After nearly three months of playoff hockey, the Detroit Red Wings reclaim their throne as the NHL's Stanley Cup champion.  At last, the Red Wings have hurdled their absolute last obstacle.  They've silenced their very last critics.  There are no more questions left to be answered.  Indeed, the cheese stands alone.  It's time to paint the town red and white all over.  The Stanley Cup returns to a familiar, welcoming place.  After all, they don't call Detroit Hockeytown for nothing.

The Red Wings finally stepped up and claimed what they had been aiming for all season long, wrestling it away from the pesky Penguins as Chris Osgood turned aside the Pens' last ditch shot as the horn sounded.  These last two games made our hearts sink, our heads ache especially after Monday night's 4-3 triple overtime loss.  And as Marian Hossa's last second poke sent the puck sliding across the crease, we then truly realized that these Wings don't make anything easy.

But as Wings coach Mike Babcock stated after Game 5, these are the finals and it's not supposed to be easy.  It wasn't easy for the Wings to venture onto foreign soil and leave with their 11th Stanley Cup, but just as they've done all playoffs long, Detroit calmly and cooly entered a raucous arena and ended their opponent's season on their own ice.

It happened to Nashville, mercifully it happened to Colorado, and Dallas suffered the same fate.  And with Wednesday night's 3-2 win in Game 6 to win the cup, the Wings sent the home crowd heading for the exits with their heads hanging and their hopes dashed.  For the first time in six years, the hockey world will be colored red and white. 

The Wings won it with tremendous defense, rock steady goaltending from Chris Osgood, and the evolution of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.  And oh yeah, having Nicklas Lidstrom helps a lot too.  They won with poise and patience.  They won it on Zetterberg's third period goal, a shot that snuck through Marc-Andre Fleury's pads and just stopped on a dime right behind Fleury.  No whistle had blown, and with the puck just sitting there behind Fleury for what seemed like an eternity, Fleury fell back on the puck and knocked it into his own net. 

Everytime you're able to win, it's special.  But this one means a little bit more.  All this lockout and 'leveling-the-playing field' nonsense essentially doesn't mean a whole helluva lot right now.  The Wings were supposed to struggle in the post-lockout world, people expected them to take a step or two or three back.  But instead on this night we saw the dawning of a new era.  A new banner raised without Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Sergei Fedorov and Scotty Bowman.

We saw Steve Yzerman lift it three times, each just as beautiful as the rest, but when captain Nick Lidstrom took the cup from Gary Bettman, it was an unbelievable feeling.  Hard to believe that Lidstrom is the first ever European captain to lift the Stanley Cup, just as in 2002 he became the first European to win the Conn Smythe.  Lidstrom's legacy cemented as the one of the greatest all time defenseman defined picture perfectly in that moment with the cup raised high above his head.  So calm, so poised and just so damn good he has been for this franchise, it's almost too good to believe that hockey player can be constructed almost as perfectly as Lidstrom.

And one by one as the Wings took their turns passing the cup to one another, there was Dallas Drake, a 16 year vet back where it all started taking the handoff as the second Wings player to hoist the cup after Lidstrom.  From franchise corner stone to role guy, the Lidstrom to Drake moment defines this team: a collection of unselfish, ego-free players all working together as one to achieve one common dream.

There was Henrik Zetterberg and Chris Osgood, for had the Wings been without, this would have never been a possibility.  Zetterberg claimed the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP and finished with a franchise record 27 points in one postseason, passing Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov.  And Osgood?  Well, his story isn't a glizty, but the ending makes you catch your breathe.  10 years ago he led Detroit to their second straight cup in 1998 and now 10 years later, he was able to do it again.  Funny how life works.  He was a cup netminder, then jettisoned after the Wings traded for Dominik Hasek in 2002, then brought back in 2005.  Now, ironically, in Game 5 in the first round against Nashville, Hasek was jettisoned for Osgood, who never relinquished the job and 14 wins later, put the hockey back in Hockeytown.

We knew former Wings coach Scotty Bowman casted a long shadow, but Mike Babcock now has cast his own shadow.  Babcock has become the epitome of calm, never panicking, never wavering.  Always poised and confident, believing in his team and the gameplan.  Nobody does a better job in hockey than Babcok in terms of preparation, in terms of knowing how to get the best out of his players.  He's never one to show his emotions, but the gigantic grin on his face as he was holding the cup over his head, was a picture worth a thousand emotions that now Babcock can feel free to express.

The road to the promise land was tough, indeed, and not without some uh-oh moments.  The Wings found trouble along the journey.  They were tied up 2-2 against Nashville and had to yank Hasek and insert Osgood.  They coasted to a 3-0 series lead against Dallas, a series that went six games before the Wings moved on to the finals.  And then of course, there was the Game 5 triple overtime loss at home that was one of most difficult losses to get over that I can remember in a long time.

We heard the same silly statements time and time again.  They can't win with a European domianted group.  They're too old.  They're too slow, not physical.  Where's the secondary scoring come from?  Is Osgood good enough to lead them to another cup?  In the end, all you need to know is that the Wings were the NHL's best, from regular season to cup clincher.

They faced adversity like warriors.  Everytime they fell on the mat, they responded by getting right back up.  Need further proof?  How's the fact that they ended every series on the road in the postseason.  To me, that spells experience, heart, and determination.  Coincidentally, three key ingredients needed to win. 

And as another celebration commences in Motown, these Red Wings were truly every bit as good and better as they were made out to be.  We witnessed a remarkable run that these Wings took us on over the last three months. These moments don't happen as often as we'd like, so you've gotta enjoy every minute they're here.  We've gone from jubilation to despair, from exhaustion to celebration. 

Detroit dominance!  It's time to party again.  Glory and honor have been restored in Hockeytown, past failures extinguished on this night.  Time to hang another banner and finally burst open the champagne.  Shout it from the rooftops again, the Detroit Red Wings are the Stanley Cup Champions!

The Cup, the champagne and the fourth and final series clinching win will have to wait longer.  Thanks to Max Talbot and Petr Sykora, and another fantastically dreadful start by the Wings, the Penguins were the party poopers in Game 5, coming away with a 4-3 triple overtime victory to send the scene back to Pittsburgh for Game 6 on Wednesday night.

What could have been a celebration wound up feeling more like a funeral.  Around 1 a.m., Sykora finished off the fifth-longest game in finals history, beating Wings goalie Chris Osgood short side, with the Penguins on a four-minute power play that was set up by Jiri Hudler's high sticking call on Rob Scuderi.  As Wings coach Mike Babcock stated after the loss, you hate to see Sykora end up with the puck because he's that kind of guy, you knew it was going in. 

It was a frantic night of emotional swings from Monday night into early Tuesday morning, but for the Wings, this one ended the way it started: badly.  Stunningly similar to Game 5 against Dallas in the WCF, the Wings were passive, they were shaky, and they couldn't get out of their own way.  The Penguins were faster and looser, the way we all wished the Wings would've come out.  But instead, Marian Hossa put the Wings behind the eight ball early, and then Niklas Kronwall's attempt at clear was fired off of Adam Hall's skate and behind Osgood.  14:41 in, Pittsburgh sucked the life completey out of the Joe and the Wings. 

You would have thought Detroit learned their lesson the way they started against Dallas.  Like the Stars, Pittsburgh took full advantage and you know what they say: one big road win deserves another.  But in the second period, Darren Helm put a charge into the stoic Joe faithful, getting the Wings on the board by tossing a shot at the net that ended up going off a Penguins and past Fleury.  The crowd went wild.  The Wings were back on their game and back into the game.

With the crowd behind them, the Wings came roaring back and who better than to lead the calvary than Zetterberg to Datsyuk on a power play to send everyone soaring out of their seats.  And with things all squared at two, the Wings were relentless.  Now they were the ones faster, harder and refusing to be denied.  And moments later, the cup seemed inevitable, as Brian Rafalski took a pass from Johan Franzen and fired a laser to put the Wings up 3-2.  And then 10 a half minutes later, disaster struck in the form of Max Talbot.

This wasn't the first time we've seen this sort of helter-skelter, Chinese fire drill scene during these playoffs in the last 80 or 90 seconds of a game.  We saw it in Game 5 of the Nashville series, with the Wings up 1-0, the Predators pulled goalie Dan Ellis and tied the game with 44 seconds left to send the game to overtime.  Chris Osgood had to stone Avs defenseman Jon-Michael Liles with about 8 seconds to go in Game 1 of the semifinals to secure victory.  But those moments that made us clench our instestines made this moment seem like a warm sunny day at the local fair.

35 seconds.  There's not a lot you can accomplish in 35 seconds, but Max Talbot put a rebound past Osgood (with Fleury pulled, giving the Pens the extra attacker) to tie the game at 3 and sent Game 5 into overtime.  No more 'We want the cup' chants that the crowd had been chanting since about the five mark of the third period.  Unquestionably, it was third period that will be remembered for quite some time, but probably not fondly for the Wings.

Emotionally the Wings went from low to high back to low as the overtimes came and went.  And so did the Wings' chances.  For 19:35 of the third period, the Penguins were reeling, oh my gosh how they were reeling.  Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury turned out to be practically goalie and defenseman, and had it not been for Fleury, there's no denying the fact that Pittsburgh wouldn't be playing any kind of Game 6.

The Penguins goalie faced 58 shots and got 55 of them.  His team was outshot 14-4 in the third and 27-6 through the end of the first overtime.  Zetterberg, Franzen and Cleary had their chances.  Holmstrom had one point blank, all to be turned away by Fleury.  Fleury and Pens managed to weather the Wings' storm front.  Despite Detroit overcoming early jitters and two goals, the Wings were denied the game-winner, series clincher.

Instead, their bags must be re-packed and new batch of plane tickets to Pittsburgh needed to be purchased.  These tensions and pressures have mounted before, and the Wings each time, have managed to conquer them.  They surfaced against Nashville and reappeared against Dallas.  And yes this is the grandest stage of them all, and if it was easy, then every team would be here. 

