Thoughts on Downey

[Zedd 0]

Hi guys

I dont have the opportunity to watch Downey very often, so i d like to know what do you think about him. Is he a good enforcer or just an average one ?

I was looking for a trade for a guy who brings energy and thoughness and Ken didn't made it so, is Downey the answer for this kind of special skills ?

Thanks

[PROBIE4PREZ 58]

eh its Downey.. Cement in the skates cement in his gloves and short reach .. Average fighter with about 6 mins playing time a night .. You know whens he out there cuz the Joe starts buzzin. strange eh?

[Mors 201]

Downey rocks, he showed his conditioning in the fight with janssen, and he picked up an assist the other night with a strong forechecking effort. If we didn't have so many options already I think he'd definitely break into the lineup more often. He always seems to put up 100% effort when he's on the ice.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I love what Downey brings to the team and would gladly "give up" the roster spot for him throughout the rest of the regular season... just having him there keeps other teams honest and that is very important coming down the stretch here, when one cheap shot on a guy like Nick, Hank or Pav could cost us a lengthy playoff run

[b.shanafan14 733]

Downey is an average enforcer with a highly above-average attitude. The guy is a great team guy and knows his role. We know what we had in Downey last season, good for some periodic additional sandpaper, but he isn't much more than competent in the other aspects of the game and thusly will never have a solid roster spot with the Red Wings. Good guy, but just like last playoffs, when the chips are down he won't be in the lineup.

[Opie 308]

I love what Downey brings to the team and would gladly "give up" the roster spot for him throughout the rest of the regular season... just having him there keeps other teams honest and that is very important coming down the stretch here, when one cheap shot on a guy like Nick, Hank or Pav could cost us a lengthy playoff run

Not to beat a dead horse, but whom does Downey keep honest?

Did he stop Lappy from taking a run at him last game, did he stop Lappy last year when lappy hit Lids, answer No.

He does not keep anyone honest other than an honest player, he will not prevent the cheap shot, he will however gain retribution for the hit, which is always nice, but just so we don't get confused:

Downey stops cheapshots from people who wouldn't give them to begin with.

A Downey/enforcer type player will not stop a Lappy or Neil etc.

Having said that, he does have great energy and it would be nice to get a that from a guy like Kopecky who plays regular shifts, but he is not preventative medicine like the flu shot, he is more like Nyquil, he helps take care of the problem after it happens and it makes you sleep better at night.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

I love this video. Love it.

1:10.

[StevieY9802 6]

I like what he brings. Energy and will stick up for the guys but come playoff time that type of player doesn't really serve much of a role anymore, especially not on this team. He can't play PP or PK so that doesn't help him.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

While Downey brings a level toughness, as mentioned before he's a marginal fighter. He's a pretty terrible player as well and gets caught out of position due to being overly-aggressive at times (I.E. the first Avs goal Wednesday night).

That being said, he's an in-your-face type of player which can be refreshing, especially since Drake retired but the problem is he's nowhere near the all-around hockey player Drake was. Personally, I'd rather see a guy like Drake rather than both Downey and McCarty combined. Drake-type of players are *fairly* reasonable in price and bring so much more to the table than a one-dimensional player like Downey.

I love Downey's attitude regarding his role on this team....its second-to-none, but he's just not talented enough to be on this roster come playoff time.

[ENFORCER 0]

Not to beat a dead horse, but ...

Wow, I was a longtime reader on this board before finally joining. You have flat out gotten people to quit posting here from what I have seen from your 'dead horse beating'. It's obvious you're against rough hockey and that's okay, but why keep trying to convince the LGW world against it?

[Opie 308]

Wow, I was a longtime reader on this board before finally joining. You have flat out gotten people to quit posting here from what I have seen from your 'dead horse beating'. It's obvious you're against rough hockey and that's okay, but why keep trying to convince the LGW world against it?

I am against rough hockey huh, you have been reading this site so long you must also know that I hate Milan Lucic too right?

I don't hate rough hockey nor am I against it.

I am against the idea that an enforcer prevents anything, if you also have followed my posts so closely you would have read the thread 2 weeks ago that I got suspended out off. The Hossa fight thread where I stated I don't care what the name on the back of the Jersey says as long as the wings keep winning.

You probably also missed the part of this last post where I said I wish the Wings had some one that could bring Downey's energy in regular shifts. You know this:

Having said that, he does have great energy and it would be nice to get a that from a guy like Kopecky who plays regular shifts, but he is not preventative medicine like the flu shot, he is more like Nyquil, he helps take care of the problem after it happens and it makes you sleep better at night.

Yup you know so much about me that the conclusion you just drew is so far off based you have no clue what you are talking about!

Good try Skippy!

I am not against having an enforcer who does more than sit the bench. Read the Hossa Fight Video Thread, where GS&T and others threw names of enforcers at me and I stated, I am fine with an enforcer as long as the Wings win, I am fine with a sniper as long as the Wings win, I am fine with a power forward as long as the Wings win, I am fine with a dangler as long as the Wings win. My problem with Downey is Downey specific, not enforcer based.

