Burnside on the Wings, post-Yzerman and Shanahan

[BlueMonk 102]

I had some conversations with hockey fans of other teams after the playoff elimination to Edmonton last year. We talked about the possibility that some of the veteran leaders on the Wings were actually holding the young players back. One friend of mine felt that the departure of players like Yzerman and Shanahan could have a positive effect on the team as a whole. He even guessed that Shanny would flourish given a new start on a new team. Soon after, Yzerman announced retirement and Shanahan departed for New York.

Well, here we are in the Western Conference Finals and Scott Burnside writes a piece that echoes that conversation from May of 2006 almost exactly. It's a good read, and he makes a lot of salient points, I think.

[CupChamps979802 35]

Very good read, I really like being compared to the Edmonton dynasty. However, I did not like how the article talked about Yzerman and Shanahan like they were holding them back, just kind of of felt wierd the pespective he had about it. Other than that this was a very good article! Burnside has been writing an awful lot of Red Wings articles, and I hope he keeps them coming.

[Elshupacabra 0]

I understand what he is saying, but for some reason, I still get mad at even the thought of saying anything close that Yzerman ever hurt the team, I think the contributions that he and Shannahan for that matter are unmeasurable, IMO anyways.

And again, I understand what he is saying and even...sort of...agree with it.

[Yemack 1]

haha comparing to edmonton dynasty is a bit too far but we certainly have an excellent yet very underrated roster right now

But when Nick Lidstrom decides to hang up his skates, I honestly don't know where we would stand. I hope Nick plays until 50 and kronwall, Lebda, Quincy and Co learn as much as possible before he retires.

We do have a great tradition and very high esteem going on though

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I've always liked skimming through Burnside's columns/opinions.

While I'm not going to fully agree with him early in his blurb that the Wings couldn't win with Yzerman and Shanahan again, the point where they were either retiring or getting ready to move on was inevitable.

It could've easily happened after the 2002 Cup run. Hell, it could've happened earlier than that. As fans though.....and I don't care what some say that the Wings needed to get younger, somebody needs to fill Yzerman's/Shanahan's skates.....I seriously doubt none of us were mentally prepared to let them go and accept that they aren't Wings on the ice anymore.

It definitely took some getting used to on my end the first few games not to see #19 or #14 out there. It was weird. Kinda funny though how it has worked out this season (so far). That has absoluely nothing, ZERO to do with slighting Yzerman or Shanahan.

I know I definitely miss seeing them play in Hockeytown.

To Yzerman and Shanahan! :chug:

[Guest LivingtheDream]

Stevie or Shanny didn't "hurt" the team - I don't think he meant that. Just having them around kept the kids and others from stepping up.

[Henkka 0]

Stevie or Shanny didn't "hurt" the team - I don't think he meant that. Just having them around kept the kids and others from stepping up.

In other words, it partially hurt the team. Cause stepping up is 50% of winning the cup.

But I still think our biggest reasons for the early exits has been the goaltending.

[GoalieManPat 1,007]

But I still think our biggest reasons for the early exits has been the goaltending.

Man. The standard Detroiters blame target is now spreading to Finland

[aarond 0]

I disagree with that aritcle. It’s not like the Wings were light-years away in their three previous playoff seasons. In each one, they lost a close, hotly contested series (even the Ducks series was close. Each game was a one goal game that could have gone either way) to a team that wound up losing in game 7 of the Cup Final. And it’s not like the Wings are breezing through this playoff season either. If it weren’t for a soft Robert Lang goal in the last minute of game 4 of the Sharks series, there’s a damn good chance that the Wings are ousted in the second round of this playoff.

btw-did anybody happen to notice what Shanny did this year in the playoffs? Furthermore, I seem to remember Yzerman being the best player on the ice in game 6 of the Oil series last year.

