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Detroit Red Wings



Team Overview: Detroit can easily be considered one of the best teams in the game due to a dynamic offense which includes the likes of Steve Yzerman, Dino Ciccarelli and Sergei Fedorov who can always keep a user in a game. Couple this with a solid defense and average goaltender, Detroit can make inexperienced users dangerous and a masterful player deadly.

Forwards: Most teams are lucky to have one definitive top guy and a couple of nice supporting pieces. Not Detroit though, their top 3 forwards are among the top 25 in the game, with Yzerman and Ciccarelli being in the top 10. The unit can do it all, skate, score, pass, check, deke, and so on, this is an elite trio.

The Greatest Show on Ice:

Ciccarelli-Yzerman-Fedorov

Dino Ciccarelli: 5 weight, 5/4 skating, 5/5 shot, 5 sth, 4 pass, 4/2 aware, Shoots: R

Typically the top shooter goes into the middle for one timing reasons, Yzerman takes the cake there. Ciccarelli is the ultimate dead eye possessing a rare right handed 5/5 shot, combine this with 5/4 skating, 5 stick handling, 4 passing, and 5 weight and it becomes obvious why he is a top 10 forward. Ciccarelli is deadly carrying the puck up the ice because he is a slick moving check absorbing machine, then when in the offensive zone, he can release a laser beam at the net or set up a one timer. The only weakness Ciccarelli has is his 4 off awareness, when playing center he doesn't set up as well as some other guys in the league and he tends to miss the net a bit more often than other 5 accuracy guys, I suspect it may have to do with his awareness.

Steve Yzerman: 6 weight, 6/5 skating, 4/5 shot, 5 sth & pass, 6/4 aware, Shoots: R

After Roenick, Yzerman is in the discussion along with Bure, Selanne, and Mogilny for the second best player in the game. If you ask me, Yzerman is the second best, with 6/5 speed and 6 weight, Yzerman is equally adept at destroying a team 1 on 1 as he is at sniping one-timers all day long because of his 6 off awareness and 4/5 right handed shot. Add in 5 passing and stick handling, Yzerman has no problems being able to facilitate the offense to other members of the team when he is converged upon. Yzerman is also incredible on defense thanks to his speed and light weight, he can really cause havoc on the fore check on a heavier team and play lock down defense in his own zone

Sergei Fedorov: 7 weight, 5/4 skating, 4/4 shot, 5 sth & pass, 4/4 aware, Shoots: L

When Sergei Fedorov is the worst forward on a line, that line is truly special. Fedorov is great at setting up one timers, with 5 passing, 5 stick handling, and 5/4 skating Fedorov can dance around in tight spaces and send darts all over the ice to set up his teammates for easy opportunities. Fedorov's shot also needs respect, with a 4/4 left handed shot; he can easily score on his own one-timer chances as well as slap and float the puck with consistency. The only issue with Fedorov is that he is a middleweight coming in at a 7, this obviously isn't crippling, but it does limit his effectiveness on defense when playing a very light team.

This is such a dirty line, it can adapt to any play style on offense, it can cause havoc on the fore check and provide a devastating back check. All 3 are plus skaters (better than 4/4), all 3 can pass, all 3 can utilize the half slap to catch goalies off guard, and the list goes on and on. I love the Los Angeles line of Gretzky-Sandstrom-Robitaille, but this line trumps that one.

This is the one occasion where another line suggestion isn't necessary because this is a line that should be used 99% of the time, so here is a list of useful substitutes for just in case situations.

Dallas Drake: 4 weight, 4/4 skating, 3/3 shooting, 3 sth, 3 pass, 3 o aware, Shoots: Left

Are you facing a light weight team that keeps knocking your guys on their ass (especially Fedorov)? Then this is the guy to take over on the right wing, at 4 weight Drake can withstand almost any open ice body check and he can really lay the lumber on the other team. He is great in on the fore check or even in his own zone due to his 4 d awareness. Where Drake will hurt the team though is on offense, he is merely average and doesn't put away many of his chances. But with Ciccarelli and Yzerman, there should be enough fire power anyway.

