Hell yeah Homer wants to stay a Red Wing, and the Red Wings want to keep Homer.

We don’t want to know how it feels having to play AGAINST him after all these years.

Posted by Scott from New York on 03/17/10 at 05:37 PM ET

After last playoffs I pretty much figured that Homer was going to play out his contract and retire, but this year he looks five years younger and is playing crazy-good.  In my mind, I’ll take him as long as he’ll play!

Posted by Garth on 03/17/10 at 06:33 PM ET

HOMER FOR THE HALL

Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 03/17/10 at 07:29 PM ET

this article really demonstrates how on a team like the Wings, you not only play for the money, the team, and an annual chance to win the cup, you also play for the privilege to spend your whole career in one place, something so incredibly rare in pro sports. your family settles in. you live with them all year round. no one changes schools or jr. hockey teams, you become ingrained in the community. you get to sort of live a normal life plus have the benefits of being a pro athlete. most athletes have to sacrifice a lot with their families and home lives. look at a guy like Brad Stuart. his wife had a baby in california where she lives at playoff time and he gets to go out there for that day and then fly back to the war his team has to fight for the next month. that’s definitely tough. Holmstrom, Draper, Maltby, Lidstrom - these guys have had it real good. and now Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Franzen. you get the feeling that guys like Kronwall and Helm might not ever wear another jersey and even Rafalski and now Stuart might play the rest of their careers in Detroit.

it really gives them something extra to play for. perhaps part of the secret to their success.

Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 03/17/10 at 07:47 PM ET

Damn perfection.  Sign me up!

Posted by 42jeff from Minot, North Dakota on 03/17/10 at 08:58 PM ET

Holmstrom’s old, rich, still contributes on a high level and likes his situation. He’s in the same situation that Guerin was last summer—plus the fact that he’s never seen a need to play anywhere else.

Guerin accepted a 50% pay cut in less than a day. I’d be surprised if Holmstrom’s negotiations take even that long, once they actually get down to business.

Posted by steve on 03/17/10 at 08:59 PM ET

Homer’s definitely a Wing for life.  He might be able to get slightly more on the open market, but nobody appreciates Holmstrom like Red Wings fans do.  Perfection nailed it perfectly.

I’m also guilty of being one of the ones who thought he wouldn’t have anything left in the tank after this season.  I’ve rarely been happier to have been proven wrong than now.  I’m not entirely sure I’d take him for a three year contract, but having utmost faith in Kenny Holland, I know that if he’s signed to one, it’ll be ok for everybody involved.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 03/17/10 at 09:57 PM ET

Homer is definitely a hall of famer.

Yeah he is going to sign a Red Wing deal,

Posted by Lucce on 03/18/10 at 04:37 AM ET

I love how the Illiches and Ken Holland are able to get around the salary cap issues by building teams players want to stay with. With some exceptions, players take so much less to stay with the Wings. It’s one of the few franchises that honors loyalty and true team spirit (Lindsay still has a locker in the locker room!). What would be the open market value for Franzen, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Lidstrom? That 4 pack might net $34m easily, but Detroit pays around $25m.

I bet Bertuzzi will offer to pay Illich to stay next year. That’s how good this organization is.

Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 03/18/10 at 07:11 AM ET

Let us hope Mike Illitch has enough money that he does not take Bertuzzi up on his offer!

Posted by w2j2 on 03/18/10 at 07:40 AM ET