Echolalia

Bowman loved to shuffle lines like nobody's business.  The degree to which he shuffled lines I think forced players to play on their toes and be especially aware of their surroundings, as well as force them to be receptive to their teammates, which results in a strong, unified team come playoffs.  I suspect Babcock is following Bowman's philosophy, but to a lesser degree than Scotty applied it, and consequently we are seeing diminished effects.
But who knows, I'm not a coach.  Bowman did a lot of things other coaches wouldn't dare try, even today.

I think you are asking two unique question here, with different answers.

Who was the better Wing?  Yzerman
Who was the better player?  Lidstrom

Z should be in politics, "I know for a fact the Russians will probably stay."

esteef

This is what I came to post

The guy was a staple of Red Wings hockey.  I'll miss hearing his voice echo through the Joe.

The only thing that matters here is money, and like others have said, unfollowing NHL or some player or whoever won't amount to much or help solve the lockout issue.
Some folks suggest boycotting the NHL altogether, but that isn't viable either. We all understand just how passionately we love the game, and the moment the Wings take the ice again, everyone will be watching and spending money on memorabilia.  Besides, a boycott punishes us as fans moreso than the big guys at the top, whose wallets are already quite stuffed.

As fans there is very little we can realistically do that will echo into the upper tiers of NHL management.  But we aren't completely hopeless.  Despite what they may want us to think, the NHL does not have a monopoly on hockey.  There are other leagues around that can provide good entertainment.  Instead of sitting the year out as a fan, stay invested in the game, but turn your attention (fully) to the Griffins, or the Whalers or whoever tickles your fancy.  Spend the same amount of money on tickets as last year.  You'll go to more games and have better seats!  Buy a jersey and a hotdog on hotdog night. Go out to a local restaurant or bar before the game.  Help the local economy.
If we're very very lucky and enough dollars are put into other leagues, it may remind the NHL and/or players how much their losing, and may entice them to reach an agreement sooner (although admittedly not likely).  At the very least, us as fans still get to enjoy quality hockey, and check out some top prospects while we're at it, and maybe some of us will start a lifelong fandom into a totally new league.  There's also the plus of helping out the local economy and financially backing some of these smaller teams.  You would be spending all that money on the NHL anyway, so why not?
I know I'm already planning to take the 2.5 hour drive to Grand Rapids to catch the Griffins play a few games this year.  If FSN gets enough votes the Griffins games will be televised, too (there's another thread floating around where you can cast your vote).  I'll be staying at a hotel and eating at the local hot spots when I visit, and I'll be spending about as much as I would spend in Detroit if a lockout wasn't occurring.

This is what I don't understand and maybe someone here can educate me.

I believe a fair and equitable agreement can be made between both sides.  As has been pointed out numerous times, any two sides who were cooperative and were bargaining honestly could hammer out an agreement in a couple hours.  I don't see many people on the sides of the owners here, and on the flip side I see many on the sides of the players.  This makes sense due to the offers that were shelled out and Fehr's comments to the press.  What I don't understand is why someone has to be either for or against one side.  There is no looking at the big picture and seeing faults with both.  There is no looking at the offers that were put forward and comparing/contrasting them.

I guess its a lot like religion or political preference.  "If you aren't a (insert affiliate name here), then you are wrong" mentality.  I guess that its time for fans to get mad, not take sides.

There are a handful of folks, including members of this board, who believe that both sides are being selfish and need to apply the actual definition of compromise to their "compromises".
On the second point I do agree with you.  The owners vs players debate has a lot of political philosophy behind it, and those who identify as strictly republican or democrat may be influenced by their political beliefs when determining what side to support.  In that sense it will be a tough sell to get someone to "see the other side".

This kid is slowly turning into the LGW whipping boy, but I think he's the most underrated player on the team, especially his defensive play.  I'm happy to see him stick around.

I guess that is a difference of opinion.  Illitch is an outspoken guy.  I believe he voted with every other owner to lockout the players.  If he didn't like the situation, he would say something.

Illitch has plenty of reasons to vote lockout too.  Make no mistake about it.

The owners are not allowed to publicly speak on the matter, but I'm with you on Illitch's vote.  The owners of all 30 teams are looking at gaining millions of dollars in revenue by saying "lockout" instead of "start the season".  As much as we like to think some of these guys are altruistic city and fan lovers (and maybe some of them are), but they're businessmen first and foremost and the bottom line is always the most important thing in business.

Phoenix is so high because the locals get to watch the Wings play twice a year for dirt cheap.

Well I can identify Chelios, Lilja, Babcock, and MacLean for certain in that photo.  The guy behind Chelios looks to be Jason Williams, and the guy behind that looks to be Filppulla, although I'm not 100% sure on either.

The years that Babs, MacLean, Chelios, Lilja, Williams, and Filppula all played for the Wings are only 2006 and 2007.  In 2006, Filppulla only played 4 games and none of them were against the Wild, so this photo is likely from 2007, assuming that everyone is properly identified.
The photo was taken at a home game, and we played Minnesota twice at the Joe in 2007.  On December 22, and again on the 27th.  Lilja did not play on the 27th, so my guess would be this photo is from December 22nd. (http://sports.yahoo....?gid=2006122205)
Chelios is not pegged as having any penalties, although Veilleux did get a roughing penalty in the second period (I don't know for sure if that is Veileux in the pic).  The photo looks to be taken in the second period as well, as the defensman are closest to the camera, which is situated on the center ice side of the bench.

I have believed Roberto Luongo to be the most overrated goalie for the past 5 or 6 years, but I think the media is starting to catch up.

All of the names listed are great, and I agree on them all... With that said, I'm going to go left field on this and take one that people don't think about very often and one that was the worst scape goat in RW history... Curtis Joseph

Had he been given his fair shake and was here through his prime, it would have been epic

I wish we could have done better for him.  The guy did all he could when he was here.

God I love Helm

Darren Helm with a Fedorov hands transplant!

Some things are too powerful to create