Drake_Marcus

This is just lip service. I see it as purely a political statement and nothing more substantive than that.

Plukkinen is a Hull style sniper. God damn that kid is dangerous.

It's a limited NTC no one knows the true details of. Ericsson uses his size well to clear the front of the net but other than that... not so much. I wish he was a better shot blocker-- with a big body like his he could really cover some ice.

Errrrr... he's yet to be nominated for the Selke. Are you referring to Helm's best case scenario for the future?

^This.

Turris isn't the solution to our problems, not by a long shot. Look what he's done (or rather-- hasn't done) since signing his contract in Phoenix. The psychological impact of adding him to a locker-room is probably worse than he can possibly make for up with his lacklustre play. Agreed. The Coyotes got themselves a steal of a deal.

Guess you also have to count the only Wing to score in game 7 of the 09 Finals.

Agreed on all counts. Anisimov's celebration was over the top (and definitely not something I'd like to see from a Wings player) but no more so than Selanne or Theo Fleury's famous celebrations. I can see why there was a scrum after that taunt but it was no excuse for a sixth man to leave the bench looking for a fight.

Montreal got fleeced. Wow. I can't believe the 'Canes got out from under that contract we knew was terrible from day one.

This guy disagrees: He's posted something like 1.5 points per game over the last 9.

I still haven't seen the much prophesied death of hard-hitting hockey. In other news it's great that the NHL is suddenly addressing the long and short-term health effects of concussions. Hopefully they'll successfully push the number of concussions down significantly. It's worth noting that increased reports of concussions isn't the same thing as increased incidence of concussions. 15 years ago many concussions weren't correctly dealt with or even reported.

It just highlights how many people completely misunderstand the actual history of the Boston Tea Party. http://www.historynet.com/debunking-boston-tea-party-myths.htm

Agreed. Someone email Ericsson Perry's home address.

Wings vs Leafs please! I love the atmosphere during those original six games and if we're lucky that ancient rivalry may just start to grow again. Based on the NHL's brilliant and super fair selection process we can guess the potential opponents the Wings may face: Pittsburgh Philadelphia NY Rangers Washington Boston Buffalo Chicago At the moment Crosby's only been a part of 40% of the Winter Classics so it's probable the next one will be Detroit vs Pittsburgh.

If Ericsson looks at the score sheet and has even a notion that his role on this team is the same as White's then he's a fool. Babcock's been very clear with what he expects of E-- PK time, minute eating, being physical around the net and providing a big, strong presence on the back end. Offense is an afterthought with Ericsson. White's role is the same as Rafalski's was-- being a smart, point-producing guy who can provide a spark on the PP and make that crisp first pass that gets things going. Painting Ericsson as playing the same role as White is like saying Stuart is failing for not producing numbers like Kronwall since he's been here in Detroit.

His tantrum on Zetterberg's back was so much crazier because he must've hit Z's back with the crosscheck half a dozen times or more. I remember my jaw just dropped when he did that to Z... it was so juvenile.

It was a speculative comment by a Washington writer, definitely not a trade rumour. Though, I suppose it's be e7 on 'tardlund's website.

Agreed. Ever since Montreal fans mastered the art of phone-networked votebombing the AS game's lost whatever credibility it had left. This. I'm not a fan of overworking goalies. 65 games I can live with but anything over 70 games is retarded.

This trade would only work for Washington if they were 100% positive Semin was splitsville in the summer. On the same side of the coin I'd only really want to do it if I knew Semin would sign with the Wings for a reasonable contract. With his obvious attitude problems and clashes with Big Bruce Boudreau (tripa B as I assume he likes to be called) Holland would have to be damn sure Semin could be forced to actually work hard every night. If he had Datsyuk's work ethic he could actually be competing for 1st in scoring on a regular basis instead of settling for top 20 numbers with terrible consistency and bad penalties. Holland would sign off on a straight trade of Hudler for Semin without a second thought. In a worse-case scenario Semin can put Hudler's best-case numbers up. Hudler's a 50-60pt guy when he's on his game. Semin is a 80-100pt guy.

"I'm not looking to trade" =/= "I will not make a trade". If the right deal comes along he'd take it just like any good businessman would.

I think he could be a Franzen type of guy. Someone who enters as a big banger with untapped offensive potential but finds their power game as they get older. The big difference is Franzen flew under a lot of radars and a 1st round pick certainly won't.

Agreed. Smith's offensive tools are really, really good. Love his skating too.

Kronner must've been talking about E's height.

I listened to the ND game last night while doing some school work. Sheahan was in on the 2nd goal (primary assist) and made some good defensive plays. Based on the radio crew's reactions he seems to have made a few great defensive plays on the PK. I wish I could have watched the game but listening to it was the next best thing. Another thing I noticed was that Sheahan was taking the key face-offs and winning most of them.

Part of the issue is related to the system and league he's in. You don't see the crazy 80's style action of the Q on a ND team. Sheahan's team emphasizes defensive accountability and relies on him in every situation. He's getting PP, PK, 5-on-5 time, OT time, every situation possible. In the times I've seen him play he's looked really well rounded but never stood out with extremely flashy plays. I will say that he looked to be reaaallly strong and filled out compared to the other guys in his league. It seems like Sheahan's already got a man's body and that definitely gives him an advantage against college competition (Nyquist, by comparison hasn't filled out enough). Now, if I remember correctly Sheahan's been this physically ahead of the curve since the combine. I haven't had a chance to watch Sheahan this season, though, but I plan to watch the ND game tonight.