Echolalia

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Mike-Commodore-64-update-Pledge-drive-surges-C;_ylt=AlQDCg5_kZTsmP3AWlduP1F7vLYF?urn=nhl-wp8825 Looks like Commodore just might follow through with it.

Frozen Four NCAA, CCHA Championship game, Hockey coach of the year by all three major college hockey publications. That is quite the accumulation for a single year of coaching. I would love to see him in the NHL working for the Wings. He certainly did my Broncos well, after years of mediocrity.

I think the rumor mill section should be abolished. Half of the sub forums get no traffic whatsoever.

I have heard he expects a lot out of his players, but this is the NHL, not Peewee hockey on Saturday mornings. I have not heard that a lot of players badmouth him and refuse to play under him. In any event I think the point is moot. You know who else was described like that? Scotty Bowman.

Ericsson's agent played this game well. Losing Rafalski put our defensive roster into crisis mode, and Salei leaving gives Holland more to look for in an already dry FA market. If Ericsson walks, half of our defensive core is gone and needs to be replaced and given the talent available, this is not the year to go down that road. Holland knew this and so did Ericsson's agent. If there were more defensive free agents, Ericsson doesn't average 3.25M. If Rafalksi doesn't retire, Ericsson doesn't average 3.25M. The ball was not in Holland's court with this one, and that is why Ericsson got what he got. Not because Holland is a loony or has some secret trade up his sleeve, or that Ericsson is expected to replace Rafalski. This is a matter of minimizing damage, and losing Ericsson (regardless of how he's bashed here) in addition to Rafalski and Salei would be devastating in this years' market.

I would love so badly for him to win no. 8 next year, but I expect there will be a lot of voters who will be hesitant to grant him the Norris that will tie him for 1st all time with Orr. In an event, I do believe he is the greatest defensman of all time, ahead of even Orr.

You assume correct. Edited.

NP= no playoffs This won't be the last time you hear it.

That's like asking the sun not to shine. Anyway, I think I'm more excited about the coaching lineup than the changes to the roster. I expect the team to take the ice in October to be quite different from the team of the past few years, regardless of who makes the team and who doesn't.

I don't like the way the guy runs the league, but I can't stand when he gets booed so monumentally each year. I cringe every time it happens.

So did Cheli

Whenever he ends up resigning, I'm pretty sure it will be for the rest of his life.

While I hope it happens at some point, right now I don't think its time. It might be odd for some of the guys to all of a sudden be taking orders and executing plays designed by the guy who was the 6th/7th defenseman on their team only a couple years ago. Maybe in a few years though. Hell, he could get some AHL coaching experience between now and then if its something he's genuinely interested in.

I hope Stuart wears a Wings' uniform until his career ends. He's strong in the corners, blocks shots at every opportunity, and plays smarter hockey than a lot of folks like to give him credit for. Frankly, despite their contracts nearing their end, I see him and Kronner as the only secure pieces of our defensive future at the moment.

VAN/BOS: 4-1

Pssh seriously?? You guys are softies if trash-talking gets under your skin. I've been yelled worse stuff on the play-ground during any riveting game of 3rd grade tag I've been involved in.

For real?? Haah

This is a good evaluation. If Holland is doing his job correctly, our 1st round picks will consistently be 25th and later. The elite talent is in the top 10 of the 1st round, and the talent after that likely won't be able to replace either of Lidstrom or Rafalski, which brings us to our next point: regardless of whether Lids retires this year or not, Holand needs to make a move at some point to replace him. Weber is amongst a select few in the entire league (not just in this year's free agent pool) that can effectively fill in when Lidstrom leaves. Rafalski leaving will be devastating to our offense, but there are more options for replacing him over the next few years than there are for Lids. I'm willing to sacrifice 4 1st rounders for Weber to lead the Wings' defensive core over the next decade.

He's always been a bad influence on his brother. Soon we'll see Andrei diving face-first to block shots and picking fights with mascots and refs.

This is not the year to retire, based on the FA talent pool. There just isn't a lot out there, and unfortunately those few players that are available will be high in demand and be subject to a bidding war that will drive up the cost to acquire them. I wonder if there are any stud defensemen in the draft this year that Holland could trade up to grab.

He's certainly well rounded, capable on the power-play, pk, good shot, blocks shots, big hitter, but I don't see the leadership and initiative that franchise D have. He's a no. 2, guy, imo.

I wonder who will be picking up the reins.

Not that I'm not in agreement, but doesn't Nashville also have a self imposed cap?

1.Neither one of those points actually presents an argument of any kind. I mentioned he's smart because he does a good job of avoiding situations where he becomes a liability, which was one of the reasons you suggested we move him. Saying Draper, Maltby, Modano are all smart has nothing to do with the argument whatsoever. 2. Again, I'm not sure what the point is that you're trying to get across here. So you're blaming Homer for losing a series that went to game 7 and featured every game (minus one EN goal) being a one-goal game, despite the fact that he contributed a goal and two assists and was a +3 in that series? Is that the point you're trying to make? Because that's not an argument against what I said, that's you essentially repeating your original statement, which still hasn't been supported with any sort of logical argument.

For all the beef he gets, Homer plays incredibly smart hockey. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and he plays a style that maximizes the opportunity to use his strengths and minimizes the chances that his weaknesses will be exposed. He's the best in the league (still) in front and around the net and plays a smart cycle. He won't be the first guy out of the zone, but that isn't his job. In fact his job is usually quite the opposite: to hang down low until the puck definitively leaves the zone. There have been a lot of times where following an offensive zone turnover, the rest of our team bails and starts back-checking only for the puck to be turned over again just inside the blue line. The team knows to just get it deep because Homer is still down there and will be able to hold the puck down low long enough for the rest of the team to reestablish the zone. Most other teams just dump the puck (ie turnover) and fall back into the trap. I've seen Cleary, Bert, and Abby follow this pattern on more than one occasion as well. Anyways, the rest of our forwards are pretty well rounded. When you play alongside Datsyuk and/or Zetterberg, you can afford to not be a great backchecker, or have strong playmaking/stickhandling skills. I like what Homer can bring to the table. Still.