If I were Brunny, I’d be signing just because, apparently, even the fourth line is gold.  So, obviously, this organization knows what it’s doing.

There’s a problem there, however.  Players that come here tend to have to prove (or reprove) themselves.  Brunny may not want to have the burden of reproving himself.  He’s not, at this point, getting a top 6 spot. If the Wings organization gave him that sort of deal and he didn’t live up to it, they’d never hear the end of it and they know it.

I may have too much faith in the organization, but they seem to know what they’re doing.  If Brunny is a prima donna, to Hell with him.  This isn’t Swedish hockey, elite league or otherwise.  If he fits into the puzzle, get him.  With the prospects we already have - Helm, Abdelkader, and all the others - the guy’s got alot to live up to.  If he can’t handle that, boo freakin’ hoo, go elsewhere.

Posted by jrl123 on 05/02/08 at 03:24 AM ET

Choke on it, Gobbles.

S’ee ya, S’h’anus.  Yes, you are a disingenuous blog pimp.  Unlike Gobbles, however, you also have the emotional hair-trigger of the average 13-year-old school girl.  We’ll lay off you now, so that you can heal inside.  And I hope that massive zit forming on your forehead disappears before prom night.

Say Buh-bye to Boob from Boulder for us, too.

Posted by O-Joe on 05/02/08 at 08:43 AM ET

I don’t know if Chelios was playing hurt, but he sure looked like it.  Lilja was in because Chelios was bad on even strength.

Look, I know Babblecock is a better hockey coach than I (acknowledged grudgingly...), but how can anybody truly believe Lilja is a better option than Ericsson, Meech or even Kyle Quincey (who played better than Lilja in last year’s playoffs)???  A none-too-small mushroom cloud will appear where my head used to be the next time I see Lilja getting ice time in a Wings uni.

Posted by Hoser from Downer Peninsula, Michigan on 05/02/08 at 09:32 AM ET

That was so awesome I can’t even come close to explaining it.  Henrik Zetterberg isn’t human.

Posted by TDeters on 05/02/08 at 09:51 AM ET

Not even gracious in victory, OJ?  Now I just feel sorry for you.

Well, like I said, that series sucked ass. Enjoy the WCF and hopefully next year we can take you down.

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 05/02/08 at 09:52 AM ET

Also, didn’t Chief call this in February or March when Forsberg signed with the Avs?  I remember a piece of his saying bring it on, we look forward to the Avs collapsing, probably around the time Forsberg hurts himself.....

I remember reading that, I think.

God bless you, Gordon Lightfoot.

Posted by TDeters on 05/02/08 at 09:52 AM ET

Check out this beauty from Adrienne:

Listen, I’m objective about things with the Avs,

Posted by WingInTO from Toronto on 05/02/08 at 10:03 AM ET

WingInTO:
Dater’s blog column was pathetic.  Pathetic.  Upset about the NHL, Adrienne?  Look over here in Michigan, where we’ve got a franchise that’s excelled on skillful play, excellent scouting, and professionalism since 1993.  We’re not complaining about a goon league.  Dater’s column shows he’s a fan.  Which is fine, but it means he can’t really be a journalist when he’s falling over himself to cry over an athlete he’s covering.  Foppa didn’t play in the NHL for charity.

Posted by TDeters on 05/02/08 at 10:09 AM ET

Did you know that Peter Forsberg was the first player in the history of the league to have to fight through obstruction and cheap shots?  True story.

Posted by WingInTO from Toronto on 05/02/08 at 10:12 AM ET

Oh.  A Colowado goal.  How ohdinawy.

Haha!

Posted by 58Miles2Joe from Marietta, OH on 05/02/08 at 10:41 AM ET

Dater:

This league doesn’t deserve guys like Forsberg anymore anyway. For years, he was cheap-shotted and hooked and held to no end, and the Canadian good old boys always let it go.

So, get out while you can Peter. This goon league never deserved you anyway.

Good God, is this guy serious??  THE MAN is keeping us down!  It’s a C-O-N-spiracy!  Homey don’t play that.

Posted by Matt from Chicago on 05/02/08 at 11:14 AM ET

I read the piece from Petey’s nut masseur when I got up this morning.  Killed my appetite for breakfast, it did.

