Opie

The simple move if he does go is move Stuart and Lilja up one pairing

Ralf Stuart
Kronwall Lilja/UFA
Ericsson/Kindl/Janik and Lilja/Ufa

This way the Wings can spend moderately on the UFA on the D side and maybe a UFA with some scoring touch for the Offense.

Bert was good this year, but I would really like to see a faster winger that has more ability to set up on that second line.

Dats Mule Cleary
Z Fil UFA
Helm Abdelkader Eaves/Miller
Draper Eaves/Miller UFA/or call up

I assume Malts, Bert, and J-willy are gone.

The offensive UFAs do not have to be high end talent, a 2-3 mil guy who can pot a couple.
On D I would rather see the team go after a stay at home guy as well. The wings have ample offensive d-men they need a stay at home, but they will also be sorely lacking in the pp QB position if he does go, no one, not even Johnny Cash, walks the line like Lids!

Some of you forget, if Howie doesn't play this year the Wings are already golfing, they were golfing at seasons end. He flat out WON games for the Wings and being top 5 in the league should have earned him some wiggle room with fans right. Not on LGW, where half of the board thinks no matter what happens or whom is on the team the wings should go 98-0, and win every game by either a shut out or by allowing no more than 1 goal that better not be soft.

And I thought pot messed up my short term memory, what drugs is this board doing.

Whatever Ozzie may or may not have been in the past, this year he is a goalie who has not played in months. Hell hasn't played with any regularity since November, and you want to throw him in front of this offense (the Sharks) and behind this defense.

The Red Wings are getting smoked on the face off Dot, last night was better, but not by much. They clear the zone about as well as I imagine a seal with a hockey stick would.

How many times have the Wings tried to leave the zone and failed on multiple attempts, and I am talking ES here? How many odd man rushes have they given up?

This is the 1 seed playing a 5 seed that just played a 7 game series. Psst, new break, the Wings should lose to the one seed. I as a fan say they will beat the one seed, however I have enough brain cells to realize it may not happen.

Soft goals or not Howard has not lost a game by more than 1 goal this series. The all of the sudden "Anti-Howard"(really the Anti-Goalie in net for a loss) crowd that shows up whenever the Wings lose is in full effect and converting new recruits with every post.

And for every soft goal in the series where you can say, "Oh Howie let in a Softie", I can say the team let him down for 2 goals. So which is worse a goalie that gave up 2 soft goals or a team that left their goalie out to try for 2 goals?

I say they are just as bad as one another and it is the teams fault they are losing, actually I would blame McClellan and the Sharks, but that is just me.

But the Team as a whole has crapped the bed in the 3rd period, including Howie this team has been out played in the final frame every game, and this was the first game they didn't give up a goal in the first 5.

Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe the Sharks are actually the better team and winning not because Howie is a horrible goalie and should be traded for that seal I mentioned above with all of that skill.

Plus how many times have we seen Ozzie do the exact same thing, let up a game winner, that wasn't exactly the toughest goal of the goal scorers career.

These things happen to goalies, hell Luongo got torched last playoffs, look at him this year.

Yeah if shelling out $200+ for a jersey or two is feasible sure, authentic is the way to go.

However if you were more looking to spend $20-$35 for a jersey and roughly Half of that again in shipping (usually a little more than half, some sites if you get 10 or more Jerseys you can get free shipping).

I have bought about 12 Jerseys for myself and another 4-8 for friends.

They look cool, the stitching is not the correct font, but it is close enough that only die hard Jersey people are going to notice.

Me personally I have a $150 NHL Reebok Datsyuk (replica) that is in my opinion worth about $30. Seriously, the material is cheap, the letters and numbers are this weird red and really shiny. You can see through the Jersey easier than you can a Mesh penney from gym class. And I purchased it through NHL.com, not ESPN store or some weird web retailer, nope, NHL.com has bar none the cheapest quality NHL replica you will find on the planet!

The so called knock offs, Z Red, Lids WC both with A, C and Z has the Stanley Cup patch, (one must remember these are knock offs, and China is absolutely the best at faking the real s***), are a thicker material, better lettering and numbering, fight strap, it is at least 2 if not 3 layers of fabric. I would have gladly paid the $150 for these. However the biggest negative is sizing, I am pretty lucky to be a guy who wears a 50 but can also do a 48 or a 52. If you often have a hard time because you are between sizes, don't order here. The Jersey will probably not fit. They are Asian sized, which usually means smaller, and I am not sure their sizing chart works all that well. I have one jersey(Lawrence Maroney NE pats Football) that I swear is two sizes too big, and a Tom Brady same size number on the patch and the Brady fits like a glove. The B-ball jerseys are way tooo long, I am over 6 feet and mostly legs, they hang to my knees, I have to tuck them in, or get them hemmed. I will say though as far as width and neckline and that crap, the NBA ones are a perfect fit, they are just long as hell!

