Canadiens Team Effort Could Be A Turning Point

Bust open the bandwagon doors, your Habs are back!

How quickly perceptions of a team can change upon one simple convincing win!

Beating the Red Wings in Detroit is no small claim in the course of a long season. For a team that had been trudging precariously along for a month, it is a peak and compass point, a moment for reflection, and a weigh removed from a burden, all in one.

If, as a fan, one sound win such as this can alter your faith and perceptions, you can just imagine what it will do for a team desperately needing an injection of self esteem and identity.

Between periods, Habs forward Chris Higgins brought up an interesting point during an interview. When asked how the team would fill the void in light of leading scorer Alex Tanguay's injury, Higgins didn't flinch. In essense, Higgins spoke that with everyone on the team paying the same way, it just didn't matter.

These guys were on a mission last night, and the reward was self rediscovery.

The group wearing the blue, blanc et rouge on Wednesday were cohesive and unrecognizable. Poised, patient, and with purpose. Calm, while appearing intent. They looked as though they were being coached for the first time in a long while and reacted by playing the game as units of five rather than a scrambling bunch of improvising individuals.

What the club displayed was hockey in its most primitive and basic forms. They started by doing the little things right, paying more attention to detail than they have since the season began. Even better, the exhibited an enthusiam rarely seen, for doing such plooding workmanlike tasks as beating an opponant to the puck, only to place a soft dump down the ice because the situation called for it.




















Hockey is a game that is popular because of its flashes and artistry on ice. It bursts alive with dazzling manoeverisms of the puck at light speed. It captures your guts and imagination with smashing body crashes and reckless displays of wild abandon.

Winning at hockey, for a great part, involves snuffing out all these exciting aspects with tactical discipline and boring repetitive defensive management. Traps and walls, dumping the puck, and playing safe have no markee value, but they are effective when employed by groups of five lie minded players.

The system has its merits, as it allows are players buying into to it to shine when work is well done. Before teams can expect to razzle dazzle its way to the top, it must first learn command of the basics.

The Canadiens, with the win against Detroit, began building a unity of purpose that should serve them well in the coming months.

Working as a group within a cohesive system made everyone on the team look good for the entire game. In fact, it was as close to a perfect win as had been seen by this club in recent memory.

All during the game, the non stars of the team shone brightly. There was the always calculated Josh Gorges, commanding his position so effectively that you could just see the full potential of the player displayed on every shift. Often seen as a bottom pairing rearguard, by seasons end, he could be regarded as the Habs most reliable blueliner. He's going to run away with the Jacques Beauchamps unsung hero whatevertheycallit award.
















The fourth line bangers and zealots - Begin, Lapierre, Kostopoulos, and Dandenault - all wreaked havov consistently on Detroit's best wheels. They played like hellhounds, chasing down every loose puck, and poised to upset everything in their path. It's no coincidence that since Begin has reintegrated the lineup, the club has played sounder defense over the course of full games. His play has lit up Lapierre's game as well, and they are starting to get their due.

Carey Price had something about him in last night's game that had rarely been seen of late, the confident calm of an assured puckstopper. Price was focused so, because the mates in front of him allowed such a demeanor. He was not once caught out of position, never appeared distracted, and played as though the puck looked large to him.

The grinders on the team seemed to inspire the previously misguided offensive core into a more pronounced and deliberate effort. Players such as Kovalev and Plekanec played much better because instead of taking chances, they created chance by avoiding the lure of individual risks. You could see they were buying into a game that brought everyone along, rather than trying to carry too much responsability on their own.

It's tempting to detail each players contribution all down through the lineup, but in context, what each did was similar on the whole. It is how the Canadiens have to approach beating a team that plays like a team such as the Red Wings. Beating Detroit takes a group effort, and this is knowledge the Habs can use against any opponant.

Friday against Washington, with the likes of Ovechkin, Semin, and Backstrom in their midst, the same effort should yield the same reward. Should the Habs procced in the same manner and emerge victorious, it will be because they have begun to take themselves seriously.

That can only be good news!

Photos coutesy the Montreal Gazette / Habs Inside Out

.

Don't Bet Against The Habs!

I guess I can't win for losing!

Over the last year and a half I've bet on Canadiens games four times and lost every time. Three times in the past two seasons, I've propped down a few bills hoping the Habs would come out on top, to no avail.

Last weekend, my friend Wayne - a die hard Red Wings fan - tells me that Montreal will win Wednesday's game because the Wings suck coming home after long road trips.

"Not the way Montreal's playing these days", I told him.

"Guaranteed Detroit losses", Wayne says, "I'd put five bucks on it!"

"Five bucks, that's pretty harmless. I'll take that bet!"

"You're on!", says Wayne.

