Any Challengers? Any of You Feeling Up to This?
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 9:55 AM CST
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PrintI don't have to tell any of you to go look at a calendar, nor do I needed to be reminded that myself. But, if you're getting ready to eat the chocolates out of your advent calendar or swearing off sweets altogether, it's important to know that you're not alone with that little thought in the back of your head, gnawing at the base of your spine and feeding happy thoughts to your naughty parts. Yeah, it's November, but this Wings team is absolutely for real. Take a quick look through the Western conference and tell me who's going to stop this Red Wings team from parading their twelfth Stanley Cup through the Motor City next June. Don't even bother with the East; you and I both know the JV conference needs serious help to even be a contender and the gap is getting bigger.
So, back to the West; who ya got? The Vancouver Canucks? You want to put your money on Roberto Luongo over seven games when the pressure is Olympic-sized? You go ahead and forget everything from that gold medal game in February about how the insanely stacked Canadian squad nearly handed away the glory in Vancouver thanks to Roberto's shaky hands in front of the crowd that loves him most. They're probably the biggest danger in the conference, but they haven't learned how to win. Alain Vigneault has proven over and over again that he cannot keep his team in it. The Hawks own them and the best I can say about Chicago is that they're Detroit-lite.
Speaking of little brother and of knowing how to win, how do you like them? Are you worried that they finally figured it out, put it together, and will remember how to win a series when the pressure is on? If so, then slap yourself, hard. Give yourself the ol' open-handed wake up call because Joel Quenneville is Detroit's whipping boy. If Pete Laviolette nearly made him fetal with a team too stacked to lose, imagine what the perennial Jack Adams oversight Mike Babcock will do to the Q-stache. even if they hit all of their ifs - If Duncan Keith can survive playing those minutes and if the kids plugging the holes in their bottom lines can play like NHLers and if Marty Turco can go back in time and... oh yeah... Marty Turco. Please. If you're frightened of the Blackhawks then there's nothing I can do for you. I can do lots of things, but if my lawyer is correct, I can't write you a prescription for anything strong enough to cure what ails you.
San Jose? Do I have to write a paragraph about this team? Rob Blake retired this summer and took what little heart his organization had with him. There's only so far diving can get you without defense. This team is headed in the wrong direction.
So anybody else? LA? Yeah, they could get scary, but they've got a bit to go if they're going to impress me. Hey, I hear the Stars are hot lately and they beat us earlier in the season. Yeah, they're another group asking for ifs to come true. St. Louis, Nashville, Columbus, Colorado, Phoenix, just... no. There's not a single team in this league that frightens me. Every single team out there has to rely on a bunch of hopes coming true while all the Wings have to do is avoid that dice roll that trips up every team regardless of whether they have talent pouring out of their ears or a payroll lower than MC Hammer's in his prime. You want to worry, then worry about luck. Worry about more freak injuries, because that's all that's going to trip up Detroit this season.
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Love it!
My thoughts exactly! This team is so good from top to bottom.. now with consistent solid netminding from Howie, I don’t see who can stop us… Even perennial youth can’t match up in the long run with the talent and experience of this team.. i am so freakin excited.
by kylegroombridge on Nov 29, 2010 10:21 AM CST reply actions
Philadelphia Flyers
Let me match some of Philadelphia’s players against Detroit:
Datsyuk – Richards (edge to Detroit)
Zetterberg – Giroux (edge to Detroit)
Bertuzzi – Carter (edge to Philadelphia)
Franzen – Leino (edge to Detroit)
Cleary – Briere (edge to Philadelphia)
Filppula – Hartnell (edge to Philadelphia)
Holmstrom – van Riemsdyk (edge to Philadelphia)
Modano – Nodl (?)
Abdelkader – Betts (?)
Hudler – Zherdev (?)
Helm – Powe (?)
Eaves – Shelley (?)
Miller – Carcillo (?)
