This team is pathetic this an epic collapse. These players should be ashamed of being up 10 points and letting all these teams back into it. The biggest things missing are pride and hardwork as they are easily outplayed by all. The coaches are terrible as if you cannot gear up your team to win or at least lose with pride when you are in a playoff position is beyond disgusting Yzerman needs to get a set of balls and fire Lalonde. Do you believe if Gallant was coach of this team we would be seeing such a pathetic performance. The players just don’t care.
- saintdog19

This will be a summer write up. They now make coaches crawl for players in so many organizations. How many teams are going to step up with a coach who is scared to say “boo”?

I can’t argue with you. He was choked up in Chicago. If he wants to keep playing and be near the current family may just go back if Detroit can’t do more. Seeing Raymond scuffling (I think he had 3 points last night) is a good sign. You need to at least show up. MC, I’m sure you saw some locker room scuffles at some point or another. For some reason athletes can tangle up and then be friends later.
- Jeremy Laura

It's interesting to see the quiet guys cap off. Seen several instances of the most seemingly meek/quiet dude unleash. It's motivating but more than anything it shows committment to the common goal; there's no contract (yet, at the amateur levels of rugby), no sports interviews, blah blah. It's all about HEART. And, yeah, sometimes hands were thrown when someone was called out. Numerous times. Funny thing is, we played like someone lit a fire under our butts. It was borne out of respect and committment, ownership.

Just doesn't seem like there's any accountability or ownership on the team right now. It feels like everyone's content to go down with the ship. Thing that burns my britches is that we're a better team than that. Painful to see. Someone needs to stand up, many folks have said that here already.

I completely understand that y'all are frustrated with the recent play, but you're right there with Washington, TB and NYI, with games left against each one of those teams.

Have a little faith guys!! There's still a chance.
- Chunk

You're spot on, my friend. That's what's got us all in our respective rage places. This team is MUCH better than the past 6 games, we all know it. Seems like the lads have forgotten it. This IS a damn good team, best we've iced in probably close to 10 years. Anything can happen, for sure. Leaders have got be 2 things: creative in motivation, and able to foresee weaknesses that must be fixed before failure. I think that leadership ability is grossly lacking.

I'm hoping the guys learn how to pace their play so they peak right around the TDL. Not saying to lay off until then. Rather, play at a sustained pace to win effectively without exhausting their play and showing their hands when it comes to schemes, etc.... Having a rough patch mid-season is one thing. Have TWO rough patches, the second being in the homestretch is not winning hockey, or baseball, or rugby....hell, even combat is sustained decimation of one's enemy. Demoralizing them and breaking what the enemy holds dear. We don't have that killer instinct right now. Gotta be brutal, but it feels like that's missing.

I'm a DIE-HARD Wing fan. I KNOW this is a vetter team. I know they can right the ship. But do THEY know that? If not, who's going to tell them? Someone has to take charge.....

So, to my point about blowing up, etc... Chiarot & Raymond got into it at practicr today. GOOD! That sgows ownership. Glad to see that happening. Shows those guys give a crap and are fed up with sub-standard play. Now, let's see how it goes tomorrow night......

Teams that consistently allow the opposition to dictate play at even strength can be susceptible to these outcomes once their skill can't overcome the mismatch in controlling play. This isn't a new process for DET. Been like this all year. This was always the risk and a player like Kane highlights that playing style.

So, to my point about blowing up, etc... Chiarot & Raymond got into it at practicr today. GOOD! That sgows ownership. Glad to see that happening. Shows those guys give a crap and are fed up with sub-standard play. Now, let's see how it goes tomorrow night......
- mcmastermike1968

But maybe that will only result in that the two of them refuse to assist each other on a goal......ever!

A point I made on the last post was that Detroit is not quite built to win at this time of year. Winning in the fall is easier. Winning in January and February, up to the trade deadline is easier. Post trade deadline, the season changes...a lot. It's playoff hockey. Teams are fighting for seeding, teams are fighting for a spot, and players are playing for contracts. Players don't take shifts off.

I think Detroit to a step forward and did a much better job of winning during the easier parts of the season, but they are not built to win in the final 15 games of the season, or the playoffs. I think the success they had during the easier parts of the season created hope that they could make a run, me included. It put Yzerman in a tough position. He had players he could have traded for picks and prospects, but he couldn't blow up the team when they were in a wildcard spot. I'm certain some of the players signed last year were signed to buy assets at the deadline. He wasn't able to do that. I suspect he knew they weren't going to have success this time of year, but there was no way he could have blown up the team at the deadline.

To be successful this time of year, they need a world class goalie. They don't have one, yet. They will in a few years, and a few years after that, potentially have a second. I think they'll be better next year, but they are a few years away from winning at this part of the season.

But maybe that will only result in that the two of them refuse to assist each other on a goal......ever!

- HenryHockey

Yikes... I didn't think of that. I truly hope that DOESN'T ahppen, but you could be correct in that now those 2 not only could turn against each other, but also drag the team further into the swamp.... Good catch. Fingers crossed that doesn't come to fruition, though!

A point I made on the last post was that Detroit is not quite built to win at this time of year. Winning in the fall is easier. Winning in January and February, up to the trade deadline is easier. Post trade deadline, the season changes...a lot. It's playoff hockey. Teams are fighting for seeding, teams are fighting for a spot, and players are playing for contracts. Players don't take shifts off.

I think Detroit to a step forward and did a much better job of winning during the easier parts of the season, but they are not built to win in the final 15 games of the season, or the playoffs. I think the success they had during the easier parts of the season created hope that they could make a run, me included. It put Yzerman in a tough position. He had players he could have traded for picks and prospects, but he couldn't blow up the team when they were in a wildcard spot. I'm certain some of the players signed last year were signed to buy assets at the deadline. He wasn't able to do that. I suspect he knew they weren't going to have success this time of year, but there was no way he could have blown up the team at the deadline.

To be successful this time of year, they need a world class goalie. They don't have one, yet. They will in a few years, and a few years after that, potentially have a second. I think they'll be better next year, but they are a few years away from winning at this part of the season.
- bluelineenforcer

If ANYONE ever wants to encapsulate this season, I'm going to refer them to THIS POST . Completely nailed it. Like you, I was sold on the evolutionary play, and over-bought into the product on the screen without looking behind the curtain.....

I don't think anyone was sold on a deep SCPO run, by any means. But many/most of us were sold on at least a berth... If nothing else, I'd think the glowing areas of concern re-asserted themselves for leadership to get after either via draft or UFA. That being said, the G market is looking to have some decent adds as long as we lose Husso (still "week-to-week".... I TRULY hope he's ok, he's a good personality, just needs to re-define his game), maybe get Reimer off to a different team (he's done "OK" for us, nothing spectacular by any means), and get someone to help out Lyon....

Lyon's played more games this season than in his career, an longer into the season than in his career. He's not got the muscle-memory to play this much hockey, I think. You know what I mean; think training rotations (National Training Center, if you were Army and did that rotation before deploying early on....etc...) for the military: Every deployment was preceded by some sort of training rotation design to enhance the skills required for the unit's particular mission. We took Artillerymen and made the Military Police - NOT an organic skill-set, so we trained heck outta them to get ready for the rigours of the mission. The point is repetition; Lyon's not had the reps to play this deep into a season. Could come back a better G next year having gone through this season, who knows. I'd like to think he will.....