Red Wings VP Jimmy Devellano on Fan 590: Wings fans should lower expec

[kook_10 1,705]

Red Wings VP Jimmy Devellano on Fan 590: Wings fans should lower expectations

Well, I can't lie - that's a little disheartening to hear from him. I think most of us are realistic about the changes from last year, but the homer in me just doesn't want to accept that the team's goal is to just make the playoffs.

**link fixed

Edited October 24, 2009 by kook_10

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

link is broke.

Edit: Fixed.

Edited October 24, 2009 by CaliWingsNut

[Guest gofish]

for someone in the organization to say that is very disheartening. If your a team thats used to playing at a certain level, the fans and media will begin to expect that. When you come out and put on several embarassing preformances and then have the audacity to tell the fans to "lower expectations" is apalling.

i really liked devellano until this.

Edited October 24, 2009 by gofish

[Slabby 3]

for someone in the organization to say that is very disheartening. If your a team thats used to playing at a certain level, the fans and media will begin to expect that. When you come out and put on several embarassing preformances and then have the audacity to tell the fans to "lower expectations" is apalling.

i really liked devellano until this.

What a spoiled, asinine comment. No hockey team is good forever. Jimmy D sets the table for several cups and now you criticize him for speaking the truth? You don't get to criticize him. He doesn't have to prove himself to you. He's a legendary team builder and you're some internet retard.

Typical bandwagoner. Find a new team.

[Broken 16 381]

I've been a fan for a long, long time and Jimmy is doing nothing but stating the obvious. You'd have to be braindead to believe that the Wings are going to just breeze into the playoffs year after year. I had hoped that I was underestimating the roster but it appears that I may have been overestimating them instead. Maybe a couple seasons of mediocrity will do some of the fans good. The expectations have reached ridiculous heights. This team has been in the spotlight as a benchmark team for over a decade. Teams have been gunning for them for just as long.

Those that say this is disheartening show how utterly spoiled they have been for the past decade.

@gofish

Perhaps you would like Jimmy again if he lied to you instead?

Edited October 24, 2009 by Broken 16

[redwingfan19 293]

I didn't hear him on the radio but I tend to agree with the statement Jimmy D made on this one. Yeah the regular season might not be so pretty. There will be lots of ups and downs but there is only one time that counts and it starts in april. The Wings could finish 8th barley making it in for all I care as long as they battle hard in the playoffs and do their best

[Echolalia 2,961]

I think its a bit absurd for fans to have the same expectations after an efflux of Hossa, Hudler, Franzen, Sammuelson, Kopecky, Lilja, Conklin, Chelios, and Franzen. Sure some replacements may be upgrades, but with the money we had available, there was no way to maintain the level of skill Detroit is used to.

Having said that, you don't play the game just to make the playoffs. You play to win the Cup. And I expect the Wings to act like they want to play for the Cup, regardless of who they lost. Besides Filppulla, Leino, and Williams, they haven't done that yet.

[VM1138 1,921]

I've been a fan for a long, long time and Jimmy is doing nothing but stating the obvious. You'd have to be braindead to believe that the Wings are going to just breeze into the playoffs year after year. I had hoped that I was underestimating the roster but it appears that I may have been overestimating them instead. Maybe a couple seasons of mediocrity will do some of the fans good. The expectations have reached ridiculous heights. This team has been in the spotlight as a benchmark team for over a decade. Teams have been gunning for them for just as long.

Those that say this is disheartening show how utterly spoiled they have been for the past decade.

@gofish

Perhaps you would like Jimmy again if he lied to you instead?

I agree with you, except for your statement that this team might have a "couple" of seasons of mediocrity. Really this whole situation is because of the cap, and we're out of that jam at the end of this season. So I fully expect the team to be back to form next season once they can build a team they really want.

[Guest gofish]

bandwagon fan lol. get a life. and s ma d

your front office can't make excuses for 3-3-3 when they hand over leads in the 3rd, or look like a jr. A team playing against an nhl team. goaltending and losing a 40 goal scorer still doesn't make up for the collapse of a forecheck, turnovers in the neutral zone, and getting pinned in your own zone trying to break out for 45 secs.

Edited October 24, 2009 by gofish

[Winged_Wheeler 3]

I think its a bit absurd for fans to have the same expectations after an efflux of Hossa, Hudler, Franzen, Sammuelson, Kopecky, Lilja, Conklin, Chelios, and Franzen. Sure some replacements may be upgrades, but with the money we had available, there was no way to maintain the level of skill Detroit is used to.

Having said that, you don't play the game just to make the playoffs. You play to win the Cup. And I expect the Wings to act like they want to play for the Cup, regardless of who they lost. Besides Filppulla, Leino, and Williams, they haven't done that yet.

Filppula already won the Cup...

[Earthhuman 8]

Filppula already won the Cup...

The point is he's playing like he wants to win it again, whereas everybody else is playing pretty lazily.

[Broken 16 381]

I agree with you, except for your statement that this team might have a "couple" of seasons of mediocrity. Really this whole situation is because of the cap, and we're out of that jam at the end of this season. So I fully expect the team to be back to form next season once they can build a team they really want.

Ya... I kinda grimaced when I re-read the part where I said "a couple seasons of mediocrity". One season is enough.

[Doc Holiday 0]

I find it funny how it is okay for one of Detroit's top front office guys to say that a team that has been "cup or nothing" for the past 18 years is not (not even a year removed from going to game seven in the cup finals) going to be that way any longer.

No fan wants to hear that, and saying that isn't going to bring butts in the seats or make people excited to watch the team.

Nope, I'm not going to go along with some people in this thread and talk about how this was a good idea.

