Envying the Wings
by javaball on May 25, 2009 5:22 PM PDT
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PrintWatching the Western Conference Finals, I often find myself lustily cheering for the Wings and wistfully thinking at the same time, "If only the Canucks had done that!"
Have to admit though, I started out not so much a Wings fan as a Hawks hater.
Why do I hate the Hawks?
Canucks were eliminated by them in the 2nd round, but that's not it. Sometimes you get beaten by a better team, but the Canucks beat themselves. The Hawks may have a lot of talent, but I don't see them as a team of character.
1. Dustin Byfuglien
I'm disgusted by the way Byfuglien intentionally hits/ crashes again and again into the opposing teams' goalies when they are on their knees. To me that's just gutless.
2. Joel Quenneville
I hate the smug sneer on Quenneville's face when they stole Game 4 from the Canucks. Like a vulture, he smelled blood and went in for the kill. Now facing a much better and stronger opponent, how he whined about "the worst call in the history of sports", saying the refs "ruined a good hockey game". He absolutely deserved the $10,000 fine!
What Can the Canucks Learn from the Wings?
If the Canucks still aspire to win the Stanley Cup, they should try to learn as much as possible from the defending champions.
1. The Depth
Both offense and defense. Case in point: in Game 4, they were missing their captain Lidstrom, one of the best defensemen in NHL, their top scorer in Datsyuk, and even their starter goalie in the 3rd period, and still routed the Hawks 6-1. How many games can the Canucks win without Luongo, one of the Sedins or Salo?
2. The Composure
Remember how the Hawks scored against Luongo and the Canucks in bunches and got the momentum? Not against the Wings. Case in point: In Game 3, the Hawks were up 3-0 into the second period because of multiple penalties against the Wings, but the Wings gave them a dose of their own medicine and scored 3 runs in less than 5 minutes to tie the game. The Wings lost that game in OT after Lidstrom broke his stick. But that game might well be the defining game of the series. The Hawks know they have to play "perfect game" to beat the Wings, but of course, they can't.
3. The Coaching
Babcock has been to the Stanley Cup Finals twice, and won the Cup last year, aftter making the Conference Finals the year before, whereas Vigneault never made it past the second round. While they both acknowledged the Hawks' talent, Vigneault went into a defensive shell and lost the defining Game 4, whereas Babcock had his team match the Hawks speed for speed, skill for skill, and didn't give the Hawks any space. He set his best defenseman Lidstrom on Kane. The results? Kane had 6 goals and 8 points in 6 games against the Canucks, but no goal and only 1 point in 4 games against the Wings.
Will the Wings Win the Stanley Cup?
I'm looking forward to the Penguins-Wings Finals. The Wings have been through two physical series against the Ducks and the Hawks. Their star players have some lingering injuries. The Penguines have their star players all playing at their top level at the moment. It should be a fun series to watch. It's a tough choice. But if I have to choose, I'd go with the Wings.
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Great post.
I agree with most of what you’re saying. I have to side with Q on the refs though. That was fucking terrible. Not the worst call in history though. That was overboard.
I didn’t mind AV’s defensive shell in Game 4. Had the Canucks been able to fend off the Hawks for 2 more minutes (which very well could have happened) then we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Could have gone either way, so I don’t hold that against AV there.
Byfugly may be a dirty bastard, but he’s good at it. I don’t mind him so much. It’s Ben Eager that I hate!
I agree with Zan and Q, that was a bad call.
I envy how damn good the Red Wings are, I love watching them play.
Whether it was a bad call or not is beside the point. It’s not the calls that ruined the game for the Hawks, it’s their own bad play and lack of composure. Whining just shows a lack of character on their part.
In the battle of the strong, victory goes to the brave.
I agree. That call was just another cog in the failure machine that is the Hawks in that game.
by Sean Zandberg on May 26, 2009 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Their composure is commendable. If that was Vancouver in game four, they would have overreacted all over the place along with the Hawks and honestly that’s something that helped do them in. They need to find that line of playing smart and aggressive, not overly aggressive and being one of the highest penalized teams in the league. We don’t need to be another anaheim.
I think most teams are jealous of Detroit’s depth. I’m most amazed at their passing; their break outs through the neutral zone are often based on simple, quick passes that 9 times outta 10 work. It makes Vancouver’s scheme look like a joke. Honestly Detroit would have killed the Canucks unless Luongo pulled a win out in four attempts.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
I just can’t bring myself to say the the Wings would have killed us. Had we got to the next round with utter confidence on our side and stuck to the game plan we could have danced with the Red Machine.
Different teams are different scenarios with different influences, motivations and outcomes. Chicago is just falling apart. There’s no guarantee that the Canucks would have.
If the Pens pull 2 wins out of Detroit in games 1 and 2, no one will be saying all this shit about how great Detroit is for long.
by Sean Zandberg on May 26, 2009 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I wouldn’t mind if we become another Anaheim that wins the Cup. They are aggressive and can grind you down with their dogged persistence, and, given the way their goalie Jonas Hiller was playing in the playoffs, I think if the Canucks had played Anaheim, they would most likely have lost.
This is also why I think Detroit had their toughest series against the Ducks. They outshot the Ducks 46-23, in Game 3 and still lost 1-2. Hiller simply stole the game from them. They also lost a heartbreaker after their game-tying goal was disallowed because the referee was out of position. Any lesser team would have been frustrated and flustered. But the Wings fought back, solved Hiler and won the series.
In the battle of the strong, victory goes to the brave.
Anaheim had the right mix of toughness and skill though. I’d prefer to see Vancouver aim for the latter and not the former. That’s what makes Detroit scary every year.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on May 26, 2009 5:42 PM PDT up reply actions
The Canucks have the right mix of toughness and skill, just not enough of either. :)
In the battle of the strong, victory goes to the brave.
haha! Meanie! :)
We’re tougher than Detroit.
by Sean Zandberg on May 26, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions
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