We're going to be automating the system for our WIIM Prediction Contest, starting tomorrow. We have all of your previous guesses recorded, but will have to manually enter those into the new system. You will need to register for this system in the application box below. If you have a Google or Yahoo account, this will tie immediately to your OpenID and all you'll have to do is tell the system your username the first time you register. This system will automatically track your guesses, allow you to make guesses for future games you think you might miss, and check the leaderboards.

A couple of notes:

We're working this system out and will start using it tomorrow for the Edmonton game. We think we've got it working up to specs for the supported browsers, but we're aware there may be issues. If you can't register, please let us know. Also, please make sure that you leave your prediction in the comments of the morning skates. If anything gets lost, we can manually enter your predictions based on that. It will take a bit before the leaderboard is up and working, as we do have to manually port all of your previous predictions over, but once we've got the system working, prediction entry and scoring will be real-time and much easier.

Thanks to everybody for participating in this contest this year and let's go Red Wings!

Please register below.

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In August, we ran out a rewritten set of community guidelines for how we like to do things around here. Those guidelines have done well for us this season and we've enjoyed a very good fan experience with regulars and guests alike. Recently, we were given a change to the way we're doing things which was not adequately covered in those guidelines. To clear up confusion, I've copied those guidelines and added the new wording.

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We're back with the standings of the WIIM Prediction Contest we've been running this season. The race at the top has gotten fairly tight and there's still plenty of time for people to catch up and join the folks at the top. Check out the standings chart and then read below for an update on how we're going to make things a bit easier on everybody going forward.

ElFuego51 leads on the strength of 1 score prediction, 6 PotG guesses, and 2 bonus predictions (hitting both the score and PotG in the same game). Right behind is Kendal, who seems to be using a bit more of an all-or-nothing strategy with a 1/1/3 stat line. Meanwhile, Igorzba only has one correct bonus prediction, but 5 each of the correct score or player. darthferrer is just one correct PotG behind having the exact same stat line as our leader.

Our highest scorer to have never hit a bonus is Jason T, who has 4 correct scores and 8 correct PotG guesses.

Some final programming right now will push back the rollout for the new system until Friday, so tomorrow will feature the same prediction form you're used to. Good luck to all and stay tuned for more.

Welcome to the start of a grand experiment for WIIM. Today we throw caution to the wind and attempt a project more likely to go down in flames than filling the air compartment of a zeppelin with hydrogen and the passenger compartment with nitrous oxide. For today, we un-ban non-spam commenters who have been asked to leave the confines of our happy community in hopes of a reform.

Before you run screaming for the hills and lament the loss of the blog, it's just a simple change to how things are going to be done. We don't want trolls hanging around bandying everybody incessantly either, but we also don't want to shut the door on people who have differing opinions. Sometimes things get said in the heat of the moment which have gotten people banned when all they really needed was to calm the hell down.

With that in mind, everybody's getting a second chance to use as they see fit. Trolling (passive-aggressive or active-aggressive) will still not be tolerated, so please don't view an unbanning as a welcome to be a dick to our readers. Persistent trolls will be banned for longer periods, but for the time being, a ban now for reasons other than spam (or more severe breaches of conduct) will be considered a "time out".

Use it wisely, folks. We're ok with disagreements around here, but we want them respectful. Thank you.

[As a note, if you're reading this and still can't comment because it says you're banned, there's probably a reason for it. If you feel the reason is that you're a poor, persecuted soul, feel free to send in an email and I'll be happy to give you a long-winded explanation as to why what you did warranted the perma-ban.]

Well the NHL is dark throughout today and tomorrow and we should spent at least a little time with our families during that break. Graham is off Amerinadianing, Jeff is trying to climb down Brendan Smith's chimney, and I'll be holding down flyover country hanging out with the in-laws and praying somebody gives me a new liver this year.

We just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Or, if you don't happen to celebrate it, a happy holiday season and a kick-ass weekend. I gave (read: forced) Jeff and Graham a chance to write their own personalized note to you all. Here they are:

Graham: Merry Christmas from your friendly neighbourhood Canadian. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.

Jeff: Merry Christmas and happy holidays from your favorite WIIM writer

Have a great weekend everybody and Let's Go Red Wings!

If you're new around here, I'd like to welcome you to Winging It In Motown, the SB Nation blog dedicated to the Detroit Red Wings. If you're a returning member of the community, welcome back.  Please take a moment to review the site guidelines.

First and foremost, WIIM is a community. As is such, it's important to note that well-established community members are going to be given more leeway than outsiders. This has always been the way things have worked and I don't see any reason to change that. If you have not earned a reputation here, then don't assume that the site's moderators are ever going to side with you in a fight. Better yet, just don't get into any fights. Try a discussion instead. It's just like a fight, except fewer people think you're a jerk afterwards. That doesn't mean you're not free to disagree with people though. Some of the best discussions come from people respectfully settling their differences of opinion.

With that in mind, here is a list of rules and guidelines.

• We're easygoing on language. Cursing is not forbidden. Just remember, if it can't be tasteful, it needs to be funny.  Still, homophobic slurs, racial slurs, and the dirtiest of the misogynist words (you know which one) are strictly forbidden. Consider this your only warning. Using those is grounds for an insta-ban.
  
• Friendly banter is fine, teasing is shaky ground, and antagonizing is a no-no. Passive-aggression is still aggression and it will not stand, man. No trolling.
  
• We love to hear from you. If you've got a topic in mind that you want to discuss, the Fanposts section is a great place for it so we can discuss it. Anything goes in the Fanposts. Just try to keep it hockey-related.
• A little self-promotion is fine. A little more than that is spamming. This rule will tie heavily into the concept of how much clout you have around here. Spammers get banned, friends of the blog get linked.
  
• If you're going to post a picture in a comment, that comment must have a title. This is especially true for .gifs.  Having a title on a comment allows a user to click the title and hide the picture. We will delete pictures posted without titles, no matter how funny or how many cats they have in them. Not everybody has a brand new Commodore computer and sometimes, when the site gets image-heavy, users need a way to lighten the load.
• Speaking of pics, to be intentionally broad on the rule, just... use judgment when posting.

To wrap up, we like to have fun around here. We hope that you will too. Thanks for being a part of our community. We're looking forward to another great year.

It's been a couple of weeks since our fearless leader, Casey Richey, decided to hang up his keyboard, emerge from his basement and retire from active blogging. He handed the keys over to us, and while we loved his sense of style with the faux wood paneling and shag carpeting, we've decided that we want to spruce things up and put our own stamp on the place.  

First, if you notice that the sidebar looks funky, it's because we've cleaned things up, removed a few dead links, and re-arranged things in a way that my OCD brain can process. We've identified each of the other SB Nation blogs by team, so if you decide you want to see what's happening with the Ottawa Senators, you'll know which blog to go to for updates.

To go with that, we'd like to hear from any Wing fans that have started up a blog that we're not aware of (i.e. is not on the sidebar). There's no question that the Wing blogosphere is the greatest on the internet, but it's not a closed membership. If you've got a Wing blog that you think deserves some exposure, shoot us a link and we'll check it out. We'll review it and see if it passes our "rigorous standards"; if it does, you'll get added to the blogroll.

We've got some other stuff coming down the pipe that I think you'll all be interested in. It's going to be a fun year, even if right now it's slower than a Jonathan Ericsson outlet pass.