Now before anyone fires me off a traitor e-mail, understand that I was not going to sit in front of the TV cheering on the Red Wings for a measely fiver. I would be pulling for the Habs all the way as always. It was just that with recent performances, I doubted the Canadiens could topple the Cup champs, no matter what Wayne's expertise told him.

And since I can't win betting on them, why not try placing some bucks on the Cup champs?

Wayne is a cook at the Fifth Wheel Truck Stop - my daily coffee haunt since forever. He often kids me when the Habs are down, bragging about the Red Wings every chance he gets.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to make him swallow a bit of his bull. On top of that, the five I'd win would buy me a burger, and he'd have to cook it! I couldn't pass up the chance for such a good shit and giggle at his expense.

As it stands now, all I've won is the right to pay for a change to nag him over the game.

I can say that he had no faith in his team. He can say the same to me.

I can't win for losing!

.

Habs Match Up Well Against Blueprint Wings

It's no mystery that the Canadiens template for success is the Detroit Red Wings.

It is also no accidental coincidence that the Canadiens are playing the Winged Wheel for a second time in this exhibition schedule.

You could even go so far as to assume that both clubs were wishing to measure themselves against each other before the season is underway.

My guess would even go so far as to suggest these two strong and skilled opponants will also end the season playing each other.

There are an abundance of similarities between the teams and how their organizations are run.

Both clubs are owned by men with a vested interest in how the teams do. Mike Illitch and George Gillett both care tremendously about their teams and each desperately want to win. They entrusted the run of their clubs to similar men, who each are not afraid to assume the helm and guide it by surrounding themselves with the most knowledgable hockey people available.

Bob Gainey and Ken Holland are especially respected within their organazions for how things are set up and run. While each have a final say in all matters, a valuable committee of hockey brains are consulted on every decision.

The Wings and Habs front offices are filled by men with of varied backgrounds whose experiences in professional hockey span every crevice of the game.

It is one thing to suggest that persons within their ranks are respected, it's a whole deal when an organization proves it annually.

Each club has built it's on ice product from the ground up with intelligent drafting and astute signings of players without contracts, both inside the NHL scheme and from college and junior ranks.

Montreal and Detroit not only have drafted well, but they draft often. Their picks are not given away on whims. The talents of their scouts are utilized to the maximum, and therefore the better scouts seek to work for a team that will not only employ them, but make good use of their thinking. This in turns strenghthens the club from top to bottom.















The coaching philosophies of each organization are also operated similarily. On their farm clubs, the teachings of the game in regards to the systems employed keep everyone on the same page. In Grand Rapids, the Griffins do things as the Wings do.

In Montreal, a common line of thinking is shared by Habs assistant Doug Jarvis, who has previous worked alongside Hamilton's Don Lever, the Bulldogs current bench boss. The Dogs GM is Gainey's right hand man in Montreal, Julien Brisebois. There are no crossed wires of communication within these organizations.

For their on ice product, both teams look for players of a certain character, and they go beyond their skill in looking for intangibles that will help determine their mental capabilities as NHL'ers.

One example in Montreal, was when the Canadiens were scouting winger Andrei Kostitsyn. There were concerns from many organizations regarding a series of epileptic seizures Kostitsyn had suffered while appearing with Belarus during the World Junior Championships. The condition (known as Frontal Lobe Epilepsy - Grey's Anatomy anyone?) had not been properly diagnosed, and was easily remedied by finding the proper medication.

The Canadiens were dilligent in their assessment of Kostitsyn. During pre draft screening tests and interviews, Kostitsyn boarded the bike for cardio and leg strength tests. The drill involves peddling like a getaway thief for ten minutes, and soon after beginning Kostitsyn suffered what appeared to be the start of an attack. He removed himself from the bike and settled himself down.

Within minutes, Kostitsyn was composed, and he climbed back and nailed some impressive results. The kid was no quitter, and the Canadiens were privileged to witness a test of character they didn't foresee in their testing. When other teams shied away from choosing the player ranked fifth in the draft, the Canadiens happily selected him. As a reward, familiarity with their pick, likely led to the Habs drafting his younger brother, who was burried under 29 other clubs radars.

The Red Wings and Canadiens have been ahead of the curve for a few seasons in regards to choosing players. It is evidenced in the fact that both clubs have become knows for making strong choices in the latter rounds. The Entry Draft will always be a form of crapshoot, but by scouting what a player eats for breakfast, how often he attends church, and what the ex-girlfriend thinks of him, a better gauge of a person's convictions comes forth.

Of course, other clubs do these things well also, but perhaps the Habs and Red Wings are more thourough because they have been understanding certain things longer.

On the ice, the team's final product mirrors each others in several ways. Both clubs employ speed as their biggest asset. While Detroit uses it's speed and passing skills to deploy a puck possession oriented offense, the Canadiens, slightly larger in size, use speed more in terms of puck pursuit.

























