Scott Stevens

Just saying, hes posted that before and a couple weeks later there's line threads everywhere.

And the moderator can merge them all into one.  Big deal.  It's not worth getting worked up about.  Line threads are cool.  I like to think about combos too.

He is a tradeable piece, one of the few.  

If he's trade-able, then he has value right?

He plays no defense.

Not true.  The centers play defense on the Red Wings.  The wingers are less responsible (see Thomas Holmstrom's career).  I'm sure Hudler's defense would be just fine if he were at center.

This team hasnt made it past the 2nd round for 2 years, something needs to change.

True.  And Hudler was gone for one of those years, so there's no argument here that he's part of the problem.

Hudler could have enough trade value that he gonna supply this team with something it needs more than him.

True.  See point number 1.

Plus he dipped for mo money, and mo money mo problems.

True.  This didn't please anybody who follows the Red Wings.

Don't get me wrong, Newfy.  If we can get Tavares for Hudler, we do it in a second and never look back.  I'm not against trading anyone on the team if the price is right.  But the point I'm trying to make is that a third line winger playing with a third line center and a banger on the other side isn't going to score 70-80 points unless you time warp him 30 years and put him back on the 82 Islanders.  For fans to constantly criticize Hudler's point production is just ridiculous.  He's being used as a scapegoat and that's all there is to it.  If Holmstrom, Franzen, Cleary, Bertuzzi or anyone else who has a wondertwin centering his line doesn't put up 70-80 points a season, then THOSE GUYS should be taking the brunt of the criticism as far as our offense goes.  The Wings got rid of half their slop (Rafalski, Maltby, Draper) this year and will get rid of the other half after this season (Holmstrom, Bertuzzi).  Then we'll see a fast, young, gritty team next year.

Got like plus three for running a draft thread that took my entire evening and get a negative 12 for a post to try and keep other threads clean.  I am sick of anonymous internet hate.

I didn't even know I could plus or minus you!  How about posting something about Hudler instead of whining?  Then I'll give you a plus, ok?

The NHL should be running ads showing empty basketball courts and then flashing to filled hockey arenas with roaring fans.

Why isn't there a "Watch Us" campaign right now?  

In my opinion, the NHL does the WORST job out of any professional sport marketing itself.  You're more likely to see an ad for premier league soccer than one for the NHL.  

Right now is a perfect time for the NHL to get a lot of new fans, and instead, they're focusing on Brendan Shanahan handing out 35 suspensions a week.  

Bad move if you ask me.

Here's how I would do it:

Eastern Conference:

1) North East Division = Montreal, Winnepeg, Toronto, Ottawa
2) Colonial Division = Boston, Philadelphia, New York Rangers, Washington
3) Atlantic Division = Buffalo, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburg
4) South East Division = Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville

Western Conference:

1) Midwest Division = Detroit, Columbus, Chicago, Minnesota
2) Southern Division = St. Louis, Dallas, Colorado, Phoenix
3) Pacific Division = Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Portland
4) North West Division = Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle

Each team gets:

(6) games vs eacg division opponent = 18 games
(4) games against each non-division, conference opponent = 48 games
(1) game against each opposing conference opponent (alternate 2 divisions away / 2 divisions home each year) = 16 games

total games = 82 games

DONE.

Fighting has its place in the NHL.  

I like to compare what happens without fighting:



to what happens with fighting:




In both instances, a player did something he shouldn't have by extending his knee/elbow/etc. at a player when he shouldn't have.

In one instance, a player refused to pony up for his misdeed and ended up getting socked in the side of the head and we all know the rest.

In the other instance, the player manned up and fought when called out.  

Everyone put all the blame on Bertuzzi and made him out to be Satan, but the reality is that Moore was responsible for everything that happened to himself.  If he would have turned around, dropped the gloves, and taken a few lefts from Bertuzzi, everything would have cleared itself up and been forgotten by everybody in a week's time.

Or perhaps you just don't want to talk about it.

Correct.

The lie detector is blaring.

Didn't know you had one, or that I was hooked up!  Nothing better to do?

Ah---yet another of the names you attach to those who frequently disagree with your drivel.

Again, How about staying on topic?  Why flame?  

now that Brunnstrom is officially in the mix...

my lines would be...

Franzen - Zetterberg - Filppula

Hudler - Datsyuk - Cleary

Abdelkader - Helm - Bertuzzi

Brunnstrom - Emmerton - Eaves

Holmstrom
Miller

Lidstrom - White

Kronwall - Stuart

Ericsson - Kindl

Commodore

Howard
Conklin



your 2012 Stanley Cup Champions

I like what you're throwing down.  I would like to see Mursak/Tatar/Smith for a few games this season as well.  I don't want anyone to get injured, but it will happen.  When it does, bring up the kids.

