The Red Wings Have Gained My Respect

On October 26:
Detroit - 12th Western conference, 3-4-2

On November 27:
Detroit - 11th Western conference, 11-9-4

On February 11:
Detroit - 10th Western conference, 27-21-11

End of Regular Season:
Detroit - 5th Western conference, 44-24-14

Not bad, Red Wings. Not bad at all. It's been a very challenging season -- probably the most challenging since the early-90's -- but as displayed by the late climb through the standings, the adversity has been met with admirable character.

Since just before the Olympics on February 11, Detroit has gone 17-3-3 to shoot from 10th to 5th in the conference against some fierce compeition. The late-season tear has put the league on notice, with strong wins over highly-rated Cup-contenders like Chicago, Pittsburgh, Vancouver and Buffalo.

The surge, as impressive as it was, was still not enough for the Wings to nab home-ice advantage. It has however, allowed them to stay away from Chicago and San Jose for the first round at least. Having said that, playing Phoenix should prove to be just as challenging.

The year has seen man-games lost through injury like no other Red Wings season I can remember. Guys like Franzen, Kronwall, Filppula, Williams and Holmstrom are costly players to lose, but the effect is compounded when you look at how the Wings' best players struggle with the loss of their teammates.

Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg have both had difficulty excelling without the support cast. Both players put up 70 points on the season. For both players, it's their worst point total since 2003/04, except for Hank's 68 points in 63 games in 2006/07.

Both players showed a return to form with the returns of Williams, Filppula and Franzen, and it's no co-incidence.

The one constant in the final two-thirds of the season was, shockingly enough, the goaltending. 26-year old rookie Jimmy Howard has surely been the MVP for the Red Wings this season, with consistency that will no doubt get him a Calder trophy nomination and a continued solid presence between the pipes will go a long way to the Red Wings going deep in the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.

Whatever the case, while the Red Wings can be proud of the last two months of hockey, if they can't be proud of the next two, it's a failed season. Such is the pressure of being part of this great franchise.

"To whom much is given, much is expected."