My point in this thread was simply that an enforcer prevents nothing, including said enforcer getting run at. It provides retribution, and if you want retribution fine, but I am not willing to give a spot to a guy who plays 4 minutes a night and messes up the rotation of the lines.

[ENFORCER 0]

I am against rough hockey huh, you have been reading this site so long you must also know that I hate Milan Lucic too right?

I don't hate rough hockey nor am I against it.

I am against the idea that an enforcer prevents anything, if you also have followed my posts so closely you would have read the thread 2 weeks ago that I got suspended out off. The Hossa fight thread where I stated I don't care what the name on the back of the Jersey says as long as the wings keep winning.

You probably also missed the part of this last post where I said I wish the Wings had some one that could bring Downey's energy in regular shifts. You know this:

Yup you know so much about me that the conclusion you just drew is so far off based you have no clue what you are talking about!

Good try Skippy!

I am not against having an enforcer who does more than sit the bench. Read the Hossa Fight Video Thread, where GS&T and others threw names of enforcers at me and I stated, I am fine with an enforcer as long as the Wings win, I am fine with a sniper as long as the Wings win, I am fine with a power forward as long as the Wings win, I am fine with a dangler as long as the Wings win. My problem with Downey is Downey specific, not enforcer based.

My point in this thread was simply that an enforcer prevents nothing, including said enforcer getting run at. It provides retribution, and if you want retribution fine, but I am not willing to give a spot to a guy who plays 4 minutes a night and messes up the rotation of the lines.

Thank you for the plethura of clarification.

I must say, you have quite the abrasive demeanor on this board. You mean from that forum you were only suspended less than one week for going on your vulgarity laced rant? Wow..... is all I can say.

[ben_usmc 253]

He is a bad hockey player, but a above average fighter for those that disagree please tell me how many fights he lost last year? Maybe 1, beyond that he was the soul reason for the Draper goal do to his forechecking. I hope he stays in the line up for the rest of the regular season simply because he is very entertaining.

[stevkrause 1,247]

He is a bad hockey player, but a above average fighter for those that disagree please tell me how many fights he lost last year? Maybe 1, beyond that he was the soul reason for the Draper goal do to his forechecking. I hope he stays in the line up for the rest of the regular season simply because he is very entertaining.

QFT

[Carman 387]

He should have roster spot, and play in the regular season in rivilary games, physical games. I can't see him in the line-up for the playoffs, I love Downey, but he is a defensive liability especially compared to the Red Wings who have 2nd line wingers playing in GR(Lieno=P).

[Opie 308]

Thank you for the plethura of clarification.

I must say, you have quite the abrasive demeanor on this board. You mean from that forum you were only suspended less than one week for going on your vulgarity laced rant? Wow..... is all I can say.

Well put, after your thoroughly thought out and well written response I see your point and agree that, oh wait do you even remember what your point was, because you did nothing to further you argument other than try to focus people on me.

I am not the one that engaged this conversation, you don't like the way I post, sorry, a lot of people don't like my abrasive nature, but I have also found that a lot of people also have a hard time hearing things bluntly, unfortunately I don't do subtle very well!

At least I clarified my point, you just have avoided the debate you started.

EDIT The following was a confusion between two threads.

You called me out as being against rough hockey because you know sooooo much about my posting or my thoughts, yet you have no clue what I think, you saw one post in one thread in which I showed Kopecky hitting some one and staying on their feet, because said poster said he couldn't do exactly thatstates an enforcer will stop nothing. From that you infer that I think Kopecky is going to be better than Penner, that I don't like rough hockey, when I defend my point you are calling me abrasive.

You called me out because I said Downey is not going to stop anything on the ice, he will however get retribution for the dirty act. Not sure how that turned into I hate rough hockey!

You have no clue!

But........ Good try Skippy!!

Edited March 6, 2009 by Opie

[Chunkylover 26]

Downey has a great attitude and I saddened me to hear he had contemplated retirement because of his assignment to the minors.

He's a good fighter, but he has only average balance on skates. That affects everything he does. He'll go flying in to nail someone and end up looking the worse because he'll bounce off them, or miss, and end up on his butt. It also can impede his ability to get in some good swings when a fight bogs down to a grapple-fest.

If he could skate as good as Kopecky, he'd be a starter, and Kopy isn't a great skater either. I could wish he'd improve in that area, but that's up to him to develop within the limits of what his body can actually perform.

The league needs to allow teams to dress a couple extra players per game, then he'd probably be in.

