Who will get the start come playoffs?

[interminded 1]

Playoffs line up will be

Babcock-McCrimmon-MacLean

Ilitich - Hakkan Andersson- Jim Nill-

Ken Daniels - Trevor Thompson - Mickey York

Al Sobotka - Devellano - Karen Newman

John Keating - Ken Kal

Mo Cheese - Marian Ilitch

Ansar Khan - Drew Sharp

Holland in goal

Thats your 2009 Stanley Cup champs right there.

Andersson can't play.

He sufferend a career-ending knee-injury when he was 19.

Sorry.

[Guest mindfly]

Put Karen in goal. Her fake breasts would be great puck deflectors.

Women in a nutshell...jealousy :/

[Electrophile 3,554]

Women in a nutshell...jealousy :/

Take your misogyny somewhere else. I mean, you already called all the women participating in the GDT fat cows, what next? Want to call us all whores too?

Edited March 10, 2009 by Electrophile

[thedisappearer 291]

Not in the recent Red Wings organization. Unless their is an injury to Osgood, Ozzie will start.

We've had goaltending *this* bad recently? This bad, and this consistently bad? Hmmm.

I think some of the posters in this thread are confusing "Who will start" to "Who they hope starts".

No, I hope Ozzie gets his s*** together and performs like we know he can. Or, should I say, could. But it's March, he's sucked all year, and I am a realist.

I understand many fair weather fans have this knee jerk hope that Conklin will start.

Yeah. The old "if you disagree with me, you are a fair weather fan" defense. Awesome.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I'm trying to think of another variant to past situations. Naming the back-up the starting goaltender prematurely blew up in our faces. Starting the ice cold pathetically performing should-be starter also had to be revised.

So I'm going to go with either waiting til the absolute end of the season / start of the playoffs to name Conklin the starter, or putting Osgood in in game 1, and then pulling him for game 2.

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

It's gotta be Ozzie starting. He might not be having as good a season as last year but he's still the same guy who came very close to winning the Conn Smyth (and IMO should have) and took the Wings all the way to the Cup after taking over from Dom.

[MabusIncarnate 5,359]

Cheveldae is making a comeback

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Adam Berkhoel.

[Dabura 12,232]

I love Ozzie. But I love the big "W"s -- Wings and wings -- more.

Conklin has been the more stable and consistent of the two this season, and the team -- especially the D -- seems to rally around him. So, from a practical standpoint, I think this is a no-brainer -- Conklin gets the start. But other considerations will likely get Ozzie the nod.

[Wingsallwin 0]

I'm trying to think of another variant to past situations. Naming the back-up the starting goaltender prematurely blew up in our faces. Starting the ice cold pathetically performing should-be starter also had to be revised.

So I'm going to go with either waiting til the absolute end of the season / start of the playoffs to name Conklin the starter, or putting Osgood in in game 1, and then pulling him for game 2.

I am on your side but your last sentence sounds risky. We already used this stragedy last season as Dom failed but Osgood had a success. There cannot be this occasion against this year because at least Dom had .902 sv percentage while Osgood was brilliant.

This season's Osgood is probably the worst goaltending I ever seen. No excuse for allowing 7 goals on 24 shots and no chance he can bring back to his game this season, maybe until the end of his career.

You remember the Flames last season when Kipper pulled in game 3 and Cujo saved them while the Flames came back to 4-3 from the deficit 3-0? People said Cujo can take them because of experience but Keenan did not because Cujo was having a bad season. Then what happened? In game 7, he was awful after he replaced Kipper.

This season's Wings is no different than the Flames last season on goalies. Conklin is having a better season while Osgood is the worst goalie in the league. Wouldn't it be hillarious that Osgood starts because of only exprience regardless of his performance this season? But that is what many people are saying here and also done to speak by Babcock and Holland. I sometimes think people here think each game on the playoff is a joke. Truth is, that is not the fact.

I want to ask people here. When Osgood is in the net, how many times have you guys felt comfortable? Seriously, even though you really love Osgood and I do too because he was the Red Wings for a long time, but do you think he will be able to steal the game? Maybe not.

Let's suppose we are going to play against the Jackets in the first round. Put Osgood in the first game when Mason is on the other side. Can you guys actually expect Osgood will be able to steal the game against Mason and Nash?

I do not know this is a coincidence but when Osgood is in the net, he allowed hat trick on Nash, 3-2 deficit, 8-2 deficit. Conklin has not been last year's Osgood but he has been good. Stats and Shutouts are there to see how good this goalie is, not ornament on goalie's name value.

If stats of Osgood is illusion, then show the improvement. I am talking about the consistent goaltending performance, not just having one shutout and one goal allowed game. Be serious. I know we are all the RED WINGS FANS, but you obviously want your team to win first. Do I have to prove reasons for this? No. Then, when Osgood is in the net, be serious to think in yourself whether you feel the Wings will win or lose.

