By Allan Muir, SI.com
The words were out of my mouth almost before I'd had time to recognize the ramifications.
"Gimme the Stars in six."
It was a morning drive radio show -- not even one in an NHL market --but still, it was out there. I've called Dallas to beat Detroit in the Western Conference Finals on the air. Might as well go national with it.
I say this with some hesitation because, let's face it, the evidence suggests that the Stars will be cleaning out their lockers in short order. This is a terrible matchup for them. Forget that the Wings were the best team in the regular season, and have done nothing in the playoffs to suggest they've slipped from that perch. All you need to know is that the Wings are Dallas' Kryptonite. Biff to their George McFly. The Stars can man up against 28 other teams, but when they see the red and white, it's like they're little kids again, facing off against a group of bullies that has tormented them for years.
And, man, are these bullies rolling! It's not just the spectacular individual skills of forwards like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and, yes, Johan Franzen. It's also the game's deepest defense, the crafty coaching of Mike Babcock and the surprisingly capable netminding of Chris Osgood.
The Wings are a team without deficiency.
Still, I've got this gut feeling. Things are about to change.
Here are the four reasons I've used to convince myself:
1) Physical play. Don't let anyone tell you the Wings can't bang. They're a tough group, capable of exacting a toll away from the boards as well as against them. But the Stars have a bit of an edge in this department, and they've honed their game in two hard-fought series against the Ducks and Sharks, the roughest clubs in the West. Their game is at a higher level than that of the Wings, who played a couple of creampuffs in Nashville and Colorado.
2) The goaltending of Marty Turco. I tend to think that goaltending won't be the deciding factor in this series that some are making it out to be. That said, Turco is primed to beat down his personal demons. He's used his last three series to demonstrate that he can deliver in the playoffs. Now he's motivated to prove he can take down the one team that's treated him like a chew toy throughout his career. Turco isn't just in a zone right now. That four-overtime victory in Game 6 against the Sharks imbued him with the confidence he can be THAT guy, the one who bends while the other guy breaks. He's already outlasted J-S Giguere and Evgeni Nabokov. Osgood's been solid thus far, but he isn't in their class.
3) Brenden Morrow: I love Nick Lidstrom's brand of quiet leadership during the season. But during the playoffs, give me the guy who'll shoot stragglers just as quickly as he'll lead the charge. There will be no passengers on the Stars bench, and that level of commitment is exactly what's needed to win the small but critical battles that will decide each game. Morrow has emerged as a true superstar in these playoffs with his scoring touch and disciplined physical play. As great as Turco was, who knows if Dallas would have survived Game 6 without Morrow's 19 hits -- that's almost twice as many as teammate Mike Modano had in the entire regular season -- or his elimination of Stars-killer Milan Michalek at the end of the third period. Morrow has broad shoulders, and the Stars have climbed aboard.
4) A history of disappointment. The Wings have been consistently good for so long that you almost give them a pass to the Cup final. But this also is a team with a legacy of failing to live up to expectations. The last four times they finished first (or tied for first) overall, they fell flat in the playoffs. Time to reverse the curse? Maybe...but it says here they get stopped short once again.
So, yeah, Stars in six.
Allan Muir is the senior editor of Beckett Hockey magazine and serves as the NHL's official scorer for Dallas Stars home games.
Patrick Revs Up for Indy
Comments (23)
After seeing the previous two blogs Muir wrote, I'm speechless after reading this one.
GO STARS!
Armadillo | 05/08/08, 06:29 PM
Report Offensive CommentI just dont see it. Crosby and the Mighty Wings are destined to meet in the Finals. Destined.
Cassidy's House's 549 Posse | 05/08/08, 06:42 PM
Report Offensive CommentHe's just writing this to be provocative and get the article on the front page. I doubt this guy or any guy outside of Dallas would put real money on Dallas in 6.
Wings in 6.
junghoonsurvey | 05/08/08, 06:46 PM
Report Offensive CommentWhat kind of dope have you been smoking? Reality check please! Wings in 6 games!!!
ghostrider40 | 05/08/08, 06:55 PM
Report Offensive CommentBELIEVE!
GO STARS!
kmac | 05/08/08, 07:15 PM
Report Offensive CommentWhy doesn't this surprise me. Muir along with all the other commentators on this site had the Wings out early. Let see President's trophy winner, depth, playoff experience, best defensemen in the league, and a high scoring offense. I don't get it, do you really hate the wings that much?
