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Mike Keenan fired. I think this is kind of tough, I think if they come into the playoffs healthy they would have been a very interesting team.

They didnt interview me. tough lose. I fully expect the Hawks to come back Wednesday and put forth their best effort of the series.

Honestly....I usually enjoy it.

What play did Campbell watch? Like I said before, if you have a problem with Kronwalls hit, you had better look at your own teammate Eager...who also has had hundreds of semi-dirty hits in this league The irony for me was the fact that Campbell was the only one to cry about it... he did almost an identical hit on Umberger a couple years ago: Which all of you have likely seen. I was just trying to look that hit up...I couldnt remember who he did it too. I do think the NHL needs to figure out how to clean up some of these hits. The problem is it becomes very subjective. Like I said somewhere else, reading the rules on charging and you can call almost every check charging. So really it has just become what the officials think is bad. Handing out penalties just because someone got hurt is terrible. That seems to be what determines penalties sometimes. On a similar note, I think a double minor if a hi stick causes blood is the stupidest thing in all of sports. Again you are punishing the crime for the level of damage done not how bad or negligent the penalty really was.

What play did Campbell watch? Like I said before, if you have a problem with Kronwalls hit, you had better look at your own teammate Eager...who also has had hundreds of semi-dirty hits in this league

I think the purpose that allowing fighting in hockey is supposed to serve is not very good reasoning. Allow fighting to prevent dirty play...This is not well thought out and really not bright. That being said, fighting is part of hockey. Sending a message for the next game in the playoffs is part of the game. Like Kyle said, it is ingrained so deep in the sport, it will take some time to overcome it. I dont think any message is really getting sent. I also think it usually shows how desperate a team is.

After watching it 9 million times I agree it was a "clean" hit by the rulebook. However, Kronwall should know better... that was incredibly dangerous and I'm glad he got 5 for it but I don't think he should have. That being said, I hope someone knocks him into next month in tomorrow's game. Well, the nice thing about the rulebook is that it's incredibly vague. If you wanted to, and the refs did, you could call that charging (which is written so vaguely that almost any hit could be called it), you could call it interference (until he touches the puck, he's not considered in possession, even though it's at his feet), and you could call it intent to injure. Def. should have been charging... he didn't have even one of his brain cells focused on playing the puck... he was going after Havlat to LEVEL him (which he did). The hit was clean but I can easily see intent to injure as well. Oh well, Havlat was alert and responsive after the game and didn't have a headache, was joking about it in the locker room. if that was charging, then ben eager should be spending most of the game in the box. Again the only reason anyone is talking about it is because Havlat got knocked out. When Eager skated across the ice and led with his elbow in game 2...it got the Blackhawks hit of the game..was it legal? barely was it danerous? yes Difference between that and Kronwall? Red Wing player had his head up and was waiting for the hit. Havlat is to blame for him getting knocked out, not the hit.

The problem with this guys take on it is this....almost every check can be called charging if you are going to pull out the rule book. He also is the big scott stevens fan, how he can call kronwall a questionable player and like scott stevens seems a little inconsistent. Steven ruined several careers with hits similar to Kronwalls. Like I said earlier, Kronwall has a rep for leaving his feet on big hits. He did not on this hit and it was perfectly clean. I think what is worse is again the refs look at the damage done and than give a penalty. If you didnt call it as a penalty when it happened, what changed your mind a minute later. edit: sorry I messed up..the wisneski guy or puck daddy is the stevens fan. I have no idea who this seth from empty netters is

Good game...I think the hawks earned the win and played well except for that 5 minute span.

To be honest, Kronwall does have a rep for leaving his feet. Yes that hit was clean, but his rep probably got to him.

They don't win this game... season over. I can say that with 150% confidence. I'm not sure if it's better for you if you really believe that or if you don't. When was the last team to come back from a 3-0 deficit? happened to the new york islanders in the 70s and the red wings in the 40s i think

4-1 series win in 3 OT games? It was a very one sided series except belfour was just incredible.

that motorcycle jump off the ark of triumph thing was cool!!!

I didnt post any in the first 2 games....so whatever your thinking is not true....I also usually only post in between periods.....and I didnt post a bitch about some really bad officiating against the wings earlier edit: yes the last penalty against the hawks was a bad call

Exactly... I can't wait til BettMcMahon is out as commissioner... what a [expletive] head. absolutely shocked you can complain about the officiating in THIS GAME....nuff said

The Cubs have been really bad at drafting/developing position players. I dont know if Kieschnick was ever going to be star. His story seem awfully familiar to many young Cub position players through many different GMs. Seems like there is always some reason to not give youngsters a chance...Cant field, not clutch, cant hit lefties, blah blah blah. Which if the Cubs had players who could do those things better, great. I think the Cubs have proven that if you are a young player just breaking in you had better be performing at an all-star level or close. If not you will not be given any kind of extended opportunity. This has been the case as long as I have been a Cub fan. If you are a young player doing ok, you had better not go into any kind of slump. The team will not let you work yourself out of it.

