Great Win but its only 1

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

For those of you saying the Flames suck. Please cut it out. Talk about bad karma. Yikes.

First off, great game. I haven't seen us play that well in all facets in a long time. I loved seeing us dump the puck in. I especially loved seeing our guys mix it up and not shy away from scrums. Great effort.

Let's just remember though that the playoffs are a strange animal. The Lidstrom shot was probably going 3 feet wide of the net when it struck Stuart's skate. The Holmstrom backhand pass to Dats actually was miffed, it kicked off the Calgary defender's skate and just happened to come to Dats who finished with a very cool, savvy 5 hole move. All i'm saying here is that we did get some lucky bounces. And every year we've been beaten we didn't get those lucky bounces. It is about hard work and effort and playing smart. But you've got to have some luck. I think we had some luck on our side last night. Just remember how fickle the playoff Gods can be.

Bertuzzi may be back for game 2. Great. Who sits? Are we going to sit Hudler or Flip? Tough decisions to be made here.

Calgary is going to come out with a much better gameplan for game 2 i'm sure. And as great as we were sticking up for ourselves, let's not get cocky. The Flames own us in the toughness department. Maybe it won't be dropping the gloves but they've got some enormous players over there. You bring back Regehr and you are adding another giant d-man who can absolutely punish smaller forwards.

I'll be honest, I cringed every time a wing went up ice with Phaneuf out there. He didn't clock anybody last night but he was close.

A great win for us but by no means am I taking Calgary lightly. That's just me though.

.....okay, no more party pooper talk from me.

[Wings_Dynasty 267]

I agree with you mostly. I celebrated 1 win last night, not a series win.

A split is still possible, and the Flamers are very god at home. We need a win Sunday, and i will start smiling and breathing a little easier.

It's just one game, remember, we split with them 2 seasons ago.

Oh, and Hudler sits. No question.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Wings_Dynasty

[Hank 0]

Absolutely. The Flames are still a very dangerous team - especially at home. I don't think the Wings are taking them lightly at all.

I'm really hoping the Wings can take Game 2 and then go for a split in Calgary.

But if last year's final showed us anything it's that a series can swing at the drop of a hat.

I just hope the Wings can play the way they did last night every night. If they do that, I'll be happy no matter what.

[dicksmack 33]

Your right that we shouldn't take Calgary lightly--they likely aren't going to allow themselves to be dominated twice in a row. We might have scored on 10 other chances but got robbed by Kipper--we beat them in every category, luck notwithstanding. It was a great win, time for Game two...

[Zion 93]

Great game, but it's just one. I'm sure the Wings are aware of this, and will adjust accordingly.

What most impressed me was the backchecking from everyone.

[rick zombo 3,739]

You guys are all crazy.

WE can take Calgary as lightly as we want.

WE can be as cocky as we want.

WE are NOT PLAYING hockey.

And it looks like The Detroit Red Wings, the actual hockey team, are well prepared for this series.

[RedRum #1 0]

The Flames own us in the toughness department.

Guys like Clark, Commodore, Oliwa, Simon, Dononvan, Gelinas and Nieminen are gone. This is a different Flames team. Conversely, it's a different Wings team. Factor in that even if they had the players to get nasty, the new rules wont allow the Flames to maul the Wings like they did in '04. This series is far from over, but Detroit wont lose 4 games to Calgary because they were dominated physically.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Guys like Clark, Commodore, Oliwa, Simon, Dononvan, Gelinas and Nieminen are gone. This is a different Flames team. Conversely, it's a different Wings team. Factor in that even if they had the players to get nasty, the new rules wont allow the Flames to maul the Wings like they did in '04. This series is far from over, but Detroit wont lose 4 games to Calgary because they were dominated physically.

I agree, they are far from the bullies they were a few years back. But we mustn't forget this:

1. Phaneuf might be the best hitter in the league. Any shift he's out there the potential for somebody important to our club to get rocked exists. I was pleased though to see our guys skating with their heads up and dumping the puck in right at the line instead of trying to carry it into the zone and get drilled. Z especially, a couple times I thought "oh s***" Z's about to get rocked and then he'd pull up right at the line and dump it in and Phaneuf would have no opportunity. Smart gameplan.

2.