Lidstrom – Pronger (edge to Detroit)
Rafalski – Timonen (tie)
Stuart – Carle (tie)
Kronwall – Coburn (tie)
Salei – Meszaros (tie)
Ericsson – O’Donnell (edge to Philadelphia)
Howard – Bobrovsky (tie)
Osgood – Boucher (depends on Osgood’s mood)
What do you guys think?
what?!
Scott Hartnell edging Val Fil?? I don’t think so.. And i’d much rather helmer than powe.. same as Raffi over Timonen
by kylegroombridge on Nov 29, 2010 10:34 AM CST up reply actions
Personally, I think there’s a big difference between individual match-up advantages and a full team vs. another full team match-up. I do like the effort put forth though.
by Casey Richey on Nov 29, 2010 10:37 AM CST up reply actions
Not bad
However, I would like to hear your reasons for listing certain players on the Flyers as “edges” over the Wings. For example, you’ve got Van Riemsdyk as an edge over Holmstrom, yet the two of them play completely different games and have different roles on the team. As a pure scorer, yes, JVR is better than Holmstrom. But in Homer’s “role”, he does exactly what the Wings need him to do. Same thing with Briere-Cleary – different style of players. It’s not all about pure offense. On D, I think Rafalski is smarter than Timonen, and Stuart is better defensively than Carle. Kronwall has more offensive upside than Coburn, but it’s fairly even. If you’re going to do this, I’d say match up line vs line, not player vs player.
Howard is better than Bobrovsky. That is not a tie. Don’t base your opinion of Bobrovsky (leading ROY candidate IMO) off of 2 months of play. Let’s see if he’s playing the same way in March/April. Also, don’t forget the coaches. Mike Babcock is far and away a better coach that Peter Laviolette (and yes, I understand they have the same amount of Cups).
Philly is good, but since they play in the JV, we don’t really concern ourselves with them. Any team that gets to play the Islanders 6 times a year and pad their point totals gets a bit of downgrade.
by Amerinadian on Nov 29, 2010 10:37 AM CST up reply actions 5 recs
Any team that gets to play the Islanders 6 times a year and pad their point totals gets a bit of downgrade.
This.
Rec’d for truthiness.
Dancing Datsyuk Decidedly Dazzles Dainty Defensemen
also
Matching Leino up with Franzen is the ultimate backhand to Franzen
by Casey Richey on Nov 29, 2010 10:46 AM CST up reply actions
I wanted to say something about coaching and leadershiop
But this comment beat me to it. Also beat me to the Bobrovski/Howard thing.
If I’m afraid of any team out East, it’s the Penguins, and they don’t have the talent to match up against Detroit in a 7-gamer. Philly may be dangerous, but their team makeup is missing something.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 10:50 AM CST up reply actions
Agreed
the things from the Pitt are the only legit team that can compete (even though I hate it..I have to admit). But I just have a feeling Tampa might pull a rabbit out of the hat this season (they could advance past the first round if they made the Playoffs…)….give Stevie Y some love pls…
I celebrate Festivus!!!
The Bolts are a long shot
There are some big holes in the way they play defense that Guy Boucher is working on, but will likely cost them big unless Mike Smith or Dan Ellis can go nuts (N-V-T-S NUTS!) in the playoffs.
From what I’ve seen of the Penguins, they’re relying heavily on their PP right now, which is easy to do for a team that draws among the most penalties in the league (and will likely continue to do so).
Here’s the thing with the Penguins though: they will very seriously need a Winger. Things will look different when Jordan Staal comes back, but Bylsma’s only answer to struggling right now is to put Crosby and Malkin together. That may work in the East, but a deep team like the Wings can match that and then body-punch them to death with our depth scoring lines.
Also also… Marc-Andre Fleury is streakier than a window cleaned with piss n’ spit. I have no faith he can keep it all together for another long playoff run.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 11:01 AM CST up reply actions
Also also also
The Pens’ D has a stud in Letang, a (dirty) physical presence in Orpik, and not much else. They are still missing that 2nd shut-down pair that they had when Gill and Scuderi were on the team. Martin and Michalek are pretty good, and an upgrade on what they had last year, but I wonder how they will fare in a 7 game series against a deeper offensive team.
