WingNut722

@jammer2 That's true. I'm not sure if UofM/MSU is so huge outside of the state of Michigan, though. Within the state, obviously, it can break up a marriage, but how far does it extend beyond the boundary? That I think is one of the critical pieces of a good, strong, legendary rivalry.

Don't forget University of Michigan and Ohio State. Huge rivalry in college football which has lasted over 100 years. They play the same date every year. Both teams know full well that if they only win one game a year, it had better be that one. The games themselves are an event. They're emotional and high action. Both teams tend to play their best against each other, they're fully focused, and the scores, whether high or low, are alwasy tight. At the end, if the home teams wins, the place explodes as if they just won the BCS championship. In my opinion, this rivalry should at least on the list, if not the clear winner.

@yave1964 Wow, what an interesting trade idea. Before I decide, Mr. Burke, I need to discuss with Mr. Illitch and Mr. Babcock on this particular issue. Is there a deadline for this trade? You see, our backup goaltenders aren't exactly at cruising altitude yet. One of whom is a rookie, completely green. The other is coming off an injury and has only played twice this season, neither of which were complete games. I'd like the chance to play them more often and see if Jimmy sees the writing on the wall. However, Phil would make a great combination between Zetterberg and Brunner. It would be one of the most dangerous scoring lines in the league. This would allow Datsyuk to play on the second line and conserve ice time. Datsyuk on a second line with Filppula and Franzen would also be incredibly helpful, particularly for Franzen's production which we need to get going. In fact, if I had to, I could interchange the first and second lines to preserve players and still be very effective against the oppositions top defensive pairing. Cleary wouldn't be too thrilled about being demoted to third line, but once Helm and Bertuzzi return, they would create a very dynamic trio, with speed, finesse, and hard work which is tough to find in most third lines. I think he'd appreciate that. That would then leave Jordin Tootoo, Justin Abdelkader, and Drew Miller on the sandpaper line. I would have a lot of extra weight here, so maybe I can sweeten the pot for you. How about if I add Patrick Eaves and Kyle Quincey if you'll throw in Carl Gunnarsson? Whaddaya think?

I'm trying to start a bromance with the guy but he won't return my calls....

Agreed, Yave. However, Detroit is in the midst of a deep dark hole in personnel that no GM ever wants to see them in. With so many insurues, Holland is scraping the bottom of the barrel for a warm bodies to put on the ice. Allow me to paraphrase one of your statements: "Huskins is not the answer" => "Huskins is not the long term answer". He won't last beyond the season, and if Colaiacovo and Smith return in any kind of timely fashion, Huskins would be gone in favor of Lashoff. It's all he's got to choose from. Now if there were only some way to dump Kyle Quincey........ Also, I may not be the best person to comment on this because I have always liked the guy, but the Wings do not trade Valterri Filppula. They sign him again to long term contract at the end of this season. Fil's hot and cold right now, and if he needs to be slapped around a bit to get his production going consistently, then that's what needs to happen. My biggest concern is with Franzen. I sure hope Babcock is not putting Franzen in just because Holland wants to get the "most for his money." Franzen is the weak link here (at forward). Not Filppula and not Danny Cleary.

@jammer2 Filppula needs to come around but it's not just him. I'm not seeing a whole lot of production out of Franzen either. Cleary is there, but he keeps getting stuck with bad luck. He's hit more posts than anyone else on the team. Hopefully he can continue to tough it out, and eventually, he'll hit the spot. Bertuzzi and Helm need to come back. Other than that, I think the offense is playing very well for being not so much the Detroit Red Wings but the Grand Rapids Griffins. I give them credit. Not so much for the defense, who are all NHL veterans, for the most part (with the exception of Lashoff)

The Red Wings are currently riding a three-game skid, mostly due to the defensive breakdown. Last night's game against the Wild only served to reinforce that point. No short-handed goals yesterday, but then again, the Wings have allowed the most of any team this season (so it was a nice change of pace). But the scoring opportunities,and particularly the breakaways they allow are disgusting. I stopped counting the breakaways after I got to six. The Red Wings have always utilized a strategy of integrating their defensemen into the offensive play. Many times, you'll see a blueliner grinding out a board battle in the corner, and up to this point it's helped them score more goals and be as successful as they have been. The trick is that the blueline needs to be covered. Younger defensemen are pushing the offense but still need to be aware of their responsibilities at the point. It's also possible that the younger/newer forwards to the Red Wings aren't accounting for an empty blueline when the defense works its way down low. Opponents are seeing that and their planting a speedy forward up high for a clearing attempt and huge breakaway. If Clutterbuck had decent accuracy last night, that score would have been a lot more embarrassing. The Wings need to figure this out and it's probably best done by instilling a bit more discipline into each player as to exactly when they can aggressively approach the offense or when they should hang back and guard the point. The funny thing is that the press don't ever see/say anything about this. They have always attributed the Wings' mediocre performance to the absence of Lidstrom and Holmstrom on the power play. While it's true, and the lousy special teams don't help, it's certainly not the only fundamental issue with their game approach.