Edited May 17, 2007 by aarond

[StevieY9802 6]

I liked the article. I agree for the most part. I like what Stevie and Shanny did all their years here. But it was time to move on. I mean I still think Stevie could have gone one more year but his body just wasn't there anymore. He had been hurt a lot over the last few years. As for Shanny he would have held them back had he stayed, and he pretty much said that when he left. That would have been 4 mil they could have spent elsewhere where they needed it. Shanny had a great playoff this year I think the change of venue is what he needed too. He only had 3 goals over the last 3 playoffs. I like how the Wings have had a quiet change of the guard. With guys slowly going away and not the blowing up that many teams in pro sports do, ie the Chicago Bulls of the lat 90's.

[RedRum #1 0]

It was definitely time for Yzerman and Shanahan to move on. For all the heart #19 showed, he had an awful time trying to keep up with the pace of playoff hockey. Shanny had drifted more and more to the perimeter and didnt skate well enough to to anything on the forecheck. Hockey is still a young man's game, and Detroit had gotten too old. Now they have a nice blend of youth, players in their prime and old, grizzled vets. I was one that hoped Shanny would sign elsewhere and Yzerman would retire, just so we could turn the page and not to disrespect their legacy.

[Rob the Badger 0]

I was going to post this same article when i stumbled upon it today. I love how the hockey world kept saying that the wings are doomed without Stevie and Shannie. Now all of a sudden, we couldn't have been this good with them. I love what sports writers will do to validate getting a pay check.

[ehorn3 2]

What about goaltending? Does anyone think that we would be in the position we are if we still had Legace? If Hasek would have stayed on the team after 2002 would we have lost early in the playoffs? The year after we won the Ducks beat us in one goal games, then the Flames beat us is a couple more one goal games, and Edmonton beat us in game 6 when we went into the third period with the lead. Would Hasek the way he has played make a difference? I don't think that Yzerman or Shananhan kept our team back, but if we would have had a goalie to steal us a game or two a series then it would have been different. Yzerman and Zetterberg were the two best players against Edmonton last year. Cleary should have had more ice time, but that's more of a coaching mistake. It was a good article, but no mention of goaltending in the playoffs bothers me

[Stevie Y. 0]

Goaltending is the chic excuse, but it's not like the Wings were giving up 4+ goals a game in any of those playoff bounces. The one common denominator in each of those series was, however, our complete inability to score an adequate number of goals. They were simply not generating enough offense.

Your goalie can only do so much.

I think the assessment of the article is pretty good. It couldn't have been easy for the young guys to step up with legends standing in front of them. It's got to be so much easier to play not wanting to let a guy like Steve Yzerman, hands down the greatest Red Wing EVER (sorry Gordie), down. That's an enormous amount of pressure gone.

That said, it's also true that if Bob doesn't do the unthinkable (contribute) against San Jose in game 4 we're not here right now.

[union drone 0]

Although I love Yzerman and Shanny, and consider them to have been the face of the franchise for such a long time, I must admit that there is some truth to this article. For all of Stevie's heart and determination, it was painful for me to watch him play during the post-2002 pre-retirement stretch. He was a shadow of the player that I remember him as. I know that it wasn't like he was depriving anyone of much playing time, but still, he casts a long shadow and in some ways may have prevented the next generation from assuming the level of responsibility needed to take the team to the next level. I know that Stevie Y would have never wanted to hold the team back and always wanted to be the best player on the ice, but there comes a day when you have to hang up the skates. Although Shanny still puts up good numbers, the same is true to some extent with him. When young players are used to defering leadership and accountability to the old guard, they cannot really develop into the players that they could be.

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

Burnside has been writing some very nice aritcles about the WIngs regulary now in the post-season. Plus, he's the only one that picked us this series - go Burnside!

I've been asking myself all season how I would feel about the Wings' first playoff run w/o Yzerman (and Shanny too). But especially the captain since we went on our run the previous 15 years with him at the helm (save for a few injury-laden times). I was worried I would be upset if the Wings suddenly made a deep run - just after Stevie left - after they stunk for him the last several post-seasons.

