NHL '09 - '10 Thread

[SmokeyJoe]

Dream #1 fulfilled on 6-9-2010. :wnr


Dream #2 fulfilled last night.



http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/Cup001-1.jpg

Awesome! Nothing like it, eh Tom? :tu

[icehog3]

What's that fugly piece of tin next to the Hog? Congrats Tom.:tu

Awesome! Nothing like it, eh Tom? :tu

Thanks Paul and Joe....it was almost a surreal moment, my Dad had been talking to me about who else had kissed the Cup....Howe, Hull, Orr, Richard, LaFleur, Gretzky, Messier, Drden...etc., you get the idea....just too cool.

Funny thing is when I kissed it, it tasted like Dustin Byfuglien.


:r

[Prefy]

Dream #1 fulfilled on 6-9-2010. :wnr


Dream #2 fulfilled last night.



http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/Cup001-1.jpg

EPIC Tom!

I held the cup when I was 12 and Eddie the Eagle brought it to Carman after he won with Dallas.

[icehog3]

EPIC Tom!

I held the cup when I was 12 and Eddie the Eagle brought it to Carman after he won with Dallas.

Great feeling, eh Matt? :tu

Hawks traded Versteeg to the Leafs tonight. I expected this, and hope it allows the Hawks to keep Sharp, Ladd, Niemi and Hjalmarsson.

Versteeg has a boatload of talent, but some really poor decision making skills. That being said, he was an important part of the Hawks' run to the Cup, and I wish him nothing but the best in Toronto.

[icehog3]

The San Jose Sharks signed goalie Antero Niittymaki to a two-year, $4 million deal.

Hopefully that means no high-ball offer sheet to Niemi! :wo

[Ahbroody]

Funny thing is when I kissed it, it tasted like Dustin Byfuglien.


:r
Remind me to keep one eye on you at all times when I finally meet you.

Hopefully that means no high-ball offer sheet to Niemi! :wo

Interesting with nitty they are looking for a vet to split the duty with one of the 2 kids. uuughh well it was fun while it lasted, but of what I have seen of the kids, they better get some stay at home d cause their gonna need them.

Malholtra will be missed he is taking 2.5 per x3 to become a canuck. Pretty sure the sharks were not offering 3 years.

[icehog3]

OK, Byfuglien and Versteeg, I understood for salary cap reasons.

Hawks just traded Andrew Ladd to Atlanta for a minor league defenseman. Color my officially "not happy". :mad:

[GHC_Hambone]

OK, Byfuglien and Versteeg, I understood for salary cap reasons.

Hawks just traded Andrew Ladd to Atlanta for a minor league defenseman. Color my officially "not happy". :mad:

This one puzzled me as well. I thought they had cleared up enough cap space with the last two trades. :confused:

[icehog3]

This one puzzled me as well. I thought they had cleared up enough cap space with the last two trades. :confused:

My guess is they plan on signing a tough defenseman free-agent, or pay Niemi eleventy billion dollars a year.

[Ahbroody]

Nichol on his signing for 760k deal, only 10k raise
"We weren’t looking to go anywhere,” he said. “I had* a* good year and I think the fans enjoy my style. I just want to win and getting a taste of that playoff rum, l want to get back to where we were and go beyond that.* There’s only a handful of tems have that chance every year and we have that .”

Man I love that guy.

[icehog3]

Nichol on his signing for 760k deal, only 10k raise
"We weren’t looking to go anywhere,” he said. “I had* a* good year and I think the fans enjoy my style. I just want to win and getting a taste of that playoff rum, l want to get back to where we were and go beyond that.* There’s only a handful of tems have that chance every year and we have that .”

Man I love that guy.

:tu

[GHC_Hambone]

Some sad news, Bob Probert dead at age 45.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/news/story?id=5356462

[icehog3]

Heard that....could beat most any guy in the NHL, but couldn't beat his own demons. RIP Mr. Probert.

[Prefy]

Some sad news, Bob Probert dead at age 45.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/news/story?id=5356462

Just saw that...RIP BOB

[Old Sailor]

Listened to it happen on my scanner, RIP Bob!!

[Ahbroody]

Very sad.
Loved watching his fights.

I am glad that the culture of the sport as to the aspects of drinking and drug use have and are changing.

[icehog3]

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/bobb1.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/probert.jpg

[GreekGodX]

RIP Probert

Seeing him fight was one of my first hockey memories as a kid.

[yourchoice]

RIP Bob Probert. :(

[mtaill]

Sad news... THE best fighter in the NHL

[icehog3]

The San Jose Sharks signed Chicago Blackhawks restricted free agent Niklas Hjalmarsson to a four-year, $14 million offer sheet.

The Blackhawks have seven days to match or they will lose Hjalmarsson and receive a first-round and third-round pick in return.

"Teams realize Chicago's position with the salary cap, and Niklas is a good, young player on the rise," Hjalmarsson's agent, Kevin Epp, said.

[Ahbroody]

Rutroh Sharks given the Hawks the Scrum Shocker. As a Sharks fan I like this pickup as he is the type of Dman the Sharks will need this year to help block the screen door guarding the net. That said I always find it weird to cherry pick rfa's.


In other sharks news Nabokov apparently now plays in the khl. I think everyone saw him exposed in the Olympics and playoffs and don't want any part of the pony show.

[Ahbroody]

Sharks. Wings and Wild have all contacted Modano about signing a one year deal.

[GHC_Hambone]

Sharks. Wings and Wild have all contacted Modano about signing a one year deal.

Thats pretty interesting considering he is from Michigan and has played in Minnesota before. Will be watching to see where he ends up.

[icehog3]

Thats pretty interesting considering he is from Michigan and has played in Minnesota before. Will be watching to see where he ends up.

Or if. ;)

[Ahbroody]

Yup if, but you got to think ggoing to a team with a shot at the cup may be appealing.

