Drake_Marcus

No biggy- there's another iconic Canadian hockey jersey:

Go Burke! Show the Ducks what you do on your way out of the GM position. Dismantle the future of the team! This is just another chance for Burkie to throw valuable long term pieces away to bring in an aging veteran. Wait. He's exactly the guy to put in the Leafs front office! Finally a change from the way that team's been run for the last decade.

Dude- very few intelligent hockey fans doubt that he's a really good top 10 forward! When he is regularly compared to one of greatest hockey players of all time the hype reaches another level. How many people are sick of hearing the "Obama hype"? How sick would they be of it if they constantly heard him being called the next Washington, the next Lincoln?

And that's what I do. But the people on here that question how he can possibly live up to the hype certainly shouldn't have their hockey knowledge or anything else questioned. The fact remains that, regardless of the fact that Sidney didn't ask for it, the hype that's been thrown at his name has elevated him to demi-god status in the minds of some. As nearly everyone here has admitted- Crosby's not that far above the other elite players in the NHL. Are Crosby and Ovechkin this generation's Wayne and Mario? After 3 seasons it'd be a huge leap to say that, but it's certainly possible. Let's wait until some time has gone by and records have accumulated. Where would Feds stand in the record books if he had played like he did in the mid nineties all they way until now? He certainly was one of the most purely talented players to play in his era, he just didn't play every night like it was his last game- Sidney does, and that's one of his greatest assets. All I'm saying is that people should have the right to reserve judgment on where Sidney will stand in hockey history. Some people hate hearing constant streams of hype about anyone. I don't really care whether Crosby asked for the hype- I'm not calling him up and complaining to him about it. I certainly have every right to find the hype annoying, and like it or not, the hype does change how many people view him, just as it would in any other situation with any other person. The fact is, having known him while he was growing up, I'd probably be a Crosby fan if it weren't for all the hype and marketing. It just wears people down when they hear his name exalted over and over instead of hearing a half-way balanced marketing of all the games elite players. How many Mario fans found the Gretzkymania annoying? If Sid is this era's Gretzky then you shouldn't be surprised if the people who worship this era's Yzerman and Lemieux analogs find the constant Crosby hype annoying.

That's a shame. From what I saw Joey had some good periods for them and definitely can't be blamed for an entire teams's horrible play.

Another intelligent summary of what some of us have been fighting to get the Crosby fanatics to understand.

Thank you. Once again people- it's ok to say Crosby is an elite, elite NHL player but say he's not the next Gretzky in the same sentence. Why the f*** can't people just accept that a good chunk of the population believes Crosby is an elite NHL player but they don't necessarily believe he's the greatest player of the last two decades?

That's the best response you can come up with?

Uggg this weekend is a disaster for me

You really don't have a clue, do you? You do understand that part of the reason why the Wings are where they are right now is because of the example set by Yzerman. The sacrifice, leadership and commitment exhibited by Yzerman helped mold Lidstrom, Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Yzerman's legacy lasted longer than his career. Orr brought the Bruins from the brink of pointlessness into a proud franchise. Orr most definitely did effect that franchise after his career was ended. That was my point. Christ- I have no idea why I'm wasting my time posting this, but I do know it's not for your sake. You honestly seem to struggle with reading comprehension, don't you? My point was written directly in my post: "Crosby's certainly not the only person to have done great s*** at a young age." You do understand the word 'fundamentals', right? How does the degree of talent possessed by Crosby have anything to do with explaining the fundamentals of hockey? Did someone here ask for advice on what an offside is? What constitutes a wrist shot? Or are you attempting to be condescending because you feel that it somehow helps your argument?

Huh? I applied for my first patent at the age of 20. And the patent was for a device used in cancer therapy. So I guess it depends on what you value. I'm very happy with my intellectual success at a young age. I'd love to have been a hockey player but my god given talents were in physics and engineering. I'm rather happy with where I am in my career path. I hold zero jealousy toward Crosby. I'd rather work and achieve success in my own passions, not live vicariously through his. What you seem to struggle with is how some people won't elevate Crosby from elite NHL player to Wayne Gretzky part II. Well he's not. When Bobby Orr was in his fourth NHL season he won the Stanley Cup, Norris Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Conn Smythe Trophy. He's the only NHL player to have ever done that. And he did it as a 21/22 year old (he was born in March, so he turned 22 before the end of the season if the NHL season lasted past March). In his second season in the league he won the fricking Norris and held on to it for nearly a decade. Orr's first season was on a horrible Bruins team that couldn't buy a trip to the playoffs. He single handedly pulled them to the playoffs the next year and kept them there for almost 30 years (or some stretch like that). Crosby's certainly not the only person to have done great s*** at a young age. And for f*** sakes- stop saying he was the youngest captain in NHL history. That dude on the Sabres was. Everyone just likes ignoring that fact. And Lecavalier was named captain of the Lightning in his second season too, he just has the misfortune of being born a few months later than Crosby, thus relegating his achievement to near pointlessness and killing his quest to gather insignificant achievements by simple virtue of birthdate. I can't wait until someone names a 18 year old rookie captain just to get the press. I'm done with this tread. This whole argument is like trying to convince a Scientologist they're not part of a cult. Why the f*** are people so obsessed with defending the outrageous claims that have been attached to Crosby? Why are you so personally offended that he isn't the next Gretzky?

