Your Expectations

[Actual Thought*]

I see pretty much nothing but negativity and pessimism here so I thought it might be interesting to ask, What are your expectations from a sports franchise?

I support the Wings because they show a consistent commitment to winning and they show consistent competence in that pursuit. I know that they can't win the cup every year. I know that sometimes even President's Trophy teams lose in the 1st rd. I know that we can't sign every free agent that looks good on a stat sheet and that great players get old and retire. I know that even great teams have tough stretches and some nights they just don't have their legs. That's hockey.

I see a lot of angry posts about Holland and Babcock and I just find myself wondering. What could these people possibly expect?

Click to read more...

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Second round exit assuming we are top 3 in the division. Maybe conference finals. Our defensive unit is frankly not good enough to contend.

 

[edmundbenz]

Second round exit assuming we are top 3 in the division. Maybe conference finals. Our defensive unit is frankly not good enough to contend.

Conference finals if we are lucky.. Defense is getting there but still not close enough..

 

[ap3x]

Second round exit assuming we are top 3 in the division. Maybe conference finals. Our defensive unit is frankly not good enough to contend.

Yeah, same here. Unless we get an unexpected upgrade for the defense, that's what it's gonna be.

 

[Actual Thought*]

I am not asking where you think the team will finish this year. I know everyone here predicts failure. I want to know what you expect from a franchise overall.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

I love the Red Wings. Love. I'm a fanatic, I'm obsessed. And I love and appreciate that they've spoiled me with so much satisfaction over the years and as maybe being the best sports franchise since I was young. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore any flaws I see or act like everything is perfect.

 

[Claypool]

If completely healthy? Stanley Cup.

 

[Obe2kenobe]

I see pretty much nothing but negativity and pessimism here so I thought it might be interesting to ask, What are your expectations from a sports franchise?

I support the Wings because they show a consistent commitment to winning and they show consistent competence in that pursuit. I know that they can't win the cup every year. I know that sometimes even President's Trophy teams lose in the 1st rd. I know that we can't sign every free agent that looks good on a stat sheet and that great players get old and retire. I know that even great teams have tough stretches and some nights they just don't have their legs. That's hockey.

I see a lot of angry posts about Holland and Babcock and I just find myself wondering. What could these people possibly expect?

It's not all negativity and pessimism. Some are positive. I agree the wings show consistent commitment to winning. It's nice following a franchise that has a winning tradition. The cups they won in 97 & 98 made me a life long fan. It gave me chills watching Yzerman lifting the cup that first time in 97.
With that success I think we become spoiled thinking that every year we don't win, is a disappointment.
The angry posts aimed at Babcock and Holland are simply disappointed fans that don't agree with certain moves they make. They expect more success.
Unlike Lions fans. Who expect failure. Myself included.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

I am not asking where you think the team will finish this year. I know everyone here predicts failure. I want to know what you expect from a franchise overall.

From the franchise? I expect them to make moves to get the team a cup.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

That they put the best possible team that they can on the ice each night, that they have a realistic plan for building a team that can compete for a championship in the future and that they stick to that plan.

I am a huge fan of the Wings, but an even bigger fan of the game of hockey. I would be just as obsessed with them as I am if they were a complete gong show like Edmonton.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

a pro sports franchise sole preoccupation should be winning championships regardless of sport

so every move, every decision, every week, every year should be viewed through that lense

will you win it every year?... no
will you fail every so often?... yes

but i expect them to win because that is the only thing that matters in PRO sports.

 

[aar000n]

This team is good enough to win the Division 2nd round exit the main problem is managements refusal to ice the best version of this team ie clearys 9 games so far. A NHL ready d man who you could argue is better that 5/6 guys we ice on defence. This team could be better

 

[Winger98]

My expectations for a franchise changes from year to year and from situation to situation. With the Wings, I expected them to do what they repeatedly said they were going to do heading into the offseason - try to sign an upgrade, but also trust the kids. Then in camp they were supposedly going to let the best players win. They didn't come through on either count.

 

[Syckle78]

The red wings are the greatest franchise ever. They have the greatest owner GM, coach and players ever. They are literally infallible. Every decision is the correct decision, every plan the correct course of action. The only time the team struggles it's btw choice to give all lessers a chance at success.

 

[Flowah]

I expect it to be run with the foremost goal of winning it all.

I don't see that in some of the decisions made. I call it out. You see only negativity because you are primed for it. You take it personally when the team or parts of it are called out. You should learn to distance yourself.

Plenty of positives have been said about this team. Almost everyone loves the kids. Most people love our forward group. They're deep and they're fast. People harp on Howard's shootout performances but generally it is agreed he's a good goalie.

You just have to be objective. Just because you love Howard doesn't mean you can't admit he has sucked it up in the shootouts. Just because we love Zetterberg doesn't mean we can't say "yes, if you've only scored a single EN goal in 20 games that's a problem."

