NomadFromKazoo

That was a completely different issue. You can't have play continue when the whistle blows. It would be chaos and potentially dangerous to continue play and the players would have to do that because it could count. The thing on counting the whistle blowing when the ref thought of blowing it instead of when he did is lame, but that's a different question of when you measure that the whistle blew. The bottom line is in sports whistle = stop play must be absolute.

I know you're trying to think of options, but that doesn't solve anything. We could sign Hossa long term for a lower cap hit this year then re-uping him for one year. By signing him to one year, we have a HIGHER cap hit from him this year, then his cap hit drops when we sign him to an extension. If we're going to do that, it makes more sense to sign him long term now and take the lower hit now. You're essentially proposing we defer the cap benefit of a long term deal.

He doesn't know how television works in the US. My house is actually tracked by Nielsen so if I didn't watch it it would actually affect the overall ratings a little, each tracked viewer represents 20K people. For people who aren't, it doesn't affect the reported ratings. Now their provider (DirectTV, Time Warner, ...) do track who watches the game, so I suppose if enough people with a particular provider didn't watch enough games on Versus that Versus dropped them then I suppose it would affect the ratings eventually, but that seems unlikely and won't be accomplished by not watching the SCF specifically. Also, the way to get them off Versus and onto a better network is to actually watch it and get the ratings up, not down. I don't see how they are going to fall any further then Versus. The logic though that to get the NHL on a BETTER network is to NOT watch them on Versus makes no sense at all. But most of all, seriously, not watching the Wings in the SCF? I watch them on streaming Internet in the first two rounds when they weren't on NBC, Versus or NHL Network. Obviously I'm going to watch them on Versus in the freaking Stanley Cup Finals or any other channel they actually are on.

I do think Leino is the one who should sit for Draper since we know now Draper is in. I'm looking forward to Leino in Detroit, but I think he needs more regular season time to be playing now above the others we have on the roster other then with injuries like we had. If Datsuk can play I'd sit Sammy, Huds or Maltby. If Sammy isn't nursing an injury, the argument for Hudler makes sense as his style doesn't seem to be a good match against the Penguins. I'd love him to score a hat trick tomorrow and stuff that statement in my face.

Some of them even think without thinking. This is such a *** thread.

This is EXACTLY what you're doing. Saying how it's not the refs, but every example in your post are the ones that went against the Pens. Some are not even clear like Zetterberg. At the same time, you apparently didn't notice the plethura of calls that went the the Pens way, like Malkin's automatic suspension that wasn't, Malkin's hook that lead to his breakaway, 6 men on the ice for 20+ seconds, the cross checks to the head in games 1 and 3 that weren't called and so on. This would be a wolf in sheeps clothing post. Hey, fun series, the refs are callign everything your way, but it's OK. Having fun. Right, you're full of it.

Draper is not retiring at least until his contract is up. This thread is silly.

Ironic you chide people for commenting before adding, then you conclude before knowing the cap. Think about it...

I see, so if he had said we were going to lose while we are up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals without reasons, you'd have understood my analogy to his walking through Harlem with a wad of bills because he had a right to. But since he went onto the WINGS Fan board, claimed to be a long time fan and gave a list of REASONS we were going to lose instead of just saying we were it all makes sense to you. Thanks for esplaining that to me. Personally, none of his reasons that when we won 2 straight missing our best O player in consecutive nights and now we actually get at least a day between games and our rookies are playing energetically and great hockey makes any sense at all that we're about to lose four of the next five games to a team that couldn't win a series against mediocre teams in less then 6 games until they hit a team totally spent.

Hmm...up is down, black is white, how do these two thoughts make sense together? 9 of 10 times they bury it but it wasn't luck? And how do the Wings do it do you suppose? Round after round of "luck?" Why couldn't Kane or the Hawks who bury their opportunities bury us? Why couldn't the Ducks who won the Cup two years ago and bury their shots bury us? At what point when it keeps happening does it stop being bad luck and start being caused by the Wings?

The ones off the post weren't exactly shots that were going into empty nets either. They were tight angles and Ozzie was really close to getting them. If they'd been more then slightly inside the post then Ozzie would have gotten it anyway. So yes, we caught a break, but only small ones. Anyway, the Penguins can say we won on luck all they want. I'll take the Cup for that trade.

OK, don't answer the question. You have that right. But let me ask you a question. If you go onto the Wings fan site when we're up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals, post that you're a long time fan and that we're going to lose, exactly what do you THINK is going to happen? Do you walk through Harlem alone at night holding a wad of bills in your hand because it's your "right" to do so?

Food for thought, but as the article said he's not 100% and since Datsuk's not back yet why not give him another game to rest the groin and see how game 3 goes. If Datsuk is back in the 4th game I would guess he'll come in at that point since Babcock has to change lines anyway. In the off season if we sign Hossa and need the cap room then Kenny could try to talk him into retirement/trade, but other then that I'd think we want him back. But now, why not keep the healthy guys in the lineup.