Regehr 6-3, 225

Phaneuf 6-3, 210

Hamrlik 6-2, 208

Stuart 6-2, 220

Warrener 6-1, 208

Hale 6-2, 215

Primeau 6-4, 230

Those are some big boys. As the series goes on the punishment will take its toll. Its great to see guys like Cleary and Calder and Sammy throw the body around and make the effort but let's be realistic here. Other than Bert and Franzen we don't have alot of beef that hits with authority. When our guys hit you they take you out of the play. Fair enough. When some of these Flames go after you they not only take you out of the play they can really hurt you. This didn't pan out yesterday cause our players skated with their heads up and were quick on their toes. They have to keep that up. The longer this series drags on, the better it is for Calgary.

Think about it, how'd you like to have a blueline that pretty much every guy hits and the smallest guy you got goes 6-1 and close to 210 lbs. That's beef.

Edited April 13, 2007 by GordieSid&Ted

[eva unit zero 271]

The Flames own us in the toughness department.

You clearly don't mean toughness as in 'ability to impose your will on the play' so you must mean 'big strong physical players.'

Comparison of guys who are 'physical' and are regulars.

Flames have:

Phaneuf, Regehr, Warrener, Iginla, Primeau, Conroy

Wings have:

Bertuzzi, Lilja, Franzen, Schneider, Chelios, Calder, Maltby, Holmstrom

I would hardly say the Flames own us as far as toughness is concerned. In bold are players who were not on the Wings the last time these two teams played.

[DaWingsin071 4]

I know we shouldnt be cocky but damn after watching that game its hard not to be. Second we talk about how big the Flames are, well after last night it showed me that it doesnt matter how big you are but if you can skate and we out skated them up and down the ice. This series reminds me of the Philly series in 07 lot big bodies on the flyers but we out skated the hell out of them. Well just my oppinion. And after last night I really to a dislike to Iginla he is great play but what a *****. Worry about scoring and not taking stupid penalties.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Anyone making comments about the Flames "sucking" are just ignorant.

One win doesn't earn you a Stanley Cup, 16 do. You can bet the Flames will come out extremely physical right on the opening face-off this Sunday.

[Shockwave180 0]

You guys are all crazy.

WE can take Calgary as lightly as we want.

WE can be as cocky as we want.

WE are NOT PLAYING hockey.

And it looks like The Detroit Red Wings, the actual hockey team, are well prepared for this series.

Careful. That might have been the wisest post ever made on LGW. That kind of thing isn't tolerated around here.

[wingsfan40 0]

That win might just set the tone for the rest of the series....just a game....maybe

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

You clearly don't mean toughness as in 'ability to impose your will on the play' so you must mean 'big strong physical players.'

Comparison of guys who are 'physical' and are regulars.

Flames have:

Phaneuf, Regehr, Warrener, Iginla, Primeau, Conroy

Wings have:

Bertuzzi, Lilja, Franzen, Schneider, Chelios, Calder, Maltby, Holmstrom

I would hardly say the Flames own us as far as toughness is concerned. In bold are players who were not on the Wings the last time these two teams played.

Would you rather spend your day getting hit by Calder, Chelly, Malts,Franzen and Lilja or Regehr, Phaneuf and Iginla?

Take a guy like Calder, loves to go in and put on the body, or even Cleary. Those guys don't do damage, they don't hurt you. They aren't great hitters. We have no Dallas Drakes. What I mean by owning is that they're bigger, stronger and they hit harder.

For me, i'd rather get hit all day by a guy who's 5-11, 190 and can't really hurt me than a guy who's 6-2 or 6-3 and 210-220 and can lay you out.

Maybe we see it differently but Calgary's hitters are far superior to ours. They hit with authority. We don't.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Maybe we see it differently but Calgary's hitters are far superior to ours. They hit with authority. We don't.

Oh I know. Oh for sure. For sure. No really. I saw it last night. Detroit felt the cold hard wrath of Calgary's "authority".

Personally, I would rather get hit once by Phaneuf than 7 times by Franzen. And that's pretty much how the game went.

[edicius 3,269]

Calgary most definitely doesn't suck. Did they play well last night? Definitely not. But it's one game of a seven game series. I was on Cloud 9 last night, but this morning, it was back to that nervousness. I won't be content until we have a good lead in the series (meaning 2-3 games).

[bringback91 2]

Some good points made and I agree with most, but I don't see anything wrong with feeling good about the game. Hell everywhere I turned it was all negative. I willing to bet they played better than not only the ney-sayers thought, but the actual fans alike. If they play like that for the whole series, they'll win and I don't think that's really a bold prediction. One thing that does worry me is Bert. He didn't look all that great to me in the games he'd played for the Wings, and I wouldn't take anyone out of the line. I'm hoping making room for him doesn't come back to bite the Wings.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Oh I know. Oh for sure. For sure. No really. I saw it last night. Detroit felt the cold hard wrath of Calgary's "authority".

