Slappy from Muskegon, MI: Hey. I guess you feel pretty stupid about all the goalie controversy talk now, eh? Do you feel stupid? Do you take back what you said about Hasek, like a little indian giver taking back a present you gave to your cousin but decided you wanted to play with because your Stretch Armstrong’s leg fell off after you put it in the freezer?

Iwo: Hello Slappy. Thank you for the question. I appreciate all my readers and value your curiosity. Muskegon’s lovely. No, I don’t feel stupid. In fact, I believe Hasek’s play last night only added to the intrigue. The dynamics of the controversy have shifted a bit, though. Now it’s no longer who deserves to start. Arguments, good ones, can be made for both Hasek and Osgood. The question now is, will Babcock commit to one so that the “starter” can get enough consecutive games to stay fresh and effective.

Bobby-Jack from Nashville: First time reader. First time writer. I mean ever, not just your blog. The Central’s kicking your ass. Care to comment? I’ll stop typing and wait for your answer.

Iwo: Thanks for stopping by BJ. You’re an intelligent man, as most people from your region are. Yes, the Central has presented problems for the Wings that Detroit hasn’t encountered before from a group of teams that has improved so dramatically, and so quickly, that the hard-charging MSM is still trying to figure out how it happened. Here’s why I think they’ve, as a group, challenged Detroit: speed. Lots of it at almost every position, and plenty of it in the strategy each of the Central teams use head-to-head with Detroit. As the Wings showed last night, they’re a fast team. The only teams nearly as quick as Detroit happen to reside in the same division. Columbus, Chicago and Nashville are all young, hungry and have plenty of raw speed that I think caught the Wings by surprise the first time through. St. Louis can’t score but will continue to present challenges as long as they play the type of defense they are and as long as Legace doesn’t go fetal. I also really believe Detroit has grown so comfortable against those teams in the last five years that a philosophical shift is in order. I’d be surprised if Chicago beat us again this year.

Hockeymom, Detroit: I used to read your comments when you posted on the MLive Wing forum and thought you were a jackass. Nothing I’ve read here changes my opinion of you. I noticed that once Elliote Friedman realized you had nothing valuable to say, he cut you off. Did you actually say anything else or did you get all scared and stop talking after introducing yourself?

Iwo: Hello Mom. I remember you. Still a princess, I see. It’s funny how many posters from that message board have Wing blogs now. I know of at least two who reside right here at the Empire. As for the story on HNIC, I did say a few other things but not nearly as eloquently as Jon Press from Japer’s Rink. One of the questions Friedman asked me was whether I felt the mainstream press was comfortable with bloggers on press row. I’m not sure exactly how I replied. I’m pretty sure I said something in regards to the fact that we have different missions, so to speak. Bloggers, in my opinion, are fans first. I enjoy blogging because I like the Wings and I like to write about the Wings. Whether I have access to the team, any team, any press box, doesn’t really affect the way I write—especially since I make most of the crap up anyway. No not really. Well, sort of.

Here’s the thing. I don’t really care how the mainstream media feel about bloggers. In fact, if they’re getting antsy about it…well, then that’s a character flaw they have to deal with. I do believe that as bloggers have more opportunities the pressure on the beat writers and columnists to do their jobs better will increase and that’s not a bad thing.

I’ve read a lot of reactions to the HNIC piece. Lots of serious discussion about access, credibility and maintaining high standards. Here’s my standard: if I have fun writing about it, I’m doing what I intended to do in the first place.

No name provided, Columbus, OH: I moved here to Columbus about five years ago. I used to be a Wing fan, now I’m a BJ (the hockey team) fan. Just wondered how you feel about that?

Iwo: I think you suck. I think anyone who switches allegiances due to geographic re-alignment is weak. Yeah, that goes for some of you bloggers too. How do you spend thirty years of your life living and dying by the Wings, then cast them off just because you move to a sewer? Here’s the rule. You grow up in Michigan, then you’re a Wing, Tiger, Lion, Pistons fan. No matter where you move to. Your choice as to UM or MSU.

Lukas, Sweden: I see you said yesterday that you believe Pavel Datsyuk will end up with more goals than Henrik Zetterberg. I’d like to punch you in your face.

Iwo: Happy holidays to you too Lukas. I stand by it, just as I grudgingly stand by my prediction that Valteri Filppula will score 25 goals this year. Datsyuk has proven he is a threat in four distinct roles: first line, second line, power play and penalty kill. He hasn’t scored shorthanded yet but he will. He is unstoppable right now and he’s on fire. In Datsyuk’s case, the better he plays the more confidence he gains. I think Hank will slow down on the goal scoring a bit (he already has) and I believe Datsyuk will maintain a pace close to where he is now. His two goals last night were a result of Uncle Mike playing him at center. If he stays there, with linemates who can at least present a threat, we’re talking at least 40 goals. And we all know that while the Flying Circus is a frigging blast to watch, spreading that talent over two lines is much preferred.

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Like the mail bag? If you’re not an idiot you know how it’s done. We’ll see what the reaction is and consider adding it to our stable of features we promised would be regular but have fallen off the map.