 

[WingedWheel1987]

1st or 2nd round exit. Defense is suspect and will show its true colors in the playoffs.

 

[jkutswings]

Can't say I disagree with the general sentiments here. Let's hope at least one deal happens to improve the team.

 

[8snake]

In the 1st round of the playoffs when facing a quality team with an aggressive forecheck this defense will be exposed, as it was against Boston. I see posts trying to spin our back end as adequate or even solid...we have absolutely no transition game and no consistent "first pass"d-men who can move the puck to our forwards with speed. Everything is a dump-in or the forwards generating short passes through the zone themselves. How do you contend with one good overall d-man (Kronwall), one budding defensive d-man with limited offensive upside and skill (DD), one decidedly mediocre d-man (Quincey), the most overrated prospect/player I can renember in several years (Smith) and a bunch of junk? You don't.

 

[opivy]

I expect the franchise to keep up their commitment to their players by providing them careers on and off the ice through life as well as getting a good team on the ice as much as possible, never tanking, never shortcutting and taking the best path to being what the Detroit Red Wings have build over the past century.

I also expect a whiney sniveling fan base that has no concept of anything other than winning because we've been spoiled, insane reactions when losing and gloating when winning. It's just what happens when you're successful, the chaff sticks and you have to go through some effort to shake it off.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Anywhere from 2nd seed to a wildcard is what I'm expecting. First or second round exit. Happy with anything more.

 

[Shaman464]

Pretty much what everyone else is saying: I expect them to make the playoffs, but to get bounced pretty quickly. The team lacks a lot of depth that is necessary to be a contender.

 

[ap3x]

I want to know what you expect from a franchise overall.

Holding a playoffs streak like the Wings do is an interesting extra, still it means nothing when you won't make something out of it. So, what I'm actually expecting from a franchise is that they have a long-term development plan to get their rooster in shape, including an outstanding prospects development like the Wings do, relying on the prospects as important parts of the competitive rooster and making the right complementary trades at the right time. GM and HC have to recognize strengths and weaknesses of their team in order to come to the right decisions, making their team the best possible contender. That involves the realisation process that it takes some time until your long-term development plan works out.

 

[Pavels Dog]

a pro sports franchise sole preoccupation should be winning championships regardless of sport

so every move, every decision, every week, every year should be viewed through that lense

will you win it every year?... no
will you fail every so often?... yes

but i expect them to win because that is the only thing that matters in PRO sports.

I think this is a very naive view that fails to understand that life and even sports is more complicated than that. The Illitches and Holland have made it a priority to build the organization on being good to their own, treating people well and signing/hiring good people. It doesn't mean every move is made with the sole purpose of winning, but it has worked when it comes to building long-term success and a team that is always competitive.

My expectation are that the Wings continue to do business this way. I would rather be in the playoffs 20 straight years without getting a cup than winning 1 cup and missing the playoffs for the 19 other years. I want a team and an organization to be proud of, not internet message board bragging rights.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

I think this is a very naive view that fails to understand that life and even sports is more complicated than that. The Illitches and Holland have made it a priority to build the organization on being good to their own, treating people well and signing/hiring good people. It doesn't mean every move is made with the sole purpose of winning, but it has worked when it comes to building long-term success and a team that is always competitive.

My expectation are that the Wings continue to do business this way. I would rather be in the playoffs 20 straight years without getting a cup than winning 1 cup and missing the playoffs for the 19 other years. I want a team and an organization to be proud of, not internet message board bragging rights.

Cup Wins are the best thing a fan can mention when it comes to bragging rights and Cup wins are the the most important metric in determining organizational success. You see the Sharks and their fans talking up their illustrious playoff history? Playoff appearances start to depreciate in value the longer you go without winning a cup.

Give me one cup every 20000 years over the Wings making the playoffs the next 2000 years.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Cup Wins are the best thing a fan can mention when it comes to bragging rights and Cup wins are the the most important metric in determining organizational success. You see the Sharks and their fans talking up their illustrious playoff history? Playoff appearances start to depreciate in value the longer you go without winning a cup.

Give me one cup every 20000 years over the Wings making the playoffs the next 2000 years.

Obviously one hopes for cup every now and then if you keep making the playoffs. But I think the "Cup or nothing" mentality is so.. I don't know, boring? Like..looking back at cup wins is nice, but I love watching a good team, and playoff hockey is amazing even if the team doesn't go all the way. Sports is entertainment first and foremost. The season is long and it's a lot more entertaining with a good team that you feel has a even a tiny chance to win it all, rather than a team like Buffalo/Edmonton that MAY result in a cup or two somewhere down the line. Constant playoff failures are rough, but when people talk as if only 4 of the last 23 Red Wings seasons are worth anything I wonder why you even bother watching the games? Just look at NHL.com in June to see if the season was good or not.