The Detroit Red Wings are the 2008 Stanley Cup champions! They wrapped up the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning it 4-2, after beating the Pens 3-2 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.
The best team during the regular season proved to be the best also in the playoffs. Eventhough Pittsburgh made a valiant effort to stave off elimination, the Wings were just too good in the end. I think we can all agree the Penguins have many great years ahead of them but this time the young Pens fell short against a wall of red.
Henrik Zetterberg recieved the Conn Smythe Trophy and it was well deserved. It wasn't the greatest or the prettiest goal Zetterberg has scored, but it certainly was one of the most important.
There is no doubt in my mind, Nicklas Lidstrom is the greatest Swedish player to ever lace up in the NHL. When he hoisted the cup, as the first European captain ever, I got goosebumps.
Chris Chelios is 46 years old, though he looks 35, and he won his first cup in 1986 with Montreal. How is that humanly possible!?
Some reflections from the game...
I had been waiting the whole game for Pavel Datsyuk to show some of his magic and with less than eight minutes left of the third period, there it was. A quick turn in the middle of the left circle and he had two Penguins going the wrong way. Beautiful!
When it comes to killing off time, few have mastered that art as well as Detroit veterans, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby. Late in the third, well over a minute past as they battled in the corner in the offensive zone. Stuff like that wins you Stanley Cups.
This Detroit team is by far one of the best teams I have seen in decades. The way they played throughout the regular season and the playoffs is unlike anything I have seen, they were in a league of their own. They didn't have as many Hall of famers as the 2002 cupwinners but the team was just perfectly composed. And it's not like they are an old team. Except for Chelios, Draper, Chris Osgood, Lidstrom and a few others, there is an abundance of young talent ready to take over the Red Wings and fight for the cup for many years to come. But for now they will all just enjoy the moment.
I sure wish I were back in Michigan to enjoy it with them. Go Wings! By the way, Minnesota, this is the reason they call Detroit Hockeytown.
2 comments:
Hats off to the Wings!
I didn't see the Cup-clinching game but caught the two clashes before it. Pens are exciting but they're still in need of some seasoning as they're virtually a bunch of teens. Detroit made them show their age in the end.
The two games I did see the Detroit captain looked rock-solid. Even though many are getting tired of the Red Wings, Lidstrom hoisting the cup gives creedence to not only a great team but a first-class organisation. The Leafs have been trying to pry the likes of Holland, Nill, and the legend himself, Bowman away from Detroit the past year. None of them took a bite. Gee, I wonder why?
BFox
I agree, and though many looked forward to a tight series between the two best teams in the league, there was never really any contest. The Wings were the better team in each of the six games only losing their focus a little in Game 3 and their nerves early in Game 5.
As for the Pens, this experience will be of immeasurable value to them for playoffs to come. But, like I pointed out, they aren't the only team packed with young talent. I think the Bruins, Los Angeles, Edmonton, the Flyers and of course the Red Wings will give them a good run for their money in the future.
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