51 replies to this topic

[irishock]

Which team was better? Which loss hurt more?

i'd say Crosby lifting the cup at the Joe is the biggest nightmare imaginable, but at least we did the same thing a year prior to that. 40 years was too much in '95.

Edited by irishock, 24 December 2012 - 09:44 PM.

[Jedi]

1995, for me. So close to ending the cup-drought, and coming in so heavily favored, only to be swept out of the finals. The Wings hadn't lost a game at home that playoffs, and were outscoring teams by an almost 3-1 margin at home.

2009 was a hard loss to take, but mostly because of the fact that it was Crosby and the Pens winning on our home ice. 1995 was worse because of the 40 year cup drought, and losing so badly when we should have won.

[GoWings1905]

2009 was the worst sports moment for me. I typically can get over a loss pretty quickly, but that one stung for a long time. Crosby skating around at the Joe with the Stanley Cup is nauseating.

That 2009 team coasted through the regular season and never had the structure the 2008 champions did. It was actually the more talented team too with Hossa around. However, they flipped the switch in the playoffs, especially Ozzie. Injuries were the difference in the SCF. I will always believe if Datsyuk was fully healthy the entire series, the Red Wings repeat.

I remember the third period in Game 7 seriously lasted about three minutes.

Edited by GoWings1905, 24 December 2012 - 10:57 PM.

[F.Michael]

1995 was more heartbreaking for me.

I still despise the NJ Devils...Their fans don't deserve that team...Better off not being a welfare franchise by staying in NJ, and sell'em off - move them to Quebec City.

[The Axe]

1995. Paul Coffey being the biggest ***** and not getting up after getting hit with s slapper, letting the Devils score. I will always remember that, as I threw a budweiser through a window.

[frankgrimes]

Seeing the enemy lifting the cup in your building always stings a lot, but I'd go with the 21995 loss, even if it's really really close. I absolutely hated the game, league even weeks after the 2009 finals!

[GMRwings1983]

2009 is probably the second worst loss in Wings history, after the 1942 Finals collapse.

It's the closest you can get to winning the Cup and blow it. Worse than getting swept. Most disappointing loss in my time watching the Wings. Kronwall hitting the crossbar in game 7 still rings in my ears.

Not to mention, we'd have won two straight Cups, which always looks more impressive historically. The 1995 loss doesn't mean much in retrospect, since the team won several Cups in the seasons after that. It was more of a lesson than anything else.

Edited by GMRwings1983, 25 December 2012 - 08:30 PM.

[Nightfall]

I started watching the Wings back in 95. Never even watched hockey before that. That sweep was sickening because I was a new fan. So maybe it holds a bit more importance to me than the 2009 finals did. In 2009 the Pens really did deserve to win that series. They held the Wings to one goal in each of the final two games. The 1995 team was better IMHO and the 1995 series hurt the worst to me.

In the end, the better team won both series thats for sure. NJ really did dominate the Wings in 95, but the Pens found a way to get it done in 2009. Gotta give them credit for that. It wasn't like the Wings just rolled over and died in either of those series. They had injuries or were just beat by a better team.

Edited by Nightfall, 25 December 2012 - 11:06 PM.

[irishock]

We basically didn't have our 1st line during 2009. Pavel was hurt, Hossa was hurt and Holmstrom could barely skate.

Getting a lift from Abdelkader and Helm extended that series.

Edited by irishock, 26 December 2012 - 12:07 AM.

[Buppy]

'96 was worse than either

[GoWings1905]

We basically didn't have our 1st line during 2009. Pavel was hurt, Hossa was hurt and Holmstrom could barely skate.

Getting a lift from Abdelkader and Helm extended that series.

Exactly. Lidstrom had just gotten speared in the junk as well. I'm pretty sure Ericsson was hurt too and he was actually playing terrific during that postseason.

Edited by GoWings1905, 26 December 2012 - 11:40 AM.

[haroldsnepsts]

95 was more painful to me. Prior to the Cup Finals the Wings seemed destined to win it all. After years of disappointment it felt like the drought would finally be over.

Then they didn't just get beat, they got crushed by the Devils and it felt like they might never win it all. Certainly not during Yzerman's career.

Don't get me wrong 2009 was painful to get that close and lose in heartbreaking fashion but them having won the previous year and three more before that doesn't match 95 when it felt like they'd never have what it takes to win the Cup.