The Detroit game is a more refined version of what the Canadiens might one day attempt to achieve. For now Montreal's speed comes into play mainly in puck and positional battles, drawing opponants into penalties that translate into power play goals.

Another strong facet of the Detroit style, is that Red Wings players are constantly placing the puck in zones where harm is least expected. They do this almost instinctively and as a team whose members have played together for a long period of time, they seem to always have the proper reaction to every puck battle. The Red Wings never stand still, and it benefits their possession style of feeding the puck into open ice and getting to it first. A flat footed opponants is a meal for the Wings.

The Canadiens battle similarly, but are in a younger phase of developing the same strategies. The Habs aren't yet as adept as the Wings in placing the puck carefully in their own end, but they are quite savvy at moving it out of the zone upon possession. With speed to burn, the Canadiens transition is often their strongest asset next to their power play. The Habs puck possession in transition in an element that time and familiarity will enhance.

Part of Detroit's defensive success lies in an ability to slow a game down by controlling the puck and keeping it from opponants for long stretches at a time. No opponant can build up speed playing without the puck, and their tempo is affected by the Wings control. Their knack for putting teams to sleep with this, and the shifting gears at a moments notice, has made them a tough team to size up on any given night. Detroit rarely alters their style to suit a different game flow, they simply control it by speeding up and slowing the tempo of the team they are facing. This is most evident when they take the lead in games.

The Canadiens are not yet dominant enough, or experienced enough to force one main system of play onto an equally strong opponant. The Habs methods of operation are a hybrid of different game facets that work against varying opponants. Depending on the game situation, or a particular line matchup, Montreal will deploy 2-1-2 or 1-2-2 schemes based almost on a feel for the tempo of the game. Traps and locks will be attempted against stronger lines to suit the need, just as dumps and chases will be deployed against tired or weaker opponants.

The Canadiens dumping is akin to the Wings slowing the tempo down. The goals are similar in that it forces the opposite team into a style they wish not to play, at a time they wish not to play it.




















If there were a baseball analogy in all this, it would be found in a picher's bag of tricks.

Detroit has mastered the fastball and knuckleball, and keeps opponants off pace with it. The fastball is so good, it is practically unhittable. Should a hitter seem to be adjusting, a knuckler will then follow, if for no other reason than to make an opponants step back.

On the Canadiens, more pitches are used. The fastball is the first pitch of choice, but it can change and be mixed at a moments notice. By employing different schemes, the Habs are in essense throwing curves to keep a team off balance. A club without strong identity ingrained in their style of play is quickly chewed up in the guessing game.

What is extremely interesting in the analysis of both clubs, is that their effectives are similar, but their deployments are opposed and designed to counter each other.

Perhaps the measure of the Canadiens success in progressing with these methods is best exemplified in games against the Pittsburgh Penguins over the last two seasons.























The Penguins game sits somewhere between that of Detroit and Montreal in that there are many similar elements again. In Pittsburgh, to suit their needs on a particular night, they will shut down almost completely offensively, and focus on causing mistakes their speed and power play can pounce on. Once a lead is in hand, they will shift right back to a shut down game.

In last year's final, the Red Wings, at two or three junctures, seemed to have their hands full with this. After the first two games of the series, it became evident that Pittsburgh would not beat Detroit at it's own game. With Detroit sensing the Cup, they opened up and made mistakes. The Penguins sat back in groups of three and four and took advantage of small errors to get back in the series.

Against the Penguins, the Canadiens have fared decently well over the past 8 meetings. No team has been able to impose superiority on the other, but Pittsburgh at times looked defensively dominant in out-patienting the Canadiens thrusts. You may recall a pair of games between the two clubs being billed as offensive fireworks displays only to result in something that looked like the Devils playing the Devils.

Should the Canadiens and Red Wings fatefully meet in June as many predict, it will be interesting to watch how they go about handling each other.

For now, a pair exhibition games with partial rosters, decided in shootouts, have produced no clear master.

As the Canadiens continue to explore their own experience, and demand a stronger committment of themselves over the season's course, it will be curious to witness how these two clubs match at year's end.

Phil Carpenter photos courtesy Montreal Gazette and habsinsideout.com

.

Some Habs Team Stats You Might Not Know

After this afternoon's win over the Islanders, and knowing that the Canadiens had moved into third place overall in the NHL for the moment, I headed over to NHL.com to look over some statistical evidence that would explain their high standing.

I went into the team statistic category and looked at 30 different sets of numbers that involve goal scoring in every manner, shots on goal, power play proficiency, and performance by period.
Knowing full well the Canadiens are near the top in goals scored and have the league's second best power play, I want to see it broken down some.

One of my reasons, or curiosities, for doing so was to compare the Canadiens against the Red Wings and Senators, the two teams ahead of them in the standings, and see how they measured up.

