Nightfall

I certainly wasn't going to support the NHL during the lockout, instead of Wings gear I was buying Tigers gear.  However, I am not going to deprive myself of the WC in spite of the lockout.  It's stronger than ever because the die hards couldn't stay away, and there appears to be a lot of them.

I just cannot stomach droping $400 on two tickets in prime seating (plus travel time, hotel, gas, food, etc) to see the Winter Classic.  The lockout left a very bad taste in my mouth.  I know that may people will be buying the tickets and it will sell out. but thats not the point.  I have been to the first outdoor college hockey Cold War and then the second Cold War at Michigan last year.  I enjoyed both of those games, and I am all about supporting college hockey because they didn't crap on their fanbase.  The NHL and NHLPA crapped all over the fanbase over the summer with rhetoric and finger pointing.  Both sides played the PR card hard, and as a result, turned me off as a fan.  I love hockey.  I watch hockey on TV.  I won't invest a dime in the NHL until I am over this bad taste in my mouth.  It may take a year or two, but I will be there.

I will take the $500+ that I save and have a big party at my place with friends in front of my 52 inch HDTV and enjoy the game just as much.

http://sports.yahoo....-211428976.html

Its a long article, but its well worth reading.  It in fact shows that the NHL as emerged from the lockout stronger than it was before.  For all the doom and gloom that was discussed, the NHL is looking like future growth is going to be a reality.

Bettman made a calculated business decision. He sacrificed a few months and ticked off a lot of people, but he secured a better labor agreement for the owners and could count on the fans and sponsors to come back, based on history and cold, hard data.

Personally, I think it is the shortened season.  With a 48 game schedule, everything is magnified.  Every game is important.  With 82 games in the regular season, every game isn't as important.  I know the ownership doesn't want to hear this, but having less games would keep this exciting.

From a pissed off fan point of view, I won't be going to see any games in the NHL for a couple years.  No Winter Classic for me next year.  The NHL and NHLPA have equally pissed me off, and I won't be investing in their product for a while.  I am glad the NHL is back and they are strong, but I am still a little peeved.

1)  No way should Parise/Suter have been our only off season plan.  You can't put all your eggs in that basket and then do nothing else when it doesn't work. 

 

2)  Holland has to come to terms with the fact that if you want to add a key piece via free agency or trade, you have to spend money.  It's not an overpayment, it's the going rate for top talent. 

I will only address two of your points because the rest of them I agree with.....

There were only two top tier free agents last season.  Both didn't choose the biggest paycheck, but chose to go to Minnesota because that is where they played before.  So, for the 2012 off season, that was really the only plan that 20 other clubs had.  The free agent market on top flight free agents is always the slimmest, so really its going to come down to 1-2 guys most seasons.  Which means that its going to be that, or using plugs.

They have had a Calder Cup team there the last couple seasons, but the past coaching has sucked a big one.  The teams as a result have fallen short.  Good to see them finally have a coach that can push them hard and have success.

The Cap's done wonders for Calgary.

Hell, spending to the limit did wonders for the Rangers in the pre-cap world didn't it? 

I want the Detroit F****** Red Wings back. Where'd they go? I dunno. But I miss them. And I want them back.

 

(Cue the generic "You're just spoiled! You want a Cup every season - but that's not reality!!!!111oneone" response.)

 

[/TEH ANGERZ]

So, do you think you are spoiled because you want the cup every season?

Do you know where the Detroit Red Wings went?  The Wings can no longer buy the best team in hockey to play for them.  You can blame the salary cap.  You can blame small market teams whining about no league parity.  You can blame the fans of these small market teams getting upset because their teams cannot compete.  Henceforth, the salary cap was made.

So, in this post salary cap era, less deals are being done.

When I play hockey, I have the same championship or bust mentality.  When it comes to the Wings though, I don't have a stake in them winning the cup.  They will or won't rise to the occasion.  Nothing I do or say is going to impact them.  That being said, should the Stanley Cup be the only end result goal for the Wings in the post cap era?  I don't agree.  I don't think anyone expected this team to roll to a cup.  That being said, there is always the chance this team catches fire and makes a statement.

I guess we will see how it goes.  I just don't think we should be holding the Wings to the "cup or bust" standard anymore.  Its not like we bought the best team in hockey like we did for about 10 years.

DeKeyser looks right at home in a Wings uniform.  I got man love for him.

