Game Six in Pittsburgh was a beauty even if it was in doubt right up until the final horn sounded. That's because when it did the Red Wings were winners and they were bringing Stanley back home to Motown.

Henrik Zetterberg being awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, and Nicklas Lidstrom lifting the Cup overhead were both fantastic moments in a night full of them. But for me, the most memorable aspect of the night was yet to come.

During on-ice post game interviews I made my way to Jiri Hudler. He was telling a few reporters how his legs were literally shaking when he got to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time and skate with it. I asked him how he felt about the fact that his name would soon be engraved on it forever. He got teary-eyed. He was speechless. He was awestruck. His response was filled with raw, unfiltered, genuine emotion. The mere thought overwhelmed him.

They say that winning the Cup doesn't mean as much to European players. I saw first hand how it meant as much to this Euro as anyone I've ever seen win it. To see how it moved him actually moved me.

I saw him again as the Stanley Cup victory parade rolled down Woodward Ave. It was evident  that the joy and pride he felt tin the moments after clinching the Cup hadn't diminished one single bit. He just may have been the happiest guy on the parade route and at the ensuing rally at Hart Plaza. His brief speech needs to be You-Tubed. Priceless!

Here's to you Jiri...I'm glad you're enjoying the moment. You and your teammates earned it.

And thanks for helping bring the hardware home again.

Monday night's triple overtime thriller at the Joe was simply amazing. So amazing in fact that had the Wings won and clinched the Stanely Cup in that 3rd OT, I would have called it the most incredible hockey I'd ever seen.

Think about it. How many times in your lifetime are you going to see the Cup won in triple overtime o####ame as exciting as that Game 5 was? The action was fast and furious. The goaltenting was jaw-dropping. The skill level was world-class from start to finish.

As it was I can only call the game a classic since the Cup wasn't clinched in the end. However, with the third period of game three and this stunner added to the mix with at least one more game to go, I would say the NHL and hockey fans everywhere are getting exactly what they'd hoped for out of this series. Those in Detroit just have to hope it ends with championship number 11 for their team. 

 

The Stanley Cup Finals are once again back in Detroit and the Red Wings are already up a game on the upstart Pittsburgh Penguins.

I fully expect the Wings to take this series in a hard fought 5 games. The Pens have some of the very best young talent in the league in Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fluery in net. But as you saw in game one, the Wings defense is not going to be easy to beat, nor is their last line of defense, Chris Osgood.

I said it before the playoffs ever started that I'd ride Oz till the wheels fell off. Mike Babcock chose to go with Dominik Hasek to begin the run and that was right seeing as he is the head coach. But there was little doubt in my mind then, and absolutely no doubt now that Osgood was the right man to lead the charge. Now he and the Wings sit 3 wins shy of a triumphant parade around the rink with the Stanley Cup lifted high above their heads.

The Penguins won't go without a fight, but they will go. I'll be surprised if it takes six games. Yes, the winged-wheel is once again rollin' at top speed in the Motor City.

Detroit takes on Nashville in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. This should be an entertaining, physical, hard-fought series and a great tune-up round for the Wings. After all I don't think anyone outside of Nashville really believes the Predators should beat the Wings in the series, even thought the first round is always a monster with upset potential lurking at every turn.

The fact of the matter is Detroit is on the prowl. They are one of the odds-on favorites to win the Stanely Cup this season and they need to do themselves a favor and take care of business early in round one. It would really be a shame if poor play or a lack of focus early on cost them a game or two and stretched this series out longer than it really should go.

In this playoff run they're going to need every once of energy and every minute of rest they can possibly muster for the latter rounds when teams like the Ducks, the defending champions, and the Sharks, come calling. These are the series I'm looking forward to but we can't get ahead of ourselves. Nashville is first up and it should be over in 5 if the Wings mean business and start stalking that Cup like the dangerous playoff predators they are suppose to be.

Watching the Wings rack up their 100th point of the season on the backs of Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen and Chris Osgood was sweet to behold.

The team extended their winning streak to five games, Pavel extended his point streak to 8 games and "Mule" ran his to 5. Chris Osgood grabbed his 25th win of the season. It was a good night.

Looking to the bigger picture however the team in general is really starting to look scary good. I like what I'm seeing. Note the following  facts: they not only came back to get the win against Dallas, they did it convincingly.  They shut the Stars down defensively and racked up three goals when it mattered most - the third period. Franzen has turned in to a monster in front of the opposition goal - what a force on the power play. Datsyuk just keeps scoring big goals, Osgood just keeps making big saves, the team just keeps winning big games. These are all key signs things are going well for the Wings.

