Coup Detroit
The day after the trading deadline the Red Wings showcased two of
their newly acquired stars. They were Wendel Clark and Chris
Chelios. Two former Red Wing thorns for years were now wearing the
winged wheel. Who would have ever guessed after all these years
they would now be Red Wings. Nonetheless it is great having them on
the Red Wings to add punch to a team that seemed destined for
nowhere and an early exit from the playoffs.
There is no guarantee of another Cup of course but these two
veterans are the real deal. All hail Ken Holland for the coup of
the season. The aces in the hole are definitely Ulf Samuelsson and
Bill Ranford -- two veterans who know what it takes to win the Cup.
Hockeytown was abuzz with these acquisitions. And all the Red Wings
lost in the transactions were a third-string goalie and Anders
Eriksson. And throw in some draft picks they, high ones of course,
and the soup is finally made. All the ingredients seem in place.
The Red Wings needed a veteran goalie and they got one. They
needed a veteran to mold and stabilize the defenseman and they got
two. They needed a proven goal scorer and they got one. It sure
doesn't hurt to have pockets filled with loads of disposable money,
either.
Wendel Clark scored in his Red Wing debut and Sergei Fedorov added
the game-winning goal as the Red Wings beat the Hasek-less Buffalo
Sabres 2-1. "It's great to be back in hockey country," said Clark
"It's like being in Toronto. It's a place where everyone cares and
gets enthusiastic this time of year."
The fans at Joe Louis Arena who always booed and jeered Chelios as
an opponent welcomed him as a Red Wing for the first time. "I
haven't had butterflies like that for years," said Chelios. "It was
a pretty strange feeling."
Chelios played more than 25 minutes over 28 shifts, a far stretch
from the games in Chicago where has played upwards of 40 minutes a
game. Chelly played most of the time with Nicklas Lidstrom. Clark
played with Fedorov and Holstrom.
"We're Detroit Red Wings now and part of this team. It's a great
feeling," Chelios said. "It's a challenge; it's a great challenge.
Playing for the Stanley Cup is the most important thing in this
game."
In the next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning it was Chris
Chelios' turn to score a goal. "It's a whole different game for
me," Chelios said, "I'm getting more confident every day, and
these guys make that happen." Chelly scored in a three-goal first
period that made it a seemingly easy night for the Red Wings.
"It was no match," Lightning coach Jacques Demers said. "This is a
great team that just got greater. Now they've got hope they can
come back and repeat. Their fourth line could be our second line
most nights, and their defense with Chelios now is awesome."
Nicklas Lidstrom, Stacy Roest, Brendan Shanahan and Slava Kozlov
also scored for the Red Wings, who have now won four of the last
six games. Tampa Bay's Corey Schwab gave up four goals on 20 shots
before he was replaced in the second period by former Red Wing
Kevin Hodson. Hodson gave up two goals on 20 shots in the loss to
his former team. Lidstrom's goal was the 100th of his career.
In the next game the Red Wings continue getting immediate returns
from some new major investments. Wendel Clark scored his second
goal for the Red Wings 2:26 into overtime, giving the Wings a win
3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The win was the Red Wings' third in a row with Clark and Chelios in
the lineup. "We had a good team before and we have to be a better
team now," said Sergei Fedorov, who assisted on Clark's game
winner.
"The puck was laying there. It was not that hard to put in," Clark
said. "It was something where the guys put the puck to the net and
I was just able to be in the right spot at the right time."
The hot Slava Kozlov scored the Wings' other two goals. Chris Osgood
was instrumental in the win stopping 24 shots on the big bad Flyers.
A deal made earlier in the season panned out in the next game
against the Los Angeles Kings. That being Todd Gill who scored in
his first game in two months. Gill was playing his first game
since Feb. 1, when he suffered a broken forearm against New
Jersey. Sergei Fedorov also had a goal as the Wings moved nine
points ahead of the idle St. Louis Blues.
The Red Wings won their fourth game in a row at home. "I think the
schedule helps," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. "It's a bonus
to have a schedule like we have."
Ozzie made 27 saves in his 164th Red Wings win of his career. That
broke a tie with Harry Lumley for second place on the team's
career victory list. He has allowed just five goals during the
current winning streak. "Things have been going real well since the
trades," Osgood said. "Everybody's inspired and hits like a new
season."
The Hawks came to town to face their old captain Chris Chelios. It
also marked the first game for Bill Ranford between the pipes. But
the Hawks could only muster three goals losing to the Red hot
Wings 5-3. It was the Wings fifth victory in a row.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," said Chelios, on being
nervous about the game. "Maybe it was because we got up four goals
and I was able to relax." Maybe because Chris realizes that he is an
organization willing and very able to do what it takes to win.
Billy Ranford made 27 saves in his first start. "It was good,"
Ranford said. "I got a little tired late in the third period, but
that's to be expected when you haven't played in a while. But I
played good in the first and second, and that's when it mattered."
Scoring were Clark, Kozlov, Larry Murphy, Marty Lapointe and
Shanahan. The centerman, Fedorov, Larionov and Yzerman each had
two assists.
The Dallas Stars have already clinched the top playoff seed in the
Western Conference and own the league's best record. But since
when has that ever mattered in any regard? I'm thinking never is
the answer! So in the game of the season it was going to be a nice
primer for a possible playoff showdown. The Wings went to the Lone
Star State to kick some you know what. The game was much closer
than the score would indicate, but a win is a win. And the Red
Wings shut out the rival Stars 3-0, sending a message to the rest
of the league that this variable all star team has arrived.
Clark remained hot with a third-period five-hole goal and Ozzie was
spectacular for his third shutout of the season. The Red Wings have
now won six in a row since the trade deadline, but more importantly
they are gelling as a team. It is time to get down to business. They
played a very tight defensive game. "That's the way you have to play
in the playoffs," coach Scotty Bowman said. "There's not going to be
a lot of goals. We're playing pretty tight . Dallas doesn't need very
many goals." The Wings did however seem to give the odd man rush up
a few too many times.
Maltby and Homer notched the other tallies against psycho Eddie in
the win. It was their first win against the Stars all season,
having lost the first three.
"We had four or five open nets in the second period but we couldn't
put it over the goal line," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "I
thought we had a lot of good players, but we couldn't finish."
Sounds like the psychological disadvantage has set in for the Stars
already. Can they really beat the Red Wings?
Ulf Samuelsson should be playing real soon in his first game. Bring
it on!