[icehog3]

Yup if, but you got to think ggoing to a team with a shot at the cup may be appealing.

Then why is he talking to the Sharks?







I keed, I keed!! :r :r

[Ahbroody]

Damn nothing like a kick in the nuts on Sunday morning.
El Principe with morning coffee no service calls pending browsing forum. Blame kicked in the balls: r

[icehog3]

Damn nothing like a kick in the nuts on Sunday morning.
El Principe with morning coffee no service calls pending browsing forum. Blame kicked in the balls: r

ESPM is picking Vancouver as the early favorite to come out of the West next season.

Vuck the Fanucks. ;)

[Ahbroody]

Well they will have to go through sj or Chi. Talk about revenge if they go through Chi. Although with no byfugly it wont be as sweet.

[icehog3]

Well they will have to go through sj or Chi. Talk about revenge if they go through Chi. Although with no byfugly it wont be as sweet.

I can't see the Hawks losing a 7 game series to the Sedin sisters and the Crybaby. :2

[Ahbroody]

Crap Hawks siged hjalmarson(sp).

Sharks are going to have a long year.

[icehog3]

Crap Hawks siged hjalmarson(sp).

Sharks are going to have a long year.

Still a wise move by Doug Wilson, as the GM of arguably the Hawks biggest competitor nest season. Niemi has an arbitration hearing in a week and a half, and a big award puts the Hawks is salary cap trouble again. They will have two options....keep Niemi and move another player, or let Niemi become a free agent and take their chances on a veteran FA like Turco or Theodore.

[GHC_Hambone]

Still a wise move by Doug Wilson, as the GM of arguably the Hawks biggest competitor nest season. Niemi has an arbitration hearing in a week and a half, and a big award puts the Hawks is salary cap trouble again. They will have two options....keep Niemi and move another player, or let Niemi become a free agent and take their chances on a veteran FA like Turco or Theodore.

Please please please no! I am hoping we can keep Niemi.

[icehog3]

Please please please no! I am hoping we can keep Niemi.

If it comes down to keeping Niemi and losing Patrick Sharp, I am for bringing in a veteran goalie and keeping Sharp. The Blackhawks gave up the least shots on goal last season, and although I would love to keep Niemi as well, but if the price is Sharp, I would let him go.

[Ahbroody]

Wondering if the old sign and trade will occur. Got to imagine they will want Niemei more. So wonder if they use Hjalmarsson for trade or someone else if forced to pay Niemei. You know hes getting a raise.

Those arbitrations are rough on the player. A young goal tender (all goalies are off in the head) Likely wont like what is said about his game.

[icehog3]

I don't see the Hawks trading Hjalmarsson, but then again I am not a GM. I think the Niemi or Sharp moves are more likely, though if they trade Sharp I won't be happy at all.

[Ahbroody]

Well the sharks need a goalie and a dman. That said they are likely keeping what they have in net. :td

So the sharks need D. Man I hope they can find a trade.
Demi Tasse and morning coffee. My new Sunday morning work ritual. :r

[icehog3]

This will get interesting....

Guess the NHL didn't buy Ilya Kovalchuk's claims that he planned to go all Chris Chelios and play right through to the end of his league-record, 17-year, $102 million deal with the New Jersey Devils.

Or make that former deal.

Sources told ESPN.com late Tuesday night that the NHL rejected the historic pact because it believes the contract contravenes elements of the collective-bargaining agreement.

[GHC_Hambone]

I was surprised that they rejected the contract. I thought the Hossa contract was pretty obvious about trying to go around the cap and I remember him even making a comment about that. I guess the 17 years on Kovalchuk was a little too much for the league.

[icehog3]

I was surprised that they rejected the contract. I thought the Hossa contract was pretty obvious about trying to go around the cap and I remember him even making a comment about that. I guess the 17 years on Kovalchuk was a little too much for the league.

Players Union is expected to grieve the rejection.

[jmsremax]

I just got my tickets for the '10-'11 season :banger


Go Bruins!!!

[Ahbroody]

Kind of glad it was rejected.
Its one thing to play on the edge of the rules. This contract was laughing in the rules face. If this is allowed to stand it will begin to eliminate the whole purpose of the cap.

As to season tickets. Tried to cancel mine this year. Was not allowed to. Missed the date by a week. Sucks we are refinancing the house and really needed to not have that charge on the card.

[kugie]

I just got my tickets for the '10-'11 season :banger


Go Bruins!!!

:banger

The Agent for Seguin said a deal should be done before training camp.
We'll see??

[icehog3]

Andrew Ladd made the most of his day with the Cup.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/Laddcup.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/Laddcup2.jpg

[Prefy]

Andrew Ladd made the most of his day with the Cup.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/Laddcup.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/Laddcup2.jpg

pretty sick

[GHC_Hambone]

Interesting news on the goalie front:

http://www.thescore.com/home/articles/53895-walk-off

[icehog3]

Niemi ended up getting 2.75 million, significantly less than the 4 million that was anticipated. Bowman still won't say what his plans are, but many arounf Chicago think Niemi still may be gone.

[Ahbroody]

beat me to it.
hmmmmm this is really getting spicy now. You guys need to let a dman go and sign him. sharks nneed a good dman.

I got to say its good the hawks won the cup because this team while good, won't be quiet as deep this season.

atleast I won't have to worry about the wings again. :r

[icehog3]

beat me to it.
hmmmmm this is really getting spicy now. You guys need to let a dman go and sign him. sharks nneed a good dman.

I got to say its good the hawks won the cup because this team while good, won't be quiet as deep this season.

atleast I won't have to worry about the wings again. :r

You can have Campbell back, MIke......7 mill a year. :r

[Ahbroody]

You can have Campbell back, MIke......7 mill a year. :r

Hmmmmm
PASS!!!
That spin move is cute, but he is "all Swedish no Finish" :=:

[icehog3]

Hmmmmm
PASS!!!
That spin move is cute, but he is "all Swedish no Finish" :=:

Ba-dum. :r

[357]

beat me to it.
hmmmmm this is really getting spicy now. You guys need to let a dman go and sign him. sharks nneed a good dman.

