NHL 2013-2014 Season

[Leafs PWN]

Yea, I was just about to say once again, that Crosby will score big this year. 150 pts at least this year. If Fleury can hold his **** together during the play-offs, Crosby will take them home. Their defence is gonna be a lot better this year with the new kids in place. Once everyone is back and going at full rate, this team will be hard to stop.

[Beamer]

Sohel- Everything with him starts and ends with injury. He was playing like this three years ago. Also, last year before the jaw broke. He was never the same when he came back last year. Never went to the dirty areas, which he is going now and scoring. He was scoring from everywhere three years ago too until that moment in the winter classic. So, we will see if he can stay healthy. If he can, he will win the Art by a long margin. Pascal and Kunitz just knows how to play with him. Took years of chemistry. They know where to go.

Loving the way Malkin is playing so far. So calm and Jokinnen is really feeding off him. I am so glad that Pens have seen the light finally and having more and more Scandinavians in the team and in the system. Maatta- He is going to be a star in this league. He will surpass Letang in a year or two. His intelligence is what separates him. Positionally, he is never out of his place. Small sample size, but very encouraging.

Went to the afternoon game vs Canucks. Taking the kid wasn't too much fun..lol. She just doesn't want to sit still! So, enjoyed the period and a half we were there ! It was fantastic up and down action. Playing the Avs tonight. It should be a great game.

[Beamer]

Originally Posted by Sohel
We're still at 60% of our ability even during this rebuilding period, and need to be at 75 to 85% to win games we're expected to win as a team. I don't want us to peak before the playoffs. Hopefully we'll start playing vintage Red Wings hockey then. The idea of playing either the Hawks or the Avs for the Cup someday is an enthralling one for us at the RWN.

We're winning games ONLY because of solid goaltending and because Hank and Pasha have stepped up. Alfie has been on a hot streak also. Gustavsson has had a couple of unexpectedly good games. Good reflex goalie but his positional play needs to improve. Our young and very talented defensive corps is learning and cutting down on turnovers, but we need more offense from future Norris contenders Kindl, DeKeyser and Smith. We also need better offensive output from forwards other than the big two and Alfie. Franzen has worked harder than I've ever seen him work during the regular season but it's still not hard enough for his pay grade. Gotta play Tatar and Nyquist every game, period. This obsession with Bert and Cleary must stop.

Bernier looks to be the best Leafs goalie since Cujo, and Kessel, Lupul and Kadri are a serious offensive threat, but that defense?

Wings are a force in the East. They are winning almost every game. Like I said earlier, if you win 2 out of every 3, you should be fine. Wings are doing exactly that.

[Beamer]

Talking about Lupul. This guy is always on the score sheet. JVR is a big forward and scares me around the net. Here is a quiz : What doe Mike Richards, Jef Carter, Lupul and JVR have in common? LOl.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Beamer
Talking about Lupul. This guy is always on the score sheet. JVR is a big forward and scares me around the net. Here is a quiz : What doe Mike Richards, Jef Carter, Lupul and JVR have in common? LOl.

I'll respond like a "Jeopardy" contestant.

What's the douchebag hockey team from the most despicable city in all of professional sports, BOB?

[Beamer]

Daily double number ...ha ha

speaking of BOB ! They had a certain Bobrovsky too. Now, a Vezina winner elsewhere..

[Sohel]

Tight game against the Sharks, Niemi beat Howard in the SO. Huge win for the Avs in the Burgh, thanks to Giguere and Landeskog, possibly the second coming of Peter Forsberg and Valeri Kamensky rolled into one. Stealing a game against such a prolific offense in their own building is a major morale boost for them. Pens also played solid defense.

[Beamer]

Funny game this hockey. I thought it was our best game to date, and we lost. JS Giguerre had one of those nights. Not sure what the stat line was, but we launched 70 shots at him- 34 shots, 22 blocks, and the rest either hit post or just missed. Fleury faced only 14 and the goal was deflected by our own player. It happens. However, Roy has them playing great structural defense. Impressive for such an young team. But, kudos to JS. He really stood on his head. Some of the saves were just outstanding. Avs will go far if they can sustain such defensive posture + great goaltending. We are off till Friday at Isles, then Leafs on Sat. We should get Letang back, and perhaps even Bennett. There could be a trade this week. Won't be surprised if we go and get a back up goalie. Zatkoff was shaky in his only game. Not sure how much they trust him.

