gcom007 1,465 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 I know what the numbers are. The marginal differences are irrelevant. Franzen's marginal difference are marginally higher because he plays with Datsyuk on the first PP. Just watch the game and you'll see that Franzen and Bert are under performing and while Filppula may not be playing to the best of his ability (And I mean that literally, I'm not implying he isn't playing well - he is), he is getting no help out there. I also got no rebuttal to my rebuttal in the last GDT. I'm actually pretty happy with Bert's play. It'd always be good to see him get more goals, but he's a cheap addition that plays hungry every game and he's really transformed his game to fit into this system. He's had a very good season aside from putting up descent numbers already. Last summer when we brought him back, we were more worried about his being able to stay healthy enough to play and whether or not he'd be a liability let alone whether or not he could actually contribute. He's only "underachieving" lately because he's done such a good job of overachieving, especially this year in developing his two-way game and taking less penalties. If Franzen was truly slumping even Dats and the power play wouldn't help him. He may not be hot but he's not quite slumping. Again, 4 points including 2 goals in 7 games isn't great, but is it really bad, let alone slumping? Either way, it must be nice to have a "slumping" stretch that puts you on pace to put up more points than Flip is on pace for on the whole season. Flip's had power play time too, no? Flip did play a good game and he did create chances. Again, I never said he didn't. I just think it's ridiculous to rip Bert and Franzen, declare them to be slumping when they'e both completed better not only lately but all year. The line isn't clicking right now, it's as simple as that. Tough to assign blame for that and I would've been fine with the suggestion that the line simply isn't clicking. But again and again, it makes no sense to criticize the guys doing more while praising the guy doing less and then blaming any such issue on the players who have been doing more. Flip is hardly above criticism lately despite a good effort tonight. Babcock called him out Monday in the press too... 1 GoWings1905 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftWinger 4,914 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 (edited) I can't stand Paul Woods, his "uh" every other word make it nearly impossible to follow what he says. "And-uh Datsyuk had-uh a good-uh game-uh tonight. Uh, let's-uh hope they can repeat-uh tomorrow." it's sub-conscious. I work with a guy that says "...and all that" after like EVERY sentence. ARGH! Also, have you ever listened to a Marty Lapointe interview? "you know..." Edited December 16, 2010 by LeftWinger Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt 1,048 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Proud to say I tossed my first hat on the Joe Louis Arena ice tonight. Had some great seats and a brand new hat (tonight was the first time I've had a chance to wear it) -- it went to a worthy cause! Thanks Nick! 6 PenaltyShot 96, HankthaTank, Barrie and 3 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barrie 900 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Proud to say I tossed my first hat on the Joe Louis Arena ice tonight. Had some great seats and a brand new hat (tonight was the first time I've had a chance to wear it) -- it went to a worthy cause! Thanks Nick! So worth it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_Wing 354 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 tears in my eyes from laughing... love the crowd boo'ing. LOL, LOL~ That Steven Crosby guy, such a gun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 2 HankthaTank and wingnut40 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Konnan511 1,736 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 He looks more like a pissed off man. This must be the game after he got a ball removed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hiei 192 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 How about that young guy getting his first career hat trick tonight? Too bad there's no curly fries this year Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut40 176 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Posted yet? 1 Nev reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Konnan511 1,736 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 How about that young guy getting his first career hat trick tonight? Too bad there's no curly fries this year It is for this game!!!!! FSND.com "You just never know," Lidstrom said. "Towards the end of the game, I thought Clears was going to look for me. I think the puck was standing up on end, just trying to get it on net and I got a lucky bounce again."The feat is also lucky for local Wings fans, who can get a free order of curly fries from Arby's Thursday with a copy of the box score. As is typical of Lidstrom, he didn't show a lot of emotion as the hats cascaded onto the ice in celebration of his feat. "That's how he is," said Henrik Zetterberg, who assisted on all three of Lidstrom's goals. "I think he's pretty happy inside and relieved to get that one. I think he's happy to get it on home ice in front of our fans." Most of the Wings, including Zetterberg, had no idea that Lidstrom had never gotten a hat trick in his storied career. "I didn't know until the guys said it after the game here," goaltender Jimmy Howard said. "It's amazing. But he definitely deserves it. He's Mr. Perfect. He does everything right." 