Datsyuk in tears?

[Reds4Life 51]

Pavel Datsyuk responded with a little humor when asked about Red Wings coach Mike Babcock's plan to put him and Henrik Zetterberg on separate lines this season.

"My reaction?" Datsyuk said Thursday after an informal skate at Joe Louis Arena. "I start crying. I can't sleep two days.

"But now everything is fine."

Datsyuk and Zetterberg were a dominant one-two punch when they played together last season.

"I help Hank, Hank helped me," Datsyuk said.

Datsyuk is taking a wait-and-see approach with the proposed break-up with Zetterberg.

"Every year we start like that (on different lines)," Datsyuk said. "It's not new.

"It's a long season. Nobody knows. I'm happy we're still on the same team. I hope we finish on the same team."

Instead of playing on a wing with Zetterberg, the move allows Datsyuk to play center.

"I'm more comfortable at center, more dangerous," Datsyuk said.

http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blogs/win...cfm?blogid=1990

[Wings_Dynasty 267]

"I'm more comfortable at center, more dangerous."

More dangerous!?!?

[Sebastian 0]

Lmaooo, i love this article

[seeinred 1,488]

How can you not love Pavs?

It seems like he expects them to be back on the same line sooner or later though.

[Booster313 138]

Some of that is Pavel's humor...

[HkyTwn 5]

Very, very funny.

[ShanahanMan 473]

I know Stevie Y is gone and no one can replace him but.......I also KNOW in 20 years, Wings fans will remissness about the "good old days with Pavs and Hank". hehe

[ashenhigh 9]

I know Stevie Y is gone and no one can replace him but.......I also KNOW in 20 years, Wings fans will remissness about the "good old days with Pavs and Hank". hehe

and that is what is so great about this team. One era to the next, just like that.

[dereklai 0]

.

Edited August 22, 2017 by dereklai
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[Doggy 130]

LOL. When I saw the title I thought, "There's no crying in hockey!! Why would Pav be a girly man and cry?".

Awesome article.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

y'know, i still don't really see the reasoning behind splitting pav and hank up. remember that insane play between them against colorado in semis, where they passed back and forth until hank circled behind the net and tapped the puck in off pav's pass?

let fil, franzen and hossa manage the second line.

Thats a waste of Hossas talent.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

LOL. When I saw the title I thought, "There's no crying in hockey!! Why would Pav be a girly man and cry?".

...cause he wants to do everything he can to keep winnin' those Lady Byng trophies!

[GoWings1905 2,694]

y'know, i still don't really see the reasoning behind splitting pav and hank up. remember that insane play between them against colorado in semis, where they passed back and forth until hank circled behind the net and tapped the puck in off pav's pass?

let fil, franzen and hossa manage the second line.

Not playing Hossa with Datsyuk would be an even bigger mistake. Hossa is going to put up monster numbers playing with Pavel and likewise. Like YoungGuns already stated, it would be a waste of Hossa's talent to stick him with Filppula and Franzen.

Edited September 4, 2008 by GoWings1905

[zettsyukwall415 0]

Thats a waste of Hossas talent.

And it wouldn't be a waste of Hank's talent?

I'm not arguing or trying to start a debate. I'm just curious as to why it's a waste of Hossa's talent but not Hank's.

[Uncle Danny 155]

And it wouldn't be a waste of Hank's talent?

I'm not arguing or trying to start a debate. I'm just curious as to why it's a waste of Hossa's talent but not Hank's.

A few reasons, IMO:

1) Datsyuk is the better playmaker, and Hossa should pan out to be a better sniper than Hank.

2) Hossa isn't a center, nor is Homer. One of Z or Dats needs to hit the second line per item 1.

3) Hank has a long history of making the players around him better, which should elevate his second line mates. I can't support this with stats, but my impression has long been that Datsyuk is the type of player that will excel when he plays with players of his caliber, while Hank has the ability to lift those around him. Again, just my opinion.

All that said, I fully expect this season to be a first line A, first line B type of arrangement. Let's face it... the "second" line as it's being described here would be the envy of many an NHL club for their first line duties.

[union drone 0]

And it wouldn't be a waste of Hank's talent?

I'm not arguing or trying to start a debate. I'm just curious as to why it's a waste of Hossa's talent but not Hank's.

Everyone here is drooling over Pav plus Hossa...

personally, I am looking forward to Hank plus Mule!!

[wingslionstigers 12]

As far as im concerned Hossa's not apart of the Red Wings franchise and never will be. Hes here to defend the cup then hes gone. I don't want to see Zetterberg or Dat split up over it. Things worked great last year for them why change it? You can't beat watching them two guys play, i don't give a f*** if Hossa scores more goals or not. Plus id hate to see Zetterberg loose production over it and downgrade his game. You guys don't realize funny things happen to good players when to much talent comes around and great players get pushed aside to play with guys out of the norm. Same thing goes for guys getting traded to different teams and never living up to what they were on there previous team. Flop Hossa on 2nd line, if he gets 70-80 points accounting he stays healthy and helps his linemates reach 50-55 then he did his job. Another thing that could be a downside to that if you had players with contracts up. You got 30-40 point players scoring 50-60 points due to the presents of a super-star. Now they want to be paid as a 50-60 point player, next season roles around joe pro is gone and they aint worth a f***. Theres some fine print to bringing in to much talent in my opinion.

