The Let's Hear it for Datsyuk Thread!

[Cruiser008 37]

A question to all the people on this board who said not long ago that Pasha doesn't deserve to win the Selke - do you still feel that way? Or are you coming around to our way of thinking? There is a nice little groundswell movement for this to happen, and the voices are getting louder...are you listening????

Kira you know how badly I've ripped on Datsyuk in the past... but his progression into an elite two-way forward has been amazing and what he did last year in the playoffs was something else. Now that he's an alternate captain Datsyuk has taken his game to another level, and I'm sure glad he'll be our franchise pivot for years to come.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Kira you know how badly I've ripped on Datsyuk in the past... but his progression into an elite two-way forward has been amazing and what he did last year in the playoffs was something else. Now that he's an alternate captain Datsyuk has taken his game to another level, and I'm sure glad he'll be our franchise pivot for years to come.

Speaking of pivots or centers. Does anybody know how much time Dats spent at center vs the wing this year?

Early in the season when Dats was struggling and Z was lighting it up I started a thread about how having Dats on the wing full time was not good for him.

I'd like to think that I was right and that his jump in numbers coincided with him playing more time at center but I don't have the statistical data to verify.

[wingsgirl001 983]

Congrats Dats on a great year!! :banana:

Dats for Selke!

[Yzerfan1999 81]

I was really impressed with Dats this season. At first I thought he might be in for a rough year, but he became really consistent and was great down the stretch, especially during that period when most players go into their mid-season lulls, he really picked it up. Congrats Dats! Career high in goals, assists, points, and +/-. AND, he managed to stay healthy ALL year!

I also want to give a shout out to Zetterberg too. Career highs for him as well with 92 pts. If he didn't have those back problems, I am confident he would have hit 100. Maybe next year.

We have two of the premier players in the league!

[13dats 1]

WOW what a nice tread! It's really funny to hear all these compliments to Dats from the same group of people (exsept few of you) who where complayining and crying about his new BIG contract and playoff performance a year ago.

You got my point!?

Edited April 8, 2008 by 13dats

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

WOW what a nice tread! It's really funny to hear all these compliments to Dats from the same group of people (exsept few of you) who where complayining and crying about his new BIG contact and playoff performance a year ago.

You got my point!?

PS: Just so nobody starts to question my perfection. I was correct months ago when I said Datsyuk would lead the Wings in points by the end of the year. I believe he was somewhere around 8-11 points behind Z at the time.

Yes, let the applause begin. I am ready for it.

[Winther 6]

PS: Just so nobody starts to question my perfection. I was correct months ago when I said Datsyuk would lead the Wings in points by the end of the year. I believe he was somewhere around 8-11 points behind Z at the time.

Yes, let the applause begin. I am ready for it.

Haha i remember the thread, you got kinda ripped for saying dats will do better then Z ..

[Kira 451]

WOW what a nice thread! It's really funny to hear all these compliments to Dats from the same group of people (except few of you) who where complaining and crying about his new BIG contact and playoff performance a year ago.

You got my point!?

I take it I am among those few...you know well that I've always been in his corner, and always will be. It goes without saying that my feelings will never change. And just so you know, there are a lot of voices around hockey that are starting to speak up and say Pasha deserves the Selke. Maybe for once he'll get some respect from the League.

Dmitriy, would you do me a big favor - Tell Pasha he absolutely has to go to Toronto this year and get the awards. No chickening out this time!

Does Pasha ever read this board? If he did I bet he'd get a chuckle out of this thread.

Edited April 8, 2008 by Kira

[Mikeal 60]

WOW what a nice tread! It's really funny to hear all these compliments to Dats from the same group of people (exsept few of you) who where complayining and crying about his new BIG contact and playoff performance a year ago.

You got my point!?

That contact is going to/is start to look like a steal already.

He's the most exciting player on the team for me. Hell my girlfriend named our cat Pavel...

[13dats 1]

Dmitriy, would you do me a big favor - Tell Pasha he absolutely has to go to Toronto this year and get the awards. No chickening out this time!

