OT- Wings sign Bert
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=288074
it's official. I for one feel he can still contribute. He adds some grit, and he can burry the occassional goal. He'll be a solid 3rd liner this year.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:43 PM ^
I don't like this.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:47 PM ^
he should at least be a premier talent. I don't like it either, and wouldn't even if he was still in his prime.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:13 PM ^
I'll confirm the "ugh." This is just frustrating.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:48 PM ^
this is not a good move what so ever. he has not been the same player since the "incident".
August 18th, 2009 at 1:50 PM ^
like it.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:54 PM ^
Do.Not.LIKE.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:00 PM ^
is amazing.
It fits both in this thread and on this board. +1
August 18th, 2009 at 1:58 PM ^
I'm going to try to be positive, even though I'm not in favor of this move.
He'll eat up minutes on the 3rd line-- maybe Bert, Helm and Leino can be a good unit. And he can be a net presence on the second power play unit. But Johan Franzen he is not. Hopefully Babcock can inspire him to play hard every night
August 18th, 2009 at 2:37 PM ^
Wasnt he prone to headaches?
August 18th, 2009 at 2:07 PM ^
IF he's healthy, he can really help in the playoffs. It's not like they're paying him a ton. Even still, the health aspect is a big "if" in this case.
Douchebag or not, an NHL contender is going to do what it takes to win in the playoffs, even the Red Wings and Ken Holland. I can live with that.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:28 PM ^
that is all...
August 18th, 2009 at 2:35 PM ^
Better than Maltby. Can't be worse than Maltby.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:24 PM ^
At least he has better skills than McCarty as well. Certainly more of a goon, but with more scoring ability.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:20 PM ^
Don't make Bertuzzi angry. You won't like him when he's angry.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:44 PM ^
It seems like ever since the incident, Bertuzzi has just bounced around each year. Teams must see him as a liability on the ice or a problem in the locker room. That being said, he will provide the wings with a physical presence on the ice that only kronwall and stuart seem to possess.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:12 PM ^
Bertuzzi shouldn't be in the NHL. Period.
August 18th, 2009 at 5:37 PM ^
him. Rather have Sean Avery
August 18th, 2009 at 6:02 PM ^
I do not understand the dislike of Bertuzzi. The guy is a very skilled big man. He plays physical and will help us win.
I get he was a goon a with that incident, but what has he done negatively since then?
Bertuzzi is a positive acquisition for the Wings and will solidify a productive 3rd line that can score and grind an opposing team down. Plus, he adds much needed veteran depth (that can still 'play') on the lower lines. I'd like to see him line up with Helm and Leino, or Filppula.
To me, this may not be a popular choice, but a good pick-up for a short term commitment.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:04 PM ^
Agreed. Red Wings fans are delusional if they think the team is physical enough. Look at our biggest challenges last year:
1.) Anaheim
2.) Pittsburgh
Other than a few Russians, both of those teams are full of big North American bruisers. Adding a guy like Bertuzzi, while not the ideal hard-nosed forward, is still a plus for a team that's barely tougher than the Washington Capitals. I'm glad it's only for one year, but in my opinion it's still a good signing.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:33 PM ^
They won a Cup then went to Game 7 the next year. I know of plenty of "tough" teams that didn't go nearly that far.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:14 PM ^
But I'm always looking to improve. The Wings have an amazing system, and their play-making ability is second to none. But they CAN get better in my opinion if they played more physical.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:45 AM ^
this is my least favorite meme of all time.
"TEH WINGS DONT FIGHT DEY RNT TUFFFFFFF!!!1!!!1"
Check the scoreboard. who led the playoffs in hits? Darren Helm. The Wings ARE tough, they don't take stupid penalties and they don't fight. If you want the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks you're going to be on the golf course a lot sooner than the Wings have been in the past five years. Give me guys like Zetterberg, Franzen, Datsyuk, Kroner, Stuart any day over the bucket of douches that land in Calgary/Vancouver/Anaheim/et. al. You need the blend between physical and skill so many teams take one extreme or the other.
The Wings blend was just fine last year...They ran out of gas and no one made the big play in game 7. They were not out-physicaled to the cup. That is a giant bag of BS.
I'm incredibly happy with Ken Holland's design of this team, despite the Bertuzzi signing. I fully expect them to be back in the hunt this year. No one in the central has gotten drastically better.
