Congrats to the Wings for making it back all the way to the 5th seed in the conference. It seemed improbable to some given the way the season went early in the season, with the insane number of injuries, regularly blowing big leads, regularly losing to bad teams, and regularly making the other team's goalie look like a Vezina candidate.
There were some who questioned if Babcock was distracted by Team Canada or had lost the team; others wondered why Lids wasn't being more vocal; some wondered if Hank lost all motivation after getting his big contract and hot wife, and some were believing rumors that Mrs Datsyuk was homesick and hence affecting his play.
Through all the trials and bumps of this season, the leaders on this team stuck to their guns. They aren't the chest thumpers and yellers, if they had done that they would probably have lost the team.
it was impossible for the team to play at that high level with all the crazy injuries. What happened was that the team learned they had to play a new way, with a rededication to defense, particularly to the penalty kill. I'd like to give Lids a lot of credit for this, because he has been an absolute rock at the back end for us. It was hard for Hank and Dats to get points, but they back checked hard every night. New guys like Miller, Eaves and Helm inspired the team with their tenacious penalty kill. What was a weakness last season has now become a strength for this team.
I know I titled this "wings leaders appreciation", but as a rookie, Jimmy Howard did lead this team with his play in goal, and gave this team the belief that all we needed to do was to stay in contention for a playoff spot until we got our big guns back. Coming into this season, I wasn't sure what to expect out of Howard. And who can forget how he came to Hanks rescue and gave Crosby a welcome to Detroit facewash?
So, I'd just like to give my appreciation to the Wings leadership: Babcock, Lids, Hank, Dats and Drapes, who are the obvious leaders. I know Drapes didn't get a ton of ice team, but it's my belief that the young guys like Helm and Eaves learned a lot from him. I'd also like to give a shoutout to the other leaders on the team like Jimmy, and our leaders on the penalty kill like Helm, Eaves and Miller.