The Wings have not had a highly ranked farm system for 15 years and yet is still produces about as good as anyone elses. Lidstrom is certainly an all time great, but he already taken a step down from where he was several years ago. Even If Lidstrom retires the Wings still have Rafalski, Ericson, Stuart, Kronwall, Lilja, Meech, Kindl and Lebda. Plus it frees up their biggest contract, so signing a player like Bouwmeester would be very reasonable. He is a step down from Lidstrom but Ericsson and Kronwall will still be improving. I think the Hawks still have plenty of places to improve and may pass the Wings, but I dont think the Wings are going to drop down too much in the near future There's one thing the Hawks have that the Wings cannot match nor have an answer for - Scotty Bowman - I believe that's going to translate to them making the best and correct decisions when to comes to future contracts, etc. Basically, the Hawks are young and talented along with a management that's not going to eff it up. They had him for long enough. We share!! Bowman is a very wise Hockey god. I really believe he was the one behind the Pahlsson trade. To tie the 2 main themes that are running on this thread, I dont think Kane is a Bowman type of player yet. If he doesnt improve his work in the corners and back checking, I could see a Bowman influenced move. Like when he sent Primeau to Hartford for Shanahan.

I would love to hear the reasoning of why Jeter is so high. "Well aaa, Well you seee, ESPN has a lot of highlights of him. And aaa, you seee, he is like a winner."

Here is a list of players who scored more than 65 points, team made the playoffs, and had less than a +10 +/- rating. Ovechkin +8 Crosby +3 Getlaf +5 Iginla -2 Cammalleri -2 Whitney +2 Kane +2 Kovalev -5 Boyes -20 First I do believe that +/- is not a good stat. I like to think of it more like RBIs in baseball. If however you are batting behind 2 .400 OBP guys and only drive in 91, something is not right. Second. I do believe only Crosby, Ovechkin and Kane come from teams that were top 4 in their conference. Getlaf is a 2 way stud that +/- does not represent his game at all. Ovechkin, Iginla, Cammalleri, Whitney, Boyes and Kovalev all have reps for not being responsible in their own zone. Third. As a team the Hawks were +45 at even strength. At least 20 better than every other team that is represented on this list. Basically, I think using all this info...Kyle has a very valid argument that Kane is a defensive liability. Personally watching about 40 Hawks games this year, I would conclude that Kane is not very good defensively. He however is very young and will improve.

that is not the makings of a dominant team. the forwards you listed contain no top 6 guys most likely, although kronwall is a very good player and ericsson is a good stay at home guy on the backend. as long as datsyuk, zetterberg, lidstrom, and to a lesser extent franzen and rafalski are playing at the level they are the wings will be contenders though. Filppula and Leino easily have top 6 potential. I don't think Filppula is a top 6 guy - Leino could be, but it really depends on how his transition to the NA style pans out. Sometimes older guys brought over can really transition well in the NHL, other times not so much. Should be interesting to see though. Filppula was a top 6 guy last year. He centered the 2nd line. He also centered the Franzen, Hossa line during the Anaheim series for several games.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090521/BLOG09/90521051/1053/SPORTS05/Wings++Datsyuk+missing+from+practice+Thursday Datsyuk may be out for Fridays game.

I don't think the weather plays a factor at all in football. You don't need sunny skies to practice football. There's a lot of reasons why certain schools dominate, but it's not like USC has always been at the top, or those souther Big 12 schools. Northern schools have been quite successful in football. True, but I think you would have to agree the recent trend has been very southern and western. Florida is not dominating because they are bringing in a bunch of kids from Ohio and Michigan. Anyway, this is not a FB conversation.

The Wings have not had a highly ranked farm system for 15 years and yet is still produces about as good as anyone elses. Lidstrom is certainly an all time great, but he already taken a step down from where he was several years ago. Even If Lidstrom retires the Wings still have Rafalski, Ericson, Stuart, Kronwall, Lilja, Meech, Kindl and Lebda. Plus it frees up their biggest contract, so signing a player like Bouwmeester would be very reasonable. He is a step down from Lidstrom but Ericsson and Kronwall will still be improving. I think the Hawks still have plenty of places to improve and may pass the Wings, but I dont think the Wings are going to drop down too much in the near future

Wings will probably lose Samuelson this off-season. Unless he takes way below market value. The longer Hossa takes to resign, the more I think he may not be resigned also. Besides that most of the top tier Wings will probably be there for life. Hossa also makes 7 mill. So if he leaves the money will be there to replace him with close to same value.(maybe Gaborik will do the one year win a cup deal) Lidstrom will probably be the next to go...he also makes 7 million. They have young defencemen and also will be able to sign a top tier FA when Lidstrom does retire. Unless some players have a huge drop off, the Wings will probably be a top tier team for at least 5 more years.

they can do whatever they want to make the schedule more equatable. The southern/western teams would still have an advantage. Without looking it up I would imagine that most recruiting is predominately regional(yes I understand there are exceptions, but I would bet that a large majority of players are going to schools in their region of the country). Younger players in the south and west have much more time for practice and games. My nephew who lives in California is just about done with his spring season(about 20 games). They are going to take a little over a month off for vacations and stuff and than have a fall season(another 20 games). My kids are just starting their only season(18 games) and it will be over by early July so families can have time for summer vacations. Needless to say, all this extra time playing and developing when they are youngsters will only lead to a much larger talent pool to chose from when they are HS seniors. I think this is also why the SEC, Southern Cal and southern Big 12 teams seem to dominate College FB.