Personally, I would rather get hit once by Phaneuf than 7 times by Franzen. And that's pretty much how the game went.

Okay, I get the sarcasm smartass.

WOW, series over. Wings are the best skating, best hitting team ever!! WE have no flaws. Flames SUCK!!! Hand us the cup already.

I sure hope all the games end up like last nights. But lets see how full of yourself you are if we happen to lose a game. I'd like to see if you're such a wise ass after that. For what its worth I hope you're right and we sweep this baby but i'm just not as big a homer as you I suppose.

And yeah, i'd rather get hit by Phaneuf once instead of Franzen 7 times too. Too bad there's more than just those 2 playing, huh.

[eva unit zero 271]

Would you rather spend your day getting hit by Calder, Chelly, Malts,Franzen and Lilja or Regehr, Phaneuf and Iginla?

Take a guy like Calder, loves to go in and put on the body, or even Cleary. Those guys don't do damage, they don't hurt you. They aren't great hitters. We have no Dallas Drakes. What I mean by owning is that they're bigger, stronger and they hit harder.

For me, i'd rather get hit all day by a guy who's 5-11, 190 and can't really hurt me than a guy who's 6-2 or 6-3 and 210-220 and can lay you out.

Maybe we see it differently but Calgary's hitters are far superior to ours. They hit with authority. We don't.

Having more big guys who hit doesn't make yo ua tougher team.

Toughness is the ability to impose your will on the game regardless of the opponent's physical force.

Example: Last night, even though Iginla was gooning it up something fierce, Datsyuk was the tougher player.

That's the thing--toughness is not about hitting. It's about playing effectively regardless of the opposing hitters.

[Superman54 91]

Its gonna be another great game Sunday. Hopefully Bertuzzi will be back, gives us some more physical presence that we will really need. Like some of you are saying the Flames are gonna come out physical on Sunday.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Okay, I get the sarcasm smartass.

WOW, series over. Wings are the best skating, best hitting team ever!! WE have no flaws. Flames SUCK!!! Hand us the cup already.

I sure hope all the games end up like last nights. But lets see how full of yourself you are if we happen to lose a game. I'd like to see if you're such a wise ass after that. For what its worth I hope you're right and we sweep this baby but i'm just not as big a homer as you I suppose.

And yeah, i'd rather get hit by Phaneuf once instead of Franzen 7 times too. Too bad there's more than just those 2 playing, huh.

Man. I'm not a homer. I'm just talking about one game. And your original post was way over the top and really really naive. Someone who's 5-11, 190lbs doesn't hurt when they hit you? Have you ever actually played hockey?

And why the s*** would I be full of myself? I'm not out there playing, I just watch and discuss.

I was as nervous as anyone last night before the game, and I still am.

Remember, you're the one insisting on how much you know about the mechanics of hitting and team toughness.

All I was doing was pointing out how wrong you were.

edit: for spelling, and toned down to sound less mean.

Edited April 13, 2007 by rick zombo

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Having more big guys who hit doesn't make yo ua tougher team.

Toughness is the ability to impose your will on the game regardless of the opponent's physical force.

Example: Last night, even though Iginla was gooning it up something fierce, Datsyuk was the tougher player.

That's the thing--toughness is not about hitting. It's about playing effectively regardless of the opposing hitters.

That's your opinion. What I see is a a Calgary team that is still bigger, stronger and tougher. Playing them on one given night is one thing. Playing them in the best of 7 is another. If we can impose on them like we did last night i'll be the first one in here saying how bad Calgary sucks and that we're the s***.

But i'll bet you dollars to doughnuts if we lose a game or if Calgary imposes its will one night, I won't be surprised as many who think we're just going to roll over this Flames team now after one friggin game.

Personally, I don't equate toughness with the ability to stick to your gameplan and dictate the game. I call that sticking to your gameplan and being effective. If you think Datsyuk is tougher than Jerome Iginla, then we have a completely different opinion of what toughness is.

Man. I'm not a homer. I'm just talking about one game. And your original post was way over the top and really really naive. Someone who's 5-11, 190lbs doesn't hurt when they hit you? Have you ever actually played hockey?

And why the s*** would I be full of myself? I'm not out there playing, I just watch and discuss.

I was as nervous as anyone last night before the game, and I still am.

Remember, you're the one insisting on how much you know about the mechanics of hitting and team toughness.

All I was doing was pointing out how wrong you were.

edit: for spelling, and toned down to sound less mean.