Edited October 24, 2009 by Doc Holiday

[Guest gofish]

I find it funny how it is okay for one of Detroit's top front office guys to say that a team that has been "cup or nothing" for the past 18 years is not (not even a year removed from going to game seven in the cup finals) going to be that way any longer.

Jimmy is essentially saying the Wings aren't a winning team anymore. No fan wants to hear that, and saying that isn't going to bring butts in the seats or make people excited to watch the team.

Nope, I'm not going to go along with some people in this thread and talk about how this was a good idea.

get ready to get flamed like me.

[AFwinger 21]

As much as it hurts me I agree with some of that. That is why I was so hurt last yr not just we lost at home in game 7 but that we lost knowing this yr we would have a drop in production across the board.

[kook_10 1,705]

i have immense respect for Jimmy D and he was only speaking the truth freely. i say its "disheartening" only because he is entirely credible. i would just rather the players themselves be the one to defeat my optimism over the course of the season. just as they say: "we haven't won anything yet", they haven't lost anything yet either. and yes i am spoiled as a wings fan - aren't we all? i am grateful for their success. it was a long time coming, and a long time in hockeytown, so forgive me if i don't want to eulogize it in October.

[Z and D for the C 712]

This is the same core that won the cup 2 years ago. 1 year removed from going to the cup finals twice in a row I can't believe that just making the playoffs now will consider the season a success. But maybe it's okay to say not to be dissapointed if the don't win the cup or anything. But I do expect a solid playoff run.

[dat's sick 1,002]

I like his honesty. And it's hard to argue with what he says, the Wings are handicapped by the salary cap this year and will have to fight harder than in a long time just to make the playoffs.

It's pretty huge to not have either Franzen or Hossa. We don't have that clutch goalscorer that can give us those late game-tying or game-winning goals. Funny how even if we had re-signed them both we would still be without them right now though. It's gonna take a while for the team to adjust to winning games 2-1 and 3-2. They haven't done it just yet, but the last few games have shown that they're tightening up on defense/PK.

[RedFlag85 33]

What a spoiled, asinine comment. No hockey team is good forever. Jimmy D sets the table for several cups and now you criticize him for speaking the truth? You don't get to criticize him. He doesn't have to prove himself to you. He's a legendary team builder and you're some internet retard.

Typical bandwagoner. Find a new team.

Quoted for truth.

[BuckeyeWingsfan80 209]

hell this is the first team since 1995 that should be playing MUCH better and will have had to develop an identity by the END of the season versus what they had coming into the season.

We have seen that already. 3 blown 2 goal leads (or is it 4?). A team that by turns is overly-aggressive and then not aggressive enough.

They'll come around. But he's right, it's going to take time. They aren't going to win 50 games this year in the regular season and 100 points is the goal in any case.

[rage 24]

for someone in the organization to say that is very disheartening. If your a team thats used to playing at a certain level, the fans and media will begin to expect that. When you come out and put on several embarassing preformances and then have the audacity to tell the fans to "lower expectations" is apalling.

i really liked devellano until this.

Wow. A little over the top here.

[thedatsyukian 7]

This is a team with a lot of bad habits and while last year they were noticeable, we had enough talent play through them. This isn't the same team that's going to score 3 goals a game almost every night. Hopefully they'll have a season of correcting those habits. Obviously the goal is to make the playoffs but what this team really NEEDS, is to have a season of correction. I don't want a presidents trophy or to break all kinds of regular season records. What I really want for this team? A season where we don't expect leads to be blown, a season where we don't expect defensive lapses constantly, and a season where we don't HOPE the wings want to win as much as the opposition.

In short:I'd like to watch a team that shows a passion and fire for the game. Something I haven't seen a whole lot of since our cup victory. If after watching this team you don't think what Jimmy says rings some truth, I think you're in denial.

[Pavel Hossyukstrom 2]

He is right. But stupid stupid stupid thing to say to the media, especially to the Detroit fans. Um let's see we're used to seeing them make the playoffs every year past 18 yrs and he wants everybody to all of a sudden to do a 180. lol! And I'm sick and tired of hearing we lost this many goals and that with Hossa etc and any fill in the blank name player. yeah we would have lost 40 goals last year. It's like saying the Blackhawks magically got 40 more goals this year because they added Hossa. And would Sammy have 5 goals with the Wings this year already, I don't think so. He's not a lock for 19-20 goals a year either, just like Hossa isn't a lock for 40 goals a year either. Plus if we still had Hossa we wouldn't have him til Nov anyway so that shoots the 40 goal argument to s*** anyways. And god knows what he'll be like after recovering from surgery. It takes time to get back into form. So stop whining and start rooting for your team!!

[gcom007 1,465]

I'm not surprised, Devellano's always been fairly candid. I think what a lot of people are missing here is that he isn't necessarily insinuating that the Wings suck all of the sudden. We did have a rough hand dealt to us in the off-season and every other team is a lot better. It's a much more competitive conference now. Even the lousiest of teams are off to a strong start. Every team from 1-8 is going to be fighting to make it into the playoffs and as I said going in, I have little doubt that there will be less than 10 points between the 1st and 8th seeds out of the West. Every team is going to be happy to just make it to the playoffs. At that point, all bets are off and every teams got a descent shot.

Look for Holland to make a move shortly after the new year to strengthen up the D. He won't wait for the deadline because we've got the cap space now and prices will be too high especially this year when a lot more teams will be in the thick of the playoff race.

The Wings will make the playoffs, and it'll be them or Chicago coming out of the West. Don't panic so easily.

[Copenhagen848 58]

What a spoiled, asinine comment. No hockey team is good forever. Jimmy D sets the table for several cups and now you criticize him for speaking the truth? You don't get to criticize him. He doesn't have to prove himself to you. He's a legendary team builder and you're some internet retard.

Typical bandwagoner. Find a new team.

Perfectly stated and I agree 100%