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by IwoCPO on 05/13/08 at 03:06 AM ET
Comments (56)

This series ended the minute Doc Emerick finished this sentence, “Richards is back on defense.”  A blink of an eye later, even quicker, and Zetterberg had twisted him, flashed to his left, deked and roofed it.

And Marty Turco slid on his ass toward the golf course.  Perhaps, in that tiny span of time, Turco gave thought to what he’d said earlier in the day.

“We don’t think much of them on a personal, character level. We think that’s to our advantage.”

Well, Marty.  Advantage Wings.  We, speaking for 19 of us, don’t think much of you on a few different levels. In fact, we think more of Dan Ellis.  Hell, Three or Four looked better.  4, 4 errr, 2 (thanks Ryan), 5 and you might even sit for the sweep.  Your ineptitude against the character-deprived Wings may have bought you a ticket right out of Dallas.  Hell, right out of the conference. No team in the West is gonna want that guy with that record against the Wings, not when you consider the road to the Cup is heading right through Detroit for at least the next five years.

So Marty?  Any other advantages we should know about before the Wings broom your ass into the offseason?  Just checking.

Let’s get this out of the way real quick.  That performance last night, on horrible ice that’s been terrible for more than a decade but no one in Gary’s league office seems to care, was the best I’ve ever seen from a Red Wing playoff team.  But you can’t view it as a single game to have that perspective.  If you do, you’re not giving Mike Babcock the credit he deserves.

It stands as the best because of the circumstances.  This was the clincher and everyone knew it.  Dallas wins and it’s a series.  Wings take it and it’s a formality.  It was the definitive game of the Wing season.  It showed killer instinct, shutdown defense, a puck possession clinic the last thirty minutes and a goaltender who can’t lose, who won’t rattle and who deserves every bit of accolade he’ll never get from mainstreamers who can’t see what Chris Osgood brings to this team, this year.

Yes. Datsyuk and Zetterberg carried the Wings last night, which is exactly what we said they’d have to do.  In hostile territory, on bad ice, at a time when your best players have to be the ones pressing the skate down, the Wings’ best players proved there is no duo in hockey better than them; including the tandem we’ll see in about a week.

Dallas laid 46 hits on the Wings last night, and it seemed like Brian Rafalski absorbed about 30 of them.  And each time, he held on to the puck until the train got there, holding it until the last second, then flipping it away, dishing it and taking the punishment.  He was amazing.  Chris Chelios, on Dallas’ first goal, seemed to have been out there for five minutes.  Every second of that shift was a war for him.  He was drilling anything in sight, blasting Modano’s stick out of his hands, hitting the ice, recovering, chopping, checking, tiring but still hustling.  Any Wing who watched that would not let this team lose last night.  It was the shift of the year for a Wing defenseman.  Dallas scored, but it didn’t matter.

Best I’ve seen.  Better than ‘02.  Better than ‘97.  Nearly as good as a ‘98 team playing for more than a Cup.  Contradictory I know.  Deal with it.

We’ll watch the ECF, interested in a longer series hopefully.  Curious as to what Pittsburgh will bring the next round.  But this morning, it really doesn’t matter.  Because there’s not a team out there who can skate with Detroit the way they’ve played since Uncle Mike sat the Czech Miracle of Insanity.  Something’s going on in that room, something we’re not—yep—privy too.  And I dig that. 

Doc and Edzo and the Douche Canoe.  Barry and Bob and the rest.  The cool pick will be Pittsburgh next round.  We understand that.  The novelty is too good to pass up.  But deep down, here’s what everyone knows.  The Wings aren’t going to lose this thing.  There’s gonna be a parade in Detroit this June and that frigging Cup’s coming home.  Because when the skate is on the throat, this team knows what to do with it.

Don’t tap.  Don’t waiver or worry.  Just press that bastard down. 

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Comments

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MiamiPaul.
Thanks for the linky…. snot out the nose funny here.. had to put this up:

Erick wrote:
Red Wings are simply just better right now.

We can admit that. It’s ok.

I’m rather chipper, and good spirited about it.

Last time we lost in the Western Conference Finals, we won the Stanley Cup the next year.

Problem is that the Wings will still be in the league next year. “

And I was always picking on Texass & the locals…. seems there’s one smart one afterall.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 from KC MO on 05/13/08 at 02:12 PM ET

yep, and they all seem convinced they need someone else to beat the Wings for them so they can make it out of the West.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/13/08 at 02:42 PM ET

Same string, from Cowboyz88 (oh brother):

Obviously, I know that someone else can beat them for us, but the truth is that I want to see US do the dirty work.

I’d love a Cup anyway we can get one, but to me, it would be oh-so-much sweeter if we could finally dispense of this freaking team ourselves. Much like the Red Sox had to do with the Yankees.

That said, until this team quits turning into a bunch of quivering girls every time they see red, as fans, we’re always gonna want to avoid the Wings.

At least he got that right…

Posted by Cwix from Roanoke, VA on 05/13/08 at 02:53 PM ET

Never forget that pride goeth before the fall, gentlemen.  ‘Tis wise to fear the Penguins.

Here’s the thing. I totally get that. But, even if we the fans are ready to start talking SCF or—better yet—the parade in June, I don’t think the Wings are. Actually, I’ll go as far as to say I know the Wings aren’t. With every other team I support, there’s always worry when they play a supposedly-lesser opponent that they’ll take this to heart, that they’ll run a bit slower or pass a bit less accurately or leave a bit of their intensity at home.

I don’t have this worry with the Wings. I can’t envision Babcock or Lids or Chelios or Osgood or WHOEVER allowing their team to think ahead, to underestimate an opponent. (Though I could see Chelios encouraging a bit of healthy cockiness.) After their 4-1 win in Game 1, I think it would have been easy for anyone to say, “Gee, that was easy. There’s no way they’re coming to our ice and beating us. Especially with Turco.” It would have been easy, but I wasn’t worried that anyone was thinking that way. Still am not. And won’t be.

Because they want it. Bad. They won’t lower their intensity, their drive, their play. Not for Gary’s Wonder Kid, not for anyone. Someone on one of the message boards tried to argue that the Stars want it just as a badly as the Wings. I don’t have any tangible evidence to the contrary. But it’s the intangibles that lead us there anyway.

Posted by katiephd from Denver, CO on 05/13/08 at 05:05 PM ET

Oh, I don’t think this team has any intention of taking another team lightly - they know from experience exactly what that will get them, and think it sucks.

I’m just worried in a completely irrational way that the excessive confidence will seep into the universe and alter the fabric of space-time in a way that disadvantages the Red Wings.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 05/13/08 at 05:22 PM ET

I’m just worried in a completely irrational way that the excessive confidence will seep into the universe and alter the fabric of space-time in a way that disadvantages the Red Wings.

Right there with ya. I’ve given up most of my old habits/superstitions (used to drive my wife NUTS, nevermind myself)... but this one is like touching the Holy Grail of Hockey before earning it. Just something ya don’t do. Akin to watching Nik “accept” the Presidents Curse or as some call it a Trophy.
Wings fear any hockey team? Nope. Not a bit. Healthy respect, sure.
The Babcock interview (good freaking read by the way) on the KK page tells me there’s nothing being taken for granted and everything is earned. Period.
5 and counting…one shift at a time.

Posted by MOWingsFan19 from KC MO on 05/13/08 at 06:21 PM ET

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