Absolutely agree. That's why all these rules are being changed. The NHL is trying to "sell" the game on the American public. Americans seem only interested in scoring, not the mechanics of the game itself. A 10-0 blowout would be more appealing to them then a hard-fought, back-and-forth, 2-1 win. They like scoring celebrations...they like to see teams get defeated, they like to see teams get humiliated.. This is why the American public likes football more than they do hockey. Hockey is decidedly rougher, faster, and more dangerous than football (fighting is PERMITTED for crying out loud!), but the scores end up being 34-21 and the players celebrate the "H-E-double-hockey-sticks" out of their on-field achievements. And the NHL is trying to adopt that for themselves at the expense of the game's integrity. It sickens me.... *Footnote...I am an American, born and raised, and I also like to watch football

I clicked the "agree" button, but it only lets me click it once...Agree x 10!! :-)

The NHL is forever tightening the rules on these guys, little by little...a bit more every season. These guys learn to play under a certain set of parameters, and when those parameters are changed suddenly, it's tough to shift automatically. Cleary and Kronwall are working hard. A lot of the penalties these guys are slapped with are sketchy at best. Something that would have been allowed, say, three years ago. It's a period of adjustment. Zetterberg's spent more time in the box too, then he's used to. It'll come around. Especially this whole "hand over the puck" malarkey....

I agree with you, but only halfway. The Wings are seriously better than they were a week ago. However, Chicago is too good, and too solid. Unless they crash completely (which they tend to reserve for the playoffs), I don't think they'll relinquish the top spot in the Central. Still, I'm absolutely thrilled with the Wings performance of late. There a huge surge in confidence through that locker room now. Keep your eye on Kronwall too. Now that he's got his first goal, he'll be a little more loose and his numbers will start to climb.

Well, it could go either way. On one hand, yes, it's reasonable to expect more than just one point (an assist) after the first 10 games. However, he has spent a lot of time in the penalty box with the elevated number of fights he's been in so far. I truly don't think that kind of pace will continue much longer. I think teams are starting to recognize that Tootoo is around and they're watching out. Also, the Red Wings have spent a huge proportion of their ice time on special teams, in which Tootoo is not included. Either way he's sitting instead of skating more often than (what would be considered) normal. Once things settle down in these two key areas, I think he'll spend more time on the ice, and his point totals will start to rise a bit quicker.

You're on!@ (Now how do we do that...) Actually what will probably happen, if the Wings decide to keep him, is they'll sign him to 2-3 years for a significant salary bump just to make sure he stays. He likes it here, he grew up within the club, so that gives the front office the edge. If he comes through during those next few years (like maybe, I dunno, say...a Cup?), they'll sign him through the apocalypse

Filppula? Absolutely...sign him. He's indispensible. Howard...sign him to another few years (not long-term) if he improves this season like mad. Still...need another blueliner. Don't need a huge name like Suter, but one (or two) decent, wily veterans.

Nice....

Frankly, Tootoo's job is not to score. He's doing exactly what he's being paid for night after night....establish a tough presence that the Wings haven't had in years. Miller and Abdelkader have been working hard, but just not found the back of the net yet. Helm's only played one game, so he doesn't count in this discussion. Emmerton isn't really doing all that well except for decent numbers in face-offs. My beef is with Franzen. I'm not seeing anything out of him the way we used to. He doesn't move fast, he's not taking shots...Last night against Calgary, he had a beautiful opportunity in the second. An easy pass from Z from behind the goal line. if he one-timed it, he had an open net. Instead he juggled it and then gave up a turnover. Clearly not what is expected of you when you're making a bajillion dollars over 12 years.. I'm also a little surprised at Kronwall. He's been somewhat "quiet" this season. I know he has more responsibility as the "ranking" defenseman, but I hope he's not clouding his mind with it. He needs to lead by example, and to do, that, he needs to play the way he used to. The loss last night was tragic...something's gotta give....