Conklin has not been super weak against any team this season. He got 6 shutouts against good teams too, Sharks, Hawks, Jackets. Career backup? Sick of hearing this. Do not compare Conklin with Legace. Then if I compare Conklin with Cam Ward, can you guys disagree about this?

It is not a loyalty to special players. We have been already LOYAL to Osgood. Think about it. If Osgood was in the other team with the same record now, he would be benched or sent down, or the worst condition, being waivered. It is not a time to test which goalie would be our starter. This season's Wings' starter is Conklin, not Osgood.

[clutchngrab 12]

I hope its Conklin and I think it will be as well. Looking in my crystal ball, I see no reason to believe that Osgood will turn it around after his vacations to get his head together etc. He still look flawed to me. I have a hard time thinking that Babcock and Holland will start him assuming he gets no better. My prediction is that they will alternate until somewhere like 5 - 10 games left. If Osgood is still s***ting the bed, which I suspect he will be, then Conks will get the majority of the regular season and start the playoffs.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

Take your misogyny somewhere else. I mean, you already called all the women participating in the GDT fat cows, what next? Want to call us all whores too?

Did he really?

Bahahahahaha. Moronic comment of the day.

[Z and D for the C 712]

Listen to this. Whats to stop chris chelios from breaking his sticks and returning to the bench over and over again while he builds a wall on the ice that prevents the puck from getting in our zone. That we we won't need goaltenders.

thoughts?

Edited March 10, 2009 by Z and D for the C

[Carman 387]

Listen to this. Whats to stop chris chelios from breaking his sticks and returning to the bench over and over again while he builds a wall on the ice that prevents the puck from getting in our zone. That we we won't need goaltenders.

thoughts?

That could definitely work - except I foresee Kopecky losing his edge on a neutral ice transition and catapulting himself into the wall just like the Mongolians did the Great Wall of China.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Too early to tell.

Things like this eventually sort themselves out, but later rather than sooner. Hasek and Osgood split last year and a goalie wasn't decided for the playoffs until late regular season/playoffs.

If it was right now, I'd go with Conklin because he's been the steadier of the two but again there is still time to sort these things out. If it is Osgood, so be it. I trust him, he's done his part more than once to help the Wings to two Stanley Cups (please for the love of god nothing like the offense carried him or long goals of 1998 - I get it and get what the naysayers might come back at me with). I got no choice but to trust both of the goalies, they've been the men all season, the Wings weren't going to come close to trading for a goalie, they are going to be the guys going in the playoffs.

Here's to :goalie1: Osgood + :goalie2: Conklin doing their part to help the Wings to another championship this year! :beerbuddy:

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

Not in the recent Red Wings organization. Unless their is an injury to Osgood, Ozzie will start.

I think some of the posters in this thread are confusing "Who will start" to "Who they hope starts".

I understand many fair weather fans have this knee jerk hope that Conklin will start. However, the fact is (according to both Holland and Babcock) Osgood will start, unless their is some unforeseen injury.

Maybe the thread starter should edit the opening post to "who do you think should start the playoffs".

There's really no question who will start the playoffs... unless you're a newbie to the Red Wings, we all know Holland and Babcock are consistent with what they say.

Wasn't it just last week when Osgood got promoted back into the NHL that Babcock said that the 2 would be splitting the games from here on out? Sounds to me like he is using this last month to see who he is going to start in the playoffs.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Listen to this. Whats to stop chris chelios from breaking his sticks and returning to the bench over and over again while he builds a wall on the ice that prevents the puck from getting in our zone. That we we won't need goaltenders.

thoughts?

YES!!

[Superman54 91]

It should go to the Goalie who deserves it the most...But I have a hard time seeing Babs give Conklin the start.

[Namingway 146]

Mindfly.

[AtomicPunk 296]

It really doesn't matter who starts, if the defense keeps turning the puck over like they are currently, either one will get shelled and Wings will have a quick exit.

[Z and D for the C 712]

Mindfly.

Nah, he'd walk off the ice if we go 3 shifts w/o scoring a goal.

[Reds4Life 51]

Conklin is solid. Osgood sucks. Sounds simple enough to me.

[The Secret 304]

I still think Osgood will earn his spot on the bench and Conklin will earn his spot on the ice. Just my feeling so far, Osgood is going to have to get to stealing a few games on his own to get the spot back in my opinion, doesn't look like he is up to the challenge.

[Opie 308]

Listen to this. Whats to stop chris chelios from breaking his sticks and returning to the bench over and over again while he builds a wall on the ice that prevents the puck from getting in our zone. That we we won't need goaltenders.

thoughts?

Perfect!!!!!!

Sir Drake(or was it sir dallas) oh how we miss you!!!

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

This could be, but remember since then both goalies had a bad blowout while Osgood bounced back with a shutout. Since Osgood came back, he has been better than Conklin. Didn't Conklin let in 4 goals on 9 shots or something like that?

The blowout Ozzy had wasn't as bad, though it was still too bad.

Both had one solid game and one terrible game. After the 4 games they both need to pick it up, there is no question about that.