[Uncle Danny 155]

As far as im concerned Hossa's not apart of the Red Wings franchise and never will be. Hes here to defend the cup then hes gone. I don't want to see Zetterberg or Dat split up over it. Things worked great last year for them why change it? You can't beat watching them two guys play, i don't give a f*** if Hossa scores more goals or not. Plus id hate to see Zetterberg loose production over it and downgrade his game. You guys don't realize funny things happen to good players when to much talent comes around and great players get pushed aside to play with guys out of the norm. Same thing goes for guys getting traded to different teams and never living up to what they were on there previous team. Flop Hossa on 2nd line, if he gets 70-80 points accounting he stays healthy and helps his linemates reach 50-55 then he did his job. Another thing that could be a downside to that if you had players with contracts up. You got 30-40 point players scoring 50-60 points due to the presents of a super-star. Now they want to be paid as a 50-60 point player, next season roles around joe pro is gone and they aint worth a f***. Theres some fine print to bringing in to much talent in my opinion.

What?

[datsyukonethree 0]

Ah, hilarious. God bless Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin, the most quotable Russians since Mogilny.

[Hiei 192]

There are no first and second lines anymore. It's 1A and 1B, depending on the flavor that the Kool-Aid is this week.

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

HAHA I love Dats. Hilarious.

[Z and D for the C 712]

There are no first and second lines anymore. It's 1A and 1B, depending on the flavor that the Kool-Aid is this week.

I sense many arguments about needed secondary scoring from our second line, then. :<

[Kira 451]

God love dear Pasha...he's always got a way of making me laugh.

[GoalieManPat 1,007]

As far as im concerned Hossa's not apart of the Red Wings franchise and never will be. Hes here to defend the cup then hes gone. I don't want to see Zetterberg or Dat split up over it. Things worked great last year for them why change it? You can't beat watching them two guys play, i don't give a f*** if Hossa scores more goals or not. Plus id hate to see Zetterberg loose production over it and downgrade his game. You guys don't realize funny things happen to good players when to much talent comes around and great players get pushed aside to play with guys out of the norm. Same thing goes for guys getting traded to different teams and never living up to what they were on there previous team. Flop Hossa on 2nd line, if he gets 70-80 points accounting he stays healthy and helps his linemates reach 50-55 then he did his job. Another thing that could be a downside to that if you had players with contracts up. You got 30-40 point players scoring 50-60 points due to the presents of a super-star. Now they want to be paid as a 50-60 point player, next season roles around joe pro is gone and they aint worth a f***. Theres some fine print to bringing in to much talent in my opinion.

Please give a warning before wall of texting a thread.

[Opie 308]

As far as im concerned Hossa's not apart of the Red Wings franchise and never will be. Hes here to defend the cup then hes gone. I don't want to see Zetterberg or Dat split up over it. Things worked great last year for them why change it? You can't beat watching them two guys play, i don't give a f*** if Hossa scores more goals or not. Plus id hate to see Zetterberg loose production over it and downgrade his game. You guys don't realize funny things happen to good players when to much talent comes around and great players get pushed aside to play with guys out of the norm. Same thing goes for guys getting traded to different teams and never living up to what they were on there previous team. Flop Hossa on 2nd line, if he gets 70-80 points accounting he stays healthy and helps his linemates reach 50-55 then he did his job. Another thing that could be a downside to that if you had players with contracts up. You got 30-40 point players scoring 50-60 points due to the presents of a super-star. Now they want to be paid as a 50-60 point player, next season roles around joe pro is gone and they aint worth a f***. Theres some fine print to bringing in to much talent in my opinion.

This post would make a lot more sense if Zetterberg or Dats didn't carry themselves as the ultimate Stevie Y/Lids clones, in the fact that the most important thing to them is hoisting the cup at the end of the day.

The athletes who put team accomplishments ahead of personal rewards are becoming rarer and rarer. Look at the Olympics, Misty May refuses to vote on any individual awards in regular VB play, only votes for team awards and refuses to accept individual awards. Hank was so happy to win the cup, that he appear unimpressed by the Conn Smythe. Dats' shyness may lead to his lack of wanting individual awards but he too seems awkward around individual awards, look how often he defers credit to Hank. Whether it be a sweet set up or his ability to speak a little better English or even be more comfortable in press conferences.

The last person I expect to be upset on this team about a player coming in and "taking his spot" (Which Hossa isn't doing) would be Hank, followed closely (Probably a tie) by Dats, Lids, Draper!

This is what makes the Wings the WINGS! Players sacrifice something to be on this TEAM, whether it be money, stats, ice time, recognition, etc. What ever it may be they are here for the end goal, team wins. If along the way they pick up some individual reward (Bonuses, endorsements, Conn Smythe, Lady Bing, Selke) then so be it.

But that is just one man's opinion!

Edited September 5, 2008 by Opie