I don’t like the trap game at all. Hockey wasn’t created with the intention of 5 players clogging up the middle. Play real hockey. Maybe get some offensive skill? I don’t care how much a team wants to win if they play trash puck. It’s painful to watch.

The Wings have always been touted as a club who have founded diamonds in the rough in the later rounds, ala Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Well, it’s about time they apply the philosophy to between the pipes. I feel that they should go after a good veteran goalie like Luongo, and I think that with his record of 26 playoff games without a goal, that they Wings should consider trading Datsyuk for him. He’s a highlight reel player, but if he can’t step it up to perform in the playoffs, those goals are worthless. However, I think they should let both Manny and Ozzie go. If they get a goalie like Gerber or Giguere, they should definitely bring up Howard to back them up. The only way this shouldn’t happen is if they decide they want Howard to play more being that he’s only 21 and still developing. In that case, Liv should be brought in. He’s already 25 and should be in the prime position in his career to either make the next step up to the NHL or fail.

Finally, it’s time to get players who are hungry and gritty to win. I’m saying the same syndrome develop in these Wings that I saw in the early ’90s. We have old players who aren’t as fast or hungry for the Cup as they once were. They can slug it out for 82 games but not longer have the ability or hunger to crank it up that extra notch to get through the playoffs. Of course, we need the mix of veteran leadership with youthful enthusiasm, but we also need that veteran leadership that is still ripe with hunger and grit to win. I don’t think Shanny has it anymore, and it hurts me so much to say it. I don’t see the same hunger in his eyes that I did when he toppled Roy on that fateful evening in March 26th, 1997. Draper isn’t as fast or as gritty as he once was. He’s a grind line player, and he doesn’t seem to be able to really grind that much anymore. They need to bring in those younger guys who hunger to muck it up in the corners and fight for every last inch for one chance to win it all. Right now, they don’t have it, and they won’t sip from that Cup again until they do.
-OC

I’ve noticed something wierd though about Edmonton. Look at their team. Does it seem like the New Jersey Devils in 2003? I may have said this before, but they remind me of that team…

The 2003 Devils didn’t really have stellar players (except Brodeur and Stevens). But they did have the semi-stars and underrated players that really come to life in the playoffs. Add this parellelism (sp?) and the grit that Edmonton has and you could very well be looking at the team that could take Lord Stanley’s Cup back to Canada.

Personally, I over estimated their skill (as stated in the past), but Edmonton has the well-rounded(ness) that coaches can use for solid lines and solid playing. I finally saw this when they beat San Jose (as I was hoping that the win against the Wings was some sort of fluke…or nightmare). But it wasn’t. They’ll take on the Ducks and we’ll see if they can stop the veteran Selanne. Interesting match up there, Selanne and Pronger (However, I’m getting SICK of the attention Pronger is recieving. He isn’t a god and he can’t stop trains. He’s not a black hole that sucks the skill from the players and absorbs that skill to better the team. And he can’t fly either. I don’t remember this type of media uprising went Lidstrom won the Conn Smyth in 2001.)

Anyway, I’ve said enough now. Buffalo is good, but I don’t think they’ll beat Carolina. Carolina’s offense is better than Buffalo’s defense personally. But we’ll see, you never in these playoffs.

Have a great summer everyone, and I hope you enjoy the final runs of the playoffs!

-firebird995

Between that, and the fact that I live in Southern California, I’m really hoping for a Ducks/Sabres matchup in the end.