[Leafs PWN]

Originally Posted by Beamer
Talking about Lupul. This guy is always on the score sheet. JVR is a big forward and scares me around the net. Here is a quiz : What doe Mike Richards, Jef Carter, Lupul and JVR have in common? LOl.

Lupuls is a beast on skates. This guy can score every single way (snipe, tip, slapper). His physical strength is also very impressive. Most games he powers his way through at least one or two guys.

Whenever the team is down near the end, he steps in with a NOT IN MA HOUSE kind of attitude

While Kessel has more offensive talent, Lupul is the offensive leader when things get tough. He has the same issue as Crosby - IF he can stay healthy. Granted their injury histories are not even in the same stratosphere, both are prolific scorers who have put up insane numbers over their injury filled seasons.

His numbers since being traded to the Leafs:

Year GP G A PTS
11-12 66 25 42 67
13-13 16 11 07 18
13-14 09 06 04 10
Total 91 42 53 95

Over the last 2 years he has 17 goals in 25 games. The man needs to stay healthy this year. He can score 50 if he can play 80 games.

[Sohel]

The much awaited Wings-Leafs rivalry has been renewed. Barring a major slump, the race for the top spot in our division will go down to the wire.

[Leafs PWN]

I'm glad the winter classic got pushed back to this year actually. Nothing like an outdoor game to renew the rivalry

This division won't be easy, and we will send the 2 wildcard teams to the playoffs. However, Detroit will take this division - no doubt about it. They are a step above the other teams, even though they are going through a transition-ish phase.

Seems like Tootoo is a goner. Edmonton/Montreal should take a stab. Both teams are way too small.

Leafs once again played with horseshoes up their *** till the middle of the 2nd. 3 ****ing shots through 25 mins is pathetic. Good thing Kessel decided to stop playing like crap. Him and Van Riemsdyk were outstanding last night. Clarkson comes back Friday night

[Maysun]

Kessel's sniper goal was pretty cool!

[Beamer]

Nice stats by Lupul there. If healthy, he is more than a point per game player, plus the intangibles. Always liked him, even when he was a Flyer. Getting rid of JVR was also a monumental mistake by them. Its hard to find a Power Forward. Oh well..

Nice hatty by Kessel. And, Ovi is scoring goals like crazy since the mid way point of last year. The coaching change really helped him. I think the Rocket will be a four way race- Ovi, Stamkos, Kessel and Crosby- in that order. Stamkos and Ovi are special goal scorers. Those two are the favorites.

Very glad that Wings-Leafs rivalry is back. Leafs are a very good team and it shouldn't be a one sided affair. What can you say about the Wings? Like you said, even with a transition-ish team, expect Wings to win the div. They have the best coach in the league. Its not even close.

Gotta marvel at Teemu Selane. Just wow!

[Sohel]

Wow, what a stinker! Took me back to the 80s, not a happy decade for the Red Wings.

Out skated, out hustled, out muscled and out structured by an excellent Senators team, we managed to lose our third straight on a night when everybody in red played mediocre pond hockey at the Joe, and wasted our time in the RWN. Some of us wake up 5:30 in the morning, literally on the other side of the world, to watch our team compete, and when something like this this happens, you thank yourself for being a Bangladesh cricket fan because you're used to sucking and losing.

Alfie's insights didn't do jack for us while Paul MacLean, one of many former Wings' ACs now kicking our butts, read us like a children's book. Yep, out coached too. Our overall coverage of Spezza was Dion Phaneuf-like, and none of Babcock's adjustments helped. As a matter of fact, they made things worse. We continue to pay a steep price for his bromance with Bert and Cleary while a potential Selke winner like Nyquist has been reduced to a Tweetering curiosity.

