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Guest 13GoWings40

Best Playoff Series of the Last 15 Years

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Best Playoff Series of the Last 15 Years  

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As significant as the win in '97 was, I can't help but think that the WCF in '02 against Colorado was the most intense playoff series I have ever watched. Both teams had unbelievable talent, and aside from the blowout in game 7 every game was very closely contested. How many future hall-of-famers were involved in that series? The only reason that this is not a no-brainer for me is that the Avs series was not for the Cup, but all things considered my vote has to go to the '02 Colorado series.

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Guest 13GoWings40

Tough choice but I said Philly in '97. I just remember the atmosphere around Michigan and we were Wing nuts. I fondly remember Kroger in my town removing all of the philly cream cheese from the shelves in support of the Red Wings; sandwich shops stopped serving philly cheese steaks. Everywhere you went it was Red and White. I haven't seen that much devotion to the Red Wings since. In this day and age large companies like Kroger wouldn't dream of pulling a stunt like that.

Agreed, I wish the city still got as excited about the Wings as it did then. It's gotta be that we're just spoiled with all the success we've had. I remember during the '02 COL series a car dealership on 14 and Mound painted a wings logo on a brand new red Chevy Colorado and let you hit it with a sledge hammer for $1 (I believe the money was then donated to charity). Or that same year when 94.7 pulled all songs with the words "Carolina" or "hurricane" in them. It just seems to me that no one really gets all that excited about the Wings anymore, I even have a hard time finding people who consistently watch games anymore.

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Yeah this is how I feel about that series.

I remember being terrified when Cleary scored because I was sure the refs would find a way to take that goal away from us.

Plus the stuff they were letting Pronger get away with was ridiculous. The Hossa wrestle was unbelievable, and he started it off with a double punch to Hossa's temple driving his head into the boards. Grr.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3F966bXC74

I'm glad my internet connection sucks right now because I told myself I wouldn't click it and then I did but it wouldn't load. I remember Pronger in that series way too well...

:ranting:

f***in' idiot.

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the 2002 Colorado series will be etched into my brain for the rest of my life. I've never been so emotionally invested into a series and when they beat them it felt like we had already won the cup.

Me too! What a great series! No salary cap either, so teams could load up on talent.

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Definitely my favorite goal of that series. It just screamed, "We won't be denied!"

Plus anytime you can really own Patrick Roy with a goal is a bonus as well.

Haha, Scotty left Barry Smith hanging at 1:05. Scotty has ice in his veins for real, man.

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I voted for 02. I was only 13 then and probably didn't understand the intricacies of the game like I do now, but I just remember my stomach being in knots the entire time, even on non-game days. Man we hated the Avs so much then. It was a rivalry that I haven't seen duplicated with any other teams since. It felt so good to take them down and go on to win the cup. It was the last major chapter on the rivalry and it was what left us on top.

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Easily the Colorado series in 2002. I've never been so nervous for any games, including Cup Final games. Seven straight nerve wracking games. I knew we had to win that series to save face, after losing to them in 1999 and 2000.

The other choices were big wins for Detroit, but two of them were sweeps and not all that competitive. The St. Louis series was great, but the Colorado one was just better, minus the game 7 blowout. The game 7 against St. Louis was as good a game as I've ever seen.

Sounds very, very familier....

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Sounds very, very familier....

Lose in 1996

Beat Colorado in 1997

Lose in 1999 & 2000 (Difference of 2-3 years)

Beat Colorado in 2002 (Difference of 2 years)

Beat San Jose in 1995

Beat San Jose in 2007

Lose in 2010 & 2011 (Difference of 3-4 years)

Beat San Jose in 2014???

1999 still baffles me. My emotions will never allow me to fully understand what happened there. No matter how many times I try to tell myself it was most likely the goaltending I always revert back to, "But they were up 2-0 and the series was moving on to the Joe..." Ugh... That series to this day still pisses me off a little bit as a Red Wings fan.

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Easily the Colorado series in 2002. I've never been so nervous for any games, including Cup Final games. Seven straight nerve wracking games.