In each category, I've listed the rankings and stats for all three teams, plus the leaders.
Montreal scored very well across the 30 categories, with four first place rankings, 11 in the top 5, and 15 in the top 10. Only once are they ranking in the bottom third in the league for a particular category, that being the 24th for total shots against since the beginning of the season. Their average ranking is 8th.

Detroit are simply stunning with 9 first place rankings, 21 in the top 5, and 25 in the top 10. There are not in the bottom third of the league in any of these categories, and their worst place was for short handed goals scored at 19th. Their overall average ranking is 5th.

Ottawa's ranking defies their first place in the East standing some. They have 4 first place rankings, along with 13 in the top 5, and 16 in the top 10. They are in the bottom third of the league in 7 categories and their average ranking is 11th.

Here are the stats I chose to look at. Click on the hyperlink and it will bring you to the NHL.com stats page in question and you can see the results in order for all 30 teams. Have fun, rejoice a bit, and keep an ice pack ready for your head!



















163 goals for, 4th behind only Ottawa (178) Detroit (174) and Philadelphia (163) who have two games in hand.

137 goals against, 11th behind Detroit (108), San Jose (119), and Jersey (121). Ottawa is 20th with 148 goals against.

58 PPG's, 2nd only to Philadelphia with 61, Detroit is 3rd with 50, Ottawa is 18th with 38

37 PPG's against, good for 11th, San Jose is 1st with 27, Detroit is 9th with 36, and Ottawa is 17th with 41

7 SHG's for, good for 7th, Chicago is 1st with 12, Ottawa is 2nd with 11, Detroit is 19th with 4

1 SHG against, tops tied with Ottawa, five teams ( DAL, CBJ, COL, TBL, FLA ) are tied with 3, Detroit is 23rd with 7

76 goals scored on home ice, good for 16th, Ottawa is 1st with 93, LAK is 2nd with 91, Detroit is 3rd with 89

60 goals against on home ice, good for 9th, Boston is 1st with 50, Jersey is 2nd with 55, Detroit 3rd with 56, Ottawa is 24th with 81

26 PPG's for at home, good for 4th, LAK is 1st with 35, Philadelphia is 2nd with 33, Detroit is 3rd with 27, Ottawa is 10th with 22

18 PPG's against at home, good for 11th, Dallas is 1st with 11 allowed, Buffalo is 2nd with 12, Detroit is 6th with 15, Ottawa is 25th with 24

4 SHG's at home, good for a five way tie for 4th (MON, LAK, TBL, PHI, DAL), Ottawa and Atlanta are tied for 1st with 8, Detroit is 10th with 2

1 SHG against at home, good for 2nd, Ottawa is 1st with 0, Dallas, Buffalo and Florida also have allowed only 1, Detroit is 14th with 3 allowed

87 goals for on the road, good for 1st, Ottawa and Detroit are second with 85

77 goals against on the road, good for 19th, Detroit are 1st with 52, San Jose 2nd with 53, Ottawa is 4th with 67

32 PPG's for on the road, good for 1st, Philadelphia is 2nd with 28, Detroit is 4th with 23, Ottawa is 20th with 16

19 PPG's against on the road, good for 6th, San Jose is 1st with 10, Nashville and Colorado are 2nd with 14, Ottawa is 5th with 17, Detroit is 16th with 21

3 SHG's for on the road, good for 11th, Phoenix is 1st with 8, Chicago is 2nd with 7, Ottawa is tied with Montreal with 3, Detroit is 17th with 2

0 SHG's against on the road, good for 1st, seven teams including Ottawa have allowed 1, Detroit is 24th having allowed 4
























1524 shots on goal, good for 13th place, Detroit is 1st with 1836, Ottawa is 6th with 1602

1612 shots against, good for 24th, Detroit is 1st with 1253, San Jose is 2nd with 1265, Ottawa is 18th with 1535

3.1 goals per game, good for 4th, Ottawa is 1st at 3.4, Detroit and Philadelphia are 2nd at 3.3

2,6 goals against per game, good for 10th, Detroit is 1st at 2.0, San Jose 2nd at 2.3, Ottawa is 22nd at 2.8

51 first period goals, good for 2nd, Detroit is first with 57, Ottawa is 3rd with 49

54 second period goals, good for 12th, Philadelphia is 1st with 68, Detroit is 2nd with 63, Ottawa is 5th with 60

51 third period goals, good for 13th, Carolina is 1st with 68, Ottawa is 2nd with 67, Detroit is 5th with 54

33 first period goals against, good for 7th, San Jose is 1st with 27, Detroit is 4th with 31, Ottawa is 21st with 45

52 second period goals against, good for 19th, Dallas is 1st with 37, Ottawa is 7th with 44, Detroit is 12th with 49

47 third period goals against, good for 12th, Detroit is 1st with 29, Philadelphia is 2nd with 33, Ottawa is 23rd with 58

88 goals 5 on 5, good for 13th, Ottawa is 1st with 119, Detroit is 2nd with 111

50 goals 5 on 4, good for 2nd, Philadelphia is 1st with 54, Detroit is 6th with 39, Ottawa is 13th with 35

Some other interesting notes:

The Canadiens are 1st in powerplay opportunities on the road with 131, but only 20th on home ice with 109. So much for referee favoratism at the Bell.

