Why can't anyone simply state this?

[Antilles328 0]

There was a lot of talk about Datsyuk's return and the difference that made to the team. However, I never read anywhere in the media the simple truth.

"Anytime a team gets a player who lead the team with 97 points, was among the league leaders in +/-, and is nominated for ANOTHER Selke award, the team is going to get better."

Or

"Datsyuk, like Ovechkin and Malkin, is up for League MVP. Why wouldn't you expect one of the three MVP candidates to make a difference/contribute?"

No one in the media seemed able to wrap their minds around such a simple concept. Either that or they judged it too obvious to say which is one of the problems with the NHL today. Just call it like it is. "Cheap shots" =/= "leadership."

Babcock is the only person I saw who even came close stating that Datsyuk is to the Red Wings what Crosby/Malkin is to Pittsburgh, where would the series if you took one of them away?

There's no craziness here and no disrespect to Pittsburgh but when a team capable of winning in the Stanley Cup Finals without their best player gets their best player back, what else would you expect to happen?

It's simply really.

[Broken 16 381]

There was a lot of talk about Datsyuk's return and the difference that made to the team. However, I never read anywhere in the media the simple truth.

"Anytime a team gets a player who lead the team with 97 points, was among the league leaders in +/-, and is nominated for ANOTHER Selke award, the team is going to get better."

Or

"Datsyuk, like Ovechkin and Malkin, is up for League MVP. Why wouldn't you expect one of the three MVP candidates to make a difference/contribute?"

No one in the media seemed able to wrap their minds around such a simple concept. Either that or they judged it too obvious to say which is one of the problems with the NHL today. Just call it like it is. "Cheap shots" =/= "leadership."

Babcock is the only person I saw who even came close stating that Datsyuk is to the Red Wings what Crosby/Malkin is to Pittsburgh, where would the series if you took one of them away?

There's no craziness here and no disrespect to Pittsburgh but when a team capable of winning in the Stanley Cup Finals without their best player gets their best player back, what else would you expect to happen?

It's simply really.

Nobody really knew how effective he was gonna be or if he would even be able to finish the game. I think that was the main thing.

[egroen 384]

Questions as to how effective he would be, but also...

The overwhelming mentality around the league that Detroit is comprised of merely decent players, who simply excel because of the "system."

This is the number one reason Nicklas Lidstrom has never won a Hart, much less made the top 3.

[Vincanni 1]

Well shoving aside the fact that his offensive production has been lacking, don't you think stating so is a slight disservice to the Pens. Its basically saying their wins are tainted and due to playing an incomplete team. Granted going into the series such things where said, but all that noise has quieted entirely.

[Antilles328 0]

Nobody really knew how effective he was gonna be or if he would even be able to finish the game. I think that was the main thing.

But even after the game, no one would say it.

[egroen 384]

Well shoving aside the fact that his offensive production has been lacking, don't you think stating so is a slight disservice to the Pens. Its basically saying their wins are tainted and due to playing an incomplete team. Granted going into the series such things where said, but all that noise has quieted entirely.

Although if the Pens were missing Crosby or Malkin the first few games, that is ALL we would be hearing about and every Detroit win would be tainted.

Datsyuk, whether he is producing offensively or not, makes a big difference out there. This series would be over now if he was in - there is no doubt in my mind about it.

[softshoes 83]

http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjour...by-respond.aspx

If you scroll down the thread page a bit you'll find this thread. I think this guys gets it.

[Antilles328 0]

Well shoving aside the fact that his offensive production has been lacking, don't you think stating so is a slight disservice to the Pens. Its basically saying their wins are tainted and due to playing an incomplete team. Granted going into the series such things where said, but all that noise has quieted entirely.

I don't think it's a disservice to the Pens to say that Datsyuk is one of, if not the best player on the Red Wings. Any team is going to be better with their best players healthy than without.

It's also not the Penguins fault that Datsyuk was injured (although I disrespect Talbot for trying). I'm sure any Pens fan would rather beat the Red Wings healthy than beat an injured team.

[Antilles328 0]

http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjour...by-respond.aspx

If you scroll down the thread page a bit you'll find this thread. I think this guys gets it.

Good read, and he kinda hints at it.

[Snazzy 0]

Datsyuk is to the Red Wings what Crosby/Malkin is to Pittsburgh, where would the series if you took one of them away?

I read a thread on the Pittsburgh message boards when a poster asked this very same question. I thought that the thread would be an interesting conversation since it was a good question, and I was genuinely interested to read Pittsburgh's point of view. It wasn't. Instead, they called the poster a "troll", the moderators banned him and the thread carried on with only attacks against Detroit and the auto factories. I guess that's how they roll in Pittsburgh.

[wingedone 0]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/

Listen to what Barry says in the "Game 5 highlights" about how big Datsuk was. He sees how important he can be. (I know many of you dislike him, but listen anyway).

