What about Nils Ekman?

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Put it in the sig harold! I couldnt agree more with what you're saying.

Hey, what'd I say about puns?

Sorry, I thought today was Punday.

[Kp-Wings 3]

They're nowhere near synonymous.

I've been saying it so many times lately I should make it my signature, but the Wings have lost a lot of size and toughness over the years that they haven't replaced. NOT GOONS, but big/tough players.

McCarty, Shanahan, Fischer, Lapointe, Ward, Kocur all the way back to Vladdy and Fetisov.

Fischer 6'5" 225 lbs.

McCarty 6'1" 215 lbs.

Shanahan 6'3" 220 lbs.

Lapointe 6'0" 200 lbs.

Ward 6'2" 200 lbs.

Fetisov 6'1" 215 lbs.

Hell even Dandenault was 6'1" 200 lbs and would occasionally drop the gloves and hit guys.

Big bodies, guys who were tough to play against, had a nasty streak, some who would drop the gloves. They were a big part of why the Wings won the Cup. They could take a beating and they could also dole it out. AND they could play the game.

The Wings have always had tons of skill, but in the Cup years they had team toughness.

Who do we have on the team that's like that now? Lilja? With the exception of Holmstrom, the few big bodies Detroit has play smaller than they are.

No one player will fix that, but year after year, no serious moves are made to regain what the Wings have lost in that department.

I request that this post be archived.

Everyone all thinks we're idiots for always talking about the size factor, and the immidiate thought is BRAD NORTON SUKZ!!!!!!!11one!!!1

It's a real issue that needs to be dealt with. This is why Arron Asham would be perfect here. I know, one player won't fix everything. But it will be a step up from what we had.

[lyle76 0]

I couldn't agree more with this statement:

"Granted the Wings team is not a bunch of pukes, but you don't have to have a bunch of pukes to win. Anaheim beat Detroit because Detroit's defense was not the same group that started the playoffs. The Wings hung tough and they out hit Calgary and San Jose and both those teams were suppose to eat Detroit alive, didn't happen. This team is tougher than some give it credit for being."

Wings do need to add more players that demonstrate desire and hustle: two ingredients necessary for post-season success. Getting rid of Lang and Calder is actually a step in the right direction - this should give more time to Filpulla, Cleary, but they still need a goal-scoring winger. However, Holland may need to trade to find one... Hudler anyone?

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Put it in the sig harold! I couldnt agree more with what you're saying.

Sorry, I thought today was Punday.

Maybe I will.

And jeez Lou, you've used puns in ten different threads now, hoping they would make people laugh.

Sadly, no pun in ten did.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Maybe I will.

And jeez Lou, you've used puns in ten different threads now, hoping they would make people laugh.

Sadly, no pun in ten did.

HAHAHAHA! I like it that one. Clever, and not quite as pungent as mine! (although you gotta admit "Punnochio" was a pretty good one...at least i thought )

[Drake_Marcus 890]

HAHAHAHA! I like it that one. Clever, and not quite as pungent as mine! (although you gotta admit "Punnochio" was a pretty good one...at least i thought )

Oh it was good, but unfortunately it was preceded by 9 cheesy ones.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

I request that this post be archived.

Everyone all thinks we're idiots for always talking about the size factor, and the immidiate thought is BRAD NORTON SUKZ!!!!!!!11one!!!1

It's a real issue that needs to be dealt with. This is why Arron Asham would be perfect here. I know, one player won't fix everything. But it will be a step up from what we had.

Yup Yup. I would like Asham signed , sealed and delivered to Traverse City for training camp at the low cost of 1.25mil for 4 years. I guess it'd be wishful thinking to think Kenny would sign Fedoruk , Asham and Gelinas (Yes I know , too many roster spots )

Edited July 5, 2007 by Detroit # 1 Fan

[ben_usmc 253]

Arron Asham, would be a great addition, and yes size=scoring. 1 way is that goonish, makes it so people like Zette and Hols not get hurt by dirty hits. 2 they create more space down low so dats can gain control. 3 the fact that the wings looked insane after they found out they signed big Bert, and it lead into the playoffs. It gives them energy, like Ben Wallace used to do for the Pistons

Edited July 5, 2007 by ben_usmc

[RedWings Gone Wild 6]

Big bodies, guys who were tough to play against, had a nasty streak, some who would drop the gloves. They were a big part of why the Wings won the Cup. They could take a beating and they could also dole it out. AND they could play the game.