They have scored 32 power play goals on the road and 26 at home.

They have given up the 10th most powerplay opportunities with 240 so far.

The Canadiens home record of 10-8-5 which is near the worst in the league, but it is interesting to note that they have only played 23 or 52 games so far on Bell Centre ice, They are 6-2-2 in their last 10 at home.

Best of all, the Canadien are second in regulation time losses with 15, and third in combined losses with 23.

These stats, all told and totalled, add up to the Canadiens being the third best team in the league, and nipping at the Senators.

And damnit if that isn't something to brag about!

Don't Look Now, It's The Big Red Machine

Dangling on a precipice of doom and gloom, it looks to be lock that things will get worse for the Canadiens before they get better.

The Detroit Red Wings are in town. It's early December. Flashbacks, anyone?

Twelve years after the coming unglued of Patrick Roy, things are mighty different in Montreal. Some rightfully suggest that on that fateful day, the Habs history was altered and cursed for good. Or at least until now.

Realities are much more grounded in Montreal. There is much chance of any repeat scenarios similar to Roy's in this day and age.













Imagine Patrice Brisebois, mock hounded by fans, skating off the ice down to the Canadiens bench, walking in one door, past Doug Jarvis, thumbing his nose up at Guy Carbonneau, walking out the far end door, then skating back to the Habs blueline in search of George Gillett.

Spying him three rows up, in the corner reds, he meanders over to the glass and shouts to the owner, "I've just played my last game as a Montreal Canadien."

He says it a second time, and the glass fogs up. Brisebois wipes the mist off and yells it a third time.

Gillett, finally noticing Breezer, asks the fan sitting the next to him, "Who's that player staring at me, and what is he shouting?"

The fan informs the owner. Gillett yells back, "I don't care, you big pussy!"

Back at center ice, Alex Kovalev concusses himself, flailing to the ice in a fit of laughter.



















Yes, things definitely are no longer the same.

Tonight, the Canadiens organization will be celebrating the Red Wings, a team with both glorious past moments and presently the class of the NHL.

Ironic, isn't it, that Detroit today represents everything that Montreal used to be, everything they were, up until the Roy incident.

As the Habs honour the Wings as Original Six rivals, there will be one infamous clip, and it's perpetrator absent from the festivities - thankfully.

I respect omens more than I used to. I also respect superstitions as well.

























In the last five Canadiens games, I have worn my Habs jersey as I sat to watch each, all except the Toronto game - which they won.

I have two NHL jerseys and I'll be wearing the home jersey of Motor City tomorrow - an attempt to reverse the jinx!

Incidently, I am a Red Wings fan to some point. I always liked the sweater and logo, the players they had, and heck, in the last ten years I needed some team to cheer for after the Habs were done early. And I own them some gratitude for delivering us Pete and Frank Mahovlich!

There is one main difference between 1995 and 2007, and it is not a marginal one.

When Roy's skates last cut Montreal ice, the Habs were destined, with or without him, to hit a downward slope.

















Twelve years later, and even if it has been difficult to visualize of late, the slope now curves slightly upward.

The Canadiens of today, rut and all, currently possess a group youth core, one that assures better days ahead.

There's just this big hump in the road obliviating that curve we did catch glimpses of.

We may not be able to see it any clearer after this game either - considering the opponant, the odds, and bad timing. But somewhere in my beating Habs heart, in sense a strange notion that these players who have looked so disjointed together own more pride that they have earned credit for.

Maybe the score will be closer than we'd guess, and that coming off this Red Wings match, some player, young or old, will not look to the floor as he speaks afterwards about the game.

Perhaps he'll look the camera, the viewer straight in the eye and roll out an old and abused cliche - that won't be, this time - and say, "We did many good things. We have to focus on what we learned today, and build on it for the next game."

That's what we have for now, and that is all we will have to grasp from this one - lose or lose big.

The Red Wings First Stanley Cup

The roots of the Detroit Red Wings go all the way back to the old Western Hockey League, where the Victoria (British Columbia) Cougars were members until their roster was sold to a group from Detroit on September 25, 1926. The Detroit group had been awarded an NHL franchise on May 15, 1926.


















