Detroit # 1 Fan

We'll have to wait and see

Rafalski is looking good tonight.

Finally Draper gets physical, and we get called.

It'd be sweet if Downey and McLauren got called up last minute for this one.. Many dont think the Wings are gonna come out on top, but this one has alot of hype on it. Even if they snooze for the first period, and turn it on in the second, they could get the W. LETS GO WINGS!!!!!!

Hook me up with Clowe and Purcell. They'll fit in well with Cleary

Chara has been by far the best overall defenceman in the league and is deserving of the Norris. Weber and Boyle have had good seasons, but not Norris quality. I think 30 games in Lidstrom has been top 10 in the league, but not Norris quality, he could always turn it around of course, but right now, yes, he is looking up at guys.

Starting tommorow, Ozzie will be on the LTIR for the Winter Classic, go figure. Conklin will have played all three because of injury, haha.

Interesting move to bring up, Lou is too good to turn down IMO.

Kopecky finishes checks? Doesnt back down? Isnt the biggest guy out there? Are you watching the same game as me? He never finishes checks, at least not the way most NHLers do. He does back down alot, I've seen the kid challenged to fight a couple times this year, and even against Colorado, he'll facewash McCormick and McLeod while the linesman are around. Kopecky is 6 ft 3, and plays like a kid. He could handle himself with anything, but he cant skate well, and has bad balance. I wouldnt harp on the guy if he'd do something, but all he does is chip pucks in the zone, chase around for 40-45 seconds and get off. He isnt everything a young 4th liner shouldnt be, besides he isnt even that young, he's turning 27 this year. If Draper and Maltby have sucked this year, I dont know what word describes Kopecky. I will agree with the Filppula comments though, he needs to be much better, at least to half justify the contract he got.

3 weeks... man, that's a long time. I thought this was gonna be a few days kinda thing, Ozzie is gonna have a real hard time getting his game back now. This SUCKS.

Get better Oz, I wonder if we're going to have room for a goaltender, and who needs to move where. As far as the lines, keeping Chelios out against the Sharks is a mistake, we need size on the backend against them. Lebda is just to small to defend them, the last couple games he's getting beat out of the corner alot. Interesting Babcock mixed up the forward lines again, wonder if there gonna work.

Guys, you are preaching to the choir. People dont seem to understand that we arent talking about the playoffs. An enforcer and tough players form the attitude of a team. They arent talented enough to coast around when there tired, they have to keep going hard all game to get playing time. Other players build off of that, and it pumps them up to give more on there next shift. It's what happens, I hate to use a bad cliche, but you have to expeirence some form of hockey to understand. In the playoffs, yeah the enforcer doesnt play. But if you've ever heard Don in the playoffs, he shows clips of the practises, and a handful of guys have black jerseys on. "The Black Aces" he calls them, there such an important part of the team, but no one sees that. The players on the ice want to win and want to give there all for there buddies who watched there backs all season. It helped Anaheim, Parros didnt play in the finals, but Getzlaf, Perry, etc wanted to win so they could celebrate, I remember a CBC interview with Perry afterwards where he mentioned Parros a ton of times. Last year? The guys all clapped and cheered for Downey when he raised the cup over his head. If you honestly think they arent important, and that the players dont care, I dont know what to tell you. "Guys don't take that many liberties on star players anyway." Quote from Barnaby in that Detnews article, which made me sick listening to. If what we've watched so far this year in terms of toughness is really the Wings standing up for one another, and standing together, wow. As far as the quote, it isnt true. You can bet there are certain players on every team that'll come after the star to get some sort of advantage, it's always been like that, and always will be. People say the way of the enforcer is dying, well keep on talking out of your ass, because it's not true. The last 3 years have seen many enforcers playing many games, a ton of fights, a ton of incidents that have had retribution taken for. It'll never die, fighting is a part of the game and the day it isnt, the NHL is in trouble, because they'll lose even more fans, and injuries to players will be up a ton. People have already said this in the thread, it's a deterant, without it, cheapshots and runs being taken will happen more often, and the players will get hurt. And with that I'm out of this thread before it gets ugly.

I think it is all Sundin, and even guys like Forsberg and Murray. Once they make up there minds, Shanny will start playing again. I know he will, he's too good, and too proud to bow out like this.

"Protect the machine and the machine will produce." Hmm. This guy might be on to something. But I doubt most on here care, I mean we have OUR powerplay afterall, who needs a good hard working, great attitude, farm boy who all the players admited that they liked and felt better having him on the bench. Who needs him right?

Haha, you say this now. If Downs got a chance to come out, and give 110% every shift, you'd be singing a different tune. And honestly, we'd probably be better off if we had Helm and Leino instead of Flip and Kopecky, Sammy wont be moved, so no comment there.

He's a non factor anyway, yes he puts up points, but one hard hit, or a wack to that ankle and he's done. I thought Niedermayer and Selanne were bad, at least they played a decent amount of games. Forsberg would probably play like 10-15. Another thing, why the Avs Pete? They probably wont make the playoffs, and thats why you want to come back... you cant put them over the top.

I really dont know how adding Downey or Helm to the line-up could hurt. Kopecky has a shift, skates around with his head down, and whenever he gets the puck he just chips it in, with no pressure at all. I mean Helm can skate, Downey hustles, they both hit, Downey can fight, Helm can create turnovers on the forecheck. They'd both at least add a spark, a different element. I love Maltby and Draper, but right now, they need to sit out for a few games, to get the hunger back, because they both look as bad as Kopecky most nights. As far as goaltending, it'll come with the defence. The defence is attrocious, even Marty Brodeur had trouble with the tough shots back in his glory days. But his defence was so positionally sound, those kind of shots only got to him a couple times, and he made the save. Osgood is a great goalie, but he cant make the hard saves, every shot all game. Yes he has to be better, but the whole defence, actually TEAM defence as a whole has to get alot better before Ozzie starts improving on them stats.

Bad Division? I hated when people would say this about Detroit. As much as I hate them, The Blues, Hawks and Preds would always come out with everything they got, every night trying to beat us. That is no different with Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Anaheim, these are teams with a ton of heart, and they dont give away easy points. Honestly, if Ersberg doesnt get hurt last night, the Sharks probably would've lost.

Lots of newfoundland love tonight, Clowe with a goal and Purcell with a goal and an assist. Gonna have to turn this one on.

Downey against San Jose. Do it up.

That sucked.

Last chance.

WHERE THE f*** IS THE PENALTY?!?!? He dragged him to the ice, with one hand.

Still in it, miraculously.

Close call.