Sigh... you completely missed my point. So i'll try and explain myself better. You listed a number of big guys (some of which were never physical and have maybe 1-2 fights in their entire career.. ie Dandy?), and yea, some of those guys made our team a bit tougher and harder to play against. But the wings still weren't a physical or big team. just bigger than they r now. I simply fail to see how adding a few bigger players, capable of being physical, helps the team. This is the modern NHL and guys like McCarty, Lapointe, and Kocur are simply utterly useless. They are slow, offensively incapable, prone to suspension and penalties (if they try to play their former style), plus they steal roster spots from players with more tallent. I mean, McCarty was a healthy scratch on the flames, and they don't really even have or use a fourth line.

Face it, the NHL is trying its hardest to get rid of the physical aspect. Pronger is a star and he was suspended twice in the playoffs, that nvr would have happened before. You want someone who is going to make the opposition aware of the fact that our stars are to be left alone? Well, then the prescreption must be some1 u can afford to lose, a goon. Yes, I am advocating goonery. Hell, even NY is trying to clean up Avery's act since he can actually score on occasion. The super physical forwards of yesteryears are a thing of the past, plain and simple. If the majority of ur team is big, it's a different story, but a few big guys won't do a damn thing in the modern NHL, only a goon.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Sigh... you completely missed my point. So i'll try and explain myself better. You listed a number of big guys (some of which were never physical and have maybe 1-2 fights in their entire career.. ie Dandy?), and yea, some of those guys made our team a bit tougher and harder to play against. But the wings still weren't a physical or big team. just bigger than they r now. I simply fail to see how adding a few bigger players, capable of being physical, helps the team. This is the modern NHL and guys like McCarty, Lapointe, and Kocur are simply utterly useless. They are slow, offensively incapable, prone to suspension and penalties (if they try to play their former style), plus they steal roster spots from players with more tallent. I mean, McCarty was a healthy scratch on the flames, and they don't really even have or use a fourth line.

Face it, the NHL is trying its hardest to get rid of the physical aspect. Pronger is a star and he was suspended twice in the playoffs, that nvr would have happened before. You want someone who is going to make the opposition aware of the fact that our stars are to be left alone? Well, then the prescreption must be some1 u can afford to lose, a goon. Yes, I am advocating goonery. Hell, even NY is trying to clean up Avery's act since he can actually score on occasion. The super physical forwards of yesteryears are a thing of the past, plain and simple. If the majority of ur team is big, it's a different story, but a few big guys won't do a damn thing in the modern NHL, only a goon.

Well you apparently missed my point too, because you keep going back to goons. And I don't know how I can make it any f-ing clearer that a goon isn't what I want or what the team needs.

And I said even Dandenault because compared to most of the current lineup, he is a big gritty guy. over 6 foot, 200+ lbs and has dropped the gloves. How many guys on the team fit that current description? But he's hardly the main one I was talking about. Overall the Wings were bigger and tougher than they are now. I'm not saying they have to be a bunch of overgrown thugs on skates. But I'm tired of them being the smallest softest team in the league.

You're either forgetting or denying how tough and physical the Wings could be during their Cup years. Remember the Colorado rivalry?

You seriously can't imagine how adding big physical players helps a hockey team?

And I couldn't disagree more about the direction of the new NHL. If what you say is true, how did the Ducks just win the Cup?

Guys like McCarty and Lapointe in their prime were hardly useless. To be clear, I don't what those guys back. I'm talking about how valuable they were to the team during the Cup runs. And as I posted in another thread, the Wings had 55 fights in 97, 33 fights in 98 and even 22 fights in 02.

Not exactly as "classy" as they are now.

And there's really no way around the physics of it. A bigger, stronger guy is gonna hold up better over the playoffs and be harder to knock around.

One goon will not keep opponents from taking runs at our players. Honestly, nothing probably will. It's a part of the game. But if you have a tough team, when a Red Wing player gets run at, he's got a teammate right there willing to stick up for him. You can't underestimate the value of that. Yes you may lose a valuable guy in the box, but overall it's better to have a team who sticks up for one another. When one of the Wings gets cheapshotted, he's got a teammate on the ice who will stick up for him.

On the Rangers this year, when Brashear elbowed Jagr, Shanny dropped the gloves and went after him. And Shanny is clearly not in the same league as Brashear in fighting. Its probably not going to keep it from happening again, but it sends a message. You go after our star player, be prepared because I'm coming after you. Not to mention what it did for the Rangers. You don't think it fired the guys up seeing Shanny go toe to toe with Brashear?

