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'Like riding a bicycle' Yzerman says Wings haven't forgotten what it takes
Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2000 07:34 PM
By George Johnson, Calgary Sun There is a tangible sense of urgency in HockeyTown. "Our window of opportunity," admits captain Steve Yzerman, "is shrinking." Larry Murphy and Igor Larionov are both 39. Chris Chelios 38. Doug Brown 35. Todd Gill and Yzerman each 34. Brent Gilchrist 33. Time marches. Clocks tick. Calendars fall away. "We understand that there's only a certain amount of time left to win one more time with this group," says Yzerman. "And after last year ..." Ah, last year. Remember back. After Wings GM Ken Holland lassoed Chelios from Chicago and a healthy Wendel Clark from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, he was lauded as a genius and Detroit immediately anointed as overwhelming Stanley Cup favourites, primed for a historic threepeat. Which made the ensuing tumble that much more awkward and noisy. A quick dispatch of the Mighty Ducks (four games, outscoring them 17-6) in the first round obviously didn't prepare the Wings for what the Colorado Avalanche had in store. After winning the first two games, and apparently on their way to a sweep, the Wings tanked, losing the next four, three of those at The Joe. "I don't want to use the word 'complacency' because that wouldn't be accurate at all, but when it came time to push our game up a notch, we couldn't," says Yzerman. "I can't explain quite why. Obviously, it was very, very disappointing. We thought we had all the ingredients again. Stronger, actually, because of the additions we'd made, getting Chelios and Wendel. "It just didn't happen for us." They may not have landed this year's trade deadline prize, Ray Bourque, but once more the Wings are considered one of a handful of teams (including, most notably, defending champion Dallas and President's Trophy winner St. Louis) generally considered capable of wading through four tortuous rounds. "I think what happened last year has only added to our determination," says Yzerman. "It's made us hungrier. You never really know what's going to happen in playoffs, and there are some strong teams here in the Western Conference, but we've been there before and understand what it takes. "It'd be tough to duplicate the feeling of that first Cup, the team going so long without winning one and it being the first for most of us, but if we could do it again, because of learning how hard it is to lose, this one would be mighty sweet, too." There is, of course, much to recommend them, kicking off with the ageless Yzerman, having just put the finishing touches on his 13th 80-plus point season. Nik Lidstrom led all defencemen in scoring. Brendan Shanahan connected for 40 goals, earned himself a new contract and has plenty to prove in post-season. The powerplay ranked in the top three all season, the penalty killing in the top 10. Detroit was dominant at Joe Louis, merely powerful on the road. Role players the likes of Draper, Brown, Maltby, Holmstrom and Lapointe have arguably no peer. The addition of Pat Verbeek, the Little Ball of Hate, adds depth and tenacity up front. They're all steeled to the pressures and expectations of the Cup playdowns. And orchestrating it all, the master marionette manipulator himself, William Scott Bowman. Detroit, as the bookies says, has it all. "Lifting that Cup up, it's like riding a bicycle," says Yzerman. "You never forget how much fun it is and you never forget how." 
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