Drake_Marcus

Datsyuk and Zetterberg both do the exact same thing when they're along the boards- put your back to the other player because he knows he can't hit you from behind. That doesn't mean it's ok to hit someone from behind.

Hitting someone from behind in hockey is never acceptable. Cleary deserved the penalty and is lucky it wasn't a major. I know Thorton turned into the hit, but Datsyuk and Zetterberg do the back to the other player thing along the wall as well- lots of players do. You don't get to hit the guy in the numbers in any situation.

Friday: Montreal @ Philadelphia Los Angeles @ Detroit Pittsburgh @ Chicago Minnesota @ Calgary Tampa Bay @ Vancouver Saturday: Washington @ Boston Florida @ New Jersey Anaheim @ Dallas San Jose @ Montreal Toronto @ Ottawa Buffalo @ NY Islanders Colorado @ NY Rangers Carolina @ Atlanta Detroit @ Nashville St Louis @ Phoenix Minnesota @ Edmonton Sunday: Philadelphia @ New Jersey Florida @ Washington Los Angeles @ Chicago Pittsburgh @ Dallas Tampa Bay @ Calgary Columbus @ Vancouver

There must be conclusive video evidence to overturn the ref's on-ice decision. Based on the views given- I have to agree with Toronto- there was never ice visible between the back of the puck and the line.

It's true. Parros' 'stache is the best thing to happen to the NHL since Lanny McDonald's sweet walrus mustache.

Seconded.

Don't expect too much physical play from Big Rig. If you drew a scale and put a picture of Lidstrom on one end and a picture of Konstantinov on the other end Jiri's picture would be stuck close to Vladi's and Ericsson's picture would be stuck closer to Lidstrom's. Ericsson is big but he's still a finesse player. He's fought in the AHL and isn't necessarily a push-over, but he won't put a Sedin twin through the glass either. The closest thing the Wings have to another Fischer in their system is Kolosov. Believe it or not- it looks like the Griffins did the Wings a huge favour by inviting Kolosov to their training camp. Last year it looked like the Wings might walk away from Kolosov but now they're likely overjoyed at how well his rookie season is going in GR. Sergei started the season pretty roughly in GR but he's improved steadly and is looking like the most improved rookie on their squad. He won't put up tons of points but he will make some great bone crunching hits (like he has in the World Juniors in the past) and he'll make the safe play every time. Red Wings Central compares him to a home-grown Lilja.

Conklin will most likely start the playoffs wearing a ball cap and keeping track of face-off wins.

I'll take Roloson's play in the playoffs a few seasons ago over Anderson's unknown playoff performance anyday.

Those names make you feel much more confident in Ozzy! Hell- I'd take Conklin over anyone there aside from Roloson (who was steller for the Oil in their run to the finals). Why hasn't anyone mentioned Biron? He played amazingly well against the Pens last year and it looks like the Flyers are fully enamored with NittyBigMac.

Those rankings were made based off estimated guesses, formal scouting reports and most importantly, based strongly on draft position and the draft-time scout analysis. HF obviously didn't do their due-diligence here because the rankings smack of poorly informed assumptions. The position of Mursak is an absolute joke to anyone who's seen his rookie season in the AHL. No one is giving up on him but he certainly isn't the least tradeable forward in the Wings' system. The analysis of Ericsson has always been laughable on HF- last year when everyone was high on him, he was an AHL all star, the second hardest shot in the league, the best d-man on GR and one of the top d-men in the AHL, and Holland was being asked to trade him by other GMs --HF had him slotted low in the depth chart as well. HF will never let Ericsson shake his #291 draft position. Given his performance I can confidently say that were he drafted in the first round they'd have him marked as a 8.0B or better and at the top of the Detroit prospect rankings. That whole site is far, far, far too based on draft position.

