w00p33

Here's the deal. I promise I'm not a knee-jerk reaction kind of guy, I have confidence, especially with injured players coming back (most notably Franzen), and I feel very confident the Wings will make the playoffs. But what do we honestly need to make a real run? I really like Ozzie as a person but I feel more and more he's past his prime (he reminds me of Cujo when we had him...). We have 143 GA, drop ten we'd be better in that category than spots 5-8. But this team also reminds me of last year's Wild.. we can handle ourselves defensively but we need goals, something Hossa could have provided if we kept him another year. 10 more would have us tied or better than spots 4, 7 and 8. So what really is more important now, goal scoring or goalie?

agree with most of what's been said here 1) officiating.. not the rules per se, but the inconsistency of calls, mainly weak calls. Stick comes parallel to the ice that's hooking, fine, refs are pretty good with that but how about the hooks when sticks are at a 30 degree angle? Sometimes called, sometimes not. 2a) TV : why are Canadian teams so spurned in the US? Outside the Habs/Bruins rivalry and divisionall games (NW and NE division games on FSN and MSG) why are no Canadian teams on tv? You practically HAVE to have Center Ice for the Battle of Alberta, etc. 2b) TV : is ESPN the perfect format? No, but neither is VS! Why is it impossible to suggest a multi-network deal? (Especially because NHL Network is not available on Charter, at least in Wisconsin, don't know about the rest of the nation) 3) Goalie Equipment.. I dislike Brodeur but he at least wears correct sized equpiment so I respect him, why can't others follow his lead? 4) Angry point for this post.. intent to call... why why why? God, can't refs admit they made a mistake? 5) TV again.. if we can't get ESPN back why can't VS get Thorne and Clemente as announcers, and if not why not just carry Canadian broadcasts we piggyback (in the playoffs) through the intermissions too? I'd much rather hear guys like Cherry (annoying but entertaining) and Hrudy doing intermissions than the VS guys...

Despite summer ending and training camp getting close, I haven't been following hockey news. But with football preseason I'm jonesing for hockey info. I finally purchased a HDTV and was watching movies, History and Discovery Chanels (lately, Olympic coverage) a lot and ignoring hockey news so I'm out of the loop. With our core D and O intact and the highlight addition of Hossa, there's no real question of Det. being a scoring team and defensively responsible too. I'd argue we'll be pre/early season favorites to - at least - make a run at a repeat, but that leads to the question of weaknesses, and to me, that's goaltending. Now Chris proved himself last year but he did as a savior from Dom's let down. So let my inquisition begin : Chris has been streaky at times of his career, this late in his career is he ready to lead solo? Is Ty the "bridge" guy between Ozzy and Howard or is he likely to become the next starter if/when Ozzie calls it quits/gets pulled off starter roll? Is this a good enough goalie tandem to make a Cup run? Who is the true Western spoiler to this team? My guesses are the Sharks, as they inherited a coach who knows the Wing's system and are likely to compete against it and (hold your breath) Chicago because they are familiar with us as rivals, they have great young talent that can compete with anyone, especially with a year experience, and they will be hungrier than any time in about a decade or so. Is there any major obstacle to a serious deep run that I've left out? And last, I know there have been threads along this line, but, is there any way to hope for a chance to get Winter Classic tix at under $200 for a non-season ticket-holder of ... well.. anything... heh?

I agree he's capable, but as I stated earlier, he is streaky, that was the basis of my question. He can do the job in stretches, but can he do it through a whole season as starter? Also, 55-60 sounds high, I'm thinking around the 50 mark... (I think Dom should have had about 5-10 less starts last year) Totally agreed, without Ozzie, there's no cup run for the Wings. That said, with as good as our D was in Reg-season and Post-season, we could have made any goalie look good... It was just a statement on how he could keep his cpmposure under high-risk situations, the difference between a routine save and a crucial (game-winning) save. That said, I'm just not convinced that, at his age, he can keep that mindset going as top man in the ne tfor a full season.

