31 replies to this topic

[Dimaline312000]

I don't think the Wings had the desire to win as much as we'd all love to believe all teams have a desire to Win the Cup. In my own perosnal opnion the desire has to really grow enormosly when in the playoffs and I just don't think it really did in the Wings this year. They haven't been away from the Cup for long enough to develop that fire within. Wings won in 08 and lost in what I call a horrible horrible heartbreaker in Game 7 of 09 Finals in Our building. Now I would have thought after that they would come back the next season and just tear the hell out of the NHL and get back to the Cup, obviously I knew it wason't that easy. Once the 09 Detroit Red Wings Training Camp began and seeing Helm go crashing into the boards and getting injured I knew it was going to be a bad season and sure enough it was. This past season the desire still wasn't there and I also believe the Roster wasn't right. I think you have to have the right mix of players to Win the Cup. We didn't have enough Young Guys and Veterans to make the right team to win the Cup. This year provided that we do bring up Emmerton and maybe Mursak for few games we will have the right mix. I don't know I just think it just wasn't the right season for us this season. Not to mention IMO Sharks Goalie Neimi was very lucky on a lot of those saves and plays made. I'm not going to take away the fact that he was good but the Wings should have had about 6 or 8 more goals on him and maybe would have won that series.

[Shoreline]

Ok, In 1994 the Devils lose a tough 7 game series to the Rags and the next year they crush us in the finals. I get that, natural progression. Same thing happens with Detroit in 1997 after losing a tough 6 game series in 96 with the av's. My point is if you at the eventual champion a lot of times you can make sense of it. Usually a team does not come out of nowhere to win the cup.

This year we lose to the Sharks, who in turn lose pretty handily to Vancouver. Then, (I know it was a 7 game series)Vancouver gets crushed by Boston in the finals.

Ok, Detroit pounds Boston and Tampa bay in the regular season. Now I know that the regular season has shown to not mean everything, but damn seriously? Detroit didn't just win a couple of lucky games against Boston and Tampa. We dominated them in every facet of the game. It makes no sense. Boston was really better than the team that beat the team that beat Detroit? I for one am not buying it. So what does that leave us with?

I just wanted to hear other people's opinion on this.

1) You don't seem to get it because you are under the impression that the regular season matters anymore once the playoffs begin.

2) The human factor -- teams don't always play the exact same way every single game, so x beat, y beat z, therefore x should be > z logic doesn't apply. Remember how we had a few Canuck fans that went back and forth with Wings fans last playoffs about if the Wings had played the Canucks instead of the Sharks? Pointless discussion.

3) Some teams sure as hell do come out of nowhere to win the Cup, or even to the Finals, especially if no other teams take them seriously enough (98 Caps, 2003 Ducks, 2006 Canes/Oilers, 2010 Flyers, 2011 Bruins).

4) Boston was inherently better than the Wings because they won. There's not really much confusion from this side.

[Motown4013]

I actually can't believe we have gotten this far into a thread about the playoffs with someone not mentioning officiating.
The officials completely call the playoffs with different glasses...sometimes to the point that it seems like its a different game. In the later rounds, Highsticking, slashing, boarding, roughing goes without a whistle about 90 percent of the time.

If a smaller, puck possession team is successful in the regular season, they have to play a different game to win in the playoffs which obviously plays into the opponents hand...especially if the team they are playing is a big physical team.
Game 7- Boston and TB...and not a single pentalty called?? Bulls***! BTW, who does that favor?? The physical and strong ORIGINAL SIX team Boston who goes on to win the game and series.

Vancouver, a team I think is quite akin to the Wings on paper is literally hammmered off the puck, many times with force by a much bigger team and all that boarding, slashing and highsticking goes uncalled....it really does give Boston the advantage. I dont think they necessarily give teams more calls or less calls but I do know they call less stuff that if clearly a penalty. This does not favor the Wings in any way- it favors the sharks. SJ can seriously try to hurt the Wings and all of that crap isnt called. All the boarding and headhunting forces detroit to play a different game and allows SJ to be as "bullying" as they want to be. When detroit won the cup in 08, who did we play? Other puck possession teams including Pittsburg. Don't get me wrong, I think physical hockey but its not the same hockey as the regular season because its called to favor bigger, stronger and faster teams. It affects the outcome...bigtime.

[KrazyGangsta]

I actually can't believe we have gotten this far into a thread about the playoffs with someone not mentioning officiating.
The officials completely call the playoffs with different glasses...sometimes to the point that it seems like its a different game. In the later rounds, Highsticking, slashing, boarding, roughing goes without a whistle about 90 percent of the time.

If a smaller, puck possession team is successful in the regular season, they have to play a different game to win in the playoffs which obviously plays into the opponents hand...especially if the team they are playing is a big physical team.
Game 7- Boston and TB...and not a single pentalty called?? Bulls***! BTW, who does that favor?? The physical and strong ORIGINAL SIX team Boston who goes on to win the game and series.

