Rafalski

[Miss Wing Queen 154]

who knows..maybe hell go back to detroit and him and the rest of the wings can figure out how to make the playoffs?

and the reason hes having so much luck in the olympics because hes playing on canadian soil...you know.cause it is CANADAS game..and it brings out the best for other countries :rolleyes:

Everyone except themselves.

[Kwame_Kilpatrick 0]

rafalski was great langenbrunner did not score, it should be a hat trick for rafalski he was amazing and i am very proud of him

[jeff48109 474]

Umm well, let's see.

1) The Canadians have had a HUGE number of scoring chances in each of their games. The issue has NOT been with poor positioning or planning; it has been that they simply cannot finish.

2) Hiller and Miller were both excellent against Canada.

3) Against Switzerland, only one goal was legit. The other was a deflection off of Marleau.

4) It is not Babcock's fault that: a) Brodeur decided to play the puck in a very stupid way, b) two goals went in off of team Canada players.

5) Putting together a bunch of good players on paper does not automatically create a good team. One must deal with a bunch of players who are used to different styles and different roles, and many of whom have bad attitudes or star complexes.

NONE of those goals tonight were a result of poor coaching. Too, the tie against Switzerland was NOT due to poor coaching; it was due to the players` inability to finish. When players are around the net with the puck, coaching is no longer a factor. It is ALL up to the player.

THINK before posting!!

i agree 100%. from what i've been reading a lot of people are overreacting. its not as if Canada has been bad, they've dominated possession and just can't finish.

[T.Low 1,011]

Miller, Rafalski, Jack Johnson, Tim Thomas, Tim Gleason, Ryan Kesler, all claiming Michigan as their home state. Cool.

[Yzermania 156]

seeing this picture still puts a dagger in my heart, even though we won that year, "34.4 seconds" still just haunts me.

[Guest ToMaToToWnWinGsFaN_24]

i kinda blew a gasket after tonights lost.

rafalski played a great game

i hope he plays this well for the wings in the month ahead to give detroit a playoff berth

[TheOwl 77]

Rafalski needs to play like this all the time.

[Guest ToMaToToWnWinGsFaN_24]

Rafalski needs to play like this all the time.

i agree

i never doubted his play

there were some games he didnt play well.. but still

maybe this will give him some confidence and up his game

[RoninJai 5]

rafalski was great langenbrunner did not score, it should be a hat trick for rafalski he was amazing and i am very proud of him

Thats one of the big things that bugs me about the way goals and assists are handled. There's no way that should have been Langenbrunner's goal. If it would have been a Canadian player, it would have been Rafalski's goal, so the train of thought should remain the same.

[egroen 384]

Rafalski ups his game in the playoffs - we didn't see it last year because of his numerous (serious) injuries... and yet he still played. He takes way too much s*** on this board (for not being Lidstrom).

[Datsyerberger 279]

Rafalski ups his game in the playoffs - we didn't see it last year because of his numerous (serious) injuries... and yet he still played. He takes way too much s*** on this board (for not being Lidstrom).

Yea, that's pretty much it. Some bandwagoners are gonna be in for a shock when we have to rely on normal high caliber defenders for a top pairing instead of the generational talent sort.

[WingNutt 12]

who knows..maybe hell go back to detroit and him and the rest of the wings can figure out how to make the playoffs?

and the reason hes having so much luck in the olympics because hes playing on canadian soil...you know.cause it is CANADAS game..and it brings out the best for other countries :rolleyes:

Well its not helping out Canada very much, I think Canada might have lost the only thing they could ever try to claim as their own ( they obviously don't have anything else as far as culture goes, they copy the US culture like its their own only thing they got going for them is Tim Hortons haha), USA, Russia, and Czech's all looking better than your mighty team Canada this time around even with Cindy Crosby playing on the team, what was he a minus 2 or 3 last night I forget?

Congrats US,

[T.Low 1,011]

Well its not helping out Canada very much, I think Canada might have lost the only thing they could ever try to claim as their own ( they obviously don't have anything else as far as culture goes, they copy the US culture like its their own only thing they got going for them is Tim Hortons haha), USA, Russia, and Czech's all looking better than your mighty team Canada this time around even with Cindy Crosby playing on the team, what was he a minus 2 or 3 last night I forget?

