Red Wings and Penguins bias

[djup 0]

I think people need to realize that every team is the victim of bad reffing at one point or another.

The Wings are classy enough and disciplined enough not to take dumb penalties, and other fans don't understand why their team is getting all these calls while the Wings aren't.

[Dabura 12,232]

Please go up to any gm and ask them if Crosby is a liability.

True his defensive game needs work but seeing as Datsyuk and Zetterberg werent even in the leauge as crosby's current age i think its a moot point.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg are top 15 forwards in the game.

Crosby is a top 3

While I wouldn't call Crosby a liability, we're hitting on what, I think, puts Dats and Hank on par with Crosby right now -- their all-around solid games. Crosby can put the puck in the net, but his all-around game (i.e. two-way play) doesn't match Hank's or Dats'. When Hank gets going, he's doing absolutely everything, and doing it all extremely well at that. IMO, the same can't be said of "Sid the Kid"...yet.

Besides, he whines like a little girl.

[Barrie 900]

How quickly Stars fans forget we had a goal called back because of a hand pass (which could have gone either way) and they missed the net 5 times on quality scoring chances in Game 2.

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

While I wouldn't call Crosby a liability, we're hitting on what, I think, puts Dats and Hank on par with Crosby right now -- their all-around solid games. Crosby can put the puck in the net, but his all-around game (i.e. two-way play) doesn't match Hank's or Dats'. When Hank gets going, he's doing absolutely everything, and doing it all extremely well at that. IMO, the same can't be said of "Sid the Kid"...yet.

Besides, he whines like a little girl.

Call me crazy but I can say with almost absoloute certainty that every single GM thinks Crosby is currently a better player than both Zetterberg and Datsyuk, and he only has time to get better, meanwhile Henrik and Pavel are moving into their peak years.

I love Pavel and Henrik, but even right now I belive Crosby is a better player, in terms of positive upside for a team.

[Graybeard 0]

Please go up to any gm and ask them if Crosby is a liability.

True his defensive game needs work but seeing as Datsyuk and Zetterberg werent even in the leauge as crosby's current age i think its a moot point.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg are top 15 forwards in the game.

Crosby is a top 3

I said DEFENSIVE liability

I'm with you that he will probably someday be a top 3, but he won't get there until a coach takes him in hand and teaches him defense. Bowman or Babcock could make him the best player in the league, but his current coach is not getting it done. I wouldn't trade Z or Dats either one for him. If you don't believe that cup winning teams start with defensive responsibility then Red Wings hockey may not be for you.

Do you think Yzerman was a better asset to the Wings when he came into the league a one dimensional offensive machine or after his game was turned around and we became the most dominant in the league?

I don't care about the age of who when. Sid has the potential to be as good or better than Z or D by the time he is their age but he's going to have to change his game to do it.

Obviously his offensive skills don't outweigh his defensive ineptitude by all that much. They weren't any worse off all the time he was out.

[Yzerfan1999 81]

I'm with ya. Dats and Z don't get the same credit because being the good hockey players they are they give up a little offense so that they are good two way players. In spite of the fact that makes them better players than the poster child in Pittsburgh they will have to beat them to get any glory. Even then excuses will probably be made. No one will mention that Crosby is actually a liability in his own end, and even at center ice.

Thats because its simply not true.

I am going to avoid this place like the plague if the Wings play the Pens in the final. It will be such a s*** show of 'Crosby is a Whiner' bitching that it nauseates me to think about it.

[Dabura 12,232]

I'm not going to get into a full-on debate about this. I'll just expand on what I've already said: right now, Hank and Dats each stack up fairly well against Crosby on a pound-for-pound basis (not factoring in career upside and value to their respective franchises). Crosby is probably the greater straightforward offensive threat, but several years from now when people are talking about how Crosby has "elevated his game" since his rookie season, it'll be in reference to him starting to do things that Hank and Dats are already doing right now.

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

I said DEFENSIVE liability

I'm with you that he will probably someday be a top 3, but he won't get there until a coach takes him in hand and teaches him defense. Bowman or Babcock could make him the best player in the league, but his current coach is not getting it done. I wouldn't trade Z or Dats either one for him. If you don't believe that cup winning teams start with defensive responsibility then Red Wings hockey may not be for you.

Do you think Yzerman was a better asset to the Wings when he came into the league a one dimensional offensive machine or after his game was turned around and we became the most dominant in the league?

I don't care about the age of who when. Sid has the potential to be as good or better than Z or D by the time he is their age but he's going to have to change his game to do it.

