55fan

This is longer than I expected.  I really thought he'd only want to do a year or two at a time at his age.  But, come on, we all know that real reason that he's staying in Detroit is so he can keep Dr. Rahmani.

Thrilling day in RedWingsLand.  And the people rejoice.

http://www.mlive.com...nrik_zette.html

Good for him.  I knew he did the smoke detector thing, but I didn't know he provided drinking water for people in Africa. 

He just keeps getting better every time I hear something about him.

I dunno guys.  He's only signed through age 32, but I'm concerned by how early his hair is turning gray that he might lose a step earlier due to premature aging.

Hair colour has nothing to do with aging.  I started turning grey at age 16.  My grandfather was pure white by age 30, and it didn't stop him from being in the Navy until he was almost 50 (WWII), and fathering my dad when he was over 40.

It's hereditary.  I don't think he will age faster than anyone else.

I don't see him gone unless they include him in a big trade.

He provides something that no one else does.  This first season with the team (actually a half season) gave him a chance to see how he fits in and get used to our system.   If Babcock wants him to adjust his game (the "after the whistle" thing) he has a chance to do it this year.  If he doesn't fit in with what Babcock wants, then maybe he's on the trade block, but I can't see them moving him just because Babs didn't play him one year in the playoffs.

YES! YES! YES!

There is neither font size nor colour suitable to express my joy.

Great PK guy, low price, can chip in some offense, the line of Eaves, Emmy, and Drew was a very good 4th line- better than some teams' second.  If we've met our match on the top lines and are basically cancelling the other team out, these guys can get it done. 

I'm thrilled beyond words.  I like this guy.  I like this deal. 

Happy day.

Does anyone think that maybe Holland sort of seems like he wants to stand pat with this teams roster until he sees how we perform in the East next year? And then after that first season of analysis, decide which direction to take the team?

This could possibly be, although if a great deal comes along, I'm sure he'll be in the running.  Otherwise, see where we stack up against the new competition and fill in our weak spots from there.

 

That's how most bigger riots in North America are.  In the LA riots here in the States, it seemed everyone and their brother hopped in their cars and trucks to go down and steal some TVs, electronics, furniture, etc.  Race was the scapegoat, but 99.9% of people that participated just wanted to steal sh*t and tear things up.

Yep.  My cousin was working as an engineer for Boeing at that time.  He said other engineers were taking the afternoon off to go "shopping" since they could go get free electronics during the riots.

Scary stuff.  Once something gets started, people just figure they will blend into the crowd.  There's a "they can't get everyone" mentality that makes the odds seem in favour of not getting caught.

People who wouldn't normally do this by themselves all of a sudden get brave.  It kind of makes you wonder about what we'd act like without societal pressure. 

I wonder just how much of that was planned.  Either they would have won it or lost it that night, and either way, the riots could have been blamed on the game.  Emotions would have been running high.

Good thing for security cameras.  It's cost the province a lot of money, but I'm glad that people are finding they can't get away with things like this.

The Wings did something or other where they played baseball.  Kronner thought he got a guy out because the rules are different in Sweden. 

Whatever position you have them play, make sure to specify the rules.

Didn't he look a lot younger back then?

 

 

 

The only saving grace is that players wont be forced to wear them that already don't.  The kids coming in should be used to the visor and it shouldn't change their game.

This is the big thing.  If they're used to them, it won't change anything for them.  If they have to suddenly start wearing them, it will.

If you've always (or at least for many, many years) worn glasses, you don't even think about it, but if you get a pair after never wearing them, you have to re-learn how to see.  I'm at the reading-glasses age, and it's a royal pain.

My supervisor has worn glasses since he was a kid, and I've never seen him with fogged-up glasses no matter how hot and humid it gets, but you can put a pair on me in the dead of winter, and I'm apparently exhaling out of my tear ducts.

Visors aren't a bad thing- far from it.  Having to change your game in the later stages of your career is a pain, and they've avoided it by allowing grandfathering.  It's a good call.

For me it comes down to this:  Just how much does a man value his most prized and irreplaceable function?  How about his second most?  How about third most?

Was there this much fight when they mandated helmets and nut cups?  I remember that there was when they argued the former, but I don't recall any fury over the latter.

Works for me. 

I'm glad that you included both Mr and Mrs.  They've done this together.

 

Holland said it was "very important" to re-sign Datsyuk but noted that "he's got options, too. I'm going to make a call to his agent. I'd like to have a conversation. We know he's on the team next year. Negotiations are tough, because the player is trying to find out what's fair for him, and the team is trying to find out, competitively, what makes sense.