Hopefully this was just a bad outing, although our neutral zone play remains worse than Buffalo's, because if it's not, if it's the beginning of a trend, then we're in deep need of some serious reorganization at the top.

We simply cannot have this. The city of Detroit, especially in light of its current despair, deserves a break. The hundreds of millions worldwide who support the Wings deserve to see their team compete. We simply cannot revert to mediocre pond hockey whenever the big two and Howard have an off day. Nobody other than Tatar showed up offensively and the scoreline could've been worse.

Simply unacceptable and they better remedy this against the Rangers.

[Leafs PWN]

Your team has made the playoffs 16 straight years, and you have won 3 championships in the last 15 years, along with one in the last 3 years. The team has given the city of Detroit MUCH more than any other NHL team has given its city. I get that you're pissed after a shitty effort, but to suggest the team owes the city a break is ludicrous.

In fact, the team deserves a break now during their transition phase. When you have a team of so many young players, consistent effort will be an issue for a couple years. All young teams go through it.

If the coverage of Spezza was Phaneuf like, then he wouldn't have scored 2 goals against you. Spezza was invisible against us except for that one goal because of Phaneuf. Would like to see how other teams' top D man plays when paired with trash like Carl Gunnarsson/Holzer on a nightly basis, while playing 25 mins/game.

[Sohel]

Correction: We've made the playoffs in 27 of the last 29 seasons; the playoff streak currently stands at 22 in a row; 4 Cup wins in 6 appearances during this period.

[Beamer]

Its just one game. There are nights when nothing goes right. We lost to Florida in a horrible manner. That's why its a 82 game season. Nobody will get 164 pts -ever. You get 95-100 out of 164, you are in safe zone. Red Wings will easily be safe. I have seen them play this year more since they are in East, and I see same puck possession style, same brilliance from Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Do not forget that this Wings team gave Hawks all they could handle last year. Worry not my friend.

Senators have the most right hand shots that I have ever seen in a team. Everyone seems right handed. Ryan is a great addition for them.

Disgusting head shot by Scott on Erikson. This has to stop. Way too many headshots and suspendable offences this year. Something is not registering with these goons. Its always the same no name garbage characters going after a star. The world's of Cody McCleod- Lapierre, Kaletta, Scott need to erased from hockey. Need 15-20 game suspensions. If that doesn't change, then fine/suspend the coaches or teams. It has to stop. We don't watch this game to see likes of McCleod take out a Kronwall, Lapeirre take out a previous champ like Dan Boyle, or John Scott take out a Selke/Lady Bing candidate like Loui Erickson. You all know what I feel about David Steckel. Never defended Matt Cooke on Savard. We actually made him a reformed player because of that. He was ordered to change or else. He is a better player for that. Its well documented the process he went through here. Bottom line- Remove this thugs. It really made me angry last night. It could easily be Crosby next time again, by some loser trying to earn a paycheck.

[Beamer]

To no ones surprise : Olli Matta stays. He forced them to make that decision. He is exceptional for a 19 yr old. We will deal with consequences later. He will be a UFA now when 25 yrs old. Six years away. His ELC kicks in now. So, what? He is too good already to be sent back to London. Correct decision by Ray. Now ,we have 8 D on roster. Something gotta give. Letang probably comes back tomorrow. Depres is goner. I would try to talk with Ducks. They need D. We have abundance of young D. They have tons of young forwards. We don't. Plus, we may need a back up goalie. Zatkoff has to show his Michigan pedigree and win a few games for us. He was bad in his only start against Florida who kicked our butt. I will play him a few more games this month, even if it means a few losses, just to see what we have. Better now than later.

[Leafs PWN]

Originally Posted by Sohel
Correction: We've made the playoffs in 27 of the last 29 seasons; the playoff streak currently stands at 22 in a row; 4 Cup wins in 6 appearances during this period.

This further proves my point.

Rielly stays for the Leafs, Monahan for the Flames - not sure about others. Very strong rookie class indeed.

