Herr Hockey

I know the defense has been lackluster all season too, so Ozzie can't bear the entire burden of the teams' recent struggles, but why is it that blowing off any criticism of Osgood is becoming just as much of a fad as criticizing him in the first place?

As much of an Ozzie fan that I am, I have to think that people are crazy if they want to just brush off his play. It is too reminiscent of Hasek last year. And by that I mean that people can make as many excuses as they want for him on a game-by-game basis, but there's a reason that he is playing poor consistently. If the playoffs started tomorrow, I would trust neither Osgood or Conklin to win 16 games, let alone 4 against the sharks. It's a serious problem as of now, and I think some are in denial about it. That said, we know what Osgood is capable of (some are quick to forget). If he gets on his game, look out.

I didn't catch the whole thing, but I loved the elimination shootout. Unlike the flashy BS in the creativity shootout, the elimination shootout actually looked genuine. Very entertaining IMO.

I got the lowest tier seats last year for $45USD in round one and $65 in round 3. If I were you, I would call and ask for the very top row. This is because it levels off for the last 3 rows or so, so if you get second to last or third to last, you can't see very good or stand up because there are people behind you. However, if you get the top row, you can stand and the view is great as far as I'm concerned.

Someone threw something after the penalty shot I think. I taped it and uploaded it to youtube, but you can't see anything in my video.

I know how trade proposals are taken sometimes, but I couldn't help but be intrigued after doing some number crunching. Imagine the Wings trade Hudler, Filppula, Kronwall and a 1st round pick for Ilya Kovalchuk. Some might not like the value here, but I think we can lose Hudler because we gain Kovalchuck as a RW, and we can lose Val because we won't need him as a second line center since Dats and Z can remain split. The rise of Ericsson could cushion the blow of losing Kronwall. Losing Hudler, Val, and Kronwall would clear up enough space for Kovalchuck this year. The real predicament would be next year in resigning Z and Franzen. Here's what I could do for 2009-2010... CLEARY(2.8)-DATSYUK(6.7)-HOLMSTROM(2.25) at 11.75m FRANZEN(5.2)-ZETTERBERG(6.7)-KOVALCHUCK(6.4) at 18.3m LEINO(.875)-HELM(.875)-MALTBY(.883) at 2.633m ABDELKADER(.740)-DRAPER(1.583)-DOWNEY(.575) at 2.898m LIDSTROM(7.45)-RAFALSKI(6.0) at 13.45m STUART(3.75)-ERICSSON(0.9) at 4.65m LILJA(1.25)-LEBDA(0.65) at 1.9m Osgood (1.416) Howard (.716) Total: 57.713m The cap next year might realistically drop to 55m according to a recent report (link anyone?) Can anyone find a way to shed the 2.7 million realistically? I'm having trouble, but that is remarkably close for a deal that would make us amazingly good for this year and keep us looking good for next year as well. DISCLAIMER: I know a lot of people don't like these constant proposals and number games for next season. If this is the case for you, then I politely direct you to the button with the leftward pointing arrow to the left of your address bar. And for those who think the Wings could never get Kovalchuk, why don't you go back a few 10's of pages to July 1st, where some people (myself included) laughed at those who thought we could get Hossa. For the rest of you, have fun

Thanks for your responses. Yeah, it was hard to get a good feel for the present/future balance, but the mere prospect of having Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Hossa, and Kovalchuk all for this years cup run.......Drool worthy. Edit: Yeah I guess the roster issue really would complicate things. Are there any viable second line LW's available as UFA's in the summer as potential Franzen replacements? This would sure make the deal look a lot less worth it though.

Actually, 720p is better than 1080i, despite the number. As a general rule of thumb, 1080p > 720p > 1080i. I only have 1080i though, but I hope to one day have a 1080p.

Anyone else see the guy behind Babs that looks like Adam Sandler?

Yeah but what you need to understand is that under no circumstances other than retierment (which is unlikely) will either Draper or Maltby be off of the roster. Holland has more respect for them than to dump them, and nobody would take the anyways. Not even for junk picks. It's nice to think about keeping Hossa, Franzen, and Z, but that is a fantasy roster so far. Good work crunching the numbers though, I'd like to see what some different combinations would look like.

strickland is a tool

When I chose the Wings on nhl09 today, the other guy (xbox live) chose the nucks. Here's a video of how it ended...http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/2080891 A sign of things to come? I hope so. GO WINGS!!!

Cleary needs to be on the second line. Something tells me he will be within the next week or so too. Sammy has no business being in the top 6 on a roster this deep.

Haha what was don cherry's take on it?

I agree with everything in the post except for the part about 1st round picks. Lilja wouldn't even bring in a 2nd unless we had more going the other way. Think of it this way: Lilja is not nearly as good of a defenseman as Huet is a goaltender.

After the Wings... 1. San Jose 2. Dallas 3. Edmonton 4. Nashville

Three. Last year had nothing to do with toughness and grit. Not even in the slightest. Unless if by a lack of toughness and grit you mean Nick Lidstroms stick being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Cleary deserves that second line slot more than Hudler IMO, but it is close.

boo him every time he touches the puck!

I also have a college issue with the Wings. I hear Michigan State doesn't have versus (can anyone confirm?) If that is the case, does anyone know of an online option for me to watch the first game of the season and the rest of the versus games? ETA: I will be using the mac OS on a macbook

I know some people are going to say no just to make it seem like there's less pressure. But really you're just setting lower expectations so they're easy to accomplish. Lets face it guys: When the Cup Champs do nothing but add the best forward on the market, it's repeat or bust. Period. If anyone can handle this kind of pressure though, its our Detroit Red Wings.

This isn't 1995 man. I would say NJ's top 6 is easily among the 15 best league wide. Elias-Rolston-Gionta Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner

What is it that people still don't understand when it comes to Hossa? HE WILL NOT BE A RED WING. Hossa is asking for 8 to 9 million dollars per year over a long term. It is absolutely impossible for Kenny to make this happen and to keep Zetterberg. And don't tell me he'd take a discount to come here, because he sure as hell didn't show any loyalty to Pittsburgh.

Let him go and use the money on a Canadian who is seven feet tall, fight two guys at once, and scores 50 goals a season.

I was watching this video of game 6 of the 1998 WCF against Dallas: During the handshake, Thorne and Clement spoke of waiting for Osgood to reach Belfour in the line because of "what Belfour said." Does anyone remember what Belfour had said about Osgood? I'm guessing it was about the Game 5 OT goal from center that he let in?