stlwing14

Panthers and Hawks don't really lend much of star players that motivate me to spend some extra euros for names. I do have about fifty hockey jerseys from various leagues I played in with my name and numbers. If it's not Brendan Shanahan or Vinny Lecavalier, I really don't have the urge to name them.

Red Wings both white and dark (no names) Rangers-white no name Blues-dark from early 90's with Shanahan on back Panthers-dark no name Black Hawks-red no name Western Confrence All Star from mid 90's (purple-ish version) - Shanahan on back (can ya tell he's my fav?) Hartford Whalers-dark, no name Team USA-white, no name Team Canada-dark, no name Knowing I'm getting for Christmas: Habs-dark, no name Want: every NHL team at some point, but mostly a Team Russia jersey and a white version of the Kings

A bad season for us is...well...not winning the Cup. But a really bad season is getting tossed in the first/second round of the playoffs. A disaster is not making the playoffs or worse. We've been spoiled for some time but as evident with how the Wings played in the last year's playoffs and for most of the early goings this year, the hunger is still there. We've got guys that still haven't tasted the Cup and guys who obviously want more. Who doesn't? Our strengths have been finding guys like Dats in areas of the draft other teams really don't care about. If it's not in the first round too many people just toss the rest as being minor leaguers or third-fourth round fillers. Tell that to Hank and Dats. Also, we have a pull in trading in being THE Detroit Red Wings. Star players still want to come here because we have the reputation of always being in it. We can pull star trades but we are also sober enough not to over pay (avoiding re-signing Bert, not unloading the bank on guys like Drury ala NYR, etc). We can get stars who want to win more than get paid (Brian R this year is example) as well as retain stars of the same attitude. Coaching is a huge plus. Babcock is gold. His style of team is forming rather well. The sky isn't falling with a few games dropped, a Hasek slump ,and aging core players. Also the improvment of the Blues, Hawks, and Jackets could in fact just drive Wings management and players to play even harder. Competition isn't always a bad thing. Besides, we've won Cups without winning the Division. I think we have a bright future with what we have right now and what we are capable of via trades, drafting, coaching, etc. The Babcock team will look a lot different from the Bowman era of the Russian Five, Y, and Shanny but I think the results will be just as good.

But they are 12% faster! Like said before, they'll change them until we are back to the old ones. Many of the teams look like they are wearing t-shirts (Leafs, Sens, Blues).

He and Selanne have done the Ducks no favors having dragged this out so long. And that's fine with me. Whether he stays or goes, I still want the Ducks in the third round again.

So if we only get 112 points this year will the experts finally be right? "A little worse! We told ya," claim the expert insiders. If the young kids do what we think they are capable of doing we will be better than last year. If they don't, it could get rough (insert Sean Connery SNL joke here). Part of the beauty of being a Red Wings fan is knowing how much this team is always under-estimated. And that's to our advantage.

Wish Shanny all the best. Wings-Rangers Final :::fingers crossed::: Hopefully Shanny finishes his career strong and then heads to the offices of the NHL and begins a de-Bettmanization of our beloved sport.

At least the Blues add a new face, rather than sign more former Blues. Who knows, if something were to happen to Legace, the Blues may entertain bringing Fuhr back into the NHL.

New ownership falls back into the same old, tired habits of the Blues organization. We love trading players and then getting them right back at increased price of course. Next the Blues will bring back Grant Fuhr and Jeff Brown. Course this same organization shipped off Shanahan for Pronger (terrible trade), Hull for...., Joseph for...., and so on. Little more time in the basement for the Blues. Course we got rid of Oates as well. This team....I'm speechless really. How much more embarassing can thirty plus years get of shooting oneself in the foot time and again. Feel sorry for E. Johnson playing this upcoming season. I have no doubt they will ride him the first half of the season, have a terrible start, blame the kid, and God knows what happen. Unreal.

Being in Saint Louis, the Note and their fans still very much consider the Red Wings a rival. As the Hawks do, even though both teams have been a punching bag for the Wings for years and years. The Red Wings don't have really any rival right now (unless the Preds somehow stay as good or in a weird twist of fate improve), assuming rival means an intense mutual hatred and the two respective teams play at a relatively similar level of talent/etc. If rivalry remains just mutual hatred, well the whole league hates us, but our rivals would be the Hawks, Avs, Blues, and Leafs. On the bright side, we aren't having to put up with eight games against the Miami Cats and Atlanta What's That Bird.

I've been a Shanahan fan since his days in Saint Louis. He's one of the best. He left the Wings because the Wings were becoming a new team. We weren't going to be the Yzerman, Federov, Shanahan Company anymore. Now our future is with players like Zetterberg. Shanahan was right for the era of Wings history he was here for. He was not right for the new era we are in. So Shanahan, instead of taking a roster spot, millions of dollars and being on a team that is not best for him and which his abilities could not be used to the fullest extent, he left for a team that did need him. I wonder if Shanahan had played for the Wings last season and sucked how many would want him in Detroit? Say he netted only 20 something goals would he have been down graded to the Lang "lazy and sucks" category or would we excuse the play for "leadership skills"? Me thinks we would have harped on poor play. And for league politics, if Shanahan is ever going to be Commissioner then NY is the place to be, not Detroit. Everything he says is national hockey news in New York. I hope he does well in New York for another season, perhaps even win the Cup, retire, and get a high posistion in the league offices and begin a de-Bettman of the NHL. The Shanahan, Yzerman, Federov era is gone. Remember it. Love it. And look forward to the bright future of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and perhaps 15 more season with Chelios (even if it's just for Three Stars laps in Vancouver).

No suprise there. Many die-hard fans of hockey in general couldn't find the motivation to watch the Ducks play the Sens. Zero following for both teams. The lack of fighting and a huge super-star name will bring in no casual fans either. Let hockey be hockey, and end the NBA-ization of the NHL and things should gradually improve. Although I hold no dreams that the NHL could ever reach NFL or MLB size, but it can easily do better that it has in the past decade.

Shanny will become Commish after another season with the Rangers. Involvement in ending the lock-out and being a fan favorite on the teams he has been on esp (Saint Louis, Detroit, and NYC) would make him one of the better replacements. Whether that turns out good or not is a different story. But I doubt it can get any worse than what the league has become now.