Completely agree with the feelings towards to thugs. I liked a suggestion by someone on HNIC - every player on your roster must play a minimum of 10 mins a game. Then we'll see if teams roll out these punching bags every game.

The problem with hockey isn't the equipment or playing style. It's the fact that we have a severe lack of respect these days. I feel that's a result of having players who are exclusively brought in to goon it up. Back in the day you had guys like Domi/Probert who could play ~10 mins/game, fight, and chip in offensively once in a while. These guys had some skill to their game and didn't have to resort to cheap shots to earn a pay check in the league.

[Beamer]

Totally agree. No respect. Some of these thugs don't care. It says if you are facing the numbers, you can't board him. They do it anyway. Coaches are at fault too as you mentioned. A John Scott is only there late in third down two goals for only one reason. Actually, the better fighters in these league are honest players, at least most of them. But, there are few head hunters and dirty players that constantly do their thing, and a lot of them turtle up when its time to answer the bell. Steve Downie is one hell of a dirty player. Would never fight though.

[Sohel]

LP: the proverbial bar has been set a lot higher in Detroit when it comes to the Red Wings, especially when compared to the Leafs. Why? Because we've actually won several Cups since 1967, our playoff record speaks for itself, and we've done all that with low to no name draft picks, thanks to our exceptional scouting, player development processes, and a total and unconditional commitment to excellence. "Making the playoffs" isn't a big deal for us. Even SCF appearances don't matter. What matters, the only thing that matters in the end is winning the Cup, period. I don't expect a Leafs fan to understand any of that.

Secondly, winning or losing at any stage also doesn't matter as much as competing does. Competing with what we have. What we have now is a re-calibrated team with great potential as long as the right decisions are being made by Kenny and all of the players. Now, we remain a force even at this juncture because of who we are, but being a force as I said before, isn't enough.

We have no qualms about losing to a better team or a team that played better despite our best effort, no matter how much it hurts. But not competing because our top guys are having a bad night after carrying the team so far in the season, is a very big deal and not acceptable to anyone from Babcock to fat old me downing espressos 5 in the morning in Dhaka. We competed but lost to the Sharks and nobody bitched about that. The outing against the Sens has outraged people because we didn't compete at all. Did you even watch the game before you responded to my concerns about my team?

Finally, you don't know jack about Detroit, her people and their relationship with the Red Wings, or how deep the club resides in people's hearts. We're not fair weather fans, and as successful as the Tigers and Pistons have also been, and as much as the Lions have sucked in the past, the Wings are what we live and die by. We dealt with your malice and taunting when we were down, and built a team that will not sink that low ever again. It won't because we're diligent, we care and are duly concerned, and that collective concern always leads to rectification.

The Red Wings represent the city and is an integral part of the community the players are proud to be involved with. It is done out of love and responsibility. It is a riverside city of native Americans, French settlers, escaped slaves, radical abolitionists, brave and tolerant homesteaders, and Greek, Arab, and Jewish immigrants who've been living there since 1880. This particular mix creates a sense of closely knit sense of mutual responsibility tough for outsiders to comprehend. So your comment about who deserves what in Detroit, a great city that went from incredible prosperity to total despair in front of my own eyes, is quite presumptuous. We don't do Toronto or Philly there, thank you. It matters to me because I have friends and family there, and that includes anyone who deserves to wear the sweater. Complacency deserves nothing.

On the matter of thugs. I think the NHL does a fair job discerning a thuggish hit and an unfortunate hit that ends up being a career debilitating one. Hockey is a tough, super fast sport played on blades with sticks and a projectile that can kill you. It is a sport where you can physically separate a player from the puck, and when necessary, drop the gloves to balance things out. Awful things will happen here, with or without a sudden rush of crazy blood. The idea is to mitigate criminal intent without mitigating the essential components of the sport, and I think the league has done a fair job so far and will continue to do so.

[Beamer]

It is true : Wings and Detroit have a special relationship. Sorta like Pittsburgh and Steelers, but perhaps more. I saw it firsthand this summer when we went up there for a wedding in the middle of off season. One has to respect that.

