The Will to Win, The Wings and Avoiding a Lame Duck Championship

Game 7. Wings-Thucks.

Vintage 1997 Igor Larionov Playoff Issued Sweater? Check

“F(Red Wing logo) (Red Wing logo)K the Ducks" Tshirt? Check

Assorted other Red Wing and red clothing on for superstition purposes? Check

Television tuned to Versus? Check

Brother sitting right next to me? Check

Red afro wig, floppy shoes, clown face paint, red nose? OH H-E, to the Double Hockey Stick, noes…

Despite the chaos and buffoonery (of the sort usually reserved for big top tents, Shriners and tiny, tiny cars), displayed in Tuesday night’s Game 6, I am not worried, I am not scared.

Not one bit.

I am torked. I am mad and irritated and disgusted and disappointed.

It shouldn’t have come to this.

Game 6 was a travesty- for both teams really. But since the Wings lost, they will take the brunt of the blame. There was no reason for that loss. No reason for the way the Wings played on Tuesday, excluding Ozzie- who, on account of his first period gaffe that cost us that first goal, only gets 50% of his usually overdone and embarrassing riches of kudos and accolades in this Series (ie: Nobody Beats the Wiz, but himself).

No reason for the way the Wings played on Tuesday, especially after the stellar Game 5.

Oh how delighted I was during that glorious Game 5 as I watched every last correction being made to the Wings game, just as I had begged for in my last blog. I was thrilled that the boys in red came through and showed me that they can easily defeat the Dirty Dirties.

Yes easily. I wrote it. I meant it. Game 5 was comparatively easily win. In fact, I dare say it was more easily won than Games 3,4 and 6 have been lost.

Of course if you disagree with me, well the proof was there in the stunning Red Wing domination. They executed, and fixed the flaws I identified in my May 7^th blog, and in doing so they manhandled the Thucks.

Look, I’m not suggesting I have some amazing hockey insight or analysis prowess, or even that I came up with anything unusual or mind boggling. Every good Red Wing fan knows this team, and knows how these “drills” go. In this case, I just happen to be the idiot who puts in writing for you readers to review and nod along in agreement. Or disagreement. Or amusement.

I kinda hope a little of each…

Game 5 was a symphony performed at Carnegie Hall.

Game 6: The Shrine Circus at the Orange County Fair Grounds….

Step Right Up People, The Circus Has Taken Over the Honda Center

An entirely different Wings team came out. Play so sloppy, disjointed and discombobulated (forgive the redundancy, I just always wanted to work that word into a blog, and never before thought I’d have occasion to do so with this Red Wing team) I swear I saw Paul Boyer packing away fez hats, floppy shoes into equipment bags and I KNOW I saw a clown car (from which they all must have piled out) parked behind the Zamboni.

Lucky for the Wings, Anaheim was playing equally as badly, or that could have been much, much uglier. What irks me is that, in Game 6 it wasn’t Anaheim taking the Wings off their game. Hell, Anaheim was as slap happy and stupid looking out there as the Wings. It was the Wings taking themselves off their own game.

Oh I have my theories about bad ice and I reserve the right to change all my opinions once the actual injuries suffered on the team are revealed. But for now I am sticking with this:

A True Champion Finds A Way To Persevere, Keeps Fighting And Wins In The Face Of All Injustice, Bad Luck, Injury, Adversity and Somali Piracy.

Which brings me to tonight’s game. A Must Win. Just like Game 5.

Only different.

Because now it’s also a “Must Win” for an Anaheim team that has had a taste, and won’t go down easily. A team that recently won a cup too. A team that is probably the biggest strongest challenger to the Cup in these Playoffs.

But the Wings are the better team. On paper, on ice, on the flying trapeze. And it won’t matter if they don’t have the stronger will to win, and they don’t correct the flaws from Game 6.

So Boys in Red, you better bring something more spectacular that we saw in Game 5, and you better dig deep and find the Will to Win, because something tells me in the team who has the stronger will to win is the one who survives this series.

Am I worried that my Wings can't win? Do I think the Thucks can beat them? No. I think My Red Wings can beat themselves, and I need them to want it more than the Dirty Dirties from the OC.

I have Faith, but Detroit Red Wings, don't let me down. Don't let your fans down, don't let yourselves down.

GO WINGS