Echolalia

awesome!

very nice

really getting confused with the choices these refs are making

Mrazek's rebound control has been solid so far tonight.

Frankly I'm suprised that Koivu was given that much time and space that close to the net. There was a breakdown in coverage somewhere on our part.

aaaaannnnnddddd back in the doghouse

awesome!

Helm looking good out there

Kenny just said that the lines were juggled because Babcock wants Sheahan to play against Koivu in a shutdown role. Still don't fully understand it, but at least we have an explanation to work with now

ehhh i haven't been too impressed. He definitely has a hard shot, but nothing else has stood out to me. Not that I think he's a bad player, but I don't know if he's ready for the NHL based on what he's shown us so far.

I think I figured out the lines, guys. Babs is ALL about overcoming adversity and earning the right to feel good about yourself and working your way back up through the lineup, so anytime someone starts playing poorly, Babs gets excited because this is an opportunity for a player to grow, so he demotes them to the third or fourth line. Except Sheahan has been on the club for over a year, now, and hasn't had a poor stretch yet. And Babs is baffled and upset because Sheahan hasn't had that opportunity to build character or whatever. So Babcocks is all "whatever, I'll give you adversity myself! Glendening! Miller! You guys are playing with Sheahan now!" And that's the story of how Mike Babcock saved Sheahan from himself.

Woefully

So what's their record after firing Caryle? And are they fighting for the McDavid sweepstakes?

The Wings are on a 4 game winning streak, won 7 of their past 10, have one of the most solid and consistent fourth lines I can rememeber. YA LETS CHANGE THAT UP

I'm not sold on having Smith on the powerplay. At the beginning of the year I wanted to see it (and did, for a little bit), but as a defensman in our PP scheme, I think it crucial to be able to get shots through traffic with some consistently. Kronwall can do this, Kindl can do this, but after that things drop off quite a bit. Quincey has been lucky lately but I don't think its representative of his skill. Smith's offensive ability I think comes more from his eagerness to join the rush, or slip into the slot/weak side during a defensive breakdown. These things don't happen on the power play when the other team is playing a tight box or diamond between the faceoff dots.

Hahahahahaha

We feel there's an untapped market of abandoned lunar NASA equipment who could really grow the game of hockey. My assistant also tells me that the moon is cold enough to maintain a "hockey climate", so really its Florida's market potential with Canada's climate. What's not to like??

I can only focus on one of your obsessions at a time, so pick Babcock or Smith and lets just stick with one subject for the time being. Yes, with just under two seasons of NHL experience, Smith is currently playing on the third line. I'm not sure why this is so blasphemous. Or is it because he was drafted in the first round that somehow means he needs to be a top 3 defenseman at this point in his career? And to be completely honest, I think its a good place for him to play given where he is in his development and where he can contribute the best for the team. Out of all the Wings' defensman, Smith is fourth behind Kronwall, Eriksson, and Kindl for giveaways/game, but Eriksson is a late round pick so I guess he doesn't count, and both Eriksson and Kronwall are on the first line, so apparently they're just better and we should ignore their screwups. Smith, however is our best defensman when it comes to takeaways per game, and he's also the best defensman in giveaway/takeaway ratio. We've heard repeatedly that Babcock assesses performance on who has the puck after you, and who has the puck before you. By this data Smith is doing quite well where he's placed in the roster because he's doing more for his team on the third line when it comes to gaining puck possession than any other defender is on any other line. So keep him where he's helping the team out the most, and if an injury should happen to someone in the top four and Smith gets his chance to reproduce his value on a different line then good for him. If not, he's still playing effective, possession-based hockey where he's at, and steadily improving as well. And in the meantime people will continue to focus exclusively on Smith when he happens to lose the puck apparently because he's a third line defensman. I personally prefer looking at all defensman (or any player for that matter) objectively and analyzing their play accordingly, regardless of what line they happen to play on or where they were drafted.

I wonder who'll be playing in the other 13 outdoor games

I agree with you, but I don't think Eddie does

I hadn't realized Smith was playing particularly bad this season. He has mistakes here and there, but so does Quincey, Dekeyser, Oulette, Kindl, Lashoff, Ericsson, and Kronwall. Its funny how often Kronwall turns the puck over in the defensive zone, and yet its almost exclusively Smith that people latch onto and obsess over.

MURICA

I think Babs just played the national anthem and drew a picture of an eagle on the marker board

lol what was said in the lockerroom

hes a good North American boy. Of course he's serious