10-03-2007, 11:36 AM
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 | Member+ | | Last Online: 08-25-2008 06:58 PM Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Santa Clara, CA
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| Re: Pre-season 2007/2008
Here's another pre-season look: Quote:
For a half dozen seasons now, the Detroit Red Wings have been counted out of the Central Division race by the so-called experts before one game is even played, and all the club does every year is go out and finish in first place.
But who can blame the previewers? When you look at the Wings' lineup it looks more like a senior league roster than an NHL roster. Heading into the 2007-08 season, Detroit has nine players who are 34 or older, five who are 36 or older and two in their 40s. But year in and year out, the team finds the fountain of youth and manages to put up 100 points and qualify for the playoffs without fail.
A lot of the Red Wings' success can be attributed to the their captain Nicklas Lidstrom. The 37-year-old logs tons of minutes each year and chips in on both sides of the puck. Last year, Lidstrom scored 62 points in 80 games off 13 goals and 49 assists and was an astounding plus-40. The Swedish sensation also won his fifth Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, becoming the first five-time winner since Ray Bourque.
Dominik Hasek was also another reason the Red Wings finished in first in the Central last season. The 42-year-old puck-stopper showed he still had the goods to be one of the game's best, finishing 38-11-6 with a 2.05 GAA, eight shutouts and a .913 save percentage in 56 games. His 34-year-old backup, Chris Osgood, also had a solid season, going 11-3-6 with a 2.38 GAA and a .907 save percentage. The duo should be among the league's best again in 2007-08. At 45, Chris Chelios is an anomaly. Year-after-year he shows up and competes at a high level. While he's not the offensive player he once was in his younger days, he is still a force on the defensive side of the puck. Last year, he averaged a little over 18 minutes a game for Detroit in 71 games, finishing the year with 11 points and a plus-11 rating. In the postseason, he was also a force, finishing a plus-7 in 18 games while contributing one goal and six assists.
Age hasn't slowed down Tomas Holmstrom (34), Kris Draper (36) or Kirk Maltby (34) either. Holmstrom was Detroit's second-leading goal-scorer (30) last year and fourth-leading point-producer (52). Draper chipped in 14 goals and 15 assists, while Maltby contributed 11 points off six goals and five assists. Look for key contributions from free-agent acquisitions, Dallas Drake and Brian Rafalski also. At 38, Drake proved last year that he still has something left in the tank, posting 12 points in 60 games for the St. Louis Blues. At 34, Rafalski will be a force for years to come in Detroit, as he has the skills to thwart an offensive attack, while also having the ability to light up the opposition in a moment's notice. Last year for the defensive-minded Devils, Rafalski put up a career-best 55 points in 82 games. But the Red Wings aren't all old and crusty. The team also has a lot of young talent — especially up front, where Pavel Datsyuk (29) and Henrik Zetterberg (26) earn their living. Datsyuk led the club in scoring last year with 87 points in 79 games, while Zetterberg led the team in goals with 33 in only 63 games. The team is expecting good things out of youngsters Valtteri Filppula, Igor Grigorenko, Tomas Kopecky and Jiri Hudler. On defense, the future is now for 26-year-old Niklas Kronwall, who really made his presence and value known last season when posted 22 points in 68 games in just over 20 minutes of icetime per game.
| FOX Sports on MSN - NHL - NHL Season Previews: Central Division  |