But the Wings simply can't dwell on what happened in Game 5.  The turnaround is quick, with Game 6 looming Wednesday night.  Fluids must be consumed and memories erased.  And just as no one felt sorry for Nashville losing leader Jason Arnott or the Avs' scary string of injuries or the Stars' falling behind 0-3, this is the finals: there's no time to feel sorry for yourself because nobody else is going to feel sorry for you.

Detroit has no choice other than to get up off the mat and go play again.  It's not as though they were terribly outplayed by the Penguins.  They played well, pretty damn good even.  Good enough to win though?  Not if you don't play a full 60 minutes.  And the Wings didn't do that. 

The Wings have been a pretty good road team all season, and surprisingly, all three of their previous playoff series have ended on the road, with both Nashville and Dallas ending in six games.  We wondered after that Game 5 home loss how the Wings would respond in Game 6 going back to Dallas.  A quick refresher, they responded with a fantastic start in which they were rewarded with a three goal, first period effort.  The Wings went on to win the game and head to finals.

This may be the same song, just a different quarter in the juke box, but the scenario remains almost the same.  The Wings wanted it more than the Stars did and it showed.  Now, it's a matter of looking into the mirror and seeing how bad they truly want to win the Stanley Cup. 

Thanks to a gigantic penalty kill and Jiri Hudler's go ahead goal in the third period, Detroit handed Pittsburgh their first lost on their home ice in four months, 2-1, in Game 4 to take command of the series, 3-1.  The Wings can claim their 11th Stanley Cup and fourth in 11 years in Game 5 on Monday night in front of an expected frenzied Joe Louis Arena.

Hudler snapped a 1-1 deadlock just 2:26 into the third period, thanks to a terrific keep-in by Wings defenseman Brad Stuart.  For the Wings' fourth-line to produce the game-winner was huge, just as huge if not bigger was the 5-on-3 penalty kill.  Pittsburgh can't say they didn't have their chances.  Pens coach Michel Therrien has been steadily complaining about Detroit's susposed obstruction in this series, and for his team to get a power play just halfway through the 3rd period, then for Andreas Lilja to be called for interference on Sidney Crosby, the opportunities were there.  The game was for the taking, the series was there to be tied at 2-2 going back to Detroit.

Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots, but couldn't make the most important save on Hudler's quick backhand.  Fleury hadn't lost in Mellon Arena since Nov. 21, and coming into Saturday night's Game 3, the Penguins were a perfect 9-0 at home during the postseason.

Chris Osgood turned aside 22 shots, improving to 13-3 since relieving Dominik Hasek in Game 3 of the Nashville series.  Though the 22 shots may say that he wasn't busy, Osgood made several crucial stops on the big gunners Crosby, Dupuis, and Hossa.  He had to be superb in the waning moments with the Penguins having the extra attacker after pulling Fleury. 

No doubt, the Penguins needed to score on their 5-on-3.  If there was going to be a time for them to tie the game, that was it.  But they failed to score.  They failed to execute.  But as potent a power play unit the Pens boast, (and they had all the gunners out there: Gonchar, Crosby, Malkin and Hossa), the Wings penalty kill was better.

He may not have the eye-popping stats in this series, but aside from Osgood, there hasn't any other player better or more consistent than Henrik Zetterberg.  Zetterberg made a game saving play, getting his stick on Crosby at the last seconds, preventing Crosby from getting off a clean shot o the doorstep during the Pens' 5-on-3.  His defensive prescence in Game 4 was arguably the best we've seen all, at a time when the Wings needed not only Zetterberg, but their penalty kill unit as whole, to be outstanding.

Lest we forget that the Wings were without Tomas Holmstrom, who sat out Game 4 due to a lower body injury he suffered when Penguins defenseman Hal Gill sent Holmstrom hard to ice.  But, no Holmstrom, no problem on this night for the Wings.  Their composer and poise were put to the test yet again.  And yet again, the Wings responded.

With the Igloo already celebrating over the announcement of Holmstrom's absence, Marian Hossa's power play goal 2:51 into the game nearly tore the roof off Mellon Arena.  Momentum clearly on the Penguins side, carrying over from their Game 3 victory and no Holmstrom, Hossa drew first blood.  And what better sign for the Pens to get their struggling power play going and scoring the first goal.  Pittsburgh was 11-0 when scoring first in these playoffs.

But it didn't take long for the Wings to respond, and who better to lead the Wings' response than the captain himself.  4:55 after Hossa's goal, Nicklas Lidstrom fired a rocket a few seconds after the Penguins had successfully killed off the Wings' first power play. 

So now the cup is in plain sight.  It's so close the Wings can taste it, but just because they deserve to win on Monday night doesn't mean the Penguins are going to step aside and let the Wings have it.  Pittsburgh will be a desperate bunch, facing the fact that their next loss will end their season.  For the Wings, they'll have a chance to end this series on their home ice and claim their 11th Stanley Cup in franchise history. 

Returning home proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Pittsburgh, as Crosby scored two power play goals and Adam Hall banked a shot in from behind the net off Wings goalie Chris Osgood to propel the Penguins to a 3-2 win in Game 3 to cut Detroit's series lead to 2-1.  Game 4 will be back in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

The Penguins improved to 9-0 at home in this year's playoffs and haven't lost in Mellon Arena since Feb.24th.  Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who turned in his best effort in these finals with 32 stops, hasn't lost in the Igloo since Thanksgiving.  Johan Franzen's second period power play goal and Mikael Samuelsson's third period tally were the lone Detroit shots to beat Fleury.

Wings goalie Chris Osgood turned aside 21 shots, but suffered his first Stanley Cup Finals loss as the Wings' starting netminder.  Osgood entered with a perfect 6-0 finals record, leading Detroit to a finals sweep of the Washington Capitals in 1998, and winning the first two games of these finals via shutout. 

With the Pens in a certain must-win situation and with the home crowd, it would have probably been naiive to think Detroit was going to sweep and shut out Pittsburgh in four straight games.  Pittsburgh needed someone to step up, and who better than the reigning MVP in Crosby.  They needed Fleury to be a lot better at home than in Detroit, and he was. 

While the Wings still hold a 2-1 series lead, it seems as though now we have a series, which couldn't make the NHL, Pierre McGuire, Ed Olcyzk, Barry Melrose, Steve Levy and the man on the moon any happier.  Detroit faltered, and the Penguins pounced.  Crosby got the goals and the interviews.  Ah, all is right with the world.  The sun is shining a bit brighter.  The grass is greener.  You get the idea.

So now for the first time, we saw all the bounces aren't going to go the Wings' way, the Penguins won't be the only ones to hit posts and fail to capitalize on opportunities.  It wasn't as though the Wings were thoroughly dominated in Game 3.  They began Game 3 just as they did in the first two games, pushing the tempo early and taking it to the Pens.  They played beautifully for 14 minutes in the first period, outshooting Pittsburgh 9-1.  But then Brad Stuart made a bad pass into the skates of Henrik Zetterberg that resulted in Crosby pushing hard to the net, and scoring the game's first goal and his team's first goal of the series.

And from that point on, the Penguins became a different team.  Their confidence grew, and you just knew that if the Penguins saw the puck find the back of the net, they were going to be a different team.  They finally put the Wings in chase mode, a feat Detroit was unable to overcome despite a strong third period effort.  For Detroit, Hall's fluky goal off Osgood hurt, but their power play isn't helping out.  So far in this series, the Wings are 2-for-19 with the extra man advantage, moreso their first unit of Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Lidstrom and Rafalski have found little to no success thus far. 

The Wings know they can play better, and to beat the Penguins at home, they'll have no choice but to be better in Game 4.  Taking care of the puck in their own end will go a long way to rectifying their tough Game 3 loss.  Certainly, there won't be any panic coming from the boys in red and white, and there's no reason to.  You expect the Penguins to be a different team a home, a better team.  They benefited from the having the last change, and it got Crosby away from Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

As Game 4 looms, the Penguins are feeling confident.  They believe they're capable of not only playing, but beating the Wings.  Pittsburgh showed signs of life and they're energized now, making Game 4 even more important than Game 3.  The Wings weren't as good in Game 3 and it cost them.  Now it's up to Detroit to respond.

Samuelsson scored two goals on Saturday night, as the Red Wings defeated the Penguins, 4-0, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Wings' special teams helped Detroit seal their Game 1 victory, with Dan Cleary scoring shorthanded and Henrik Zetterberg added a power play goal.  Both Cleary and Zetterberg's goals came in the third period with less than 3 minutes to play, squashing any chance for the Penguins to attempt to mount a late comeback.

Samuelsson took advantage of two costly Penguins turnovers.  The first one was off of a poor line change by Pittsburgh.  The Penguins were gased and miles away from their own bench in the second period.  Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy labored to the bench, and Samuelsson used his fresh legs to race up the ice and score the game's first goal on a wraparound. 

His second goal, Samuelsson outworked Penguins defenseman Hal Gill along the borads, and Gill's teammates couldn't bail him out.  Between Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Rob Scuderi and Evgeni Malkin, none of the three came up with it cleanly, resulting in Samuelsson burying his second goal past Fleury not more than a foot in front of the net.

As the game began, it was evident the Wings had early jitters in front of a packed Joe Louis Arena crowd.  The Penguins played their road gameplan almost flawlessly, moving their feet and using their speed to get the Wings back on their heels.  Pittsburgh's speed frustrated Detroit into four, first period penalties.  The last thing the Wings wanted was to allow the Penguins to get the first goal, but importantly get their power play going.  The Wings and goalie Chris Osgood would have none of it.

Osgood turned aside 19 shots on the night, 12 in the first period.  The Penguins had some quality chances in the first period, but they came up empty.  They couldn't gain momentum.  They couldn't draw first blood.  And the Pens were never the same.  The Wings got their early game jitters out of their system, taking just one penalty the rest of the game.  Defensively, it may have been the best it's been all postseason. 

The Penguins used the power play to get off 12 shots in the first, but after that, it was a completely different game.  Crosby and company managed just seven shots combined in the second and third periods.  They had a few chances in the third, most notably from Marian Hossa who rung Pittsburgh's best chance off the post.  But the Wings didn't allow the Pens to ever get comfortable on offense, never allowing Pittsburgh to gain nor sustain momentum.

The end result was Pittsburgh looking up at their opponent for the first time in these playoffs.  This is now the first series Pittsburgh has trailed in after handling Ottawa, New York and Philadelphia.  Crosby and Malkin were knocked around by the Wings, their time and space taken away from what they've previously been accustomed too.  The looks and body language from the vistors were those of frustration and going into Game 2, how the Penguins respond, especially through the first 10 minutes of the game will be vital.

While Datsyuk didn't register a point, there weren't many players for either team that were better than he was.  He led the way with six hits while firing five shots at Fleury.  He played fantastic at both ends of the ice, outworking and outhustling many of the Penguins.  And that whole secondary scoring thing was taken care of by Samuelsson and Cleary.

This time, however, the Wings dind't let a disallowed goal affect them the way it did in Game 4 of the Dallas series.  Predictably, you can imagine Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom was invovled in his second disallowed goal.  Holmstrom was parked in front of the Fleury, who drifted slightly out of his crease and ever-so lightly, Holmstrom's stick came in contact with Fleury's goalie gear, negating Lidstrom's goal and sent Homer to the box for interference.  Or so they say.  Another shotty call by the refs, probably a reputation call again.  But it didn't faze the Wings.  Not much did on this night.

Heading into Game 2, Penguins coach Michel Therrien, who called Game 1 the worst performance of the playoffs, will be doing some line juggling to try and generate more favorably matchups, or at the very least, give the Wings new looks.  A lot has been made coming in about the experience factor and the fact that the Wings have oodles and the Pens have very little.  The Wings have been here, done that before, but the Penguins are pretty much learning on the fly here in the finals. 

How the Pens respond in Game 2 could go a long way in determining exactly what kind of series this will be.  Then again, if the Wings play with that kind of passion and desire, and that defensive effort, Pittsburgh's best might have to be a whole lot better.

Deep in the heart of Texas, the Red Wings stood tall and the Stars fell.  After squandering two chances in Games 4 and 5 to send Dallas packing, the third time proved to be the charm for the Wings, who eliminated the Stars in Game 6, 4-1.  The Wings will make their 23rd trip to the Stanley Cup Finals where they'll square off against the Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.  Game 1 will be in Detroit on Saturday night at 8 p.m.

Detroit put their lapses and missed opportunities the last two games firmly in their rear view mirror.  From the outset, the Wings were swarming, forcing the Stars' players back on their heels and their fans back in their seats.  The Wings used a little bit of everything, including three first-period goals on Monday night to finally put away the Stars. 

It was a by-any-means-necessary effort, highlighted by Kris Draper's opening goal 3:45 into the game that went in off Draper's chin and past Turco, requiring Draper to head to the locker room and get stitches to close the gash.  Pavel Datsyuk went top shelf on Turco on the power play to make it 2-0, and then Dallas Drake took a few chops at loose puck in front of Turco before finally finding the back of the net. 

What a thrill for Drake, who scored a goal and assisted on Draper's goal, to be heading to his first finals in his 15th NHL season.  The Wings' needed secondary scoring to eleviate the pressure of their top line and got it.  Gritty, tough goals by Draper and Drake were just what the Wings had been misssing since Game 3.  The Wings' Euro Twins didn't disappoint either.  Datsyuk and Zetterberg excelled on special teams, with Datsyuk netting the power play goal, and Zetterberg notching his second short-handed goal in the series, putting the Wings up 4-0.  Detroit's stars were stars.  Dallas's were not.  End of story, end of series.

There will be no Game 7, none of this "it happens once every 33 years" nonsense of a team going up 3-0 in a series only to lose the series, 4-3.  The Wings don't have to worry about that now.  Chris Osgood wasn't active for much of the first or second periods, but in the third period when he had to be, Osgood was pretty good.  He stopped 12 shots he faced, with only Stephane Robidas' power play goal beating him.  In his 100th career playoff game, Osgood recorded his 55th career playoff win.  48 of those wins coming in a winged wheel uniform, passing hall of fame goalie Terry Sawchuck for the franchise record for wins.

Perhaps it was a combination of things that did in the Stars in this series.  Maybe it was their previous series against Pacific foes Anaheim and San Jose going six games apiece.  It might have been the Stars just ran out of gas, especially after their grueling four-overtime clincher to eliminate San Jose in Game 6.  Or it could have been they used up all their energy in Game 4 and Game 5 trying to make history.

By the time Draper put the Wings up 1-0, the Stars hadn't even taken a shot yet.  The Stars dug themselves a gigantic hole, falling behind 3-0 after 20 minutes, but they didn't help themselves on the power play.  The Wings made a terrible habit of parading to the penalty box, but in their seven trips to the sin bin, the Stars couldn't capitalize.  Several of the Stars' power plays resulted in Dallas not even getting a shot off on the two-man advantage. 

Detroit dropped another hammer in another series clinching performance, something Nashville and Colorado learned first hand.  In their three series clinching efforts, Detroit has outscored their opponents 15-3 (Nashville 3-0, Colorado 8-2, and Dallas 4-1).  So now the Wings head back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2002, in search of their 11 title in the history of the franchise.

The Wings are back where they belong, and boy does it feel damn good to be back!

Marty Turco stopped 38 shots, and his teammates helped him win his first ever game as pro in Detroit, as the Stars edged the Wings 2-1 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.  Game 6 will be back in Dallas on Monday night. 

Game 3 was supposed to be the Stars' last stand.  Dallas held down the fort and then some, a prideful bunch determined not to be swept.  They staved off elimination, hopped on a plane and headed for Detroit.  Surely it was a great day to print up a fresh batch of playoff tickets and go to the Stanley Cup Finals.  But instead, the tension has mounted.  Doubt has begun to creep up and our fingernails are slowly being worn down to the quick.

The Stars bottled up and brought with them their Game 4 effort, managed to sneak it past security at the aiport in Detroit and bring it into Joe Louis Arena.  The Wings have now lost two straight for the first time in nearly a month.  Marty Turco snapped his Joe Louis Arena jinx, ending Detroit's unbeaten home record in the playoffs this season.  Safe to say now, this just got interesting and not for the better.

It's hard to believe that these Red Wings are the same Wings that we saw run off nine wins in a row and put a 3-0 stranglehold on this series.  In fact, they're not.  The things that we've seen plague Dallas and contribute to their 0-3 deficit are now troubling the Wings.  Missed opportunities.  Poor line changes.  Defensive mix-ups.  Shots fired wide of the cage.  All were on display on Saturday afternoon.

At one point, I thought that Mike Emrick must have recorded himself saying "shoots it wide" or "just wide of the net".  No mistake about it, this wasn't Chris Osgood's loss.  Osgood turned aside faced only 21 shots, turning aside 19 of them.  He faced numerous odd man rushes, and had to deal with shotty line changes.  Two Detroit gaffes on line changes cost the Wings two goals, one by Trevor Daley and the other by Joel Lundqvist.  Osgood has been good, more than good, when needed.  While it's not on his shoulders to win this series, I'll argue that Turco's playing a tad better right and Osgood may have to steal Game 6.  That is, if the guys in front of him decide to get their act together and help him out.

The Wings fired 39 shots at Turco and missed the net completely, 19 times.  Yikes.  Dan Cleary had one point blank.  Tomas Holmstrom had a great chance, as did Brian Rafalski.  Pavel Datsyuk fired eight shots but came up empty.  Dallas put the clamps down on Henrik Zetterberg, and the Stars also gave the Wings a dose of their own defensive medicine, shifting into lockdown mode in the third period.  Dallas never allowed Detroit to build any momentum offensively in the third, and the quicker time slipped away from the Wings, the more apparent it became that Dallas wouldn't need anything more than a one-goal lead.

If you were to tell me around 4PM that Daley and Lundqvist were the goal scorers for the Stars, I would've said that it feels good to be headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals.  But right now, nothing feels good.  They're still ahead in this series and as Osgood said afterwards, if you were to tell me before the series started that Detroit would be up 3-2 heading to Dallas, like Osgood, I would have definitely taken it. 

However, after severely dominating Dallas the first three games in this series, the Wings are now a shell of their former selves.  Their crisp, one-touch passing is off by more than a few hairs.  Their fast moving possession game has turned sluggish.  Give credit where credit is due.  Marty Turco was good.  The Wings' as a whole, were worse.

So, between now and Monday night, there's an awful lot to like about the Stars and an awful lot to be concerned about the Wings.  Marty Turco has picked the right time to play his two best games of the series in Game 4 and Game 5.  Dallas has improved dramatically defensively.  And they managed to roll into town and steal Game 5 without their stars making a lot of noise.  We didn't hear Brad Richards' name mentioned a whole lot on Saturday.  The same can be said for the Mikes, Modano and Ribeiro.  And other than his crossbar ringer, we didn't hear much out of Brendan Morrow. 

The Wings had the Stars down on the ice, flat on their backs.  Instead of reading Dallas their eulogy and preparing to lower them six feet under, the Wings have given the Stars a reprieve, two in fact.  The Wings' stars weren't their stars in Game 4 and even less in Game 5, and it seems as if the big question of secondary scoring coming into the playoffs still remains unresolved.  Paging Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson.  Is Valtteri Filppula available?  Are Tomas Holmstrom or Kris Draper preoccupied? 

As good as Zetterberg and Datsyuk have been, you're starting to get the feel that now more than ever, that they can't finish off the Stars alone.  Now the Wings are really missing Johan Franzen, and barring some tremendous, Mule will almost certain be missing in action for Game 6.

The Wings had this thing on cruise control, but now they've been reduced to riding the brake.  These Stars aren't flickering anymore, no, they're beginning to shine brighter than ever.  And as for Game 6 on Monday, well, let's just say the word pressure will take on a whole new meaning. 

Detroit can't afford to play tight.  They can't afford to be tense, nor can they afford to let the Stars get on the board first.  That's happened the last two games, resulting in two Dallas victories.  The team that scores first in this series is a perfect 5-0.

The Wings aren't in big trouble yet, but trouble is in the neighborhood.  Or at the front door for that matter.  Somehow, Detroit must relish in the moment and discard their past six, uninspiring periods of hockey.  They must be better, faster, smarter, and above all else, they must want this more than the Stars.  If the Wings are outwilled again in Game 6, unquestionably there will be a Game 7 back in Detroit.

Detroit still holds the edge up 3-2 in the series, with potentially home ice advantage looming in Game 7.  Hopefully on Monday night, the third time will be the charm for the Wings to eliminate the Stars.

The loss snaps the Wings' nine-game winning streak in the postseason, and for the Wings, who have been playing at such a high, remarkable level, they just got knocked down a peg.  Detroit was given a few bitter playoff pills to swallow, called losing and adversity.  The Wings hadn't lost since April 16th, in Game 3 against Nashville and for the first time in almost a month, didn't play particularly well.

The effort in Game 4 flat out wasn't good enough to send the Stars to the golf courses and backyard lawn chairs for the summer.  Detroit started slow, thanks in large part to the Stars' urgency.  The Wings got back on their heels and for the second game in a row, found themselves taking a steady journey to the penalty box.  In Game 3, the Wings offset Dallas' good start with the all important first goal that put the Stars in chase mode.  A good rule to live by as the opposing team after the first period is to be even or ahead.  The Wings mustered just five first period shots, but were lucky to be tied 0-0. 

Game 4 was a series of firsts, mostly for Dallas, in this series.  It was the first time Dallas led in any of the four games when Loui Eriksson put a stray puck past Chris Osgood with 22.7 seconds left in the second period.  Until Eriksson's goal, the Stars had trailed in the series for almost 220 minutes.

It was also the first time the Stars benefited from a call, and horrible call at that.  Go back to Game 1 where Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom had his heels and then some in crease, making it impossible for Turco make a save.  Deflection goes in off Holmstrom.  Turco pleading for some help from the refs but to no avail.  Clearly Holmstrom's goal shouldn't have counted, and in Game 4, the officials blew another one, only this time, it was legit.

And it was a tremendous momentum swing in the game.  In the second period with Detroit on the power play, Pavel Datsyuk fired a shot into the upper corner in front of a screened Turco, and as usual Holmstrom was doing the screening.  The Wings go in front on the power play goal as the red light when on, and the Stars find themselves in a familiar position: chase mode.  Only this time, the goal was disallowed by referee Kelly Sutherland, who said that Holmstrom's "rear" was in the crease, interfering with Turco.  Nice one, Kelly, thanks.  Little late for a makeup call THREE games later I'd say, wouldn't you?

Referees are human too, and they're going to make mistakes, but as Wings coach Mike Babcock said in the postgame conference, that was totally a reputation call, and I'll add total B/S.  To say it was a bad call is one thing, and to say it was a turning point in the game, is another.  What could have been a Detroit lead was wiped out.  7:12 and change later, the Stars grasped momentum and their first lead in the series.

That lead, however, was brief, thanks to Henrik Zetterberg's tying goal 19 seconds into the third period.  But Mike Modano brought the Dallas faithful out of their seats with a badly needed power play goal, and Brendan Morrow gave the Stars an insurance goal.  Stars goalie Marty Turco turned aside 35 shots in what was his best game of the series.  The Wings had the Stars backed into a corner, and Dallas responded by biting the Wings.

Though the disallowed goal on Holmstrom hurt, it wasn't the sole reason the Wings failed to clinch in Game 4.  Had it not been for Osgood, who made two big saves in the early minutes of the game on Mike Ribeiro and Antii Miettinen, it could have been much worse.  Osgood wasn't as active as Turco, but was again sharp.  On Modano's power play goal, another break went the Stars' way, in the form of Dan Cleary's stick breaking that made the power play essentiall a 5-on-3.

The Wings weathered early storms from the Stars.  Better yet it was Osgood, who helped kill off three straight Dallas power plays in the first period.  But the tip of cap goes to the Stars on this night.  Staring the end of their season in the eye, the Stars kept coming at Detroit.  Dallas finally found a way to get the first goal and finally took some pressure off themselves playing with a lead.  The team that scores first in this series is 4-0.

As the series shifts back to Detroit for Game 5, the Wings have to get off to a better start and find a way to put the pressure back on Dallas.  For certain, if they start Game 5 the way they started Game 4, the Wings won't like the end result.  Detroit was too inactive early and though they played much better in the second and third periods, the Wings were never able to brush off their sluggish start. 

The Wings are still in command of this series, 3-1, and they'll be on home soil in Joe Louis Arena for Game 5.  It's going to take more work and better effort if Detroit is going to eliminate Dallas on Saturday afternoon.  The Stars showed they aren't about to surrender and waive the white flag, something the Wings had to painfully learn on Wednesday night.

The Stars were reduced to grasp at straws coming into Game 4, and Dallas latched on to a thin one.  While this series isn't full blown interesting just yet, it'll be interesting to see if the Stars can bring their Game 4 effort and energy into Game 5.  Detroit knows what's coming, this isn't rocket science.  Dallas must play their best again.  Anything short of their best won't cut it.  And if the Wings don't turn in their best effort of the series, that won't cut it either.

They used to be the sidekicks of a future hall-of-famer who wore red and white for a couple of seasons, Brett Hull, little brothers if you will that Hull mentored in the early years of this decaded.  As Hull looks on from the Stars' co-general manager box, he has be both grinning and grimacing at the same time.  His former sidekicks are blossoming into superstars.

In what was to be the most critical, swing game of the series, the Euro Twins turned this one into a laugher, as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk guided Detroit past Dallas, 5-2, on Monday night to take a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.  Datsyuk scored three goals (it was his first ever hat trick) and Zetterberg added a shorthanded goal, leaving Dallas, well, looking up at the stars for answers. Detroit has now won nine straight games in the postseason, setting a franchise record, while needing one win to secure a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in six years. 

As predicted when the series changed venues, Dallas came out electric.  The Stars were faster, more aggressive and more desperate to start the game, desperately trying to avoid an 0-3 hole.  They blitzed Chris Osgood early, hitting the outside of the post with Osgood sprawled on the ice, and another hit the crossbar of a deflection from Wings' defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.  But despite the energy and effort, and the near-makes early on, the Wings got the all important first goal, courtesy of Datsyuk.

Datsyuk helped put the Stars in the chase position with his first goal his slipped past Stars goalie Marty Turco with a little help from the post.  His second goal of the first period allowed the Wings to win the period, going into the locker room ahead on the road, 2-1.  Brad Richards got the Dallas faithful out of their seats again with his goal that went in off of Brad Stuart.  But the jubilation would be short lived thanks to Jiri Hudler.  Hudler took a long pass from Nicklas Kronwall on a poor line change from the Stars, skated in untouched, but almost fell over, and slipped a high backhander past Turco gloveslide.  Momentum changer. Back breaker. 3-2 Detroit.

If Hudler's goal didn't take all the wind out of the Stars' sails, Zetterberg made sure of it.  With Detroit encountering some penalty troubles in the third period, Zetterberg went to work at the expense of Richards.  As good a player as Richards is, he's not known for his stalwart defense.  Then again, there aren't many guys in this league right now that wouldn't look foolish against Zetterberg. 

Zetterberg zigged, Richards zagged.  Turco came out, Zetterberg waited, and put one in almost as easily as tossing an empty milk carton into the recycle bin.  A short-handed goal.  A two-goal lead.  That sound in the background was the air going right out of the balloon.

Other than how solid and good when called upon Osgood has been, it's easy to overlook Hank and Pav's impact defensively they have as well.  Penalty killing, back-checking, puck possession.  It must be as if the Stars feel like they're seeing 40 and 13 always on the ice, always having to chase the puck rather than possess it.  But who can blame them?  It seems at times there are multiple No. 40 and 13's on the ice, zipping up and back the ice, carrying the puck as if it were on a string, toying the Stars.

Sure Hudler's goal was huge and Zetterberg's was bigger.  But it was the fifth and last goal, Datsyuk's third of the game, that painted the whole portrait of this series thus far.  All created by tenacious back-checking and hustle, Zetterberg outworked and out-willed nearly the entire Dallas team to secure the puck.  Surrounded by four black jerseys, Zetterberg slipped a tape-to-tape pass to a wide open Datsyuk, who buried his third goal past Turco.

As Stars coach Dave Tippett stated after the game, Dallas didn't have an answer for the dynamic Detroit duo of Zetterberg and Datsyuk.  Not the choppy ice inside or the 80 plus degree temperatures outside could slow down the Wings.  Detroit's winning face offs.  They're controlling the puck like they want.  Osgood's making the key saves.  Other than the ambiguous health status of Johan Franzen, the Wings appear to be blazing a trail that will land them in the Stanley Cup Finals, and it's as if they can't get there fast enough.

So now it's down to this for the down-troddened Stars.  Down 0-3 in the series, down in a series for the first time in these playoffs, the Stars will be facing elimination on Wednesday night.  Only twice in NHL history have teams down 0-3 in a series come back to win the series.  100 teams went on to sweep up 3-0.  42 won the series in five.  Regardless of numbers and past playoff series history, the Stars' backs are against the wall.  Their next loss will be their last in the 2007-08 season.

As far as the gameplan goes, I'm not sure what Dave Tippett can do at this point, if there's anything to do.  It seems as if the Stars may be out of gameplans and words.  What do you tell your team when they're being  outplayed and outworked?  Or that as hard as they've tried, all previous attempts to fluster or rattle the Wings have gone array? 

So much for the supposed growing animosities between the two teams after the way Game 2 ended.  The Wings dominated with their sticks and skates, rather than their fists.  They'll beat you with brains, not braun.  It's just their philosophy, and who can argue with it when their way of hockey life produces this kind of a result

Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg scored first period goals and Chris Osgood turned asided 17 shots to led the Wings to a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.  Detroit now heads to Dallas for Game 3 on Monday night with a 2-0 series lead.

Franzen was a late abscence from Detroit's lineup because of concussion-like symptoms.  Franzen has been having reoccuring headaches since early on in the Colorado series, and will see a specialist in Detroit on Monday.  It's still unknown exactly what the problem is, but the Wings are taking extra precautions with Franzen, who will miss Game 3 on Monday night as well.

While the Stars didn't pack their legs and were short on energy in Game 1, Dallas seemed to get their game back in Game 2.  The Stars skated better and they weren't short on scoring chances.  Dallas had a 4-on-1 opportunity in which Steve Ott missed the net.  Mike Modano failed to hit an open net on a power play.  Niklas Hagman failed to get a clean look at the net on a 2-on-1.  Stephane Robidas was the only Star to solve Osgood, scoring on a power play that tied the game at 1.

But while the Stars improved drastically in Game 2, the Wings were just a little bit better.  The Wings were still skating a bit harder and faster.  They revved up the hitting department, led by Daniel Cleary who registered six hits.  Dallas Drake highlighted Detroit's hitting in the first period with a crushing body blow on Robidas.  The Stars had no answers on faceoffs for the second game in row, as Detroit won nearly 70 percent of the faceoffs in Game 2.

Game 2 wasn't without some game-ending fireworks as well, and you can expect the emotions to carry over in Game 3 on Monday night in Dallas.  The game ended as Chris Osgood used the butt-end of his goalie stick to take a poke at Dallas' Mike Ribeiro, in which Ribeiro responded with a two-handed slash across the chest of Osgood.  Ribeiro received a match penatly at the end of the game, as tempers flared from both teams at the end of the game.  Both Osgood and Ribeiro were fined an undisclosed amount of money on Sunday, as was Stars' forward Steve Ott.

Dallas' frustrations clearly showed in the end of Game 2, started by Stars captain Brendan Morrow taking a penalty in the last minute of play when the Stars had the extra attacker and needed to score the tying goal.  As Dallas looks to regroup in Game 3, the Stars find themselves down in a series for the first time in the postseason.

The Stars had won both games on the road in their previous series this postseason, against Anaheim and San Jose.  Dallas now find themselves in what appears as a must-win situation staring them in the face in Game 3.  Marty Turco stopped 32 shots in Game 2, but his efforts weren't enough.  Turco still remains winless in Detroit, his record now at 0-9-2 lifetime as a Star in Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit has won eight straight playoff games, tying the franchise's best postseason win streak.  The Red Wings won eight playoff games in a row twice before this season, in 1952 and 1995.  Chris Osgood is now 7-0 as the Wings' starting goaltender. 

So, as we shift the series to Dallas, we've seen this script two previous time before.  In both series against Nashville and Colorado, Detroit protected home ice and won the first two games of both series at home before going on the road.  Detroit will look to put a choke-hold on the series and take a 3-0 series lead on Monday night.  The Stars have been backed into a corner and need a win in Game 3 to avoid an 0-3 series hole. 

Detroit blitzed Dallas 4-1 in Game of the Western Conference Finals to take a 1-0 series lead, thanks to four different scorers, three power play goals, and stingy defense.  The Wings got goals from Brian Rafalski, Tomas Holmstrom, Valtteri Filppula, and Johan Franzen.  Detroit's first three goals came by way of the power play, and Filppula iced the game late in the second period, putting the Wings up 4-0 with under five minutes to play in the second period.  Chris Osgood turned asided 20 shots to run his playoff record to 7-0 this season since relieving Dominik Hasek in Game 4 of the Nashville series.

While the Wings were relentless, the Stars appeared listless.  While the Wings skated with easy and fury, the Stars seemed as if their skates were filled with cement.  Maybe it was the fact that Dallas was coming off a four-overtime thriller that began Sunday night and ended early Monday morning.  Maybe the Stars just didn't, or couldn't, find their legs to match Detroit's speed.  Whatever the reasons, whatever the factors, the Wings could smell blood early on.  They pounced, they punished, they put the Stars behind the 8-ball early.  Two goals in the first.  Two more in the second, and a lockdown defensive effort in the third that left the Stars regrouping for Game 2.

Despite making 27 saves, Stars goalie Marty Turco lost for the eight time as a pro at Joe Louis Arena.  His record now stands at 0-8-2 lifetime in Detroit.  It took all of 4:28 for the JLA faithful to begin serenading Marty with chants of "Turrr-co, Turrr-co" that carried deep into the night.  But this loss hardly falls on Turco's broad shoulders.  Had it not been for Turco, this one could of been much, much worse. 

It just wouldn't be a playoff game right now if Johan Franzen isn't scoring.  Franzen notched his 12th goal of the playoffs on a beautiful deflection that Turco had zero chance of stopping.  Once again, Franzen finds himself in the record books alongside the illustrious Gordie Howe.  Franzen has now scored in five straight games, tying the feat Howe accomplished in 1949 and 1964.  Another famous Wing, Ted Lindsay, scored in five straight in 1952.

Along with Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom made life hell in front of the net for Turco, which is something the Stars are going to have to fix.  There's no easy solution for trying to clear out to six foot 200 plus pound net terrors.  But unless Turco has a chance to see the puck, he won't have much luck stopping the puck as long as 93 and 96 continue to set up shop in Turco's kitchen.

What the Stars lacked in emotion and intensity, the Red Wings did not.  But the Stars have been in two battles with Anaheim and San Jose to get to this point.  Detroit should expect Dallas to come out lively and electric.  The Wings better be prepared for fresh legs and tighter checking from the Stars.  But Dallas better be prepared as well.  Dallas shouldn't expect wholesale changes to Detroit's gameplan.  The Wings will continue to pepper Turco with plenty of shots.  They'll continue their puck possession and minimize mistakes.  Something the Stars must rectify in order to win Game 2.

For the second time this season, Johan Franzen broke a record held by Howe that was 50+ years old.  In March, Franzen netted six game-winning goals, breaking Howe's previous mark of five in 1952.  On Thursday night in Denver, Franzen broke Howe's goal total in a playoff series.  Lately, everytime Franzen touches the puck, he's either burying it in the back of the net, or breaking records.  Either way, the guy's just flat out in another world right now.

Franzen scored his second hat trick this series, and Henrik Zetterberg added two goals and two assists to help the Red Wings destroy the Avalanche 8-2 in Game 4, completing the sweep and landing Detroit into the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.

Franzen tallied nine goals in the series, snapping Howe's mark of eight goals in seven games back in 1949.  But the records don't stop there.  Franzen set an NHL record for goals in a four-game series with nine.  Franzen has scored 11 goals this postseason, which also happens to be a new Red Wings records.  Petr Klima, Sergei Fedorov, and Brett Hull all held the previous record with 10 goals in the playoffs.  Franzen also became the first player to score two or more hat tricks in the postseason, since Jari Kurri accomplished the feat with the Edmonton Oilers in 1985, when Kurri scored three hat tricks against the Chicago Blackhawks.

While Franzen and Zetterberg shined for the Wings, they weren't the only stars shining brightly.  Mikael Samuelsson twice.  Nicklas Lidstrom, Valterri Filppula, and Jiri Hudler each recorded two assists, and Tomas Holmstrom added the other goal for Detroit.  Franzen's individual effort of nine goals matched Colorado's team total of nine goals.

It was a series that was supposed to rekindle and renew this once heated, hated rivalry between the two teams.  Instead, it was cruel, systematic dimantling on the part of the Wings at the expense of the Avs.  Never has this series been so one-sided in the postseason.  In five previous postseason meetings, only once did the series fail to go six games (In 2000, Colorado ousted Detroit in five games in the semifinals).  Now, that's all changed.

There were two common themes this year when the Wings and Avs got together: Detroit never lost, and Colorado was never fully healthy.  Detroit swept the regular season series 4-0.  Joe Sakic missed all four regular season meetings.  Paul Stastny and Ryan Smyth each missed two regular season games.  While the Avalanche endured their fair share of injuries all season long, I can't recall a team in the playoffs in recent memory that was so vigorously bitten by the injury bug.  And that bug simply refused to stop biting the Avalanche.

By the end in Game 4, head coach Joel Quenneville was reduced to send out a hodgepodge, band-aid unit of Avs.  It started in Game 1.  Peter Forsberg was a no-go.  Wojtek Wolski was injured early and lost for the series.  Scott Hannan was knocked out of the lineup and didn't return until Game 3.  In Game 2, the Avs lost Ryan Smyth for the series due to a foot injury.  In Game 3, Paul Stastny suffered a knee injury early in the first period and was lost for the series.  The only game Forsberg suited up for was Game 3.

It was as if the Avs were a freshman team playing against four-year varsity letter winners.  Detroit skated around, through and past Colorado, like the Wings had turbo boosters on their skates.  To borrow a phrase from John Madden: speed kills.  And while Detroit flew, Colorado labored to get up and down the ice, like somebody dared Colorado to play in their sneakers rather than skates.

Had this been curling or darts, or bowling, we would have been inclined to be sympathetic to the injuries.  But this is hockey.  More importantly, playoff hockey.  It is what it is.  Detroit remained healthy, and Colorado did not.  There will be no mulligans, no re-dos.  We're not hitting the reset button and starting over.  What's done is done.

But while it would've been interesting to see what kind of series this could've been had Colorado had all hands on deck, the Avs can only use the injury crutch to an extent.  Had Forsberg been relieable, or Smyth and Stastny remained in the lineup, chances are it wouldn't have been over in four.  The Avs' luck was pretty bad in this series, and Jose Theodore wasn't much better.

Theodore was chased from Game 4 for the third time in the four game series after allowing two goals by Holmstrom and Franzen 47 seconds apart at the end of the first period.  Theodore allowed three goals on 15 shots and didn't come out to start the second period.  It became apparent after Game 1 if the Avs were to win, Theodore had to be stellar.  Theodore was going to have to steal games for Colorado if the Avs had any chance to advance. 

Theodore was neither stellar nor good.  He wasn't efficient or consistent.  It appeared as though after the Minnesota series that Theodore was at the peak of his game, capable of stopping or at the very least, slowing Detroit's offense.  But Jose never gave the Avs a chance.  And backup goalie Peter Budaj was never given the chance to start and take over the reigns.  Budaj was relegated to mop-up duty three times.  Before the Wings peppered Budaj for five goals in Game 4, in his relief of Theodore in Games 1 and 2, Budaj allowed only one goal.

Sure the goaltending wasn't good for the Avs, but a goalie is only as good as his defense in front of him, and the Avs defense were severely overmatched.  They couldn't move Franzen.  They never slowed Zetterberg.  They never shackled Datsyuk.  The Wings' best players were their best players.  Franzen had 10 points in the series, nine of which were goals.  Zetterberg had nine points and Datsyuk added eight points. 

Yes, Colorado was banged up and they almost had as many players in the infirmary as they had goals in the series, but the fact that Andrew Brunette was the Avs' best player probably tells it all.  Brunette led the Avs in goals (2) and points (3) in the series.  He was the only Colorado player to score more than one goal in four games.  Joe Sakic and Milan Hedjuk were silenced to the tune of one goal and six points combined. 

There were plenty of failures to go around in the short four-game series.  The series itself failed to live up to past playoff meetings.  The Avs failed to stay healthy.  Jose Theodore failed to remain in net in three of the four games.  Peter Forsberg failed to be relieable.

As much as the Avs failed, Detroit succeeded.  Their first line of Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom controlled the series.  Their second line scoring came alive, thanks largely to Franzen's nine goals and Samuelsson netting his first two of the playoffs.  Chris Osgood was everything Theodore was not: steady and consistent.  He wasn't a highlight reel, and he didnt have to be.  He made the big saves and he was good when Detroit needed him to be good.

The ending was nearly the same, but the venue was different.  The last time Detroit faced Colorado in an elimination game, the Wings thumped the Avs 7-0 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals in Detroit.  The Wings chased then-Avs goalie Patrick Roy.  This time around, the venue was the Pepsi Center in Denver, but everything else was just about the same.  The Wings chased starting goalie Jose Theodore after the first period, and went on to paste the Avs 8-2.

The Avs were depleted and demoralized.  No Forsberg, Smyth, Stastny or Wolski for a combined nine games and then some.  Sure you can argue had the Wings lost the likes of Zetterberg, Franzen, Draper and Datsyuk, Detroit would have suffered the same fate.  And the Avs would have done the same thing Detroit did: show no remorse, while going for the jugular.

But it was the Wings who showed the killer instinct.  It was Detroit who refused to let up.  The Wings pushed and pushed, and felt they had to push some more.  Maybe the Wings sent a message to either Dallas or San Jose in preparation for the Western Conference Finals.  Maybe they didn't.  The Wings' sweep was the first since 2000, and call it what you will, but it was damn convincing.  Detroit is playing their best hockey right now, and that's all you can ask for at this point of the year.

Halfway home, but tremendous more left to be done.

I predicted the New York Rangers over my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games, Sharks over the Stars in 6, Flyers of Montreal in 6 and the Red Wings over Colorado in 5.

So very likely I'll go 50/50 on the teams, however after the Sharks battled back last night (with some help from the refs), perhaps they could overcome the near impossible 3 game come back with a little momentum.

Some would argue that the Red Wings have yet to play any seriously challenging team, however if the man-handling that was this last series with Colorado is an indication, the Wings are cup bound.  (Yes, the Wings were my favourites going into the playoffs this year... not much of a bold pick I suppose)

As much as I'd like to Montreal make a come back, how can you deny Philly's potent offense and tight checking?  In the interest of full disclosure, I have Brier, Prospal, Carter and Umberger in my pool, so deep down, I hope they move on. (Here is a link to our NHL Playoff Pool. Yes, that's me in first!)

Finally, my Penguins.  What to say, what to say?  As a rabid Pens fan growing up, you would think i'd be elated to see them push this far (and with such force!).  Of course I am... stupid.

But really, coming into the playoffs, I just wasn't convinced this team was as good as everyone else made them out to be.  Call me stupid perhaps, but I just thought maybe they needed another year, maybe they needed to be strong, maybe they needed to gain some playoff experience.

I was obiouvly proven wrong, and for once, I'm very glad to be!  The Pens seem to be a team possesed.  Frankly, I think it's on Flurey now to make this happen and get them to the finals.  Perhaps hindsight is 20/20 (it obviously is), but the way they're playing, I can't see Philly or Montreal even putting up a fight.

Regardless, this playoffs has been shaping up to be quite an eventful affair with the climax beginning to show it's colours.

Here's hoping those colours are black and gold.

San Jose 3, Dallas 2 (OT)

Third period rally keeps the Sharks alive yet again!

A strong third period and a quick OT have kept the Sharks alive yet again. The Dallas Stars took a 2-0 lead on goals by Jere Lehtinen and Brenden Morrow in the 2nd period. San Jose came back with a great play by Joe Thornton, who dished the puck to Milan Michalek in front of the net to cut the lead to 2-1. Brian Campbell tied the game with minutes left in the third from a great pass by Jeremy Roenick. The Sharks made quick work with OT. Joe Pavelski took the puck off the boards and took it himself, traversing the ice and whipping it past Marty Turco.

The first two periods were average for the Sharks, but the third period was very well played. If the Sharks continue to play as they did in the third period, they can tie the series in Dallas on Sunday. Let's just take this one at a time, guys. We can do this.

Es wären schöne Geschichten gewesen. Die vermeintlichen "Underdogs" liegen erst zurück und kommen dann doch noch zum Sieg. Aber es kam leider wie erwartet.

Die Bruins und Capitals haben sich in die Herzen der Eishockey-Fans gespielt. Erst überlebten diese Teams ein wahnsinnig spannendes Finale der regulären Spielzeit. Dann starteten beide unglaubliche Aufholjagden in der ersten Plaoff-Runde. Die Bruins holten den formal letzten Playoff-Platz, die Capital den eigentlich letzten Playoff-Platz am letzten Spieltag. Für beide begann die Playoff-Zeit im Januar 2008: Denn jeder Punkt zählte. Wo Boston immer über dem Strich stand, sah Washington um den Superstar Alexander Ovechkin spätestens nach der bitteren Niederlage gegen Pittsburgh einem Drama ins Auge. Am 9. März traf Nicklas Backstrom kurz vor Ende des Spieles gegen die Penguins ins eigene Netz. Nur wenige Wochen später waren alle Gewinner: Die Capitals siegten in elf der kommenden 12 Spiele und holten völlig überraschend die Carolina Hurricanes an der Spitze der "South-East"-Divison ein. Die Bruins machten es fast ähnlich spannend, als sie die Buffalo Sabres als einziges Team in der NHL mit 90+ Punkten auf Platz 9 verdrängten.

Die erste Runde der Playoffs begann verheißungsvoll für die Calgary Flames - und endete umso enttäuschender. Es war das 4. Spiel der Serie gegen das zweitbeste Team der Liga, die San Jose Sharks. Die Flames, eines der leidenschaftlichsten Teams in der NHL, erkämpften gegen den Favoriten ein 2-1 Führung. Im vierten Spiel stand es nun ebenfalls 2-1 für Calgary, als noch fünf Minuten zu spielen waren. Fünf Minuten fehlten, für eine klare 3-1 Serienführung, welche wohl das Ende dieses Erstrunden-Aufeinandertreffens bedeuted hätte. Doch es kam anders: Zuerst war es Jonathan Cheechoo, der einen scharfwinkligen Schuss im Tor Miikaa Kiprusoffs unterbrachte. Dann war es Joe Thornton, der einen Abfälscher vorm Tor mit nur zehn Sekunden zu spielen ins Tor lenkte. Das Spiel war aus, es stand 2-2 in der Serie und es ging zurück nach San Jose. Am Ende verlore Calgary Spiel 5, um Spiel 6 für die Niederlage im 7. und entscheidenden Spiel zu gewinnen. Calgary, das flammende Herz Kanadas war wieder ausgeschieden.

Die Boston Bruins waren dagegen bereits nach vier Spielen gegen Montreal ausgeschieden. Carey Price war einfach nicht zu überwinden. 27 Mal feuerten die Spieler aus Boston auf das gegnerische Tor, um am Ende mit 0-1 das vorentscheidende Heimspiel an das beste Team aus dem Osten abgeben zu müssen. Mit einem 1-3 Rückstand ging es nun wieder nach Montreal und jeder dachte die Luft sei raus. Aber Boston plante anders: Man entschied sich zu kämpfen und nicht aufzugeben, bis man vier Mal verlor. Und in der Tat, der Torhüter Montreals wurde weich: Fünf Tore in Spiel 5, fünf Tore in Spiel 6 - Boston war auf einmal zurück. Spiel 6 war zudem ein enomer Wechsel des vielzitierten "Momentums". Montreal führte 2-1 und wäre bei diesem Ergebnis in Runde 2. Dann kam das Schlussdrittel, in dem bereits in Spiel 4 vier Tore für die Braunbären fielen. Nach dem frühen Ausgleich läutete die Uhr die letzten zehn Minuten ein. Zehn denkwürde Minuten. Denn Montreal ging wieder in Führung. Und Boston stürmte: Erst der abermalige Ausgleich, dann die erste Führung. Das Haus stand Kopf - für elf Sekunden. Freudentaumelnd erstarrte das Spiel der Bruins kurz, ausreichend lange um den erneuten Auslgeich durch Montreal hinnehmen zu müssen. Dieses wirkte wie eine Adrenalin-Spritze direkt ins Herz. Boston stürmte wieder: Und sinnbildlich war es Marco Sturm, der den Sieg für die Gastgeber sicher stellte. Zehn Minuten, fünf Tore und hoffentlich keine toten Herzpatienten. Das war der moralische Sieg der Boston Bruins, denn Spiel 7 ging mit 5-0 an Montreal. Boston draussen, aber nicht ohne eine emotionale Geschichte hinterlassen zu haben.