For whatever reason, I wasn't stressed about that series at all. I knew no one would beat the Wings 4 times in 7 games. They were an all star team, they were just too good to lose. Sure somebody could get lucky and win a few games, but this team wasn't getting eliminated.

I went with "Other" with the 2008 Finals in mind. THAT was nerve wracking. At least for me anyways. For good back and forth series.

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Lose in 1996

Beat Colorado in 1997

Lose in 1999 & 2000 (Difference of 2-3 years)

Beat Colorado in 2002 (Difference of 2 years)

Beat San Jose in 1995

Beat San Jose in 2007

Lose in 2010 & 2011 (Difference of 3-4 years)

Beat San Jose in 2014???

1999 still baffles me. My emotions will never allow me to fully understand what happened there. No matter how many times I try to tell myself it was most likely the goaltending I always revert back to, "But they were up 2-0 and the series was moving on to the Joe..." Ugh... That series to this day still pisses me off a little bit as a Red Wings fan.

Yeah, Yzerman was a best in those playoffs and it looked like Detroit was well on their way to a 3-peat. They didn't just lose the next four games, but were completely embarrassed.

I feel that Dallas was a better match up for us than Colorado. Buffalo would have been no problem in the Finals either. But Colorado was the big hurdle for us. I guess I still feel bad about that year too.

For whatever reason, I wasn't stressed about that series at all. I knew no one would beat the Wings 4 times in 7 games. They were an all star team, they were just too good to lose. Sure somebody could get lucky and win a few games, but this team wasn't getting eliminated.

I went with "Other" with the 2008 Finals in mind. THAT was nerve wracking. At least for me anyways. For good back and forth series.

You weren't stressed when we were down 3-2 going back to Colorado?

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You weren't stressed when we were down 3-2 going back to Colorado?

Not really, no. I feel like Colorado shouldn't have won Game 5, Forsberg was so far offsides it was ridiculous, and like I said that team was just too talented to lose. Beating any team the 4th time is always the hardest so I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to eliminate that Wings team. They ended up winning the last two games by a combined score of 9-0. It was the only time I wasn't stressed out during the playoffs. I just knew that there wasn't a team out there that could beat this Wings team 4 times in 7 games, it just wasn't going to happen.

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Yeah, Yzerman was a best in those playoffs and it looked like Detroit was well on their way to a 3-peat. They didn't just lose the next four games, but were completely embarrassed.

I feel that Dallas was a better match up for us than Colorado. Buffalo would have been no problem in the Finals either. But Colorado was the big hurdle for us. I guess I still feel bad about that year too.

Yeah, man. Like I said earlier in this thread, the Anaheim series in 2009 just always makes me feel pissed off even though the Wings ended up as the winners. The Colorado series in 1999 always leaves me in a state of bafflement upon reflection. Stevie Y was definitely a beast. When he got that hat trick against Anaheim and then scored his patented seemingly impossible middle-high to the short side goal on Roy, I really thought Wings fans were in for something truly special.

Not really, no. I feel like Colorado shouldn't have won Game 5, Forsberg was so far offsides it was ridiculous, and like I said that team was just too talented to lose. Beating any team the 4th time is always the hardest so I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to eliminate that Wings team. They ended up winning the last two games by a combined score of 9-0. It was the only time I wasn't stressed out during the playoffs. I just knew that there wasn't a team out there that could beat this Wings team 4 times in 7 games, it just wasn't going to happen.

I also find it hard to believe that you didn't experience even the slightest bit of stress as a Wings fan. What I think is more likely is you felt some stress but then you weighed the good and the bad and then your faith kicked in and allowed you to realize, "This team is going to win."

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I think we've played against Pronger in the playoffs about six times in the last 15 years if I'm not mistaken.

No wonder we all hate him so much.

95, 96, 97, 98, 02, 06, 07, 09

If I'm not mistaken.

To be fair, the Wings are 6-2 overall for those years.

He might hate the Wings way more than Wings fans hate him.

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2002 colorado. it was all set up for them to win at home, Patricia does the statue of liberty, and the wheels fall the f*** off like a Korean-built car. 2-0 then 7-0. End of 1st through the end of the game I was running up the walls and on the ceiling while singing.

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