chuklz

So what about Cleary, Huds, Bertuzzi, Franzen?

I am a fan of Bertuzzi, and have really admired Cleary's hard work in the past, and acknowledge Mule showing up in the playoffs, but lately it has just been very painful to watch these players give lackluster effort every night. I understand taking nights off during an 82 game season, but it seems as if these guys don't give their full effort a large percentage of the time. I especially hate having to see these players on our top lines (ok minus mule for now, and cleary when datsyuk returns). Does anybody feel like I do, when I think that these guys have just been lucky enough to slide by, benefiting from the hard working talent that surrounds them? I know franzen leads us in goals, cleary has but up good goal totals in the past, and hudler is getting good stats this year but it just seems that they benefit from the hard work of others while they coast into the zone looking for a rebound or a perfect pass. I can't remember when I last saw one of these guys take the puck in the zone work hard on the D and cycle down low like dats, fill, helm, and Z. I think Cleary, Bert, Huds, and Franzen zap our teams energy and replacing the four of them with just two harder working players with offensive upside would greatly benefit this team. Although I do think Bert has potential as a third or fourth liner if he increases his grit, but the rest are just to hard to watch on a nightly basis. Also Homer on the fourth line is not working out that great either. Whatever though, all these guys have the potential to play, and if they show up like they are capable of then we got a shot any day. So here is to hoping they decide to show up in the playoffs this year!

He just seems to lack heart.  He doesn't really try out there, and almost every interview he gives always sounds like he's ready to leave any day now and is just finishing out the year.

Its these kinds of posts that really irk me.  Modano hasn't had a great season thats for sure.  I really feel if he was not injured for 3 months, he would have contributed a lot more.  This being said, to say the guy lacks heart is really a punch in the balls.  This guy had to go through a lot of physical therapy after a skate blade cut through his arm and severed a tendon.  It takes a motivated man, a man possessed even, to go through that hell and be ready to play professional hockey in three months.

Modano and the rest of the Wings are going to play their hardest in the playoffs.  This much I know of.  As for him retiring, I surely hope he does as well.  Modano is playing Dallas Drake minutes, and Drake knew his time was running short as well in 2008 when the playoffs started.  It takes a real man to look on the career he has had and to make tough choices when it comes to moving on.  The game of hockey could use a great retired player like Modano.  Either working with Shanny at improving the game or working with the Stars as they rebuild.

Any forum member that considers themselves to be a Wings fan pointing fingers at the players and saying they have no heart is not a real fan.  Back your team, players, and management.  They have given the fans everything that they have wanted and then some.  No other professional sports team has the record the Wings have had in the last 20+ years.