Does Pasha ever read this board? If he did I bet he'd get a chuckle out of this thread.

Pat, I told him already and his answer was "I'm planning to go" .

To answer the question - I'm reading this board for him. He is aware of it

Edited April 8, 2008 by 13dats

[kylee 727]

Datsyuk and Zetterberg. even better this year.

lets keep it goin boys.

great season to you both, now make it happen in the playoffs the way we all know you can.

[Kira 451]

Pat, I told him already and his answer was "I'm planning to go" .

To answer the question - I'm reading this board for him. He is aware of it

Sweet!!!! At least I'll have a reason to watch it this year!

I'm glad he will know just how some of us feel about him.

[puckloo39 5,686]

Sweet!!!! At least I'll have a reason to watch it this year!

I'm glad he will know just how some of us feel about him.

I love Pavel almost as much as I do Dom. Need I say more?

[Earthhuman 8]

Speaking of pivots or centers. Does anybody know how much time Dats spent at center vs the wing this year?

Early in the season when Dats was struggling and Z was lighting it up I started a thread about how having Dats on the wing full time was not good for him.

I'd like to think that I was right and that his jump in numbers coincided with him playing more time at center but I don't have the statistical data to verify.

I remember that thread, and I gotta say, his numbers picked up when he started playing like he was in the center position. I don't know if he officially took the face-offs, but he has taken the middle of the ice back and it shows.

So I think you had a good observation there.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Even though he's still a byng candidate, the thing that stands out most to me is how much he's toughened up. He used to never push back in scrums and stuff, but now he does. He takes checks and he throws them, backchecking and hardwork is something I consider tough as well.

2nd in the league in assists, leader in takeaways. One of not only the best 2-way players in the game, but one of the best.

[savaking72 0]

Datsyuk is this team's motor. He leads by example, and hardly ever makes a mistake. If he does make a mistake then he is there to steal the puck back, and create a scoring chance! Datsyuk and Cleary are my favorite two wings. I can't really say which one is my favorite. Both are there for different reasons, but without Datsyuk, I believe, the wings wouldn't be where they are now.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

WOW what a nice tread! It's really funny to hear all these compliments to Dats from the same group of people (exsept few of you) who where complayining and crying about his new BIG contract and playoff performance a year ago.

You got my point!?

Because a lot of people still thought he was unproven at the time of being one of the top guys when it counted most to justify that kinda salary. It took some guts to offer that kinda money so soon, and as the manager of an organization you have to take such big chances sometimes. Kudos to Holland for making such an offer, and from the looks of things it is a gamble that is looking like it is paying off.

I was never one of those extreme people who were yelling DATSYUK SCORE IN THE PLAYOFFS YOU STUPID DIMWAT 2301 times a day, I certainly like the guy and did no more/less a few years ago. And the giant Datsyuk fans can say they were faithful all along, which is a good quality of course, but it is pretty unrealistic in my opinion to think you had zero doubts of this contract at the time and whether Datsyuk was going to be one of your main contributors for the long run.

Datsyuk though has answered those questions it seems, and hopefully will continue to for the long term.

As for the Selke, he has a chance obviously with his ridiculous ability to steal pucks from the opposing team, but I am going to still say nay on that since he still isn't considered the team's #1 shut-down forward, whether that is a right/wrong perception or not. The perception is there to me and it is real to a certain degree in my opinion. There is nothing any of the giant Datsyuk fans can say to me otherwise that will make me change my opinion on this. I get that he leads the league in takeaways. I understand his wizardry with the stick. Would it be cool if he wins it and I am proven wrong? Of course, but I just don't think he will win it. And personally, I don't care if he wins it or not, much like I don't care if Lidstrom wins his 6th Norris trophy (all but a given already). I care most about the tall silver trophy after 16 wins.

This takes absolutely nothing away from the kinda player Datsyuk looks like he is becoming though.

