GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 Did it ever occur to you perhaps Babs was sitting Yzerman so he didn't have to be on the ice on the losing end when the final horn blew? That makes no sense as an explanation. He should have been on the ice at that moment to help the team that he captained for so many years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 That makes no sense as an explanation. He should have been on the ice at that moment to help the team that he captained for so many years. It makes perfect sense....you just fail to see the logic. That makes no sense as an explanation. He should have been on the ice at that moment to help the team that he captained for so many years. No one loves Yzerman or respects him more than I do, but he wasn't on the ice because the players that were gave the team the best chance of scoring at that point. Yzerman from 2002 would've been on the ice, Yzerman from 2006 shouldn't have been. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoWings1905 2,694 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 Benching Lilja is an absurd idea. Lilja has been the Red Wings most consistent defenseman this season, while Lebda has been mostly unreliable defensively. Chelios should play and Lebda should sit out if Lidstrom is healthy enough on Thursday. This is more than a showcase game for the NHL. It could very well be for first place in the division depending on what happens tonight. Babcock has no obligation to dress players based on sentimental reasoning. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jvxp 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 If Chelios will retire after the winter classic then I say play him. Otherwise sit him. He's just taking up a roster spot this year anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoWings1905 2,694 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 If Chelios will retire after the winter classic then I say play him. Otherwise sit him. He's just taking up a roster spot this year anyway. Is Chelios really "wasting" a spot any more than Lebda is? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jvxp 0 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 Is Chelios really "wasting" a spot any more than Lebda is? They are both wasting roster spots. Chelios sucked in G.R. He looked as if he did not belong in the AHL. His age is showing and Lebda is just a figure skater with shoulder pads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfan1991 221 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 lilja has been surprisingly good for the past dozen games or more.. but come on, it's lilja guys. dont you wanna hear 30,000 fans booing chelios? and the other 10,000+ cheering? how can this not make for a fantastic atmosphere? and same goes for lebda im sure he will get his fair share of boos.. from the faithful hawk fans. you guys gotta remember its 1 game.. who cares if the hawks are so close in the standings, its january (wings will blow them away come april).. its pond hockey for one day!!! we will probably never see the wings in this type of game for ages.. so hopefully babcock realizes this and plays the 2 local boys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 lilja has been surprisingly good for the past dozen games or more.. but come on, it's lilja guys. How close have you been watching this season? Lilja's been great the entire year....especially on the PK. dont you wanna hear 30,000 fans booing chelios? and the other 10,000+ cheering? how can this not make for a fantastic atmosphere? and same goes for lebda im sure he will get his fair share of boos.. from the faithful hawk fans. you guys gotta remember its 1 game.. who cares if the hawks are so close in the standings, its january (wings will blow them away come april).. its pond hockey for one day!!! we will probably never see the wings in this type of game for ages.. so hopefully babcock realizes this and plays the 2 local boys. Hopefully Babcock realizes his job is to win games....not worry about some fans' nostalgia. I agree that Cheli should play, but for Lebda...not Lilja. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted December 30, 2008 I will be very depressed if not Lidstrom shows up at the winter classic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfan1991 221 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 I will be very depressed if not Lidstrom shows up at the winter classic tell me about it.. guy i bought his winter classic tee just for the game! i'll snap if i dont see him on the ice!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z and D for the C 712 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 You have to be really stupid to want to sit lilja, he's been awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfan1991 221 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 How close have you been watching this season? Lilja's been great the entire year....especially on the PK. Hopefully Babcock realizes his job is to win games....not worry about some fans' nostalgia. I agree that Cheli should play, but for Lebda...not Lilja. Lilja was as bad as he has been in his career in the first 15 games.. the last 12 or so he's been the best he's been in his career, go figure! As for Babcock.. and you, have some fun with this game will you. Geez... don't worry we will win the division and the Cup when it's all said and done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 It makes perfect sense....you just fail to see the logic. No one loves Yzerman or respects him more than I do, but he wasn't on the ice because the players that were gave the team the best chance of scoring at that point. Yzerman from 2002 would've been on the ice, Yzerman from 2006 shouldn't have been. Actually, despite being injured, he had a great series and was arguably our best player. He should have been on the ice for both sentimental and strategic reasons. How's that for your logic? Last I remember, Pavel and Shanny did nothing in that series to be on the ice then. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 Lilja was as bad as he has been in his career in the first 15 games.. the last 12 or so he's been the best he's been in his career, go figure! As for Babcock.. and you, have some fun with this game will you. Geez... don't worry we will win the division and the Cup when it's all said and done. Lilja was an even (+/-) player on a defense that was mightily struggling out of the gate all the while playing alongside a partner that was -9 to start the season. That speaks volumes about Lilja's play the first 15 games. I feel your comment about his play the first 15 games is one out of dislike for Lilja, not one based on facts....because they certainly say otherwise. Lilja was as bad as he has been in his career in the first 15 games.. the last 12 or so he's been the best he's been in his career, go figure! As for Babcock.. and you, have some fun with this game will you. Geez... don't worry we will win the division and the Cup when it's all said and done. Just like that, huh? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 Actually, despite being injured, he had a great series and was arguably our best player. He should have been on the ice for both sentimental and strategic reasons. How's that for your logic? Last I remember, Pavel and Shanny did nothing in that series to be on the ice then. Not great given that Stevie looked off the entire season. While he had a good series, you can't take away from the fact that he wasn't the impact player during the 05/06 season that he was pre-lockout. He showed flashes of magic, but not consistently enough to warrant a spot in the final minute. Call it what you want, but Babs not playing him during the final seconds didn't show disrespect to him at all. It's just fans blowing something quite minor out of proportion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoWings1905 2,694 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 lilja has been surprisingly good for the past dozen games or more.. but come on, it's lilja guys. dont you wanna hear 30,000 fans booing chelios? and the other 10,000+ cheering? how can this not make for a fantastic atmosphere? and same goes for lebda im sure he will get his fair share of boos.. from the faithful hawk fans. you guys gotta remember its 1 game.. who cares if the hawks are so close in the standings, its january (wings will blow them away come april).. its pond hockey for one day!!! we will probably never see the wings in this type of game for ages.. so hopefully babcock realizes this and plays the 2 local boys. Who gives a crap what Blackhawks fans do? They chant "Detroit Sucks" when their team hasn't won a championship in nearly 50 years. It isn't Babcock's job to please the local boys nor to create a so-called better atmosphere for the game. There are two valuable points on the line in Thursday's game. Lilja without question will and should be playing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfan1991 221 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 i say we vote NeverForgetMac25 off the island for a) not wanting chelios in wrigley field b) not wanting stevie on the ice for final min of career c) wanting lilja to play d) having no faith that we will win division and cup again and again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoWings1905 2,694 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 i say we vote NeverForgetMac25 off the island for a) not wanting chelios in wrigley field b) not wanting stevie on the ice for final min of career c) wanting lilja to play d) having no faith that we will win division and cup again and again I am not going to answer for NFM, but what evidence do you have that supports your argument that Lilja shouldn't be playing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfan1991 221 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 I am not going to answer for NFM, but what evidence do you have that supports your argument that Lilja shouldn't be playing? he's just the odd man out that's all.. my theory (or opinion) is lidstrom-rafalski kronwall-stuart chelios-lebda (chicago boys) i would have lilja over lebda due to his better play, but no way should chelly be missing this game. i just feel its a bigger fan game then stats game. its a selling point for the NHL, its in Jan (almost pointless for standings regardless how close we are to the hawks), and its a once in a lifetime opportunity for these guys (chelly and lebda). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 i say we vote NeverForgetMac25 off the island for a) not wanting chelios in wrigley field b) not wanting stevie on the ice for final min of career c) wanting lilja to play d) having no faith that we will win division and cup again and again Where do you come up with this stuff? You really need to re-read my posts, because my point seems to be flying right over your head. a) I *do* want Chelios playing at Wrigley Field in place of Lebda. I've said that multiple times. b) I didn't not want Stevie on the ice for the final minute of his career but I understood Babs decision not to play him, which is more than some people here seem to be able to grasp. c) Lilja is way better than Lebda....the massive majority will tell you that. d) I have faith that this Wings team can not only win the division but also the Stanley Cup, but I'm not about to blindly accept it like its rightfully theirs. You don't win Cups by coasting along. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 he's just the odd man out that's all.. my theory (or opinion) is lidstrom-rafalski kronwall-stuart chelios-lebda (chicago boys) i would have lilja over lebda due to his better play, but no way should chelly be missing this game. i just feel its a bigger fan game then stats game. its a selling point for the NHL, its in Jan (almost pointless for standings regardless how close we are to the hawks), and its a once in a lifetime opportunity for these guys (chelly and lebda). But its not a once in a lifetime opportunity for Lilja? Who cares if he isn't from Illinois? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfan1991 221 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 But its not a once in a lifetime opportunity for Lilja? Who cares if he isn't from Illinois? talk about posts flying over heads with that comeback. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoWings1905 2,694 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 (edited) he's just the odd man out that's all.. my theory (or opinion) is lidstrom-rafalski kronwall-stuart chelios-lebda (chicago boys) i would have lilja over lebda due to his better play, but no way should chelly be missing this game. i just feel its a bigger fan game then stats game. its a selling point for the NHL, its in Jan (almost pointless for standings regardless how close we are to the hawks), and its a once in a lifetime opportunity for these guys (chelly and lebda). I agree with you that Chelios should dress. Lebda is a completely different story. You mention that the game is a selling point for the NHL, but do you think a casual fan is going to notice that Brett Lebda is missing? Lebda doesn't deserve to play just because he is from Chicago. If it was important to him, he should have gone out and played half as well as Lilja has this season. Two points are always valuable, January or not. I don't think it is a pointless game in the standings given the way the Red Wings and Blackhawks have played of late. I don't see the Blackhawks fading in the Central anytime soon and the Red Wings sure haven't played great hockey to justify dressing an inferior player like Lebda over Lilja even for one game. For a team lacking any desire on most nights, what would it say to scratch Lilja, one of the few players putting forth a consistently solid effort? Edited December 30, 2008 by GoWings1905 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mors 201 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 Who gives a s*** if Lebda is from Chicago, he's the worst defenseman we have right now. Chelios should play, Lebda should sit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NeverForgetMac25 483 Report post Posted December 30, 2008 talk about posts flying over heads with that comeback. How is that flying over my head when I responded directly to what you were saying? Just because a player is from the state that a game is being played in doesn't mean they should get the nod if they are currently playing far inferior to another player. That's the case here with Lebda and Lilja. Sidenote: Comebacks are for juveniles. We're having a debate and that was my reply. Also, you didn't answer my question about it being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Lilja either. I agree with you that Chelios should dress. Lebda is a completely different story. You mention that the game is a selling point for the NHL, but do you think a casual fan is going to notice that Brett Lebda is missing? Lebda doesn't deserve to play just because he is from Chicago. If it was important to him, he should have gone out and played half as well as Lilja has this season. Two points are always valuable, January or not. I don't think it is a pointless game in the standings given the manner the way the Red Wings and Blackhawks have played of late. I don't see the Blackhawks fading in the Central anytime soon and the Red Wings sure haven't played great hockey to justify dressing an inferior player like Lebda over Lilja even for one game. For a team lacking any desire on most nights, what would it say to scratch Lilja, one of the few players putting forth a consistently solid effort? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
