I am not concerned about the bird of socal. My only concern is health.  If the top couple, three or four players go down with injuries, the wings would need nothing short of a miracle.  Everybody stays healthy, the Wings will win the cup.  But keep an eye on Chris Simon tactics with any opponent the Wings face. From now til June.  Why? Because teams are pissed that they can’t beat Detroit - minus Our Little Sisters and those Natives across the lake, they still like us.

The numbers don’t lie, the Wings are the best team in the NHL:

.768 win% (1st), 3.44 G/G (2nd to OTT 3.54), 2.10 GA/G (1st) (note too that OTT GA/G is 15th), 1.81 5-5 F/A (1st), 23.3 PP%(2nd), 86.2 PK% (5th), 34.8 S/G (1st), 23.4 SA/G (1st).

Skill wise, no team plays as complete a game as these Wings.

What really worries me—as noted by Slinger as well, is “physical play”.  The few games I’ve seen when the opponent succeeds in “putting the body” on the Wings; it seemed also succeeded in getting the Wings “off their game.”

If the Wings, Ken “Boy Wonder” Holland is to make a deal, what with that 5 mill in cap space available, I say get the biggest, baddest, meanest, S.O.B. available.  Get the guy everyone dreads seeing on the ice.  (Slinger, you might be right about Lilja, and if you look at the potential UFA/RFA/rentals, there isn’t a whole lot out there—especailly with the pay raise due Hank in July).  Get the baddest cop on the beat!!! So the opponent thinks twice (or better yet three times) about taking liberties with the talent.

The physicality might be an issue between now and the playoffs, only as it increases the opportunities for one of our players to get hit with a long-term injury.  But past that, I think all teams remember what happened when Calgary and San Jose ramped up the physical play against the Wings in last year’s playoffs.  It just didn’t make a difference.  If we were to pick up another enforcer, we need him now, not in two months.

I’ve been informed, by those who really know (thanks to Lyle), that Downey is in fact that policeman.  League-wide reputation for being extremely tough (one-punch K-O). 

So, my bad.  Just goes to reinforce the fact that I am a “novice” fan.  I can accept that, I think.

So Kudo’s to Kenny, the policeman is on the beat. 

Maybe Babs will play him more—you know—remind the opponent to keep it within the rules, and stop running the talent.  Like he did against Dallas the other night!!!

Forgive me for being a bit cynical but I believe it’s the end of the Lions’ season and they’ve run out of more important things to talk about.

A “wake up call?” More like, “So NOW you show up?”