OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

The Detroit Red Wings hope to get a welcome boost tonight against Boston when their captain, Henrik Zetterberg, returns to action after missing the last two months due to back surgery. The Wings are down 2-1 to the President's Trophy winners and can sure use the help. The Detroit youngsters have been excellent down the stretch of the regular season but, in the last two games they have struggled against the juggernaut that is the Boston Bruins. It remains to be seen if Zetterberg is fit to play. His playoff beard certainly is.

Big Red Machine Rolls over Ducks

What a game! It was everything you want a Game 7 to be. I admit, it was a little too close for comfort toward the end but the Red Wings prevailed and were able to push back a very good Ducks team. As usual, Henrik Zetterberg was nothing short of a giant on the ice when it mattered the most. Pavel Datsyuk, who's been a no show up until Game 7, worked hard, and, altough he didn't score, he did contribute a lot more than he did earlier on in the series.

Except for the fans down in Disneyland, I think pretty much everyone else was hoping for a Detroit - Chicago Conference Final. It really has the making of a classic. Now, there will be at least one original six team in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Should the Bruins win Game 7, it will be the first time since 1978-79, when Montreal beat the Rangers 4-1, that two original six teams meet in the final.

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CLASH OF THE TITANS

The Western Conference showdown between Detroit and San Jose is just minutes away and I can't help but feel that this could be the game of the season. The Boston Bruins will have to excuse me. This is the game most hockey fans have been waiting for since a while back. The Sharks have been devestatingly good so far while the Wings, even though they they aren't far behind in the standings, still have some work to do.

How will it turn out? My gut says Detroit, Henrik Zetterberg scores the winner.

Here we go!


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New Mark Zet

Last year's play off MVP, Henrik Zetterberg, has his goal set for this season, he wants to be the second player after Håkan Loob to reach 50 goals. The classic mark should be within his reach, considering he notched 43 last season eventhough he missed 8 games because of injury.

What is remarkable, however, is the fact that only one Swedish player in history has ever reached the 50 goals mark! A few have been close, like Kent Nilsson, who in the 1980-81 season had 49 tallies with ten games to go. What happened? He just couldn't score one more. Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin, Markus Näslund, Thomas Sandström, Mats Näslund, Daniel Alfredsson... the list could go on forever. Let's hope Zetterberg is the chosen one. I believe he could be.

ONE WIN AWAY

Tonight the march of the Penguins can come to a crashing halt as Pittsburgh is on the brink of elimination heading into Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena. I have to be honest, it seems unlikely the Detroit Red Wings will drop this one, they are simply too good. Many thought the Penguins had a decent shot at the cup this year, including the Pens themselves, but so far they haven't been close to getting the better of Detroit. Sure they got one game at the Mellon Arena, but that was more because of misstakes on the Wings part. In the other three games, Detroit have dominated the Pens and odds are they will do the same in Game 5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins went through the Eastern Conference like a juggernaut but has since hit a red brick wall. While Hart Trophy nominee, Evgeni Malkin, has been a dissapointment for Pittsburgh through out the finals, Selke Trophy nominee, Henrik Zetterberg, has been a giant for the Wings. On a team that has no real flaws he has been a difference maker. Though Sidney Crosby hasn't been terrible, at least not in Games 3 and 4, he has been outplayed and outsmarted by Zetterberg who has been everywhere on the ice, dominating the offense as well as the defense. The 5 on 3 they killed off in Game 4 was some of the sweatiest hockey I have ever seen. Most agree, including the Detroit players, Henrik Zetterberg should win the Conn Smythe. But first the Red Wings have to beat the Peguins one more time. But make no mistake, it won't be easy. The Penguins are a desperate bunch right now.

