panoo

Scott Cullen
6/17/2007 6:21:56 PM

The Detroit Red Wings earned more credibility with their three-round playoff run than they did with yet another 100-plus points in the regular season.

Off-Season Game Plan checks in with an organization that has put together seven straight 100-point seasons and just keeps on reloading for more.

With future Hall of Famers Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan leaving the Red Wings, there was a natural tendency to question the leadership that remained in Detroit, particularly when the team's most skilled forward had three goals in 60 career playoff games.

However, Pavel Datsyuk was just one of the Red Wings to answer the challenge this year. He wasn't perfect, to be sure, but eight goals and 16 points in 18 playoff games surely made the Wings more comfortable with their decision to sign Datsyuk to a seven-year contract extension.

"We went into the playoffs this year and people questioned if we were too old, we were too slow and we were too soft," general manager Holland told the Detroit Free Press. "In Calgary and San Jose and Anaheim, I thought we played three of the biggest, strongest, toughest, best teams in the league. We found a way to get through two series and we had a tremendous series with Anaheim."

Not only did the Wings have a good playoff run, but they did it without two of their top four defencemen -- Niklas Kronwall and Mathieu Schneider -- for a good stretch. It showed a level of character that wasn't necessarily present with previous Red Wings clubs.

That run didn't go unnoticed, as Holland responded favourably to his team's overall performance.

"On one hand, I'm very disappointed. When you get to the final four and you're up 2-1 in the series, you'd like to find a way to finish the deal," Holland lamented in the Ann Arbor News. "On the other hand, I'm tremendously proud of our players. To get to the final four, we had a lot of people step up big-time. I'm proud of the heart, determination and the will."

So, the next generation of Red Wings moves forward, continuing the tradition of their predecessors by contending on a year-in, year-out basis.

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