GDT: 2/12/17 - Wild vs. Red Wings - 2PM CT - NBC

[Engebretson]

With the way Parise and Poms are starting to play, #@$! the trade deadline. Feels like we got 2 new players for free.

Add in Brodin coming back soon too

 

[BigT2002]

Before he bought the team the DRW were the worst of the original six. Howe was long gone, and with a bad taste in his mouth, as he was treated shabbily by the management. Mahovlich was traded, they made a series of bad moves, and were known as penny pinching cheapskates.

Ilitch came in and overspent on players, getting aging but still effective players such as Salming and Sittler to start, as well as the Red Army Russians once they were finally allowed to leave the country. He also hired excellent managers and coaches( I.e.Bowman). Basically, he made a commitment to excellence, and put money on the table to make it so, in contrast to the other sad sack team of the 70 and 80's, the Leafs.

You're also forgetting tapping into Sweden. The entire team was basically made up of 3 countries.

 

[57special]

You're also forgetting tapping into Sweden. The entire team was basically made up of 3 countries.

I mentioned Salming, the original great Swede( apologies to Hedberg and Nilsson). The Swedes came a bit later, I think, when the Wings were already on their way.

You can't forget Ilitch shelling out money for Chelios, Bowman, Shanahan, etc..Probert was an epic goon who actually had some good hands, and Kocur added some flavour to the mix.

Basically, the guy invested in the Wings, and spent smartly.

 

[BigT2002]

I mentioned Salming, the original great Swede( apologies to Hedberg and Nilsson). The Swedes came a bit later, I think, when the Wings were already on their way.

You can't forget Ilitch shelling out money for Chelios, Bowman, Shanahan, etc..Probert was an epic goon who actually had some good hands, and Kocur added some flavour to the mix.

Basically, the guy invested in the Wings, and spent smartly.

Lidstrom was drafted in 89. The Russians came at the same time. Which btw, this is just stupid for a late 1989 draft picks That 3rd and 4th round pick panned out well didn't it?

1989 1 11 Mike Sillinger
1989 2 32 Bob Boughner
1989 6 116 Dallas Drake
1989 4 74 Sergei Fedorov
1989 11 221 Vladimir Konstantinov
1989 3 53 Nicklas Lidstrom

 

[MuckOG]

Lidstrom was drafted in 89. The Russians came at the same time. Which btw, this is just stupid for a late 1989 draft picks

1989 1 11 Mike Sillinger
1989 2 32 Bob Boughner
1989 6 116 Dallas Drake
1989 4 74 Sergei Fedorov
1989 11 221 Vladimir Konstantinov
1989 3 53 Nicklas Lidstrom

Not really. The Soviet Union was still around then and the "Steel Curtain" prevented players (and citizens) from leaving.. Teams were hesitant to spend high draft picks for players that weren't allowed to come over. If you recall, Fedorov needed to defect in order to play for the Red Wings.

 

[BigT2002]

Not really. The Soviet Union was still around then and the "Steel Curtain" prevented players (and citizens) from leaving.. Teams were hesitant to spend high draft picks for players that weren't allowed to come over. If you recall, Fedorov needed to defect in order to play for the Red Wings.

Ya I know I lived there when they all came over to play in the NHL. They had huge news reports on all the players coming over to play in Detroit. But at that time, what did Detroit have to lose? They had Stevie Y but that was not a championship caliber team at that time in most Wings fans eyes. It was incredible and the excitement that was there when #91 showed up was uncanny. To this day was probably the most skilled forward they had outside of Stevie Y. And that is saying a lot. Really wish he would have stayed.

 

[Wabit]

Not really. The Soviet Union was still around then and the "Steel Curtain" prevented players (and citizens) from leaving.. Teams were hesitant to spend high draft picks for players that weren't allowed to come over. If you recall, Fedorov needed to defect in order to play for the Red Wings.

It wasn't exactly easy to scout Soviet players. No interwebs, travel to USSR/Russia was highly discouraged (going to prison for spying was a risk), even after the USSR broke up relations weren't good.

Think of all the Cuban baseball players that defect or are smuggled out of Cuba. The USSR was much harder to get out of.

 

[InGusWeTrust]

Before he bought the team the DRW were the worst of the original six. Howe was long gone, and with a bad taste in his mouth, as he was treated shabbily by the management. Mahovlich was traded, they made a series of bad moves, and were known as penny pinching cheapskates.

Ilitch came in and overspent on players, getting aging but still effective players such as Salming and Sittler to start, as well as the Red Army Russians once they were finally allowed to leave the country. He also hired excellent managers and coaches( I.e.Bowman). Basically, he made a commitment to excellence, and put money on the table to make it so, in contrast to the other sad sack team of the 70 and 80's, the Leafs.

Not to mention the "Little Caesers Hockey Association"..I think it's like the biggest youth hockey association in the country. Larkin, Werenski, Modano, Ryan, a ton of players come here to play. Youth hockey here is huge and a lot of it has to do with the Illitch family and how much success the Red Wings have had the last 26 years.

And Nyquist should get the worst of the book. Absolutely terrible.