Wings-Ducks: Playoffs Belong to "The Mule"

It's about time one of the great unsung players in the NHL gets some attention. I'm speaking of course of that big wrecking ball of a Swede, Johan Franzen. You can just call him "Mule", the rest of the team does.

I'll admit it took me a while to get used to a hockey player called "Mule", but for Franzen, it's fitting.

Steve Yzerman coined the nickname the first time he saw Franzen practice during training camp. Franzen played stubbornly and persistently, like a mule.

He was raw back then in 2005, not yet fully aware of the potential his size and skill set could afford him.

Franzen chipped along on the third line, growing into his role until 2008 when a remarkable thing happened. Seemingly out of nowhere, Franzen erupted for 15 goals in the last 16 regular season games.

That's impressive in it's own right, but consider that Franzen only had 12 goals in the first 56 games he played in that year.

Franzen's incredible run didn't end in the regular season, in fact he was only just getting warmed up.

The 2008 playoffs would see the "Mule" rack up a franchise-tying 13 goals, which included two hat tricks against Colorado in Game's Two and Four.

Franzen did this despite missing five games against Dallas due to blood pooling up between his brain and skull. He wasn't the same when he returned against Pittsburgh in the finals.

Had he been on the same pace against the Penguins and Stars, NHL records would have been broken.

The 2009 season saw Franzen knock in 34 goals as his consistency over an 82 game season improved greatly. Still, the "Mule" would be overlooked by the stars on the team, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Marian Hossa.

When the playoffs rolled around this year, the "Mule" started to kick. Although he had six points against the Blue Jackets in the first round, he was still overlooked.

So he turned it up a little more.

In the first five games against Anaheim, Franzen has knocked in five goals and seven points.

The Ducks defense was big, so Detroit got bigger. Franzen was previously paired with Henrik Zetterberg while Marian Hossa was with Pavel Datsyuk.

About eight minutes into Game Four, coach Mike Babcock threw Anaheim a curveball and introduced the Franzen-Filppula-Hossa line. The line combined for seven points in Game Four, led by Franzen's two goals and an assist.

Now, nine games into the 2009 postseason, Franzen leads the Red Wings with seven goals and 13 points.

Over the past two playoffs, Franzen has 20 goals in 25 games played. That is the most in the NHL over that span. Yes, even more than Alexander Ovechkin.

Where would the Red Wings be without the "Mule?" Where is his nation-wide respect?

Note - Franzen's name doesn't even appear in the list of Wings players to describe who the story is about!

At this point, he must be considered the Red Wings Conn Smythe nominee. Although a case can be made for Henrik Zetterberg and Chris Osgood, this is Franzen's time. 

A late third round pick that has grown to be one of the NHL's top power-forwards, if Franzen is handed the Conn Smythe, his name will no longer go unnoticed.

He's currently on pace to better his 13 goals from last year's Stanley Cup run, by one goal. That would place him alone on top of the storied Red Wings record books for goals scored in a playoff season. There have been no hat tricks this year, just consistency. Just persistence. Just stubbornness.

Like a Mule.

Did you see that?

Hopefully you saw one of the more entertaining moments in the 2009 postseason yesterday in Game Four between Anaheim and Detroit. It appears no video yet exists, but it was the move that made Red Wings color commentator Mickey Redmond exclaim "oh no he didn't! I've never seen that done in the playoffs!"

Late in the second period, Pavel Datsyuk carried the puck in back of the goal and then flipped the puck over the net and attempted to knock in his own spectacular pass. It was like something out of a movie, or maybe something Gretzky may have once attempted. It's likely not something we'll ever see again for quite some time.

In any case, Datsyuk just added another clip to his highlight reel, even it it didn't result in a goal for him.