Red Wings

[WingsFan]

Anybody But Chicago. The 97-98 Red Wings are the last team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. Let's keep it that way.
Go Kings. Go Rangers.

[WingsFan]

Boston took over as my most hated team though....

Chicago has replaced the Colorado Avalanche, (for right now anyway) for me. Pittsburgh (Cindy) and always Montreal also, but not as bad as the Blackhawks especially after last year.


Puck drops at 9:15 PM in L A Tonight!

[Tony G]

Detroit Red Wings staff meets this week to assess free agency, possible trade scenarios




Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland. / Carlos Osorio/Associated Press


By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

In need of replenishment at every position, the Detroit Red Wings will gather for three days to explore trades and how to best invest their spare millions.

General manager Ken Holland, assistant GM Ryan Martin, along with Kris Draper and the team’s cadre of pro scouts are scheduled to meet Monday through Wednesday to assess the free agent market and possible trade scenarios.
The Wings estimate they have $20 million in salary cap space headed into next season, but some of that will go to re-sign restricted free agent forwards Tomas Tatar and Riley Sheahan and defenseman Danny DeKeyser.

Of the team’s unrestricted free agents - forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Todd Bertuzzi, Daniel Cleary, David Legwand and Mikael Samuelsson, defenseman Kyle Quincey and goaltender Jonas Gustavsson - almost all are expected to be gone. Holland will be reaching out to the players’ agents following the three-day council. The Wings are waiting to hear if Alfredsson, 41, even wants to play another season, but if he does, there’s interest on their part. As for the others, it’s a good bet Quincey will see what he can get on the open market because UFA defensemen tend to reel in big money, and in Gustavsson’s case, the Wings will have to determine if they’re not better off having prospect Petr Mrazek serving as backup to Jimmy Howard.

“I want to hear what our scouts think of our young players, talk about what we need, and formulate a plan,” Holland said. He spent this past week in Toronto at the NHL combine to prepare for June’s draft, which sees the Wings pick all the way up at 15th overall.
“It’s going to be an important three days,” Holland said. “I respect the opinions of our pro scouts, I want to hear how they evaluate our team, and go over the other 29 teams, especially the ones in the east.

“We’re hoping to be active, we’re planning to be active.”

In addition to deciding on a backup goaltender, discussions will focus on how to add a top-four defenseman and a top-six forward. The UFA market isn’t particularly stocked this summer - top defensemen available include Matt Niskanen, Dan Boyle and Andrei Markov, and among forwards, there’s Thomas Vanek and, possibly, Paul Statsny. There’s also the possibility of trading, especially if Vancouver makes available Alexander Edler, a defenseman in whom the Wings have considerable interest.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

[jaadam4]

Free agency aint what it used to be

[chemiclord]

Ya know what would help a ton? Using your last remaining amnesty clause to get yourself out from under Johan Franzen's albatross of a contract.

"30 goal scorers don't grow on trees," Holland says. Which is cool, because Franzen isn't a 30 goal scorer at this point in his career either!

Ya know what... fuck it. Doesn't matter if it's Franzen at this point. You have ONE opportunity THIS OFFSEASON ALONE to purge some dead weight from your roster, Kenny. USE IT.

[Malto Marko]

Agree, Chemi.

[WingsFan]

Kings win game 7 in OT! 5-4 God Damn!! What a series - classic!

Alec Martinez a local kid (Rochester) scores the winner !!

[jaadam4]

Thank goodness!

[WingsFan]

The Blackhawks never trailed in this game, the only time they went down was when the game finished. One of the greatest series in recent memory, and one way or another, a great championship-caliber team was going to lose.

“I’ve lost some tough games,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “But nothing like tonight.”

And they couldn’t become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions in the salary-cap era, the first since the 1998 Red Wings.

[Malto Marko]

I thought the zebras were really trying to hand it to the Hawks.

[WingsFan]

I though so myself, im still reeling from that series. I really don't think I could stomach Chicago (and 20 cent) winning another Cup. It was pointed out in the Michigan forum how Hossa didn't have a single goal (he sure didn't show up for game 7). Crawford is catching the heat as the goat.


No surprise here - Stanley Cup Overnights: Kings/Hawks Game 7 Sets Record NHL Western Conference final earned a 3.2 overnight rating on NBCSN Sunday night, the highest overnight ever for an NHL telecast on the network — including the Stanley Cup Final.


New York: Want a good seat? Feel like shelling out $26,253 for a ticket?

[Malto Marko]

I though so myself, im still reeling from that series. I really don't think I could stomach Chicago (and 20 cent) winning another Cup. It was pointed out in the Michigan forum how Hossa didn't have a single goal (he sure didn't show up for game 7). Crawford is catching the heat as the goat.


No surprise here - Stanley Cup Overnights: Kings/Hawks Game 7 Sets Record NHL Western Conference final earned a 3.2 overnight rating on NBCSN Sunday night, the highest overnight ever for an NHL telecast on the network ? including the Stanley Cup Final.


New York: Want a good seat? Feel like shelling out $26,253 for a ticket?

I am guessing that having the LA and NY markets watching with great interest didn't hurt adding to the core hockey diehard crowd.

[WingsFan]

Last note on the Kings/Blackhawks, I didn't see one vicious cheap shot even attempted. No head shots, no dirty hockey - unlike like the Boston/Montreal series. I'll always stick to my 'old school' fighting should be aloud stand, but don't even think about it (or miss it) at all when there is good clean (hard checking) hockey being played.

I don't remember watching a better series than this one and for the Kings to stick it to Chicago in OT in game 7 - well yes payback is a bitch, may not have been the Red Wings - but I'll take it. :-)

Kings are huge favorites (as they should be), will see how winning 3 game 7s all on the road (unbelievable) to the finals could slow them down in game one. Rangers need to pounce on that and steal the first game to have a chance.

[WingsFan]

With the Rangers win tonight it was brought to my attention by the 'great' John Wharton that another Red Wing milestone will not be broken. The 1997 and 1998 Detroit Red Wings STILL the last team to sweep NHL Finals. Back to back final sweeps. Man.

[DanO]

1998 ended a streak of 4 years in a row the Finals went 4-0.