Red Wings' OT loss may be end of an era
Key injuries too much to overcome against Calgary
By Bob Wojnowski / The Detroit News
Ryan Remiorz / Associated Press
Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff makes a save against the Red Wings during the first period.
Bottom line
What's the best explanation for why the Red Wings lost in the second round?
Too old
Too slow
Didn't give enough effort
Defensive lapses
Couldn't score
Injuries
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CALGARY, Alberta -- They've always had more opportunities, another chance, another shot.
And now, they have none.
It's over for the Red Wings, the series, the season and maybe the run. It ended as other disappointments have ended, by the thinnest margin, on an overtime goal. Calgary's Martin Gelinas scored to give the Flames a 1-0 victory Tuesday morning, eliminating the Wings in six games.
So another season expires deep into the night in another far Western city, far from the spotlight, far from where the Wings figured to be. And today, as fans wake up and rub their eyes, there can be no mistaking what they see.
That was two straight 1-0 shutouts to end it. That's two straight early playoff exits. That's another series with four one-goal losses. A team that was so good in big games suddenly couldn't win the tight ones.
It's never pretty when a dynasty dies, and despite an admirable final effort by the battered Wings, this one expired partly from exhaustion, partly from attrition. There's a labor situation that could shutter the NHL for a year, and expedite the dismantling of a great roster, and a once-great team.
Afterward, everyone seemed to know it. Brendan Shanahan sat in full uniform nearly 45 minutes after the game, and every time he spoke, he fought back tears.
"There's no way you could say our team didn't go out and play desperate hockey," he said. "The guys were aware, through this whole season, there was a backdrop that for a lot of us, it could be ending."
He looked down at his uniform, and his voice broke.
"It's just hard to take the sweater off," he said, his eyes reddening. "We lost, and it's a huge disappointment. But I don't think anybody can question the desire or character of this team."
We certainly can question its ability to score goals. We can question its age. And with age, we can question its health.
By the end, the Wings were wounded. Steve Yzerman was out with a fractured orbital bone in his face. Chris Chelios was out with a partially torn rotator cuff in his shoulder. After the game, it was revealed Brett Hull played with a broken toe and Robert Lang played with a broken hand.
But the Flames were injured, too. And their star, Jarome Iginla, made big plays. The Wings had their chances, again and again, as they have had most of the playoffs, but couldn't beat Miikka Kiprusoff.
"I thought we gave a tremendous effort, but some of the guys we count on to score goals did not score goals," Coach Dave Lewis said. "I'm disappointed for the players who have gone through a lot of these battles. I'm hoping they'll get the opportunity to do it again, but I don't know if that'll happen."
Changes are expected, and needed, although the team won't undergo a total overhaul. On a night of extraordinary tension, the Wings handled it, but no one rose above it. Into Yzerman's void, someone had to step, and the only guy who excelled was the one with the most to prove.
Curtis Joseph was spectacular, keeping the Wings in the game. After all he endured this season, he proved himself completely capable of leading this team.
It went back and forth all night, with the crowd screeching as pucks dribbled just wide of the net. Really, as much as people like to gripe about goaltending, the Wings' playoff failures generally are about a lack of scoring. Way too many stars had zeroes on their goal ledgers in this series, from Pavel Datsyuk to Shanahan to Kris Draper, who was a tremendous emotional leader.
"You're a little stunned by it," Draper said. "It's frustrating to have all this firepower and we couldn't get the one goal. With us not getting the job done, it's out of our control now. You look around and you have to wonder, where does this team go from here?"
That will be a question for owner Mike Ilitch and General Manager Ken Holland. And I'll say this: It would be wrong to tear apart this team. Hull appears finished here and Chelios, at 42, might not have much left. But the core is still excellent.
The Wings need an energy spark from somewhere, maybe by adding youth. As much as they've accomplished, they've become a tease, reaching for something just out of their grasp. At times, it looked like a team squeezing every last ounce of energy in its fateful Final Run.
For 10 mostly glorious years, the Wings' strength was their depth -- depth of talent and depth of character. Conceivably, this was the final test of its worthiness, and we saw the cracks.
Some of it is age. Some of it is the natural withering of hunger. Some of it is the beating administered by Calgary's rugged team. These Wings weathered it as long as they could, right to the end, until the last shot missed, and the last chance failed.
Bob Wojnowski's column appears regularly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at
wojofan@aol.com
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