Detroit Red Wings Updated: April 21, 2003

Team      GP  W  L  T OTL  GF  GA PTS 
DETROIT   82 48 20 10   4 269 203 110 
ST LOUIS  82 41 24 11   6 253 222  99 
CHICAGO   82 30 33 13   6 207 226  79 
NASHVILLE 82 27 35 13   7 183 206  74 
COLUMBUS  82 29 42  8   3 213 263  69 

Team News

by Andrew Loughrey, Detroit Correspondent

Not only were the Wings swept away in an unthinkable four games; not only were the Wings the first team eliminated from the playoffs this year; Detroit was outmatched and outclassed in every facet of the game, pure and simple. Anaheim head coach Mike Babcock outcoached Detroit's Dave Lewis. Anaheim goaltender "Just Saves" Giguere outplayed Detroit netminder Curtis Joseph. The Ducks' stars and role players performed better than their counterparts in the Wings' lineup. The team littered with future Hall-of-Famers and beaucoup veterans with successful playoff experience looked like the team that hadn't made it beyond the regular season in four years.

Is he still under warranty?
Many people have already begun to blame CuJo, as he did nothing to amend his reputation of not rising to the occasion. In Joseph's defense, he never really played that poorly. CuJo only gave up three goals in regulation once. His teammates, though, who led the league in goals scored during the regular season, never scored more than two goals in any of their four playoff games. Even when Osgood had an off night during their 1998 Cup run, Detroit would bounce back and give him plenty of goal-support. This year, Joseph never had a cushion from which to work, so he never reached that comfort level that allows a goaltender to settle into a groove. The pressure was omnipresent for CuJo, and we all know how well Joseph has responded to overwhelming pressure over the years.

Is that Plato behind the bench?
And why couldn't this all-star cast of characters give Joseph any sort of buffer? For starters, Dave Lewis and his coaching staff never came up with an answer for Mike Babcock's defensive scheme. The Ducks always had four of their five skaters thinking defense. No matter what. All the time. No exceptions. Period. When an underdog faces ridiculous odds, their chances for success increase dramatically when the entire team buys into a particular system or philosophy. Babcock convinced his team to play within his defensive strategy, at least until Detroit began to solve and beat it.

Amazingly, the Red Wings never came up with an answer. Detroit constantly tried to break through Anaheim's stubborn defense, and the few times they found a leak, Giguere was there with his caulk gun and plumber's crack, handing Detroit's offense a bill much higher than his original estimate. In the meantime, the Mighty Ducks skaters simply maintained their poise and waited for their chances; and as soon as a chance presented itself, the Ducks pounced on it. Like clockwork, Anaheim capitalized on their chances as Detroit furiously (and mostly in vain) scrambled to create their own.

Brains...BRAINS!
From whence did Anaheim's chances come? The majority came from atypical mental letdowns. In Game 2, for example, a lack of communication between CuJo and Chris Chelios led to CuJo attempting to play the puck behind his net way too late. As a result, Duckling Stanislav Chistov swept in, stole the puck, spun Joseph around and fired the puck toward the vacant goal mouth. The puck found its way off of Henrik Zetterberg's skate and then as CuJo threw himself back toward the crease, the biscuit deflected off CuJo's leg pad and into the net.

Jason Krog's go-ahead goal in Game 4 was another example of one player's mental lapse leading to a tally for the Ducks. Defenseman Mathieu Dandenault inadvertently let his stick slap a Duck in the face. The puck was right at Dandenault's feet, and he casually dragged his stick up to touch it and get the whistle to stop play. Instead, Keith Carney snuck in behind Dandenault, not giving up on the play. Carney lifted Dandy's stick, corralled the puck and fired it cross-ice to Jason Krog. All of the Wings were expecting the whistle and stopped playing. The Ducks never stopped and were rewarded with a goal, and ultimately, the series.

Act your age, not your total number of playoff points
If the Wings had shown the veteran discipline we all know they possess, most of the game would have been played with the ref dropping the puck and both teams backing off and staring at each other - each squad waiting for the other side to blink first. Now that sounds like 60 minutes of pure entertainment. Seriously, though, the Wings played like the impatient young team while the Ducks seemed to smirk, embrace the Wings' expended energy, and confidently launch their counterattack. The reason the Wings were swept (and if this had been a best-of-15 series, the reason the Wings would have lost the next four as well)? Great coaching by Babcock and unbelievable aplomb exhibited by his entire team.

Misery loves company (and a brown paper bag)
What's next for the Wings? Read my end-of-season wrap-up once the playoffs end and a new Stanley Cup champion is crowned. In the meantime, rooting against Dallas, Colorado, St Louis and the Leafs will help me get through the rest of the first round. Try picking some teams of your own toward which you wish ill will - it's the perfect remedy for putting the Red Wings' embarrassing performance behind you. Well, that and a bottle of Bushmills.