The team began to play as the Detroit Cougars in the fall of 1926 while playing its home games in Windsor, Ontario. Despite the fact that the Victoria Cougars had won the Stanley Cup in 1925 and were Cup finalists in 1926, the Detroit Cougars finished 12-28-4; the NHL's worst record for the 1926-27 season.








Help came, the following season, in the form of Jack Adams as the team's new coach and GM. Adams had played in the old Pacific Coast league and in the NHL with the Toronto St. Pats and the Ottawa Senators. Adam's tenure as coach and GM would last until the 1962-63 season, when Sid Abel took over.

The team also moved into the brand new Olympia Stadium for the 1927-28 season. A Detroit and professional hockey landmark, the Olympia would serve as the home for the franchise through the midway point of the 1979-80 season. With Adams at the helm, the team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history (1928-29).

Willing to try anything, Jack Adams changed the name for the 1930-31 season to the Detroit Falcons.










After the depression, the team went into receivership and Adams was forced to use his own money to make payroll. It was so bad financially, that Adams joked if the Montreal Canadiens superstar Howie Morenz were available for $1.98, the Falcons still couldn't afford him. Things weren't much better on the ice as the team had only made the playoffs twice in its first six seasons.

In 1932 the financial problems ended when grain millionaire and shipping magnate James Norris Sr. purchased the team. Norris, like Adams, was a Canadian turned American. He had once played hockey for the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association's Winged Wheelers.

When the two men met, Norris and Adams agreed that the team's new logo would be a winged wheel and the club's nickname changed to the Red Wings.

James Norris
















Even though the Red Wings missed the playoffs in 1934-35, Jack Adams knew his recipe for success was nearing completion.
The Detroit Red Wings manager moved to add the final ingredients before the 1935-36 season commenced. His bold step to deal all-star center Cooney Weiland to Boston for Marty Barry, inserting Barry as his No. 1 pivot between Larry Aurie and Herbie Lewis, paid huge dividends when Barry’s 21-19-40 totals left him second in NHL scoring. Linemate Lewis (14-23-37) finished ninth in the NHL points race.

Role players Hec Kilrea and Pete Kelly were also picked up and would make huge contributions. Ralph (Scotty) Bowman, a late-season acquisition in 1934-35 and heavy-hitting Bucko McDonald, who finished second in the voting for NHL rookie of the year, solidified the defense, while Normie Smith matured into a front-line NHL goalie.

The Wings finished atop the tough American Division, in which all four teams collected at least 50 points during the 48-game campaign. The Canadian Division champion Montreal Maroons provided opening-round playoff opposition, with the winner of this first-place showdown advancing directly to the Stanley Cup final.

Syd Howe
























The first game of that series is still talked about today. It lasted an NHL-record 176 minutes and 30 seconds on the game clock and nearly six hours in real time before rookie Mud Bruneteau tallied the only goal on a pass from Kilrea.

Blasting their way to the final with a three-game sweep of the Montreal Maroons, only arch-rival Toronto stood in the way and Detroit set out to make short work of the Maple Leafs, whipping them 3-1 and 9-4 in the first two games at the Olympia. The nine goals were a single-game playoff record for the Wings.

Kelly’s goal at 9:48 of the third period in Detroit’s 3-2 win in Game 4 stood as the Wings’ first Cup-winning tally.

"Winning the Stanley Cup was the one ambition of my life," Wings owner James Norris said as he filled the mug’s bowl with champagne. Everyone took a sip, including Adams, who had never before taken a drink of alcohol in his life.

Herbie Lewis
















Toronto rallied from a 3-0 deficit with 6:50 to play in regulation time in Game 4, winning 4-3 on Buzz Boll’s overtime marker, but the setback was temporary. The Wings overcame a first-period goal by Leafs center Joe Primeau, racing to a 3-1 lead. They held on for a 3-2 verdict and the first championship in franchise history.

"Every player on the team has taken a turn at bringing the house down in these playoffs," Adams said. "I never saw anything like it."

An overflow crowd at Michigan Central Train Station greeted the team upon its return from Toronto the next day and a police escort helped Adams carry the Cup to safety through the revellers, but not before he promised them there would be more to celebrate next spring.

Ebbie Goodfellow
















"Don’t be surprised if the Wings make it two in a row," Adams boldly predicted. "I hope they make it a habit."

The Red Wings went on to repeat as Cup Champions in 1937, winning three games-to-two over the New York Rangers in the finals.

Normie Smith

















Scores from the historic final were as follows:

April 5, 1936: Detroit 3 Toronto 1
April 7, 1936: Detroit 9 Toronto 4
April 9, 1936: Toronto 4 Detroit 3 (Buzz Boll 0:31 OT)
April 11, 1936 Detroit 3 Toronto 2 (Pete Kelly 9:45 3rd)

The first two games played at the Detroit Olympia, the final two games at Maple Leaf Gardens.


