1."Stevie May Not Come Back". That is probably the most valid point of the 4, as Steve was already playing with a couple decades worth of wear and tear... as well as his wooden-implant knees. Hopefully he can hobble his way to behind the bench and replace the incompetent Joey Kocur, or any of the apparently inept assistant coaches. Promotion from within would possibly allow for the continuation of the morale support Steve provides... and possibly some offensive accountability on the powerplay and such.
2. I really can't argue with that either. Although I think it has more to do with his supporting staff than his own coaching methods. It is his duty to surround himself with the right people... and to an extent that is a responsibility of Ken Holland. The reality is, the Wings dominated 5-on-5 in the regular season and in the playoffs. Special teams, most often the obligation of subservient coaches, were the ultimate dagger in the Wings season. If that's the case, then maybe a good house cleaning is in order. Whether Lewis stays intact through the motion is moot as far as I'm concerned.
3. This is by far the weirdest issue to talk about... trying to remove myself from my own subjectivity and bias, as well as from the media's is difficult to do. Having said that, I'll just say what I think. The Red Wings made a mistake in contract negotiations with Hasek... supplemental clauses should be made void and expire when a player "retires" (although I guess that's a CBA issue, one of the many that will not be addressed). Throughout the season, there were various times when the coaches or management could have declared Joseph the number one goalie, but injury and a lack of consistent play (a fault on both his behalf and the Lewis' insistency that all goalies play) didn't allow for this to happen. Nearing the end of the season, Joseph did establish himself as number one, but through injury and the immediacy of the playoffs the Wings were forced to go with Manny... a decision that
was ultimately based on Joseph's unhealthy ankle. Once he won the Nashville series, through little if any work, the team finally announced that cujo would be the man to take them to the Cup (a little late for show of confidence wouldn't you say?).
In the following series against the Flames, Joseph did not look comfortable at all in the first 3 games. His play reflected hesitancy and a definite lack of confidence in challenging shooters. However, the "ineptitude" he showed in net only exposed the poor coverage down low and lack of engagement of the Detroit defense with Calgary's forecheckers. Every goal was a broken play from behind the net, or a Flames player left alone with ample opportunity to score. In contrast to last year, Joseph actually started to gain momentum in the series... and in the last few games outplayed Kiprusoff. I know, how could I say this when the media tells me I'm wrong? Simple... it's the same reason why Anaheim, Minnesota, and Calgary rose to "Cinderella" status... their hot goaltenders were beneficiaries of an impermeable and committed defense. Although Kiprusoff displayed some fine acrobatics, all the shots he faced were perimeter, visible, and shots that any goaltender worth his salt should stop (something I mentioned quite a few times in this thread). Even Giguere, the "savior" of last year's playoffs was mediocre in year's prior... and this past hangover year... his commitment to positioning and a machine-like goalie ethic were exposed as inferior when his defense didn't play to a suffocating extent. Although it appears as if a "hot goalie" steals the Wings season every year... and in turn outplaying Joseph... it's really the collaborative effort of a bunch of no-name blueliners. It's just more attractive to make the story about the goalies... one who has never won a cup and is destined to fail every year... vs. the next rookie face who has a great defensive system in front of him (not a surprise that when you look at the teams remaining in the Western Conference... both are products of that defensive ethic... Sutter's history in San Jose, and Wilson's background in Washington are a testament to that).
The unfortunate aspect for Joseph is that when he plays well and to his potential, he is an "excellent" goaltender. However, in some odd way his play draws from the rest of the team... and they just can't score in front of him. Had one bounce gone Detroit's way in the final two games against Calgary, it would have been Joseph's moniker as series-stealer instead of Kiprusoff's. Lest we forget Joseph came into the playoffs injured and only played eight games. Considering that, and the fact he was top 3 in SV% and GAA... it's hard to call him "not cup-worthy". The same situation was a reality in Toronto... one of the reasons he left. After Belfour (a cup winning 'tender mind you) was hung out to dry this year, I'm sure he's considering a similar path.
In my opinion it's too convenient to label Joseph as the goat; if you replace him with any goalie this year I wouldn't expect them to advance past the Flames either. It's a virtue to be stingy, but I think the Wings need to be told that only applies to goaltending and not offense.
Sorry for the rant, it's just that many don't seem to understand this stuff beyond a superficial layer. And I'm talking Wing's fans in general.
4. The only thing with age is the depreciation of speed and physical play (the ONLY thing!
). Make no mistake, players like Hull, Yzerman, Shanahan, and anyone on the team over 35 still have the ability to score. But it's not in the high price areas. Only Holmstrom, Maltby, and at times Draper showed the gumption to get in front of the net for a few garbage goals. The future of the team lies definitely with Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Williams to an extent... but I think the old veterans still have a few pints left in the tank. Detroit is in the position where they don't need to rebuild. Holland and his scouting staff have consistently provided with good draft choices... a standard that is on par even with New Jersey's eye for the diamond in the rough. They may have traded away a few decent ones in recent years, but not to the detriment of the team. If the Wings can somehow last through next season with contracts intact (assuming there is a season), I think they'll fair ok. The question is, how many will the team lose through retirement... and how much will management buy into the rhetoric that their cup-hungry fans and rabid media dish out to them on an hourly basis? Don't mess with this assemblage of players... it snould be more of a coaching discourse than a personnel whitewashing.
It's nice that the fans have the passion and the team has the resources to finance it. But all too often teams have been deconstructed prematurely at the motivation of irrational and unfounded sources. My advice to the Wings (I know, it holds much bearing)... don't get impatient. Figure out the situation with player status and CBA discussions before finding new ways to sink like the Rangers, Capitals, and Blues.
I'm sorry I chewed so long.