Dominating Detroit: Dominik Hasek and the Red Wings ruled the regular season, but will the veteran-heavy team be able to withstand the postseason grind? - Western Conference Playoff Preview

Hockey Digest, May, 2002 by Adrian Dater

EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN four years since the Detroit Red Wings lifted the Stanley Cup over their collective heads, it seems like their fingerprints never left it.

We've seen nearly a decade of sustained Winged Wheel excellence--two Stanley Cups, one other trip to the Finals, and many other deep playoff runs. But after a first-round exit at the hands of the ... Los Angeles Kings? ... last year, the experts got busy tapping out eulogies for the Wings.

Too old. Burned out. Passe. The Red Wings were seen as nothing more than a Maui sunset--beautiful, radiant, but on the way down nonetheless.

It didn't seem possible, but the Wings got older in the offseason, which might have made AARP happy but didn't convince the skeptics Detroit would seriously contend for another Cup this year. Sure Dominik Hasek, Luc Robitaille, and Brett Hull were all future Hall-of-Famers, but they had seen better days.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche were young, sleek, and newly minted world champions for the second time in six yea's. Despite the retirement of Ray Bourque, the Avs had too many players with better days in front of them. Peter Forsberg was one of them, especially now that he was healthy again and ready to roll.

Or so everybody thought. Forsberg took a voluntary leave of absence in September, decided to come back four months later, and then took an involuntary leave of absence, one that probably will keep him out until next season.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings played like a collection of Ponce de Leons all year. It's as if it's the mid-'90s again, and the Cup appears to be Detroit's to lose this spring. Colorado is the team banged up and looking a little old, while other `Western contenders such as Chicago, St. Louis, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Dallas all might give Detroit a run, but that's it--just a run.

DETROIT RED WINGS

ON THE ICE: Hull, Robitaille, Yzerman, Shanahan, Fedorov, Larionov ... this isn't a starting lineup, it's a wing of the Hall of Fame. On sheer marquee value alone, nobody intimidates an opposing goalie like Detroit. The skeptics said the big names were too long in the tooth to get it done anymore, but, boy, were they proven wrong. The question on everybody's mind entering the playoffs is, will they be able to withstand the nightly rigors of the playoffs, where the checks become a little harder and the action that much more intense? With a big conference points lead entering the final stretch, coach Scotty Bowman could afford to rest his regulars, which could pay big dividends in the later rounds. Defensively, Detroit was better than expected, with Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios terrific, and youngster Jiri Fischer emerging as a player.

IN THE NET: Last year, Hasek wasn't sure he even wanted to play in the NHL anymore. This year, the quirky goalie enjoyed all the benefits of playing for an offensive juggernaut. He didn't have to be the Hasek of the old Buffalo days, when he had to perform his nightly perfect-10 gymnastics routine to get a "W." There were many nights this year Hasek could have curled up with a good book in the crease for all the work he saw. Can he raise his game for the playoffs, though, like the other senior citizens on the roster? Bet against him at your peril.

BEHIND THE BENCH: Just think, Scotty Bowman coached his first Stanley Cup Finals series when Vince Lombardi won his first Super Bowl. Now that's longevity. Bowman is still getting the job done with brilliance. He continues to outwork and outthink coaches half his age, and shows the same thirst for a potential record ninth championship ring that he did for his first. He gets lots of help from assistant coaches Barry Smith and Dave Lewis, but it's Bowman who continues to stand head and shoulders above the coaching community.

PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Hasek's got the Vezinas, he's got the Olympic gold, he's got the Hart Trophies. But a Stanley Cup? Nope. Hasek has the same rap on him that dogged Ed Belfour for years--great goalie, but no Cup. Belfour won it all with Dallas three years ago, and all signs point to this being Hasek's time, but the pressure will be immense.

WHY THEY MAY WIN IT ALL: Because, they have the talent and, most of all, the hunger to win it all again. As much as the Wings might hate to admit it, they didn't seem to have the same drive the last few years. But this season Detroit looked a lot like the Colorado of last year. They played every game all year like it was the seventh game of the Finals and won't settle for anything less than another ring.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

ON THE ICE: The Avalanche was a filet mignon team its first six years in Denver, but had to go with a more meat-and-potatoes brand of hockey this year. The absence of Peter Forsberg and Ray Bourque took two superstars out of the lineup, and some of the team's championship swagger. But, still, the Avs are a dangerous squad that teams will have to play hard to beat in a best-of-seven series. Joe Sakic, Chris Drury, Milan Hejduk, Rob Blake, Adam Foote, and Alex Tanguay are all top talents, and there are other good role players who know what it takes to win in the playoffs. The Avs continued to win with a trapping, slow-it-down style, which may serve them well in the playoffs. In essence, the Avs won in the regular season with a playoff-style of hockey.