Paul Ysebaert: 7 weight, 4/4 skating, 3/4 shot, 4 sth, 4 pass, 4/4 awareness, Shoots: Left

If an injury arises and an offensive option is needed, then Ysebaert is the best option available. Ysebaert has been used successfully in several GDL leagues thanks to Vocally Caged, he seems to always get the most out of this guy and turn him into a legitimate weapon. Think of Paul as a juiced up version of John Cullen, he will not be out of place at all on a line with any of the 2 of the big 3.

Slava Kozlov: 5 weight, 4/3 skating, 3/3 shot, 3 sth, 3 pass, 2/2 aware, Shoots: Left

Aside from the awareness, Kozlov is a lightweight with average skill; he always seems to get picked up in GDL drafts and is typically a solid bench option, keep him in mind if penalties and injuries arise.

Forward Rating: (10/10)

Defense: Although not as amazing as the forwards, the defense is still very respectable with the likes of Niklas Lidstrom, Yves Racine, Vlad Konstantinov, Mark Howe and Paul Coffey. Any combination of these 5 players should help minimize the chances given up and also give a little offensive flare, as if this team needed anymore.

Lidstrom-Konstantinov

Nick Lidstrom: 5 weight, 4/3 skating, 4/1 shot, 4 sth & pass, 3/4 aware, Shoots: L

In the discussion for a top 5 defender, Lidstrom brings a lot to the table for a team that likes to push the pace on offense. Lidstrom's most coveted asset is his 5 weight, which makes him the second lightest and best hitting defenseman in the game. Throw in 3/4 awareness, 4 passing and stick handling and a 4/1 left handed shot and we have a guy who is capable of almost anything. Two problems though, while his 4/3 skating isn't bad, it's the only thing that holds him back from being even better on defense. Second problem is his lack of skating holds him back from really jumping into the play offensively and using his offensive skills, thus it is better just to let him sit back, and play a nice relaxed game from the back end.

Vlad Konstantinov: 6 weight, 3/3 skating, 3/1 shot, 3 sth & pass, 2/4 aware, Shoots: L

Any of the previously mentioned players are great partners for Lidstrom, but Vlad is the best because he is the most defensive minded, with 2/4 awareness, he doesn't get lost on offense and is pretty attentive on D in his own zone, throw in 6 weight, and 3/3 skating, and we have yet another decent lightweight option and with 3 passing, he shouldn't inhibit the up ice transition game to the forwards.

This is a very solid duo; they can pass, hit, and even shoot a little bit. My only issue here is the lack of speed, with both being 3 speed, it can be really tough to run down a guy with 5+ speed who is trying to break loose from the red line, which makes it imperative to stay defensive minded with the pair.

Like I just mentioned, Lidstrom is the mainstay, the other 4 can be thrown in due to user preference, here they are in a bit more detail.

Paul Coffey: 9 weight, 6/5 skating, 4/1 shot, 6 sth, 5 pass, 4/3 aware, Shoots: Left

For a truly offensive minded lineup, Coffey is the way to go, he's great at finding the open man, he can really skate in open ice and he has enough shot power to sneak a slapper by. The flip side of this though is a guy who is easily checked and is very tough to handle on defense due to his high speed and weight. I typically leave Coffey on the bench, his offense is very tantalizing, but he goes down very easily and he can kill the defense, when a team already has a ton of offense without him, he becomes less vital to success.

Mark Howe: 6 weight, 3/3 skating, 3/1 shot, 3 sth, 3 pass, 3/4 aware, Shoots: Left

Howe is good on the left side, he allows Lidstrom to play on the right and use his slap shot a bit more. Howe is very similar to Konstantinov, just left handed and with a tick more offensive flare. The downside to Howe though is he tends to get lost in his own zone and has a tendency to screen his own goalie, a major no-no.