Posted by O-Joe on 05/02/08 at 11:53 AM ET

Homey don’t play that.

Indeed. Homer plays through much worse; people pretend they’re in a MMA cage with the man. Whatever. 30 goal seasons, or near that for years. And about a 400 that he made happen but didn’t get credit for.

Shane and Jibble: good on ya for coming back. Tell Boob that the dirt in toes still await his suckage. I don’t think I’ve hated a commenter that much since Thhhoommy. Asses.

I thought Dats played a quietly brilliant game. He leveled Foote in preemptive self defense, and was a quiet but important force all over the ice.

Helm is proving himself as a really solid defensive player. He was along the back boards helping the D (get Lilja the eff out of town!!), and making that line 100% better.

Was anyone else really impressed with Hudler quarterbacking the PP later in the game. He made some incredible passes! Looked like a less-silky version of Dats out there. Incredible.

Finally: Babs is the MAN! His scowl didn’t disappear the entire game, even through the handshakes! His (long) tenure in Detroit will see multiple cups.

To the Dive: Fire Q. That man is a waste of space behind the bench. He’s my runner up for MVP of this series, but 3/4 takes it for sure.

Posted by Osrt on 05/02/08 at 12:05 PM ET

To the Dive: Fire Q. That man is a waste of space behind the bench. He’s my runner up for MVP of this series, but 3/4 takes it for sure.

If only we had a say in the matter, he would have been gone before the All-star break

Posted by Jibblescribbits from San Jose, CA on 05/02/08 at 12:51 PM ET

While the third defensive pair is starting to worry me a bit, that’s got to be nothing compared to other teams’ worries about their top defensive pair up against the circus line.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 05/02/08 at 12:55 PM ET

Was anyone else really impressed with Hudler quarterbacking the PP later in the game. He made some incredible passes!

Yeah, I noticed.  That was when the Wings’ second power play unit was putting on a clinic for the Dives, right?

Posted by O-Joe on 05/02/08 at 12:59 PM ET

From Det News:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/SPORTS0103/805020380/1128

“We’re comfortable with Jose in net,” Avs coach Joel Quenneville said before Thursday’s clincher. “He showed improvement in (Game 3) and goaltending was not an issue. Watching him the last couple of days he’s got that confidence in his step, in his movement, and I think we feed off him as well.”

Seriously? Goaltending was not the issue?

Personally, I think if the Avs were coached by Babs, this would have been a 6 or 7 game series.

O-Joe: Yeah, the first unit was hardly going out there later in the game. I give Hudler credit for taking advantage, but the Avs were barely skating by the 3rd. Their PK looked resigned to their fate.

Posted by Osrt on 05/02/08 at 01:08 PM ET

You all are too quick to credit Babcock.

Do you really think that Draper, McCarty, Lidstrom, and Osgood didn’t sit in that dressing room before Game 4, look their teammates in the eyes, and say ”See that?  That’s an /Avalanche/ logo on their chests.  BURY THEM!!!  Rip their heart out and eat it in front of them, in front of their own home fans and crowd.  Then listen the lamentations of their women!  Then score 2 or 3 times more on top of it!”.

You better believe they did.  That’s why they came out last night and they never let up.  It didn’t matter what names were on the back, or who was in net, that was an Avalanche logo on the front.  And it had to be destroyed.

We were wrong.  The rivalry clearly wasn’t dead yet, and the Wings proved that last night.  I can’t imagine they would have readily humiliated any other opponent quite like that.

Posted by Primis on 05/02/08 at 02:08 PM ET

Hey Iwo, can we get rid of the Ricci to Garcia banner now?  During the regular season occasional meetings its fun.  But after a week and a half straight I’m starting to vomit in my mouth a little every time I look at it.

Jus’ asking

Posted by Dahrken from Grand Rapids, MI on 05/02/08 at 02:31 PM ET

I can’t imagine they would have readily humiliated any other opponent quite like that.

They’ve got a killer instinct that they didn’t have before, and you can credit Babcock for that.  So yeah, they would have done that to any team in front of them, whether that was a Junior A team or the ‘85 Oilers.  They’re playing like a cold and ruthless machine.  Pure precision and power.

