My first trip into Grand Rapids was in 1986 to watch the NCAA division 3 basketball finals. I liked it then, I like it now.
I've traveled the UP, been to SSM, crossed over the Mackinac and dropped down I-75 to I-80 back and forth many times. I'm O.K. with the upper portion of the mitten and the UP. Nice country up there.
I'd like to play in front of a packed house with a historic track record. Offseason is the time for partying if I am an athlete, so who cares about the beaches. I like cold more anyway.
Florida looks like it will be the better team, in the future, but Detroit is the better organization and probably won't take long to rebuild.
Wont be much of a rebuild at all. The wave is about to hit. Smith/Nyquist/Tatar are all ready. Then within the next three years you get a second wave featuring Jarnkrok, Ouellet, Sproul, and Jurco.
I'm not saying all are guaranteed to be good, but even if only half of them pan out, Detroit's looking pretty set.
Florida has some good prospects no doubt, it's just their ability to resign what players they have that would make me hesitate to call them a better team in the future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thanatos
My first trip into Grand Rapids was in 1986 to watch the NCAA division 3 basketball finals. I liked it then, I like it now.
I've traveled the UP, been to SSM, crossed over the Mackinac and dropped down I-75 to I-80 back and forth many times. I'm O.K. with the upper portion of the mitten and the UP. Nice country up there.
I've lived here my whole life and have been in Northern Indiana for college for the last two and a half years. I don't handle the cold weather well, physically or mentally, but I figure when I graduate and begin the job search, I'd still like to live near family and friends.
That said, Michigan is not an option for me, that being a primary reason I referred to Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor exclusively. There's nothing going on in the vast majority of that state. The economy sucks, it's very difficult to find good employment, and housing costs are a premium in any decent city. Unfortunately, the state is so hopelessly screwed that it's gonna take a long time to undo all that's been done.
But with that said, if I'm a hockey player making $550,000 minimum, I'd pick Detroit simply because I'm taking my favorite team all day.
Detroit. Many players have chosen a warmer climate with sun and fun only to find out they're miserable as hockey players and the game isn't as fun as they thought it would be. Therefore, I choose going to a place I know is all about hockey and bettering myself as a hockey player.
Don't just factor in the teams or players. Think of yourself as a young man who was just offered a 5-8 year contract to either if these teams. Also assume that you would be buying a home in this city.
Detroit
- hockeytown
- original six
- greats have played there
- play with Datsyuk and Zetterberg - Detroit is a city rampant with crime
- cold winters
- right beside a very polluted lake
- not a desirable living place for a millionaire
Florida
- what's hockey?
- newer team with little history
- no legendary greats, except Bure I suppose
- no superstar talent to play beside as of now
- close to Miami, good times there
- very warm, relaxing climate
- a drive to the ocean
- beach = hot chicks in bikinis
1) Everyone knows Detroit proper is a craphole. Everyone also knows that none of the professional athletes would ever consider living there.
2) Many of the suburbs north of Miami are spectacularly crime-ridden and dangerous.
I play for Detroit- tbh I'll only live there during the season, and half of that time I'll be on the road in a hotel anyways. I'd get a nice condo in DET and buy a beach house in Miami for the offseason if I wanted.
No offense to Miami, but anyone who is thinking about their career vs. their personal comfort even a little bit here goes for DET.
'What's hockey?' is an understatement in Miami. And tbh the poor guys from Canada would probably go up in flames living there. Florida isn't just hot it's so humid
Florida would be better to live in and they're getting better. Detroit is on the decline. I think their playoff run will come to an end soon. They don't really have the players coming up that they used to. I know this has been said in the past but I just don't see much from Detroits youngsters as I do with Floridas. Florida easily.
Florida would be better to live in and they're getting better. Detroit is on the decline. I think their playoff run will come to an end soon. They don't really have the players coming up that they used to. I know this has been said in the past but I just don't see much from Detroits youngsters as I do with Floridas. Florida easily.
I remember that time Jurco outscored Huberdeau in the playoffs...
Somebody hasn't been paying attention to Detroit's drafting and development in the last few years...
I remember when Huberdeau is much better than Jurco...
Somebody hasn't been paying attention to hockey if they think otherwise.
Which is just great, but if Jurco can hang with him statistically, apparently their prospect pool isn't flaming out like you claim it is.