The Pens will go as far as Fleury allows them. If he gets hot, they’ll be extremely tough to beat. If he’s not, all the Crosby goals in the world won’t save them against a good team.
by Amerinadian on Nov 29, 2010 11:22 AM CST up reply actions
you clean your windows with piss n’ spit too?
by Casey Richey on Nov 29, 2010 12:02 PM CST up reply actions
Unless of course they get so many calls again that even Eddie Olczyk, the man who hates the Red Wings more than even Ryan Lambert, has to declare on national television that the Wings got screwed…….. yeah, I’m still pissed about that.
Ban Devorskis from officiating Wings games.
2010 Big Ten Champs- On Wisconsin!
by Mardiros Efendi on Nov 29, 2010 10:58 AM CST up reply actions
something may be missing from the team makeup
But Pronger has an extra chromosome
Blatant Twitter Promotion, rarely updated, occasionally funny
by rock n rye on Nov 29, 2010 11:45 AM CST via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
Logic is flawed
As Casey alluded to, a Stanley Cup Final is not a series of one-on-one competitions or an individually judged talent show.
Let’s look at it this way.
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom > ????-Richards-Giroux
I don’t trust Giroux to back-check. Zetterberg would just shut down Richards the way he shuts down everyone.
Franzen-Filp-Bertuzzi > Hartnell-Carter-van Riemsdyk (he’s on the second line, right? Wait- doesn’t matter)
Carter’s good, and Hartnell’s not terrible. But come playoff time nothing’s stopping the BFF line. Too much size, too much talent.
Whoever our third line is (Cleary-Modano/Abdelkader-Hudler/Abdelkader, etc) > Carcillo-Briere-????
I like Briere. I’ll like him less after Abdelkader jacks him up. Carcillo’s overrated, in my not so humble opinion.
Miller/Hudler/Draper-Helm-Eaves > whoever your fourth line is
Our fourth line is best in the league.
And, of course, Bobrovsky’s an unknown commodity. To say he’s better than Howard is wishful thinking at this point. Not to say he doesn’t have upside, let’s just not crown him yet.
That being said, I think Philadelphia is the only eastern team that could actually grab a six seed in the West.
Ban Devorskis from officiating Wings games.
2010 Big Ten Champs- On Wisconsin!
by Mardiros Efendi on Nov 29, 2010 11:30 AM CST up reply actions
I always worry...
Whether it is warranted or not. Too many times in the past the Red Wings have been eliminated by a less talented team. Also, playoff hockey’s single purpose is to f*** with you sanity…bounces, calls, streaky goaltenders…there is just something about hockey in the playoffs which takes reason and expectation, and laughs.
That said, I still believe the Red Wings are the best team in the league, and we will be all drinking heavily during a parade…but I will never feel that confident until they have the Finals in control and we all are beginning to have our celebration beers/cigars…
realistic worry haha
No i would not be worried about Edmonton or the Islanders…I was only referring to playoff teams and “contenders”
by HockeyGuy9125 on Nov 29, 2010 12:43 PM CST up reply actions
I always worry and expect doom
The only time I ever believe a game or series is won is after the final horn sounds – and then I double-check to make sure a goal wasn’t just disallowed and a few seconds were added to the clock.
Just like I never assume a goal counts until I not only do not see it waved off, but the puck is dropped for the next faceoff.
I trust nothing NHL-related. Too freaking much can go too wrong too quickly.
Random Ramblings from a Somewhat Scattered Mind
"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." --Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)
Kudos for the Blake compliment. Too many people write off how great he was around here due to his Colorado days.
by Apocalyptic0n3 on Nov 29, 2010 11:26 AM CST reply actions
Heres the problem with the East imo
The East is filled with mediocre teams who have 1-2 star players but the rest of the team sucks. The East seems to focus more on “star” players while the West focus on “team” players. The main reason the wings even made the play-offs last season was because we have so many players who can do the little things so when every one was hurt we still had a reasonable chance to win. If say Crosby or Malkin got hurt for a month or two the team would be in dire straights.