Yves Racine: 6 weight, 3/3 skating, 4/1 shot, 3 sth, 3 pass, 3/4 aware, Shoots: Left

A mix of Howe and Lidstrom, Yves main asset over the others is his 4 shot power, if you really want that extra slap shot on the ice, then Yves is the guy to play on the right side, he's less attentive and useful on defense than Lidstrom, which makes him the better choice to go play offense a bit more.

Defense: (8/10)

Goalie Zone:

Tim Cheveldae: 6 weight, 4/4 skating, 4 puck control, 4/3/4/4 save, Catches: L

Tim Cheveldae is a fairly average goalie, if not a bit above average. I've ragged on him a lot on the past, but the truth of the matter is he is a nimble 4/4 skater with 6 weight. He is also a decent distributor of the puck with 4 passing; his only weakness is his 4/3/4/4 save ratings. My only beef with him is that he just isn't the all world stopper needed to close down the odd man rushes Detroit tends to give up.

Goalie Rating: (6.5/10)

Bottom Line: It's probably pretty obvious by now that Detroit is the best offensive team in the game, and any user should be competitive with them. What should be kept in mind though is that Detroit can struggle in matchups with strong defensive teams such as Chicago and Montreal because of their ability to stymie the offense with a big save and start the counter attack. Adjust your tactics/lineup accordingly if necessary.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can keep the orignal forwards as they are, although having Federov and Cicarelli with opposite wings can work out pretty good. I take my chances with Coffey on defense because his speed makes things happen on both sides of the ice and pick out that poke check. I may try Lidstrom and Konstantinov more in the future.

Speaking of Lidstrom, he doesn't get enough love in the weight free leagues, but he's still very useful. His defensive skills are underrated and he helps out a great deal.

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I can keep the orignal forwards as they are, although having Federov and Cicarelli with opposite wings can work out pretty good. I take my chances with Coffey on defense because his speed makes things happen on both sides of the ice and pick out that poke check. I may try Lidstrom and Konstantinov more in the future.

Speaking of Lidstrom, he doesn't get enough love in the weight free leagues, but he's still very useful. His defensive skills are underrated and he helps out a great deal.

i dunno, i always wanted lidstrom after having him in GDL2, but I could never get him :blink: he just gets drafted a bit later than zhitnik and svoboda because he isn't as fast, I think.

I'll have to try konstantov, too.. I've always gone coffey-lidstrom.

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Ya, I've always had Lids right behind Sweeney, Leetch, Svoboda in GDL. Zhitnik 5th because he doesn't have the hockey smarts like Lids does (I know the stats prolly dont show that, but still....)

When I play with the Wings, Coffey always stays in despite his weight. Ciccarelli and Yzerman and Lids are light enough to carry Coffey.

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And since Coffey is one of the few heavy guys that are fast, you can catch guys unprotected with a fast goal with Coffey.

i dunno, i always wanted lidstrom after having him in GDL2, but I could never get him :) he just gets drafted a bit later than zhitnik and svoboda because he isn't as fast, I think.

I'll have to try konstantov, too.. I've always gone coffey-lidstrom.

I would think that Lidstrom has enough skills to be an effective starter and I vouch for that. Zhitnik is good, but he doesn't have the awareness and subtle bite that Lidstrom has and I can't say anything about Svoboda since I haven't used the Sabres in a Classic league yet.

You forgot your analysis at the door, Smoz! :blink:

Edited by RedWingDevil
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  • 2 months later...

Weight Bug Fix Analysis

With the weight bug left in, I consider Detroit the best team in the game. Chicago can be shut down, but Detroit has 2 top-10 forwards and a top-10 defenseman (lidstrom) and can always find a way to score goals.

But anyway, that's the weight bug. What about with the weight bug fix? I think this team will still score lots of goals, but will have trouble keeping the puck out of the net due to a lack of checking.