I used to go to lightinthebox.com the site that started the original thread, now I use either http://www.jerseyins...x.php?main_page or http://www.nfljersey...com/index.html.

Others have used a guy called Jack in the past, you email him, he will send you a list of what he has. And then every single goddamn day from then on you will receive, what one can only assume is a letter from this guy, did I mention every single day. Either to let you know he has new stock, or to ask you what UFC shirt is hot Style. I was waiting for a friend to get me his order, I got so many emails from this dude that I went to the JerseyWholesaler link above, just because he emailed me so much. Had he left me alone I would have ordered 10 Jerseys from him.

YOU MUST REMEMBER THESE ARE KNOCK OFFS!

If you are hoping to add a jersey or two to your collection and don't have the $Dough$ for Authentics (like me I can get 5-8 Jerseys for the price of one Authentic and that includes shipping on the non authentic.) this is a great way to go.

Now the complaint being that these are rip offs and you are stealing from the NHL, well the same company is probably making the jerseys, and then selling them through this "Wholesaler". And if the NHL ones were worth close to their price I would be a little more agreeable with that statement. But then again I try not to let my politics get in the way of my fandom!

Some say they are thieves, they are corrupt, but they don't steal my money and the product is what I wanted, unlike the NHL which I barely wear my Dats Jersey because it is so cheap looking, pity really, now I have to go out and buy a Dats Jersey I will wear.

Even the announcers were on Mule saying he needed to step up and then in the next breath they talk about he is the first Red Wing in like 35 years to score points in all 7 games of a 7 game series. Yeah that sounds like suck to me? What?

That line has been a puck possession machine(with Cleary or Holmer) and the only thing that kept Franzen from being the Mule was a man nicknamed Bryz!

He was stoned on great doorstep chances and beautiful shots from the dots. Did everyone forget how well their goalie played, already?

I HATE THIS GUY AS AN ANNOUNCER!

It is like he is trying to be Dennis Miller, except he talks like a normal person and throws weird big words all over the place, and I am not even sure half of them are actually words.

Hey you guys remember when color guys were just calling the game, instead of trying to make a name for themselves.

I remember a guy like that, Redmond or something like that. Just called the game as it was not bothering to try and be something more than a voice for people to listen to.

What, Mickey is still announcing in this day and age, where Jack Edwards, Darryl Reaugh, Pierre and Millbury all have jobs, wow!

/sarcasm I like very few announcers in any sport! Mickey and Jerry Remy are my two current favs, very hard to beat those two, class!

Just before the game ended, I was telling they guys I watch with that my team MVP this year is Ozzie. I believe that he has decided to prove that if he isn't going to play every day that he still can contribute to this teams success. He has stood up for Howie, helped deflect the media scrutiny ( see game 3 postgame ), and made sure there has been no disruptions in the locker room. Then I look back to the TV and it seems like the first guy over the bench to the net is Ozzie. I thought it was fitting he led him though the handshake line.

RE: Bolded

Last night I noticed Ozzie was indeed one of the very first guys to pat Howie on the back, and he didn't just tap him and walk away, he did the back up thing. He chatted in his ear, probably a bunch of good jobs, then walked away with Howie side by side. From the hockey I have watched over the years the back up is usually the last one out, and the two talk goalie talk as they walk back to the bench, or it is a tap on the helmet and walk away. Not with Ozzie and Howard.

Ozzie, I think, sees this as a chance to extend his legacy. If Howie does indeed become the next netminder in Det, he will forever give credit to Ozzie.

---That sounded like I was saying Ozzie's motives were selfish, I don't believe they are, I believe he like Dats, Z, Lids, etc.. put the team ahead of his own needs and helped Howie, I just think he realizes that you can be remember for what you did when you weren't the man just as you will be remembered for what you did when you were the man!---

I said from the time Ozzie signed his last deal, he is the perfect back up for whomever becomes the starting netminder, the experience and the mindset he has, what a great tool to have after/before/during a game.

Drake are you really expecting them to back up anything they are saying with anything that remotely resembles logic.

These are the guys saying a player who has never played in the Wings system is better suited than a guy that was already in the Wings system. And they are basing that off of the fact that said player scored fewer points while playing with superior talent than Hudler did.

See where I am going here, your logic is not working on them young Jedi!

