swedishconnection

Well I, for one, do care. The guy's electric and has the capacity for significant growth. Game breaking speed with hands to finish? This isn't just another "prospect". He's demonstrated he can already play at a high level. Am I the only one who's most excited about him out of all our kids besides Larkin? Dare I say I love his play more than Mantha? Yes. Yes I do. Sign soon, AA. Hey- if he ever becomes an assistant captain, can I be the first to call him triple-A batteries? You heard it here first- folks.

I almost died laughing. I thought I was the only one who used that quote! Game over man, game over!

I'm still trying to understand what folk's fascination with XO is. I'm not being mean or judgy - I'm seriously interested in what people see? When I watch him play I see a mediocre skater with marginally larger than average size. His speed is one of his serious flaws and I saw it repetitively in losing puck chases into corners last year. He really reminds me of Brian Lashoff with better offensive potential. Nothing over the top, but somewhat steady for the most part. If that is what other see, then I guess I get it - that at least he isn't lazy and doesn't suck? How is he that much different than any of our other #6 - #10 defensemen? I'm Ron Burgundy?

Pre-Torres or Post-Torres? Getting back to Lil' Bert - he's definitely got the heart, but is that enough for him to hold down an NHL spot? I like the fact that he became something extraordinary in the playoffs for the Griffs for sure. How do we think that translates to a 4th liner? What are the expectations? How do we measure good production for him? For my money - a positive plus minus, 5+ goals, 15+ points and some good ol' crashing and banging is all I would expect out of someone with his skill set for a rookie campaign. Especially with his expected black hole of a center.

So - Does anyone know what happened to Fisch? Is he on the outs now? Or am I confused and this is a different role for Dan-the-Man?

You dont, unfortunately. He was the one who stirs the drink on that team. They still have really decent wingers but no one to distribute the puck.

If that is the case, why isn't Babcock on the bench after every practice? Oh, wait....

You Sir (or Madam), must not have been around for the Lilja / Lebda (or Meech) pairing. Lashoff has been nothing if not defensively sound and serviceable. Nothing flashy, but ho-hum and gettin it done. I will agree that Kindl does not impress. He's been a liability more often than not, but at least the guy can skate. Can't say that about Lilja.

One of the things that got me thinking last night was this: The terrible NBC talking heads were speaking before the game about the B's ability to play big and aggressive if you want; or play the skill game if you want that instead. That can be intimidating to a lot of teams in the league because with the Bruins they can usually do it better than the opposition. Turns out after watching the game that the Bruins didnt know which team they were last night. They can't out-skill the class of puck possession teams, and thier "big nastiness" came out like a wimper compared to the Anahiem teams we have faced over the years. With our generations of players being developed the same puck possession way, it's amazing to watch a "system" beat a team of bigger, better, meaner.

I dont think anyone was "writing him off." A lot of us found ourselves yelling "dammit, Smith" more often than any other player this season. He simply made a consistent amount of poor choices when other options were available. The good news is that he will improve with experience, and I think a lot of us who are critical of his play hope that he does. I was expecting him to stumble a bit, just as I expect any rookie to struggle. My general allowance is as follows: 1) Wingers: you get 2 full NHL seasons to show results (offensive numbers or defensive ability) 2) Centers: Tough job here. You get an additional season [3 total] to show results (faceoffs are scrutinized more and more each season) 3) Defense: Learning how to handle NHL forwards is formidable. I give 4 complete NHL seasons prior to ultimate critiquage. In Smith's case, he gets 3 more to show what he can do before I start calling for an inquiry. 4) Goalies: you have a screw loose. 5 seasons just because you control the least amount of the game, and may have a lackluster squad in front of you. Also- you are the craziest people on the roster and I usually cant figure you out.

I'll admit it - I dont really know him very well and I have been watching a lot of hockey over the past decade. He has never really come across my radar, but I am not sure if that is due to the "he's buried in a terrible franchise" or "he's got terrible line mates" or the dreaded "he's not really that good". The one thing I have noticed watching his highlight videos is this: he goes straight at the net more often than not. Never going to complain about that. It will be interesting to see how he dishes to the 2 swedes on his line to start. Hoping for the best, but cautiously optimistic on this one.