Forwards

I would still stick with Ciccarelli-Yzerman-Fedorov. It's not quite as killer of a line as with the weight bug, but can still score a lot of goals. The line loses its incredible defensive power, though.

Steve Yzerman is the all-time points leader in the Blitz league, so even though he's physically weak (6/1 wgt/chk for 4.1 checking effectiveness), his elite skating (6/5) and puck skills let him continue to dominate.

Dino Ciccarelli is 7th all-time in Blitz scoring, and is also a member of the exclusive 100-goal club (102 goals in season 2). Next to Roenick, he has the most dangerous shot in the game, able to use his speed and agility to get into position to get off his canon before defenders can react. Also like yzerman, though, he's extremely light, at 5 weight and 2 checking, so does have one weakness.

Sergei Fedorov's effectiveness doesn't change too much with the weight bug fix. He weighs 7 and has 3 checking, giving him a checking effectiveness of 7.4. He is 7th all-time in assists in Blitz.

Bob Probert lives on with the weight bug fix and his 11/4 checking (11.6 total).. If you find yourself getting pushed around with that line, then Detroit does have this one big new weapon who was an important part of the Blitz "B" League's season 1 champion team.

Defense

Detroit's defense with the weight bug fix is respectable. They have good skill, but no particularly tough checkers.

Paul Coffey's 9 weight is no longer a huge liability, but since he only has 2 checking, he isn't much of a checker. But his great skating and puck skills make him one of the most dangerous offensive defensemen in the game now that he can't be knocked over by most forwards. He's the all-time points leader among Blitz defensemen, and is actually a respectable 32nd in checks, as well.

Steve Chiasson stays on the first pairing with the weight bug fix. He has 9/3=8.9 checking and 4s in agility, offensive and defensive awareness, shot power, and stick handling. I'm surprised at how poor his Blitz stats are so far, but he's usually played for non-playoff teams.

Nicklas Lidstrom can still be an effective defender if you're good with the B-check. His checking is just 5/3=5.9, but otherwise he's about as skilled as Chiasson. He was part of the Blitz "B" League Stanley Cup champions in season 4.

Vladimir Konstantov is still ok with the weight bug fix. he's light at 6 weight, but has 4 checking, for 7.9 effectiveness.

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  • 4 years later...

CB Options

Forwards

Dino Ciccarelli: If it wasn't decided before then it has probably been decided now that Ciccarelli play second fiddle over on the wing to Yzerman. Not much changes here, Dino can still use his skating in the less crowded areas in the ice and use his deadly combo of shooting and passing to keep defenses honest and buy him some space he may not otherwise be afforded on other teams.

Steve Yzerman: Stevie Y remains a baller and a shot caller for the Red Wings as his sublime skating will help him avoid any prospective body checkers whether it be of the weigh bug or CB variety. Yzerman can still take advantage of any heavyweights with his own checking prowess and remains an amazing two way force.

Sergei Fedorov: It was already incredibly difficult making the Drake for Fedorov swap and now it seems it is impossible to make as Fedorov can now strike back against the lightweights that have plagued him for so long. Fedorov's superior skill should allow him to win any battles of attrition against any weight bug focused teams looking to grind Fedorov down.

Dallas Drake & Slave Kozlov: Both are pure weight bug options who have even less need to be iced for Detroit now that Sergei's defensive game has been upgraded. They can still abuse most of the league physically but don't have the skating needed to maintain puck possession.

Paul Ysebaert: Where Ysebaert really benefits is in the GDL as he can now fight back against any lightweights in his sights. While unable to crack the Red Wings lineup he could be a useful super sub.

John Ogrodnick: 9 weight, 3/3 skating, 3/4 shot, 3/3 sth and pass, 3/3 aware, Shoots: L

If for whatever reason the Red Wings need a CB foward they have a reasonable option in Ogrodnick with his modest skill set. While he has no business starting, he could be an effective mop up man in reserve trying to keep up with a slower lightweight player such as Nelson Emerson.