Great first point, does anyone else feel Luongo looked BETTER in Florida facing 40+shots a night than in 'couver facing around 30? It takes a different mindset to be calm for as much as 5-minute stretches with no shots then be very sharp for a 2 minute, 4 shot drill in PK mode... I'm all for a move to make Howard the next full-time backup but I just haven't seen him really.. at all.. so I just have his reputation to go on. Stars is a good mention. Ducks I already dismissed (though I may eat crow for that), Wild is interesting, they may approach Wing's quality on D in the Western, but you still need to score goals to win, and I think they'll still be light there. Stars might equal the Sharks for all-around skill, D and O.

I have a tough time taking the Ducks seriously. Even in years they did have success (even the Ultimate success), I just don't buy into them being a consistently good team. They find the lightning in the bottle then spend the next few seasons chasing it around only to realize they got hot (and lucky) at a good time. It's hard to describe, and I admit, it's a biased opinion, but alway playing on that edge that gets the into exorbitant penalty trouble at times may work in regular season, but it's just not a good cup-run mentality.

meh... I'm just not sold on how this team needs a first line defenseman to come here to be in the second grouping. I do feel bad for Florida though, I watched a bunch of their games on Center Ice and they are exciting, but the only reason they were realistically in the playoff picture until as late as mid-March was Jokinen and Bouwmeester. With one gone and the othre looking, even with whatever they get back I don't see them threatening to a top AHL team even. That said, as far as we are concerned, I don't like the thought of a 3-man for one deal, even with someone as good as Bow as it has potential chemistry affecting implications in the locker room as well as whether Bow would want reduced ice-time he would receive by not being in the first pair. The only reason I would be truly in favor of making a deal for this guy is not to bolster the Wings so much as deny him to the rest of the league... heh...

I have no problem with B-Mel (street name) as a head coach but in a limited sort of niche. He'd be a great motivator-type coach which would appeal best to a rock-bottom team (NYI, TML) or a solid top-tier team needing that emotional boost (SJS [god knows they're better off with Mclellan than B-Mel, Anaheim, NJD) of a spirit guy more than a strategic/tactical coach. TB has solid talent, good spirit (look at guys like skill-based Lecavelier getting into fights) and scoring ability. They could have gained so much cost-wise in investing in a serious golatending talent. Torts was a hella' spirit guy, they could have done much better actually going the opposite way, a kind of coach that could keep them toned down and teach more responsibility (Hitchcock comes to mind if he wasn't already in the CBJ system). That said, it does get him off ESPN, which is both better for the league, so we don't have to listen to his rambling, and him, so he doesn't have to make stuff up to sound smart. He is capable, though by comparison to a player, this is not his role to play.

I don't think many people here are defending the article so much as ackowledging the spots of truth it states. It's luck vs. skill and much like the game itself, it shows much of both. We have gotten lucky that so many late-rounders have become what the scouts thought of them but it's also a skill to not let their eagerness for some people show enough to let our secret away that these are people we want in our organization. It's a bit like poker. Our scouts/GM made so little noise about people they wanted that nobody else picked up a vibe, because over the years don't you think the other scouts/GM's would have picked up on our preferences and tried to grab players before we did? Yet it's luck that the players we did keep quiet performed to, or more likely above their wildest speculations.... It's not so much skill or luck as the combination of the two...

I'm not saying we couldn't do better with Sammy (the elder) off the team, he is the most consistent "logo-bomber" in the league. But 249 shots on goal for 25th in the league is not shabby. That's more shots on goal than likely half or more players in the league has SHOT-ATTEMPTS for the season (don't know where to get that stat, if anyone knows, feel free to correct me). His Percentage is terrible, his goal total is.. uninspiring. but his shots per game average (2nd on the team reg. season, 3rd playoffs) fits perfectly the Detroit's general theme of 3 to 2 in shots for/against the last two years. +/- was +21, Jason Williams 2 years ago was a +4, whom I mention because he also played a point on PP like Sammy does. He was a lot more efficient in shot percentage than Sammy, but a huge defensive liability compared to Sammy. Again, I'm not saying we couldn't find someone better for Sammy's roll but please remember he's not the Antichrist. IMO we have a much more defensively capable two way guy with him than we've had in the past, and it was our defense that did more to win this cup than our offense, and guys like Sammy contributed to that as well, +8 in the playoffs, with only 3 D-men ahead of him. He may not be the perfect solution, he DOES shoot the logo-bomb consistenly, but he's not a problem either. And let's not forget, when the puck ends up frozen off yet another easy save, Det pretty much owns the league in faceoffs... (Realize I'm not a huge fan, I am just as ready to throw my shoe at the tv as much as the rest of you when I see him hit glove/logo/shins on consecutive point shots as the rest of you...)

