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Hockeytown's recipe for success The Red Wings' 10 keys to securing the Stanley CupPosted: Friday June 14, 2002 6:11 PMUpdated: Friday June 14, 2002 6:34 PM
Does the fact that the Red Wings bought the Stanley Cup -- as many contend -- taint their accomplishment? Hardly. More went into their successful recipe than merely greenbacks. If a chance at the Cup came down to money alone, the Carolina Hurricanes and their mid-level payroll would not have represented the East. The Philadelphia Flyers would have purchased the right, instead of flaming out in the first round. If all that was required was high-priced talent, then Jaromir Jagr and the Washington Capitals wouldn’t have been sitting idle since mid-April and the St. Louis Blues wouldn’t have succumbed to the Wings in the second round with little more than a whimper. The Red Wings know this as well as anyone, having dominated the league in 1995-96 in record fashion only to fall short of the ultimate goal in the postseason. No, a bankroll alone does not necessarily garner a championship in hockey. In Detroit, it was just one of 10 essential ingredients. 1. Ownership attitude The Ilitch family gives the Red Wings' management team the necessary resources to assemble an annual contender. This year, they realized that the franchise has a strong base on which to build and gave the go ahead on some high-priced accessories that made the difference. 2. Upgrade Goaltending General manager Ken Holland traded for Dominik Hasek to improve the most critical position in the sport. His explanation -- not that acquiring the Dominator really requires one -- was that without an elite goaltender, the Wings didn’t feel they could win games without playing their absolute best. Hasek got the team over the few rough spots they endured along the way and then some. 3. Key offseason moves Of course, Hasek fits here as well, as do prolific free-agent riflemen Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, still with his soft touch around the net. Of lower profile, yet still of relevance, was the signing of veteran rearguard Fredrik Olausson. His savvy and puck-moving skills meshed nicely with the mobility and positional acumen of countryman Nicklas Lidstrom. Olausson’s complimentary approach helped Detroit round out its blueline. 4. Coaching Scotty Bowman is a legend -- the master, in fact -- but he is not alone in his excellence. Longtime assistants Barry Smith and Dave Lewis are vital in the implementation of Bowman’s strategies. As a staff, they prepare their team and manage their personnel better than anyone in the game. With Bowman announcing his retirement Thursday after the Cup-clinching win, Smith and Lewis are the favorites to replace Bowman behind the bench in Detroit to maintain the team's continuity. 5. Blending of youth For all of their aging stars, the Red Wings did a nice job of mixing in some young players into the lineup this season. Jiri Fischer continued to develop nicely, serving a valuable apprenticeship alongside 40-year-old Chris Chelios. Pavel Datsyuk came out of nowhere to fit perfectly as the puck-distributing pivot for Hull. The third member of that line, Boyd Devereaux, emerged as a tenacious checker, providing the board work for the trio. Even youngster Jason Williams showed promise, providing energy on the forecheck. 6. Style matching More than anything, all the pieces fit for the Red Wings. Their players all have the attributes that work best in Bowman’s skating game. Central to their approach is discipline on defense and creativity on the attack. It is the reason a player of Igor Larionov’s caliber is so comfortable with the Wings, yet was lost in his short stint with the Florida Panthers two seasons ago. The Wings know what types of players they need in relationship to the game they play, explaining why youngsters like Datsyuk and Williams contribute when inserted in the lineup. 7. Leadership The Red Wings have so many high-profile players, yet there remains but one captain: Steve Yzerman. His drive and determination is the source of unparalleled and unanimous respect. He has grown into the role and become the definitive leader of his generation. Look no further than his exploits in the playoffs, playing on one good knee. 8. Embracing Expectations Sure the Red Wings were the prohibitive favorites to win it all coming out of training camp. Sometimes that can be too much of a burden for teams, just ask the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars. From the outset, though, this group rallied around that singular goal and made it its rallying cry. 9. Meeting the challenges Despite being pre-ordained champs by the media in the preseason, the road to winning the Cup was not always a smooth one. In the playoffs alone, they persevered at three pivotal junctures. First, they turned a shocking goal by Nicklas Lidstrom from center ice on Canucks goalie Dan Cloutier into the play that swung the series, rallying from two home-ice losses to begin the postseason. Next, they played their best game of the season when they had to -- taking Game 6 in Denver while facing elimination. Finally, staring squarely at a 2-1 series deficit in the finals on the road, Detroit found a way to tie the game with 74 seconds remaining in regulation, then winning the game in triple overtime. Instead of trailing in the series, they led and never looked back. 10. Perspective For all of the accolades and success, falling short of the ultimate prize is a part of the history of everyone involved. Bowman has lost four times in the finals in four straight. Hasek, Robitaille and Steve Duchesne had never won a Cup, despite long and illustrious careers. Yzerman has endured the agony of losing several times during his storied tenure with the organization. An old saying maintains that the most lasting lessons are learned in defeat. Well, this team learned their lessons well and was not about to let this opportunity pass. Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason for CNNSI.com. Eliot joined Sam Rosen and Gary Green on NHL Radio's broadcasts of the Stanley Cup finals. |
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