It has been exciting hockey in recent weeks.  Deadline day has come and gone.  Operation Slapshot has fallen in the ditch of old news.  And the Stanley Cup will played for this season.  Where are the Red Wings positoned in the hunt.  Besides the obvious "standing on top the west."  Yes I would love to hear Van Halen with David Lee Roth once again.  The song with Sammy Hagar is very relevant, is the stand of the Red Wings on top of the Hockey world "just for a little while?" 

  Early Season the Red Wings were not top birds perched on the west.

The Detroit Red Wings are proving that hockey as a game is not time for fortune telling and that sport writers are as unpredictable as weathermen.  My stance on the Red Wings even with Manny Legace in the pre-season is that the Red Wings had to much depth to be staring from the basement at the rest of the NHL.  And Manny Legace learned from and watched closely three winning goal tenders in Detroit; Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek and Curtis Joseph.  The leadership of the Red Wings is as rock solid as any sport team could want and the leaders are winners; Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, and Nick Lidstrom.  From a goaltending and leadership and focus the Red Wings are top notche.

How about coaching and management? 

 The coaching of the Red Wings this year has proven that its knowledge of the game is more wise and discerning than anyone could have  imagined.  All the way from the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Red Wings this coaching staff has the solutions to improving the players and the character roles each player has on the team and a one word motto that can energize people "Win!" It is our tradition.  It is what people expect here.  And the best part of all the coaching staff knows it is part of everyones character in locker room and on the ice "Win!" There is no nonsense with Mike and his assistants. 

The management has all the right pieces to the team puzzle.  If people were wondering about Ken Holland, Jim Nill and the scouts of this team this is not arrogance they are the best in the NHL and are willing to work hard at keeping the Red Wings the Red Wings.  I have tremendous respect for the management of the Detroit Red WIngs.  The team, the management and owners are some of the wisest and winning people in sports.

LGRW do you have picks and predictions for the Stanley Cup and the Playoff rounds?

Yesterday as I was reading the Detroit Free Press I read a quote from Brendan Shanahan "We do not want to look at the future; it messes up the present."  So with that I will write that in the East I like:

- Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers. 

The West: The Detroit Red Wings.  That way there is no poison to pick. Contenders will have to win without me picking.

The Red Wings heading to the post season look very good and positioned to win. In no way am I and the Wings conceited and arrogant.  I will write this, we are a very confident bunch though.  Who would not be come playoff time perched as the Red Wings are in "Hockeytown."  The Red Wings are solid for coming years and if they are to remain confident that is handled as Brendan Shanhan aptly put it in the present and one game at a time.

-LGRW

03/30/2006