Snoop

...will Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg finally get the due respect they deserve in Detroit? It seems there are lesser Detroit-area athletes ahead of these two great players on the city's sports totem pole.

I'm trying to find some ideas to spoil the heck out of my NEW BABY! :) She was born a little over two weeks ago (back on May 23). She is healthy and strong!

There are rumblings that assumed number one NHL draft pick John Tavares wants no part of Long Island if the Isles select him. If true, does this attitude make Tavares the new Eric Lindros?

Let's say for a moment Santa Claus has replaced Gary Bettman as the NHL's czar. The Jolly One has granted you one Christmas wish for your favorite NHL squad: the return of a great player from your team's past, in their prime. Who would you pick?

Sometime before the 1993-94 season, the Devils were one of those teams defined by a lack of a franchise standout (sorry folks, Bruce Driver and Ken Daneyko did not really count at that point, and the Scotts, Niedermayer and Stevens were just getting started). That all changed when Martin Brodeur manned the pipes, and to this day, remains the best goalie of his generation. However, before Brodeur, who was New Jersey's greatest netminder?

With an ex-coach questioning if he should even be in the NHL this season, sub-par numbers, and not living up to a bloated marketing campaign, Tampa's Steven Stamkos has had a rough go at it to start the 2008-09 season. However, which rookie in recent memory has had to go through worse (bad luck, injuries, etc.) than Stamkos?

Joe Sakic was out with injury last night for Colorado's contest against Vancouver. At 39 years young, the Avs captain is dealing with a bad back that will almost certainly leave him with the painful option of ending his Hall Of Fame career. That being said, has Sakic led one of the most underrated NHL careers?

Let's get one important detail clear here: Steve Yzerman was an outstanding player. The man could skate and score with the best of them, and late in his career, play the skilled defensive forward role with gusto. I respect any player willing to sacrifice statistical glory for the good of his/her team. However (and I apologize for rankling any Red Wings fans, especially the ones I have befriended the past two years), am I the only one who feels Yzerman's legacy has been a little exaggerated by the hockey press (Red Wings fans get a pass for obvious reasons, mostly because they saw the man play and are due a little blind loyalty)? I mean, is Yzerman that great of a captain if he played for Winnipeg, Florida, or Atlanta? More to the point, was Yzerman the great captain everyone says he was, or was he merely a good on/off ice leader?

More to the point, is Phillips perhaps the most average number one overall pick in league history? There have been some stinkers to be sure (Patrik Stefan and Alexandre Daigle quickly come to mind), while the jury's still out on the last five drafts. However, does anything really stand out in Phillips' skill set? Has he met or exceeded expectations?

With nearly a decade in the NHL, the timing is right to determine the greatest players from the Thrashers and Predators. Who would they be?

Baseball seems to be the only sport that celebrates great broadcasters from the past. The late Jack Buck, Harry Carey, Bob Prince, et al are often referenced in baseball talk when broadcasters come up. However, in hockey, people rarely talk about the subjects in this question, yet those three men are considered the gold standard in NHL broadcasting. Why is that, and what can we do as hockey fans to educate younger rooters about these legendary broadcasters?

These five NHL players share a common bond with one another (aside from being very good players in said league)...what is that common bond?

When the league went a little nuts at the beginning of the 1990s and decided to hoard expansion money like nobody's business, there were five additions to the NHL roster (San Jose, Tampa Bay, Ottawa, Florida, and Anaheim). Among those teams, which franchise has been the most successful (taking into account records, franchise players developed, playoff appearances, etc.)?

Maybe you have the day off to watch Ghostbusters, munch on some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and don your scream mask. Before you do that, what players and events in the NHL's long history qualify as the scariest?

While my fandom began when I was a small child, I was curious as to the best age to teach a child about the great game of hockey.

I need ideas for baby names, because I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!!! By the way, today is a cameo appearance here on Y! Hockey. :)

After nearly two years of fun, laughs, tears, and insight, I have decided to move on and leave this forum. My life has been a ball of chaos the past several months, with sadness and personal problems (family and relationships with friends) that really need to be worked on in order to maintain a proper balance in my world.

As I have always maintained, I have made some wonderful friends here, and I will never forget that. I will never forget the outstanding hockey discussions, and of course, the overwhelming support I received in the wake of my grandfather's death three months ago.

Personally, I would like to thank all the regulars here (and there are so many of you...don't feel slighted if I left your names out) for making me feel at home. I would also like to thank those who are not regulars, but maintain a good rapport with the group. I will miss each and every one of you all.

Please do not be a stranger and email me whenever you can. Of course, like a certain Hall Of Fame center I idolized for so long, I will never close the door on a possible return. ;)

Hockey question: which is a proper way for a hockey player to say goodbye: press conference or simple press release?

After reading an article regarding Brendan Shanahan and his return to the New York Rangers, I was wondering this premise: after Shanahan, how many players are left in the NHL who began their careers in the 1980s?

Maybe it's the heat and humidity getting to me, but does it seem as though one hears more about Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, and Dion Phanuef more than Detroit's Nick Lidstrom? In fact, before the lockout in 2004, other defensemen were mentioned more often than the Red Wings' captain. After all he has accomplished during his future Hall Of Fame career, is Lidstrom somehow underrated?

Two schools of thought prevail as hockey fans reflect upon the 20th anniversary of the Wayne Gretzky trade: the fact that a superstar of The Great One's magnitude was traded to begin with, and Gretzky would have certainly been a one-team superstar if Peter Plockington wasn't such a cheapskate. To that end, when the three aforementioned players retire, will the concept of the one-team superstar leave with team?