Bob Probert: 11 weight, 4/3 skating, 3/2 shot, 2 sth, 3 pass, 3/3 aware, Shoots: L

If the Red Wings want to sell out for a CB option then they have Bob Probert available in attempt to keep up in the arms race. He will likely stay underground for the Wings as they have far too many skilled options on hand to bother trying to drag Probert up and down the ice with them. In the GDL draft he merits some consideration as he could be a viable bench peace to form a platoon with an unskilled weight bugger.

Defense

Nick Lidstrom, Yves Racine, Mark Howe, Vlad Konstantinov: These similarly rated defenders are all affected in a similar way in that they are now physically accessible to speedy heavyweight forwards. Most importantly, all of these guys will maintain their defensive weight bug status and create issues for larger players endeavoring into the offensive zone.

Paul Coffey: Nobody on the roster benefits more from CB than Coffey as he now has the ability to lay waste too many of the smaller forwards in the league if his skating can be harnessed. There in lies the rub, if Coffey whiffs on his body check then Detorit can be exposed on the back line as odd man rushes are likely to ensue. Some discretion is warranted for Coffey on offense as he is still susceptible to be bodied by the majority of players, using him intelligently will have the opposing defense throwing fits.

Steve Chiasson: 9 weight, 4/3 skating, 4/1 shot, 4 sth, 3 pass, 4/4 aware, Shoots: L

Coffey may have a bit too much gusto for some of the coaches on the site and there's nothing wrong with that as Chiasson can step into the CB void and do an admirable job. While not quite as skilled as Daves Ellet and Manson, Chiasson still has a plus skill set that will allow him to blend in seamlessly with his talented teammates.

Bottom Line

It's a little scary that the Wings have improved with the CB check as they were already among the best teams in the league. They are the epitome of a light team that is largely immune to the CB check hurting them yet benefiting greatly by now being able to incorporate their bigger and more talented defenders with greater freedom.

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  • 1 year later...

I'm all for putting Drake at RW and letting him play D with Vlad and Nick (btw, Vladimir Konstantov is a righty, not a lefty as indicated). Dino is one of the most dangerous wings in the game at 180 lbs and 5/5 shooting with 4/5 skating. He is the BEST 2 way winger in the game IMHO. Yzerman is the perfect center and the other 3 play defense while Drake isn't helpless on offense with D focused on 19 and 22. This team is perfect. No flaws. So good they sit Coffey and they are even better. Chicago can't hang

Edited by Brass Bonanza
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I'm all for putting Drake at RW and letting him play D with Vlad and Nick. Dino is the most dangerous wing in the game at 180 lbs and 5/5 shooting with 4/4 skating. He is the BEST 2 way player in the game IMHO. Yzerman is the perfect center and the other 3 play defense and Drake isn't helpless on offense with D focused on 19 and 22. This team is perfect. No flaws. So good they sit Coffey and they are even better. Chicago can't hang

Ciccarelli is a 5/4 skater. Best two-way player in the game can't be Ciccarelli as he only has 2 defensive awareness which is tied for the lowest of all regular forwards.

Also, Coffey is the best Dman in the game. You don't want to sit Coffey.

Edited by Premium
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I think that was the Miller Lite talking last night. Dino is not JR, but I like him better than other lightweight forwards like Gretzky, Fleury, LaFontaine, Bradley, Bure, Ronning, and Gilmour because of that incredible 5/5 shot. He's a beast

Coffey best Dman in the league? Obviously I respect your opinion being a veteran but he's not even the best Offensive defender in the game IMHO. Borque and Housley are better offensively. Coffey can't shoot, he doesn't play D, and he's a fatty. He reminds me of a slightly upgraded Zarley Zalapski, which isn't bad but when you have the offensive firepower of Detroit, I want my Defense staying back and protecting the net, not flying up ice at 212lbs trying to be a playmakers. At least Zarley and Borque get back on D, something Coffey and Housley can't master in this game. Housley is light, which gives him an edge over 77. Maybe you can open my eyes to what I'm missing with Coffey but he's just a fast fatty with puck skills that can't shoot and refuses to stay in his own zone

