With Calm Consistency, Wings on Brink of Cup

By virtue of their nail-biter of a victory in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, the Detroit Red Wings now find themselves just one win shy of capturing professional sports’ most recognizable trophy. The path to this point hasn’t always been pretty, but one thing has remained constant: The Wings’ discipline and attention to detail has enabled them to earn victories even when they haven’t brought their finest game to the ice. This, even more so than their immense talent, has been the deciding factor throughout these playoffs, with the Wings’ captain, Nicklas Lidstrom, serving as an appropriate front man for this understated, impressive team.Much is made, and rightly so, of the Wings’ vast experience, with Lidstrom and other reliable veterans providing an indelible link to their championship teams of 1997, 1998, and 2002. The cool under pressure those veterans provide, most notably on the bench as tensions inevitably mount, has been a difference-maker against the comparably inexperienced Penguins, whose Cup-winning pedigree is limited only to forwards Gary Roberts and Petr Sykora and defenseman Darryl Sydor.None of that trio are considered part of the Penguins’ core, and so, for the young team from Pittsburgh, this likely to be unsuccessful trip to the finals might turn out to be akin to the Edmonton Oilers’ visit in 1983, when they were swept by the dynastic Islanders. Certainly there are some differences between the two teams, most notably the impact the salary cap will have on GM Ray Shero’s ability to keep this talented young lineup intact, but the similarities far outweigh the discrepancies.There is nothing so illuminating as a close-but-no-cigar playoff run, and perhaps no one participating in these finals understands that as well as Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock. His Anaheim then-Mighty Ducks went all the way to Game 7 of the 2003 finals before losing to the Devils, and the aplomb with which Babcock has handled his bench throughout this four-round odyssey was no doubt learned in part from watching Pat Burns do the same for the Devils.All of this came to a head late in Game 4, with the Penguins enjoying a two-man advantage and a brilliant opportunity to tie the score and perhaps even the series at two games apiece. The star-studded quartet of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Sergei Gonchar, and Ryan Malone took the ice for what was to be more than 90 seconds of five-on-three play. The Pens moved the puck around the perimeter, but they never really generated any high-quality scoring chances. This scoreless power play was as much the death knell for the Penguins as anything that happened subsequently.Throughout that critical power play, it was the shorthanded Red Wings who were cool and collected. And while their edge in experience has been a big story of these finals, it was talented youngster Niklas Kronwall who played a key role on that successful penalty kill. Other coaches in the same situation would likely not have put 27-year-old defenseman out onto the ice for what was perhaps the most important penalty kill of the Red Wings’ season. Babcock did, however, and the seemingly risky maneuver paid off in spades.Playing alongside Lidstrom — with two-way dynamo Henrik Zetterberg up front — Kronwall looked right at home, helping to shut down the Pens’ talent-laden power play. Not only did Kronwall reward Babcock’s confidence with a stellar shift, but he also gained invaluable experience that he’d previously lacked due to extended stints on the disabled list throughout his first three NHL seasons. Looking ahead now to when the 38-year-old Lidstrom’s career comes to its inevitable conclusion, it is clear that there won’t be a leadership void on the blue line when that time comes: Kronwall has learned from the master.Indeed, whether it’s providing Kronwall with a safety net during that penalty kill, or doing the same for regular partner Brian Rafalski on shift after shift, Lidstrom’s understated leadership is the key to the Wings’ success. His stats this spring aren’t particularly glistening — he’s scored a respectable 13 points in 20 games to go with a plus-nine rating — but it is simply impossible to imagine the Wings getting to this point without him.Looking back over the past 16 seasons, in fact, it’s impossible to find a single NHL player who has performed at as high a level as Lidstrom has. He is, unequivocally, the finest skater of his generation (with only Martin Brodeur providing legitimate competition overall), and he will unquestionably go down as one of the finest defensemen — and the finest European-born player — ever to lace up skates in the NHL.Given the subtlety with which the Wings have marched through these playoffs, then, it would seem only right to honor Detroit’s dignified captain with his second Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He’s brilliantly continued the leadership legacy started by Steve Yzerman, doing so in his own unique way. He’s decisively put to rest for good the jingoistic notion that European-born players cannot be successful leaders in the NHL. And he’s laid the groundwork for the Wings’ success to continue long after he’s hung up his skates.Throughout the finals, the NHL has aired an unforgettable commercial that strings together still photographs of players celebrating with the Cup. It finishes with the poetic line, “It weighs 35 pounds … except when you’re lifting it.” With Lidstrom doing the heavy lifting on the Wings’ blue line, their journey has seemed far more inevitable than surprising. Look for the unflappable Swede to lead his disciplined team on the final step toward glory tonight, in front of what should be a jam-packed Joe Louis Arena crowd. Winning might be commonplace for Lidstrom and the Wings, but that makes it no less impressive.Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.

With Calm Consistency, Wings on Brink of Cup

With Calm Consistency, Wings on Brink of Cup

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