 

 

"Just because somebody says they want to stay doesn't mean you're going to have a contract done in a month."

 

I'm still trying to figure out why everyone is up in arms about this.

"It's very important to sign him"  Duh.  No one is arguing that.

"he's got options, too. I'm going to make a call to his agent. I'd like to have a conversation."

Of course he's got other options.  We've been debating whether he'll stay here or go KHL for months.  Also, he technically and legally does have the option of going to another team, and it has happened where other players have stunned their fanbases by leaving.  Pavel has said that he wants to come back, and I believe that he's telling the truth.  This isn't a situation like Borque/Hasek/Gretzky etc. where other factors, some beyond the player's control, some involving getting to a winning team, were happening.

Still, other teams and the KHL are other options and Kenny can't just assume that we have a done deal no matter how much both want one.  Remember Feds.  I know, another different case, but still a case for not enumerating pre-natal poultry.

Kenny is going to call his agent.  Good plan.  No one can argue that course of action.  Carrier pigeon is SO last century.

"We know he's on the team next year."

Ya think?  His contract doesn't end until the end of next year.  If he was going to retire, become a monk, bolt for Russia, or become a lounge singer, he'd have done so already.  Trade him?  Never!  What on earth could you possibly get in return that the league would even allow.  Three wishes with the option to use the third wish for unlimited wishes?  Not happening.

"Negotiations are tough, because the player is trying to find out what's fair for him, and the team is trying to find out, competitively, what makes sense.  Just because somebody says they want to stay doesn't mean you're going to have a contract done in a month."
Nope.  Contracts don't write themselves.  Plus since he can't sign another one until the 5th of July, and this quote came before the 5th of June, he can't sign one in a month.

All this means is that they need to work out the details.  You have to have details.  If Pavel wants only red M&M's in his lunchbox, he'll get it, but he may have to forgo the ever-popular NTC to get it.  Or vice versa.

There's nothing here that says to me that there will be any difficulty on either side, just that they can't do it immediately and that they have to actually sit down and do it.  Business, and nothing more, and nothing offensive or dismissive that I can find at all.

The whole "parity" understanding thing is kind of like how people understand the whole "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."* thing.

*Declaration of Independence for those of you not from the US.

People think of parity as being the same as being equal, and that being created equal means that we should end up equal.

All either of them means is that the rules ought to be the same for everyone, and how well you end up depends on what kind of breaks you get along the way, how you handle adversity, how well you learn from your mistakes- or the mistakes of others- and, in general, just how big of a completly idiotic f***head you are- or not.

I think we can see how the people in charge of the successful teams have directly influenced the outcome by depending on their brains, skill, ingenuity, ability, and -on occasion- a bit of luck.

To be sure, there will be things that are out of anyone's control- a player gets injured being the biggest example, but over the long-term, the teams that are on top deserve to be there.

The day that parity means that we all line up and every 30 years get to raise the Cup is the day that the NHL has truly failed.

Definitely better than last year's.  That one pretty much sucked.

I like these things if they're well done.  I can't wait to read Chicago's.

I don't care if Zetterberg owns an iron. Doesnt bother me that Brunner wore a hat that looks like he stole it from Kmart, or that Cleary's eye looks like he has a raging staph infection....that video is all class. This team is all class. The heart that they showed in the playoffs translated perfectly in that video. They are obviously are all devastated but to put that aside and say a genuine thank-you to the fans.......pure awesome. They should be proud of themselves and I know that I feel proud to be a Wings fan every day. They are the classiest bunch of guys from the BEST franchise in sport.
Thank you to YOU Red Wings, for bringing it every night and allowing us to enjoy Wings hockey for just a little longer than most expected this year! I can't wait for the fall!!!

Quote for pure awesomeness.

It's also a good way to start out Hank's reign as captain.  I wonder if it was his idea or someone else's.  Whoever thought of it should be proud.

This year, more than any other year that we haven't won a Cup, I think the fans adore the Wings for what they've put into it.  I hope they can feel it.

Simply the greatest Team on earth to follow. Even though they unsurprisingly look a little bit tired and disappointed now.

 

Edit : Did Cleary lost an eye ? His left one looks scary fixed in the video.

I think Cleary's eye has been like that since the Pronger Cat-Scratch incident of '08.  If not, we'll just hate Pronger for it anyway, just because he's Pronger.

That was a very nice video they did.  Is Brunner a little cutie-pie or what?