Chunkylover 26 Report post Posted February 12, 2009 Well, it's pretty difficult to justify saying that Downey is "useless" when he's actually a decent fighter, whereas Kopecky isn't a decent ANYTHING and the only justification that comes up time and time again is that "he only makes 500k" Edit, and in reference to your initial clever comment, I don't expect to see any cup in Detroit this year since no one the team willing to throw a check anymore. Kronwall has crawled back into his shell, Stuart is gimped for who knows how long and Drake is gone. That leaves us with the oh so tough and terrifying Maltby/Kopecky combo. That'll certainly carry us through the playoffs Yeah, but the Wings weren't really that physical until the playoffs last season anyway. Kronwall never hit anyone in the regular season like he did as soon as the first game of the first round started. The Wings know that they have to step up their physical play in the playoffs, not the regular season, because if they do they'll burn themselves out or injure themselves. Plus I think the key to the Downey/Kopecky debate is that neither Babcock or Holland see Downey as an improvement over Kopy. If their decision isn't good enough for you no amount of debate in the entire interweb will persuade you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Electrophile 3,554 Report post Posted February 12, 2009 Personally I find it kinda embarrassing the Wings' have managed 7 fights this entire season. The next closest team being Carolina with 19. I'd much rather be closer to the middle of the pack with the Bruins (30) & Sharks (26). Am I the only person here who doesn't give a rat's ass about whether or not this team gets into fights on a nightly basis? Because judging from comments like this, I'm pretty sure I am. I don't watch hockey for the fights. If they happen, they happen but I'm far more interested in skill and talent than the ability to drop your gloves and fake like Tyson for 10 seconds. Now, Feb. 25th's game should be interesting in that we could have Lemieux on the ice for the Sharks and knowing that assclown, anything is possible. However if a fight DOESN'T happen and we win, I won't say the game was really a loss. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted February 12, 2009 I remember when people were saying that Lapointe was the next captain of the Wings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StaticWithABeat 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2009 His remaining usefulness died out with the old NHL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ben_usmc 253 Report post Posted February 12, 2009 Am I the only person here who doesn't give a rat's ass about whether or not this team gets into fights on a nightly basis? Because judging from comments like this, I'm pretty sure I am. I don't watch hockey for the fights. If they happen, they happen but I'm far more interested in skill and talent than the ability to drop your gloves and fake like Tyson for 10 seconds. Now, Feb. 25th's game should be interesting in that we could have Lemieux on the ice for the Sharks and knowing that assclown, anything is possible. However if a fight DOESN'T happen and we win, I won't say the game was really a loss. I love watching fights, when they come from emotion. How many times has there been a fight out of emotion this season. Wow great Orr got into with Brashear, cool but nothing special because it's pure goons doing it for no reason at all. Those types of players ruin the game. I want to see the Datsyuk vs the Roberts altercation and etc. When people who aren't just there to fight the other teams goon fight, those are interesting and entertaining. Not 2 guys who just square off for no reason. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted February 12, 2009 Edit, and in reference to your initial clever comment, I don't expect to see any cup in Detroit this year since no one the team willing to throw a check anymore. Kronwall has crawled back into his shell, Stuart is gimped for who knows how long and Drake is gone. That leaves us with the oh so tough and terrifying Maltby/Kopecky combo. That'll certainly carry us through the playoffs And until then, we're the defending Cup champions and the league's model organization, and being "embarrassed" of the team for not fighting enough is a pretty out-of-whack priority. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Electrophile 3,554 Report post Posted February 12, 2009 Who legitimately believes we won't repeat as champs because we don't get into fights? If we don't win the Cup this year, it won't be because this team doesn't get into a ton of fights. It'll be because of poor goaltending or s***ty offense/defense, which funnily enough, is what normally causes teams to lose games. Quel surprise! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernWingsFan 854 Report post Posted February 13, 2009 Well, it's pretty difficult to justify saying that Downey is "useless" when he's actually a decent fighter, whereas Kopecky isn't a decent ANYTHING and the only justification that comes up time and time again is that "he only makes 500k" Edit, and in reference to your initial clever comment, I don't expect to see any cup in Detroit this year since no one the team willing to throw a check anymore. Kronwall has crawled back into his shell, Stuart is gimped for who knows how long and Drake is gone. That leaves us with the oh so tough and terrifying Maltby/Kopecky combo. That'll certainly carry us through the playoffs Winning the playoffs isn't solely a direct correlation on checking or fights. While I certainly like physical play and fighting like everybody else, that isn't the only thing to help win in the playoffs. This just shows how people in here hype fighting, sometimes overhyping it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted February 13, 2009 His remaining usefulness died out with the old NHL. Bad post. Every team in the league has a guy like Downey. WHat is this new NHL that you speak of? Who legitimately believes we won't repeat as champs because we don't get into fights? If we don't win the Cup this year, it won't be because this team doesn't get into a ton of fights. It'll be because of poor goaltending or s***ty offense/defense, which funnily enough, is what normally causes teams to lose games. Quel surprise! The toughness of Downey and McCarty rubbed off on their teammates last year. I think that was a big reason for why the Wings won the Cup as opposed to prior seasons. Someone has to be the catalyst for physical play. We don't have that catalyst this year. If fighting was as unimportant as you make it sound, none of the teams in the league would ever carry an enforcer. I don't think all those teams are stupid. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sureWhyNot 19 Report post Posted February 13, 2009 Scraps tend to occur as a byproduct of gritty play, and the majority of gritty play comes from role players who tend to welcome a nice tilt from time to time. That said, I love a scrap, LOVE them, and really think Downey could benefit the team. That's all I am going to say about that though, he's not up, he's probably not coming up - I realize this and am not losing any sleep over it. The fact the Wings are playing some great puck right now and winning games is quite enough for me. I am not "embarrassed" per se we have so few FM. That might be the case if we had a horrible record, had an over abundance of guys not contributing and were getting pushed around night after night on the ice - but it's not, it's actually the furthest thing from our situation. We are arguably the best team in the league right now and we are handling ourselves fine night in and night out - so with that said I can't see how anyone could possibly be embarrassed by the Wing's. Bottom line is we are winning games, and playing great hockey. Scrappers, while often a necessity, just don't seem to be needed in this lineup. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xBrave_Heartx 0 Report post Posted February 13, 2009 Probably becuase he wanted a 1-way, and teams were not willing to do so.. thats my guess. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
