2008: Best Detroit Red Wing Team in the Last 25 Years

Let's be honest here, as anyone who has been a Wings fan for, say 10 years or longer, can attest to that we have had some great teams in the past recent years, but there has always been those few players who have driven us nuts.  

I'll just throw out some of mine:  Brett "No-Hustle" Hull, Robert "The Glide" Lang, Larry "Bad Pass" Murphy, Sergei "Need I say more" Fedorov, Darren "6'5'' marshmallow" Hatcher...and I could go on and on with these names, but I digress.  

The point I am getting at is there has never been a team that I have truly, 100 percent, not had issue with anyone on the team...until now.  

The great 2002 team had lots of talent, true, but I cannot count how frustrated I would get at these "hall of famers" just cherry picking their ways to goals all game long.  

Guys like Brett Hull would simply set up shop near the circles and let the younger guys do the work for them.  This ticked me off to no end.  

Five years later, we finally have a team that can work for us, not only for one year, but for many years to come.  

There is the perfect mixed of veterans and youth, grit, and finesse, but above all, there is 100 percent dedication on every play of every shift.

What could make this even better?  How about the fact that the Wings are doing this all with a hard salary cap!  They have just as many resources as the other teams and yet are still able to compete at the highest level.  

When will people stop calling them "old" and just admit that they are simply a great mix of talent.  

In closing, as I sat watching the second game of the finals, I could not believe the intense play, crisp passing, no-thinking shot blocks, and incredible goalie play!  I had not seen such a complete Wings team yet to date in my lifetime.  

They may not have been the greatest scoring team, nor the grittiest, but they were complete and this was something they have not had yet.  And this is why they are the best Wings team in the last 25 years.