And hell, Jurco's one of the lesser guys. Detroit's expecting much more from Nyquist and Jarnkrok, but maybe you haven't been paying attention to hockey enough to know that...
Which is just great, but if Jurco can hang with him statistically, apparently their prospect pool isn't flaming out like you claim it is.
And hell, Jurco's one of the lesser guys. Detroit's expecting much more from Nyquist and Jarnkrok, but maybe you haven't been paying attention to hockey enough to know that...
I highly doubt Jurco will be half the player Huberdeau is. Stop being a homer. Huberdeau is better than all 3 of those guys. Easily.
Perhaps you could make use of basic reading skills and point out where I said any of them would be better than Huberdeau.
The point was, quite clearly, that your claim that Detroit isn't putting out high-talent players anymore is bull ****.
Perhaps you could make use of basic reading skills because what I said isn't what you're claiming I said.
I said I don't think Detroits youngsters will be as good as the players they have now (Datsyuk, Zetterberg) which is true, I just don't see the star quality of those players in them.
I then went on to say I don't think Detroits youngsters are as good as Floridas youngsters. Also true.
Perhaps you could make use of basic reading skills because what I said isn't what you're claiming I said.
I said I don't think Detroits youngsters will be as good as the players they have now (Datsyuk, Zetterberg) which is true, I just don't see the star quality of those players in them.
I then went on to say I don't think Detroits youngsters are as good as Floridas youngsters. Also true.
Right, and because they aren't producing superstars (And that's still questionable for a few guys) they're going to fall out of the playoffs.
Probably nobody will end up better than Huberdeau in Detroit's pool. Aside from Huberdeau I'd take Nyquist and Jarnkrok over anybody Florida has. (Bjugstad might be close, too early to tell)
And please God cut the "true" crap after saying "I think". You clearly point out it's your opinion and then try to pass it off as truth.
Yeah you're right, Wings. Detroit is superior in every way to every team,
Good working making claims, failing to back them up, and then getting pissed because somebody called them out.
You started out claiming that Detroit's playoff streak would soon end (Which I can only assume is an absolute truth on account of the fact that it's your opinion) because their prospects aren't that great anymore. (Hint, nobody thought Datsyuk or Zetterberg would be superstars when they hit the league)
Then when I pointed out that somebody outscored Huberdeau in the playoffs, you proceeded to run him down, even though the point was being made that Detroit does still have high-potential prospects.
Then, when I started naming names, you tried to counter by bringing up a guy with quite a decent amount of NHL experience and a goaltending prospect, which means nothing considering Detroit already has a good goaltender in the NHL, and another in the AHL who's currently outperforming Markstrom.
Good working making claims, failing to back them up, and then getting pissed because somebody called them out.
You started out claiming that Detroit's playoff streak would soon end (Which I can only assume is an absolute truth on account of the fact that it's your opinion) because their prospects aren't that great anymore. (Hint, nobody thought Datsyuk or Zetterberg would be superstars when they hit the league)
Then when I pointed out that somebody outscored Huberdeau in the playoffs, you proceeded to run him down, even though the point was being made that Detroit does still have high-potential prospects.
Then, when I started naming names, you tried to counter by bringing up a guy with quite a decent amount of NHL experience and a goaltending prospect, which means nothing considering Detroit already has a good goaltender in the NHL, and another in the AHL who's currently outperforming Markstrom.
In all seriousness, I respect what Detroit has been able to do over the past decade and a half. A teams luck can only run so far before players just don't pan out the way they hoped. Can these players be good? Absolutely, but I just don't see these players being able to carry the team. It severely hurt Detroit not getting any FAs this year and unless they are able to get some next year it will hurt even more. I just think (yes, my opinion, along with many others) that Huberdeau is going to be a stud. Detroit also has some really good teams in their division to contend with in the coming years. This, of course, depends on any realignment that may happen.
The thing is, is Zetterberg has already started to slow down a little bit and it's not like these players are going into a situation like Datsyuk and Zetterberg did. They went into stacked Detroit teams and learned how to win from the best. With these players coming in in the next few years, Detroit won't be that top team anymore and they may not learn the way those 2 players did (along with Lidstrom)
We'll see how they do, but it is of MY opinion, they they're going to struggle in the next few years and Florida is going to get better. I can't see the future, of course, but they just don't seem to have the same swagger?(for lack of a better word) than they used to.