I got to say its good the hawks won the cup because this team while good, won't be quiet as deep this season.

atleast I won't have to worry about the wings again. :r

Hey, the Wings are always in it. It would be tough to argue that another team has been better in the last 20 years. Besides that, I think they will be much improved this up coming season.

[icehog3]

Hawks let Niemi walk...signed Marty Turco for 1/2 the money Niemi would have got. I think it will allow the Hawks to have a little flexibility in their fourth line forwards and third pair of d-men, and not just bring up the cheapest options from Rockford. I think it was the right call, but time will tell.

[357]

Hawks let Niemi walk...signed Marty Turco for 1/2 the money Niemi would have got. I think it will allow the Hawks to have a little flexibility in their fourth line forwards and third pair of d-men, and not just bring up the cheapest options from Rockford. I think it was the right call, but time will tell.

Maybe, but hope you don't see the Wings in the playoffs. If I remember correctly Turco has 1 victory in 15 some tries at Joe Louis Arena.

[icehog3]

Maybe, but hope you don't see the Wings in the playoffs. If I remember correctly Turco has 1 victory in 15 some tries at Joe Louis Arena.

I ain't worried about the Wings like in years past, Mike. I know they will be right in the mix with their talent, but I think the Hawks are the team to beat in the Central...and Turco didn't have Keith, Seabrook and Hjallmarsson in front of him in Dallas. ;)

[Ahbroody]

Hey, the Wings are always in it. It would be tough to argue that another team has been better in the last 20 years. Besides that, I think they will be much improved this up coming season.

They will be much improved this season? How? Please I would love to hear this as I have not seen them do anything to get better but resign aging players who faded down the stretch last year. Will they be in it? Yes. do teams fear them like they used to? No.

Over the last 20 yes, but last year your salarycap woes started, the wings escaped the issue till last season do to existing contracts. This year will be the same as last year. I am not trying to be mean, but if you are going to say they are going to be better you should come with some facts to explain this statement.

As I said all last season and was proved right by what happened.

1) Last year was the first year the wings had to deal with the cap and as a result they lost depth and got rolled early. They BARELY escaped round 1 going to 7 and got riped by a Sharks team with issues.

2) The team is getting older not younger and why they faded.

3) No one wants to go to the Wings anymore as they know they dont have a chance. Dont believe me? Name a big free agent signing in the past 2 years. No one wants to go to a team whos stars are at the end of their carrer.

4) The years of players taking less to play on the Wings are over. The true championship core is almost all gone.

Unfortanetly next years team is the Canucks. The Sharks didnt get the goalie they needed. The Hawks I think lost a touch to much depth to repeat all though they just might. The Wings are not deep enough. Please look at the three teams listed and their stats and rosters. Tell me how the Wings will beat them.

[GreekGodX]

They will be much improved this season? How? Please I would love to hear this as I have not seen them do anything to get better but resign aging players who faded down the stretch last year. Will they be in it? Yes. do teams fear them like they used to? No.

Over the last 20 yes, but last year your salarycap woes started, the wings escaped the issue till last season do to existing contracts. This year will be the same as last year. I am not trying to be mean, but if you are going to say they are going to be better you should come with some facts to explain this statement.

As I said all last season and was proved right by what happened.

1) Last year was the first year the wings had to deal with the cap and as a result they lost depth and got rolled early. They BARELY escaped round 1 going to 7 and got riped by a Sharks team with issues.

2) The team is getting older not younger and why they faded.

3) No one wants to go to the Wings anymore as they know they dont have a chance. Dont believe me? Name a big free agent signing in the past 2 years. No one wants to go to a team whos stars are at the end of their carrer.

4) The years of players taking less to play on the Wings are over. The true championship core is almost all gone.

Unfortanetly next years team is the Canucks. The Sharks didnt get the goalie they needed. The Hawks I think lost a touch to much depth to repeat all though they just might. The Wings are not deep enough. Please look at the three teams listed and their stats and rosters. Tell me how the Wings will beat them.

Marian Hossa, albeit for 1 year that was a major signing. Because of the cap we don't have the room to sign any big name FA. Between our big name players we don't have too much space to sign any big names. And our core is still there that won the cup. Lidstrom will most likely retire after this season but we still have Datsuyk, Franzen and Zetterburg. Their ages respectively are 32, 30 and 29. Not exactly ready to retire yet..

Faded? I believe the Wings had the best record after the Olympic break. We do have young players that will continue to be making more of an impact year after year. Plus bringing back Hudler from Russia will add some more consistency to the 3rd line and another 20 goals. The Wings were plainly not ready for the playoffs. Their D was inconsistent and a rookie goaltender didn't help anything in the postseason.

There will be even more parody next year. Even with the horrible signing of Turco, the Hawks are still the team to beat. They are too talented to just fade away even with the maneuvering they've been doing. We'll see how the season pans out but the Wings for as long as the injury bug doesn't bite them again they will be better than last year.

I'm glad the discussions are already heating up :)

[icehog3]

I agree with Mike that the Canucks may be the team to beat this year, though as defending Champs I give the Hawks more chance than most.

Son, I know the Wings have some dynamite forwards in Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen. I think the Hawks have that beat with Toews, Kane, Hossa and Sharp, and have a better defensive core...though I know Lidstrom is still maybe the smartest D-man in the league. Goaltending will be huge....can Howard repeat in his sophmore year? Can Turco improve behind a much better defense than he had in Dallas? Will the Sharks go after Niemi or stand pat with Niitymaki? Can Luongo step up to the challenge? That might be the West in a nutshell.

