The goaltender is 42 years old and playing like a spring chicken; he came within minutes of a shutout. A goal was scored by the 36-year-old defenseman and new captain. Another goal was scored by an even older defenseman -- 38 years of age. And more solid play from the other top three defenseman. He's 45 years old.
Sure, the Red Wings' younger guys played well, too -- heck, the whole team did -- but it was the greybeards that led the way in the solid-as-a-rock, 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames last night in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at JLA.
The players themselves would prefer the word "experienced" to "greybeards," but semantics are the least of anyone's worries right now. Job One is to get out of the stinking first round -- something the Red Wings have only managed to do once since their 2002 Cup.
After practice Tuesday, while working at my new gig, I asked Red Wings coach Mike Babcock how important it is, at this time of year, to have the greyb--, er, experienced guys manning the blue line and the goal.
"Experience is important when you have it, and when you don't have it, you say it's overrated," the coach said. "The bottom line is, experience is one part and playing is the other part. Your experience doesn't mean anything if you can't play, but they (Lidstrom, Chelios, Schneider, and Hasek) can do both and they can settle you down, and they play their best at this time of the year."
They were at their best last night. Hasek only faced 20 shots, but he was there when the Wings needed him. Lidstrom was his usual mechanical self; I doubt that he broke a sweat. Schneider scored on a howitzer from the blue line and was solid defensively. And Chelios was active and abrasive -- turning it up a notch for the playoffs.
"Everyone pretty much knows that I live for the playoffs," Chelios told me Tuesday. "I like to think that we're a better team with me in the lineup."
And Hasek?
"I said 18 years ago that Dom was the best goalie in the world and I stand by that," Chelios said. "The only question was his health, and he's answered that. I'll put him up against anyone."
It all sounds scrumptious, but the playoffs are only one game old. The Wings took a 1-0 lead over the Oilers last spring -- and you remember how that turned out.
But the win last year over Edmonton in Game 1 was in overtime, and the team looked shaky. Last night, there was no doubt who the best team was, at least for one game. The Flames barely flickered.
And you can thank the wet quilt of, um, "experience" that the Red Wings were able to toss onto Calgary for that.
**********************************************
One player to watch for the Flames as this series rolls along is defenseman Dion Phaneuf, the team's #1 draft pick of 2003. Phaneuf, who turned 22 this week, looked like he wanted to agitate the Red Wings at every opportunity -- real or contrived. He played with a burr in his saddle. And he was in the middle of the scrum that occurred behind the Flames' net late in the game last night.
It might be a good idea to try to get under his skin, because Phaneuf in the penalty box would mean the Flames would be without one of their top scoring defensemen. In two NHL seasons, Phaneuf has scored 37 goals.
**********************************************
Interesting fact that I did not know: when Calgary's Darren McCarty was a healthy scratch for Game 1, it marked the first time in his 13-year career that he did not dress for a playoff game when he wasn't injured. McCarty has played in 157 postseason contests.
No comments:
Post a Comment