Take a look at that Rangers bench and listen to the crowd after the fight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MceB6VBpfPI

For the umpteenth time, I don't think the Wings need to be huge. But I've become a Barnes bros. convert. Year after year the team gets smaller. Year after year they don't make any moves to get back the size and toughness they've lost. I'm tired of it.

(ps - Brashear is a dirtbag)

[Dabura 12,207]

Well you apparently missed my point too, because you keep going back to goons. And I don't know how I can make it any f-ing clearer that a goon isn't what I want or what the team needs.

And I said even Dandenault because compared to most of the current lineup, he is a big gritty guy. over 6 foot, 200+ lbs and has dropped the gloves. How many guys on the team fit that current description? But he's hardly the main one I was talking about. Overall the Wings were bigger and tougher than they are now. I'm not saying they have to be a bunch of overgrown thugs on skates. But I'm tired of them being the smallest softest team in the league.

You're either forgetting or denying how tough and physical the Wings could be during their Cup years. Remember the Colorado rivalry?

You seriously can't imagine how adding big physical players helps a hockey team?

And I couldn't disagree more about the direction of the new NHL. If what you say is true, how did the Ducks just win the Cup?

Guys like McCarty and Lapointe in their prime were hardly useless. To be clear, I don't what those guys back. I'm talking about how valuable they were to the team during the Cup runs. And as I posted in another thread, the Wings had 55 fights in 97, 33 fights in 98 and even 22 fights in 02.

Not exactly as "classy" as they are now.

And there's really no way around the physics of it. A bigger, stronger guy is gonna hold up better over the playoffs and be harder to knock around.

One goon will not keep opponents from taking runs at our players. Honestly, nothing probably will. It's a part of the game. But if you have a tough team, when a Red Wing player gets run at, he's got a teammate right there willing to stick up for him. You can't underestimate the value of that. Yes you may lose a valuable guy in the box, but overall it's better to have a team who sticks up for one another. When one of the Wings gets cheapshotted, he's got a teammate on the ice who will stick up for him.

On the Rangers this year, when Brashear elbowed Jagr, Shanny dropped the gloves and went after him. And Shanny is clearly not in the same league as Brashear in fighting. Its probably not going to keep it from happening again, but it sends a message. You go after our star player, be prepared because I'm coming after you. Not to mention what it did for the Rangers. You don't think it fired the guys up seeing Shanny go toe to toe with Brashear?

Take a look at that Rangers bench and listen to the crowd after the fight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MceB6VBpfPI

For the umpteenth time, I don't think the Wings need to be huge. But I've become a Barnes bros. convert. Year after year the team gets smaller. Year after year they don't make any moves to get back the size and toughness they've lost. I'm tired of it.

(ps - Brashear is a dirtbag)

qft

[RedWings Gone Wild 6]

Despite the Rangers bench reaction, I am of the persuasion that Brashear came out on top (regardless of how much of a dirtbag he is). He essentially landed two birds with one stone. He got Jagr, and then he got a chance to take Shanny out of the game for 5 min. Is Brashear being in the box a loss? Hell no. Is Shanny? Yep. So, that's where I am coming from. Besides, A fight, regardless of outcome or participant, usually energizes both sides.

The fact is, I didn't see anyone running over the wings last season, regardless of their size. They more than held their own against the Ducks, Flames, and Sharks. Sure, there were lots of cheapshots thrown during the playoffs (especially from the flames), but I'd rather see the league start throwing out suspensions for those rather than have a bunch of useless post-whistle shoving and whining. And McCarty wasn't useless in his prime because u could still interfere with players through the nuetral zone which made him less of a defensive liability. Therefore, it didn't cost the team much to keep him on the ice, but even in his prime he wouldn't be very useful right now.

I'm seeing various reasons for adding big men. Such as: clearing the ice for dats + zet, keeping them safe, and making Detroit harder to play against. To accomplish this, u need a guy who is big, not an injury risk (like Bert and shanny), and capable of playing on the top two lines. I just don't see any available player that will be reasonably priced that meets the need (or even comes close to).

And also. Stop saying you don't want a goon, because i nvr said u did, you're getting defensive over something I didn't imply. As I said, I was endorsing signing a big bum who we can bring in every few games if a message needs to be sent. I nvr said u were endoring it.

Edited July 5, 2007 by RedWings Gone Wild