The Dead WingsMeet the New York Yankees of NHL Hockey! You heard it. Every year they are in it. Even if they are not in first place, it just doesn't matter. They are always somewhere near the top of the division, lying in the weeds. And the crazy thing is, even if they are not in first place, they are always the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. Why? Well perhaps it is there seemingly endless supply of talent, young and old.
Everyone wants to play for the Wings. Unlike the Yankees, the Wings can not just go out and buy players due to the salary cap restrictions. Instead, players just go their willingly and accept whatever position they are assigned. This is what makes a perennially successful team, well, perennially successful.
Why they are Contenders: Two things; talent and experience. These guys have been around long enough to know that the regular season of the NHL doesn't mean everything. Sure they want to win as many games as possible, but they have patience and eye on the bigger picture (remember how both Lidstrom and Datsyuk sat out during the all-star game?). You may get the better of them during your one game against them during the regular season (Bruins), but a seven-game series is a whole new ball game.
Oh, and also they score more goals and have a better power play than your team does... For what it's worth.
Why Wings fans should be nervous: Because your penalty kill is busted. 78% just is not going to cut it. The good news is that because the Wings are a bunch of pussies, they never drop the gloves and rarely get penalties. But when they do, they often get scored upon. And why are they so bad against Dallas and Colorado? Is it because they're so bad? Is that how you beat the Red Wings?
Oh, and their goalies stink. Nice GAA, Osgood.
Players to watch:
The Three-Headed Monster (Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Kronwall) - Between the three of them they have 135 assists. That's a lot. Chances are that this is the reason why their Power Play is successful; they set up the box, rotate as necessary, and these dudes just feed their snipers all day long. Defensemen that think "pass" first are the goal in the NHL are a key to success in the NHL, and Detroit has become an institution in that regard.
Johan Franzen - The man is a born scorer. He is a picky shooter, meaning he chooses his shots wisely. But when he does decide to shoot, it's usually bad news for opposing teams. He has missed 10 games this year, but still has 33 goals on a team that has no want for additional goal scoring. And like the rest of the team, he's also an unselfish playmaker as well.
Pavel Datsyuk - This guy may be the most underrated superstar in the game. He has 97 points this season and leads an all- star cast in assists with 65. He hasn't been scoring as many goals lately, but I'm chalking this up to some more Detroit-style rope-a-dope. "Build a model airplane", says the fairy. Well, I'm not buying it.
Clips of the season:
My favorite Mercenary
He's so Crafty
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