Comments on Lowetide: Red Wings Win Pennant

Dennis: My first exposure to the Wings was in the ...

2008-05-22T22:55:00.000-06:00

Dennis: My first exposure to the Wings was in the 1963 SCF. I was 7, and it was my first playoffs. The surprise story for the Wings that spring was Alex Faulkner of Bishops Falls, NL, who scored 5 goals that playoff spring, highlighted by a pair in Game 3 of the SCF leading the Wings to a 3-2 win over the Leafs, their only victory of the series.

45 years later Dan Cleary tries to do what Faulkner couldn't, and become the first native son of Newfoundland to win the Cup. I'm pulling for him.

BTW, Faulkner's career record, including parts of 8 seasons in the NAHA, can be found here.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/f/faulkal01.html

Note the 103-goal season with the Conception Bay CeeBees of the NAHA as a 22-year-old hotshot in 1958-59. I later saw Alex as a 34-year-old playing with St. John's Capitals. He was on the way down by then obviously, but he was still mighty slick with the puck.

For me, the first time I really thought about the ...

2008-05-21T15:12:00.000-06:00

For me, the first time I really thought about the Wings was reading an old THN that talked about two young college guys named Oates and Staziak who were supposedly great hires by the Wings;)

Then the Oil would go on to beat them in two Conf finals and the early 90's would bring great reg season teams that would lose in the playoffs.

For me, watching them the season that they spent a scad of money to have Ray Whitney on their third line and 2nd PP unit is as emblematic as anything of just how much richer some teams were back in those days.

I'm not sure how close these years were -- though I could look it up;) - but I remembering thinking how the Wings could house a Whitney on their third line and we had to look forward to picking up German Titov at the deadline:D

Let me amend my statement to say will Lidstrom rem...

2008-05-21T09:45:00.000-06:00

Let me amend my statement to say will Lidstrom remain the first european-trained player to raise the cup?

I agree on Hatcher to. Both those Hatcher boys are gutless pukes.

Will Nik LIdstrom be the first European captain ev...

2008-05-20T18:38:00.000-06:00

Will Nik LIdstrom be the first European captain ever to raise the cup?

CrazyCoach: While Lidstrom will forever remain the first (and so far only) European to win the Smythe Trophy, he can't become the first Eurpean-born player to receive the Stanley Cup. That honour was usurped by Johnny Gottselig (Джонни Готтселиг; born 24 June 1906 in Odessa, Russia) of the 1938 Black Hawks. Gottselig was an early-generation Stan Mikita, born in Europe but moved to Canada as a child. (Mikita also went on to win the Cup and to captain the Hawks, but not simultaneously.)

Otherwise I think Derian Hatcher was the only non-Canadian to captain a Cup-winning side. And they don't come much more unCanadian than Derian Hatcher. Ugh-ly.

Are the wings a buzzsaw?Will Nik LIdstrom be the f...

2008-05-20T16:59:00.000-06:00

Are the wings a buzzsaw?

Will Nik LIdstrom be the first European captain ever to raise the cup?

LT I always love your stats you bring out.For inst...

2008-05-20T16:30:00.000-06:00

LT I always love your stats you bring out.

For instance, the Blues have been to the finals three times, but those were in the days of Expansion Vs. original 6. Hard to believe that in the years since expansion and those three straight appearances by the Blues, William Scotty Bowman would go on to win 9 Stanley Cups. The most ever by any NHL coach.

Now I'm totally expecting a Ned Harkness post some...

2008-05-20T11:03:00.000-06:00

Now I'm totally expecting a Ned Harkness post sometime during the summer.

So is there anyone in the hockey world outside the Pittsburgh area who doesn't think the Wings will take this series eventually? It just seems like the Penguins are a kitten walking obliviously into a buzzsaw, like the '83 Oilers, only without the guarantee that most of them will be back next year.