After the final bell, the Leafs players all dropped their sticks spontaneously and skated over to the Red Wings players to offer their congratulations. This was a remarkable victory given that Detroit's first playoff game lasted 116:30 into overtime against the Montreal Maroons, the longest game ever (won 1-0 by the Wings). Detroit had finished in last place the previous season.

The Stanley Cup was not presented to the Red Wings on the ice, but later that evening at a ceremony held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto by league president Frank Calder. The Cup was first handed to owner james Norris and was filled soon after with champagne.

Each player was given a ring to commemerate the victory. On April 18th, the festivities continued with a lavish banquet at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.


Syd Howe's (2-3-5) name is spelled "Sid" on the Cup, he later changed his name to "Syd". Howe was the first player in the NHL era to score six goals in one game on Febuary 3, 1944.

John Sorrell (2-3-5) was in his sixth season with the Red Wings and did not play in the league until he was 24 years old. Sorrell was a slim 5' 11", 155lbs.

Marry Barry (2-2-4) was aquired from the Bruins for Cooney Weiland and played on a line with Larry Aurie and Herbie Lewis. After the war, Barry coached St. Mary's junior team in Halifax. He died of a heart atack in 1969.

Gord Pettinger (2-2-4) spent four seasons with Detroit, winning two Cups. His brother Eric was a brief NHL'er from 1928 to 1931.

Bucko McDonald (3-0-3) was a lacrosse pro in his late teens while playing minor league hockey. A big, solid defenseman, McDonald had not played in a year when the red Wings offered him a contract. He surprised many by making the team on his very first try. McDonald is just as well known today for being Bobby Orr's coach when the budding phenom was just a young lad.

Hec Kilrea (0-2-2) was called "General" on the original Cup band. Nine Years prior, he had teamed with GM and coach Jack Adams in winning the Cup with the Ottawa Senators.

Wally Kilrea (2-1-3) , Hec's brother, just missed playing with another brother by two seasons. Retiring in 1937-38, Wally's sibling Ken Kilrea joined the Wings in 1938-39.

Modere "Mud" Bruneteau (1-2-3) scored the historic 1-0 goal in the longest game ever played against the Montreal Maroons in the opening round. The morning following the game, Maroons goalie Lorne Chabot presented Mud with the historic puck. It was a terrific gesture of sportsmanship the Bruneteau remembered for the remainder of his life.

Herbie Lewis (1-2-3) played in the Ace Bailey benefit game in 1934. According to coach Adams, "Lewis is a sportsman of the highest type. I defy baseball, football, or boxing to produce an individual who can eclipse Herbie Lewis as a perfect role model for what an athlete should stand for."

Ralph "Scotty" Bowman (1-1-2) was claimed by GM Adams for the St. Louis Eagles, who disbanded prior to the start of the season. Bowman played his youth hockey with teams in the Parkdale and Niagara Falls areas. He is of no relation to modern day coach William "Scotty" Bowman.

Pete Kelly's (1-1-2) Cup winning goal came quite serendipitously. "It wasn't my shift", he admitted. "But Larry Aurie, who was the right winger on our scoring line, was limping to the bench at the end of a long shift and i jumped over the boards without waiting for Jack Adams to tell me to go. I got a pass from Herbie Lewis and I just shot it in the top corner of the net." The victim was Leafs goalie George Hainsworth.

In a game on Febuary 24, 1935, Wings captain Doug Young (0-2-2) swung at a puck near the boards and missed, instead hitting a fan named Mrs. Doris Geldhart. The stick broke the ladies nose and blackened both eyes. She sued him, unsuccessfully, for the sum of $25,000.

Ebbie Goodfellow (1-0-1) spent six years as a forward before suiting up as a defenseman for the Red Wings. Equally skilled in both ends, he tied the final game at 1-1 in the second period on a Sorrell pass, before splitting the D for the goal.

Larry Aurie (0-1-1) broke his collarbone in a game on Febuary 18th. Seemingly gone for the season, Aurie missed o nly four games before returning.

Goaltender Normie Smith played all 48 games during the regular season, allowing only 103 goals. During that time he had a shutout streak that lasted 248:32. In the final, he posted a 2.74 GAA with 11 goals allowed in 241 minutes of play.The Montreal Maroons gave up on Smith, but he refused to give up anything to them. Smith’s original team provided Detroit’s opposition in the opening round of the 1936 playoffs and in Game 1 of the series, which lasted an NHL-record 176:30, the Detroit goalie threw a brick wall up in front of his cage, blocking 89 shots for a 1-0 win. He also blanked the Maroons 3-0 in Game 2. Backstopping Detroit to a four-game decision over Toronto and the first Stanley Cup in club history, Smith led all goalies in wins (six) and shutouts (two) during the playoffs.

