WhiteCloud

Those of you having trouble with CI seemingly missing. Did you check other channels? Last year the same thing happened to me. I thought my cable provider dropped the package but I found that they actually changed the channels and placed the MLB package on the old CI channels.

I may be wrong but I believe the implication is that unlike his father he actually did well in the fight even though he was fighting someone of similar size. You know, because Patty not only got pummeled but he got pummeled by other goalies who were much smaller than him.

Yeah, the Nashville announcers are by far the worst I have heard. Borderline retarded. Wait, the Nashville coach just said "they are not beating us, we are beating ourselves." He is as ******* retarded as the announcers.

Yeah, the problem is nobody on that team is going to drop the gloves with Downey. Sure they will punch other players after the play but they know Downey will punch back and they don't want that. They epitomize the new NHL. They are all about silly cheap s*** after the whistle but when it comes to actually backing it up they don't want any of that.

While a concussion is nothing to be taken lightly it is preferable to a knee injury (especially since Lidstrom has not history of concussions). I tend to agree with Never Forget Mac that they are saying knee when it really is a concsussion. His knee did get slightly tweaked but his head took the brunt of the blow. He looked woozy as hell more than anything else. Here is hoping that it is a minor concussion and he will be back soon. The Wings cannot afford to lose Lidstrom.

Actually, I have been hearing more and more announcers bringing up his defensive acumen. I live in NJ so I see a lot of opponents feeds of Wings games so I get a lot of opponent feeds. Datsyuk is being recognized more and more for his all around game throughout the league. Not only is he first in take-aways, top forward +/- but also leads the Wings forwards in blocked shots. I don't know that he will win it but he deserves to be a contender.

Best stickhandlers Datsyuk - While some of the others are better players I think Datsyuk is the best pure stick handler in the game today. He does things that nobody else would even try. When he is on his game he can make the best defensmen in the game look like mites. I wrote a blog post at my SEO blog about Datsyuk. If you are interested you can check it out here, be warned though if you are not into SEO it will probably not interest you that much. Most vicious hitters Phaneuf - This one is tough and I may be a bit biased because I am exposed to Phaneuf more than the others but he reminds me of Stevens more and more. He is great at picking his spots and he annihilates other players. And I am not a fan of the Flames but Phaneuf is a vicious hitter. One on one defenders Lidstrom - I think Lidstrom is the best d-man in the game and honestly I think he is the best player in the NHL right now. He is almost unbeatable one on one so this one is a no-brainer for me. Most vicious snipers Kovalchuk - Great pure goal scorer and his game is rounding out quite nicely but he can score from anywhere. Not much more that I can say. Undrafted players St. Louis - This one is tough too because all of these players bring different skills to the game. While Madden is great defensively and Penner is a monster when on his game, St Louis is an elite player. The others are great in their own rights but St Louis is one of the top players in the game.

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Yeah, I am fired up too. I was happy when I found out that we get the NHL network with Center Ice and would be able to watch this game. Only to be treated to this pile of garbage. Why the hell does my info bar show that the Det game is on? This is ridiculous but epitomizes the state of the NHL now.

Check your cable company if the game is not showing up in your center ice package. I have IO in New Jersey and according to their site if you are signed up for Center Ice you get the NHL Channel too. I was nervous with all of the talk here and had to check.

I have been using two piece composite sticks for a while and love them. I was considering trying out a one piece but they seem to break way too easy (everyone I played with that has/had one has broken them). I have abused my Easton Ultra-Lites for a few years and they are still good to go. I will stick with the 2 piece composites until they make a more durable 1 piece. I mean I would be pissed to spend 2 bills on a stick and break it after 1-2 games (which I have seen happen a bunch).

Exactly right Thunderpriest. The new jerseys are better for the players and the reports that I read from players were overwhelmingly positive. I suppose they do look a little weird but I really don't understand why it is such a big deal. They will still be big when worn without equipment and if they are too tight for ya just get a bigger size.

I agree with the ESPN=MTV theory. I still enjoy some of the shows but IMO ESPN has gone from reporting the sports news to trying to create the sports news. ESPN news is for the reporting of news the other stations are there to push their agenda and create stars out of their anchors and "reporters". As far as the argument that nobody watches hockey so why should they show highlights. On one hand you are right but the fact is that many Americans like what they are told to like by the TV shows that they watch. Many watch ESPN all day long and they are told that hockey sucks and nobody likes hockey so they parrot that same garbage. Now I don't think this is hockey's only problem but I think it is part of the reason hockey is so unpopular in the US.

I am loving the translation.

Exactly. It's epidemic in the NHL this year. If there is a way for the officials to give a team a chance to tie a game they will give it to them. Like I said I have been pissed off because of this when watching two teams I don't care about. The officiating is inconsistent to downright awful. So many old school fans don't even watch the NHL anymore because the league has become a farce. My parents used to go to a ton of Wings games and never missed a game on TV and now they will go to a game or two every year and will rarely watch a game on TV. I have talked to a lot of people who just don't care anymore. The NHL is no longer about the players but is about how the officials are going to affect the game. Sorta like the NBA used to be when Bettman was there. Bettman was an NBA exec when that league was drowning and the NHL was on the rise. Now with Bettman at the helm the NHL is the laughing stock of professional leagues. Coincidence?

