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Closing time Red Wings want series to end at home in Game 5Posted: Tuesday June 11, 2002 8:09 PMUpdated: Wednesday June 12, 2002 11:37 AM
DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Red Wings are in position to do what many people predicted before the season began: win the Stanley Cup. With a 3-1 series lead over Carolina, the Red Wings need to win only one of the final three games in the Stanley Cup finals to meet the expectations that came from outside and in. Of course, they would like to hoist the Cup on Thursday night after hosting Game 5. "No doubt, we want to finish it here, and we will do anything to win, and we hope it's going to happen," said goaltender Dominik Hasek, who extended his league record with a sixth postseason shutout in Monday's 3-0 win over the Hurricanes. "But if it doesn't happen, we have to get ready for the next game. We don't want to think about it, but it can happen. ... Everything is possible." Many thought the Red Wings became the best team money could buy last summer when they strengthened their already talented roster by adding Hasek, along with forwards Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille. Detroit began the season as the target for the rest of the league, and no team has been able to slow down the Red Wings, who dominated the regular season with 15 more points than anyone other club. After stumbling in the first two games of the playoffs against Vancouver, they handled the Canucks and St. Louis in the following round with ease. When they were down 3-2 to Colorado in the Western Conference finals, they won the final two games by a combined 9-0. "When this team was put together, the one thing we always said was, 'Well, yeah, this has been a great start to our season, but we haven't accomplished our goal,'" Shanahan said. "And it has been that way with each round of the playoffs. And it's that way today. It's that way until we do accomplish our goal." Shanahan said it's tough to deal with pressure of being the team to beat. "Not every player in the NHL enjoys being considered a favorite from the early stages of a season," Shanahan said. "Not every player reacts well to that. But there has been pressure on this team all year long, and we have kind of shouldered it equally. The depth has helped." Kirk Maltby is one of the lesser-known players who has eased the burden on star teammates such as Shanahan, Hull and Steve Yzerman. Maltby has two short-handed goals in the playoffs -- matched only by Hull -- and has added another goal and three assists. He has a theory on why the Red Wings have managed to avoid a letdown. "Everybody checked their egos at the door," Maltby said. "I think that happened because we have so much experience, leadership and pride. We've all been pulling in the same direction for the same goal since training camp, and now that we're in the position that we're in, it's exciting for all of us." |
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