August 20th, 2009 at 8:57 AM ^
I think you're missing the point. I don't want Burke to be our general manager. That's the ultra-physical extreme.
But at the same time, it was painful to watch Pittsburgh's 3rd line in the playoffs. Cooke - Staal - Kennedy just manhandled the Red Wings. I know it's painful, but go back and re-watch the finals. That line is the reason Pittsburgh won in my opinion. In addition to that, they had a high energy wrecking ball on their top two lines (Kunitz and Talbot) which really solidified their forecheck.
You can have all the talent in the world. Heck, look at the Capitals. Their forwards are very skilled players, but they just simply get muscled off the puck time and time again. I want the Wings to take a middle ground. I'd never even consider getting rid of Zetterburg, Franzen, Datsyuk, etc. But adding a big strong body to win puck battles, especially along the boards and to really help out with puck cycling would be one of my top priorities. Balance is the key, and right now I think Detroit could use some more toughness to get to the ideal position.
Also, I'm not sure how you can say no one in the Central has improved drastically. The cap situation in Chicago NEXT season will be a circus, but they have sure loaded up this year. They're going to be a heck of a team come the fall, and given the personnel losses for the Red Wings, I can easily see Chicago winning the division. In fact, I have the Red Wings 3rd at best this year behind Chicago and Anaheim, but what do I know right?
August 21st, 2009 at 1:47 AM ^
I think you underestimate the serious fall off in goalie play now that Khabibulin has bolted town. Their forwards have gotten a MAJOR upgrade. But their defense isn't now and hasn't any time recently been "shut down" they do not have the talent the wings have at the back end to protect a sub par goalie. Their defense is chock full of quality puck movers but not many shut down men. I think Brian Campbell is still the most laughable free agent signing in awhile...he is a poor excuse for a defenseman...he just happens to move the puck well and put up good numbers.
August 21st, 2009 at 4:07 PM ^
I would attribute the loss more to...
1.) Hossa not showing up...at all
2.) top scorer and best defensive forward missing the majority of the series..and surely not 100% when he came back
3.) no rest between rounds caught up to an older team that had a very short off season
4.) .......missed too many men penalty in game 3 (or game 4, cant recall)...JFOEOJOi(#*#&&@*(@....f-ing refs
August 21st, 2009 at 7:10 PM ^
pretty sure he was very injured.
August 21st, 2009 at 8:08 PM ^
You should really give credit where credit is due. The Penguins won because they played fantastic and with heart, not because the Red Wings sucked.
And if you really want to go into injuries, how about Gonchar playing with a torn MCL. Talbot also recently had shoulder surgery, so something must have been wrong with him. By that point in the playoffs, everyone has injuries.
In regards to "missed calls", Zetterberg was 2/2 on his puck covering in the crease abilities. That should have been 2 penalty shots to Pittsburgh.
I still think adding a big bodied player who can win board battles would help a team like the Red Wings immensely. The Wings game plan is so focused around puck-control. Imagine what you could do with a powerful forward in your cycling game? You know, I don't think I'd want a guy like Jordan Staal on the Wings at 4 million/year (though he's only 20 years old), but he ran rampant behind our net in the finals. I'd love a guy to be able to do that, and right now I don't see a guy like that on the Wings.
That said, I think Helm is going to be a great addition in regards to physicality. In the mean time, it doesn't hurt in my opinion to pick up another bruiser with some offensive upside for a year. I mean, money doesn't do the team any good sitting in the bank.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:15 PM ^
Agreed.
And to add, not only what has he done since then, but what did he do before the Steve Moore Incident? Yes, he was a physical big man who put lots of pucks in the net, but aside from that single incident, he has never had a reputation for being a goon or a locker room cancer.
I'm 100% in favor of this move. About 1.5 mil is a solid amount to give him, considering that his ceiling is potentially very high given what he's done in the past.
With the one year deals they're signing these players to, I think the Wings front office knows a significant chunk of salary is going to come off the books next year. Bert, Eaves and Williams are all stop-gap acquisitions.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:27 AM ^
He is probably my least favorite player in the NHL and I will never root for him, but I have to say that he will be a very important player this year. He should be able to add a new physical dimension to this team to allow them to match up more favorably against the physical teams they will face down the road.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:39 AM ^
I've always been more of an Ernie fan.