[icehog3]

Veteran free-agent center Mike Modano will join the Red Wings this week, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.

Modano, 40, has been offered a one-year contract for $1.25 million to be the team's third-line center. The Dallas Stars franchise icon for 20 seasons will also get a chance to play near home -- his parents live near Detroit.

"Big announcement Thursday," Modano stated in a text message to the newspaper Monday.

Well there ya go.

[Ahbroody]

They just got a little older. :r

Christos I would respond to your reply, but we have been down this road over and over last year. I told you what was going to happen then and it did. The Wings barely got passed the Coyotes. Barely! I am telling you now if you think Hudler is going to right that ship I want some of the crack you got. They are a 4maybe 5-6 seed depending on how some other teams with kids play. This aint 5 years ago its the cap era and the Wings are not in a good spot. They are not on par with the Canucks, Hawks, or Sharks, I think the Yotes may have another good year also, add LA with its kids and the Wings will be middle pack. No big improvement.

And no a 40 year old Modano who came back for one year to make a mil and play near home is not a big free agent.

[icehog3]

But they re-signed Berschmoozi!!! :D

[357]

Wings are old? Lack depth?

http://redwingsguy.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/depth-by-numbers-red-wings-2009-2010-man-games-lost-to-injury/

The Wings had the fourth most man-games-lost-to-injury (MGLI) in 2009-2010 at 307. Only Minnesota (316), Colorado (340), and Edmonton (494) had more.

That got me to thinking: how did Detroit’s depth compare to other teams with significant injuries?

To quantify that comparison, let’s look at how many points these teams earned despite MGLIs. We need to turn MGLI into a positive statistic. That’s right, I’m creating a new stat called man-games-NOT-lost-to-injury (MGNLI). MGNLI is exactly what it sounds like: the total number of healthy player games. Based on a 23 man roster in an 82 game season, there are 1886 healthy games to be had. This is a hypothetical number to be sure, but it just serves a measuring stick. Subtract the man-games-lost-to-injury and you have the MGNLI.

I’m no math wizard, but the formula looks like this:
MGNLI = (23 players * 82 games) – MGLI

Got it? Good.

Here’s a graph depicting the top (bottom?) ten teams in man-games-lost-to-injury and their season point record (W-L-OTL) to MGNLI ratio:

http://redwingsguy.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/wingsmgnli1.jpg

What does this graph mean? It could be looked at a couple ways:

A) The higher the number, the more season points teams earned per healthy game.

B) The higher the number, the more season points teams squeezed out of their scrubs.

Either way, it points to the quality of depth.

No surprise to us Wings fans that Detroit is at the top. Also no surprise other playoff teams Vancouver, New Jersey, and Colorado stand out on this graph, too.

There are other factors to a team’s record of course, but for the purposes of this analysis, I’m only looking at injuries. Are all injuries created as equal? Of course not. This is just a general sense of depth a team has. But even if one wants to include the “value” of the injured player, consider that two of Detroit’s top three forwards Franzen and Zetterberg combined for a total of 63 games lost, while in Vancouver all those named Sedin missed only 19.

Not that you needed it, but there’s the mathematical proof of the Red Wings’ depth. Howard deserves credit, of course. But so does Bert for carrying the team offensively for a while. And it’s no wonder Kenny is keeping Eaves, Miller, Abby, and Helmer around.

Detroit suffered 307 man-games-lost-to-injury and still amassed 102 points. They’re bringing back virtually the same team next season, injury-free. How do you feel about their chances?

[icehog3]

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/ToewsCup.jpg

[King James]

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc186/jjgordo2/1-jersey-864C9170-1.jpg

[Ahbroody]

1) Wings are old? Lack depth?

2) http://redwingsguy..

3) How do you feel about their chances?

1) Yes they are and they just got older with the Modano signing. Yes. This fact was why they couldnt generate when players were injured. Old Wings teams before cap this was not a factor.

Are you attempting to argue the Wings are as good as the Sharks, Hawks, or Canucks? While they are on par possibly better then Yotes and Kings, those teams are younger faster and possibly hungrier.

2) Yeah homer blogs rock.

3) I already said this 4 times. They will be middle of pack and likely fade early in the playoffs again. They will not win the cup. Their roster is not on par with the Hawks, Canucks, or Sharks. I dont see them making it past any of those teams which means another second round exit.


I swear the rough thing about Wings fans is that you guys were so good for so long none of you can accept the obvious facts that this is not the same team that won the cups. Its just life. It was a good run. Get over it and get ready for a good but not great team that wont win any cups for a while. Your captain is another year older along with Holmstrom and the true core. I swear talking to you guys is funny. My point being I told Christos exactly what was going to happen last year and it did. Scoreboard! It will happen again this year.

From now on when you homers talk about the Wings injuries I am posting a picture of a pair of crutches. :r

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beaauuuty of a pic Tom
Jim get out of here with that pic. Go Leafs Go!

[GreekGodX]

It all comes down to having to let the season play out. I think the Wings will be very hungry this year. Nothing better than seeing the Hawks win a cup to motivate you to win this season. I'm not claiming the Wings to be the best team in the NHL but while other teams didn't upgrade the Wings made some small moves that will make them better next season. Obviously there are question marks, but a lot of other teams have question marks as well. There will be a lot of parody next season. I don't really like the Modano signing but if we can squeeze 20-25 goals(big if) out of him and he plays with toughness on the boards that we desperately need I'll take it.

[357]

1) Yes they are and they just got older with the Modano signing. Yes. This fact was why they couldnt generate when players were injured. Old Wings teams before cap this was not a factor.

Are you attempting to argue the Wings are as good as the Sharks, Hawks, or Canucks? While they are on par possibly better then Yotes and Kings, those teams are younger faster and possibly hungrier.

2) Yeah homer blogs rock.

