Wings Win, Ho Hum

"If anybody ever says he's the worst goalie that ever won the Cup, I'm gonna punch'em in the mouth!"

Sure would be nice to have a player like Darren McCarty on the Leafs. Of course, if Raycroft ever won the Cup, Darren would have his fists full of other people's teeth. Mostly mine.

Be happy Detroit, and never forget where you came from. I remember a certain goal scored by a certain little Russian wearing a blue and white sweater, on a goalie who wasn't just having a bad day, he was having a Cheveldae. As if that wasn't bad enough, the next year this happened. Poor Osgood wept after the game, yet no one on the Wings stood up and said "hey, we lost as a team!". Or if they did, they didn't do it loud enough. The lasting impression was a young goalie, "the Kid", shouldering the blame for a massive team failure. Sound familiar, Carey Price?

The next year, (stupid lock-out year) the Wings went to the Finals only to be swept by the Devils. One year later, the infamous Lemieux hit on Draper, and Detroit tastes the bitterest kind of defeat. Even worse, the Avalanche win the Cup. The moral is: You have to lose to know how to win, and then you have to lose even more. Or: All you have to do is get Brendan Shanahan.

Here's a good example of building character for the playoffs. The Shanahan-Roy mid-air collision is so eye-poppingly spectacular I nearly lost my mind! It was cosmic, like it was meant to be, like it had somehow always been.

That's what you need to win to a Stanley Cup. Blood, and guts, and a whole lot of talent. And then the brave acceptance of destiny. Remember how you got there Red Wings, it might even make it sweeter. Congratulations.

And now as a tribute, Darren McCarty interviews Chris Osgood and clears up the question of "why Dallas Drake?" Enjoy, and beware: next year has already begun!