Also with the east being filled with mediocre teams their level of play suffers by the players not having all season every season having to rise to a high level of play that the west players deal with so by the time they get to the Finals their generally out played which is why a team like Chicago can win the Cup in the fashion they did last season in the finals.
I guess what helps the East though is that by the time the winner from the West makes it, their generally beat up and injured from the teams they had to face that it’s almost even playing field again.
As for the teams in the west the only teams we have to watch for are all in the central division. The central doesn’t have 1 easy win team in it so its going to be a tough fight all season long for points.
I guess what helps the East though is that by the time the winner from the West makes it, their generally beat up and injured from the teams they had to face that it’s almost even playing field again.
Exactly. The 2009 Stanley Cup should be retroactively split between Conan O’Brien and the Anaheim Ducks, because they had more to do with Detroit losing that series than Pittsburgh did.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 11:46 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs
DON'T FORGET!
It should also be split with Colin “Malkin wasn’t sending a message by fighting Zetterberg, so we won’t suspend him so that he can factor in on all three Pittsburgh goals in Game 3” Campbell.
Also, the team I am afraid of is St. Louis. Jaroslav Halak will be this decade’s Mikka Kipprusoff or J.S. Giguerre. Mark my words. That guy is that freaking good.
by Apocalyptic0n3 on Nov 29, 2010 11:30 AM CST reply actions
In a game thread, someone mentioned that the secret to Halak’s success is a defense that pushes the rush to the outside, forcing a high number of very low percentage shots- as long as you come down the middle you should be able to pot a few.
Ban Devorskis from officiating Wings games.
2010 Big Ten Champs- On Wisconsin!
by Mardiros Efendi on Nov 29, 2010 11:37 AM CST up reply actions
Yep. And Giguerre and Kipp had weaknesses, too. So did Brzygalov last season. Each gave us tremendous trouble.
by Apocalyptic0n3 on Nov 29, 2010 11:42 AM CST up reply actions
Certainly- just saying I’m not overly concerned about Halak repeating what he did last year.
Ban Devorskis from officiating Wings games.
2010 Big Ten Champs- On Wisconsin!
by Mardiros Efendi on Nov 29, 2010 11:44 AM CST up reply actions
Yeah, that's the thing.
Jaroslav Halak scares me, but the Blues don’t. We’ve all seen that a hot goalie can decimate a team, but counting on that to carry you through the playoffs is the same as counting on injuries to your opposition. I think it has more to do with luck than anything the Wings can control.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 11:48 AM CST up reply actions
like Backstrom for Minny has been at times.
by Casey Richey on Nov 29, 2010 12:04 PM CST up reply actions
Anaheim and Calgary never scared me either, but they both scared the hell out of me playing in front of the brick walls that were Giguerre and Kip. Say what you will about a team, but in front of a great goaltender that is hot as hell, the confidence a team gains can make them damn near unbeatable. Brodeur did it for years and years. The Thomas/Rask combo in Boston is doing it now as well (they aren’t too good of a team, but Thomas and Rask are good enough to make up for it)
by Apocalyptic0n3 on Nov 29, 2010 12:52 PM CST up reply actions
As good as Halak was, a goalie can’t do it on his own (the exception being Giguere in 2003). One thing the Habs got last year was timely scoring, and some of their big guns (Mike Cammalleri is the big example) really got hot at the right time. It also helped that PK Subban came out of nowhere to help the defense.
On the Blues, I just don’t see anyone that can really step up and contribute offensively like that. I guess Boyes could get hot, but I’m beginning to think his 40 goal season will be the exception, not the norm. Backes is the one guy I could see thriving in the playoffs, but he’s not the greatest offensive player. Other than that, they have a lot of smaller forwards who may not be able to stand up to the grind of a long playoff run.
by Amerinadian on Nov 29, 2010 12:12 PM CST up reply actions
top 5 contenders/threats in my eyes are...