He is making some mistakes, but thats natural.  Surprised that LGW hasn't killed him yet, but that is coming when he turns the puck over and it results in a goal.

did Babs say "ass" on tv? ha

Huh huh huh huh, he said ass.

I'm all for this if Dan actually plays. Mixing things up by Babs?

 

Shocking.

The funny part is that this is what a lot of LGW forum members want.  They want to see the kids play.  Course, when these kids screw up and make mistakes, these same forum members will have ZERO tolerance for that kind of thing.

I love that Babs is playing the kids though.  Gotta have them show what they are capable of.

I really am glad that Holland didn't spend picks or prospects to bring in Gaborik.  He is injury prone and isn't worth his 7.5 million dollar cap hit.  Pomminville was the only guy I would even consider, and he isn't a top 6 winger like the Wings need.  Boumeester isn't worth it either.

One of two things are going to happen.....

Either the Wings fall flat on their faces in the next couple years, fade away from playoff contention, Holland gets fired, and the collective whiners here will yell I told you so and sprint off to the Penguins forum board to become new fans....

Or....

The Wings will retool and rebuild over the course of the next couple years, and return younger and stronger in a couple years.  They will be in a better position to win a cup then, so the collective whiners will stick around and cheer their team on.

Either way, its a win/win for me.  This forum really does need an enema.  For too long, Wings fans have been gifted with high caliber teams and 4 Stanley Cups.  The Wings fans are spoiled.  Hell, I know I am.  You can thank the NHL for making league parity a top concern.  No longer can teams try to buy a cup.  The salary cap has leveled the playing field.  To expect a team to compete for the cup every year is ludicrous.  Making the playoffs should be the new benchmark now.  Once your team gets in, then anything can happen.

At this point, I am going to support the Wings as they work to make the playoffs.  I call on every Wings fan to do the same thing.  Stand behind your team.  Stand behind your Wings management.  Its that simple.

For every one saying Holland lacked the "balls" to do anything, I've already posted this but:

“We offered some of (prospects). At the end of the day someone didn’t like them as much as we do or they liked someone else’s players better.”

 

He made an effort to acquire someone. Other teams outbid him. Maybe it's not a matter of him not making an effort, but a matter of our prospects not being viewed as highly as someone else's? If Holland moved Nyquist, Mrazek and a 1st and 2nd to get Pominville, would you be happy? I'd be pissed off.

Hell, I would be really pissed if Holland offered that.  Pomminville isn't worth that.

Khan said the hold up for the Wings with Gaborik was the $7.5M cap hit next year.

Considering that Gaborik has 9 goals and 10 assists in 35 games with his 7.5 million dollar cap hit, I can only imagine he will be lambasted like Franzen is getting hit with.   Franzen has 7 goals and 13 assists in 29 games with a cap hit that is almost half that.

Who cares!!!! We didn't throw away our youth for aging veterans that some of you complain about in the first place!!!!!!

I have to agree here.  Why make a trade just to make a trade?  I just don't get it.

Yea, yea, yea I hear some of the fans here whining about wasting Dats and Z's time.  How they wasted Lids time (even though he has 4 cups already and almost won a 5th).  Only one team gets to win the cup, and there are plenty of players who never won one, so did their clubs waste their time?  Look at Adam Oates who never won a cup.  Look at keith tkachuk.  So many great players who got close or never made it.  Not every player is going to have at level of success.

People here whine about not playing the kids.  Yet, when trade time comes around these same people will whine about not making a trade for a veteran.  Which one do you want?

I think all the players that were traded today were sold high.  Gaborik for three players?  Gaborik has less goals than freaking Cleary and is injury prone.

Glad to see Holland stand pat.  It was going to be a rough season at the start, and I knew that we wouldn't be the contenders that all Wings fans wanted us to be.  I guess you could call me a realistic fan.  I say load up in the off season and through the draft.

People here are dreaming if they think that Holland is going to make a big splash.  Hell, he hasn't made a big splash at the trade deadline since before the salary cap.  That really has limited what teams can do after all.  The Wings want a top 6 forward or a top 4 defenseman, and the only assets they want to trade are prospects and not the #1 pick in the draft this year.  That doesn't equate to making a splash today.

If I were Holland, I would trade Flip for a 1st rounder and trade Ian White for a 1st or 2nd rounder and call it good.  Lets gear up for a better season next year.

if youd think with your head rather than your heart youd know this current team doesnt have the chance to win the cup we'd need significant upgrades by wednesday

This right here.

The Wings are in transition.  They are geared to make the playoffs, and thats it.