AKBrad | 05/08/08, 07:40 PM
Report Offensive CommentAKBrad, really? have you read ANY of muir's blogs and articles from the past couple seasons? you think he hates on the wings just because he doesn't predict them to go on in the playoffs? dude, he's been hating on the stars for the past several seaons. he even went so far as to write an article bitching about how he didn't like the stars' new uniform. give it a rest, man. you're just up in arms because not everybody thinks your wings are perfect.
Bojiggidy | 05/08/08, 08:33 PM
Report Offensive Commenti too am speechless armadillo.
Go Stars!
mnichols_2 | 05/08/08, 09:54 PM
Report Offensive CommentYou might wanna take Muir's joke of a article of the front page now. Wings in 5
eljefe247 | 05/08/08, 10:25 PM
Report Offensive CommentI think Muir picked the Ducks early, then decided to go with the Sharks, now the Stars. How does this guy get paid? Muir, if you're reading this, please tell us your right-to-wrong ratio.
Spkill | 05/08/08, 10:42 PM
Report Offensive CommentBojiggidy, so far the Wings ARE perfect against the Stars. Good luck with this one, buddy.
Spkill | 05/08/08, 10:43 PM
Report Offensive CommentEveryone is entitled to their opinion, however wrong they may be.
ALhockeyman | 05/09/08, 12:13 AM
Report Offensive Commenteveryone loves to talk about the wings burning out last few years...well where was Dallas all that time? Choking. Wings own Turco. Two good series do not erase years of mediocrity. And Morrow over Lidstrom? ok now you're just being ridiculous. wings in 4
pjdk28 | 05/09/08, 12:25 AM
Report Offensive Commenthe probably picked the Senators to beat the Pens too.
Morrow over Nick...dude you have to be on crack.
mhwings | 05/09/08, 03:24 PM
Report Offensive CommentApparently, Muir didn't get the memo to WATCH the Wings and Stars game last night... and if he did, he sure didn't see the same TIRED Dallas team that I saw playing. Look at it this way... Dallas is going to be a very rested team after the Wings series... Redwings in 4. This is a no brainer!
gpv527 | 05/09/08, 03:30 PM
Report Offensive CommentIs anyone else tired of the slogan "Believe" for the underdog team? Yes the Wings used it in 1998 but that was to "Believe" in the recovery of Konstantinov and Manatsakonov. I think every 5th through 8th seed uses that slogan every year.
BigJohn5 | 05/09/08, 03:47 PM
Report Offensive CommentSolid article I enjoyed reading. My favorite point was about Morrow. I can't really like him at this point, but I really have to respect his play and leadership.
Some of the comments here are just ridiculous though. Anytime a hockey writer criticizes your team he must be out to get them, right? He must have a thing against them, right? According to my count--and not including this article--he has written two articles praising the Stars and one less flattering. And don't lump him in with the "Duckbear" article, that was Kennedy. Even if I missed one--or even two--articles criticizing the Stars, do you really have a reason to complain? He's a hockey columnist. Not everything he writes is going to be praising your team.
Bojiggidy, really? Do you only read Muir's articles that mention the word "Stars"? Honestly he's going to do things like criticize uniforms in his columns. He once stated that no team would take a Tampa Bay Lightning player for a used bus. Do I think he has something against my team? No. He backed his opinion up with logical reasoning as to why the player wasn't useful--something he does in every article he writes. Obviously it was a bit of a joke, but believe it or not, columnists can say funny things. I don't agree that the Stars are going to win this series. I have Detroit in five. But he raises good points of why the Stars can pull it off. So next time when you read his articles, try looking for the rationale rather than calling foul that he somehow lambasted your team.
TheDeity | 05/09/08, 03:53 PM
Report Offensive CommentOK, I can see Dallas winning one, maybe two games in the series, but until Marty "a deer in the Red Wings headlights" Turco wins ONE game at the Joe, I'll continue to pick the WIngs in 5.
Muir must have written this article before last night's game ... cuz the Stars looked completely outplayed by a well-rested Wings team. The Stars were out hustled, out-hit, out-skated, out-every aspect of the game, including GOALTENDING.
Las Vegas Rocks | 05/09/08, 04:01 PM
Report Offensive CommentSorry, but Muir is also wrong about Osgood. He thinks Turco is better because he "already outlasted J-S Giguere and Evgeni Nabokov. Osgood's been solid thus far, but he isn't in their class"
Osgood will end up in the HOF with his numbers (career and postseason wins, GAA, SO, and save %) including winning the Stanley Cup as both starter and back-up. Giguere and Nabokov need to last as long and play as well as Osgood before they join his class.
Las Vegas Rocks | 05/09/08, 04:07 PM
Report Offensive CommentWho cares what this guy writes? He's awful... and not knowledgeable about the game of hockey.
Parrothead34 | 05/09/08, 05:28 PM
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