January 7, 2009
Blackhawks, Red Wings rivalry rekindling

[Chicago, IL] -- Casual observers will remember the Winter Classic in Chicago as a celebration of hockey, perhaps the greatest spectacle of any kind in Wrigley Field history. For hockey die-hards, though, the game sent a much different message.

When the Red Wings outclassed the Blackhawks, 6-4, it marked the second time in three days and the fourth in as many games that they had whipped their Central Division rivals. In the process, the defending Stanley Cup champions served notice that, for as much young potential as the Blackhawks appear to have at the moment, they aren't ready to pass the torch just yet.

"The surroundings, the atmosphere -- everything was a plus," said Kris Draper, the Red Wings veteran grinder. "But the bottom line was, you had to find a way to get two points."

It's not like the Blackhawks were ripe to be had, either. They had won nine games in a row, the best such streak in franchise history.

"Frustrating," defenseman Duncan Keith called the turn of events. "We get close to them and we're on a roll, then we're brought down to earth pretty quickly."

The home-and-home sweep amounted to an eight-point swing in the division hunt. Instead of a potential tie for first place, the Red Wings opened an eight-point lead in an otherwise weak division.

Of greater concern for the Blackhawks was the cumulative effect that the four losses had on their collective psyche. As forward Patrick Kane said, "It starts with confidence. They seem to have our number this year. They're a great team."

So forget the small talk that the Blackhawks had caught the Red Wings and were ready to blow past them like in a tornado in an open field. There's a lot of hockey left to be played this season -- the teams will meet two more times -- but the Red Wings have made it clear that they remain the class of an otherwise weak division.

Typically, the winners said all the right things afterward. Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom all but patted the Blackhawks on their heads like an uncle would his nephew after a fender-bender. "They'll learn from these games, especially the younger players," he assured everyone. "They have a great young team that will only get better."

The game followed a familiar pattern in the series. The Blackhawks wasted no time to get physical and took a two-goal lead for the third time in the four games. Defenseman Brent Seabrook established the tone when he checked Daniel Cleary over the sideboards and onto the home bench, payback for a legal hit that Cleary had laid on Kane two days earlier. "Oh, we remembered it. That's how it works," conceded Seabrook, who couldn't resist one more jab. "(Cleary) doesn't want to fight, right?"

But the Red Wings are confident, patient, time-tested bunch. The visitors regrouped at the intermission, reeled off five unanswered goals and turned the game into a one-sided affair. "We stuck with it, stayed discipline and got key goals when we need them," ancient defenseman Chris Chelios said of the formula.

The Blackhawks may have themselves to blame for the domination. They claimed 10 of a possible 16 points in head-to-head play last regular season and got the attention of the Red Wings in the process.

When the Red Wings arrived at pre-season camp last fall, there was no talk of payback in the months ahead. It was understood. "We didn't have to discuss it," defenseman Andreas Lilya said. "We knew that they really gave it to us last season. It was in the back of our minds, so we all tried to step us our games a little bit more. Sometimes you don't have to say anything."

In the last two seasons, the Blackhawks have closed the talent gap that exists between the two teams, particularly at the forward positions. The flip side is, the difference in savvy and experience has widened at the same time.

Of their top five Blackhawks scorers, Kane (20), Jonathan Toews (20) and Kris Versteeg (22) can barely grow playoff whiskers. The others are Martin Havlat and Patrick Sharp, both 27 and hardly geezers. Among the regulars, Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin are the only 30-somethings, and as goaltenders, only one of them can play at a time.

On a given night, the Red Wings dress as many as 10 players who are 30 years of age or older. Lidstrom has taken part in more playoff games (192) than the entire Blackhawks roster combined.

It's that not that the Red Wings are so experienced that sets them apart, though. It's that they're so experienced and talented. "Their experience definitely plays a role," Keith said. "Obviously, they have a lot of great players on top of that. When you have that combination -- smart, talented players with experience -- it's tough to play against them. Hopefully, we can be like that too one day."

The Red Wings are such accomplished skaters and puck-handlers that they often mesmerize younger opponents. That fact was never more apparent than in the second period, when they hogged the puck for what seemed to be minutes at a time. The Blackhawks were lulled out of their attack mode and began to watch the action. The highlight came with the score tied at 3-all, when Pavel Datsyuk blew into the offensive zone, split flat-footed defensemen Cam Barker and Brian Campbell then abused Huet with a backhander through his legs.

"They're not fun to play against," Kane said. "They have the puck the whole game. And that's a very, very hard game to play in sometimes."

While it's premature to say that the Blackhawks-Red Wings rivalry is relevant again, at least there's talk of one now. This the oldest rivalry in the league, one that reached a fever pitch in the 1960s decade, when the two teams collided no fewer than five times in a span of seven postseasons. As Blackhawks old-timers remember, albeit somewhat vaguely, it was none other than the Red Wings whom their team beat in the 1961 Stanley Cup Finals for its last league championship.

It may take an extended series of white-knucklers for the rivalry to turn hot again. "What will elevate the rivalry is a playoff series," Draper said. "Right now, that's something both teams can't control. They'll continue to win hockey games, and we'll continue to do the same thing. Then we'll see what happens in the spring."

Until then, consider the Central Division to be a one-horse race.

Based in Chicago, Paul Ladewski is a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, covering the NHL.