And although nobody asked me, I'd go with Osgood to start the playoffs. I'd ride him till the wheels fell off...but that's just me.

Brad Stuart had all the talent and expectations in the world coming out of junior hockey. In fact he was so highly thought of that he was taken third overall in the NHL entry draft. Now he's the highest drafted player in the Wings dressing room and as the only deadline aquistion, he's also got some high expectations coming down the stretch.

He's got size, grit and a high hockey IQ. The Wings can always use a little more depth and sandpaper in their lineup and Stuart brings just that. The fact that they didn't lose anyone off the active roster to get him is also a plus.  I keep wondering why a guy who is this good keeps getting moved (this is his 4 team in his 8 years in the league) but now that he's a Red Wing lets just count our blessings.

I've got just a couple of quick thoughts on the approaching NHL trade deadline which hits home on Tuesday, Feb. 26th, and here they are...

First off, it's a good thing Nick Lidstrom is only going to be out for a couple of weeks with a sprained knee as a result of being hit like never before Monday night in Colorado. It's a good thing because unless you can find a 23-year-old Bobby Orr out there somewhere you simply cannot replace Lidstrom at the trade deadline or at any other time of year. Get well soon Nick, you're needed - desperately!

Secondly, I hear all kinds of talk about the Wings picking up Marian Hossa or Sergei Fedorov at the deadline and I say this...Marian Hossa is a great regluar season player but check out his playoff production and get back to me. 

For all his faults, Fedorov was always, and do mean always productive at playoff time. Even if the team wasn't scoring or winning Sergei was often the one guy who was able to muster up a little something. He may not be available, if I were C-bus I'd keep him, but between those two options it's a no-brainer for me.

Can't wait to see what shakes out by Tuesday night. Till then...

 

 

So long Mike Martz. As for the rest of the Lions coaching staff, I bet they wish they could join him on the next thing smokin' outta dodge.

Martz claims he could have stayed, but the question is, who'd want to, and why? This team is going nowhere fast. I'm not trying to be negative, I'm simply pointing out a fact.

Here's why I'm so convinced this Lions team is on a bullet train to Loser Ville yet again in '08 - consistency and continuity - or should I say the lack thereof. I mean in comes yet another offensive coordinator and since it's an internal move, it means a new position coach for the guys on the o-line. It also means the team has to learn a new offensive system; they'll be starting from scratch yet again. By the time the new system is learned, we're 4 loses in to a new season.

The team has never had a consistent game plan with a core group of players and coaches growing together. Their drafts have been horrible and therefore there are no players with any talent who've grown in the system who are ready to break out and produce. The cupboard is bare.

This also means Rod Marinelli is a year away from being replaced because the current structure dictates he'll lose big again next year and thus get the ziggy. That in turn will mean this vicious cycle starts all over again with Matt Millen hiring yet another new head coach who will want to employ new coordinators and coaches and this consistently inconsistent three ring circus down at Allen Park will roll on status quo...which means more losing for you and I to suffer through for the foreseeable future.

Sucks doesn't it!

Well it does unless your name is Mike Martz. Smarty Marty gets paid for next year while at the same time ridding himself of this comedy of errors you've come to know and love as "the same 'ol Lions."  Martz will likely have another gig even before this blog is posted, meanwhile we must stand by and watch another receiver taken in the first round (just joking, I hope) and watch another all-to-predictable season of "Lions Football" down at Ford Field.

If I could pass on one piece of advice to you it'd be this; don't bet the farm on any ten-win seasons taking place in the 'D' any time soon, regardless of what Jon Kitna has to say this off-season.

Go Wings! Go Pistons!

Now there's something for which to cheer.

 

 

Back when the Lions were 6-2 I stated that it would be a colossal failure if they didn't make the playoffs. They had eight games left. All they had to do was win three to four games which would have sealed the deal...and they couldn't do that!

Yeah, mathematically playoff hope lives with 3 games left, but it's not going to happen. Don't allow yourself to get sucked in to thinking that it can either. That kind of optimism leads to a pit of hopelessness from which there is no escape. It's a black hole, a place where there is no light. Your positivity is wasted on such foolish daydreams. Do not go there...

Hell of an effort against the Cowboys, but it didn’t make up for that dog o####ame against the Vikings. The bottom line was all the same, loss, loss and likely another loss coming on the road in San Diego as the Chargers fight to make the playoffs themselves.

 

As for the Lions they managed to find a way to show the football-watching nation that those six wins to start the season were the most deceiving six wins in the league. Now they take the field looking like the team we're all use to watching, the team that we watch every Sunday to see in just what fashion they'll blow this weeks' game.