Yeah, it was a penalty. That being said it is the same damn thing that Anaheim does every single time Detroit dumps the puck in. EVERY TIME. Either call it both ways or don't call it at all. I am sad to say that I am this close to being done with the NHL. I love hockey and the Wings but I am going to throw something through my TV if I keep watching this joke of a league. I get pissed at the retardedness of the league when I am watching 2 teams I don't care about. I have argued withe countless hockey fans and defended the NHL over and over but in the last few weeks I have come to the realization that I have been wrong. The NHL is a complete joke. That call along with the three missed calls against Anaheim in the minutes before that proved to me that the league does not care about producing a quality product. They want to create controversy and have stunning come from behind victories. Well they got what they wanted and in the process lost another fan. One person may not seem that big of a deal but I am one of many many people who have written the NHL off. What a ******* joke and a sad reminder of why the NHL is behind the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, NBA, MLS, and ******* celebrity poker in terms of popularity.

Funny, have you ever been here after a Wings loss? It's the same damn thing. The Wings are not trying, they don't care, they gave the game away, etc. It never has anything to do with the other team simply playing a better game.

About what I expected from the joke that is the NHL. I did not think Iginla deserved a suspension but Langkow did. His punch was worse than what Tootoo got 5 games for. Oh well, someone needs to feed him his ******* teeth tonight. It's getting harder and harder to defend the sorry ass state of the NHL and this garbage just makes it worse. There are a few reasons why Bassmasters and MLS get more coverage on ESPN and this is one of them. The league needs a compete overhaul from the top down. Funny how the NHL was considered on the rise in the early 90's and the NBA was losing value. Now it is just the opposite. Is it just a coincidence that it coincided with Bettman leaving the NBA and moving to the NHL. I don't think so. Oh well, Go Wings and end it tonight and hopefully avoid the injuries that Calgary is going to try and inflict. Like Mick says keep your stick up.

That punch was at least as bad as Tootoo, if not worse. Like someone else mentioned at least Tootoo was defending himself. Langkow just blatantly cheap shotted Lebda and then pushed his face into the ice. Dirty dirty play but it seems to be pretty typical for the Charlestown Flames. Maybe we can call up Clarence "Screaming Buffalo" Swamptown and Andre "Poodle" Loussier for payback. He should get suspended but probably won't. The NHL has proved itself to be a complete joke and I don't see that changing very soon.

The Mclellan slash was obviously done on orders from the coaches. If you make a goalie change you do it after the fifth goal, not some random point a few minutes after the goal was scored. I used to have some healthy respect for the Flames but no more. They are nothing more than a group of ******* worthless dirtbags. Iginla really disappointed me, I thought he was a good hard nosed player but he is a piece of s***. I have not been this pissed off after a win in ever. I hope Wings are able to get the next game so they don't have to play these hatchet dirtf***s any more. They showed the Slapshot clip on NBC and that is exactly what the Flames played like. f*** them and their worthless style of "hockey". BTW, what's the word on Lebda. Is he OK?

I am now reminded why I stopped coming to this board most of the year. While there are quite a few fans here with good knowledge and insights there are too many who simply expect the Wings to win every game they play and when they don't they are the worst team in the world. The days of the number 1 seed owning the number 8 seed are long gone. Calgary is a quality team and I had no expectations of a sweep. I was hoping for one but I knew it was a longshot. If you actually watched the game Detroit played a very solid game. It's funny, last year everyone knocked them because they relied on special teams too much, now it's just the opposite. They have pretty much dominated in even strength situations but there special teams are garbage right now. Calgary has 2 even strength goals in 4 games. They are showing heart and overall have played better than Calgary. They just need to stop taking bad penalties (especially the penalties that lead to 5 on 3's) and they will be fine. Honestly, I question the hockey knowledge of anyone who says that Detroit has no heart because they lost 2 games to a solid Calgary team by a total of 2 goals. The Wings are playing much better this year than they have in the last 2 playoffs and if they keep up their effort they should be fine. I will agree that they will be much better off if they shore up their special teams but IMO they can still win with the way they are playing even strength.

I watched the first period of the Rangers game and they are absolutely owning Atlanta. Atlanta has no answer for the Jagr line. Complete domination.

Before I moved from Toledo to NJ a few years ago there were rumblings about this happening. The Sports Arena is a dump and should have been knocked down years ago. I can't imagine being a professional teamm and having to play in that hole. The ice surface was tiny and the locker rooms were a disgrace. They have like one shower head that barely works and only supplies cold water. The floors are freaking tile and you could barely fit a pee-wee team in those rooms, let alone a full team of grown men. It's about time they got rid of it and begin working on an real arena.

The guys on OLN had to each pick one or the other. They were not going to let them both choose the same player. They showed Niedermyer going into the offfensive end and made it seem like Lidstrom never does that. Niedermeyer is a great player but Lidstrom is a better all around player and a better d-man. IMO he is the best player in the game right now in terms of all around play.

Anyone got a video of the hit? I missed the first period of the game. Center Ice had the Blues guys calling the game and they seemed to be OK with the fact that he was booted from the game they implied that Lebda turned on the hit and that it was not necessarily a premeditated dirty hit. I do like the fact that he went to the hospital to check on Lebda though. That is the way it used to be and the way it should be. Hockey is an emotional and sometimes violent sport and sometimes you do things, on purpose or accident, that you may not have meant to do and someone is injured. I have played for a long time (25+ years) and have done some things that in hindsight I should not have to people that I was actually friends with off the ice. I let my emotions get the best of me so I can see how someone playing in a much more emotion filled an d meaningful game could do the same. In the old days the player who caused the injury always visited the injured player to apologize and basically show respect. Nowadays that respect seems to be leaving the game so it is good to see a player doing the right thing.