drsingle

I've been away from LGW for much too long. Sixer, like your fellow Wings fans are attempting to tell you, Osgood was not Detroit's problem last night. I can not/will not argue the merits of whether he is a "top notch" goalie (I don't watch enough Detroit games). However, last night was not an indication of Osgood's ability or lack thereof. Luongo and Brodeur would have a had an extremely difficult time stopping those three goals if everything else was equal. Odds are at least two of those goals would have been scored regardless of who was in goal. This is plain to anyone that understands the game and actually watched (see the posts by your fellow Wings' fans and quotes from the players- both Red Wings and Predators). David

Sacrifices, sacrifices.

You know, it's been a long time since I've posted here on LGW (and I really do miss you guys), but it's good to see that you guys are still hard on your goalies. Any "top notch" goalie would have gotten burned by the second and third goal- and maybe the first. Luongo, Brodeur, etc. do give up the odd goal you know. Tonight, Ozzie is being hung out to dry as Detroit's defensemen are having a hard time with Nashville's forecheck. It's got them a little off kilter for the moment. Still a long ways to go though. I do mean it, I miss you guys.

Hordichuck and Mason are both out with the flu. David

Well, let's just say that I completely understand aflac's time constraints! I'm hoping to be around a little more often after the first of the year. Here's to a good game tonight, a Predator's win, and nary an injury to be seen. David

I've not been around lately, so forgive me, but where'd aflac go? His GDTs were great. David

Being a smartass doesn't change the fact that Balsillie refused to sign a binding agreement with Leipold without the matter of relocation being considered at the same time as his bid by the Board of Governors. Without a binding agreement, Balsillie's bid could not be considered by the Board of Governors via their own bylaws- which can't be flaunted to appease the self-righteous without setting a dangerous precedent. None of the other facts, statistics, vitriol, and other b.s. matter without that binding agreement- which was signed by the local group along with their fronting a non-refundable $10 million deposit. Now that I got that out of my system, please continue to show your ass. The Good Lord knows that there are plenty of people that cannot move forward and refuse to make the league, and its existing markets, better- so you'll have your followers. Taking my own advice and moving forward- the new owners (after approval by the Council, Sports Authority, and BoG- all expected to go smoothly) will have a hard job of making this work. If they can get the corporate community to step up and buy at least 50% of the tickets, then it will work. If not, then the franchise will be moved. There is reason for the fans of the Predators to have hope- but the proof will come from the bottom line. David

Finally. Reported by the only reporter that has consistently broken every item with journalistic integrity: Richard Lawson, formerly with the Nashville Post, now with the Nashville City Paper. Article

Completely off topic, but I hate when real life draws me away from participating on the hockey boards. Now, back on topic, it's hard to argue with you. That said, Nashville is a strange business town. History has shown that the vast majority of the local business community does not have much in the way of a relationship with non-local businesses. There are certainly some exceptions to that and it can also be mitigated by coming to town with those relationships established (like the Predators did with the original relationship with Gaylord). The problem with the Predators began when they had a falling out with Gaylord- which saw a sharp decline in corporate sponshorship the very next season. The buzz has been that many corporations are ready to come back with the completion of this deal. The nature of the deal itself is also important. If/when AEG begins to manage the arena, assuming the revenue from the arena goes to the Predators (reported), then revenues for the Predators could get an enormous shot in the arm just from non-hockey events. Will the corporations suddenly jump on board? Who knows? I certainly don't. Will the additional revenue streams have an impact on the bottom line? Some. Enough? I don't know. The bottom line is that the team has three years, beyond this season, to turn things around. Local ownership and additional revenue sources definitely provide a more favorable environment to make that succeed. If the team is still struggling financially at that time, it would be hard to argue against declaring the market a failure and moving the franchise. One parting shot: The NHL is not a healthy league. When league revenues rise primarily on the backs of ticket holders, there will be markets that begin to see diminishing returns. We are already beginning to see this. This league must be better marketed for the league to continue to grow as well as obtaining better television contracts. Thanks. David

Well, I don't, but to each his own.

Just an addition, pictures over at the Predators board confirm that Jordin is not wearing a visor this year. Still should have dropped the helmet, but at least he's not wearing a visor anymore. David

My $0.02. I can't tell if Jordin was wearing a visor in the video. His helmet did not have a visor on it when he placed in the box last night. I do not know if he has shed the visor this season. Visor or not, he should have removed his helmet. He through the first punch, which meant he had time to back away and remove the helmet. I said these same words to my wife last night as we watched (we did attend). He should have dropped his helmet. Otherwise, he played a fine game as far as his aggitating role goes. The precursor to this fight was an Avalanche player diving across the ice to stop a rush and taking out Smithson in the process- no penalty called. He stood up for his teammate, played cleanly with high energy throughout, and did not have any stupid penalties. Wished he would have removed his helmet. The back and forth on this board goes to the extremes in both ways. He does not always fight with his helmet on, but he does often. His fight with Mayers last season stood out because the two took off everything first. Again, just my $0.02 worth. David

I'll pass that along next time I talk with him (for the first time).

Updated the original post to add the third part to the Expectations series. David

Congrats on the win.