Grinder’s Paradise

When the NHL playoffs opened, the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche were expected to challenge for the Stanley Cup. Eleven games later, the long-time rivals’ seasons are both over, in unexpected and spectacular fashion.

The Red Wings were swept from the playoffs in four by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a “how-are-they-losing-to-these-guys” type of game every night – and then the defending champs were gone in four. Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere stymied the mighty Wings so thoroughly, that by the fourth and, as it turned out, final game of the series, Detroit looked like the underdog. The loss may resonate for years to come in the Motor City, as Detroit, with a stable of future Hall-of-Famers in its lineup, were many experts’ favorites to recapture the Cup. The series loss may have been the final exit for an aborted dynasty.

When the Detroit-Anaheim series came to an abrupt and shocking end, the Colorado Avalanche led the Minnesota Wild three games to one. Colorado then proceeds to lose Game 5 with a lackluster and uninspired performance, and blows an opportunity to put the Wild away in the process. Minnesota then regains their confidence and momentum following their big win, and stuns the Avalanche in 3-2 in overtime two nights in a row, completing a most unlikely comeback to win the series. The spectacular collapse of the Avalanche in this series likely ranks as the worst moment in Denver sports history – not an easy task, given the Mile High City’s infamous sporting past.

How did this happen? After all, the Ducks and Wild each really have only one top-flight scorer (Paul Kariya and Marian Gaborik), some very good complementary players, and a whole bunch of hungry “muckers and grinders”. The most these teams should be able to accomplish against the high-octane Red Wings and Avalanche is to stay close, right? Right. And that’s exactly how they both won. The free-wheeling, entertaining style of hockey espoused by Detroit and Colorado works wonders in the regular season, when the refs blow their whistles loudly and often, and when there’s not as much at stake for their opponents. But in the playoffs, the whistles often fall silent, and defense reigns supreme. Neither the Wings nor Avs changed their tunes, and as a result, they’re both on early vacation instead of facing off against each other in the NHL’s dream second-round matchup.

You’ll undoubtedly read and hear about goaltenders Giguere and Manny Fernandez “standing on their head”, and stealing their respective series from their heavily favored opponents. While this may be true to some extent, more credit must be given to the coaching staffs and unsung players of both Anaheim and Minnesota.

For example, in the Colorado-Minnesota series, a distinct pattern could be seen over the seven-game span. This pattern also existed, with very few alterations, in the Detroit-Anaheim series as well. Colorado is accustomed to using its speed and dazzling skill to leave opponents breathless and beaten with highlight-reel goals. The less talented, but doggedly determined Wild quickly countered this advantage with disciplined play. The Wild clogged the defensive slot with all five players, essentially daring the Avs’ blueliners to shoot at will – but through a mass of bodies. Most of Colorado’s shots from the point never even got close to the net. Frustrated, the Avalanche tried to utilize their skating and passing prowess deep in the offensive zone. Again, the Wild didn’t bite. They held their positions, and while superstars Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg were effective, virtually none of the other Avalanche players were, and many of their passes and shots were either deflected or intercepted. The only tried-and-true offense to combat the defense the Wild executed is to crash the net with big power forwards and look to chip in rebounds. However, the Avalanche simply isn’t built for that kind of play – and they don’t have the personnel to even attempt it. Neither do the Red Wings, as the Wings and Avs are virtual clones of the other in personnel and style of play. This highly successful defense then proceeded set up the offense for the Wild.

Minnesota simply doesn’t have the firepower to slug it out with the Avalanche, and so Wild coach Jacques Lemaire got his players to understand that patience is a virtue. Minnesota rarely mounted large offensive pushes, instead choosing to stick to defensive play and wait for Colorado to make a mistake – and it worked to perfection. Time and time again, the pressing Avs would take the extra pass, looking for the perfect shot. The Wild intercepted more than a few of those errant passes, and turned them into highly successful odd-man rushes, and beat the winningest goaltender in NHL history in Patrick Roy, who adept is he is, simply can’t be expected to stop multiple players on breakaways. The end result? A lot of low-scoring, one-goal-difference games – and four wins by the underdogs.