Echolalia

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

He is one of only a few guys to pass through the league that nobody can find a reason to hate.  Go to other teams' forums, even rivals like the Blues, Hawks, Ducks, Sharks, Pens, or Leafs.  They all share a hatred for Detroit, but there's always an exception for Datsyuk.

Safe to say not much of that has truth to it....considering some of it isn't even legally possible (i.e. lockout before Sep. 15th).  No more negotiations?  Ummm, they are negotiating today.

They are meeting today, but if one side is refusing to budge on any issues, then they certainly are not negotiating.

Not a fan of periods?

The Wings didn't seem interested in Semin when he was still available, so I don't see Kenny pursuing Kostitsyn, which Is essentially a poor man's Semin.

First of all that is totally awesome that you are on a sled hockey team, and that the Penguins sponsor the one team!  You should update this post with your progress/results as the season progresses.  It might be our only source of hockey entertainment if there is a lockout...
Anyway, I dont really have a lifestyle dedicated to being a good hockey player, it's just something I do on the side for fun.  HavIng said that, I do lead a pretty active life as it is, so my cardio at least is usually in good shape.  I play ice hockey year round, plus in the summers I do mountain biking, wakeboarding, waterskiing.  I thInk my biggest prep for hockey would be the day of the game, just trying to eat healthy and balanced and load up on carbs before the game (and hopefully time it so I don't have to take a massive dump 5 minutes before puck-drop.)

Sometimes.  Depends on the situation.  Honestly, I don't like seeing him skate away from a  ***** like Kesler.  He should have went with him, whether it was a clean hit or not.  Makes our whole team look bad when he just skates away.

I understand where you're coming from but I disagree.  I love seeing the other team squirm and lose their focus and try to get retribution when they should be focusing on the game itself.  Vladdy said it best: "I don't need to score the goal. I need someone to start thinking about me and forgetting about scoring goals."
On the other hand, when Zetterberg gets his face slammed into the boards (or any other illegal and dangerous attack), then I expect the team to strike down with great fury.  The acquisition of Tootoo should help in that regard.

This whole "Bettman is the problem" thing is really getting out of hand.  The guy is a slimeball, but let's give credit where it is due.  Bettman is essentially employed by the owners of the teams in the NHL.  It's his prerogative to make them happy, or he finds himself unemployed.  All things considered, he has done an excellent job satisfying owners.  The game has evolved and grown by leaps and bounds under his direction, and the owners overall have made great profits, despite everything the league has had going against it.
Bettman is the voice of the owners is the labor dispute.  What they want is what he has to try to sell to the NHLPA and public.  Bettman is not the devil whispering evils into the ears of the owners.  Its actually the other way around. He's just the front man.

Edit: actually Bettman is in quite a tough pickle now that I think on it.  The owners are asking for quite a lot and under the current environment are coming of as unrealistic and greedy.  If Bettman can't achieve these extremely lofty and completely one-sided goals (ie owners win, players lose (again)), he may be out of a job.  I'm not sure if it would come to that considering the profits that the league has earned in the past decade, but its certainly not an appealing situation to be in.

Zetterberg got slammed and no retribution.

...okay?  I'm failing to see your point, if there is one.

No one will ever be Kocur or Probert, and it's foolish to compare. Tootoo is damn tough, he just isn't big. He's got the heart of a lion and he's gonna surprise alot of Wings fans this season. Mark my words.

I agree.  If your definition of toughness is exclusively in the realm of Probert and Kocur, then there are only six or seven guys in the history of the NHL that can be categorized as tough.
Tootoo knows how to give and take real haymakers, throws his body around chaotically and drives into people like a freight train.  On top of all of that, he is comfortable with actually playing hockey, and can be known to contribute as well.
I'm looking forward to seeing this guy play, and I agree that he will surprise a lot of Wings' fans as well.