[Barrie]

I'd say 1995 was worse. At least with 2009 we had 4 Cups.

Losing to the Devils was painful, and it was a sweep. Plus those early to mid-90s teams were like the Sharks. Great regular seasons, but we couldn't get it done in the playoffs. We were wondering if we'd ever win the Cup, plus Yzerman had a subpar year and during the entire off season there was the rumors Yzerman would be traded. My biggest regret with the 2009 playoffs was Ozzie didn't get his due, he would have probably won playoff MVP.

It's probably tough to compare the two teams because in 1995 and 2009 the game was very different. However, I'd probably say the 2009 team was better because of the star power. It would be a good series though, because the 1995 teams was tough and could probably wear down the 2009 team.

'96 was worse than either

Agree. After that year, it felt like we'd never win. Lemiuex's hit on Draper was like the final knock out punch...

But then we made the Shanahan trade, McCarty got Lemiuex back, and everything changed.

[Seraph]

In 1995, I was ten years old and just beginning to become a fan. I didn't understand the stakes then. In 2009, after following the team for 15 years and growing up watching them, I felt what I thought to be our most devastating loss. For some reason I believed until the last second we would tie it, even at the last faceoff with the play to Nick, I was so sure it was going in. And then it didn't. What made it worse was that I was watching with a few Pens fans, so I couldn't turn off the TV. I had to watch them parade the win around our ice.

[Crymson]

In 2009, the Wings were missing Datsyuk for four games of the finals and he played injured in the other three (and he would have been riding Malkin otherwise), and Hossa, Cleary, Holmstrom, Franzen, Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Ericsson were all playing injured. It's funny to watch Penguins fans gloat about winning the Cup; the Pens barely squeaked out a win over a team almost thoroughly dosed with painkillers and epidurals.

Edited by Crymson, 26 December 2012 - 03:47 PM.

[GMRwings1983]

95 was more painful to me. Prior to the Cup Finals the Wings seemed destined to win it all. After years of disappointment it felt like the drought would finally be over.

Then they didn't just get beat, they got crushed by the Devils and it felt like they might never win it all. Certainly not during Yzerman's career.

Don't get me wrong 2009 was painful to get that close and lose in heartbreaking fashion but them having won the previous year and three more before that doesn't match 95 when it felt like they'd never have what it takes to win the Cup.

Except, in retrospect, they won many Cups after 95. To me, that series quickly got washed away later on.

No telling when the stench of 2009 will go away. That might be our last Cup for a long time.

[The Axe]

In 2009, the Wings were missing Datsyuk for four games of the finals and he played injured in the other three (and he would have been riding Malkin otherwise), and Hossa, Cleary, Holmstrom, Franzen, Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Ericsson were all playing injured. It's funny to watch Penguins fans gloat about winning the Cup; the Pens barely squeaked out a win over a team almost thoroughly dosed with painkillers and epidurals.

Every team is riding injuries in the playoffs. Its part of the deal. We lost. Simple as that.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros]

Every team is riding injuries in the playoffs. Its part of the deal. We lost. Simple as that.

Oh, boy. Crymson vs. Axe, round #174.

[LeftWinger]

1995 team was TONS better, yet the 2009 loss stung worse because Uncle Gary changed the rules to hand them the Cup. 1995 stung, but since being a Wings fan for years and years prior to that suffering defeat after defeat after defeat, it was a breathe of fresh air to dominate the league and make it to the Finals that season. Would have been nice to win, but like they say, you have to suffer a devestating loss to learn how to win the next time. 1995 created the beast that has spoiled you all to this day! 2009 wasn't ours to win to begin with, not when you are battling both a team and the league. That is ok though, I just look back to 2009 when all the pens fans that came here and said that was just first of 4-5 Cups in a row for Sid. Nice to see that no team has even come close to dominating as much as the Red Wings have...and probably never will come close. I cannot think of a team in the league today that will even come close to 3 Cups in 6 years... Suck it Bettman!

[Nightfall]

1995 team was TONS better, yet the 2009 loss stung worse because Uncle Gary changed the rules to hand them the Cup.

Care to explain?

Sorry, but I don't agree with you. The pens deserved to win that series. The Wings drought in the last two games of that series really killed them. You can't win many games scoring only one goal in each game thats for sure.