(Shanny/DMac) is lazy and he sucks ?

Don Cherry lol

yar, I would stick with the standards also (drink from it, big party, favorite nighttime hangout). I love the idea of taking it to Pittsburgh or Denver, though I would add Anaheim as well. However, whatever I would do I would also take it down to Jefferson County in Wisconsin and get the sandbaggers combating flood waters a break, with a chance to take pictures with it and touch it as well. I would say take it to Iowa, but somebody who lives closer can do that, I gotta' support my own state first...

I agree with the Geddy Lee comment, that's who I always compared him to. Unfortunately he kept running out in front of that ugly bus and took it in the face about once a year.

This thread shouldn't be Terminated, in fact it should be kept Running, Man. So I'll try to be the Last Action Hero like Batman and Robin to keep it from being Erased. I'll be like the Kindergarten Cop at Christmas singing Jingle All the Way until the End of Days, or at least the Sixth Day hoping not to cause any Collateral Damage by my negligence. That said, the Wings could have and should have beaten the Ducks without any Twins, Destroyers, or Barbarians, we just needed a bit more Red Heat to avoid getting the Raw Deal to avoid the True Lie that we ended up losing to those Juniors after what felt like a trip Around the World in 80 Days. If there's any justice we will beat the Duck next year as The Villains they are after beating the Predators like a bunch of Commandos as we give The Rundown right here on LGW. Alright, 23 references should be enough. Personally I have no qualms with the Guvanator raising the cup, it's just Pronger that should rot in hell IMO.

I know it's a bit late to revive this thread but I have a few thoughts on it. I've never been a big supporter of expansion until I saw this. Disregarding travel, 8 divisions of 4 teams is great for scheduling purposes and getting rid of the 8 div. games. 6 div. games per team, 4 conference games per in-conf, outside div. teams. 66 games. 16 games to fill vs. outside conference, 2 conferences away and 2 at home. It still would take 2 years to see every team at home but that's better than once every 3 years. That would still raise the question of every divison leader making the playoffs or to just go by conference but overall I love the scheduling aspect of this format. Personally I prefer Wings stay in the west (though the thought of playing Toronto and Pittsburgh are very appealing) due to the fact that when I work days (I work nights now so either I'm working or I can watch a game whenever), I get home at 8. If the Wings play any other W. conf. team I can catch the last 1:15 hours of the game, when they play east, I get the last 0:15.

Yes, NHL's ad campaigns aren't helping the matter but at the same time the companies that sponsor NHL by advertising on OLN during games don't help either. At least ESPN had those "Hockey Falls" ads. How many channel flippers watching a game have gone to another channel when they see one of the same 8 ads that run all season long by esurance, Dodge, Car Soup and Enterprise comes on again? At least those Hockey Falls (or real men of genious) ads I could watch more than 2 or 3 times without wanting to gouge my eyeballs out with my remote.... Hell, even those short ESPN promo spots are more entertaining than all that other crap. I don't know what NHL needs to do to promote itself better but it could help its own cause simply by trying to get their advertisers to be a little more original... More on topic, I thought I had heard that the NHL Network should be available to Center Ice subscribers in the US.

Yeah, I'd love to delude myself into thinking NHL would work in WI, but at best it would have a half-life of about 3 years and you would quickly see it in as bad a state as Nashville. Could it work, yes; would it work, probably not. Statewide support for football is so huge here that it drowns out the (small) areas of the state that truly are hockey hotbeds.

