Echolalia

I guess you can say these posters need to be LOCKED OUT yeaaaaaahhhhhhh

Wow I totally forgot Renney was with Detroit now! This lockout needs to end

Emmerton should be first line center with all the skill he clearly has

That last tweet breaks my heart

I don't think this is an entirely fair assessment to make. Remember the initial proposal that Bettman and the owners put forth was quite ridiculous and the players would have been asinine to accept. The first proposal wasn't a proposal so much as it was signifying where the owners and Bettman wanted to begin negotiating from. By putting forth that specific proposal, the owners decided to take the lockout route for a better starting point in negotiations. They could have put a more reasonable proposal down in hopes of avoiding a lockout altogether, but then they may not get as much in the new CBA after negotiations. On playing through the season while negotiating, I agree with you. The players would have no incentive to bargain while a season was ongoing.

I prefer the NHL-FU ...fans' union, of course.

I'm beyond believing that this isn't a grasp at trolling folks on this board into arguments (which surprisingly is working quite effectively), so my response is geared more towards the individuals who actually believe that points per time on ice is an effective means of comparison between players, and not so much the person I'm quoting, or The Axe. This argument pops up pretty regularly as to why players who play alongside Datsyuk and Zetterberg who score X points/TOI should be replaced by fourth liners who score >X points/TOI. In short, the whole notion is bulls*** and fails to consider quality of opposition, what style of play the individual is most effective at, and what the team's needs are. Emmerton lacks the skill-set to play against the quality of opposition that Tootoo is often against. Put Emmerton on the third line or second line, and watch the line crumble and everyone's stats suffer as a result. Hudler is also not a 1st line player, despite countless arguments using primarily his points/TOI that have surfaced on this forum. He doesn't have the muscle to be effective in the trenches that you need against top-pairing defensmen. He doesn't have the speed to outmaneuver the opposition's best. Put him on a top line, and again, watch the entire line suffer. I read folks' attempts to use this as a legitimate argument (as opposed to a shameless trolling) so many times each season, and every time it makes me shake my head.

I suspect that Fehr isn't playing the game with just this lockout in mind. Its apparent that the players are unhappy with how often and willing the league is to use a lockout as leverage to get what they're looking for. Based on what I've heard through the players, Bettman, media, etc, it sounds like Fehr is trying to make this process as uncomfortable, difficult, and frustrating as possible for the owners (even if that means turning down an offer that seems relatively reasonable for the players). I think there are two goals here: 1) To get a fair CBA, and 2) To prevent the owners and Bettman from wanting to lockout the players again after the new CBA expires.

I think the teams' leading scorers are honored with a special helmet which makes them stick out more. Brunner wears a bright helmet and flames. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostFinance_Top_Scorer

My girlfriend bought a couple tickets for us to go to a Grand Rapid Griffins game at the end of the year. I'm selfishly hoping that the lockout isn't resolved by then, so I can see Brendan Smith and Nyqvist (as they are really the main reason she bought the tickets). But I also don't want the NHL season to be cancelled entirely, so there's a very fine range of dates I'm rooting for.

I love the memories that have accumulated at the Joe, but I have been ready to move on for so long. This is great news, and it sounds like there is more going on here than just an arena/concert venue. I'm excited to hear more.

Interesting to see Shane Doan in there

That amount of defensive eliteness was just too much for the universe to handle

Pavel has produced some beautiful goals, but that far-side top-shelf backhander against the Sharks from the perimeter has to be the most unbelievable goal I have ever seen. Edit: it's at 1:35

They really should employ better physicians in the Q. Too many players are getting sick.

Maltby was a 50 goal scorer in juniors! Edit: am I doing this right?

I still believe he did all he could reasonably do to address the issues the Wings' roster has, while not crippling other aspects of our organization, whether that be depth, finances, future, etc.

Regardless of which player you choose as the better, it's an amazing testament that these two players transcended the amount of hatred emitted by the opposite fanbase, during one of the most heated rivalries in NHL history. I always despised the Avs with every fiber of my being, but Joe Sakic was class and skill all the way through, and I could never bring myself to hate him. Many Avs fans feel the same way about Stevie.

2/21/13 2:10pm

I am loving this!

All I care about is seeing current contracts honored fully. If that ends up being too much to ask and owners insist on a contract value reduction, then current contracted players should be able to opt out of their contracts if they so desire, which would make the contract void and those players become UFAs. I wonder what sort of implications this would have. On one side, the owners are free from the massive contractual obligations that are allegedly crippling growth. On the other hand, these players are now UFAs likely to go to the highest bidder. Do owners refrain from paying more than they should this time around, or is everyone still payed the same, just for a different team? How many low/mid level players would opt out of their 2M contract to pursue a higher pay elsewhere?

Awrsome!

I love how he blocks out other players' sticks with his own while deking. I've adapted that technique in my beer league but I don't make it look near as sexy.

I posted this in a similar thread: The only thing that matters here is money, and like others have said, unfollowing NHL or some player or whoever won't amount to much or help solve the lockout issue. Some folks suggest boycotting the NHL altogether, but that isn't viable either. We all understand just how passionately we love the game, and the moment the Wings take the ice again, everyone will be watching and spending money on memorabilia. Besides, a boycott punishes us as fans moreso than the big guys at the top, whose wallets are already quite stuffed. As fans there is very little we can realistically do that will echo into the upper tiers of NHL management. But we aren't completely hopeless. Despite what they may want us to think, the NHL does not have a monopoly on hockey. There are other leagues around that can provide good entertainment. Instead of sitting the year out as a fan, stay invested in the game, but turn your attention (fully) to the Griffins, or the Whalers or whoever tickles your fancy. Spend the same amount of money on tickets as last year. You'll go to more games and have better seats! Buy a jersey and a hotdog on hotdog night. Go out to a local restaurant or bar before the game. Help the local economy. If we're very very lucky and enough dollars are put into other leagues, it may remind the NHL and/or players how much their losing, and may entice them to reach an agreement sooner (although admittedly not likely). At the very least, us as fans still get to enjoy quality hockey, and check out some top prospects while we're at it, and maybe some of us will start a lifelong fandom into a totally new league. There's also the plus of helping out the local economy and financially backing some of these smaller teams. You would be spending all that money on the NHL anyway, so why not? I know I'm already planning to take the 2.5 hour drive to Grand Rapids to catch the Griffins play a few games this year. If FSN gets enough votes the Griffins games will be televised, too (there's another thread floating around where you can cast your vote). I'll be staying at a hotel and eating at the local hot spots when I visit, and I'll be spending about as much as I would spend in Detroit if a lockout wasn't occurring.

It would have been interesting to see the responses had Brunner been included in the list. Personally, I'm not holding my breath on a smooth transition for him into NA style hockey, but you cannot deny that he is a pure goal-scorer based on how he is lighting it up overseas. I hear his shot is reminiscent of Brett Hull, but I haven't seen him play yet...