1 Nev reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_Wing 354 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Seriously, I know I'm captain obvious, but how good is Lidstrom? I fear what will happen when he retires, he'll leave a huge hole in this team, not just by his play, but mentally, not having him in the rooms and on the ice will be a major blow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey v3.4 45 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 It took 19 years, and an all-star career.....it took four Stanley cups, and six Norris Trophies.... But at long last, Nick got some..... CURLY FRIES!!!!!! (Or Jr Roast Beef) 1 No.9 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joey v3.4 45 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Seriously, I know I'm captain obvious, but how good is Lidstrom? I fear what will happen when he retires, he'll leave a huge hole in this team, not just by his play, but mentally, not having him in the rooms and on the ice will be a major blow. Detroit has always recovered from losses of players. When Yzerman started going, people wondered where our offense would come from. Shanahan, Fedorov, people were worried to see all of them leave. When Murphy left people wondered who would pair with Nic, Schneider stepped in and did well, then when he left, Rafalski stepped up. That said, usually we had an "option" to replace all of those guys (And the dozens of others that have come and gone through the years), but I must admit I don't see any type of replacement for Lidstrom. Guys like Stevie Y, Shanahan....they're great forwards, but you can find diamonds in the rough like Zetterberg and Datsyuk to keep the locomotive chugging along. In order to replace Lidstrom you need to draft a Bobby Orr. I don't see that happening. Great forwards are rare, but there are a few of them each year. Great all around defense-Man are almost impossible to find. Bright side: When Lids retires, we'll have a lot of cap room to mess with. Dark side: Our style of play will change, and the first year or two without him, we will definitely feel an impact. Lets hope Holland is still active when Lidstrom retires. We'll need the front office on their toes that year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brett 1,029 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Seriously, I know I'm captain obvious, but how good is Lidstrom? I fear what will happen when he retires, he'll leave a huge hole in this team, not just by his play, but mentally, not having him in the rooms and on the ice will be a major blow. lids should take over as defensive coach! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 I get the weird feeling this is Lidstrom's last year..hopefully i'm wrong, but anyhow, although it will be a significant blow to the team, there will be plenty of guys we will look at to take his spot. I wouldn't mind seeing Ryan Suter or Keith Yandle in his place. Obviously i'd love to see Drew Doughty or Shea Weber in a Wings sweater, but that seems like a long shot right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haroldsnepsts 4,826 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Hmm. seems like Lidstrom's been reading his own press. He sure made those guys at ESPN look good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Detroit has always recovered from losses of players. When Yzerman started going, people wondered where our offense would come from. Shanahan, Fedorov, people were worried to see all of them leave. When Murphy left people wondered who would pair with Nic, Schneider stepped in and did well, then when he left, Rafalski stepped up. That said, usually we had an "option" to replace all of those guys (And the dozens of others that have come and gone through the years), but I must admit I don't see any type of replacement for Lidstrom. Guys like Stevie Y, Shanahan....they're great forwards, but you can find diamonds in the rough like Zetterberg and Datsyuk to keep the locomotive chugging along. Shanahan was a great forward. Yzerman is a legend. He was an all-time great and he was the superstar player and leader, the nucleus around which the Red Wings rebuilt the franchise. Without Yzerman, you don't have the 90s full of winning teams. The Wings might look like the Pistons or Tigers, stumbling between a chance at the division championship all the way down to missing the playoffs, with no real consistency. In order to replace Lidstrom you need to draft a Bobby Orr. I don't see that happening. Great forwards are rare, but there are a few of them each year. Great all around defense-Man are almost impossible to find. Bright side: When Lids retires, we'll have a lot of cap room to mess with. Dark side: Our style of play will change, and the first year or two without him, we will definitely feel an impact. Lets hope Holland is still active when Lidstrom retires. We'll need the front office on their toes that year. Lidstrom is irreplaceable; finding someone to fill the open spot in the top four may be difficult, depending on when he leaves. Kronwall is becoming a very good defenseman, Rafalski is still one of the league's most talented offensive defensemen, and Stuart has a very strong two-way game. The best solution is to start playing Ericsson more and Rafalski less at even-strength, as next season is the last contract year for Rafalski, Kronwall, and Stuart. Rafalski will likely retire, but the other two are probable to return. The major questions are, does Lidstrom return next year? Does Salei return next year? If Nick is back, perhaps he plays with Stuart and