2002. The last time the Detroit Red Wings placed a ring on the Stanley Cup trophy. Will they do it again?
It is true that the Wings have dominated the league since the mid-'90s, but have fallen short when it comes to the playoffs; many times exiting in the first or second round.
This reporter tends to agree with Head Coach Mike Babcock, who said that this is the best Red Wing team he has ever coached.
This time the Wings are without their former captain, Steve Yzerman, and other players like Brendan Shanahan and Igor Larionov. However, with forwards like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, and old standbys like Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios on defense, Detroit really does have one of their best shots at another Cup victory. The return of the "Grind Line", Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty, doesn't hurt either.
Now the question is: When will we know if they are going to win? I predict that if they make it to the third round by defeating their opponents decisively, they will take the Cup.
And for this former Hockeytown resident, it will have been well worth the wait.
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6 months ago
How tragic. Some fans have been waiting much longer than that. Ducks will repeat.
6 months ago
The Ducks (along with every other team in the NHL) do not have the depth that the Wings have and if Detroit wins their last 3 games, they will have the momentum to carry them through the playoffs & the SC finals.
6 months ago
Jeez, not goin' out on a limb there much; of course they win if they make it through the West! Unfortunately for us out here, any of the big three (Anaheim, San Jose, Detroit) might have to beat the other two; if we're worn down, that's the East's only hope. Hate the Ducks (dirtiest team west of Philly, maybe anywhere), but they don't need depth for their forwards since they rely on a deep blue line (and arguably goaltending--Hiller was great filling in for Giguere). And San Jose is deeper than anyone in forwards--we scratch three forwards (including guys with over 10 goals) and three defensemen as good as the checking lines/third pair per game now that the rosters have expanded.
6 months ago
I'd love to see a Red Wings vs Habs matchup for the big dance. Maybe my brother in law could pull some strings and score some ticks. If he does, I'll be sure to report back to you as you watch it from OOOOOOOOOOOOklahoma. (LOL)
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