But, guys the despair was so shocking and depressing. You could see all these beautiful structures falling apart. It didn't look like America !Houses boarded up. Someone told me the City alone has close 70,000 properties abandoned, meaning no real estate taxes. You could buy a four bedroom house for $15,000. Drugs, prostitution rampant. Suburbs are nice. That's where all the people fled. But, you could see what a glorious historic city it once was just by looking at some of the structures. What a shame. Flight of Capital is brutal. But, Capital will flee. It knows no borders or have any loyalty. They have to build it block by block, with lots of new incentives and infusion of youth with newer technology. It can be done. I know, because Pittsburgh did it. It was dying in '80s after big steel fled. But, now its thriving. Ok..Enough of sad commentaries.

[Sohel]

^Breaks my heart to see the city like this. Made so many memories there since I was 13. Irreversibly fell in love with hockey and learned to skate there when we were the "Dead Things". Watching the Wings made into what they are today, thanks largely to Coach AND GM Scotty Bowman and the Ilitch family, has been like watching my weak and premature baby grow up to be the most consistently strong contender in the history of professional sports, and mostly with homegrown discards and supposedly washed-up guys looking for second chances. The Wings are family, if not more.

My uncle has recently moved to Chicago but his kids, all born and bred Bangla-Chaldeans (both Abdel Kader and DeKeyser are also half Chaldean BTW, as are Kesler and Legwand), will fight on to rebuild what their ancestors help build. But they also know that Detroit will never be what it once was before GM decided to destroy it all. Red Wings battling hard day in and day out symbolizes all that, and the resilient, hard and tough people there, the ones who don't have much other than their sports teams to feel good about, deserve nothing less.

[Leafs PWN]

@ Sohel bhai - You need to realize a couple of things:

1) Just because someone follows the Leafs doesn't mean they are content with losing or willing to accept a losing culture. I generally do not mind the regular cheap shots you take towards the Leafs, because they are generally true. But when you come out and start saying I don't understand what the Wings are as a franchise, I take offence to that. That's like an Australian saying Bangladeshi cricket fans don't understand what expectations are like in Australia. Completely ignorant.

2) Everyone who knows 2 cents worth of hockey knows who and what the Wings are. And no one needs to be from Detroit to see the flaws in your argument. It is impossible, and irrational to think you can have an eternal competitive team in the new NHL. You guys might think you have the most intimate relationship with your team in all of North America, but that doesn't mean the team owes the city for 50 years worth of bad management and ruins. It's not the Red Wings' responsibility to give the people of Detroit a 'break'. What the city went through and who taunted who is not relevant to the Detroit Red Wings hockey. Their job is to play hockey and that is it. There is no one who has done it better than the Wings in the last 40 years.

Not accepting **** effort is absolutely fine, and bitching about it is only natural in fans. But when you come out after 8 games in the season, and say the people of Detroit deserve a break, it exemplifies overreaction at its best.

We Leaf fans might not know hockey as well as you guys do, but we know young teams. A consistent lack of effort will be an issue when your team is 1/4 rookies and sophomores when those rookies are not Steve Yzermans and Sidney Crosbys.

3) My point is - what you are seeing with your teams effort is natural and very normal. No matter how much better than normal the Wings think they are, even their youngsters will need time to get used to the Detroit mentality. And lets face it, Detroit does not have the same category of players on their roster right now that they had when the current group of players were coming up - Lidstrom, Chelios, Coffey, Yzerman, Shanahan, Federov - these guys are all legends, and being in the same locker room as them would definitely be x100000 times better for these young players than the bunch you have there right now. Bertuzzi and Franzen aren't exactly glaring examples of work ethic for young players coming in through the system.

Where are they supposed to learn the Red Wings mentality when half of your team is full of new players? It's gonna take some time.

And as I have said before, no team in the NHL can even dream of a transition as smooth as the Red Wings in the new NHL. With the standards of the new NHL, this is unheard of.

[Leafs PWN]

Clarkson returns for us tonight. Too bad I won't be able to watch it, as I will be driving down to the Cabot Trail