Kronwall with Ericsson. Perhaps Rafalski mans the third pairing and the PP, until his expected retirement at (2011-12) season's end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 I would like to think that there's another year, or 2 left in the tank for Lids - however there's a distinct possibility this will in fact be his final year as a Detroit Red Wing. While he's certainly not in Lids tier of play, but I'm thinking Tomas Kaberle might look good in a Red Wings sweater come next fall. Kaberle would be an interesting pick up. Be interesting to see if he could play in a city where winning isn't only expected, its almost required to keep a job in Detroit..Polar opposite atmosphere of Toronto, in that sense, anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Konnan511 1,736 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 (edited) Lidstrom is irreplaceable; finding someone to fill the open spot in the top four may be difficult, depending on when he leaves. Kronwall is becoming a very good defenseman, Rafalski is still one of the league's most talented offensive defensemen, and Stuart has a very strong two-way game. The best solution is to start playing Ericsson more and Rafalski less at even-strength, as next season is the last contract year for Rafalski, Kronwall, and Stuart. Rafalski will likely retire, but the other two are probable to return. The major questions are, does Lidstrom return next year? Does Salei return next year? If Nick is back, perhaps he plays with Stuart and Kronwall with Ericsson. Perhaps Rafalski mans the third pairing and the PP, until his expected retirement at (2011-12) season's end.[/font] I agreed with everything you said, except I don't see Rafalski retiring after next season. He's still capable of putting up 50+ points a season. Edited December 16, 2010 by Konnan511 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clutchngrab 12 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 (edited) Lidstrom won't retire until one of 2 things start sucking: a) his play or b) the team. He'll be back next year. Edited December 16, 2010 by clutchngrab Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clutchngrab 12 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 I'm actually pretty happy with Bert's play. It'd always be good to see him get more goals, but he's a cheap addition that plays hungry every game and he's really transformed his game to fit into this system. He's had a very good season aside from putting up descent numbers already. Last summer when we brought him back, we were more worried about his being able to stay healthy enough to play and whether or not he'd be a liability let alone whether or not he could actually contribute. He's only "underachieving" lately because he's done such a good job of overachieving, especially this year in developing his two-way game and taking less penalties. If Franzen was truly slumping even Dats and the power play wouldn't help him. He may not be hot but he's not quite slumping. Again, 4 points including 2 goals in 7 games isn't great, but is it really bad, let alone slumping? Either way, it must be nice to have a "slumping" stretch that puts you on pace to put up more points than Flip is on pace for on the whole season. Flip's had power play time too, no? Flip did play a good game and he did create chances. Again, I never said he didn't. I just think it's ridiculous to rip Bert and Franzen, declare them to be slumping when they'e both completed better not only lately but all year. The line isn't clicking right now, it's as simple as that. Tough to assign blame for that and I would've been fine with the suggestion that the line simply isn't clicking. But again and again, it makes no sense to criticize the guys doing more while praising the guy doing less and then blaming any such issue on the players who have been doing more. Flip is hardly above criticism lately despite a good effort tonight. Babcock called him out Monday in the press too... I pretty much agree with everything you say here. Bert has been a solid 2 way forward that has stopped giving the puck away incessantly. Flip has shot more, though still needs to be more of an offensive force. To be honest, I think the biggest problem with that line is that neither Bert or Franzen want to use their bodies. Franzen is vastly underachieving due to his unwillingness to be physical. We will see what happens come playoff time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Konnan511 1,736 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Lidstrom won't retire until one of 2 things start sucking: a) his play or b) the team. He'll be back next year. Or c)his relationship with his children Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jusek 437 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Nick the perfect human being! Nice to see Hank and Cleary succeding too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Konnan511 1,736 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Nick the perfect human being! Nice to see Hank and Cleary succeding too. Completely agreed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Theophany 110 Report post Posted December 16, 2010 Or c)his relationship with his children His oldest son is in Sweden happily going to school and living with relatives, and I assume that Lids has enough money that his son can come home for holidays. Doubt children are much of an issue after the first one leaves the nest, frankly. Yeah it's rough, but parents can deal with it more easily when there's a prior experience to fall back on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites