Abel to Yzerman
The Red Wings Reborn
by VooX on 04/07/10 at 03:01 AM ET
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I’m going to stay positive. There is no reason not to feel good things about the Red Wings today.
Despite two losses, the Wings played well while facing two dangerous styles. In a seven game series we will beat any team no matter what style they play. Clog up the neutral zone, like Bubba, and eventually the Wings will find the cracks to score. Crosscheck us in the head, like the Flyers or the *ucks, and our skill will slice through them like a sharp knife. The Red Wings system is the most powerful in the NHL. The Stanley Cup in the West goes through us as it has for a long time.
This season will be no different as the Wings head into the playoffs for the 19th consecutive year.
Yet this year is very different. This is the year the Red Wings were reborn.
The Red Wings faced a critical situation this season. One that necessitated transformation and rebirth.
For many seasons we have had the same core of players which were around when Bowman built our team’s identity. With salary cap restraints, (see “Gary. Ass.” for more on the salary cap), and players retiring, that core has diminished. Yet those players still form the nucleus of the NHL’s greatest organ-I-zation.
Draper, Holmstrom, Maltby, Osgood and Lidstrom set the example that everyone else follows. The core from Scotty’s years watched as one of the NHL’s greatest offensive threats, a Captain of his team, decided to become a leader and lead his men into battle from the front. The Captain learned how to defend. The Captain understood his great change in role would lead to championships. The greater good would prevail over his needs.
Yet this core is aging and the torch will eventually be passed along completely, just as The Captain passed along his C. While in season’s past we have relied on the core to lead us, this season the dozens of injuries, loss of players from last year’s roster, and necessity, has forced the Red Wings to rely on new faces to shoulder the load.
This season we have been fortunate to witness the transformation that will lead to many more Red Wings championships in the near future. Our young players have been battle tested and prevailed. They and the club know more about themselves than they did this summer. And they’ve learned what it takes to win in the NHL.
While Jobu tried to mock us with his perverted sense of humour, he actually made the fire burn bright and forged the team into a strong weapon. Our steel is strong. Our will indomitable.
The current and future core of our team, Dangle, Zetterman, Mule, Lord Helm, and others, underwent a monumental test and have overcome. The team is in the playoffs despite massive obstacles. In the future, this season will be spoken of as what united our young team and hardened them for future wars. Just like in March 1997, today’s team has been united by a common goal. WIN at all costs. As a team.
Our future is bright. We have a Red Wings team today which is more prepared to win in the playoffs than we were last season. Last year, although we had Hossa, Hudler, and William Tell, we didn’t have the drive and hunger to win and overcome any obstacle. This year the Wings have stared down the gun’s barrel and haven’t flinched. They are ready to beat anybody and are willing to play many best-of-seven playoff series to prove it.
Stanley Cup #12 is only a handful of Tuesdays away.
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About Abel to Yzerman
Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: wphoulihan@gmail.com