Bowman: It'll be difficult to repeat

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Scotty Bowman recently said that it will be difficult for the Wings to repeat as Stanley Cup champs. OK, I agree with that; then he comes up with talk about keeping the core (players) intact, and integrating new players that have the "desire."

Sorry Scotty but it's ALL about DESIRE. Scotty contradicts himself with the following:

"The best dynasties, Montreal in the 50s and 70s, then New York Islanders who won it four years in a row and Edmonton in the 1980s, did this and it is hard to beat."

Yeah, it's hard to beat, and hard to repeat, but those teams mentioned above evidently had DESIRE. Next season's Red Wings have potentially, the (should I use a superlative) greatest array of offensive and defensive talent, certainly in Red Wings' (maybe NHL's) history. Now it remains to be seen how much DESIRE they have; and all you sportswriters out there, stop telling us about psychological letdowns after a Cup win - Montreal, N.Y. Islanders, and Edmonton won multiple cups, and Detroit can too (barring injuries) if they have DESIRE. This is why computer matchups can never be accurate, because DESIRE can't be statistically measured, but that's the "X factor" that makes champions!

At ease there. It doesn't matter if Scotty Bowman, one of the brightest minds of hockey ever, said something like this or if it was my 5-year old nephew. He's just stating an obvious truth. Whether it is the NHL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, or the District-5 Pee Wee Hockey League. It is damned difficult to repeat as a champion no matter the sport or league.

I know there are acceptions to this such as Roger Federer winning 5 straight Wimbeldon Titles or the Boston Celtics winning 8 straight championships a few decades ago, but I think you see where I'm getting at.

[Rivalred 630]

Bowman knows hockey and many players moved around this this off season - so many teams will look different or have different chemistry...

The 70's-90's are different hockey that the last few years - it will be a challenge for the Wings to repeat - they have a good chance as long as they stay focused and motivated...