Echolalia

Under the main forum page, when this thread is the most recently updated, the title says "Wings call up McCollum, ass..." And it makes me chuckle every time.

If they don't know that their teammates care for them without them trying to pick a fight for every hit, then the team has much bigger issues than guys getting laid out. And for the record, a lot of fans don't love it, myself included. I think it takes away from the pace of the game, and 90% of the time an actual fight doesn't even occur. The only thing that picking a fight after a clean hit serves is to try to mend up a bruised ego, or to satisfy some macho persona that everyone thinks necessary for hockey players to have. Someone alluded to it already, but I remember watching the Wings' Avs' rivalry and yes, there were a ton of fights. But there were also a ton of hits, clean or otherwise that didn't immediately result in the game being stopped so everyone can mend their bruised egos. The game continued on. And it was awesome and exciting, and I doubt that any player from either team felt unloved because their teammates didn't play big brother immediately after someone got checked.

I wish I watched the game so i would have a better idea of exactly how he was playing.

It's hockey. People are going to get hit. And acting tough after one of your boys gets drilled isn't going to change that.

Thanks for the eval krsmith.

Apparently Mantha hit the post twice in his first game. Its not a goal, but its a promising sign for sure. http://www.mlive.com/griffins/index.ssf/2014/11/anthony_manthas_first_game_as.html

Seriously sucks. Those of you over 50 should get a colonoscopy if you haven't had one in the past 10 years. If you have a family history, you should get it done sooner.

Maybe I'm missing something because I really have no clue who these guys are or what kind of hockey they play (I never heard of them until just now), but between the two of them they have 1 point total, which doesn't exactly scream to me that they would have improved our team (and I don't know what you mean by system). Who would you take out of our lineup to put these guys in?

Did Datsyuk buy a second piano?

At this point, I don't even know whom I would want the Wings to target for the blue line. It doesn't help that every trade discussion Holland has been involved in for the past year or so seems to include Mantha.

Well Montreal got something for Moen, whom they've been trying to get rid of. Both teams got what they were looking for by taking each other's garbage.

You could invert that list and make it look more sensical.

I think primariy its coming down to confidence, these days. Their body language during shootouts doens't exactly scream "I'm going to score"

I would be shocked if Lashoff wasn't benched.

It's also important to keep track of how the players are being used. When the coach is only putting you on the ice for offensive zone faceoffs, your +/- may be skewed in your favor. Meanwhile, the guys who are getting all the defensive zone faceoffs have many more opportunities to develop a lower +/-. Likewise, as a 4th liner, your goal isn't necessarily to score goals, so they play more defensive minded. More or less if you can get it to center ice and dump it in, it's a successful shift, so I would expect to see +/- closer to 0 for grinders than for top liners, whom are expected to take more chances and score (also more vulnerable to goals against in many cases). These guys I would expect to see more of a variation.So I don't know if it's fair to use +/- as a main argument to compare players who are used for different roles.

I think I'm the only person who said this, so I suppose this is directed at me.I think it's telling because 20 games is a long suspension regardless of what the crime is, and we've seen several players try to repeal their suspensions in the past, even after being established as a guilty party. These repeal attempts have typically been for things more severe than taking a couple hits off an inhaler to treat an alleged asthma. They have also been from people who were obviously wrong in their actions, but also thought the punishment didn't fit the crime. If Ashton sincerely only took a couple puffs specifically for bronchospasms and he can back this up from the diagnosis by his team doctor, I think he would repeal the suspension. 20 games is a long time to sit for an honest mistake. It isn't quite as long a time to sit for someone with a guilty conscious who knows he's busted.

What is particularly telling is that he isn't going to appeal this suspension. That doesn't exactly scream to me that he just took a couple puffs off a buddy's inhaler for an asthma attack here or there.

please yes. the internet needs more mspaint

I'm not sure playing under Mike "every-dayer" Babcock is the right place to bring out the best in Semin's game, where he's more likely to get benched than where he currently is (in Carolina, on the bench until last night). I'll give you he's a pheneomenal goal scorer with one of the best shots in the league, which is precicesly what the Wings could use to round out their top six. But he takes days off. He doesn't play a complete game. And this has been something consistent with him throughout his career. Before he signed in Carolina that was the big knock on him. He did well to regain his reputation for the first part of his contract in Carolina, but late last year he fell apart again, and from that point throughout the entirety of this season so far Semin has been more of a liability than an offensive threat. Perhaps Babcock can clean up his game and get him working for 200 feet and bringing it every night, and if that happens he would be an awesome acquisition. But if he continues to be Alex Semin as we curently know him, I think he'll be riding pine with Cleary for many nights, or playing on the third/fourth line, because I don't think Babcock will tolerate it as much as other coaches may have in the past. Just a side note: the more I think on it, the more I realize how difficult it is to actually be an offensive powerhouse in Babcock's system. Everyone plays defense first. Everyone plays 200 feet. Nobody takes risks to try to earn an odd-man rush or force a turnover if it means being out of position with noone to back you up. They win as a team. They lose as a team. That's why I think it was so devastating to have lost out on Hossa, because he was one of the few players in the league who could do what Semin does, but also fit perfectly into a defense-oriented coaching philosophy.

Alex Semin? The same Alex Semin who's been a healthy scratch, and accumulated 0 goals and -7 in 9 games so far this year? Yandle, yes, but I think the Coyotes would ask for more than Helm and Smith.

I love that s***

Frankly I miss Larry Murphy. I have no clue when dollar hot dog night is anymore.

Hahahaha

He's a great commentator. The problem is he has a lot of last-minute very's compared to other commentators, and don't get me started on his very bad-passes. Probably bottom five in that stat for all commentators league-wide.

How does Zetterberg get the nod over Tatar (or anyone) in the shootout... Anyway, the Wings got exactly what they deserved. Half-ass a game for 50 minutes and there's no reason you should walk away with two points.