The season is just over two weeks old now and the Red Wings are a stunning 4-3-1, good enough for third place in the Central Division and ties with Nashville with 9 points. It appears everyone was right that the big hole in the Wings' game is a formidable presence on the blue line, left by Mr. Lidstrom and Mr. Stuart. True...the Red Wings are allowing the second most shots per game in the NHL (which is a good indicator of the defense). However, Riddle me this, Batman.... How much of this defensive slump is the absence of Lidstrom and Stuart, and how much is due to the injuries to our remaining defensive corps? Namely Colaiacovo and Ian White. Also, while it wouldn't necessarily reflect the Shots Per Game total, how many more goals might Mikael Samuelsson have scored so far? Darren Helm? Would having Jonas Gustavsson around have taken a bit of pressure off Jimmy Howard? So where exactly do we stand? Ian White is expected to start tomorrow night against Calgary, which will help, particularly on the power play. Other than that, the defense does appear to need improvement although they're not playing bad. Detroit needs to score more goals up front. Getting the power play into shape will go along way towards that (Yes, I'm talking to YOU, Coach Renney!). Tom Renney was brought on specifically to rehab the man-advantage for Detroit which has been slipping the past few seasons. Right now, he's not making a huge case for himself. While it's not likely that the Wings will win the Division, as Chicago and St. Louis are just too strong and well-balanced, if things stay the way they are, Detroit will likely find itself out of the playoffs. The disappointment right now is Kyle Quincey. He's making too many mistakes and taking too many chances on the depleted lines. Methinks we could be seeing him shipped off somewhere along with some draft picks for a better defenseman. With the cap space that the Red Wings have and the healthy crop of youngsters in tow, Ken Holland could make a top-heavy offer for a strong, veteran defenseman. I also doubt very much that he'd wait until the trade deadline to do so. What say you?

If I didn't know better, it almost sounds to me like a "sick-out." "If we can't play with Lidstrom, then we won't play at all..." Fortunately, but the time Friday rolls around, we should have Bertuzzi and Helm back, which will add more to the offense and make up for what is lacking in defense (temporarily).

Wow! What a change from two days ago! The Wings looked a helluva lot better last night than they did against St. Louis. The top line of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Brunner is starting to gel and it looks like Brunner is a little more fluid on NHL ice. I hate to agree with Pierre McGuire (that guy bugs me...) but he's got some adjusting to do from playing in Europe. I doubt it will take long though. I'm not even going to discuss his shootout goal.....that was just sick....... What concerns me now is Jimmy Howard. I'll of course give him another game or two to shake off the rust, but it seems that the breakaways are his Achilles heel. With a defensive line that still trying to pull it together, Howard HAS to be top-notch in order to keep the Red Wings in contention for the win night after night. I'm anxious to see what @yave1964 has to say about this game, being a fan of both teams. Take it away, Yave!

@pilldoc I'd like to add that as of game time on Saturday night, he would be out a couple weeks, but not indefinitely. I agree with Yave in that Bertuzzi is still an integral part of the bottom lines and he helps to foster the play of the younger guys. Hoping he gets well soon.

@jammer2 Good point, Jammer. However, either way, he tends to be a "streaky" goal scorer and he is usually relied heavily in a playoff situation. He can put up 30 goals in a season which is good by the numbers. However, if he's potting 3 goals in a game when other guys have already tallied 4, it does the team no good. A win is a win. He needs to start scoring when other guys are hurt, or are going through slumps themselves (like Saturday night).

@SpikeDDS Hope to see you more often than not, Spike! There are too few of us who bleed Red and White on this site. We're severely outnumbered by all these Flyers Hooligans! :-) Clearly, as everyone has echoed, the team is worse without Lidstrom. Period. End of sentence. That said, there is so much potential on this team, that it can go either way. Detroit barely squeaked into the Playoffs last year. Franzen, Datsyuk, and Clearly all had sub-par seasons due to injuries or otherwise. If these guys all turn it on this season, it'll give a real good cushion to the defense corps, who are all going through a transition of some sort. Every last blueliner on the team is going to be playing different than they did last year. On the other hand, if the defense pairings work out well this year as everyone hopes, it will help to cushion the forwards in case there are injuries and lowered performance, not to mention losing Hudler. I will be very interested to see how this pans out. But I will tell you that Johan Franzen has the hairy eyeball on him. With all that money he's making and the contract signed up through the All-Star game in 2089, he better start scoring some goals in regular fashion. The Red Wings still have a lot of money in the bank, and a buyout could be arranged easier than you might think. .

Oy...OK here we go............. EAST 1. NY Rangers 2. Boston 3. Florida 4. Philadelphia 5. Pittsburgh 6. New Jersey 7. Washington 8. Toronto 9. Tampa Bay 10. Ottawa 11. Buffalo 12. NY Islanders 13. Montreal 14. Carolina 15. Winnipeg WEST 1. Vancouver 2. Los Angeles 3. Chicago 4. St. Louis 5. Nashville 6. Detroit 7. Dallas 8. Phoenix 9. Minnesota 10. San Jose 11. Colorado 12. Calgary 13. Edmonton 14. Columbus 15. Anaheim Rangers over the Canucks in Game 7 – OT in Vancouver, sparking another frustrated riot

Great list! Not one to make waves, my votes are among the rest of the crowd. Despite winning his Cups elsewhere, this is where Hasek belongs!

I went with Bouchard. And @yave1964, I have more optimism in your chances with Angelina thank you think! How could she resist a feisty Ohio hockey buff?