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finalfilppula

What's left to prove?

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What's left to prove?

We've made it to the conference finals three years in a row; we've made it to the Stanley Cup finals two years in a row, winning one of them.

Could this year's mediocre start be a mental thing, given that we've done--relative to the rest of the league--so much in the past three years? I'm not leaning to any kind of premature assessment of the entire season, but the general consensus on the season is that we're not focusing for sixty minutes every game.

Thoughts?

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I'm not leaning to any kind of premature assessment of the entire season, but the general consensus on the season is that we're not focusing for sixty minutes every game.

Unfortunately, this is nothing new with the Wings. We have seen this many times before. They sometimes try to rely on talent, rather than hard work. Then, they get out worked by a more hustling team. Part of this can be traced back to injuries (Zetterberg, Bertuzzi, Cleary, Franzen, Helm). Their regular complete line-up has not really been in there, but they have to outwork the other team every game for the entire game.

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I don't see us being very consistent this year, and to be honest I don't have any expectations this season either. IMO in the cap world it's incredibly difficult for a team to stay on top (or near the top) every year (unless you suck horribly for half a decade). With guys like Filppula and Leino taking on key roles and the next generation of Red Wings like Ericsson, Helm and Abdelkader finally getting ice time I feel like (dare I say it) this is a bit of a rebuilding year. It'd be nice to see them playing in June again but I just don't quite have the same cup-or-bust outlook this season.

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No, absolutely not. You don't get tired of winning, it doesn't get old! There's no way they feel like they have nothing to prove. This group has been through a whole lot, they know EXACTLY what it takes to get where they want to go.

Off game.. I mean come on 4 goals in less than 10 mins doesn't happen every day

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Prove that you are not going to suck after being owned in the Stanley Cup Final.

Like the LA Lakers... I don't want to wait for a 5 year rebuilding process. I want success now.

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the team needs time to adjust and gel as a new group.

with the franzen injury itll certainly make things more interesting but everyone needs to put their own weight on both sides of the ice.

yeah im not happya bout the 6 to 2 shelling that just happened, but we shall see..

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My biggest concern is the complete lack of interest and focus I've seen thus far. The only player that looks worth a damn and seems to be skating so far this season is Filppula, with Helm also looking good tonite in his first game back. I understand its 5 games into the season, but there is no way anyone can look at the effort of the Wings in those 5 games and think they came prepared to play this season.

That and Bertuzzi is garbage on the first line, Homer is slow as molasses in January and he looks worlds better than Bert.

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I was afraid that the air kind of went out of the team a bit after the Game 7 loss. It felt like they deserved to win but various factors worked against them and prevented them from doing that. They fought so hard and came up just short, and I think some players feel fatigued at the very idea of what it takes to get back there again.

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I was afraid that the air kind of went out of the team a bit after the Game 7 loss. It felt like they deserved to win but various factors worked against them and prevented them from doing that. They fought so hard and came up just short, and I think some players feel fatigued at the very idea of what it takes to get back there again.

And who could blame them, really....

(Wings fans)

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Wings are playing lazy right now and appear to be trying to play the game on talent alone. Whenever they play like this, they lose until they figure out they need to start working hard.

As a fan that's been watching Red Wings hockey since the stone-age, I can assure you they'll turn it around, they always do!

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Wings are playing lazy right now and appear to be trying to play the game on talent alone. Whenever they play like this, they lose until they figure out they need to start working hard.

As a fan that's been watching Red Wings hockey since the stone-age, I can assure you they'll turn it around, they always do!

QFT

These guys have been there - they know that there is never anything to prove, just 98 games and one cup to win.

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I agree that the wind has been let out of their sails. Ozzie keeps saying that it feels like it's worse the more time goes by after game 7, that now they are staring up at the huge hill they have to climb again. I think it takes something out of a team. Yeah, the guys know what it takes and are hungry to a point to get back there, but think of it this way--it's like they've just run three marathons in three days with just a little bit of rest in between. The fourth time around is looking a little daunting. Plus, they have a lot of different factors to focus on--5 new kids coming up for their first full year in the NHL, 4 other new players on the team, a depletion in proven goal scoring depth, and problem areas that have still not been resolved from the previous season. IMHO, this year is not the same team that has gone to the playoffs three years in a row. We have a lot of newbies who've never run this marathon before and who are focusing more on being full time in the NHL, and I think with so much to deal with, try to fix, and improve upon, this year indirectly or directly, most of our energy and attention will be spent on restructuring the Wings and less so on trying to make the playoffs. I think most of us want to believe that "it's the Wings, they can turn it around as the season progresses," and that it's too soon to make any long-term judgment, but is that faith in the team or just blind hope?

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"it's the Wings, they can turn it around as the season progresses," and that it's too soon to make any long-term judgment, but is that faith in the team or just blind hope?

