The Pittsburgh Gazette ran an article this week asking why someone would want to leave Pittsburgh for Detroit.   Yes Detroit.  He amended his statement by closing and saying the young kids like to go there because it is a party place.  This all came after Hossa signed a one year deal for the Wings and was offered much more money elsewhere but opted to play in Detroit.  However, he beat up the Wings for signing free agents and suggested no loyalty (for lack of better words) in athletes today.  Imagine that, leaving a team that lost to the Wings in 6 games for the prospect of winning a Stanley Cup. 

 

  He beat the Wings and their free agent signings up quite a bit.  First he mentioned Conklin leaving Pittsburgh and it wasn't as bad as the Hossa comments, but wasn't Conklin the one which carried the Penguins while Andre-Fleury was injured.  Yes, carried them was the remark.  However, after mentioned no loyalties he didn't seem to mention the following free agent signings of Sykora, Thibault, Talbot, Sydor and Conklin.  Slight error on his part?  No, it is because it were the Pittsburgh Penguins signed those guys as free agents.  He beat the Wings up pretty bad about free agents signings and re-stated the "loyalty thing in sports" and playing out the career for the same team.  Guess that statement must have went out the window when Ray Bourque signed with the Avalanche and won the cup.  Sorry Pittsburgh sport writer, no credibility in your statement there, try again. 

 

  As for the Wings free agent signings, lets look at the players that were on their team they drafted.  Kronvall, Drake, Osgood, Zetterberg, Franzen, Datsyuk, Quincey, Hudler, Filppula, Meech, Kopecky, Holmstrom, Osgood and some guy named, Lidstrom.  Do you know how many of them were Number One overall draft picks?  None, nada, nil, zero, zip, zilch, nooooone.

 

  A few hours ago Sports Illustrated writer, Allen Muir wrote this article (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/
allan_muir/07/04/cup.locks/index.html?section=si_l
atest) suggesting that the Canucks go after the Wings Valterri Filppula as a Restricted Free Agent.  Good thinking Muir!!!!!  After the Canucks have lost Naslund as well as the kitchen sink they go after a young, Restricted Free Agent.  If the Wings offer him $2.5 million and the Canucks or any other team offer more, the Wings will get that teams first overall pick in the 2009 draft next year.  Hmmmm, let's think for a second.  Vancouver signs Filppula for about $4 million a year and the Wings get the Canucks first draft pick based on their record and placed finish for next season.  Has anyone looked at the roster?  It is looking worse then the Wings farm team, the Grand Rapids affiliate. 

 

 

  What he failed to mention is Ken Holland must be licking his lips for the Canucks GM or any other to offer an RFA of his a dollar more.  Imagine what Holland is thinking in Detroit.  We won the cup this year, may have a better then average chance to win it next year and the Canucks signed Filppula and the Wings have the very first overall choice in the NHL draft because the Canucks win about 25 games.  No brainer there for Holland.  Filppula is a great young player but this is a business.  (I will whisper this for the Vancouver fans only hear this.  Todd Bertuzzi is looking for a new home.)  Please add this footnote for Bertuzzi and Matthieu Schneider if you would and ask them this question.  "How is that career move to California working out for you after leaving the Wings?"  Now, when is the Wings ring ceremony?

 

 

 

 

I am trying to be objective and read a blog about ESPN.  I did what one guy said to do - set back and watch what they have done.  I let them start with a clean slate and BAM!!!  He was right.  They are very biased towards Boston and it's area teams, especially Boston in general.

It is the Stanley Cup Finals.  Not the Quarter or Conference Finals, but the Stanley Cup Finals.  Seems like that would be the main lead in story since the NBA finals have not arrived yet.  So with Pittsburgh and Detroit in the Stanley Cup Finals, and Game One, of course they would kick off SportsCenter with the SC highlights.  Ahhhh, no.  It was K-G and the Boston Celtics finally winning a road game.  They spent seven minutes on the highlights of the game.  The next segway went into Stuart Scott, Jalen Rose and (everyones favorite big mouth) Stephen A (as in a-s-s) Smith for another two minutes and 27 seconds and then went to the STANLEY CUP FINALS game one highlights!  Those highlights lasted two minutes and six seconds, or 11 seconds less then Scott, Rose and Smith.

Can you be anymore biased to Boston, ESPN?  Of course, the next story for two minutes and nine seconds was the Boston Red Sox and Oakland game highlights and breaking up Oaklands no hitter.  A short time later, they went to Boston's no-hitter.  Of course they related Lester's no - hitter to his bout with cancer and that is an incredible story.  However, let's look at some other storylines.

It is Memorial Day weekend.  There is the Pat Tillman story, the foundation that Lori Piestewa's family set up for native Americans that were also killed in the war, the double amputees that are in the Michigan schools telling high school students about their experiences.

They also are mentioning Matt Ryans' (where did he go to school - Boston College, went into the Boston Pistons game again, showed two scores from the Wings game, the no hitter breakup again and finally, oh yea, a little race called, the Indianapolis 500.

ESPN is continually showing why more and more their ratings are slipping.  Hey, they still have the spelling Bee and the WNBA!!!

Are we regressing or what?  Didn't we get rid of this guy once?  Do we need someone to make us shorthanded more often because he likes to scrap?  At least Peca is a good open ice hitter.  Yashin, well he is just not worth the risk and too much of a head case.  Shanny seems happy in New York and Forsberg, who the hell knows.  Instead of tying up salary for guys like this, lets save the money and let the younger kids play and gain experience.  Why make a move just to get credit for making a move.  Look at next years UFA'a and save the salary for them.  Lord knows Babcock is slow to play youth and thats his philosophy, but if we are going to self destruct, let's do it with a younger group that is giving 110%

Is it time to give up Chris Osgood?  After all Jimmy Howard is waiting in the Wings.  Hasek should be good for one more year, but do we hang onto Osgood or let Howard get in there and get some ice time.  I know there is a chance if Hasek gets hurt, but I don't think they will trade for a more experienced goalie as a backup to Hasek.  Babcock usually doesn't play young guys with a few exceptions, so do we wait until Hasek is hurt and Osgood doesn't do great before Howard gets inserted.  That's a lot of pressure close to the playoffs.  Just curious as to what your views or changes you would make.  The Wings got Rafalski but we did lose Schneider and Bertuzzi.  Just wanting your views.