GoWings!

Couple of grades since I watched practically every game this year(I'm lifeless). Not going to grade everyone...
Zetterberg: B+   Absolute stud. Not quite the goal scoring year for him but his hustle and turning it up a notch in the playoffs after a quiet start(injury plagued) makes him our MVP.

Datsyuk: B.  Our best playmaker and carried us for a good portion of the season. Has a tendency to be a little too flashy at times and sometimes disappears playoff time(late season injury slowed him down this year).

Franzen: C-  Not much to say here that hasn't already been said. Too many expectations because of 08 and his work ethic results are no longer mule like. Not a leader.

Filppula:  B   Good skater with a breakout season. Good playmaker. Lacks in the physical aspect and was an absolute no show in the playoffs.

Hudler:  C   Benefited from excellent linemates. Gets knocked off the puck like a toddler and decision making with the puck was shoddy at best. Goal scoring was the only positive thing I can say about him.

Lidstrom:  C+   Still not too shabby for a 41 year old but he lost a step and then his injury left him barely noticeable in the playoffs. It's going to be hard to replace his presence but we had to do it for all our other stars as well. He'd make a nice defense coach though.

Holmstrom:  C.  Just for work ethic alone. Franzen should take notes. It's been a great ride but its time for some youth. Thank you for being the hardest working Red Wing the past 15 years.

Stuart:  C-   Aside from some nice hits here and there he was pretty bad in decision making especially in our own zone and seemed lost and disinterested. Asinine playoff blunders since 09. Thanks for 08 though.

Kronwall:  B.  Had the chance to step up and shine with all the injuries but didn't. Bone jarring hitter with a knack for scoring but his defense and passing took a step back.

White:  C+   Surprised me with a pretty good plus minus this year. Easily pushed off the puck and was lost when Lidstrom went down. Nothing compared to Rafalski regarding pinching up for some offense at the right times.

Bertuzzi:  C+   Probably the only guy that showed some tough guy mentality and intensity. Unfortunately the team never feeds off it. Very streaky and his shootout goals gave us a few points we needed in the regular season. Unfortunately for him there are no shootouts in the playoffs and he was nonexistent there.

Nyquist:  B.  A player with some decent speed besides Darren Helm. Showing glimpses of a promising future. Can actually skate into the offensive zone without lame puck dumping strategies. Too much line juggling for further grading.

Helm:  B.   Good speed,penalty killer and work ethic. Can't really complain much other than his lack of scoring.

Ericsson:  B-   Still not physical enough for his size but surprisingly solid on defense especially after his injury. Better decision making with the puck this year.

Cleary:  C-   Difficult to watch him this year. His grade gets a break for him playing hurt but he seemed to be a human mass that pretty much just dumped the puck back to the opposition on every shift. Good playoff hustle but that's just about it.

Quincey:  C-   Not worth a first rounder and didn't fit in well with us when we needed him especially playoff time.

MacDonald:  B-   Pretty reliable backup before he went down to injury. Maybe this grade is a comparison to Conklin.

Conklin:  D.  Disappointing backup at the beginning of the year. Not that much better after MacDonald went down. Could've used a few of those points we lost because of him for playoff seeding.

Howard:  B.  Solid goaltending before his injury. Pretty much carried the defense every game since that unit took a step back this year. Not the same after his injury and he wasn't bad in the playoffs.

Miller:  B-   One of the main bright points to an awful penalty killing regular season unit. Solid on the same line as Abdelkader and Helm. Good cycling on the boards this year.

Abdelkader:  C.  I just don't know what to think about him. He does hustle and bangs the body around but he doesn't score and you sometimes don't even hear his name in numerous games.

Kindl:  C-   I don't know if he was having a competition with Stuart for biggest bonehead plays by a Wings defenseman but he is just not a player I like in the lineup. He did look decent at times this year and he wasn't really that much worse than Quincey.

Emmerton and Mursak:  D.  Combined to form the most useless 4th line in the NHL. Enough said.

Babcock: C+   Something hasn't seemed right since that 09 SCF game 7. There have been far too many big games where there just seems to be a lack of emotion and motivation. Always having to dig themselves out of holes and waiting til the 3rd period to start hustling. This team should've at least made a Conference final the past 3 years. In his defense I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt regarding some older players and injuries. Line juggling can be difficult with players who's skills have declined.

Don't get me started on his coaching staff. Anyway,this isn't the end of the franchise. A couple of things need to be addressed. Speed(especially on defense),tougher players and a legitimate 35 goal scorer that hustles. We have a good core of guys here and if(Big IF)Holland uses his brain we can keep this team elite.

I think fans have a reason to be negative. Odds are against them and pretty much have been since the home win streak. You can say "I won't stop believing in my team" or "We got this" but the truth is we have been disappointing for a supposed elite team. Now saying Red Wings suck and Holland's a ****** blah blah is ridiculous. 21 straight years is insane and not many franchises will ever be able to achieve this feat. But we can all see that this isn't a Wings juggernaut not getting the lucky bounces like the 03 and 06 teams. This team has serious holes and a lot of quicker and more physical teams are now exploiting this. It's tough but we can't demand perfection from an imperfect team. But maybe this team has some drive and a not quitting attitude starting tonight...Hope so! Love this team no matter what. Go WINGS!

Can you imagine if someone from Philly grabbed Crosby's head with both hands and drove his head into the boards after the game already ended? Whether Zetterberg is dead or wasn't even hurt it was still intent to injure and a blow to the head which warrants a suspension. Zetterberg is not a "diver" and he's a key player on our team that should be protected. I don't think he "sold" anything.

Tough game and hard to swallow this one. I think the biggest loss is Ian White replacing Rafalski. He's not bad he's just not Raf. All well. Maybe that punk Weber will get suspended. Gotta win the next one or we're in trouble cause we are gonna need all the bounces we can get.

Disgusted with these non calls. Cleary looks much better. Come on guys.

This is a fun yet difficult time of the year for me. I have superstitions I go through like wearing a certain jersey for a certain game and not changing the channel and not seeing certain people who I deem a jinx. Hehe...anyways Lidstrom deserves one more before his inevitable retirement and this team showed what it could do before all the injuries kicked in. With enough motivation we all know this team has what it takes to get it done. They just have to execute and want it more than all the other teams! Here's to an awesome new season of playoff hockey! Let's do it boys!

Let's also not forget Chelios and his presence in our lineup as well. Though he didn't score much in the playoffs,he did play in 14 of those playoff games. So Hasek,Osgood,Rafalski,Chelios,a hungry Drake and Helm,Maltby and Draper. Throw in a franchise record breaking scoring machine in Franzen,a seasoned veteran ready to fight like McCarty and an in his prime Zetterberg. Stuart signed and impressed immediately and even the most skilled teams in the league had a tough time entering our zone at all times. That team was pretty badass.

Hey guys this is my first post here although I've been reading this forum for a few months. Just wanted to say what's up to all you Wings fans and make just a few comments: First off I've been a fan since 1990 but I gotta say this year's team looks the most bipolar out of all of them and they didn't seem to have that urgency that they normally do during the regular season which was,of course,marred by injuries. I'm praying this can change because Nashville has a solid team this year and I don't feel we are deep enough to make mistakes that we can just shrug off and answer back right away like our past few teams had the ability to do. We don't have that rested Osgood ready to bail out an off his game Hasek. But it is what it is. We have a lot to prove after the past few Shark debacles but now it's ever Wings fan's favorite time of the year! So let's start anew and wake up and win 16 more before anyone else! Go Wings! One of the greatest sports franchises of all time!