1) Penguins – for obvious reasons they are getting it going and are scary good when hitting on all cyclinders
2) Flyers – they are scoring goals at will and that rookie netminder is having a hell of a year…how he will fare in the playoffs? that is the question
3) Sharks – revenge that is what i want this season big time sweet revenge!
4) Caps – if they can get past there playoff choke of last year then they will indeed be a threat because by the time we would see them it would obviously be in the cup finals they are mirror image of the Flyers great offense good young goaltender…can the goalie do it in the playoffs though
5) Hawks – i went with Chicago over Vancouver here because there the defending champs and they own the Canucks so who knows if we even get to face choker Luongo and the Nucks
I see us as a 1 or 2 seed and my ideal playoff run would obviously be too avoid most or all of these teams but in a way I would love for it to play out like this…. beat whoever the 7/8 see may be Blues/Avs/Yotes/Jackets etc….then face the 4 seed Hawks in the 2nd round and crush there souls and then crush the Sharks souls in the Western Conference finals then in the cup finals get revenge on the Pens or beat up on the Caps or Flyers for a 2nd time in the last 15 years :)
That would be fun but i would rather avoid all these teams to make it “easier”
LETS GO RED WINGS!
2011 will be the year....better be....
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
us as a 1 OR 2 seed?
- is locked up in my eyes ;)
by kylegroombridge on Nov 29, 2010 12:56 PM CST up reply actions
i would like to agree with that too
it is a weird year i feel like we haven’t even played our best hockey yet and we are already in first so yes maybe we are a lock for the 1 seed if the best hockey is yet to come :)
LETS GO RED WINGS!
2011 will be the year....better be....
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
by TuLoRocks2008 on Nov 29, 2010 1:15 PM CST up reply actions
caps... duh!
It’s about time someone mentioned the caps, they are stacked on offence, decent at the blue line and thIer goaltending is pretty reliable…(and when that fails ovi scores 5 goals)
They are not going to choke like that did last year cuz halak is out west with us.
As for the rest of the east the only other teams that I’m afraid of is phily and the habs, both teams have great clutch scoring but I think phily is better all around…
So its would be
1. Caps
2. Phily
3. Habs
SHUMU OUT!
by SHUMU on Nov 29, 2010 1:24 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
yep i think
Caps/Flyers are interchangeable both on the same level of “threatness”
LETS GO RED WINGS!
2011 will be the year....better be....
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
by TuLoRocks2008 on Nov 29, 2010 1:32 PM CST up reply actions
yeah i don't fear them
anyway in a 7 game series…bring em on
LETS GO RED WINGS!
2011 will be the year....better be....
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
by TuLoRocks2008 on Nov 29, 2010 4:17 PM CST up reply actions
Caps play in the worst division in the worst conference and they’re not exactly decent at the blue line. They make Eastern conference teams look bad, but they can’t hang.
And I don’t want to hear shit about their regular season record against the West last year. playoff hockey and regular season hockey are two completely different games and the West is simply built better for it.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 1:39 PM CST up reply actions
And I don’t want to hear shit about their regular season record
But at the same time they are still a crazy fast young-ish team and they would have a year more experience and more real offensive threats (as long as semin doesn’t forget how to score come playoff time)
And mike green may have finally figured out what a d-mans job is.
I’m not saying they win in a 7game series against the wings but at the same time they are the scariest team in the east.
I think it would be phily vs caps in the ECF
but phily has the edge cuz of their experience
SHUMU OUT!
by SHUMU on Nov 29, 2010 2:23 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I'll agree that they might be the scariest team in the East
but that’s like being the scariest Care Bear.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 2:25 PM CST up reply actions
That really depends...
…on how much acid is consumed prior to meeting said Care Bear.
Dancing Datsyuk Decidedly Dazzles Dainty Defensemen
There's the catch-22 of meeting Care Bears
You have to be on acid to meet them in the first place, but it usually takes so much acid that you end up being terrified of them.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 29, 2010 3:25 PM CST up reply actions
Decent Blueline??? Stacked on Offense???