Faith. They've done it before, they will do it again. They have that switch they flip and actually start playing... and when its on, look out.

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they need to prove to me that signing Williams and Eaves over Moen and Malhotra was the right thing to do.

Fire McCrimmon! We've been screaming for this since last year! May be time to find a quality goaltender that OSgood can back up. There are rumors of Biron, but not sure if he is the answer, what about Vokoun? Is he past his prime? Might have to package off Kronwall to get a quality netminder. (still think we should've have traded him + hudler + picks to Tampa for the 2nd overall pick and drafted Hedman. Ahh hindsight...)

Listen, Williams an Bertuzzi didn't work before, what makes you think they'll work now? Bertuzzi isn't even a shadow of himself, its obvious the Moore incident has affected his mental game. All summer long people have screamed for certain players, none of which were signed (of course we aren't GM's, bu there is a lot of hockey knowledge out here and it's not like you have to get a degree in GM'ing.) Just because we don't have a job in the NHL doesn't mean there aren't smart hockey people out here.

Right now, Moen and Malhotra and yes even Tanguay are looking way better than what we have... Sure glad we signed Zetterberg and Franzen to career deals, Zetts is pooping and Franzen wont play until June... Lids is looking WAAAY too human anymore, maybe he should hang em up after this season.

Its early, long season ahead, but I remember a certain 1989-90 season where the WIngs went 12 games without a win and never recovered (the last time they missed the playoffs too.) I am not saying that will happen, but it is hard to stp the bleeding after a while. Lets hop they run off about 6 or 7 wins in a row to help right this ship, if not, we are in for a VERY long season....

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Let's not forget where Pittsburgh was half way through last season...out of a playoff spot.

I think it's exactly whats been said above, the wind has been taken outta their sails- and their lungs- thinking about how much work lies ahead of them to get where they were last year, in the Stanley Cup finals just to come up short.

They'll be alright, but not necessarily division champs or a top 3 team in the conference all year, but they'll turn it on to get things done when their backs are up against a wall.

Just shrug, and laugh it off...at least you aren't an avs fan who's endured 5 years of this in a row!

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they need to prove to me that signing Williams and Eaves over Moen and Malhotra was the right thing to do.

Fire McCrimmon! We've been screaming for this since last year! May be time to find a quality goaltender that OSgood can back up. There are rumors of Biron, but not sure if he is the answer, what about Vokoun? Is he past his prime? Might have to package off Kronwall to get a quality netminder. (still think we should've have traded him + hudler + picks to Tampa for the 2nd overall pick and drafted Hedman. Ahh hindsight...)

Listen, Williams an Bertuzzi didn't work before, what makes you think they'll work now? Bertuzzi isn't even a shadow of himself, its obvious the Moore incident has affected his mental game. All summer long people have screamed for certain players, none of which were signed (of course we aren't GM's, bu there is a lot of hockey knowledge out here and it's not like you have to get a degree in GM'ing.) Just because we don't have a job in the NHL doesn't mean there aren't smart hockey people out here.

Right now, Moen and Malhotra and yes even Tanguay are looking way better than what we have... Sure glad we signed Zetterberg and Franzen to career deals, Zetts is pooping and Franzen wont play until June... Lids is looking WAAAY too human anymore, maybe he should hang em up after this season.

Its early, long season ahead, but I remember a certain 1989-90 season where the WIngs went 12 games without a win and never recovered (the last time they missed the playoffs too.) I am not saying that will happen, but it is hard to stp the bleeding after a while. Lets hop they run off about 6 or 7 wins in a row to help right this ship, if not, we are in for a VERY long season....

I remember a certain season in 2007-2008 when they went winless in 12 and hey, they won the stanley cup that year!

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Just something to think about... if a team goes 3-2 through every 5 games in a season, they win 50 games. So a 50 win team is only winning 60% of it's games. It's been 5 games. It's a long season and every team gets curb stomped once in a while.

To me, it's too early to make any real judgments. Do we actually think they are a 32-win team because they are 2-3 through 5 games? Give some more games first.

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It's just 5 games. Plenty of teams are going to go 2-3 in a span of 5 games this season...

This.

I'd rather they slump and feel the pressure now than when they have a good record to look back at in the mirror.

At one point last season the Pens seemed like a lock to miss the post season but managed to go on a tear in the last third of the season. Let's not leave it that long, but a slow start is fine if it serves to slap the Wings' players into playing Wings hockey.

'Cause this s*** definitely isn't Red Wings hockey. Very little hustle and very poor team defense.

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I'm gonna echo everyone's statements about it being to early. But as for "what's left to prove?"... remember how it felt to lose Game 7 of the Finals last year? I'd say they have something to prove.

Edited by Bambino Lino

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