3) I already said this 4 times. They will be middle of pack and likely fade early in the playoffs again. They will not win the cup. Their roster is not on par with the Hawks, Canucks, or Sharks. I dont see them making it past any of those teams which means another second round exit.


I swear the rough thing about Wings fans is that you guys were so good for so long none of you can accept the obvious facts that this is not the same team that won the cups. Its just life. It was a good run. Get over it and get ready for a good but not great team that wont win any cups for a while. Your captain is another year older along with Holmstrom and the true core. I swear talking to you guys is funny. My point being I told Christos exactly what was going to happen last year and it did. Scoreboard! It will happen again this year.

From now on when you homers talk about the Wings injuries I am posting a picture of a pair of crutches. :r

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beaauuuty of a pic Tom
Jim get out of here with that pic. Go Leafs Go!

1.) 102 points seems like they produced despite injuries.

2.) Homer blog or not it makes sense. Franzen missed 65 games.

3.) Middle of the pack is not 2nd or 3rd in the Conference. Middle of the pack is .500. I don't think the Hawks, Canucks, or Sharks have significantly more talent than the Wings. It might be 3 or 4 years younger, but not necessarily better.

The Hawks have taken a big gamble on Turco. They finally found a goalie they liked and couldn't find the cap room to keep him.

Here's the Canucks vs Wings top 10 playoff performers last year:

# Pos Player GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S%
93 R Johan Franzen 12 6 12 18 8 16 1 0 1 48 12.5
40 L Henrik Zetterberg 12 7 8 15 11 6 2 0 2 45 15.6
13 C Pavel Datsyuk 12 6 7 13 3 8 1 0 1 39 15.4
44 R Todd Bertuzzi 12 2 9 11 4 12 1 0 0 19 10.5
28 D Brian Rafalski 12 3 8 11 4 2 1 0 0 23 13
5 D Nicklas Lidstrom 12 4 6 10 7 2 3 0 0 39 10.3
51 C Valtteri Filppula 12 4 5 9 1 6 2 0 0 33 12.1
96 L Tomas Holmstrom 12 4 3 7 3 12 1 0 1 26 15.4
23 D Brad Stuart 12 2 4 6 6 8 0 0 0 23 8.7
55 D Niklas Kronwall 12 0 5 5 2 12 0 0 0 15 0
Totals 38 67 105 49 84 12 0 5 310


# Pos Player GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S%
26 R Mikael Samuelsson12 8 7 15 7 16 3 0 1 42 19
22 L Daniel Sedin 12 5 9 14 4 12 1 0 2 38 13.2
33 C Henrik Sedin 12 3 11 14 3 6 0 0 1 23 13
17 C Ryan Kesler 12 1 9 10 3 4 0 0 0 21 4.8
3 D Kevin Bieksa 12 3 5 8 2 14 1 0 1 20 15
5 D Christian Ehrhoff 12 3 4 7 -1 8 1 0 0 25 12
42 C Kyle Wellwood 12 2 5 7 -1 0 1 0 0 18 11.1
38 R Pavol Demitra 11 2 4 6 2 4 0 0 0 17 11.8
6 D Sami Salo 12 1 5 6 2 2 1 0 0 18 5.6
14 L Alexandre Burrows 12 3 3 6 4 22 0 0 0 27 11.1
Totals 31 62 93 25 88 8 0 5 249

Doesn't look vastly superior to me? In fact I think the Wings can count on Franzen to continue that scoring pace next playoff run. I wouldn't count on Samuelsson to do the same for the Canucks.

And lastly, the Sharks always go shark. Unfortunately they did it against the Hawks, after the series with the Wings. Sorry I couldn't resist, I hope you know it's all in good fun. :tu

[GHC_Hambone]

Really sad to see Niemi go. The salary cap is really coming back to bite us in the ass. Oh well, at least we got the cup.

[icehog3]

2.) Homer blog or not it makes sense. Franzen missed 65 games.

Hossa missed half the season, Toews missed 15 games, Seabrook, Campbell, etc, etc....while the Wings injuries were over the top, all teams deal with it...just part of the game.

The Hawks have taken a big gamble on Turco. They finally found a goalie they liked and couldn't find the cap room to keep him.



I like the move...Niemi started all of 39 games, and benefitted from having the least shots on goals per game of any goalie in the league. Turco handles the puck like a 3rd defenseman, and will make the Hawks' transition game even faster. And the 1.45 million will allow players to compete for 34rd and 4th line jobs rather than just filling them with the cheapest options from Rockford.

Hawks offered Niemi a multi-year deal, and he wanted to see the cash. He may be the real deal, but only time will tell....be curious to see how he plays behind a lesser defense.

[357]

Hossa missed half the season, Toews missed 15 games, Seabrook, Campbell, etc, etc....while the Wings injuries were over the top, all teams deal with it...just part of the game.



I like the move...Niemi started all of 39 games, and benefitted from having the least shots on goals per game of any goalie in the league. Turco handles the puck like a 3rd defenseman, and will make the Hawks' transition game even faster. And the 1.45 million will allow players to compete for 34rd and 4th line jobs rather than just filling them with the cheapest options from Rockford.

Hawks offered Niemi a multi-year deal, and he wanted to see the cash. He may be the real deal, but only time will tell....be curious to see how he plays behind a lesser defense.


True injuries happen. It's no excuse for the players, coaches, or management, but fans can use it.

As for Niemi, you think he had it a little easy in puting up a 2.00 GAA only facing 20 shots/game? You're probably right, it's not so easy when you face 30+ a night?

[icehog3]

True injuries happen. It's no excuse for the players, coaches, or management, but fans can use it.

As for Niemi, you think he had it a little easy in puting up a 2.00 GAA only facing 20 shots/game? You're probably right, it's not so easy when you face 30+ a night?

Agreed on both counts.

