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Wings succeeding despite size etc.


puckinaround

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First of all I would like to state my opinion. Which is...Modelling our team after the Detroit Redwings teams that won the cup was not a mistake nor has it become irrelevant due to changes in todays game.

Gillis has recently stated that he thinks this plan was a mistake. I disagree. IMO our recent success is due to the focus on keeping and aquiring skill over goon squads.

The problem with Gillis' statement is that we only copied part of the Wings formula. The wings have always had skill, (Eg. Yzerman, Federov, Zetterburg, Datsyk) but the other side of the coin is that MG seems to have missed the Detroit/Colorado era of blood bath hockey. Remember Brendon Shannahan punching in Adam Foote's face etc. (Ex. Shannahan, McCarty, Konstantinov, Grimson, Probert)

Okay enough about the teams makup. The Wings also have had coaches that push for hard gritty play. They push players to get aggressive and fight for every inch. Scotty Bowman is a mastermind of hockey in my opinion. He won 9 cups and coached the Wings to three cups. Just tonight I watch the wings formula play out beautifully. Mike Babcock who's driving message is finish "hard", has pushed this years team who is lacking Nick Lidstom to top the Presidents trophy winners of Chicago, 3 times in the playoffs.

So the real question is what do they have that we dont?

1. History - History matters. I remember the dread I fealt when Boston brought out Bobbi Orr to wave the flag in the stand in 2010. The Wings have that same mojo going with Gordie Howe

2. Coaches who preach a hard nosed brand of Hockey based on letting your skilled line score and everyone grind it out tough until you get the cup.

3. One huge point Im making is that we have the Sedins as our top stars. They take up the biggest chunks of payroll. Do they have the desire, grit, aggessiveness, toughness etc that it takes to win a cup? All I can picture is Marchand punching Daniel's face in, as he bobbleheads over and over again. That is my answer. NO they are not tough enough to win it all.

So in conclusion, what we need is.

1.Stars that dont allow themselves to be walked all over.

2.Coaches who ensure every player is grinding every play out to the maximum ability.

3.A GM who understands that modeling a team after only one aspect(skill) of the Wings success is foolish.

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They have played far from mistake free, just watching this Chi series, they give up odd man rushes like it's going outta style. Until recently, their top players didn't even produce much, goalie is far from a star. What they do do, is play hard and force themselves to win regardless of what may have happened on the last play. Even when getting hemmed in, they come back and push. We just seem to spiral down and down. Curse and quicksand.

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They have played far from mistake free, just watching this Chi series, they give up odd man rushes like it's going outta style. Until recently, their top players didn't even produce much, goalie is far from a star. What they do do, is play hard and force themselves to win regardless of what may have happened on the last play. Even when getting hemmed in, they come back and push. We just seem to spiral down and down. Curse and quicksand.

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I agree with your general statement but disagree with your evaluation of it. The Canucks never seceded trying to follow the Detroit mold because well they didn't really follow it they just said they wanted to.

First coaching, AV was so far removed from coaching a redwings style game. He wouldn't reward players for playing well and stuck to his defensive minded favorites regardless of there play.

The twins, they are great puck possession players that would fit the Detroit mold but you have to remover Detroit has had a first line and really two second lines that can score. The Canucks have never come close to this, our team the last few years has been a first line and two third lines that can't score. Not going to win games without a line that can take the pressure off the first line.

Detroit has been a team that developed great offensive young players, look at the nucks they have traded away there youn talent for plugs. Detroit style team building? No.

It's not that building a Detroit style team is a bad idea we should have given it a go it would have been fun to watch but we would have needed a new coach long ago and a GM that could actually build a Detroit style team, MG is not that man.

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We don't have a player like Pavel Datsyuk.

Our team doesn't have a guy that can consistently be a game changer night in and night out. Kesler is inconsistent, Sedins don't show up half the time. Every top team in the NHL has a game-changer. Ours is usually sitting on the bench wearing the #1.

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I want to see how they do next round. Anaheim was big but overrated and Chicago isn't very physical at all.

However, they have an identity and stick to it. No in-between. Sort of like we did in 2011.

They also have the best coach in the league.

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A couple of things DET has that VAN lacks in my opinion:

- A bunch of skill players that can play on any line (Zetterberg, Datsyuk but even Cleary and Filppula)

- the Canucks have the Sedins but they need to play together. That puts all our skill on one line (Kes yeah but he's injured 80% of the games lately)

- a rookie that steps up (Brunner). We had Hodgson...Schroeder? Who else?

- DET has those big gritty power forwards (Franzén, before Holmstrom too). VAN has Kassian. He plays what....5 minutes on the 4th line?

Defense currently is pretty similar. No team has a Norris candidate but players who play their role.

VAN has a slight edge on goalies...on paper. Howard is playing stellar this post-season whereas -let's face it - Schneider struggled a bit

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Detroit started their model 20 years ago and built it from the scouting department out. MG has said many times he wants to emulate their model and in fairness has tried to out some of the building blocks in place (not that much has worked so far). In addition, the Detroit model requires the patience of Job, which this market (T. Gallagher aka Skeletor and company) wouldn't allow.

The premier teams in the league now - Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, LA - sucked for years before they got the picks in place to build a foundation on, and in most cases they drafted the right players. Anyone remember the Blackhawks ten years ago?

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The Wings may be a skilled puck possession team but they play a very gritty game too. They are actually a big and tough team and they hit whenever they can. They got gritty players mixed well with skill and can play any kind of game and won't ever get pushed around.

They are such a complete team built for the playoffs.

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