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Psyblast · 04-22-2009, 03:36 AM

Winged Wheel Renaissance
Addition of Hossa gives Red Wings plenty of motivation to repeat

DETROIT, MI - One last desperate shot by Sidney Crosby and one final swipe by Marian Hossa, and the puck fluttered away harmlessly. For a moment the players were tenative, and then Chris Osgood raised his arms in celebration and his teammates soon joined him in a mob of triumph.

And the Red Wings had the last laugh.

When the NHL returned from lockout with a salary cap in place, executives around the league smiled, thinking the era of Detroit spending and spending to stay at the top was over. On that warm June night at the Igloo in Pittsburgh, the Red Wings struck back, finishing the Penguins in six games and claiming the franchise's 11th Stanley Cup, and 4th since 1997.

And then they poached one of Pittsburgh's prized players, signing Marian Hossa to a one-year, $7.225M deal. It almost isn't fair. A month after reasserting themselves as hockey's premiere franchise, with the Cup still making its rounds, the Red Wings added a superstar so hungry for a championship that he took a paycut.

This year's Wings will look very similar to last year's. Although Dominik Hasek and Dallas Drake are now retired, everyone else returns, and Ty Conklin was brought in as well to serve as backup to playoff hero Chris Osgood.

The bullseye is always on Detroit's back, and it will be even bigger now that they are the reigning champion. The West is full of talented teams eager to make a run at the crown, including the hungry San Jose Sharks and the 2007 champion, the Anaheim Ducks.

04-22-2009, 03:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
Psyblast You deserved better. OVR: 46 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Southeastern Michigan Posts: 33,403	Detroit Red Wings (NHL 09) Winged Wheel Renaissance Addition of Hossa gives Red Wings plenty of motivation to repeat DETROIT, MI - One last desperate shot by Sidney Crosby and one final swipe by Marian Hossa, and the puck fluttered away harmlessly. For a moment the players were tenative, and then Chris Osgood raised his arms in celebration and his teammates soon joined him in a mob of triumph. And the Red Wings had the last laugh. When the NHL returned from lockout with a salary cap in place, executives around the league smiled, thinking the era of Detroit spending and spending to stay at the top was over. On that warm June night at the Igloo in Pittsburgh, the Red Wings struck back, finishing the Penguins in six games and claiming the franchise's 11th Stanley Cup, and 4th since 1997. And then they poached one of Pittsburgh's prized players, signing Marian Hossa to a one-year, $7.225M deal. It almost isn't fair. A month after reasserting themselves as hockey's premiere franchise, with the Cup still making its rounds, the Red Wings added a superstar so hungry for a championship that he took a paycut. This year's Wings will look very similar to last year's. Although Dominik Hasek and Dallas Drake are now retired, everyone else returns, and Ty Conklin was brought in as well to serve as backup to playoff hero Chris Osgood. The bullseye is always on Detroit's back, and it will be even bigger now that they are the reigning champion. The West is full of talented teams eager to make a run at the crown, including the hungry San Jose Sharks and the 2007 champion, the Anaheim Ducks. __________________ "Genuinely Sarcastic" - My Blog Psyblast's Oregon Ducks Dynasty (NCAA 10)