Yzerfan1999 81 Report post Posted September 6, 2009 As for that OP - Good for Downey - I hear he is a nice guy. But seriously, I am glad the Wings decided to move on - he is a lousy hockey player and an average enforcer. You need to be able to stay in the lineup in order to be a successful tough-guy, and Downey had no chance of doing that here. Maybe he can crack the lineup of the worst team in the league. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jollymania 162 Report post Posted September 6, 2009 No reason to give it up, fighting has always been a part of hockey and always will be. No s***, but constantly complaining about it is tiresome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted September 6, 2009 No s***, but constantly complaining about it is tiresome. No ones complaining, there voicing their opinions just as you are. I'm sad to see Downs go, and wish the Wings still had someone that could drop em, but it's not looking that way. The reason you get arguments is when people outright say enforcers and fighting is useless and not needed, then people get up in arms. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jollymania 162 Report post Posted September 6, 2009 No ones complaining, there voicing their opinions just as you are. I'm sad to see Downs go, and wish the Wings still had someone that could drop em, but it's not looking that way. The reason you get arguments is when people outright say enforcers and fighting is useless and not needed, then people get up in arms. In some cases it is worthless, but that is not the point, I get annoyed by people against fighting too and when they show up it can be hell, but the people who are obsessed it jsut won't stop about it, if you want to get people on your side come up with 100% proof that every team needs an enforcer and don't be so belligerent it is off-putting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted September 6, 2009 (edited) As for that OP - Good for Downey - I hear he is a nice guy. But seriously, I am glad the Wings decided to move on - he is a lousy hockey player and an average enforcer. You need to be able to stay in the lineup in order to be a successful tough-guy, and Downey had no chance of doing that here. Maybe he can crack the lineup of the worst team in the league. So in other words, he's just like Maltby and Kopecky, except those guys aren't exactly average enforcers? Edited September 6, 2009 by GMRwings1983 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jollymania 162 Report post Posted September 6, 2009 (edited) So in other words, he's just like Maltby and Kopecky, except those guys aren't exactly average enforcers? Those guys can skate and shoot, Maltby can agitate but i don't see Kopecky as much of an upgrade he had the same syndrome of running into guys and getting the worst of it, at least he made some actal hits rather than downey but and Im glad hes gone too. Maltby should be done this year. Abdelkader is coming up through the ranks, he can fight and play, I'd prefer him over any of these guys. Edited September 6, 2009 by jollymania Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doc Holiday 0 Report post Posted September 7, 2009 So in other words, he's just like Maltby and Kopecky, except those guys aren't exactly average enforcers? We don't have Kopecky, and isn't Malby's salary on the books till his contract expires? Or is that just Draper. Everyone knows both of them are useless anyways. I would have preferred Downs over both of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
55fan 5,133 Report post Posted September 7, 2009 We don't have Kopecky, and isn't Malby's salary on the books till his contract expires? Or is that just Draper. Everyone knows both of them are useless anyways. I would have preferred Downs over both of them. Just Draper. Tough call on Downey/Maltby. Definately Downey over Koko. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Secret 304 Report post Posted September 7, 2009 So in other words, he's just like Maltby and Kopecky, except those guys aren't exactly average enforcers? As far as Maltby's career has declined he still has a role that he fills better then Dpwney could... just the name Maltby pisses opposing teams off. Kaka Kopecky showed very brief glimpses of improvement but that gave way to him being one of the most useless roster spot fillers next to Boyd the Void Devereaux.... and still Downey was beneath that! There is good reason he never made it to the team full time, and there is good reason he is gone. Who cares if he was a great guy in the locker room? He was a flop on the ice where it counts. I think we've become so euro-filled for so long that we crave the odd s***ty fight from anyone who is willing to do it. There are those on this board that considered Lilja a legit fighter... Lilja! Listen, I'm all for a toughguy presence on this team, and i crave it as much as anyone else... Bob Probert is my second fav Wings player behind Steve Yzerman, but that era is gone, those types of players will not have a use on a team like this. We lost players like Shanny, McCarty and Lapointe and we need to add a few more like them back... guys that can and will fight but also skate, finish checks and score. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted September 7, 2009 As far as Maltby's career has declined he still has a role that he fills better then Dpwney could... just the name Maltby pisses opposing teams off. Kaka Kopecky showed very brief glimpses of improvement but that gave way to him being one of the most useless roster spot fillers next to Boyd the Void Devereaux.... and still Downey was beneath that! There is good reason he never made it to the team full time, and there is good reason he is gone. Who cares if he was a great guy in the locker room? He was a flop on the ice where it counts. I think we've become so euro-filled for so long that we crave the odd s***ty fight from anyone who is willing to do it. There are those on this board that considered Lilja a legit fighter... Lilja! Listen, I'm all for a toughguy presence on this team, and i crave it as much as anyone else... Bob Probert is my second fav Wings player behind Steve Yzerman, but that era is gone, those types of players will not have a use on a team like this. We lost players like Shanny, McCarty and Lapointe and we need to add a few more like them back... guys that can and will fight but also skate, finish checks and score. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yzerfan1999 81 Report post Posted September 7, 2009 So in other words, he's just like Maltby and Kopecky, except those guys aren't exactly average enforcers? No...not at all. Kopecky was a lousy hockey player, but at least he could skate, and his whole game didn't revolve around trying to be an enforcer. And as for Maltby, I would think a Wings fan would have noticed at some point in the last decade that Maltby is a great defensive player, he can skate, and even has the ability to contribute offensively from time to time. He also doesn't pretend to be an enforcer - he is an agitator - something completely different. Don't forget, Maltby made Team Canada for a World Cup and an World Championships. Downey isn't even in the same league as Maltby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted September 7, 2009 No...not at all. Kopecky was a lousy hockey player, but at least he could skate, and his whole game didn't revolve around trying to be an enforcer. And as for Maltby, I would think a Wings fan would have noticed at some point in the last decade that Maltby is a great defensive player, he can skate, and even has the ability to contribute offensively from time to time. He also doesn't pretend to be an enforcer - he is an agitator - something completely different. Don't forget, Maltby made Team Canada for a World Cup and an World Championships. Downey isn't even in the same league as Maltby. Point is that Downey wasn't exactly taking up useful roster spots. By the time Downey joined the team, Maltby was already a shell of his former self. As for Kopecky, he should have never gotten a roster spot, because he didn't do anything well. Downey was more of a tradtional 4th line player than he was. Checking and fighting is more important than skating on the 4th line in my opinion. Kopecky's game revolved around doing nothing but taking up space. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yzerfan1999 81 Report post Posted September 7, 2009 Point is that Downey wasn't exactly taking up useful roster spots. By the time Downey joined the team, Maltby was already a shell of his former self. As for Kopecky, he should have never gotten a roster spot, because he didn't do anything well. Downey was more of a tradtional 4th line player than he was. Checking and fighting is more important than skating on the 4th line in my opinion. Kopecky's game revolved around doing nothing but taking up space. No you are right, Maltby at this point in his career has lost a lot of his value, and Kopecky never had much value to begin with. Saying that though, I would rather give those spots to Helm and Abdelkader then plug Downey in the lineup. Downey will fit in somewhere, but the poor guy can barely take a pass - playing on a puck possession style team like the Wings just doesn't work. If the Wings are going to have an enforcer on the team - it has to be a guy like McCarty from the late 90s early 2000s. He could fight, check, AND make some pretty nice plays from time to time. Unfortunately, those guys are hard to come by. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