[Ahbroody]

1.) 102 points seems like they produced despite injuries.

2.) Homer blog or not it makes sense. Franzen missed 65 games.

3.) Middle of the pack is not 2nd or 3rd in the Conference. Middle of the pack is .500. I don't think the Hawks, Canucks, or Sharks have significantly more talent than the Wings. It might be 3 or 4 years younger, but not necessarily better.

The Hawks have taken a big gamble on Turco. They finally found a goalie they liked and couldn't find the cap room to keep him.



Doesn't look vastly superior to me? In fact I think the Wings can count on Franzen to continue that scoring pace next playoff run. I wouldn't count on Samuelsson to do the same for the Canucks.

And lastly, the Sharks always go shark. Unfortunately they did it against the Hawks, after the series with the Wings. Sorry I couldn't resist, I hope you know it's all in good fun. :tu

1) 102 points was good for 5th. The kings at 6th had 101 and the Preds had 100 points and more wins. You loose one more game and you are 7th place. Yeah you were one win over 7th place. Thats 7TH, 7TH place. 1 WIN.

2) Good to see those crutches fit you well, you are using them like a true homer.

3)You are right middle of the pack is not second or third its 4-5 and you finished 5th as noted you were one win from 7th. If you lost one more game you barely get into the dance. You were barely middle of the playoff pack and for all purposes should have finished 7TH. You got lucky getting 5th.

You show last years stats for the Canucks. Lets not forget their goalie is superior. I dont know any sane person who would take Howard over Luongo. and they added Malholtra one of the best face off men in the league and got better in the off season. The Wings well as Tom said signed Bersmoochi a player no one wants and Modano who decided to make a million for one more year then to hang them up. I am sure he will really have something to prove out there. :r

Yup the Sharks went Shark and lost to the Stanely Cup winning team. The Wings got lucky escaping the Yotes in 7 and got their teeth kicked in by the Sharks. I guess that means the Wings tanked harder then the team that always tanks in the playoffs.

Sorry if you are trying to dig at me with the Sharks it wont work. I live here and am a hockey fan first Sharks fan 3rd after another team. I am not a homer who tries to justify my home team putting up stats and making excuses for things. :=:

[E.J.]

I think this is a good time to interject a solid...

GO AVS!!!! ( '10 - '11 )

[icehog3]

I think this is a good time to interject a solid...

GO AVS!!!! ( '10 - '11 )

I will root for Craig Anderson whenever he isn't playing the Hawks. :)

[357]

1) 102 points was good for 5th. The kings at 6th had 101 and the Preds had 100 points and more wins. You loose one more game and you are 7th place. Yeah you were one win over 7th place. Thats 7TH, 7TH place. 1 WIN.

2) Good to see those crutches fit you well, you are using them like a true homer.

3)You are right middle of the pack is not second or third its 4-5 and you finished 5th as noted you were one win from 7th. If you lost one more game you barely get into the dance. You were barely middle of the playoff pack and for all purposes should have finished 7TH. You got lucky getting 5th.

You show last years stats for the Canucks. Lets not forget their goalie is superior. I dont know any sane person who would take Howard over Luongo. and they added Malholtra one of the best face off men in the league and got better in the off season. The Wings well as Tom said signed Bersmoochi a player no one wants and Modano who decided to make a million for one more year then to hang them up. I am sure he will really have something to prove out there. :r

Yup the Sharks went Shark and lost to the Stanely Cup winning team. The Wings got lucky escaping the Yotes in 7 and got their teeth kicked in by the Sharks. I guess that means the Wings tanked harder then the team that always tanks in the playoffs.

Sorry if you are trying to dig at me with the Sharks it wont work. I live here and am a hockey fan first Sharks fan 3rd after another team. I am not a homer who tries to justify my home team putting up stats and making excuses for things. :=:

Come on, you tout adding Malholtra (35 points last year) vs the Wings brining back Hudler (56 points 1 year removed)? Hudler is clearly the better addtion, faceoff specialist or not. Now who's a homer?

My point about middle of the pack is this (10-11) season. It can't be argued about last season, standings are standings. I doubt they will finish anywhere near 7th or even 5th. I expect them to be in 3rd or better in the West.

I will give you Luongo over Howard, The biggest reason is Howard hasn't proved his ability beyond his first year. He hasn't had a chance yet so time will tell.

You can mock resigning Bertuzzi too but he had 44 points last season. It's not a bad deal given what they signed him for ($2.25 million next season and $1.625 million in 2011-12; $1.9375 cap hit).

[icehog3]

I like mocking Berschmoozi for any reason, at every opportunity, Mike...you gotta get used to it to hang in this thread. :r

[357]

I like mocking Berschmoozi for any reason, at every opportunity, Mike...you gotta get used to it to hang in this thread. :r

I can hang. I have thick skin. :bx

I'm not a big fan of Bert's either, but I understand why Ken Holland brought him back.

[357]

Actually I remember when they traded for Chelios. Man I hated him when he wore a Blackhawks sweater. I'll admit it took some time to warm up to the idea of him wearing the winged wheel.

Bert's never really gotten that welcome. His past has cost him that.

[icehog3]

Dollar Bill broke my heart when he let Chelly go to Detroit. Wortz said Chelios only had another year left, and wouldn't give him a long term deal. He played 10 more years.

Chelios told me a funny story about his first day as a Wing. Brendan Shanahan was playing for Detroit then, and he and Chelios had been hateful enemies when Chelly was a Hawk and Brendan was a Blue.

Chelios walks into the locker room, looks over at Shanahan...and Shanahan just starts shaking his head and laughing hysterically. That gets Chris and everyone else laughing, and as pretty much happens in hockey, they are loyal teammates from that day forward.

[Ahbroody]

Come on, you tout adding Malholtra (35 points last year) vs the Wings brining back Hudler (56 points 1 year removed)? Hudler is clearly the better addtion, faceoff specialist or not. Now who's a homer?