Edit:
Oh oh oh, I forgot the main reason why he fits is he is NA and will fight, can't forget that, even though the Red Wings just had their worst season in about 19 years and showed a serious lack of scoring depth, what they really need is a guy willing to throw down!

6'2. Hes a midget.

Dwarfism, in medicine, is the condition of being undersized, or less than 127 cm (50 inches) in height. The term midget is usually applied to physically well-proportioned dwarfs.

Hudler is taller than 50 inches as 50 inches = 4'2 (50 /12 = 4 remainder 2 inches), therefore no he is not. (although I doubt he is the listed 5'9)

But as I said haterz gonna hate.

You are 6'2 yet have how many NHL, KHL, Czech Team goals do you have?

mmmm is height really what makes great hockey players?

Or is it the Bow Leggedness that was rumored long ago (not sure if you have ever heard the expression show me a bow legged french man and I will show you a hockey player.)

Either way I am still having a hard time correlating height to NHL skill level, as Chara is the tallest guy in the league but has no Hart trophies, and even gets beaten out yearly in an award designed specifically for him to compete against only people of his position, well if he is the tallest in the league than with out a doubt he must be the tallest D-man, surely he must be the best.

How much taller than Hudler is Crosby? Is that what makes the talent gap difference, the 2 inches (probably 3) is the reason why Crosby is so much greater than Hudler.

And guys like Theo Fluery have proven sizes matters for little more than an attribute in Hockey.

So I ask why does his size matter other than it gives you something to criticize. He takes a licking and keeps on ticking. How many times has he been lit up at center ice only to never miss a shift.

AH that's it! The fact that he is a midget and has different bone structure than the rest of us and that explains it, so you weren't hating. I had it all wrong you trying to show us all that being a midget was a bonus!

Silly me!



PS most of this is me being sarcastic you are just hating for the sake of hating.

Unfortunately, rookie goalies just don't win Cups.  You can count on one hand the number of goalies in the modern era that pop their playoff cherry and win the Cup in the same year, and they're Hall of Famers.  (Which, if Jimmy turns out to be, great, but unlikely.)

They are all HOFers?

Are you sure, Cam Ward is going to the Hall, Really? Or is it the fact that so few rookie netminders ever actually get a shot at the cup. A hot goalie is a hot goalie, until cooled off. Scoring may become much more difficult in the post season, but goaltending it self is pretty much the same beast (says some one who can not even imagine what playing in the NHL would be like).
I know the last rook to win it before Ward was Roy, but my question would be how many rookies actually make it to the SCF?

I have as much confidence in J-ho as I would in any of the following:
Nabakov (2nd round and beyond, please.)
Luongo (Last year's melt down has me nervous of him this year)
Bryzgalov (Played behind a very very good ducks team that this Yotes team does not compare to.)
-Quick (just as young, has never looked as good a Howard has)
Huet/Neimi (One is a sieve one is untested)
-Anderson (unproven)
-Rinne (unproven)
-Howard (unproven Calder candidate and potential Vezina talk.)

To me the only real netminders more proven than him this year in the west are Nabby and Lou, who have had history of either the team of them falling apart in front of them, or themselves falling apart.


- to me means these four are about as even as you can be going into the post season.

Thanks for the post, great read.

I still contest that Ozzie is the best possible back up for a youngster in the league, even with any current starter.
He has a small enough ego to step aside, he has seen and heard everything a netminder in Detroit will ever hear, from the cheers to all the boos and slander.
He has done it with Detroit, he knows exactly what J-ho is going to face, from fans to media to opposing players.
Plus he is about the cheapest option out there that you wouldn't be scared if he had to start due to injury or fatigue (next season I am talking about.)

The way he talks about taking Howard to dinner and the movies to help him stay mentally relaxed.

That article to me was as much of a compliment to Ozzie as anything we have seen all year.

I am a huge J-ho fan, but this article to me says a lot more about Osgood than J-Ho. Sure it was a good history lesson on Jimmy, but it speaks volumes about Ozzie.

Regardless of what the team thought, the man should have never lost the 'C', imo he was to the Stars what Yzerman was to the Wings.

I simply warned that Le Brun did not say what journalist so desperately tries to claim. But first posters curse LeBrun ....for what?

So the following is not a direct quote from the ESPN article????:

"Confused? Don't be," LeBrun writes. "Howard is 26 years old, 4 years older than Sidney Crosby, who is in his fifth NHL season. Howard is 5 years older than Patrick Kane, the Calder Trophy winner from two seasons ago.

"I understand Howard is eligible for the award (he just slipped under the age cutoff), and he will be among my five choices in my official NHL awards ballot when I fill it out this week, but he won't be my first choice."

