT: Format

TSN also confirms: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=401354

Yeah, why should the Wings pay market value for any players. Just the thought of playing at the Joe alone should make all players give Holland a discount to come here. Those days are over. If you want a marquee player, you're going to have to pay them.

You're forgetting something. Lidstrom and Stuart are also out of the Central for good. The Wings currently have no #1 D man. The Wings are in the same boat as the Preds, as their top 2 defensemen are gone. How is this good for them? *edit - misspelled Stuart's name.

Wings are boned. This just serves to re-hilight that Kenny has not planned very well for the eventualities of Lidstrom retiring, and Stuart leaving. The only shot they have now is trading with someone, and noone is going to give Kenny a fair shake knowing how desperate the Wings are on D. Bouwmeester? Geeze. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. Good on the Phlyers for getting this done, if it happens. But, damn, it's frustrating that so many other teams are improving, and the Wings have added Tootoo and the shinguard assassin. I would not be surprised if they do bring pain train back at this point. *edit: misspelled Stuart

You're right. Stupid fans and their opinions. What are they thinking posting an opinion on a message board. --- Holland has a problem, and people are finally getting fed up with it. Yes, it's all about what have you done lately, like in the last 4 seasons. That is the problem with some fans and Holland himself. It's too much "well, you were good 5 years ago, so you're a wing for life, no matter how bad you become," and not enough "what are you doing to help the team win today?"

So would that make Parise Hossa or Kopecky?

There is nothing out there that will address the gaping holes in this team. Suter/Parise were the next closest thing, but even with both of them, I think this team underachieves this year. I really don't think we need to waste money on Semin or some second tier defenseman, or waste players and prospects for stopgap players. This is going to be sink or swim year for the rookies, and I bet Holland is feeling a bit foolish that Sammy and Tootoo are the big signings this year.

Holland is playing golf. He's quoted as saying he's happy with the deals he's made, and confident in the team as it stands.

Good riddance. Hope Suter and Parise enjoy wasting away there.

Nah, it'll be Brunner. He's going to be the Hudler replacement, and score 30 goals. Maybe Nyquist or Brunnstrom can come up and replace those 50 points.

Grass is greener, I guess. Substitute known 50 points for unknown more expensive option that might play well with Dats. I bet Huds could put up some numbers playing full time with Dats, but oh well. Don't let the door hit you, 50 pts.

Why would you think Semin would take a paycut, based on your 2nd point? If noone will give him what he wants, I'm sure he'd be happy to go back to Russia and play in the KHL. Also, Franzen is close to Semin in one facet; laziness.

So get rid of a 3-4 million streaky 1 dimension player, and replace him with a streaky 1 dimensional player who is also a lazy floater for 6+ mil per season? That sounds logical. That's even if Semin plays in the NHL next year.

I am super glad his 25 goals are so easy to replace. Once Parise re-signs in New Jersey, and Semin bolts to the KHL, exactly how are we improving from last season?