It’s nice being the defending champions. It takes so much to win a the Stanley Cup that winning a second one is almost always impossible. Who was the last team to do it? Oh yeah, thats right, the Red Wings. If any squad could do it again, the obvious answer here is that the Red Wings will do it, but personally, I don’t really see it happening for them this year. As good as they are, and I do believe they are the most skilled team, the playoffs are about more than talent. When the playoffs roll around, goaltending becomes the number one factor to winning a Stanley Cup. Last year Osgood clearly posted the best numbers (link) yet at the end of the year everyone praised the defense and wouldn’t even categorize Osgood in the league of Hasek or Roy. That’s two championships though, how many did Hasek win? 1. And also if it wasn’t about goaltending last year and our defense was so sublime, how come Hasek had to be pulled in the middle of round 1 for Ozzy? This year the Red Wings don’t seem to have that spark in goaltending as Osgood seems to have lamented back to his days leading up to St. Louis, and Conklin, well, we just can’t say much about him yet, however I see the possibility of a more veteran goaltender (Nabakov, Fleury, Lungqvist) getting hot and leading their team all the way.
My one hope for the Wings is Marian Hossa, but I see him as a two way street, and only time will tell which path he leads. Last year, as great a player as he is, the Penguins couldn’t win with him. They did make it to the finals and lose to a better Detroit team, but who knows what type of catalyst Hossa will be in the end. Hopefully his sheer desire to win a cup can get Detroit past its feeble goaltending issues and right on their way to another victory parade down Woodward Ave.
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