On the eve before Game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, it's all the rage for team boosters to write fluff pieces about "their" team (it's funny how the finals always tends to warrant the XXL bandwagons, no?)
Endless chewing gum pieces are written, by professional and amateur writers alike, trying to mask rah-rah jangoism as objective reporting, making a headache and a half for those starving for some sort of respite from 'homer' writers.
Well, this is probably as close as you're gonna get,(and it ain't attempting to be objective) cos frankly, I dislike one team, and flat out hate the other.
I dislike Pittsburgh as I feel they are a stirling example of how mediocrity pays off, and to this day, I still maintain that the "Crosby Sweepstakes" were rigged by the NHL, but that's a rant for another day...
I hate Detroit because I feel they are the UNC of hockey. They attract many suitors with their 'storied past', put a decent team on the ice and kill in the weakest division in the league (32 games a year against Chicago, St. Louis and Columbus would help any teams record, though I did take pleasure in seeing them post a pathetic .500 division record this year, could this signal a changing of the guards in the Central?Again, a rant for another time).
So on Saturday evening, we're looking at a modern day David and Goliath...one clear cut underdog and one odds-on favourite. So enough of why I dislike these teams, let's break it down.
Detroit is a phenomenal breakout team, Mike Babcock has instructed his boys well in how to overwhelm the opposition in the neutral/attacking zone, and with 2-way specialists like Draper, Maltby and McCarty,as well as Zetterberg's surprising new friendship with the other side of the blueline make for an even stronger case.
Pittsburgh is primarily an offensive team, noone can deny that, and their best 2 way player and team vet Gary Roberts is sitting out Game 1, is this a recipe for disaster? Not on your life.
Anyone who thinks Pittsburgh wasn't watching Detroit the last 2 rounds is certainly in need of a head check. There wasn't much info anyone could gather from the Colorado series except how quick Detroit fans are to pat themselves on the back for sweeping a team missing 90% of their starpower, however the Dallas series was a wealth of valuable information...
Firstly, Dallas inadvertently found an achilles' heel with their sluggish play in Game 3. That being that a proper mix of physical play and a less anxious forecheck are something the Wings have had an issue with the last 3 years.
Detroit is an opportunistic team that gets 95% of it's goal production from forcing opponents into making bad decisions on and off the puck (think Zetterberg's SH breakaway goal in Game 6, or ANY goal Franzen/Holmstrom/Samuellsson have ever scored in their careers).
Dave Tippett recognized this early in Game 4 and adjusted the standard Dallas 2-1-2 strategy to a modified 1-2-2.
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