| James M. Morisette. 18th October, 2008 - 9:34 pm
 Early in the 2008-09 NHL campaign, Detroit Red Wing head coach Mike Babcock finds himself in an uncomfortable predicament.
Fresh off the Wing?s 11th Championship, and all the celebrations, Stanley Cup deployments, and relaxed summertime cigar smoking that goes with it, Babcock lives in a world dominated by a combination of hangover effects ? as witnessed during the Wings sluggish start and 13 turnover performance during its overtime loss to Vancouver ? as well as by a disease many championship coaches dream of but simultaneously fear acquiring.
This disease, which medics call WhodoIstartandwheredoIputthemandwhenitis, is a potentially catastrophic disease that can prove as torturous to coaches as solving a Rubik?s cube with a concussion. It is also a disease fantasy football managers owning rosters crammed to the rafters with talent struggle to conquer.
Fortunately, a potent medicine exists to cure WhodoIstartandwheredoIputthemandwhenitis.
This cure, which is epitomized by Indianapolis Colt?s gun-slinging quarterback Peyton Manning, is called Grinditoutandgetbacktowhatmadeussuccessfullcillin.
Wing?s ownership knows that, at least on paper, the team has every tool needed to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.
Coach Babcock understands this better than anyone else within the Wings organization.
"We know how to play the game,? Babcock said following the Wing?s loss to Vancouver. ?So let's commit to playing, and playing as hard and intelligent as we're capable of playing."
And capable of playing the Wings are.
The franchise houses the most productive entourage of forwards in the NHL in Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper, Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Valtteri Filppula, Henrik Zetterberg, and now Marian Hossa; all of which combined to compile 152 goals and 178 assists during the 2007-2008 NHL campaign.
The defense, led by team captain and 6-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, as well as by near 30-year NHL veteran Chris Chelios has been equally productive. During the prior NHL campaign, these two All-Stars combined with fellow Wing standouts Brian Rafalski and Niklas Kronwell to amass stats relatively unheard of for defensemen: 33 goals, 139 assists, and an eye popping +103 plus/minus ratio.
And goalkeeping, which prior to Dominik Hasek being pulled from net in the 2nd period of game 4 of the Wing?s 1st round series vs. Nashville, had become somewhat of a soap opera in Motown. However, Chris Osgood quickly grounded that show to a halt with 9 straight playoff victories, en route to a 14-4 record, a 1.55 GAA, and more importantly, a Stanley Cup.
But as legendary coaches Phil Jackson and Joe Torre (and perhaps quote master Yogi Berra) may say, last year was last year, and this year is this year. Or as members of the highly favored 62-13-7 but Western Conference Final ousted Red Wing team from 1995-1996 may tell you, talent on paper is nothing more than talent on paper.
Thus Babcock and Company?s ability to inject a potent shot of Grinditoutandgetbacktowhatmade- ussuccessfullcillin to cure WhodoIstartandwheredoIputthemandwhenitis, may well determine the fate of this indisputably talented but somewhat shaky 2008-2009 Red Wing hockey team. |