THE GREAT OZ STEALS GAME 2

"The great Oz has spoken", was heard from the announcer at Joe Louis Arena after the Detroit Red Wings had beaten the Dallas Stars 2-1 and taken a 2-0 lead in the series. They weren't half as dominant as they were in Game 1, in fact Dallas was the dominating team for most of the second and final period. Chris Osgood was the difference in this one as he remains solid while going 8-0 in these playoffs.

Has anyone noticed how Henrik Zetterberg almost sound like a Canadian? How aboot that. Last night he, yet again, showed what a dominating force he is. He had one tally and was a constant offensive threat in the Dallas zone.

And what about Pavel Datsyuk? I'm am really beginning to believe this guy is the second coming of Sergei Fedorov. He has a way of making his opponents look really stupid and the crowd loves it. At one point late in the game he dropped the puck to Kronwall, at least that is what the Dallas forward (I think it was Ribeiro) and everyone else in the building thought, only to kick it back to himself as he skated past Ribeiro and out of the Red Wings zone. Pure magic!

Speaking of Mike Ribeiro, there is no excuse for what his slashing across the chest of Chris Osgood. This will of course heat things up between the two teams heading in to Game 3 in Dallas, but it will also diminish the Stars' chances of getting back into the series as they will most likely play without Ribeiro. The Stars also lost Jere Lehtinen who went off with a leg injury.

Marty Turco will be glad to go back to Dallas for Game 3 as his winless streak at Joe Louis Arena grew to 11 games.

THE SWEEP GETS CLOSER

What can be said of Henrik Zetterberg that hasn't already been said? Not a lot. This guy is such an awesome offensive force and the fact that both he and Pavel Datsyuk are nominated for the Selke Trophy, as the leagues best defensive forward, says it all about him being the total package.

6-1 with less than five minutes left to play in the second period and the Red Wings are playing like the game was tied at 1-1. They are totally commited and focused. They let Nashville into the series in round one and they are determined to not give Colorado the same opportunity.

The Mule scores his third of the night, his second hat-trick of the playoffs, as the Detroit takes a 7-1 lead.

The Big Red One

The Detroit Red Wings made it really hard for visiting Tampa Bay as they held on to the puck for pretty much the whole game. In the first period they outshot the Lightning 17-1. Tampa Bay, who are 0-16 against the Wings, were not having the greatest night. It's really tough to play a team like Detroit that don't give you anything. And if you don't have the puck, you can't score. Simple as that.

The Red Wings are currently first in the NHL, and if it weren't for the red jerseys, they could easily be mistaken for the Swedish Olympic Gold-winning team. I try not to dwell on the Swedish players in the league, there are plenty of blogs that do just that, but when it comes to the Wings it's kind of hard not to. Henrik Zetterberg leads in points and goals, Nicklas Lidstrom leads in assists and plus/minus, and Tomas Holmstrom, who, like a red wine, only gets better with years, leads in power-play goals. By the way, these three players are a great example of how far you get with good scouting and clever drafting. The Maple Leafs should watch and learn.

Though the Central division has gotten a lot better this year, it's the only division where all teams are .500 or better, Detroit still sit a solid eight points ahead of the nearest competitors, St. Louis and Chicago.

Yet for some reason, a lot of seats at the Joe Louis Arena have been empty this season. I spoke to a friend back in Michigan about it and he thought it was the poor economy in the region that was to blame. He also suggested people might be missing Steve Yzerman. Though that explanation may sound unlikely, or down right silly to some, it is hard to understand what an impact Steve Yzerman had on this franchise. During his era the Red Wings, a winless and mediocre team for decades, resurged as powerhouse franchise that won three Stanley Cups in six years. He is by far the most popular player ever in Michigan and these new kids certainly have a lot to live up to.

Perhaps there is another reason why people don't show up for games as much any more, I don't know. What I do know is that it's a shame, because this is a great team to watch. Zetterberg may not be the new Yzerman, or maybe he will. Either way, fans should grab any chance they have to watch this guy play.

People of Detroit, it's time to show the rest of the NHL why it's called Hockeytown!