My point about middle of the pack is this (10-11) season. It can't be argued about last season, standings are standings. I doubt they will finish anywhere near 7th or even 5th. I expect them to be in 3rd or better in the West.

I will give you Luongo over Howard, The biggest reason is Howard hasn't proved his ability beyond his first year. He hasn't had a chance yet so time will tell.

You can mock resigning Bertuzzi too but he had 44 points last season. It's not a bad deal given what they signed him for ($2.25 million next season and $1.625 million in 2011-12; $1.9375 cap hit).

If you had spent anytime in this thread you would know I ripped the Sharks more than anyone last year. I was always here win or loose and never make excuses.

2nd or 3rd? :r:r:r

Dont be suprised if Howard is this years Mason. Rookie goalies often land on their face the second year.

I will Mock Clownshoes because as Tom notes its easy and he deserves it. Plus that asshat cost me 5 sticks to Tom last year.

As Tom noted if you are going to hang here you should have tough skin and stats to back up opinions really helps. Last dont make excuses or I will do my best to get under your skin. I love watching you Wings fans get jacked up. :r

2nd or 3rd????? This is going to be a fun year. Either I will have to eat shiet or I am going to have a lot of fun. Man I want the season to start.



Tom how bad are the Sharks kicking themselve for not waiting to sign a goalie. They could of had Niemi, wonder if they will still try.

[357]

If you had spent anytime in this thread you would know I ripped the Sharks more than anyone last year. I was always here win or loose and never make excuses.

2nd or 3rd? :r:r:r

Dont be suprised if Howard is this years Mason. Rookie goalies often land on their face the second year.

I will Mock Clownshoes because as Tom notes its easy and he deserves it. Plus that asshat cost me 5 sticks to Tom last year.

As Tom noted if you are going to hang here you should have tough skin and stats to back up opinions really helps. Last dont make excuses or I will do my best to get under your skin. I love watching you Wings fans get jacked up. :r

2nd or 3rd????? This is going to be a fun year. Either I will have to eat shiet or I am going to have a lot of fun. Man I want the season to start.



Tom how bad are the Sharks kicking themselve for not waiting to sign a goalie. They could of had Niemi, wonder if they will still try.


I think there must be a solar eclipse or something because I actually agree with you. We obviously disagree with my prediciton, but otherwise you're right on. Roookie goalies who have success often do not follow it up well the next season. I'm hoping Howard's age and experience will help in that regard. He is 26 I believe and had quite a bit of time in the minors.

One other thing though, I did support my depth argument with stats. Granted the source was a "homer blog" but stats are stats none the less. It clearly shows that the Wings got good production (at least in terms of points/wins) out of their non-premier players.

BTW mock Bert all you want. I could care less. He DOES deserve it. I didn't catch how he cost you 5 sticks though? Lose a bet?

[357]

Dollar Bill broke my heart when he let Chelly go to Detroit. Wortz said Chelios only had another year left, and wouldn't give him a long term deal. He played 10 more years.

Chelios told me a funny story about his first day as a Wing. Brendan Shanahan was playing for Detroit then, and he and Chelios had been hateful enemies when Chelly was a Hawk and Brendan was a Blue.

Chelios walks into the locker room, looks over at Shanahan...and Shanahan just starts shaking his head and laughing hysterically. That gets Chris and everyone else laughing, and as pretty much happens in hockey, they are loyal teammates from that day forward.

That's a great story. It's a good example of how guys are. One minute they can be beating each other's brains in, and the next laughing about it and buying each other drinks.

Like I said as a fan it took a little getting used to, but man did I love how Chelios got under other guys' skin. I remember when Theo Fleury came back from rehab while with the Rangers. I think it was one of his first games back and Chelios said something to get under his skin. Fleury slashed him so hard he snapped his own stick on Chelios and got himself tossed from the game.

According to Fleury's book a lot of players gave him a hard time about this drug use. Supposedly Chelios was one of the repeat offenders, holding his finger to his nose (simulating coke use) and asking him if he was "due back in rehab".

Not that Theo was some saint. Apparently Mike Keenan (Blackhawks coach at the time) was arrested for drunk driving in 1990. That year during a game, Keenan was chirping at Fleury from the bench. Theo skated by and said “Hey Mike, do you need to borrow my driver’s license to get home?”

Now that I'm done with that little tangent....LOL. Gotta love hockey. It's not a game for the weak.

[icehog3]

One of my favorite NHL trash talk stories involved Rick Tocchet and Kris King.

King was a 3rd or 4th line player, certainly not of Tocchet's caliber. He also ran a youth hockey camp up in Canada during the summers.

King and Tocchet were lined up next to each other on the wing for a faceoff. Just before the puck was dropped, Tocchet says to King "I can't believe you spend the summers teaching hockey to kids when you have no idea how to play the game yourself".

Puck drops, play goes towards the Rangers zone, but King says he is so dumbfounded he doesn't move for 5 seconds.

[357]

One of my favorite NHL trash talk stories involved Rick Tocchet and Kris King.

King was a 3rd or 4th line player, certainly not of Tocchet's caliber. He also ran a youth hockey camp up in Canada during the summers.

King and Tocchet were lined up next to each other on the wing for a faceoff. Just before the puck was dropped, Tocchet says to King "I can't believe you spend the summers teaching hockey to kids when you have no idea how to play the game yourself".

Puck drops, play goes towards the Rangers zone, but King says he is so dumbfounded he doesn't move for 5 seconds.

That's Priceless!

[E.J.]

One of my favorite NHL trash talk stories involved Rick Tocchet and Kris King.

King was a 3rd or 4th line player, certainly not of Tocchet's caliber. He also ran a youth hockey camp up in Canada during the summers.