Emotional zur Sache ging es ebenfalls für Washington. Die Capitals waren auf einmal Dritter im Osten und trotzdem Außenseiter. Jeder NHL-Fan, außer vielleicht den Flyers-Fans, glaubte an die Hauptstätter. Dieser wahnsinnige Endspurt in der Saison, diese unglaublichen Spieler - allen voran der MVP Alexander Ovechkin, der Calder-Nominierte Nicklas Backstrom und der beste Torschütze unter den Verteidigern Mike Green. Ein junges Team, angeführt von einem der besten drei Coaches der abgelaufenen Spielzeit, Bruce Boudreau. Eigentlich hatte keiner der aufgeführten NHL-Playoff-Erfahrung. Und so lagen die Captials auch 2-4 zurück, nach den ersten zwei Dritteln Playoff-Hockey. Doch Washington hätte sich nicht in die Herzen der NHL-Fans gespielt, wäre der Spielstand zu irgendeinem Zeitpunkt der letzten 12 Spiele ein Hinderniss gewesen an den Erfolg des Teams zu glauben. Mit Ovechkin, Backstrom und Green gewannen die "Caps" das Spiel mit 5-4. Das Foto eines überschäumenden Ovechkin und eines freudetrunkenen Green, welche sich beide knapp einem Meter über den Eis in die Arme gesprungen waren - einer dieser historischen Momente, die nur Playoff-Hockey schreibt. Es zeigte zwei Spieler und ein Team im Hintergrund, welche 12 Spiele vor den Playoffs kaum Hoffnung auf die ultimative Belohnung einer erfolgreichen Saison hatten. Nur um das Unmögliche zu beweisen. Doch die Freude hielt nicht allzu lange an. Die folgenden drei Spiele gingen an die Flyers. Washington wieder mit dem Rücken zur Wand, im Wissen drei Spiele in Folge gewinnen zu müssen. Jetzt noch an das Unmögliche zu glauben, wo das 4. Spiel gerade in der zweiten Verlängerung verloren ging, war schier unreal. Aber es passierte. Washington holte zwei Siege in Folge und stand zu Hause vor der Sensation. Es war wieder Verlängerung, beim Stand von 2-2. Das nächste Tor bringt ein Team in Runde 2. Die Entscheidung fiel, als Capitals-Verteidiger Tom Poti vom Eis musste. Zwei Minuten Strafzeit wegen Beinstellens. Eine unglückliche Entscheidung des Schiedsrichters, der damit über das Ende der emotionalsten Zeit eines jungen Teams richtete. Das Tor fiel, nach einem Abpraller, für die aufopferungsvoll kämpfenden Flyers. Trotzdem hieß der Sieger Washington, denn die Leistung dieses Teams über Wochen hinweg bleibt ein beachtlicher Teil der Geschichte "2008 NHL Playoffs".

In der ersten Runde platzten drei Träume, dreier emotionalen Mannschaften. Drei Teams versuchten das Unmögliche in sieben Spielen gegen übermächtige Gegner zu erreichen. Und gaben alles, um an Ende knapp zu scheitern. Drei wunderbare Geschichten der ersten Runde, an denen am Ende ein verflixtes 7. Spiel stand.

Stepping out of Franzen's long shadow, Datsyuk scored twice and notched an assist, and Zetterberg added a goal and helper to lift Detroit to a 4-3 victory over Colorado in Game 3 on Tuesday night, giving the Wings a 3-0 series lead.  The Wings' duo had both power play goals for Detroit, and Johan Franzen couldn't be kept off the scoring sheet, notching his eighth goal of the playoffs, six in this series alone. 

Chris Osgood was steady again for Detroit, fending off a flurry of activity in the third period and spoiling the Avs' chances to tie the game.  Osgood stopped 30 shots, and improved to 5-0 in the playoffs since taking over for Dominik Hasek in Game 5 against Nashville in the first round.

From five-on-five to offense to defense, and special teams, Datsyuk and Zetterberg were just that: special.  In the playoffs, your best players have to be the best players on the ice, not just for their own team.  When they play like that on any given night with that kind of determination, there's not a gameplan that exists that can stop them.

Peter Forsberg returned to the lineup after missing the first two games of this series because of a groin injury, as did defenseman Scott Hannan who missed Game 2 because of a foot injury.  But Colorado's injury list continues to grow.  The Avs' best player in the series, Ryan Smyth, didn't play in Game 3.  Smyth suffered a foot injury in Saturday's Game 2 while blocking a shot, and it's uncertain whether or not he'll play in Game 4, or for the remainder of the series.

The bad news doesn't stop there for Colorado.  Paul Stasny injured a knee in the first period after a collision with Datsyuk and did not return.  To make matters worse, Stasny is out for the remainder of the series.  And surely nobody other than Forsberg knows how healthy or unhealthy his creaky groin feels. 

But thought they're down 0-3 in the series, Colorado isn't going to step aside and hand Detroit the series clincher in Game 4.  The closeout game in a series is always the hardest one to win.  Colorado played their best game of the series in Game 3, and the Wings should expect the Avs to be better in Game 4. 

A tremendous effort will be coming from Colorado on Thursday night, an avalanche if you will.  Backs are against the wall, and the Wings will need to match Colorado's level of desperation and then some in order to close out this series

Final: San Jose 2, Dallas 1

The Sharks live to see another day.

The play was even in the first, but Dallas took momentum in the second. A plain giveaway from Devin Setoguchi led to a Dallas goal by Jere Lehtinen at 5:25. However, shorthanded just 4 minutes later, Patrick Marleau put a shot past Marty Turco's blocker on a breakaway to tie the game at 1-1. The Sharks came out tearing in the third, contrary to earlier games where Dallas had clear control in the period. At 3:26, on the powerplay, Milan Michalek put in a pass from Joe Thornton to take the lead. The Sharks held on from there to avoid the sweep.

In order to win at the Shark Tank on Friday, the Sharks need to demonstrate the type of play that they showed in their domination of the third period. Only three teams in NHL history have come back to win a series when they trailed 3-0. If the Sharks play like they did in the third period, they can become the fourth.

Final: Dallas 2, San Jose 1 (OT)

This time it was the refs and a third period collapse that doomed the Sharks. An early whistle cost the Sharks a sure goal in the middle of the first period on their first power play of the night. Patrick Marleau scored late in the first period on a shorthanded breakaway, beating Marty Turco in the top right corner. Brendan Morrow scored on a deflection 50 seconds in to the third period, tying the game. Dallas won the game on a shot from the top of the circle by Mattias Norstrom at 4:37.

This is it: it's all on the line. The Sharks have to win four straight games (2 in Dallas, 2 at home) in order to stay alive. To do this, the must raise their playing level to the top. We'll see what happens at tomorrow's game in Dallas.

His nickname is "Mule", but his play so far in two games in this series and the postseason for that matter have been nothing short of magnificent.  Just ask the Colorado Avalanche, who have yet to come up anything that resembles an answer for Johan Franzen.

Franzen netted his first career hat trick on Saturday afternoon in Game 2, helping Detroit blast Colorado 5-1, giving the Red Wings a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Colorado for Game 3 Tuesday night.  While much has been made of the Wings' first line of Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom carrying the offensive load, even more was made coming into the postseason about where Detroit's secondary scoring was going to come from.  Here's a hint: No.93 in red and white. 

Entering the playoffs, Franzen's game blossomed as the expense of Tomas Holmstrom, who missed a plethora of games in March due to a groin injury.  In the final 25 games of the season, Franzen netted 22 goals and assumed the role of Holmstrom: a big, physical prescenece in front of the net, doing the dirty work around the crease, and mastering the art of the deflection.  Franzen's postseason thus far has pretty much picked up where his torrid end to the regular season left off.  "Mule" has seven goals so far in the playoffs, five in this series.  His Game 5 overtime winner against Nashville in the first round propeled Detroit to finally finish off the pesky Preds two days later in Game 6.

Other than their 2nd period complacency in Game 1 when the Wings had a 4-1 lead and survived to win 4-3, Detroit has dominated Colorado in the two games in Detroit.  The Wings chased Avs goalie Jose Theodore in Game 2 for the second straight game, who lost his 13th second round game on Saturday.  But as Theodore is slated to start in net for Game 3, this doesn't fall soley at his feet.  Admittedly, some of Theodore's teammates have stated that the Avs need to be vastly better in front of their netminder, which is like saying water is wet or grass is green.

Indeed if the Avs aren't better in front of Theodore, who's to say that the result in Game 3 will be any different from the previous results in Game 1 and Game 2.  But the playoffs are all about adversity and momentum, and how you deal with it.  Right now, Colorado has a whole of the first, and very little of the second.  But is a trip home for Game 3 and 4 just what the doctor ordered for the Avs? 

There's still no real indication yet whether or not Peter Forsberg will be in the lineup for Game 3, but like Darren McCarty stated after Game 2, unless Foppa's leg is on the cusp of falling off, Detroit should expect Forsberg in the starting lineup for Game 3 and nothing less.  With Forsberg, there's very little doubt that Colorado is an entirely different team, a cup contender even.  But without him, the Avs haven't been very good in the first two games of this series.

When Colorado brought back Forsberg into the fold at the trade deadline, the Avs knew what they were getting themselves into as far as his injury history is concerned.  It's pure guesswork at this point whether or not he'll be in uniform for Game 3.  But Detroit still must contend with Sakic, Hedjuk, Smith and Stastny, so it's not as though Colorado is completely without playmakers.

For Detroit, they've been down this road before, as recent as last series.  Detroit went to the Music City with what appeared to be a strangle-hold on the series, up 2-0 after taking care of business at home.  The Wings didn't bring their A-game and consequently, Nashville evened the series at 2-2 in their building.  Similar scenario back in 1999 that saw the Wings aim for their 3rd straight Stanley Cup, when Detroit had a 2-0 series lead on Colorado, only to see the Avs win four straight and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Wings have Colorado down, but the Avs are by no means out of it.  All it takes is one break, one lucky bounce to go the Avs' way, and this will be a brand new series.  Detroit has taken full advantage of the absence of Forsberg, just like they did in Games 5 and 6 when Nashville played without captain Jason Arnott. 