Obviously his offensive skills don't outweigh his defensive ineptitude by all that much. They weren't any worse off all the time he was out.

The penguins continued streak was due to Malkins brilliance not Crosby's absense.

Crosby is a top 3 forward in the leauge NOW regardless of defense awareness (which is improving daily)

[Cern 0]

Datsyuk and Zetterberg werent even in the leauge as crosby's current age i think its a moot point.

Detroit didn't have the desperation of needing to automatically put every early-round draft pick into an NHL jersey at the earliest possible opportunity. Pittsburgh did.

[Cern 0]

And my two cents? Pittsburgh's offense is ultimately deeper than Detroit's. But have any of the teams they've played series against up to this point had any kind of competent defense? Detroit has the best blue line in the league, and they have the numbers and silverware to back it up. What kind of defense does Pittsburgh have to stop Dats or Zetts? Hal Gill? Even in games against the piss-poor Senators the Penguins have given up a fair amount of goals. They've gotten by because their offense has been able to capitalize so effectively but good luck having the same kind of results with Lidstrom Kronwall Rafalski and Stuart standing in the way.

[Z and D for the C 712]

And my two cents? Pittsburgh's offense is ultimately deeper than Detroit's. But have any of the teams they've played series against up to this point had any kind of competent defense? Detroit has the best blue line in the league, and they have the numbers and silverware to back it up. What kind of defense does Pittsburgh have to stop Dats or Zetts? Hal Gill? Even in games against the piss-poor Senators the Penguins have given up a fair amount of goals. They've gotten by because their offense has been able to capitalize so effectively but good luck having the same kind of results with Lidstrom Kronwall Rafalski and Stuart standing in the way.

That's exactly what I say. Pittsburgh has a better offense (not THAT much better, mind you), but we have a way better defense. Plus thery're a young team. It'll be a good matchup, but I think we have the edge.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I'm done with the whole "Analyst ABC is biased towards team 123" bit.

I've learned or come to the conclusion that it is all but impossible to annouce a 3-hour game in any sport, or give post-game analysis for 30 minutes - 1 hour as best/normal as you can without your broadcasting partners or fans of any team to claim pro-bias or anti-bias in any way possible, whether it is the Red Wings, Penguins, Stars, Penguins, Ducks, District-5 Pee Wee Hockey Team, Minneapolis Hawks, or Iceland Vikings.

Die hard fans (not everybody, but certainly at least a few) who are really into their teams will often spin or read too much into things and twist broadcaster's comments as being against their team if the broadcaster shows even the slightest inkling of controversy or doubt towards the team, even if those doubts seem legit.

I'm not wasting time getting worked up over the media pimping Crosby and Malkin, b/c it's bound to happen, they are two of the main faces of the NHL. As much as we all want Datsyuk and Zetterberg to be of the same stature across the league, it is a cold hard truth. It will happen in discussions. Crosby and Malkin are two of the main faces in the league, so I don't get all up in arms when they are often discussed and the Red Wings or Datsyuk/Zetterberg might not be discussed as often.

I'm not going to act shocked if it sounds like the media are finally giving credit to the Red Wings (which is utter nonsense IMO, but that's another story) b/c I know they've been doing good for quite a while and on this 9-game winning streak, etc.

I'm not going to get too worked up over the Stars comments/excuses of being "too tired" after game 1 or "missed opportunities" or shooting pucks wide because we did or are going to see those comments a mile away.

Bottom line is any fan can twist an analyst's words/commentary in any spin he or she wants to in order to claim pro or anti-bias towards his/her team in plenty of different ways, and a fan of another team can twist those same broadcasters words another way. It is an endless cycle that isn't worth getting too upset over.

[VM1138 1,921]

Pittsburgh scares me a bit, because they're an unknown. The Wings haven't played them at all since they've adopted their new identity in the 2006-07 season. So maybe we're afraid of the IMAGE the league creates about the Pens.

But I felt the same way about Colorado and Dallas. Now I think if we look beyond the headlines, that Detroit is much deeper and balanced, but the Pens again have the hot goalie, and their offense is pretty good. Certainly Crosby and Malkin are scary, but with the way Datsyuk and Zetterberg are playing, this could be their year. Not to mention Detroit seems to be much deeper at offense.

Oh, and the fact that Detroit's defense is among the best seen in the NHL in years.

Oh, and the fact that Detroit plays keep away with the puck.

I haven't seen enough of the Pens to judge: Are they good with puck possession?