And something from Deadspin that I liked:

Franzen added two more goals in the second period for a hat trick, and a total of nine goals in the series. The four-game series. To call Franzen hot would make a mockery of other allegedly hot things, like lava and the center of stars.

As the old saying goes, “Excuses are like assholes. There are a lot of them in Denver.”

Gabriel, that’s EXCELLENT.  Good enough for the Chief to rip it off and start claiming it as his own.  As for the injuries, Uncle Mike said after Game Three, when he was asked if he had any sympathy for the Dive with their injuries, he said “None.  Zero sympathy.” He cited last year, when we were out two top-four D against the Poultry, and the ‘outpouring’ of sympathy that we got.  It’s the playoffs, motherfuckers.  Roll with the breaks.

It’s an early start for volunteer work for me tomorrow morning, so this’ll be brief.  Just to say that I’m sorry I missed it last night, and to everyone else?

The Detroit Red Wings: Underestimate At Your Own Risk.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from The Winged Wheel Shooting Gallery on 05/02/08 at 02:36 PM ET

“So yeah, they would have done that to any team”

I agree.  Babcock and the Wings did what most teams are afraid to do.  Not “run up the score” but continue to play like they are supposed to play even though the game was well in hand.

I’ve never had a problem with teams continuing to play hard even with a 6 goal cushion.  Bad habits develop if you don’t stay focused.

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 05/02/08 at 03:00 PM ET

OMG I just caught up with the end of/post game rants and I have peed my pants from laughing so hard.

Gabe you take the cake again, somehow.  “Excuses are like assholes.  There are a lot of them in Denver.” LMAO.

Lost in this ass-kicking was the fact that 2 of the most bizarro penalties were called on Homer, or as they say in Bubba land, “Holnstrun”.  Cross check Homer and call a penalty on him for tripping as he falls face first to the ice.  Beauty!

Posted by RWBill from Richmond, VA on 05/02/08 at 04:33 PM ET

Not “run up the score” but continue to play like they are supposed to play even though the game was well in hand.

Agreed. Bill Belecheck (sp?) of the Patriots said it best when his team was accused of running up the score: “It’s their job to stop us.”

Coaching is where your team’s attitude begins. Having played for good and bad coaches, I can tell you that those who bare down and make sure to get on you for small things, no matter the situation (practice/ game/ big game), sets the tone.

What veteran and on-ice leaders do is put that attitude into play. They’re translators and carry that attitude to the bench, the ice, and especially their line-mates.

Did Babs already win the Jack Adams while at Anaheim?  Anyway, I like his reaction to the nomination this year; paraphrase “the best coach is the one who carries the cup around.”

I heart Babbles.

Posted by Osrt on 05/02/08 at 04:38 PM ET

From NHL.com’s story on Norris Nick:

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=361878&page=NewsPage&service=page

“Playing for Detroit has been incredibly special because guys like Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay always come around. The organization does a great job of keeping tradition alive and bringing players back. Those guys will come in and just chat with us and it’s always great for me.’’

Tradition Bitch!

Posted by Osrt on 05/02/08 at 05:13 PM ET

Clearly, the Red Wings are going to win the Stanley Cup.
They will play Dallas in the conference final, which might be a little bit of a challenge, but Detroit has no significant injuries, and won’t suffer any against the Stars.  They’re invincible.
It’s such a sure thing we should shout it from the rooftops.  There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. The Cup is theirs.  No one can beat them.

Posted by A.M. from Canada on 05/02/08 at 11:05 PM ET

way to go Stars......enjoy the pain. We’re waiting.

Posted by Rumbear from Sandy Eggo on 05/03/08 at 12:54 AM ET

Seriously Rumbear, talk about lacking a killer instinct. They outplayed the Sharks all game and then blew it.

I have a healthy respect for/ fear or both teams. But if the Wings play their game, no team stands a chance. Hell, they should enter themselves as Team Sweden in the World Championships. That would be fun to see.

Posted by Osrt on 05/03/08 at 01:52 AM ET

Clearly, the Red Wings are going to win the Stanley Cup.
They will play Dallas in the conference final, which might be a little bit of a challenge, but Detroit has no significant injuries, and won’t suffer any against the Stars.  They’re invincible.
It’s such a sure thing we should shout it from the rooftops.  There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. The Cup is theirs.  No one can beat them.