Thanks for letting us on to the fact that you had a prior account. It lends itself to some interesting speculation as to why you felt it was necessary to begin posting under a new identity. Would you care to shed any light on this?

Let's stay on topic.  This is a line-combo thread and where it should be.  I have not had a prior account, but have lurked a long time and seen many of these situations.  There is a lot of truth to popular opinion ruling the day around here.

English isn't our national language... do a google search before your instigate.

Anyways, is Nyquist on GR for the year or is he able to be called up? I still think it's weird Brunnstorm went up before him, though I can see why.

WRONG AGAIN AGAIN.  English is our national language.  It's not our "official" language, but it IS our national language.  

http://en.wikipedia....i/United_States

To try and argue otherwise is just a waste of time.  We speak English here in America.  There are other languages, but the dominant language is English.

There's no reason to make things more difficult then they have to be.  I would bet that the large majority of these young foreign players want to assimilate into our culture, and would goff at someone stressing about whether their name was being pronounced right or not by Darren Pang.  Give me a break.

Nyquist.  You're Nyquist.  Not Nyee-ka-vist or Nee-ka-wist or anything else.  You're Nyquist.  Period.

And by the way, why is he not going to make the team?  He's a snipe.

There is no official language in the USA. We speak English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Gaelic, and every other language known to man. Yes, English is dominant, but not to the exclusion of all others.

As for the names; they do not change because they are being pronounced by someone in their non-native tongue. The person might not say it correctly, or be able to say it or used to saying it correctly; but it doesn't make it correct. For example, regarding the name Sergei, "SIR-gei" is not correct. "SAYER-***" is correct. Generally, anyway. There are always exceptions. Andrea is a common name in the USA which has multiple pronunciations with the same spelling. Or the name Mikael; "MICK-ull" or "Mick-A-ull" with the same spelling.

Go tell Dustin Byfuglien that his name is not pronounced "BUFF-lin", but instead is pronounced "By-FUG-ly-enn" because "We are in America. And in America, we speak English. Period." See what he says to that.

WRONG AGAIN.  English is our national language here in America.  Official or Unofficial makes no difference.  We speak English.  Therefore, the announcers pronounce the names on the back of the sweaters in English.  And yes, Frenchies get a pass because they started the fricking sport.  So Richard is Rih-shard and Messier is Mess-ee-ay.  But that's as far as it goes.

The closest way I can demonstrate this over text is Nyew-queest (with a hint of V within the u) and Setterbearj (the j is mostly silent).  

Just like how Filppula is supposed to sound like Philp-Pula as if an accent is over the third P.

WRONG.  

Zetterberg is Zetterberg.  Nyquist is Nyquist.  

We are not in Sweden.  We are in America.  And in America, we speak English.

Period.

Replace the grey with white, and they'd have something.  It's the grey in this alternate that's annoying people.  Not the black.

"Hi, I'm Brendan Shanahan, Vice President of the NHL's Player Safety Division.  It has recently come to my attention that none of the fans want to see a game of WNBA basketball on the ice surfaces of the NHL.  Therefore I have decided to stop all this nonsense and shinanigans and issue a simple warning to the numbskulls skating around with their heads down out there like they're in a skills competition: KEEP YOUR HEAD UP AND LOOK OUT.  Please disregard my previous comments about Scott Stevens being suspended from Hall of Fame induction until the year 2143.  As it turns out, the forwards playing against him during his time in the NHL should have kept their heads up and looked out, as well."




Funny how many of the announcer's comments after those hits revolve around "clean" and "the player never saw it coming" and the like.  The attacking player has the responsibility to avoid getting hit.  If he puts his head in the way, that's his fault.  

The issue along the boards is a much tougher one to call.  That line is a lot finer.  I've seen plenty of players cranked into the glass when they shouldn't have been, but I've also seen plenty of players bend over at the last minute and get their heads slammed into the boards when it just would have been their body if they had stayed upright.  I think the NHL should be looking at these situations a lot more carefully instead of the ones where the offensive player creates the problem.  

Watch Smith's hit again in slow motion.  If you notice, he makes shoulder to shoulder contact FIRST before his shoulder rubs off of Ben Smith's shoulder and moves to his head.  For this reason, I believe there is NO intent to injure on this play, and a 5 minute major for elbowing should have been the only call.