Detroit knows that Colorado will come out swinging in Game 3, empting all the bullets they have in their chamber.  The Avs' backs are against wall.  They're wounded and injured.  The Wings know this.  But come Tuesday night, it won't be enough for Detroit to just know all of those factors; they must be ready for Colorado's best punch, their best game. 

We've seen the Wings' play well in the first two games, but in the playoffs, what happened in your previous game means nothing the following morning.  Detroit needs to play their best game in Game 3.  Anything less will result in this officially becoming a series.

Final: Dallas 5, San Jose 2

THIRD PERIOD BREAKDOWN COSTS SHARKS

The first two periods of hockey were a great sign for the Sharks. The passes were clicking, shots were getting to the net, and set plays produced 2 goals. And then the third period came. A giveaway by Joe Pavelski at :32 to Brad Richards tied the game at 2. The Sharks never recovered, and three more goals in the third produced the final score of 5-2.

The Sharks have games in two straight nights in Dallas beginning on Tuesday. These two games are MUST win games. 

Final: Dallas 3, San Jose 2 (OT)

I have to say that I didn't think that the Sharks played their best last night. However, the did play well enough to win the game.

Milan Michalek opened the scoring for the Sharks in the early 2nd period by harassing Marty Turco. Turco dropped the puck and it trickled past the goal line. The Dallas Stars surged back, scoring 2 straight and taking a 2-1 lead. A mediocre 2nd period followed for the Sharks. They played a little bit better in the 3rd. With 3:02 left in the final period, Jonathan Cheechoo tied the game at 3-3. The game proceeded to OT. The Dallas Stars played phenomenally and held the Sharks to 0 shots on goal. At 4:39, Brendan Morrow put the puck past Evgeni Nabokov to win the game after some hard work by Stephane Robias.

The Sharks have a must win situation on Sunday at home. If they fail to win, then they travel to Dallas down 2-0 and risk being eliminated in the 2nd round.

Johan Franzen's two goals and Chris Osgood's stone cold save on a wide open John-Michael Liles with 8.4 seconds left enabled the Wings outlast the Avs, 4-3 in Game 1 of the quarterfinals.

Some names have changed, some have remained the same.  The game itself has changed since the last time Detroit and Colorado tangled in the playoffs.  And while the fans ( I am guilty as charged) may be clamoring for fights, blood-shed, and goalies tossing aside equipment and tossing fists at one another, Thursday night was rather calm and ordinary.  It featued your usual playoff scrums, a few big hits here and there, but all things considering, it looked like a peace march compared to the old days.

Maybe for everyone at this particular point in time, the best thing we can do is realize this isn't 1996 or 1997, or 2002.  We'll never forget the height of this rivalry, but we can't resurrect it either.  The tension was there and Game 1 wasn't short on excitement.  Either way, the Wings and their fans will take the outcome.

The Avs struck first, thanks to Paul Stastny, but for the first time in a series that didn't include Nashville, the next goal was scored just 53 seconds later...by Detroit.  Henrik Zetterberg got the Wings on the board, and it was all Detroit after that....for a while. 

Daniel Cleary's goal and two more by way of Johan Franzen, and suddendly this one was shaping out to be a rout.  The Wings were up 4-1 early on in the second period, chasing Avs goalie Jose Theodore from the net.  Not good for Colorado, considering the last time they had a fellow Vezina winner in net in a playoff game in Detroit, the Wings chased him too.  The line on Theodore: 4 goals on 16 shots, similar to Patrick Roy's last game in Detroit in the 2002 Western Conference Finals when Roy gave up 6 goals on 16 shots. 

But much credit needs to be given to Colorado, who never quit or conceded Game 1 and looked to regroup in Game 2.  The Avs have never been afraid or awe-struck by Detroit, and they've always been able to do a pretty good job of keeping up with the Wings.  Two goals in the second period by Liles and Milan Hedjuk and suddenly we had a game, with Detroit hanging on to a 4-3 lead.  A tight third period that saw the Wings regain their legs under them, and saw the final seconds take an eternity to tick off the clock.  The best chance for either team came for the Avs, who had the extra man. 

8.4 seconds left, a flurry of activity in front of the Wings net and then suddenly the hearts of everyone at home and in JLA stopped.  A stray puck mere inches in front of Osgood with Liles coming hard at the puck, ready to fire.  Liles let a great shot go, but Osgood was in better position.  Ozzie squeezed the pads hard, and the whistles blew the play dead.  Advantage Osgood and Detroit in Game 1.

If Game 1 was any indication for the Wings, (it shouldn't be considering they had Game 3 in Nashville in the bag and let it slip away), nobody quits in the playoffs.  No deficit insurmountable, no lead ever safe.  The Wings became dangerously satisfied with a 4-1 lead, and luckily, while the car may have been in park, this time they didn't completely turn the car off.

We're on the eve of going back to the future so to speak, when the Western Conference Semifinals commence with two unfriendly, familiar foes.  For a span of seven years between 1996-2002, there was no more intense, physical rivalry in all of hockey quite like when the Red Wings and Avalanche took to the ice.  The two teams met five times in those seven years, with Colorado besting Detroit three of the five times.  The Avs got the better of the Wings in 1996, 1999, and 2000; Detroit knocked off Colorado in 1997 and 2002.  Both teams combined to win five Stanley Cups in that seven year span.

You name it, this rivalry had everything and it's seen it all: blood, brawls, broken bones, and bickering coaches.  Arguably, these were two of the best teams in all of hockey, along with the Western Conference, and each knew they would likely have to go through the other in order to play in June.  It's a healthy admiration and a generous level of respect between both teams, but it's highly unlikely the teams exchange Christmas cards.  Punches yes, cards or presents, nah.

It's made for compelling storylines and even better television, and for an Original Six team (Detroit) and a non-Original Six team (Colorado), this rivalry ranks right up there with the likes of Detroit/Chicago or Montreal/Boston.  The first shot fired came by way of the most hated Colorado player in the eyes of Detroit faithful alike: Claude Lemieux.  In Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference Finals, Lemieux cheap-shotted Detroit's Kris Draper from behind, sending him into the boards.  Draper, in a prone position with his back turned, was sent face first into the boards, consequently breaking Draper's nose (hit comes around the :50 second mark).  Colorado went on to win the game, the series, and the Stanley Cup a few weeks later.  After the handshake between the teams at the conclusion of the series, Detroit winger Dino Ciccarelli said about Lemieux, "I can't believe I shook the guy's friggin hand."  Me neither, Dino.  Me neither.

One year later, retribution was the name of the game for Detroit, in what's infamously known as the Brawl in Hockeytown.  A melee insued not even two minutes into the game, as McCarty sought out Lemieux and unloaded punches, even a knee to the head, on Lemieux.  Other players joined the brawl, including both goaltenders, Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon.  The fighting carried over into the second period between Brendan Shanahan and Adam Foote, and though it's still hard to fathom, there was some actual hockey played. 

Delocked at 5-5 heading into overtime, McCarty became the hero again, this time using his stick rather than his fists.  McCarty netted the overtime winner past Roy, lifting Detroit to a 6-5 victory.  The win strengthened the bond and cohesiveness between the players and proved to be the defining moment for Detroit: the Wings went on to win their first Stanley Cup in 42 years, disposing of Colorado in the Western Conference Finals in the process.

The following in year in 1998, McCarty and Lemieux went at it again in a regular season game in November just after the opening faceoff.  Patrick Roy challenged Chris Osgood in a fight that saw Osgood wrestle Roy down to the ice.  Detroit won the game 2-0, and would go on to win their second straight Stanley Cup . 

The rivalry reached it's peak in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, an epic seven game series that saw Detroit blast Colorado 7-0 in Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena.  The Wings chased Roy from the net in the second period; Roy was pulled after allowing six goals on 16 shots.  Behind Dominik Hasek, Detroit captured their third Stanley Cup in six years by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

Since 2002, the rivalry has fizzled.  Patrick Roy and Steve Yzerman have retired.  Important cogs Brendan Shanahan, Sergie Fedorov, Martin Lapointe, and public enemy No.1 Claude Lemieux all left at some point, via free agency.  But while there are plenty of new faces getting their first taste of this rivalry, there are still some oldies but goodies hanging around.

For Detroit, Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek both know what it's like to be entangled in the clash.  Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Tomas Holmstrom, and Pavel Datsyuk all remain from the 2002 Red Wings team.  Late this season, Detroit welcomed back grinder Darren McCarty, who was never short on emotion and intensity when it comes to playing the Avs.  Colorado still has Joe Sakic and Milan Hedjuk in the fold, and the Avs turned back the clock at the trade deadline in late February, bringing back Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg. 

For the newbies about to embark on the journey that is the postseason feeling of a Red Wings/Avalanche series, it won't take long to become acclamated.  The buildings will loud.  Excitement will run ammuck.  Emotions will run high.  They already have in the final meeting in this year's regular season.  Colorado agitator Ian Laperriere knocked Detroit's Nick Lidstrom awkwardly into the boards, resulting in Lidstrom being leaving the game with a sprained knee, costing him 2 weeks on the shelf.  Fellow agitator Aaron Downey preceded to go hard after Laperriere, dropping the gloves on two occassions.  The game even featured Detroit head coach Mike Babcock and Colorado assistant coach Tony Granato getting into a shouting match from the benches, shades of Scotty Bowan and Marc Crawford during the '97 WCF.  Ah, the rivalry renewed.

If the hallowed halls in Hockeytown could talk, there wouldn't be a shortage of words to describe what it's like.  The mere uttering of Detroit and Colorado in the same sentence just sparks electricity and emotion.  10 years ago, each team knew that if you wanted a chance to win the cup, you'd likely have to go through the other.  They brought out the best and the worst in each other.  They peeked the interest of hardcore, moderate or once in a while hockey fans.  The games, the series became can't miss television. 

 Old memories and feelings are already in full swing.  While it may never be what it once used to be, it won't be hard to rekindle the passionate flame between these two arch-rivals. 

Anybody have a match?