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HIGH FLYING IN HOCKEY TOWN By Richard Curry
Photo by Richard Curry (click for a larger view) Whoop! There it is! The Stanley Cup - for the Detroit Red Wings - the third conquest in six years. And while emotions are a little less than the time before, it is no less satisfying. Everything was in place, from the $12 parking lot to the 20-minute walk through a maze of hallways, up escalators, and finally the 100 steps leading to the arena door. The orange hat guy, the Joe's only black season ticket holder, was in place with his bottle of Miller's. Mo Cheese was high-steppin' and twistin' to the Curley Shuffle with the Stanley Cup stuck to his head. 21,000 people were jammed to the walls, and ten of the same players were celebrating the franchise's 10th cup. We had $7 beers, $10 programs, and god-awful lines for the men to return their beer to the Joe Louis men's rooms. (And what's the reason we named this hockey arena after a boxer?) It should've been named The Howe Arena). Most importantly, the winning in the finals continued'97 - four straight over the lackluster Lindros' Philadelphia Flyers; '98 - four straight over Wilson's Washington Capitals; and, 2002 - four out of five from the Carolina Hurricanes. That' 12 wins and one loss in three years of Stanley Cup finals for the Red Wings. What's New: A surprise winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. I thought Sergei Federov, who has put Anna Kournikova's long legs and hazel eyes out of his memory, gave the most energizing, gut-giving performance that this year's playoffs saw. I believe Sergei is one of the finest ever all-around hockey talents. I also felt Dominic (the Dominator) Hasek, who held the Hurricane's scoreless for 166+ minutes, recorded five shutouts, and was the only European goalie ever to win the cup, would be a natural selection. Scotty Bowman said it best before the game; "The entire team should be the Conn Smythe winner." But Nick Lidstrom is the most deserving. He has quietly become hockey's best defenseman. The league woke up and noticed last year and gave him the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. Another Norris candidate this year would be Chris Chelios, a nasty equivalent of Lidstrom. This 40-yar old wonder also makes very few mistakes. I had a hard time believing Chelios was a true Red Wing at heart. The change came along about 3-months ago, and it shined through again with his big smile at the end of the game, and as he acknowledged the Red Wings fans by pointing up to their seats, showing his appreciation. The huge 22-year old Jiri Fischer and the puck-handling wizardry of 24-year old Pavel Datsyuk will be the team and the league's best players for the future. Picture used with permission...click the pic to see other great Redwing Pics!! Boyd Devereaux, 24-years old, also came into this own at this year's playoffs. This boy's fast and maybe just a step behind Mathieu Dandenault, who at 26-years old will be a solid defenseman for years to come. No line was better in the 2002 playoffs than Chris (I am everywhere) Draper, Kirk (Why do the other teams' players hate me?) Maltby, and Darren (I can score now with my new stick design) McCarty. The three recent Stanley Cups on the shelf in Detroit would not be there without this threesome. They crushed everything in sight, scored goals, and held the superstars from the other teams down to minimal success. These guys kicked ass. No one, I mean, no one kicks ass like the 'grind line'. Now for the old farts. Steve (Toothless) Duchesne, 37-year old, did well enough, but won't be here next year. Luc Robitaille, 36-year old, didn't play well. I love this guy, but he and his $4 million salary will be gone. Igor Larionov, at 41-years old, skated and scored like a 24-year old. This man isn't mentioned in the same breath with Wayne Gretzky for nothing. He will be back. Steve Yzerman, age 37 (the future arena by the Fox Theater in five years should be named after Yzerman and Howe) is the consummate captain. He skated in pain, led his team to glory like Mel Gibson in Braveheart. But Steve should now call it a day. He has given it everything for 19 years. Steve might consider leaving while his battered body can recover so he can give time to his wonderful family. Brendan Shanahan, age 33, was my most disappointing 2002 playoff performer until scoring the final game's second goal and putting the game out of reach with his 2nd into an empty seat. Shanny, catapulting into the arms of Yzerman, was a pure joy to see. My ball buster performer of the entire series was Tomas Holmstrom. He scored eight goals, even though he was battered by every goalie in all four series. Brett (My dad was a good player, too) Hull was a scoring machine. Ten goals, which took him to 100 in the playoffs. This guy's got a big smile, big shot, big talent, and probably the best quote line from a goal scorer after a game, "Year's ago, nobody really talked about defense, that I could remember. At least they never talked to me about it." And that God for Fredrik (I'm always smiling) Olausson for scoring the goal that beat the hated Avalanche. I do hope Patrick Roy's wife survived after Detroit thumped Colorado 7-0. Now that's a butt kickin! Jiri Slegr practiced for 2 months to play in this one last game. He was a replacement for Jiri Fischer, who the night before knocked out of a row of teeth for Glen Wesley. I find it unusual that Jiri would replace Jiri and they would have Chris Chelios as their defensive partner and both be from Czechoslovakia. I also found it funny to see Kris Drafter carrying the Cup with some difficulty, but when Fischer hoisted it up and said 'F@#k Yea!' it looked like he was pushing up a flower vase. My favorite celebratory notes: Sergei Federov giving Vladimir Konstantinov a bear hug. Steve Yzerman walking with his daughter to the Stanley Cup, and Stevie giving the Cup to Scotty for the very last time. Scotty took a whirl with the Cup in his plastic molded skates. It was his 9th Cup in 30 years. I coached 17 years of hockey. I know the pain. I know the sacrifice. And I knew when it was my time to walk away. Scotty did it and did it the right way. He is a strategist genius. This man will be the measuring stick as the NHL commissioner said in his speech, "For all coaches in the future to be measured by." Scotty is 68 years old and for the name of God, it's time for Dave Lewis or Barry Smith to be named the head coach. The one thing I'm tired of hearing is the Wings have nine possible Hall of Famers. Getting into the baseball H.O.F. is like pulling teeth from an enraged rottweiler. If you've got air in your lungs you can get into the hockey H.O.F. Chelios, Federov, Hasek, Hull, Larionov, Lidstrom, Robitaille, Shanahan, Yzerman all deserve to have their own wing in the hall. And while you're at it - put in the 'Grind Line.' Relish these moments with this team. This will not come along in the near future. I can tell you that I will remember this Cup long after the confetti has quit falling out of my underwear.
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