Well here I find myself loving this team and this run as much as ever. When I try to figure why - there are a few reasons that stand out.

1. Lidstrom has been an amazing captain. He's so quiet and reserved I wasn't sure what that would mean during the playoffs. Obviously, he leads much by example on the ice, much like Stevie, and the players definitely follow. Couldn't think of a classier captain to replace our last one (big shoes to fill). We're truly blessed.

2. There are enough vets on this team that I've been watching for years to give me some nostalgia - aka our main man Homer - while the *newer* generation Red Wings are just as inspiring to me (aka Sammy,Cleary etc).

3. I guess no matter who's wearing the Winged Wheel - even if you shoved a bunch of guys I never heard of on the ice - I'd cheer like the die-hard Wing fan I am.

[StevieY9802 6]

Burnside has been writing some very nice aritcles about the WIngs regulary now in the post-season. Plus, he's the only one that picked us this series - go Burnside!

I've been asking myself all season how I would feel about the Wings' first playoff run w/o Yzerman (and Shanny too). But especially the captain since we went on our run the previous 15 years with him at the helm (save for a few injury-laden times). I was worried I would be upset if the Wings suddenly made a deep run - just after Stevie left - after they stunk for him the last several post-seasons.

Well here I find myself loving this team and this run as much as ever. When I try to figure why - there are a few reasons that stand out.

1. Lidstrom has been an amazing captain. He's so quiet and reserved I wasn't sure what that would mean during the playoffs. Obviously, he leads much by example on the ice, much like Stevie, and the players definitely follow. Couldn't think of a classier captain to replace our last one (big shoes to fill). We're truly blessed.

2. There are enough vets on this team that I've been watching for years to give me some nostalgia - aka our main man Homer - while the *newer* generation Red Wings are just as inspiring to me (aka Sammy,Cleary etc).

3. I guess no matter who's wearing the Winged Wheel - even if you shoved a bunch of guys I never heard of on the ice - I'd cheer like the die-hard Wing fan I am.

This has been the best playoff run in a while I think. Better than 98 or 02. I didn't see this run coming and when you don't expect it is when its the most fun.

[Stevie Y. 0]

This has been the best playoff run in a while I think. Better than 98 or 02. I didn't see this run coming and when you don't expect it is when its the most fun.

Better than 98, perhaps (of course, IMHO). Better than '02? I don't know. That Colorado series was epic in '02.

[StevieY9802 6]

Better than 98, perhaps (of course, IMHO). Better than '02? I don't know. That Colorado series was epic in '02.

Yeah that was good, and so were games 3 & 4 against the Canucks. But even that year I was more confident. When you have doubts and they prove you wrong, ain't nothing better than that.

[ehorn3 2]

I do agree that I am enjoying this postseason run much more than the previous runs of 98 & 02 because every one of my hockey friends have been picking against the Wings and it feels good being an underdog for once (even though we finish 1st in the West). Every other year people would pick the Wings and then rub it in my face when they lost. This year every picked the Flames, then the Sharks, and now the Ducks. Also people in St. Louis still love Pronger so they root for him. Just exceeding our expectations has been fullfilling as a diehard Wings fan living in enemy territory. I have a job as a personal banker and I wore my Lidstrom jersey to work and people thought he was an old Cardinals player, one person even asked if it was supposed to be a Pujols jersey

[CrossCheck24 2]

I agree with the article, but its too bad that the team couldn't just realize that Shanny wasn't going to contribute as much and step up with him on the team. That way we could have had our cake and eat it too.

[WingsZR2 1]

I agree and disagree

Stevie was this franchise

Now after his departure we see the results of his wisdom in Dats and Z

He will forever be the Detroit Red Wing

These new guys are pretty good

[aarond 0]

Am I the only guy in the world who thinks that Steve was our best player in most of the Oilers series, and definitely the best player (maybe for either team) in game 6?