Edited by Brass Bonanza
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Coffey (and Housley) are maxed out in the two most important stats in the game. Coffey has the harder shot, Housley has the lighter weight. When you have the second best skating attributes in the game, I'm not worrying about weight. How does weight matter when you can't hit Coffey anyway? Coffey has the better shot, and for that reason I put him ahead of Housley.

Bourque is the next best defenseman in the game.

As for your first point, guys like Ronning,Bradley and Gilmour are levels below Bure/Ciccarelli/Fleury/Gretzky whereas LaFontaine is just one tier below.

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You guys are superior skaters compared to what I can accomplish so maybe you can control Coffey better and avoid getting knocked on your ass. I suppose that makes up for his porous D but not for me. I love knowing Vlad and Nick will be waiting in front of the net if my opponent swipes a pass or gets a clean rebound and heads up ice. In those instances Coffey usually comes flying down the ice and over skates the play.

Coffey would be incredible on a team like MTL, TOR, STL or QUE where they need the speed, but on Detroit I have to agree with AJ and stick Coffey on the bench

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:( NHL '94 Noobs 101 lol.

I used to be the same way until I (and most others) realized how much of a disadvantage it was to be playing with the shitty players just because of their weight.

Edited by Premium
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With the B check, and especially now with the C-B check, guys like Coffey are way more useful defensively. Also what I've gathered from other threads is that Plabax is much better than most players at keeping his distance and avoiding getting hit. Long story short, I guess Coffey is more of an advanced player to use.

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I would point out a few components to ranking a player's performance for you as a coach to look at.

First, on average, most of us give up around 4 to 5 goals a game in exhibition, and score around 4 to 5 goals. That's a lot of scoring on both ends if you play 5 games with your buddy, you have just given up 20 to 25 goals.

Second, you tend to remember the things that stand out. If a Brett Hull BLASTS one through a goalie, if a Roy reaches back and stops a save another goalie doesn't even look at, if Gartner hits the boards with his shot more times than he hits the goalie/net, AND IF Housley/Coffey left a GIANT hole in your defense on a given play, these STAND OUT.

Another thing that stands out is if your opponent gets out on a crazy break, looking like a 2 on 0, and suddenly as the goalie comes into screen, you see your 2 defenders parked in front of him, you also remember this.

So, even if this only happens once a game for 5 times in either direction, or once every 2 games, it doesn't take but say 15-20 games to get cemented in your mind HOW BIG an advantage Hull's power on the slap is, how disadvantaged Garnter's accuracy can be, or how great it is to have 2 defenders standing in front of your goalie. Just because you remember the advantage/disadvantage more clearly in your mind does not mean the advtange/disadvantage is real.

HOWEVER, more times than not, the speed of that slower defender has cost your team numerous passes NOT being intercepted, allowing a guy to skate behind your net uncontested, or your offense becoming stagnant from a predictable flow.

About every 5th game I play, I notice the CPU seems bent on me losing that game. Raph's noticed this too. Doesn't mean you lose, but you skate uphill in both directions on a tilted ice for sure. If that's the game your mind clings to on a Housley/Coffey performance, you might not go back to him again.

BUT, trust me, you are losing on the better player if you bench a Housley/Coffey.

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With the B check, and especially now with the C-B check, guys like Coffey are way more useful defensively. Also what I've gathered from other threads is that Plabax is much better than most players at keeping his distance and avoiding getting hit. Long story short, I guess Coffey is more of an advanced player to use.

He's still a bad C-B Checker cuz his checking rating is low

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Brass Bonanza is not wrong really. I think that there is a sweetspot for a dmans speed. Covering lanes requires precise little movements in front of your net, and I think a guy like housley cant maneuver well enough for that in close quarters.

Think about it. If you had a guy with 80000000 speed and agility and you pressed up, hed instantly be at the top of the rink. You couldnt cover lanes with a guy like that, but obviously you cant get anywhere when youre too slow. So there must be a sweetspot, and I think that itd be 4 speed in most cases.

Coffey is better than housley at covering lanes tho because of his weight bogging down his agility. He has a slower startup speed than housley, so hes a bit better at those subtle adjustments

Edited by TomKabs93
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Brass Bonanza is not wrong really. I think that there is a sweetspot for a dmans speed. Covering lanes requires precise little movements in front of your net, and I think a guy like housley cant maneuver well enough for that in close quarters.

Think about it. If you had a guy with 80000000 speed and agility and you pressed up, hed instantly be at the top of the rink. You couldnt cover lanes with a guy like that, but obviously you cant get anywhere when youre too slow. So there must be a sweetspot, and I think that itd be 4 speed in most cases.

Coffey is better than housley at covering lanes tho because of his weight bogging down his agility. He has a slower startup speed than housley, so hes a bit better at those subtle adjustments

Both of these guys have better agility than speed, so they would easily move better than anyone else in the league on defense. Also, CPU does not "over-skate" there mark. They are trying to get to a spot, and move there.

The only argument would be if their combo of speed/aggression combined with a lower defensive awareness can get them too far out of position to give up some open net area from time to time.

This part is true, but my point is, way more times, you get a strong benefit from having Coffey and/or Housley on the ice that gives a greater PLUS than this negative.

It's not like saying a super light weight goalie like Berthiaume is better than Roy because he's so much faster while under manual control. This is the BETTER player and he's faster/more agile, better stick, better passer, better shooter, etc, etc.

The only negative is the occasional empty zone left in front of the goalie, BUT ALL OF THE PIXELS in NHL'94 do this. Coffey/Housley might do it a little more, but you highlight in your mind more because they are Coffey/Housley, and are not giving enough credit for all the pass interceptions, back of the net control and offensive puck control with a great skater/puck control rating they add.

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Coffey is incredible if you choose to add him to the offensive mix, my only point is that will all the firepower up front for DET, you can make a stingy defense with Vlad and Nick and let the forwards do the offensive damage.

Detroit does have enough weapons to offset the disadvantage you are giving yourself by substituting in a less skilled player.

I'd submit to play 20 games with Coffey as Detroit and 20 games without and keep your records, against similarly skilled players and that would be more scientific. I'd be stunned if you don't come to the conclusion Coffey is the better option.

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Idk sometimes he feels redundant on DET because the offset of being out of position by bringing the puck up ice isn't really there when there's 2-3 other good to great skaters on the team. When I bring the puck up with him on my GDL he's by far my better skater so it's kinda worth it but on DET it's pretty iffy.

I'd only play him if I'm vs a 5-5/5-4 skater with a decent shot

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That was pretty much my point for a "noob" like me. I'm sure the pros have no trouble harnessing his speed and getting him into position when he makes one of his many up ice excursions. He would be a must play for me on a team like MTL, STL, HFD, PHI, or TOR. Can you imagine the damage he would do on TOR or MTL?? You know what they say though...If "ifs" were "5ths" we'd all be drunk.

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That was pretty much my point for a "noob" like me. I'm sure the pros have no trouble harnessing his speed and getting him into position when he makes one of his many up ice excursions. He would be a must play for me on a team like MTL, STL, HFD, PHI, or TOR. Can you imagine the damage he would do on TOR or MTL?? You know what they say though...If "ifs" were "5ths" we'd all be drunk.

I'd still consider trying to use Detroit with Coffey, but don't use him to carry the puck up the ice as often, and I think you'll find he does not leave his post as much as advertised.

I USED to bench Coffey some times until I did a similar test myself, and now find I never take him out.

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  • 2 years later...

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