s***. 0 for 2. *sigh* I'm still struggling to make up for missing a week. I used to be up in the top 25%

Christ. I did blow that spelling of Ovechkin. You say lol. 12 year old girls say lol (near exclusively). I win. Crosby is 1 year younger as far as the draft is concerned. No one other than Crosby has that sort of extra emphesis put on being born just after the cut-off date. *sigh* Oh and: "When I've watched San Jose and when I've watched the Rangers, to me they're the two best teams in the league. They're excited, they've got it all going. They're playing good with and without the puck. They're as advanced as any team in the league as far as playing with discipline," Babcock said. "Often it happens when you get a new coach. He's a good coach and they're excited." ... "They've always had a good team and they've added [Dan] Boyle and [Rob] Blake. Boyle to me is a very high-end, puck moving dangerous player so I think they're a better team that way and that gives them more tempo. Marleau's back playing like he was three years ago. They've always had lots of pieces here. I mean, they were the second best team in the league last year." Yeah- you must know more than Babcock. Keep drinking Betman's coolaid. Just remember- CROSBY'S TWENTY ONE! Ohhh Christ! 21! *shudders* If only there were other high end players that entered the league and achieved massive success at such a young age. But sadly I can only think of a few dozen. Eric Lindros included.

Huh? Apparently talent and ability are discrete? And here I thought you could have varying degrees of talent and ability. Well god forbid me from questioning whether Crosby's the next Gretsky- apparently that means I think he's a 4th line scrub.

Oh enough of that bulls***. Everyone who says "he's only 21!" is the first to say Ovetchkin has already peaked. Lots of players show more promise when their young and fizzle out a bit more as they age. Lots of players suddenly get much better after spending a few less impressive years in the NHL. To assume Crosby will get better every year until he's effing Jesus is a fallacy. Wait. Crosby's the captain of the Habs? Crosby's the captain of the Rangers? I'm confused.

Osgod. You've watched the games. This team is not playing like the team that won the cup. We're not the god damn St. Louis Blues- a 7-2-2 start does not mean the team is playing phenomenally. No one on the defensive end is playing well (aside from the fact that Lilja is playing a bit better than he normally does and Rafalski is off to a hot start from an offensive perspective). When the Red Wings aren't playing a cohesive, incredibly strong defensive game there's something to worry about. One goal games, SO wins and letting your opponent take 30 shots a game is not the Red Wings way. Am I freaking out? Of course not. But I am a little worried that this team isn't winning the Red Wings way yet. I'll wait until January before I start to panic about the piss poor defensive play.

Annnnd cue the presence of a certain SMU fan...

What? We only have 71 games to turn it around! There's just no time for Babcock to give everyone a good shake and change their attitudes.

I've gotta say- I think Downey should be here as well. I miss him. He's got a lot to offer this team in terms of attitude, work ethic and spirit. Right now the boys aren't playing like the Detroit Red Wings. I'd love to see Downey come up here and remind them who they are!

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

I agree 100%. It's sad, but our stellar offense having saved games so far is the reason why no one seems to have woken up and smelled the coffee. I just don't want the Wings to have to go on a losing slide before they wake up and start playing like they did last year and the year before.

DUDE! That's an awesome idea Although someone might not get the joke and I could end up in a morgue somewhere :S

Yeah! Then Rage will make the title belt gesture ala Tie Dome.

Now I know irony when I see it. Well done!

Abdelkader was killer today- posting a hat-trick (with the third goal being an empty netter). That puts Abdelkader's total for the season at 6 goals and 1 helper in 5 games. Leino posted 3 helpers today for a combined total of 4 goals and 5 assists in 5 games. Ericsson had another assist, bringing his 5 game total up to 4 assists. Larsson posted a .902 sv% with 2 goals on 31 shots. The Griffs ended up winning today's game by a 6-3 score and outshot the Admirals 33 to 31. This Griffins team has really been great lately.