Here we go with another idiot wanting to compare hockey pedigrees. Yeah, played for over 20 years. Probably could beat the tar out of you so move on to the next topic jerkoff.

Naive? How about stupid? As in you. If you could formulate a thought in that head of yours you'd see i'm not stating that any player of a certain size is less effective than a player who is bigger.

I was specific. I know the players just like everybody else. You want to tell me that Cleary and Calder are better, heavier hitters than Phaneuf and Regerh? Try taking stuff within its context.

And you pointed out how wrong I was about what? Because we did a more effective job of hitting last night suddenly the Flames are a non-physical team or something?

You're a dips***. Sorry. Can't color it for you any other way.

You ever play hockey? yeah! take that one tough guy.

[rick zombo 3,739]

That's your opinion. What I see is a a Calgary team that is still bigger, stronger and tougher. Playing them on one given night is one thing. Playing them in the best of 7 is another. If we can impose on them like we did last night i'll be the first one in here saying how bad Calgary sucks and that we're the s***.

But i'll bet you dollars to doughnuts if we lose a game or if Calgary imposes its will one night, I won't be surprised as many who think we're just going to roll over this Flames team now after one friggin game.

Personally, I don't equate toughness with the ability to stick to your gameplan and dictate the game. I call that sticking to your gameplan and being effective. If you think Datsyuk is tougher than Jerome Iginla, then we have a completely different opinion of what toughness is.

Here we go with another idiot wanting to compare hockey pedigrees. Yeah, played for over 20 years. Probably could beat the tar out of you so move on to the next topic jerkoff.

Naive? How about stupid? As in you. If you could formulate a thought in that head of yours you'd see i'm not stating that any player of a certain size is less effective than a player who is bigger.

I was specific. I know the players just like everybody else. You want to tell me that Cleary and Calder are better, heavier hitters than Phaneuf and Regerh? Try taking stuff within its context.

And you pointed out how wrong I was about what? Because we did a more effective job of hitting last night suddenly the Flames are a non-physical team or something?

You're a dips***. Sorry. Can't color it for you any other way.

You ever play hockey? yeah! take that one tough guy.

I don't understand, how exactly could you have played hockey for over 20 years? You sound like an 11 year old.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Ya Calgary definately stunk it up last night but expect them to come out hard and give the Wings a tougher time.

We played great. But we did get some lucky bounces and Calgary is not an easy team to beat on like we did last night.

I'm not disrespecting them and i'm sure as hell Babcock isn't.

That's all i'm saying.

I don't know why my not taking the Flames lightly because of one game has stirred up such discontent. I guess i'm not waving my flag ferociously enough.

I don't understand, how exactly could you have played hockey for over 20 years? You sound like an 11 year old.

Now you've got the spirit!

Yeah, fight with fellow fans because they the Flames are still not a team to be taken lightly or not respected.

Just because I have an opinion that the Flames are a tough, physical team and just because we owned them last night doesn't make me think any less of them that makes me completely wrong and naive according to you.

Its no wonder I think of you as all those things i've already said and probably should delete.

For the record

30 yrs old

5-10 3/4"

185 (playing weight in college was 202)

right defense for roughly 21 years or so. right wing for about a year

11 year old, takes one to know one. nanny, nanny boo, boo you can't hurt me. ******

[eva unit zero 271]

That's your opinion. What I see is a a Calgary team that is still bigger, stronger and tougher. Playing them on one given night is one thing. Playing them in the best of 7 is another. If we can impose on them like we did last night i'll be the first one in here saying how bad Calgary sucks and that we're the s***.

But i'll bet you dollars to doughnuts if we lose a game or if Calgary imposes its will one night, I won't be surprised as many who think we're just going to roll over this Flames team now after one friggin game.

Personally, I don't equate toughness with the ability to stick to your gameplan and dictate the game. I call that sticking to your gameplan and being effective. If you think Datsyuk is tougher than Jerome Iginla, then we have a completely different opinion of what toughness is.

Toughness is not a hard hitter like Drake or Hatcher.

Toughness is Steve Yzerman or Mark Messier. The guy who will come out, and while he may or may not be a big hitter, will play right through what you throw at him, and won't disappear because of it.

Datsyuk is a shining example of this--in 2003 and 2004 he lacked toughness, and was made to disappear by physical intimidation. In 2006 he was injured and played fairly well anyway.

Last night, he came out against the big bad Flames and produced 2 points and didn't shrink into a corner. Iginla on the other hand was totally ineffective. Iginla is bigger, stronger, and more physical. but last night Datsyuk was tougher.