King and Tocchet were lined up next to each other on the wing for a faceoff. Just before the puck was dropped, Tocchet says to King "I can't believe you spend the summers teaching hockey to kids when you have no idea how to play the game yourself".

Puck drops, play goes towards the Rangers zone, but King says he is so dumbfounded he doesn't move for 5 seconds.

OUCH....:r

[althekillr]

i also agree that the canucks are the team to beat out of the west i bet Niemi goes to the sharks. not too many teams need/have the cap space to afford a goalie nowadays, and sharks can do both.

[SmokeyJoe]

Hey Tom!

Isn't it time to move forward?

Why don't you roll out the brand-spanking-new "NHL '10-'11 Thread!"

(Although, I can understand why you would want to bask in the '09-'10 season as long as possible.) ;)

[Ahbroody]

i also agree that the canucks are the team to beat out of the west i bet Niemi goes to the sharks. not too many teams need/have the cap space to afford a goalie nowadays, and sharks can do both.

This would be so sweet.


Mike lets put it this way. A person can look at a set of numbers and develop one conclusion. I can look at a set of numbers and develop another conclusion. You look at the result of the numbers, I look at why the numbers exist. You see loss of points from injuries. I see a team who couldnt deal with injuries. Further everyone was healthy for the playoffs and it got you a narrow escape of the first round and a beat down in the second round which showed an old slow team which used their sticks instead of their skates and took frustration penalties cause they were getting out played. Until you can explain the playoff performance with a healthy club I will stand by my opinion.

The Sharks who whooped you didnt get any worse really and they may get a lot bette if they lock up Niemi, a lot of experts think the little tweaks the Canucks made will make them the team to beat. I think the Hawks are still much deeper then the Wings, they are younger faster and more skilled. Plus they have the experience from winning a cup. I see the Wings finishing no better then fourth. They just are not better then the top 3. They are also a year older and a year slower. Its just not going to happen.

It is nice to have someone in the thread who posts a lot though.

[357]

This would be so sweet.


Mike lets put it this way. A person can look at a set of numbers and develop one conclusion. I can look at a set of numbers and develop another conclusion. You look at the result of the numbers, I look at why the numbers exist. You see loss of points from injuries. I see a team who couldnt deal with injuries. Further everyone was healthy for the playoffs and it got you a narrow escape of the first round and a beat down in the second round which showed an old slow team which used their sticks instead of their skates and took frustration penalties cause they were getting out played. Until you can explain the playoff performance with a healthy club I will stand by my opinion.

The Sharks who whooped you didnt get any worse really and they may get a lot bette if they lock up Niemi, a lot of experts think the little tweaks the Canucks made will make them the team to beat. I think the Hawks are still much deeper then the Wings, they are younger faster and more skilled. Plus they have the experience from winning a cup. I see the Wings finishing no better then fourth. They just are not better then the top 3. They are also a year older and a year slower. Its just not going to happen.

It is nice to have someone in the thread who posts a lot though.

I agree stats can be interpreted in different ways. You obviously ignored the stats I posted. The Wings played 12 playoff games, as did Vancouver. The Wings posted better number in almost every category, yet they were too old. What was Vancouver's problem/excuse?


Chicago is a good team but they will have to figure out how to get through the Cup hangover. It may not seem real to towns that haven't won a Cup in a while, but trust me it does exist. Complacency is a killer.


Your Sharks lost the previously vaunted Manny Malhotra, Rob Blake, and Evgeni Nabokov.

If they get Niemi, maybe they are better off. But wait, isn't Niemi one of those good rookie goalies who is poised for a faceplant in his second year? Sounds like the argument you made against the Wing's goaltending applies to the Shark's as well.

Rob Blake is a big loss. He was a good defender, played a lot of minutes, an offensive mided defenseman, and the team captain. I know they tried to replace him with Niklas Hjalmarsson but ended up not getting him. They did drive up the price, which will make it harder for Chicago to fill other roles and might have cost them Niemi. As a Wings fan all I can say is thanks.

Lastly, without Malhotra, who's going to take a faceoff for the Sharks?


P.S. I have been a member since Oct 2008 and I only have 600 posts. This is the first time I've been accused of posting a lot. Although, I admit I do enjoy the "sparring" in this thread.

[GreekGodX]

I still don't understand how you can say the Wings couldn't deal with injury? We had our top guys out and managed to stay in the playoff picture for the whole season. Once our players came back we made a charge and got a higher seed. A factor I think you're overlooking is conditioning. You can't expect players who haven't played a full season due to injury to just comeback and go at full speed consistently night in and night out. I think it was obvious the Wings just didn't have their legs especially after going 7 games against a emotionally driven Coyotes team.

I kinda hope Niemi goes to the Sharks only to be exposed as a average goalie. The Sharks don't have the talent the Hawks have on D to help Niemi like they did. If Niemi was worth the money the Hawks would have figured out a way to keep him.

[GreekGodX]

I still don't understand how you can say the Wings couldn't deal with injury? We had our top guys out and managed to stay in the playoff picture for the whole season. Once our players came back we made a charge and got a higher seed. A factor I think you're overlooking is conditioning. You can't expect players who haven't played a full season due to injury to just comeback and go at full speed consistently night in and night out. I think it was obvious the Wings just didn't have their legs especially after going 7 games against a emotionally driven Coyotes team.

I kinda hope Niemi goes to the Sharks only to be exposed as a average goalie. The Sharks don't have the talent the Hawks have on D to help Niemi like they did. If Niemi was worth the money the Hawks would have figured out a way to keep him.

[althekillr]

btw, capgeek.com is a cool website that looks at each teams salary cap situation.

[icehog3]

Hey Tom!

Isn't it time to move forward?

Why don't you roll out the brand-spanking-new "NHL '10-'11 Thread!"

(Although, I can understand why you would want to bask in the '09-'10 season as long as possible.) ;)

Joe, I think that is a great idea. :)