I agree he only says he won't be his first choice, the only other thing he says is that his age is the reason. He mentions him in the running for Vezina, well why in the hell would Vezina candidate not win over another player who is not a candidate for any award?

NO Myers talk in the Norris, Hart, Pearson, Selke...etc (I know due to position he is not available for half of the awards I listed, just stating the only trophy he is in line for is the Calder) yet Howard is being talked about as a potential Vezina candidate, which Lebrun has no problem with, but he will not get his vote for Calder, and why?

You read a little and tell me if his article on ESPN.com says any other reason than J-Ho's age.

He doesn't mention the Wings skill, doesn't mention playing behind the world's greatest D, nothing but his age.

So you tell me what I am supposed to infer from the article, that Howard is second because Myers has better rebound control?

How he is ok with him in the Vezina talk as the best goalie in the league but them is unhappy about him qualifying for Calder, because he is 4 years older than Sid when he won, and that the "20 year old Myers", if everything Lebrun writes in the article references age, how do you get that age is not his main point?

Wait, when did Downie become anything more than a thug with good linemates?

The man has had one good season, in any league, other than that he has been okay, while breaking rules, bones, teammates faces, and getting severe suspensions.

He has a Hart finalist and a potential future HOFer on his line, and that is just St Louis.

And BTW I love the he only gets 14 minutes and Stamkos and St Louis get more argument, he must play with other lines. UMM NO!

That means his line plays with another winger half of the time.

Why could that be? Could it be like Cheechoo and Michalek and many many others, he is making a living off of their linemates?

NO, it has to be because Downie is so good, that playing him anything more than 15 minutes would be illegal, actually I read some where that the league told Tampa, if he reaches the 15 mpg average Tampa has to forfeit all of their games!


Here is the reason for this thread, LGW gets a boner for enforcers, Downie is a goon, who due to his linemates is productive. Seriously, next season I want to be on St. Louis and Stamkos line, I will play for free, and I guarantee you I score 10+ just by listening to Mickey and stopping at the net with my stick on the ice.

BTW I suck at Hockey.

The other reason, LGW gets a boner for Canadians, and Downie being a Canadien thug who probably shouldn't even be allowed in the league anymore, gets LGW a raging hard on.

Don't blame me those are just the facts!


I mean the guy puts up Sammy/Hudler numbers and is a god, while those guys were scrubs, hmmm could that be because they are not Canadian, GRRRRRRRRRRRRRITTTTTT!

OK Comparing two of the best young forwards to come into the game in the last 5 years is a little bit of a stretch there Pierre!

How about other winners, like say, oh I don't know, Nabby.
You know just because they play the same position, are nearly identical in age at time of rookie season, and are much much more comparable than say, oh I don't know two of the top forwards drafted in the last 5 years.

People should realize that making comparisons to Crosby and another Rookie's first years is ridiculous, regardless of the general opinion of the kid on here, he, Malkin, and AO are some of the most talented players to come out of the draft in a long time.

Once you compare some one to Sid, imo, you have failed, especially when it is a Goalie!

Stupid article in general, I have a distinct problem with the voting process in all sports.

For example, Howard by all standards is a rookie, the NHL sets those standards and the voters vote, BASED ON THOSE STANDARDS, not their own. Whether or not Lebrun thinks J-Ho is too old is not his decision and has no barring on the award.

Another example is Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken in baseball, tell me why those guys should not have been 100% voted for into the HOF (Baseball) on the first ballot. The writers association will tell you that it is because Babe Ruth was never Unanimously inducted and if any one deserved it he did. So "Purists" won't vote for certain guys because of that Bias.

Reporters have become over important in their own minds because they have a vote, they see it as their chance to take a stance against some form of injustice.

Instead what they are really being asked for is their informed opinion, back in the day the only way to have an informed opinion was to be at all of the teams games, or read it in the newspaper, the only people at every game were the reporters, MLB needed their vote to determine the awards. Now I would be happier if the League gave it out with no voting.

At least I know the league Biases, and understand their motives are for selling the game, not selling their article or themselves.

Today I can be an informed fan and never read a single article online or in the paper, because I can easily watch every game on any given night (I love you Internet and always will!).

Wait isn't one of the biggest hits on Bettman getting Hockey on national TV, now we are going to complain about what teams they choose?
In case you forgot that is the Defending Champs, and in my opinion defending champs should always be on national TV more than any others.

This is another example of this boards new infatuation with just being pissed off, pissed off it is not the wings, pissed off it is Crosby or the Pens, pissed off if some one says Chicago is better, pissed off when Z is not mentioned for Calder, pissed off all of the time for no reason.

I have an idea, just watch the friggin game, you may find out you enjoy it.