This has been the best playoff run in a while I think. Better than 98 or 02. I didn't see this run coming and when you don't expect it is when its the most fun.

It's been the most exciting, but if that softy by Lang in game 4 against the Sharks is gloved like it should have been, the Wings fall behind in that series 3-1 and they're probably toast. The Wings haven't been sailing threw this thing. It's been a grind and they've needed some breaks.

Let's step back from the excitement of the moment for a second and take an honest objective look at what is happening this season: the Wings are not that much better than they were the last three seasons (except in goal). They're just getting more bounces and breaks this year (which, admittedly, might have something to do with their work ethic, having younger legs, etc. But we're still a pretty old team). Like I said before, the Wings were not light-years away from title contention in their previous playoff flops. Each team that dispatched the Wings in 03, 04, and 06 wound up coming within a game of the Cup. And none of those teams blew the Wings away. All of those series were tight (even the sweep by the Ducks).

[ehorn3 2]

aarond, I'm with you Yzerman played as well as anyone in that series. For some reason there is just a different feel to this team. Last year other guys on the team just seemed to skate as if the Wings were going to be handed wins in the playoffs, this year they are going and getting the wins. Everytime this year when we needed someone to step up someone has. since 02 we have not had that in the playoffs. When we needed a goal against Edmonton we didn't get it, when we needed a save we didn't get it. This years team has that hunger whether it is Flip digging a puck out of traffic to free Lang at the end of the game, Franzen scoring in OT, Lilja killing penalties, or Hasek standing on his head, This team is making plays. I am not sure if Stevie and Shanny leaving had anything to do with it because for the most part a lot of these guys that are stepping up were with us last year. It just may have taken the previous two early round exits for these younger guys to realize what it takes in the playoffs. Imagine if these guys played like this in the first round last year

[BlueMonk 102]

The scores might have been close, but they always are in the playoffs. I don't think the close scores were indicative of how the Wings played in the playoffs the past few years. I really feel they were uncompetitive. They were unwilling to go to the difficult areas of the ice. They didn't take the body, they didn't crash the net and they were outworked. Not all of them, but enough of them. I can't say those things about too many players on this team. They're younger and they look hungrier.

Think about this: In the span of one summer, the Wings transformed from a team that had one of the best offenses and power plays in the league to a defense first team that backchecked relentlessly. How often do you see a team completely change character like that in one season, much less not skip a beat atop the standings while doing it? It takes a total buy-in to the coach by the team. That kind of buy-in, and the demand that even the skill players have to be defensively responsible, backcheck and battle for loose pucks, is a lot easier to get from younger, impressionable players than from Hall Of Famers. it's hard. Players who are accustomed to floating around looking for one-timers don't want to do it. They'll fight it.

Remember when Scotty Bowman got Yzerman to sacrifice his point production for a two way game? That was a turning point in the history of this franchise. And when you've got a HOF coach and a HOF captain who see eye to eye, you're going to have a lot of success getting the players to buy into the system. With Babcock, it was time to have his new young leaders step forward and set the tone that everyone needed to buy into his system. Guys like Zetterberg and Datsyuk had to take the baton and start carrying the team for stretches. Remember that brutal west coast road trip last October, when the Wings were completely destroyed in every game? After that disaster, they held a players only meeting. They turned their season around right then and there. They became the tight checking, relentless team you see now. I think that's when the seeds of new leadership were planted.

If you look at every team that has success, there comes a time when the old guard has to pass the torch to the new. I really believe that was essential to the success of this team. The Lang goal is a perfect example, actually. Who did the dirty work that made that goal possible? Valtteri Filppula. A young, up and comer whose roster spot is probably taken by a more veteran player. Maybe a player who no longer has the legs or the stamina to make that play at the end of a long, 60 minute hockey game. We love the old guys for what they did, but eventually, they have to move on. Full credit to Yzerman who understood this better than anyone.