They got shutout by 5-0 scores in 2 of 3 games last week.
That’s hardly the sign of a stacked offense with a decent blueline.
Dancing Datsyuk Decidedly Dazzles Dainty Defensemen
everybody lays an egg or 2
look at us losing 5-1 to Atlanta one of those blind squirrels finds nuts games
LETS GO RED WINGS!
2011 will be the year....better be....
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
by TuLoRocks2008 on Nov 29, 2010 4:17 PM CST up reply actions
Of course they do
But twice in 3 games raises some questions.
Their 68 GA is tops in the SE, but would have a hard time cracking the top 3 in any other division.
Yes, I realize they have also played more games than anyone, but I don’t feel like doing the math to break it down into a GAA (maybe later).
Washington is a flashy and high powered offense. But there isn’t a locker room in the country with “Offense wins Championships” printed over the door.
Dancing Datsyuk Decidedly Dazzles Dainty Defensemen
Most feared/playoffs
Most feared:
1. The Laughs
2. The Oil
3. Panthers
Those guys are all so good it’s scary.
Playoff dreams would be to smoke the Sharts in the first round. Murder the Ducks in the second. Piss on little brother in the WCF. Not that I think they are good enough to get there I would just love to see the faces of the people in Chicago when we cripple them once again. And in the SCF of course I want to stroke the Pen(i)s.
that settles it
JJ is clearly a sleeper mole sent over from St Louis Game Time pump WIIM with hubris in order to jinx to the Wings chances in the playoffs.
I’m on to you.
On paper, no one from the West scares me.
And no one in 2003 scared me and no one in 2004 scared me. Paper doesn’t matter, it’s how healthy the teams are and how they are gelling once the playoffs come around. Honestly I believed the Oilers were going to beat us in ’06, it was a very bitter correct guess.
In the East, only Philly scares me and even then their goaltending is nothing to be confident in. They have an untested rookie goalie and a bunch of scarecrows. Everything else is good, but the goalies have to hold up in the playoffs. Washington is streaky and tends to panic, Pittsburgh’s offense completely disappears, along with Fleury, at random. Not to mention the Wings’ history of making Crosby invisible. Le Habitants can’t ride Price that hard for 16-28 games and expect success—every team that rides a hot goalie and little else ends up losing (hi Giguere in ’03, Kipper in ’04, Roloson in ’06, Halak in ’10, etc).
If the Wings work hard and do what they need to do to win every game, not only will they out-talent their opponents nightly, but they will get into the opposition’s head. When the other team is terrified to make a mistake, they’ll make more than usual.
That's where I'm at
I can’t guarantee a Wings cup, just too many variables over the course of a season and playoffs can jump up. But I can look at every team and say that if things hold up, if the system is perfect (which it never is), then the Wings will win.
If you can say that, you’ve got a leg up on 29 other teams. Fortunately, that advantage is resonant. If you believe it, and your opponents believe it, then luck is the only thing that will change things over a seven-game series.
I also don’t like admitting this, but I think the Wings in 2003 and 2004 didn’t play with the kind of purpose and determination they needed. I think that’s a big difference between this year and past failures like those. This is the main reason Babcock deserves the Jack Adams nod every year. This is a Red Wings team full of cup champions, but when I look at how they’ve approached this season, they’ve been methodical and purposeful. They know exactly how much they have to give over the season. Everything is calculated so that they’re always in the position they want to be in. Blow a game in Atlanta the Wednesday before American Thanksgiving? Who the shit cares? But, turn around and slap the upstart Blue Jackets back down the ladder for daring to think they’re ready to hang? That’s a motherfucking statement.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 30, 2010 12:10 AM CST up reply actions
The one team that I feared in 2006 was Edmonton. Before the playoffs began I looked at all the teams in the league and said there is one team that can beat Detroit… and that’s Edmonton. Sure enough, that’s who they had to face and got beat. Detroit seemed unbeatable that year… except against super speedy teams with a little talent and a hot goalie. That was Edmonton. Detroit ran into the injury bug with a few guys and couldn’t keep up with the speedsters.