Here we go again- mocking hockey fans in the south. Someday we'll develop some kind of enclosed arena that can maintain ice in warm areas and allow people from anywhere in the world to enjoy the sport of hockey without accusations of ignorance based on their home town's average winter temperature. I've got dozens of reasons to feel disdain toward the south- the ignorant molestation of science in Kansas schools being foremost among them, but having some hicks show up at hockey games certainly isn't one of them.

Back on topic- I don't mind Ovechkin's celebrations, even if they are over the top and little too frequent. Why do I like them? They're honest. When he celebrates his goals you can see that he's honestly excited and happy to have scored, it's not a calculated act of showmanship or an attempt to taunt the opposition. That's the only reason why people tolerate it- it's him showing his emotion... it's Ovi's personality. How different is Ovi jumping up and hitting the glass than someone else skating to their bench and giving everyone there a fist bump/hand slap? Almost every goal ends up with someone skating to the bench to hit a line of outstretched hands. Lots of players celebrate their goals- Ovi just does it more flamboyantly and frequently. I do agree that he acts like every goal is the OT winner and that can be annoying, but you have to look at it from his point of view and just realize that it's him showing his passion for the game and it would be worse to try and damper that than just shaking your head a little and saying "that's Ovi". Ovechkin's got more personality than half the NHL combined and that's good for the game. I just wish this thread hadn't turned into another Crosby haters vs. Crosby lovers showdown (but both sides on these forums are equally guilty of being too obsessive about Sid).

I know who I'd trust mine eyes to!

I beg to differ. Tootoo and Pronger are very much hated on these forums- especially Pronger. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who is more universally hated than Pronger on here.

Response of the day

Ohhhkaay. So what you're saying is the huge influx of jobs created by government spending on military buildups and contracts with European nations that required weapons for WWII didn't end the depression? No you're not going to say that. You're going to say that the New Deal didn't end the depression- the situation outlined above did. Well without the massive infrastructure provided by the New Deal and the general slowing/easing of the depression created by the ND there is no late 1930's economic upturn from war profiteering. One had to come before the other. It should be noted that "tax cuts" have never helped fix a major recession and that the rest of the planet has been using economic stimulus to some effect rather than tax cuts to no effect.

You should mail this rant to TSN et al, they seem to think the Crosby Ovi blow up was enough to stir discussion as well.

Yeah! It's already been a month! Why hasn't Obama fixed the mess the Republicans made over the last 8 years yet? Lower taxes would sure fix things! Once corporate taxes go down jobs magically appear! Making work won't make jobs, I mean that didn't end the depression, did it? Oh yeah- it did. Go read a book instead of the Republican's Orwellian talking points.

Putting Fippula on the second line and Franzen and Hudler on the third is just bizarre. Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Homer Franzen-Hudler-Hossa Leino-Filppula-Sammy Helm-Draper-Cleary Leino looks great on the top lines (see: Leino's first two games playing with Datsyuk). But Franzen and Hudler are too deadly to leave on the third line. Let Leino put the puck in the net when Fippula stands in front of it looking despirately for someone to pass to I love Filppula but damn it he needs to shoot the damn puck. Someone should figure out what possesses Sammy to shoot first and look for the pass later and give Val half of that instinct. Edit: switch Cleary and Sammy and let the fourth line be the shut-down/checking line.

Again, he made a mistake- I still don't see why my frustration is unreasonable in this.

I didn't say I'm going to lobby to have him traded. I just got pissed that he let a man walk around him. At this point this season it's very reasonable to be frustrated with Rafalski's defensive play. I hope Babcock goes back to his defensive pairings from last game because this switch back to the Octoberish pairings just isn't working out.

I'm well aware of that. Rafalski is a 6 million dollar defenseman- that's not the way a d-man of his caliber is supposed to play that situation. He obviously didn't realize he'd be able to step inside on him like that but that's not the point. Rafalski f***ed it up and he knows it.

f*** Rafalski. What the f***? f***. How did Rafalski let him step around him like that?