What a bizarre statement. It's wrong on so many levels. -> First of all, who questioned his "right" to post his opinion? I don't see anyone saying he can't. -> Are you saying criticizing his view is trampling on his "right?" So people have the right to have views that are not criticized? That's absurd. -> And what does "free internet forum" mean? It's a privately run website, it's not government. He has NO right to post anything the staff don't want posted. And yet they didn't question either his posting or the criticisms of his opinion, you did. So what "right" are you talking about exactly?

Did you watch them? But in the spirit of your post, oh my God, oh my God, the sky is falling! We're SCREWED! The world is ending, our chickens are coming home to roost, we're losers, we're injured, we're tired, our goaltending sucks and so does our offense and defense. We're old and decrepit, no one's buying our cars, we're unemployed, we have no power play, we can't stop their power play, Crosby and Malkin are hockey Gods and we can't stop them, it's OVER, we've run aground, we've run ashore, the boat is sinking, the rats are jumping ship.

I totally agree. The Pens had to win yesterday to make this a real series. It's like game 2 in the Chicago series, everything was set up for them to win, and they didn't. Now with actual days off in the series they are going to win 4/5 games? I don't think so.

Is Holstrom screwing your wife?

They are in my top three as well, but totally Lidstrom has to be #1. He's not only such a great D player himself but is such a great leader and then came through with some critical O against the Ducks. No offense to Ozzie and Franzen who are having great playoffs, but if we win the Cup and Nick doesn't win Conn Smythe, it's just a testament that when you're that good all the time people just start to take it for granted.

I totally agree. I don't hate him, but he was a little prima donna last year and he's the media darling, I certainly wasn't watching looking to excuse him. But I thought at least on this press conference he said all the right things. I thought he'd spin the Maltby thing, but he was honest about what he did, agree or not. He got lip, he whacked his foot, it's what happened. He said he thought "someone" (Z) grabbed the puck on Ozzie's back, but he wasn't sure what the rule was or if there should be a penalty shot or not. He said the bounces could go either way, but gave the Wings credit. I just saw nothing in this to make him look bad.

I totally disagree with this. He's got a great future with us, but he's not the offensive passer/scorer they were at all. He's more of a Draper who works hard at both ends, wins faceoffs, plays great D and controls the puck, but he's never going to be a pretty passer/shooter like those two.

Um...there has been thread thread and post after post on this. Babcock at one point had Homer practice w/ the fourth line because of his low production, the media has interviewed Homer on this and how his redirections haven't been hitting the goal and he acknoweldged that and said he's trying to get back there. You can agree or disagree with Homer whether it's just timing or he's losing his edge, but it's your presentation that this is some sort of new insight instead of an old topic that's being pounded into the ground I find odd.

Hmm...do you know something? Actually it's not going out on the limb much that the NHL would like the glitz to win this one. Crosby and Malkin with a Cup are that much more marketing for the NHL. The Wings winning another one isn't.

Yes...you got me there. Maybe the Penguins will win. I just find it perplexing that everyone (i.e., the brainless media) are running around pumping them when they didn't win their division and didn't win an actually impressive playoff series. But I LOVE it. Man, we win 4 of the last 11 Cups and the media gives us something to prove! If I were on the Wings getting disrespected like they are in favor of a team with such little credentials, I'd be calling the Penguins saying let's go TONIGHT! I'd be so ready to pound their smug little grins into the ice, and do it over and over. Thank you, mindless, shallow, hero worship sports media! ESPN driven cluelessness rules across the vast, contentless wasteland. You are idiots, but thanks for giving the defending champs the mission to PROVE themselves!

So you ignore my entire point on that the Penguins have done nothing to demonstrate they are a threat to win and just get hung up on the word bravado? Or, were you just worrying about that theoreticaly since he said "can" no one could dispute that theoretically anyone could beat anyone? I took his point to mean he thinks there is a REASON the Penguins could win, an actual basis, not just the theoretical anyone CAN win if they are in the game. Hmm. Man, can you say ANAL? Sorry, didn't mean to say that last part out loud...

Just curious what that's based on. While we drew a cream puff in the first round, we at least swept them while you want to 6 games with yours. 7 against the Capitols, who are just mediocre. You didn't win decisively until you beat a team running on fumes. We beat the Ducks, champs from 2 years ago and then the Hawks everyone was saying were so good until we beat them in 5 with 2 hands tied behind our backs. THEN it turned out maybe they were too inexperienced, we got lucky. I'm not seeing anything the Penguins have done to send chills down our spine. So, overconfidence would be our apparent vulnerability. The media's been endlessly blowing their darling Penguins to the point we have the team who didn't even win their division getting billing as the team to beat against the team that won the last and four of the last eleven Cups. We get to be the underdog with something to prove. In this game ironically you're Hollywood glitz and we're blue collar get no respect......Pittsburgh! I don't know, tell Lids, Datsuk, Zetterberg and gang we're up against it and probably going to lose to a team that's proven NOTHING? The media and your fellow fans are your biggest liability. We're the defending Cup Champion UNDERDOGS! Even overconfidence is actually an asset in our column. I'm not seeing the base of all this bravado.