[Stiffy 0]

Absolutely agree and noticed the same. Seems like any other sport or game not having your best player would be called out repeatedly. Babs is right - could you imagine the commentators and papers if Malkin or Crosby were out? Well, now they are at least getting the story. Chalk it up to simple Penn young star obsession. It is all that is focused on. Let's hope the Dats angle is beyond obvious in game 6!!!!

[Hitchhiker 9]

Could have sworn that Milbury said something about it during one of the intermissions or at the end of the game. Don't have any links though. I agree that most of the annalists never said boo about Datsyuk other than whether or not he was playing.

[Ruys92 0]

If Detroit beat a Pittsburgh team without Malkin, media and Pens fans would blame it on that. If Pittsburgh beat a Detroit team without Datsyuk, Pittsburgh is the best team in the world. Point and case, the media runs everything and Buttman holds Sids jock strap.

[Antilles328 0]

If Detroit beat a Pittsburgh team without Malkin, media and Pens fans would blame it on that. If Pittsburgh beat a Detroit team without Datsyuk, Pittsburgh is the best team in the world. Point and case, the media runs everything and Buttman holds Sids jock strap.

This discussion doesn't even to involve Pittsburgh. Regardless of their opponent, Datstyuk contributes significantly to the Red Wings in more ways than just the scoreboard, and having him on the ice is a huge benefit.

[PotbellyJoe 10]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/sports/h...&ref=hockey

First Sentence.

[StormJH1 231]

Look, Datsyuk is my favorite player on the Wings. I've built up that opinion watching him go from a skinny dangler in 2001 who basically disappeared after teams figured out you could just knock him off the puck to first line center, to two-way superstar and Selke winner. But even with Datsyuk completely out of the lineup, this team still took two games from a Pittsburgh team that was about as hot as a team could possibly be coming in. And they were doing it with guys called Helm and Abdelkader scoring critical goals!

Datsyuk's defensive presence, if absent, would make a significant difference in the outcome of a long series, yes. But you also have Hank Zetterberg capable of doing many of the same things. And all of the secondary scoring we get comes from the style of hockey we play (the puck possession bit) and the fact that we're rolling 4 lines of NHL talent, whereas most teams in the cap/overexpanded era are basically playing AHL'ers from forwards #7-#12.

Pavel is critically important to this team, but they've shown time and time again that there's no single piece (except Osgood or perhaps Lidstrom) that you could remove and decapitate this team. They're just too deep.

[Antilles328 0]

Look, Datsyuk is my favorite player on the Wings. I've built up that opinion watching him go from a skinny dangler in 2001 who basically disappeared after teams figured out you could just knock him off the puck to first line center, to two-way superstar and Selke winner. But even with Datsyuk completely out of the lineup, this team still took two games from a Pittsburgh team that was about as hot as a team could possibly be coming in. And they were doing it with guys called Helm and Abdelkader scoring critical goals!

Datsyuk's defensive presence, if absent, would make a significant difference in the outcome of a long series, yes. But you also have Hank Zetterberg capable of doing many of the same things. And all of the secondary scoring we get comes from the style of hockey we play (the puck possession bit) and the fact that we're rolling 4 lines of NHL talent, whereas most teams in the cap/overexpanded era are basically playing AHL'ers from forwards #7-#12.

Pavel is critically important to this team, but they've shown time and time again that there's no single piece (except Osgood or perhaps Lidstrom) that you could remove and decapitate this team. They're just too deep.

It isn't that the Red Wings aren't good without Pavel Datsyuk. It's that they are better with him.

[Eztarget 0]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/

Listen to what Barry says in the "Game 5 highlights" about how big Datsuk was. He sees how important he can be. (I know many of you dislike him, but listen anyway).

I was going to post this. I saw it live on ESPN right after game #5. Melrose went on and on about how important and how big Datsyuk's return was.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Eztarget

[Jake Ryan 1]

Look, Datsyuk is my favorite player on the Wings. I've built up that opinion watching him go from a skinny dangler in 2001 who basically disappeared after teams figured out you could just knock him off the puck to first line center, to two-way superstar and Selke winner. But even with Datsyuk completely out of the lineup, this team still took two games from a Pittsburgh team that was about as hot as a team could possibly be coming in. And they were doing it with guys called Helm and Abdelkader scoring critical goals!

Datsyuk's defensive presence, if absent, would make a significant difference in the outcome of a long series, yes. But you also have Hank Zetterberg capable of doing many of the same things. And all of the secondary scoring we get comes from the style of hockey we play (the puck possession bit) and the fact that we're rolling 4 lines of NHL talent, whereas most teams in the cap/overexpanded era are basically playing AHL'ers from forwards #7-#12.

Pavel is critically important to this team, but they've shown time and time again that there's no single piece (except Osgood or perhaps Lidstrom) that you could remove and decapitate this team. They're just too deep.

I agree with this post. The Wings probably could win without Datsyuk in the line-up. But I do think the series would be over right now if we had him for the full 5 games.