 

The Lions are not an elite NFL team. The Lions are not going to the playoffs. Rod Marinelli, try as he might, is not going to be the NFL Coach of the Year.

 

Now that all is once again right with the world, we can go back to accepting our football-fate here in Motown. We must reconcile ourselves once again to being on the outside looking in. Again, as opposed to being a Super Bowl contender, we must settle for being among the also-rans. It's not a bad thing; it just is what it is. A bad thing is what's taking place down in Miami. Think about that for a minute.

 

 

This week the Lions CRUSHED the Denver Broncos to the tune of 44-7 before a sold out crowd at Ford Field. It is, without a doubt, the very best I've seen the Lions play in the last 7 years. I'm not trying to over state it or embelish it in any way, it's the best game I've seen them play since I started covering them 7 seasons ago, bar none.

Special teams were turly special when you consider Jason Hanson became just the 11th player in NFL history to surpass the 1,600 point plateau with 14 total points on the day. He gave the team a lift all day long while lifting himself in record books.

The offense did it on the ground, through the air, and were turnover free.

The defense was sublime. They sacked, they scored, they served notice...they are not the same old Lions!

No, these are not the same old Lions. These guys, it's strange to say, are fun to watch. They're on a roll and they believe in themselves and now they're 6-2. At 6-2 at this point in the season it's fair to say if the Detroit Lions don't make the playoffs in the weak NFC, it would be huge disappointment. It would take a collapse of monumental proportions for them to fail in that regard at this point.

Yes we're talking playoffs.  Here in Detroit we're talking playoffs... 4-0 at home, 6-2 on the season, 2nd in NFC North with 8 games to play...you've gotta like their chances. Wow, we're mentioning the Lions and the playoffs in the same sentence in 2007 - what's the world coming to?

 

 

A month in to the Red Wings' season we find ourselves watching the best team in hockey.

Two months in to the Lions' season we find ourselves watching the second best team in the NFC North. 

A month after the Tigers' season ends they pick up one of the best shortstops in all of baseball, making them the odds on favorite to win the Central, if not the American League, when spring training begins.

And the Pistons' season is about to start with them on the very short list of best teams in the East. Is this crazy, or what? This is the best sports town in America, hands down, and if you don't think so, you're an ####. But I'm not here to measure your IQ. I'm here to write about what makes following these teams at this time, in this city, so compelling... so worthwhile... so fun....

First of all, the Red Wings just keep getting better. They are younger, faster, and more interesting than at any point since the Stanley Cup year of '02. They've adapted to the 'New NHL' better than anyone thought they would. To start with Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Lidstrom give them three of the best players in the entire league, making them competitive night in and night out before they even drop the puck. Add to that guys like Holmstrom, Hasek, Rafalski, Draper and Maltby who simply do their thing to ensure the team keeps winning, and guys like Hudler, Filpula, Kronwall, and Lebda who give fans a reason to believe in the present and the future and you've got can't-miss product. Personally, I show up just to watch Chelios. The guy is a freak of nature, simply amazing.  

As for the Lions, what can you say? You are what your record says you are and the Detroit Lions' record says they're 5-2, whether you or I believe it or not. Kitna has stopped fumbling and throwing picks in the end zone, the secondary is making plays and Kevin Jones is healthy and productive. Even more impressive is Calvin Johnson, who looks like a man from another planet whenever he's healthy and the Lions are smart enough to give him the ball. However the Rod Marinelli-for-coach-of-the-year talk is kinda crazy, but then again so is the fact that I even had to write that. Wow. All I can say is, WOW!

Meanwhile the Tigers re-signed Pudge and then swapped some tomorrow for some today by trading Jair Jurrjens (really sorry to see him go) and Gorkys Hernandez to the Braves for five-time All-Star, Edgar Renteria. I loved those moves and so did you. And if you didn't, let’s check your IQ for real this time.... But again, it's not about your IQ, it's about the fact that the team is solid as a rock up the middle, spending the right money on the right people, and Leyland's still running the show. It's back to the playoffs in '08 here in Tigertown.

 Finally, Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics are the poster boys for the Eastern Conference and that's all well and good as October comes to a close. However, when I saw Rasheed Wallace drop 25 lbs, Rodney Stuckey ball like a mother in the pre-season, and Joe Dumars turn up the heat on Flip Saunders and the entire crew, I saw the future. And in the future, namely April and May, I saw the Pistons rise to the top as the class of the East once again as the Palace prepared to host another  NBA Finals in June.

Yes sports fans, it's a great time to be a sports fan in a sports city as great as Detroit. The fun is never-ending.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Webmaster's Note:  Trevor's blog will return soon with his thoughts on various topics around the Detroit sports scene!