[datsyukismyfriend 4]

He should have roster spot, and play in the regular season in rivilary games, physical games. I can't see him in the line-up for the playoffs, I love Downey, but he is a defensive liability especially compared to the Red Wings who have 2nd line wingers playing in GR(Lieno=P).

downey isn't the best player, but it's evident that he gives the rest of the team energy. we really don't have anybody else who does that. he may be a defensive liability, but i think the rest of the team plays harder when he's in cuz he pumps them up. players love that they have a teammate that sticks up for them. it's a glue for the team. we don't have anybody else like that. i think downey is great for team chemistry, and perhaps, even though we have more talented players we could ice, he makes this team better because of it.

i'm not the kind of guy that thinks we need a team full of fighters, but i get pretty tired of watching everybody on this team getting pushed around and nobody doing anything about it. people run at nick, pavel, and especially z (for some reason, perhaps he's not as evasive) and nobody does anything. that effects chemistry. players like it when somebody sticks up for them, it feels good. other than goal tending, that's the only questionable element, roster-wise, i'd have for us in the playoffs.

[Carman 387]

I see what your getting at, and that's why I wanted Neil at the TDL, but that's not how the Red Wing's have been all season, and I don't see them changing it. It's worked all year, the powerplay is going to be the deterrent in the playoffs, also there are practical no fights in the playoffs since the instigator rule. I would think rather then having Downey play 4 minutes a night, Babcock would use that spot so he could cycle 4 lines.

Just my thoughts.

[datsyukismyfriend 4]

I see what your getting at, and that's why I wanted Neil at the TDL, but that's not how the Red Wing's have been all season, and I don't see them changing it. It's worked all year, the powerplay is going to be the deterrent in the playoffs, also there are practical no fights in the playoffs since the instigator rule. I would think rather then having Downey play 4 minutes a night, Babcock would use that spot so he could cycle 4 lines.

Just my thoughts.

neil would have been perfect, imo. i got excited when i heard that rumor. you're right about not fighting in po's, but this team needs something to give it energy. i feel like energy has been missing for much of the season. i think drake was a bigger loss than most of us (at least me) imagined. hossa was a great pickup, but we already had goal scorers. with drake we lost something we didn't have elsewhere in the lineup. you're probably right about downey, we definitely need to roll four lines in the playoffs, i just wish we had somebody else who brought what downey's upside brings.

[Carman 387]

I have a feeling that the playoff's themselves will provide energy for Kronner/Stewie, Malts/Kop/Helm/Draps to all step up in the physical department. If not, then I guess we know what to work on in the off-season

[datsyukismyfriend 4]

I have a feeling that the playoff's themselves will provide energy for Kronner/Stewie, Malts/Kop/Helm/Draps to all step up in the physical department. If not, then I guess we know what to work on in the off-season

i hope so, i don't want to be stuck with datsyuk as our hitter/enforcer...

[talex 1]

I like Downey and agree with the other that state he brings something tangible to the team with his physical play and attitude. Not sure if Mac will be up to this role or not, but when Calgary comes to town I sure would like to have either one of them on the ice...

[55fan 5,133]

I'm just going to copy/paste my thoughts on enforcers for the new folks. People who are sick of hearing it may feel free to skip the next paragraph.

In terms of prevention, enforcers are like condoms. You can use a condom 82 times in a year (not the same one with the condoms, of course), and you have no idea what it prevented. You just know that the fact that you are wearing one means that your chances are much more in your favour. You feel safer with one. Maybe nothing would have happened, but you don't know how many times something bad was prevented, so you keep using one. Like condoms, enforcers don't prevent everything, and they can't undo the bad things that happen, but when is the last time a condom went out and beat up the guy who gave you gonorrhea?

Ok, now about Downey. Downey provides energy and confidence, not to mention entertainment. Lids and Zata have gone on record saying how much he adds to the team due to his attitude and willingness to stand up for them, which they say helps them play their game.

Attitude, confidence, and energy are huge for pumping a team up. If the skilled players who can get the job done are up for the game, they will do their job better. A little yeast makes the whole ball of dough rise. <---stupid metaphor of the year, there.

When the playoffs come around, Downey will be performing his role. He will be sitting in the press box to be called on if needed. As others have noted, there aren't many fights in the post-season. The nice thing about Downey is he smart about picking his moments. He does not get called for the instigator penalty often. If anything, he is good at drawing it.

If a playoff team, who we will be playing against 4-7 times in a row, starts running our guys, we can insert him in the next game. If not, he stays in the press box. He will never be a goal-scorer, nor will he be on the ice for the special teams, but he has his role, and he is content to do it.

Unlike most players, the question is not "how good is he at hockey?", but rather "what does he add to the team as a whole?" It would be nice to have an all-around player who could bring what Downey does. I'd prefer it, despite the fact that I really like him. But since we don't have that guy right now, Downey is there to do the job during the regular season, and a great Black Ace during the playoffs.

[spyder 0]

I liked what I saw from downey the last couple games, he went out skated hard, did some banging around, oh yeah that nice fight too. He was very involved and I heard his name quite a bit. We've got enough talent guys to skate circles around all the other teams, our hard hitter lately is who? Datsyuk? I welcome more Downey or D-Mac icetime. We've got the winning formula right now, but the playoffs are always a little bit rougher than the season.

Edited March 6, 2009 by spyder