In my own little world, I'd rather have Rinne stay in Milwaukee another year, for Milwaukee's sake. As I live in Wisconsin, this should be understandable. His backup, Goehring, has a good style and is one of those rare goalies who seem to play best in the worst situations and then lets that easy stop slide right by. That said, Rinne can hold his own and though I don't think he should be full-time (starter or backup) NHL this year, he should follow Mason as the Pred's next starter eventually or longer-term going somewhere else where he could start.

Living in WI, I'd obviously want it to be Lambeau Field, but since we have no real home team that would mean it would have to be Chicago or MN to be the home team. That would make it obvious that it won't be there, right? There's an exception though. UW did play Ohio there outdoors so it's already been proven that it can be done here. (if I recall, about 40,000 showed up) I watched the Heritage Classic, the UW vs OH games, and saw pictures from the MI vs MI State games and it's a very cool concept and great to watch. The only weird thing is seeing how far the crowd is from the action. But then you have the football stadium's huge jumbotron and if we ever got an NHL game here I would SO be there. That said, wherever the game is played I'll still watch for sure. I'd love it to be here but I doubt it. Oh well, one can dream....

Ottawa 1) Elgin 2) Heatley (being from Wisconsin, I cheer for ex UW players) 3) I've just liked them for the past few years because they are a damned exciting and highly offensive minded team. Hell, I've wanted the finals to be Wings vs. Sens since 02-03. 4) It's kind of an underdog story, despite being among top pointgetters continually, they are never favorties, and Alfy has been bashed unfairly for all those years. 5) no Pronger. 6) a Canadian team needs a cup, seriously

Now Caesar Center I could handle but Little Caeser anything, not so much. Living in WIsconsin most of my hockey games are taken in at the Bradley Center for the Milwaukee Admirals, but I've also seen United Center and Excel Energy Center. None have the pure ambience of the Joe. But Excel with their state's highschool and college jersey collection just oozes a hockey history and UC's lounges just ooze comfort. Add the fact of concourses deigned with booths on the sides instead of the middle makes for a much more comfortable walking situation. That said, walking into the Joe's seating area I just look around and say to myself "the fit over 20,000 people here and it looks so small" is a stunning moment. It's an incredible place for a game, that old school barn type feeling but it's not much good for hanging out and socializing, the new places are better for that. I guess the question is do you try to combine the two or just strive to be the best game viewing destination or to be a real get-together place? I think combination of the two is the best bet and I have no idea how to do that, but then that's why I'm not an architect or an engineer. Milwaukee and MN seem to combine the two very well with wide concourses (without the plush seating of the UC) and great site lines (though not that oldschool barn feeling of the Joe while being in the middle of the city, not out on the edge of town. UC feels too high class citizen, Joe feels a little too small town, Milwaukee and MN feel nice and middle class which, myself being, feels most comfortable. That said, mostly I agree with hating the corporate naming, but I also know that that's just the way things are going, so I better cope or be bitter all the time.

When your buddies make fun of your team for how old they are and you don't even care because you know those old guys will beat his team's young snots 95% of the time.

Top pick, Cleary hit on Phaneuf Runner up, also Franzen's OT goal

I am obviously disappointed, but the last few years were worse. Just getting to the WCF helped make it easier to swallow than recent seasons. The fact that all season long we have faced more adversity I think made us a strong team and I agree with the statement that only minor changes are needed to keep us competitive next year. Most importantly though in the 3rd we finally showed our heart. You couldn't ask them to do more to pull out a comeback than what they did. You may as well go out in a blaze of glory and they were burning down the Honda Center. You can't tell me that the majority of that crowd and even the Duck roster weren't near crapping their pants for the last 5 minutes of that game. I needed the moral support more after game 5. If that was the series clincher I'd still be pissed off. I probably would have broken the remote control if that was the end. Oh, and Anaheim didn't goon it up, that helped. There's some regret about today's "too little too late" performance but the flipside is you could put that 3rd period in the dictionary as a definition for "perserverence," "heart," "commitment," "fortitude," and the like. They were accountable, opportunistic, teamwork was at a premium, and they played with real desire. That period should rank up there as one of the best efforts for 20 minutes from any team for this entire playoffs. I take a lot from that and it helps me cope with the actual loss.