Don't Look Back

By Adam W Parks

Monday, March 15, 2010 Red Wings 2 @ Flames 1

In 1965 documentarian D.A. Pennebaker packed up his camera and travelled to "The Big Smoke", London, to capture a few intimate moments of what became an important transition in American music: Bob Dylan's final solo-acoustic tour.

Dylan had just recently released Bringing It All Back Home, his first venture into the realm of electric rock music. With that album he left the folk world behind, bewildered, bitter, and beside itself. He never looked back.

Monday night the Wings were in Calgary to face a Flames team that, like Detroit, is battling for their playoff lives. Calgary had won four straight--including a crushing 3-2 victory in Detroit less then a week prior--but was defeated by Vancouver on Sunday. Despite the Flames' recent winning streak, the Wings held a one point edge for the eighth playoff spot heading into Monday's matchup at the Saddledome.

Get Sick, Get Well, Scoring 'Round the Rink Well

Now, finally healed and well, Detroit has shown signs of what they could have/should have been like all season long. A healthy Mule has been the spark that we all thought and hoped he would be. In the eleven games he has played since returning from injury Johan Franzen has nine points and six goals. His centerman, Pavel Datsyuk, has seven goals and 12 points over the same stretch. Tomas Holmstrom--who missed the Olympics with nagging leg injuries--has five goals and nine points in his last eight games. The trio combined for two goals and four points last night.

Get Dressed, Get Blessed, Finally Finding Success

Since Franzen's return the Wings have gone 7-3-1. They are 6-2-0 since the Olympic break. After last night's 2-1, come-from-behind, wear-down, grueling win in Calgary, Detroit is now riding a three-game winning streak. In the three games since that awful loss at the Joe to the Flames, and that lucky win in Chicago, the Wings have gotten stronger, more consistent, and have displayed a similar dominance of more recent seasons past.

Look Out Kid, The Wings Are Gettin' It

With an elevated level of play and a relatively soft schedule, the Wings look poised to remain hot down the stretch and secure that playoff spot. They have a couple of difficult contests coming up with the Canucks in Vancouver on Saturday, at home versus the Penguins on Monday, and in Chicago for the final game of the season. But then there are the cupcake games against Edmonton (twice), Columbus (thrice), Minnesota and St. Louis and Philadelphia (each once). And don't forget about the two games against Nashville, the team that currently stands one point ahead of Detroit.

The win last night was huge, and to get it in regulation off a Holmstrom tip-in from a Franzen point-shot with 79 seconds left, is huger. Check out the standings; the Wings are doing their part and it's paying off. Boom, three points up on the Flames, one behind the Predators, and just five away from the Kings for the fifth spot.

Forgive my brief digression, but a little while back someone made a comment on The HUGE Show Facebook site in response to one of my blogs. He said the Wings are "irrelevant" this season. Now, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, especially on a forum that I do not run, but this statement rang with ignorant band-wagonry to me. Are the Wings only relevant when they are dominating the NHL and in the Stanley Cup Finals?

Tell me, anybody, honestly, when was there a more relevant regular season for the Red Wings in the past decade or longer? Every game is like a playoff game! I'm pumped like it was mid-April! It's been a long, hard season to watch, but watch out now! It's damn-exciting hockey!

"Don't Look Back!"

"Give the anarchist a cigarette!"

Peace.