b.shanafan14

hahaha I literally JUST realized your avatar is Murphy doing the cowbell with a hot dog. hahaha that made my... life.

Lidstrom and Rafalski Stuart and Kronwall Its always worked, but who wants to see Salei and Ericsson between the goal and the opposition

Wow.... s***ty turnover... Great Save, Ozzy.

Looked exactly like Cleary's helmet. It probably was, he was trying to steal his mojo. Might have worked...

He did! I was wondering WTF was up, and now its gone?

Team statistician Greg Innis says that was the first goal in NHL history scored with a mop .

Abdelkader gets called for having his stick humped.

He has looked great so far. Amazing how visible a rookie can be while an old vet like Hudler can be anything but...

Bertuzzi looks like he is playing with a mop... and with only one hand on the mop no less.

Oh, you know, the usual: trying to spit out a simple sentence in English and instead sounds like a bumbling idiot. Essentially it was "you were all talking before this game about this game needing not to have the puck go into your net, the puck did go into the net once in that period, how do you feel your team is doing about wanting not to have the puck inside the net?" It was actually kind of impressive... Kronwall was like "oh my christ..." face

hahaha holy s***, Keating. Give up already...

Everyone looks confused, they are running into each other in the defensive zone. Look like midget hockey players out there.

Good to see Bertuzzi is fine with 18 good games this season. Now he can phone in the rest...

Jeeze, sloppy as hell so far. I think I've counted at least 6 or 7 missed clears already and the defensive breakdown on the goal was pathetic. Playing down to the competition again?

Proof is in the pudding. At the end of the day, the only reason most LGWers (including myself) are a bit disillusioned by Babcock's handling of goaltenders in the last two seasons isn't that Osgood isn't starting most games, its that he doesn't seem to be starting any. Someone else said it earlier and I completely agree: when Legace was starter, we stuck with him - when Hasek was starter, we stuck with him (until he really choked, which I do commend Babcock for making the switch in 2008) - when Osgood was starter, we'll see how it goes game to game? - when Howard is the starter, we'll stick with him. Babcock needs to use a more consistent hand with his goaltenders and more than anything needs to realize that "we're going to ride the hot hand" isn't just a phrase to use when HIS goaltender is hot, but when either goaltender is hot. Howard can't handle a 80-20 or 70-30 split of games and still be prepared for the playoffs. Time will tell if Howard is the real deal or just a temporary solution. In the meantime, this team needs options and two rested goaltenders. Most of use aren't calling for Osgood to be named starter, but a 60-40 or 50-50 split while your backup is hot and starter is cold can't hurt. Hard for any team to win when a goaltender is flirting with 4 goals against per night, even while the play is spending most of the time on the other side of the ice. We've been spoiled with potent offense and while the defense has had some lapses and Howard has gotten unlucky bounces, him and Osgood both have. Last season, Howard was amazing down the stretch winning games the Wings probably shouldn't have and keeping them afloat while they got healthy. This season, the Wings are banged up, but still competing and Howard has lost them games that the team probably should have won. One thing that has set Osgood apart from many of his peers is his ability to win the games that his team has earned. It seems like an easy task, but its not. Some of the greatest goaltenders of all time could win when the team should have lost but were shrinking violets when the team was carrying play. Joseph and Hasek were both goaltenders that could steal games in the past but were a less than great fit in Detroit because they couldn't finish what the team started. All of that said, this is really about Osgood winning in a 46 save effort on the road and then being benched for what looks like at least 4 games. In the 3 of those games that have been played by Howard since, he had all but lost vs. Dallas before his team pulled him out with 6 straight, and lost to the Islanders and didn't finish vs. Philadelphia.

That's my feeling, exactly.

Really would like to see Osgood getting some starts. He has earned it as of late, especially compared to Howard. I get the whole "let the goaltender bounce back" thing, but how long are we going to shelf Osgood so Howard can work out the kinks? He had a rough December and didn't exactly start the New Year with a bang. I think the Wings have a chance right now to do what they couldn't last season and ended up regretting in the long run: have a two goalie rotation, using the veteran to keep the younger guy rested and healthy, and let the position work itself out naturally. Really, what is wrong with having Osgood start every other or every third game? As things sit right now, I see Howard continuing to struggle, Osgood to cool off/get discouraged again, and here we are in spring out in the second round again. Do you think its a saving-face thing sometimes with Babcock, as in he doesn't want anyone to think anything is wrong with what he has been doing so he keeps on keeping on? He seems to do that a lot...

Well put. Obviously Howard hasn't been complete garbage, but with the recent play of Osgood in comparison, it hurts no one to get an even rotation. That way, both goaltenders are fresh heading into spring and we allow the position to work itself out. Though, if the Hudler situation - among others in previous seasons - are any indication, Babcock tends to prefer beating a dead horse back to life instead of changing the game plan. We'll have to see moving forward. At the end of the day, Wings fans all have their (not-so-)hidden biases between two goaltenders, but the easiest way to please the masses is a win, and playing the hotter goalie is usually the best way to do so.

Howard is great in flashes but if he isn't the star he is almost always the goat. He has yet to learn how to win with the superior team. Howard has been poor in his last half-dozen or so, dozes when the Wings are running a clinic. The team could have played better as a whole and simplified here or there, but Howard needs to win these games. Say what you want about Osgood, he could win the lopsided ones.

When was the last time the Wings had a bag skate? Sometimes I think Babcock has gotten too soft and comfortable. This team is lazy and stupid right now. Things like face-offs, lack of turnovers, team defense used to be the Wings bread and butter. Something needs to change soon.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/10/ducks_teemu_selanne_says_red_w.html My favorite parts of the article are just how wrong he is about everything he says And of course, the threat cements the fact that he is completely oblivious to the team he plays on. Sad thing is, I have no doubt we'll see vintage Ducks head hunting in the remaining two games. I understand emotion over a hit or over a teammate being hit, but at what point do these threats - like the ones often said about Ovechkin - warrant a legitimate response by the league? On one hand, I hate the fact that players can't speak their minds in many instances, so I appreciate candor, but at the same time, isn't that the same as saying "Myself and others have intent to injure" only needing an act to solidify it? Has the Bertuzzi-Moore incident taught us so little? So if Kronwall gets hurt in a suspicious act during a Wings-Ducks game, is intent already applied? In other words, my feeling is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtYjdEwa8GA#t=4m25s EDIT: Time note didn't work so if you don't like the Godfather, specifically one of the greatest scenes in cinema, skip to 4:25

Granted, these occurred under different rulebooks, but its pretty hard to sympathize with a team like the Ducks... NOTE: Definitely not intended to rehash the argument over the legality of the Brown-Hudler hit, that's what archives are for. Just "for your consideration" stuff.

Think he was doing this on the floor?

Oh the irony. Lilja was unemployed because the Wings picked up Salei, a former Duck, who then scraps with Sutton, injuring his thumb to create an employment opportunity for Lilja with the Ducks.

Not entirely sure how to feel about this move, on one hand, that is 3 pretty equal pairings on the back end (1-6, 2-5, 3-4 talent-wise). Then again, I would still kind of rather have two great pairings and one mediocre/subpar pairing that sees less ice, call me traditional . Feel like we are wasting awesome to cover up awful.