No way anybody in the NHL plays well soon after being hit like Crosby easily might have been. Stevens delivering it and the kid may have never played again at a high level. Guess I'm glad Draper didn't hit him. Must be deep down Draper's a good man. (Not dinging Stevens, btw.)
NBC crew still called it a good hit so that they could tout Crosby's physical toughness. Then Mcguire commended Crosby for not "whining to the refs" about it. Somewhere, Bettman frowned. Classic. Made it easier missing the hit.
The Red Wings must be the least Canadian hockey team in the history of the NHL. Fit, fast and tough. Deeply skilled. How good is Franzen?
Chris Chelios can't crack the lineup. Even "overall disappointment" Brad Stuart despite a couple of turnovers, showed a lot last night, too. Would have been the fastest rear guard on this Rangers team just past.
Best unit ever?
They can all attack deep and still get back. Stuart skated down and stopped Crosby in the neutral zone. More cool, Lidstrom in the next period starting in front of Fleury overtook Malkin just below the circle to Osgood's right.
No Ranger d man in deep could ever catch either of them. Also, Detroit's forwards when they have trouble in the neutral zone have no fear of flipping it back in the d zone because of the way these guys handle the puck.
Wings back 7 reveals how weak is the New York Rangers defense corps. We all knew they blew to a degree but, this would be shocking if it didn't sting so much. Marc Staal and Fedor Tyutin could pretty quickly become reliable regulars for them. Daniel Girardi could not. imho, of course. What do I know?
Of the UFAs perhaps Campbell and Redden only could make the Wings. Neither figures to be a blueshirt. As it should be, imo, say no to Stuart, too.
Comparing Datsyuk and Zetterberg to Gomez and Drury should not encourage a Rangers fan. All that salary space tied up in 2 grade B+ players means there may not be wiggle room for a truly dominant young scorer. We'll know more after Jaromir Jagr signs his next contract.
In retrospect, and I know this is way late but, maybe Sather shouldn't have got both Drury and Gomez. Maybe Ryan Smyth not Gomez, put him with Drury and Shanny (not my first choice, would be the Rangers). Cullen with Callahan and Avery. Jagr and Dubinsky and Straka. The horrible HBO line. Signing Smyth, a proven scoring winger for less than Gomez and fewer years: now that's a role model for guys like Callahan and hopefully down the road Cherepanov, Anisimov and maybe, if the planets align just right, Hugh Jessiman.
From Blueshirt Bulletin
Did anybody else hear the joke about Sundin winning the Messier Leadership Award for leadership on and off the ice?...The guy who hamstrung any chance of his club improving for the future by waiving his no trade clause is the best definition of a "Leader" the NHL could find...What a joke!!!