Finally, the NHL lockout has come to its conclusion and a 48 game hockey season is expected to begin before the end of January, providing hardcore hockey watchers with some much-needed relief.
This also means the Detroit Red Wings will have a chance to repeat some semi-recent history. During the 1994-95 season shortened by a similar lockout, which resumed on January 20 1995, Detroit was able to ride early momentum to a 33-11 finish. That was good for the best record in the league, and the Red Wings coasted through the playoffs until they ran into another lockout-driven buzz saw in the Stanley Cup finals.
In a shortened season, things can always go either way. There’s a low margin of error with regards to injuries, inconsistencies and coaching, but there’s also more time for veterans to be fresher for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Sometimes, all teams have to do is find a way into the playoffs to be successful. The New Jersey Devils, champions in 1995, proved that as the fifth seed, getting hot during the playoffs and stymieing the higher seeded Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers before beating the Red Wings.
It makes for an excellent case study for 2013. This veterans Red Wings’ roster, in transition more than ever, could conceivably get hot at the right time and might find more success in the playoffs as a result of this lockout. For the past three seasons, the Red Wings have looked completely burned out by the time April rolls around having already peaked, and it’s hurt their playoff performance. All the familiar buzzwords have been tossed around in the postmortem, such as old, tired and washed up.
With half a schedule already gone, the Red Wings might be able to hit their recent February peaks come May and June should they find a way into the playoffs. The players who have been playing in Europe will already be fresh, and defensively, the skaters on the back end will be improving by the week. As always, those players are who decides what teams win in the playoffs, along with board battles and one-on-one competition. The fresher, younger teams have been winning those contests recently. Though they might be in transition, the Red Wings could still resemble such a team given the timing of everything that’s happened.
Thus, don’t write off the Red Wings immediately when play begins due to the traditional variables. They’ll have a chance to make their usual amounts of noise during the regular season provided they can remain consistent. The playoffs is where their biggest boost might be seen, given their overall freshness and the fact that bodies won’t be quite as worn down. Psychologically, that could become the biggest advantage for Detroit. Suddenly, nobody’s old or tired anymore. It will become a battle of will
In situations like this, throw any of the traditional favorites out the window. Nobody knows anything coming out of a lockout, except that the first two months will be reserved for teams to find their way. After settling in, then, experience should begin to take over. The Red Wings certainly aren’t lacking much in that department, making the lockout something which might not hamper them as much as it could aid in a turnaround.
So, regardless of your feelings about Gary Bettman, Donald Fehr or the NHLPA, prepare yourself for the most unique regular season and playoffs to be seen since 1995. This year, up is down, white is black and right is left. Someone you might never expect could end up hoisting the Stanley Cup come late June.
As the Red Wings are concerned, old might become new again.