Congrats US,

I love Canada, but at the same time, you see that they really could have had it all; British culture, French quisine, and American know-how. Instead they ended up with American culture, British quisine, and French know-how. Ouch.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Last night's game felt like a kick to the groin for me. Seeing Rafalski put up 2 goals and a helper definitely helped soften the blow.

[dragonballgtz 273]

His D play still sucks...he left Heatly all by himself which they scored on us.

[swedishconnection 36]

Thats one of the big things that bugs me about the way goals and assists are handled. There's no way that should have been Langenbrunner's goal. If it would have been a Canadian player, it would have been Rafalski's goal, so the train of thought should remain the same.

I guess the argument is that if the American player was not there the goal would not have happened. IF it were a Canadian player, then that would just be a consequence of the game unfolding- and since it would not have been intentional it would not have counted.

The American player was in the offensive zone, intending to score. That is the difference.

I agree though- at least just for this instance- I wanted a B-Raf Hattie!!

[Guest Lidstromboli]

[Drake_Marcus 890]

That looked like it deflected off Crosby's stick for sure.

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

That looked like it deflected off Crosby's stick for sure.

It did.

I wonder if Fleury taught him that.

[Vladifan 680]

Whoo hoo Raffy! Way to rep us Michiganderrrrs!

And it's not Babcocks fault that Canada is losing. Canada out shot the US by 2:1. The Canadiens have more than enough star power to win without any coach at all. The players are choking imo. Brodeur let in a softie or two.

It's also not Babs fault for the insane # of injuries the Wings have sustained this year.

Lets not knee jerk over one game guys.

Although I must admit I've wanted to blame him on more than one occasion, I agree with all of this. But to blame Babcock just ain't that simple. The suggestions that he should have taken a time out toward the end; that he should have pulled Brodeur are not where the main problems are. When most of the world says Canada WILL/MUST win the gold, I'm thinkin' that put juuust a little pressure on these guys who are way too used to being the stars/hotshots of their teams. So far, probably each of them figures it's on HIS shoulders to win. Therefore, no chemistry, no meshing.

[T.Low 1,011]

I guess the argument is that if the American player was not there the goal would not have happened. IF it were a Canadian player, then that would just be a consequence of the game unfolding- and since it would not have been intentional it would not have counted.

The American player was in the offensive zone, intending to score. That is the difference.

I agree though- at least just for this instance- I wanted a B-Raf Hattie!!

Well said. Langenbrunner played fundamental hockey; he went to the net and put himself in the right place at the right time and thats a recipe for success. If he is not there, then it just looks like Rafalski missed the net horribly.

[donfishmaster 62]

This "Rafalski" kid you speak of looks GREAT!!!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Wings could somehow sign him to a contract?

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

It did.

I wonder if Fleury taught him that.

[T.Low 1,011]

This "Rafalski" kid you speak of looks GREAT!!!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Wings could somehow sign him to a contract?

Old Guys Rule!

Rafalski (the oldest guy on the ice) really stepped up showing some increbile leadership. He new he had to take the entire Canadian crowd out of the game and he did exactly that with his first goal just minutes into the game. All of Canada was stunned.

Then he didn't let Team Canada get any momentum as he answered their first score with another goal right away, again taking the crowd out of the game.

[agziolkow 1]

Raffy was great tonight, though those goals of him were pretty weak.

Tip by Crosby on the first.

Then a whiff on the second that went through non-butterfly Brodeur.

That said, he played amazing tonight and was the best defenseman on the ice for both teams. Where has this guy been?

You can't really say that his goals were 'weak'..especially the first one. That first goal was scored doing exactly what he is supposed to do..rip the puck as hard as he can towards the net and keep it low to the ice and hope for a tip.

That's exactly what a d-man is supposed to do and he is one of the best in the league at it.

Deking around 3 guys and putting it top shelf is a 'pretty' goal for a forward. That first goal by Ralfie is a 'pretty' goal d-man style.