NomadFromKazoo

I know it'll never happen, but Homer should be a HOF Lock. Did most of the people listed as locks draw more constant day in and day out attention from every team we faced then he did? Did any of them pay the price he did to do it? If you want to pick a guy who had more effect on his team's game and was recognized for that by every opponent we faced you'd be hard pressed. There is no doubt he should be a lock, and there is no doubt he'll never get it.

Wow, what an admission about what it's been like living in Chicago the last 20 years...

Do the letters "a" and "v" mean anything to you?

I understand your view you don't want to run out and buy one. But why are you so extremely against it? He grew up in Michigan a Wings fan, was on the Little Caesars team and represented the US in two olympics and now he's coming here with a great attitude and taking what we can pay him given our Cap situation. It's not his fault the Stars drafted him, but they did and he represented them with loyalty and class. I don't see how you can't have some respect for the guy coming back by choice when the team he had loyalty to dumped him.

As you said it's "early august"

This is my view. I have no negative reason for not buying one, but there are too many I'd buy first. Though if I got one at a great price or as a gift then I'd definitely wear it.

He heard Favre was going to come back again in Minnesota and didn't want to fall behind...

Hmmm...we don't want our players to get better because we have to pay them more????

In all the years I lived in the south I never did learn to like grits. I'm not sure why the Red Wings need them...

Yes, and he's 19 so it's definitely going to take some time to find out...

I agree it's possible he'll score 50. But it's not the priority, which makes it less likely.

It's been awhile since we battled it out with the Hawks. They weren't good for a long time and last year we didn't hold up our end of the rivalry. But they've lost some guys and with our just getting our guys back for a season and with a little more rest we've gained a lot. Madono's just gravy. It'll be fun to be battling them this year.

I seriously doubt anyone made that specific a promise to him. They may have said it's the plan, but I'm sure the expectation was he'd earn it. Neither Holland or Babcock would tie their own hands that way.

The whole we're not gritty thing is ridiculous anyway. The only time we really had a problem was with teams like the Flames that just flat out assaulted us w/o any response from the officials or NHL. They did it because they had no chance to beat us on skill and they paid no price for doing it. I'm not sure you can design a team to be a talented hockey team and just brawl and having an "enforcer" isn't going to change it when the other team just all at the same time drops their gloves and assaults the closest Wing.

Exactly. The Wings forwards play O and D, they roll 4 lines to keep them fresh and try to move the puck around and different people score. It just prevents individual monster scoring from guys who could do it if they could play more and be one dimensional. We prefer Cups.

This is my reaction. I don't have any negative thought to Eaves, but it seems hard to believe he's going to beat that many people out, at least this year.

No doubt that Pronger's a great, game changing talent. It's no coincidence the Oilers, Ducks and Flyers went to the finals with him and so far the former two went back to oblivion without him.

I never said Pronger didn't have skill. But that you project Fischer would have evolved in to the same dirty player he is and we like him even though you predict that isn't an argument for anything. There are a lot of players who push the line. To Pronger the line isn't even a speed bump. It's not just Wings fans that hate him for a reason.

The only more cliche thread topic is a what will our lines be thread

Yes, the Wing's style is a team that scores the most goals in the NHL without a top 10 individual goal scorer. 50 is not going to happen

Howard. Largely hope though that we have a long term solution to our goalie problem.

"Not on the same level" isn't a minor clarification, it's the whole point. Pronger has a career body of work as a sadist who hurts people because he can. To compare Fisher to that is nonsense.

So you seriously equate Fisher to Pronger? You really believe that?

When I read the title I bet myself that this was yet another tired, uninsightful "we're a bunch of girls on skates who won 15 of the last 20 division titles and 4 Stanley Cups" thread. I won.

Risk mitigation. Things could work out. But D was our achilles heel last year. We have talented youngsters and 6th man may be no issue at all. Then again maybe Ericsson struggles again and no one steps up and we leave Howard feeling like the target in a shooting range. And the worst last year was the turnovers, which again is even a bigger risk then rookies. It would really suck if Howard evolves and plays better, our O doesn't have the injuries, Madano brings alive third line scoring, and we spot every team a goal or two handicap in every game because of bad rookie turnovers. BTW, I'm not arguing we should sign a vet sixth D man, I'm just saying that's the fear I have.