Coach and GM Jack Adams began his career as a player with Toronto in 1917, winning the Cup in the NHL's inaugural season. He joined the Red Wings in 1927 and the affiliation lasted 35 years and produced 7 Stanley Cups.

Red Wings team president James Norris made his fortune via the Norris Grain Co. of Chicago. He had wanrted to buy an NHL team for that city, but when rebuffed he settled for Detroit in 1933. He changed the teams name from Falcons (previously Cougars) to Red Wings and based the logo on that of the Montreal Winged Wheels hockey team of his youth while growing up in Montreal. Later, in an era where conflict of interest bylaws were a foreign concept, Norris held power in the Detroit Olympia, Madison Square Garden, and the Chicago Stadium. It gave rise to jokes that NHL actually was an acronym for the Norris Hockey League.



















(Note - It may be purely coincidental that as I am posting on the Detroit Red Wings, that they currently sit atop of the NHL standings. It's not entirely odd, however, as they have tended to be there for the better part of the last decede. In those ten years, I have often found myself cheering for the Wings in the post season, calling them my second favorite team. While my favorite Montreal Canadiens have had a decade of dubious achievements, the Wings have hauled in three Stanley Cup wins and given me many thrills along the way. My liking the Winged Wheels goes back to my youth. I guess I just had a thing for red hockey jerseys - the Blackhawks sweaters are still, in my eyes, a most beautiful sight. As the 1995 playoffs approached, a pool bar that I frequented at the time was selling almost 50 hockey jerseys one night - real cheap too! Seems that the bar's owner also dealt in bankruptcies and purchased stock in a failed sporting goods store. Above a rack of sweaters read a sign that said "75% Off", and all the jerseys were priced between $10 and $15 - I went hog wild and bought three on the spot. Unfortunately, there were no Canadiens jerseys available for me to grab, while more than 30 of them were home and away Leafs replica's. Small wonder the dude went bankrpupt! I walked away with a Sharks and Blackhawks away jerseys, and a shining white Red Wings home jersey. Total price - $36.00. The only bad news was, I was out of beer and pool money. Had I been smarter, I'd have bought three Maple Leafs sweaters, resold them for a quick profit, and gone back the following morning to clean up even better! Oh well, you live and learn. Wearing the sweater for a day or two, oddly helped me win a bet. I had gotten the number 95 ironed onto the back as that would be, in my esteem, the year the Wings Cup drought would end. Why I didn't get Stevie Y's 19 on it, I'll never know, but it seemed a cool idea at the time. These days people wonder why I am a Denny Markov fan. As the '95 final drew close, the best team to me seemed to be the New Jersey Devils. Wearing the Wings jersey one day, I was asked by a Wings supporter, how I thought the final would play out. Feeling slightly foolish inside the 95, my hockey mind spoke against my heart, as I claimed the Devils in 5. Greeted with roaring laughter and a wager, I explained that since the strike shortened season meant the opponants had not met all season, my money was on the more defensive team. As history recalls, a 4 game sweep made me look brilliant, while my heart broke and I pocketed $20. Two years later, I was almost wearing the thing out!)

Oh Hell, Not The Red Wings!, Not Now!

Just what the slumping Habs needed, a date with the Red Wings!

I fear a pummeling coming on. I can't help it.

Just the notion of the Winged Wheels sets my mind back a decade to a horrifying night when the greatest goalie of all time was left for humiliation, only to humiliate himself further, setting the wheels in motion for the disastrous Habs years that followed.

I ought to hate the Red Wings for it, but I don't. I actually love the Wings. My second favorite team, to be honest. Something to do with the class of the organization from top to bottom.

Whatever happens tonight, at least I get to watch the two teams play each other for the first time in three years.

Ever wonder why Detroit, in an Eastern time zone, plays in the Western conference? The Habs and Leafs miss these contests. Never mind the realignment plan to bring Columbus east - chuck the Thrashers out west and replace them with Detroit.

The victim, sorry, the goalie for tonight's game is said to be David Aebischer, according to the Montreal papers. He has a lifetime record against the Wings of a win and seven losses and GAA of 3.26. Yikes!
















Perhaps the Canadiens tiptoe through the Senators mine field Saturday will serve them well. Coach Carbonneau didn't exactly wear the team out during practice yesterday, prefering to have a good team meeting to set things straight scrubbing some dirty dressing room laundry.

The Canadiens perilously hold onto 4th place in the East and need to get on track pronto. Any type of skid in the tight race will have them freefalling out of a playoff spot within a week.

A respectable showing would help. A tough week lies ahead, with games against the Canucks tomorrow and then in Atlanta Thursday before rounding up with a meeting against Buffalo Saturday. Anything less than a pair of wins in the next four games and it will the time to yank the panic shute.