As of now the Penguins (only because of Crosby), and the Canucks scare me. The Canucks forwards seem to do a number on the Wings down low and their d-men point shots always seem to find the back of the net. They have a hard time with teams that cycle well down low and Vancouver is the best because they have the two best cyclers in the game (Sedins).
The thing that makes me confident
is that right now I wouldn’t trade anyone on our team. I really thought about it today, and if everyone plays like they have for the first 20 I wouldn’t move a single person.
Huds excluded. I actually forgot about him until I started typing.
It's like anything else.
Murphy’s law applies to hockey more than any other sport thanks to the level of variables. Also some teams get hot near the end of the season and can get inside the thought pattern of the other team by not making the best play once but a whole series of good plays. Then the other team gets frustrated and falls deeper into the trap. So instead of playing their game the play to the rhythm of the other team.
Quick question:
Are you being dead serious in this article? Or is this one of those cases where sarcasm just doesn’t come across well on the internet?
Randy: "So head butting... better than butt patting"
Drew: "Well keep an eye if there's butt patting"
i assume it is not dead serious
if you read my comment and others we actually list teams that can be a threat…I mentioned you guys 3rd on the list
LETS GO RED WINGS!
2011 will be the year....better be....
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
by TuLoRocks2008 on Nov 30, 2010 11:24 AM CST up reply actions
Dead serious
as in I’m actually making travel plans to Woodward avenue in November?
Yeah, why not? If I’m right, I get to teabag everybody who said I wouldn’t be, correct? That’s how it works, I think. Being right first is the best thing ever. I can handle the teasing if I’m wrong. If a team actually outplays the Wings, I might even post an article next offseason saying it’s all my fault and everybody can blame me.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 30, 2010 3:32 PM CST up reply actions
love the confidence J J
we shall see how it plays out…GO WINGS!!
LETS GO RED WINGS!
2011 will be the year....better be....
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
by TuLoRocks2008 on Nov 30, 2010 3:35 PM CST up reply actions
Its a long season..
I love your optimisim and the way the Wings are playing,and yes if their playing like this in April, May and June I do like their chances to bring home Stanley…but as you and I both know we don’t plan parade routes here in late Nov. I would not at all mind it if you were right and you can be crowned King ‘tea-bag’…However if all this Stanley talk in November pisses off the hockey gods your 1st in line as the sacrafice…no pressure
I'll take that deal.
I don’t even have to be King Tea-Bag (although I kinda like the name) if I’m right.
I fully expect to be crucified if they get outplayed.
by J.J. from Kansas on Nov 30, 2010 8:54 PM CST up reply actions
I think at this point our biggest threat is...
The month of December.
16 games in 29 days.
13 against the West
3 against the East (Islanders, Kovalchuks, and Montreal)
2 and ONLY 2 – two day breaks.
8 home, 8 away, one west trip(current trip), one mid-west trip (St.L, Min, Col, Dal)
It’s not so much the teams we’re playing but the scheduling. This reminds me a bit like last season with the Olympics.
We play as many games from Dec. 3 to Dec. 19 as we do in the whole month of January.
This is almost 20% of our schedule all bunched in four weeks.
I think getting through this month with at least 24 points and no injuries… knock on wood, or my head… which ever, we’ll be looking good for the rest of the year.
BTW
Looks like JJ’s ‘swagger’ article has already hit the mainstreams at FTF and the Sharks’ fans are all over it with their comments. Have we hit their psyche already? The points table is resplendent with Wings’ record for us to back that claim you *#%$%$. It is still early season…We understand that tooo!!!)We just hypothesize things here (based on what happens/is happening on the ice.. which is pretty much what Science is. What really is going to happen is anyone’s guess. BTW, IMHO this is still very early season and we never what is in store in April. What we can be assured of is an exciting regular season (if the wings continue to play this way) and an equally vociferous post-season…if the momentum is maintained..and with St.Nick playing like Mr.Norris
I celebrate Festivus!!!
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