Vancouver, a team I think is quite akin to the Wings on paper is literally hammmered off the puck, many times with force by a much bigger team and all that boarding, slashing and highsticking goes uncalled....it really does give Boston the advantage. I dont think they necessarily give teams more calls or less calls but I do know they call less stuff that if clearly a penalty. This does not favor the Wings in any way- it favors the sharks. SJ can seriously try to hurt the Wings and all of that crap isnt called. All the boarding and headhunting forces detroit to play a different game and allows SJ to be as "bullying" as they want to be. When detroit won the cup in 08, who did we play? Other puck possession teams including Pittsburg. Don't get me wrong, I think physical hockey but its not the same hockey as the regular season because its called to favor bigger, stronger and faster teams. It affects the outcome...bigtime.

Doesn't matter who's good or who's not, officiating/nhl decide who wins the cup. NHL = Just like every other Business, when it's your time you win.

[MidMichSteve]

I actually can't believe we have gotten this far into a thread about the playoffs with someone not mentioning officiating.
The officials completely call the playoffs with different glasses...sometimes to the point that it seems like its a different game. In the later rounds, Highsticking, slashing, boarding, roughing goes without a whistle about 90 percent of the time.

If a smaller, puck possession team is successful in the regular season, they have to play a different game to win in the playoffs which obviously plays into the opponents hand...especially if the team they are playing is a big physical team.
Game 7- Boston and TB...and not a single pentalty called?? Bulls***! BTW, who does that favor?? The physical and strong ORIGINAL SIX team Boston who goes on to win the game and series.

Vancouver, a team I think is quite akin to the Wings on paper is literally hammmered off the puck, many times with force by a much bigger team and all that boarding, slashing and highsticking goes uncalled....it really does give Boston the advantage. I dont think they necessarily give teams more calls or less calls but I do know they call less stuff that if clearly a penalty. This does not favor the Wings in any way- it favors the sharks. SJ can seriously try to hurt the Wings and all of that crap isnt called. All the boarding and headhunting forces detroit to play a different game and allows SJ to be as "bullying" as they want to be. When detroit won the cup in 08, who did we play? Other puck possession teams including Pittsburg. Don't get me wrong, I think physical hockey but its not the same hockey as the regular season because its called to favor bigger, stronger and faster teams. It affects the outcome...bigtime.

I was going to say words to this effect. Vancouver has a great powerplay, Boston's sucks. If the refs decide to call the game with no penalties, the advantage goes to Boston

Regardless, I was glad that Boston won.

Edited by MidMichSteve, 24 July 2011 - 04:19 PM.

[Hiei]

Let's see.

Game 1. We hold a 1-0 lead until the last period and then lose in OT. I was in Troy at the Mariott watching during Penguicon, 1,407 Miles from here in Arkansas.

Game 2. SJ gets goals on some lucky bounces to shooters and one bounce past Howard

Game 3. We didn't come out well at all, skated and handled the puck poorly at home.

Game 4. OK, we prolonged the series

Game 5. We did what?!?!?!

Game 6. Came back in the 3rd with 2-3 quick goals and SJ's top two lines generated nothing.

Game 7. SJ Runs their top 2 lines most of the night, while Cleary and Bert go down with injuries.


Keep in mind that during games 6 and 7, their top 6 played a ton of minutes, and that really showed in the Vancouver series in the WCF. Thornton, Heatley, Setoguchi, Marleau, Pavelski all played a lot of time, 3rd and especially 4th lines were nowhere to be found.

And the biggest difference of all? The penalty calling was a lot more fair this year than last. Remember all the 5 on 3s from the 2010 series???

[F.Michael]

i think grit and toughness plays a small role. in the playoffs players go hard. lately i think teams that like to bang have been doing better in the playoffs than softer, often more skilled, teams. there are some exceptions but physicallity to wear down other teams and not get worn down urself has always played a role in playoff hockey.

IMHO those teams that can play rough & tough hockey along with a fair amount of skill will win the Cup 4 outa 5 times.

Don't kid yourselves; for all the whistle blowing throughout the reg season the refs tend to allow the players more room to play (as in get away with stuff) more so thus allowing teams that can combine the 2 traits a bit of an edge.

Regardles of the salary cap our 1997 Cup team would pummel the 2008 team each and every time.

[SiLkK19]

Why are we even talking about s*** josey when they were handed the series against us. **** that team.

[swedishconnection]

Brad Marchand, Timmah.

/Thread

[plopster]

One word. Injuries. The key players injured in the post season were healthier when we played Boston and Tampa.

[Jericho613]

Anything can happen in the playoffs. Its really that simple. Luck, Travel, Injuries, anything can factor in winning a series or a game.

[St. Michael (the Red Wing)]

Rock beats Scissors
Scissors beats Paper
Paper beats Rock

That simple.

LOL.

Yeah I agree with this. We weren't good enough again this last season.