Herr Hockey

Why even argue about the criteria for winning the Hart? Even if it was awarded to the best player, it would still be Crosby. Don't be such homers. Datsyuk is a top 3 player in the game, but even given Datsyuks defensive play, I'd pick Crosby over him 100 out of 100 times if I were building a team.

I actually like all of the commentators on VS. Does anybody know who did the Wings-Sharks series on versus? I know Daryl Reaugh did the color, but I have no idea who did the pbp. I thought they were both great.

And with Rafalski, Kronwall, and Lidstrom on the blue line, Holland wouldn't even field a call about Kaberle.

For those who were critical of Datsyuk's move in the SO...

The earliest I know of is game 5 of the 2008 finals. Not saying that's for sure when it started, but I don't know of any times before then that it was used.

I'm on the fence on the prospects of bringing him back, but to play devil's advocate: secondary scoring, and as stupid as it sounds, shootouts.

I get chills thinking about the end of a close game 7 last year when Lidstrom WAS on the ice. Kidding aside though, I'd want him on the ice over any defenseman in the league. And while he will likely take a discount in the $5m range, the Wings should do whatever it takes to retain him.

On almost a nightly basis, Leino is the worst forward on the team.

This is probably reality, but there's something about the "X Sucks!" chant that just bugs me. I think it's mainly that it just isn't funny. Because I'm not one to be overly sensitive to stuff like that. Sometimes tasteless humor can be the best humor, but damn at least have some creativity.

You speak the truth, but I must add that 21,000 fans chanting "Detroit Sucks" can be pretty damn annoying too. At least Detroit fans have the class to only degrade individual players like Pronger and Crosby and not entire cities haha. But yes, every fanbase has its bad apples, like the Wings fan who hit the hawks trainer in the eye with something after that BS penalty shot call at the end of last season.

I would have rather Lidstrom shoot the puck that way at the end of Game 7 last year, but at this point I guess I'll take this without further bitching.

NBC refuses to tell you who the penalty is against, as if seeing who took the penalty is the only thing thats going to keep you from watching something else.

Ed Olyczk is one of the worst broadcasters in the business. I love his comment about Hossa. "It was between Chicago and Detroit, and he chose Chicago". Yeah Eddie, you'd love to think Hossa went to Chicago over Detroit for any reason other than the fact that the Wings could only give him 3 million dollars.

That is true, but in all fairness, most of the posters on this board acknowledged that Lilja's play had improved before he got injured. It's not like he was being bashed like Lebda right up until the point he got injured. Most of the Lilja bashing started in the Edmonton series in 2006 and continued up until some time during the '08 playoffs where he really established himself as a great PK guy and shot blocker. By the time the second half of the '09 season started, a lot of the Lilja bashers (myself included) had finished eating their crow.

Alright let's do this. Derek Meech for McDonalds player of the game tonight. LGW will flex its giant internet muscles. = superstar

Danny Markov was 100% pissed off 100% of the time, and I loved it. We could use a little anger on the ice right now I think, too bad he's not around anymore.

Haha it's official now. Friday against the Ducks, Derek Meech will be the fan voted player of the game. Mark your calenders people.

I just had a random thought. Do you guys think LGW could have a noticable effect on the FSN player of the game voting? I somehow doubt a lot of people vote in that thing. It would be funny if we all got someone like Meech to be winning one night and see how confused they sound on FSN.

ES: Lidstrom-Stuart Rafalski-Ericsson Lebda-Meech PP: Lidstrom-Rafalski Rafalski-Ericsson PK: Lidstrom-Stuart Rafalski-Ericsson The Lidstrom/Stuart pairing came up more than a few times last year when there were injuries. I think they played just fine together.

Shanny's skates never graced the ice at JLA since Game 5 against the oilers in 2006, and it's a damn shame. Had he ever played a game in Detroit again, he had better have gotten one hell of a standing O.

Bertuzzi has easily been one of the hardest working forwards on the ice night in and night out. He's also been suprisingly responsible defensively. Blocking shooting lanes, passing lanes, and even a little back checking. Have you been watching reruns of the 2007 playoffs or something?

Whether it's Howards "fault" or not doesn't mean jack s*** to me. The Wings can't keep experimenting with giving him a chance. Last year, it might have made the difference between getting 112 points and 106 points. This year, it could mean missing the playoffs. I say Howard gets one more chance to win a game, then Larsson gets 1 or 2. After that, it's free agency or trade. Howard hasn't won a game since 2005. No excuses should be made for the guy anymore, he has to find a way, even if it means not letting 1 in.

Ok, here's the deal. Sometime between the evening hours of February 26th, 2007 and just a few weeks ago, Jason Williams turned from a weak version of Bobby Lang that didn't even show up in the postseason to something between Jesus and Wayne Gretzky. The question is exactly when did this happen? I drew a picture to illustrate the problem:

I can see the point you're trying to make to the other poster, but come on now. Goalies who aren't a problem don't get random 10 day breaks in the middle of the season without injury. If Conklin weren't around, and if that team wasn't putting up as many goals as it was, they would have been in deep s***. It's too early to judge for this season, but it won't be ok if Osgood decides to only be a playoff goalie again. We need the D to tighten up, and for 07-08 Ozzie to show up.

I have to admit, Williams looked nothing like the Williams of 2006 on the point. His shot was a rocket tonight.