Link?

Dallas makes a ton of sense for Cleary. They just traded for a young player, he is best friends with Horcoff who was just traded there, and there is familiarity with Jim Nill. I loved Cleary and wish him the best, but I hope he moves on from the Wings.

Miller hits, kills penalties, is defensibly responsible and has marginal size. He can skate, has played center in his career, and is relatively cheap. As much as people second guess the role players on the team about .500 or .650 K a year, there should be much more scrutiny placed on several others. Miller is a 'Gander too, lets not forget. I love having him on the team. He loves being here. Miller is win - win. Why are we asking these types of questions again?

Since when does Detroit have netminding stability? This is not your father's Wings - or even your older sisters'. This is amazing: Great 'tending now - and potential for the future. Anyone who doubts, I have 2 words for you: Manny Legacy.

Anything Bon Jovi. I never really liked his music [too young], but my wife and i have been going to hockey games of all calibers and we consistently joke that we have not seen any in the last 10 years that didnt have at least one Bon Jovi played. Take it for what its worth, but to us he embodies a hockey game. We are always on edge to pick it out like some sort of sick and twisted Where's Waldo.

Soooooooooo basically Chicago's sweaters, but awful fake-christmas-tree-green? And with a terrible logo? Since when does Columbus get to give up the mantle of "worst current sweaters in the NHL"?

Anyone else want to bring up the fact that it doesnt matter who wins the Cup this year? Whoever gets it will ALWAYS have a star next to their name in the record books. And President's Trophy winners? So they were the best team over 40+ games. Whoopdie doo. I am proud of our team and extremely happy that our youngsters got the experience of 2 game 7s! What a playoff experience for our rookies. Now they know how deep they have to dig. The future is bright! Talk to me when there is a full season... Edit: Kelsey.

In the words of Spock: "I had not considered that possibility." I didn't really notice that he was struggling a bit. At the time it appeared that he had the same problem the rest of the team had last night: failtomoveyourlegs-itis. It is a rare form of the disease Darius Kasparaitis, though not considered by virologists to be deadly.

No, all of the blame does not fall on his shoulders. However, he is directly at fault for at LEAST 2 of the four goals last night. He failed to cover his man when Bickell went behind the net and opened the scoring. That was his man and Fil floated out to the scrum in the corner. Same idea with the Shaw goal. Those were his men and he gave them time and space by ignoring them. As far as the other folks, Abs did not hit anything, Nyquist was actually skating hard, and I disagree that Howard had a bad game. Howard looked very solid on the shots he could stop, and still looked unshakeable even after the 4th goal was scored. He will be a monster next game- mark it zero, dude. This series is more about matchups than any I have ever seen. When Babs gets last change back you wont see anymore Miller-Emdog-Eaves on Sharp-Toews-Kane. Our third line beats their third line when they get to play against each other. Game 6 back and the Joe will be exciting to watch!

NOOOOO! BEEERRRRNNIIIEEEE!

Just to be frank here - pot meet kettle. The Wings went through the same drought period the same way the Hawks did. How many sold out games were there at the Joe in the early 80s? When we started winning over the last 20 years the butts came back to the seats. Also, speaking as someone who grew up in a hockey-less Chicago during the 80's-90's, the games were NEVER EVER televised. I didnt even know the Hawks existed. All of my friends were Bears and Bulls fans and that is where loyalty ended. When I moved to Michigan it was one of the greatest times of my life because all of the people around me took pity and showed me hockey. This is why I am a wings fan. I dislike the Chicago fans lack of knowledge - but there is a whole generation that has a good reason. It is a good thing for the sport that people are picking it up in that market again.

Lets be honest here: You are comparing Abs to the greatest defenseman in the history of the game and the current best player in the world. Some people have a bit lower ceiling than others...