And as extremely annoying it is to hear people on the bad extreme of disliking a player like people have often done with Datsyuk in the past, it is almost as annoying to hear extreme pro-fans throw stuff back in people's faces when nobody is acting out of line, and I see none of that in here from people who might just question or critique him by an inkling. I'm not going to spout out on here like a jackass I TOLD YOU SO!!!! if he doesn't win the Selke or whatever else, that definitely isn't my style and it isn't appropriate, but don't do the same to me if he does win it or gets a high amount of credit for something else. No need to create any extra wounds to pour salt on.

[IceMunkee 15]

Wow. Very impressive. I wonder how many people think he is the most valuable for the Wings, THIS SEASON. I mean he should not win the Hart but he should at least see consideration. I have been screaming his praise all season. I am glad some are coming around...

[esteef 2,679]

All Hail E.T.!!!

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

All Hail E.T.!!!

Heh, that's my nickname for him. Although Hudler could also be E.T. as well.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Wow. Very impressive. I wonder how many people think he is the most valuable for the Wings, THIS SEASON. I mean he should not win the Hart but he should at least see consideration. I have been screaming his praise all season. I am glad some are coming around...

Lidstrom is team MVP even when he was temporarily out with injury. Reason being the Wings were in the s**tter in the W'S/L's when he was injured. He is that important to the team.

Datsyuk is a close 2nd. Zetterberg a close 3rd. Could possibly flip-flip the two in my mind.

Rafalski 4th.

Osgood 5th.

[sharomyga 6]

I was actually just about to make a thread like this!!

Congrats to Dats on a great season. IMO, he is the wings MVP of 07-08.

:beerbuddy:

agreed

[IceMunkee 15]

Lidstrom is team MVP even when he was temporarily out with injury. Reason being the Wings were in the s**tter in the W'S/L's when he was injured. He is that important to the team.

Datsyuk is a close 2nd. Zetterberg a close 3rd. Could possibly flip-flip the two in my mind.

Rafalski 4th.

Osgood 5th.

While Lidstrom is the true and tested leader of this team, I disagree that he is this season's MVP. He was a huge lose when he was injured but I think it was more the entire D was out for almost all of that huge slump. Lids gets the credit to it being him we missed but Raf, Chelios, Kronner and others with the Captain is what was really missed. When the top d line rolling was Meech and Lilja things are bad. Real bad. I do not in any way mean to discredit Lids, Dats has been the teams MVP this season... That is just my view.

[IceMunkee 15]

agreed

Make that two!!!!

[eva unit zero 271]

While Lidstrom is the true and tested leader of this team, I disagree that he is this season's MVP. He was a huge lose when he was injured but I think it was more the entire D was out for almost all of that huge slump. Lids gets the credit to it being him we missed but Raf, Chelios, Kronner and others with the Captain is what was really missed. When the top d line rolling was Meech and Lilja things are bad. Real bad. I do not in any way mean to discredit Lids, Dats has been the teams MVP this season... That is just my view.

And I state again...if the team lost Dats (or Z, for that matter) for the entire season...they would feel it, but they would survive. If they lost Lids, that would be much more significant.

I feel Dats and Z are pretty close in terms of value to the team...and obviously the team has gone stretches without each player (Z more often) i nthe lineup with fairly little trouble in the past couple years.

Lidstrom is almost never out of the lineup, so it's hard to gauge how the team handles his absence when it never happens. But the entire offensive and defensive scheme revolve around Lidstrom and his skills. Even the other defensemen on the team ,they are acquired because they have the right kind of skills to play in a system designed to funnel through Nick Lidstrom and allow the team to still be effective when Lidstrom isn't on the ice. It's one of the reasons guys like Hatcher and Krupp had so much less success than Murphy, Duchesne, and Schneider. The latter group is much more capable of playing the same kind of puck-possession style the Wings use, and the Wings use that style largely due to Lidstrom.

This season, I would rate Lidstrom in the top four for MVP, along with Ovechkin, Malkin, and Brodeur. The next tier of guys would include Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Iginla, Luongo, Alfredsson, Kovalev, and Lundqvist, among others.