Oh, I get it.  That’s supposed to be some sort of reverse curse/bogga wogga-type thing, right?

Are you a Vagalanche blogger by any chance?

Posted by O-Joe on 05/03/08 at 10:24 AM ET

Detroit has seemed to have Dallas’ number.  Factor in Turco has only once (?check that for accuracy) won in the JLA since he was a Wolverine and the odds slant towards Detroit. 

San Jose finished the season stronger than anyone in the NHL but has been beatable in the playoffs.  And don’t forget the Wings were equally physical with them last year as they knocked them out, the smallest, oldest team in the NHL knocking out the biggest and one of the youngest teams.

I think the Wings are even stronger than last year at this time when, short of a couple of very dubious calls in latter game 5, they nearly went to the finals.

The D is healthy and more lines are scoring for the Wings than in years.  Good luck wearing out your best D against Z and Dats, other lines can finish.

Either Dallas or SJ could beat Detroit, but at least we’ve got an equal or better than 50-50 chance.

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 05/03/08 at 12:37 PM ET

I seriously hope we play Dallas.  if we end up playing San Jose, that’ll mean playing a team that just won four straight to overcome a 3-0 deficit.  with the emotion of a comeback like that, they’re likely to steamroll whoever stands in their way the next round...plus the Wings would have had over a week off.

maybe we can convince the Avs to play a few more games against us.  you know, more practice games like the first four.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/03/08 at 02:11 PM ET

a few playoff stats for you…

Detroit leads in goals per game at 3.8 - Pittsburgh second at 3.5

Detroit is third in goals against per game at 2.1 (Pit 1.88, Dal 2.09)

Detroit leads in 5-on-5 (for/against) at 1.64

of teams remaining in the playoffs, Detroit is #2 in PK at 85.4%, second to Pitt’s 88.2%

Detroit leads in shots per game at 39.3 (of remaining teams, Pitt is #2 at 33.1)

Detroit is third in shots allowed per game with 24.9, behind San Jose (23.2) and Dallas (23.8)

Dallas is undefeated when leading after the first period, but is only 75% when leading after the second.  Detroit is undefeated when leading after the second, but only 87.5% when leading after the first.

of remaining teams, San Jose leads in faceoffs at 53.1%.  Detroit is second with 52.4%, and Dallas is 5th (11th counting all playoff teams) at 49.2%.

that last stat will likely be an important one.  if the Wings can dominate the faceoffs against Dallas, it sets them up very well to play their puck control game.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/03/08 at 02:47 PM ET

Oh, I get it.  That’s supposed to be some sort of reverse curse/bogga wogga-type thing, right?

Are you a Vagalanche blogger by any chance?

My god, does everyone have to have an ulterior motive?? No, I’m not an Avs blogger.  I think when your team’s the best one in the playoffs and is steamrolling through, it’s OK to point out the obvious.  I don’t go for the hockey god karma B.S.  Relax, enjoy the ride, get ready to celebrate in about 3 weeks!

Posted by A.M. from Canada on 05/03/08 at 05:35 PM ET

Right on AM; can’t blame us for being suspicious of your overly optimistic language.

Nice stats Paul. I would love to see the Dallas-San Jose series go the full 7. The prevailing team will have be in prime “game shape,” but I think we can beat either team in 6.

BTW, I did call Wings in 5 against the Dive, then Chief copied my prediction because he realized that the guessed number is in inverse proportion of one’s inseam.

Posted by Osrt on 05/03/08 at 06:44 PM ET

Time to get off the schneid Duke…

Posted by Osrt on 05/04/08 at 10:04 PM ET

Also, I’m watching the Sharks-Stars game right now and I can’t believe how bad the hockey is. It’s a much more “Canadian"/ traditional game with a lot of dump and chase, but the game is just terrible.

Neither tame has any kind of real transition game. Their passes are off the mark all the time; seriously, pass completion rate had to be below 50%. Ridiculous. The ice is bad but they’re not even able to pass on a routine 3 on 2 rush.

I’m not sure if they’re being hesitant because of the pressure, but this game has made me appreciate how fun the Wings are to watch. Puck possession just makes so much more sense than this garbage. You’re a tool Cherry; wake up and watch our team play.

Posted by Osrt on 05/04/08 at 10:18 PM ET