TRAVERSE CITY -- A Stanley Cup hangover?
The Detroit Red Wings aren't buying it.
The Wings opened training camp Saturday at Centre ICE trying to buck a recent trend in the National Hockey League.
Since 1993, only one team has repeated as Stanley Cup champion -- and that team was the Red Wings. Several, in fact, have struggled, losing in the first round or not even qualifying for the playoffs.
"We're not going to get caught up in that (hangover)," veteran forward Kris Draper said. "Mentally, you think about it and you can use that as an excuse. That's not what we want to do. Physically and mentally, we're ready. The guys are excited. We've had good skates. Guys trained hard on and off the ice (before arriving to camp). Now it's just a matter of getting things going."
Observers note several reasons why it's hard to repeat. Two that come up frequently -- it's hard for championship teams to regain the edge the following season, and a short off-season leads to fatigue the next.
Coach Mike Babcock discounts the short off-season. And he said it's his job to make sure the Wings remain motivated.
"We're going to hear three things," Babcock said. "One, how good we are. Two, every time there's an issue it's the Stanley Cup hangover. And three, how short the summer was.
"Summer was 106 days instead of 113 (last season) so it was only seven days shorter for us. When we have trouble this year, it'll be about this year, not about last year. This is a day-to-day winning business. It's what have you done for us lately. That's how we look at it, That's how our fans look at it. It's about getting ready right now. We're going to create the same normalcy we do every year. We'll build a foundation based on work ethic.
"I'm not a big believer that there's a carry-over from year to year as far as work ethic and structure go. That's what we're going to re-establish right here and try to get ourselves back on track. Our players know that you win in the end because of will and determination. And that's hard to do. So we know we're in for a tough go this year, like every year."
Ken Holland, the Wings general manager, said "last year is over." He said that issue was addressed at a team meeting Friday.
"Obviously, you worry about the hunger. You worry about becoming complacent," he said. "But Mike will be on top of that on a day-to-day basis.
"Mike, as the coach, needs to instill in his players all the ingredients that went into last year's team -- the discipline, the work ethic, the determination."
Larry Murphy, who earned two Stanley Cup rings with the Wings and is now a TV analyst, agrees with that assessment.
"It takes a lot of intensity, along with skill, to win the Cup," he said. "You have to be careful that the edge, the desire, doesn't let up and you lose that component. Anaheim (the 2007 winner) had a tough time last season getting that grit, that fire back. It's all because that hunger was just not what it was before. For an NHL player, goal No. 1 is winning the Cup, and if you've reached it, now you have to recreate that hunger to do it again. Plus, you've got 29 other teams vying for it. The best team doesn't necessarily win it. Injuries, bad breaks ... you can fall short. We've seen it happen to the Wings a couple times."
It happened as recently as 2007 when the Wings lost Kronwall and another defenseman, Mathieu Schneider, to injury.
Jim Nill, Detroit's assistant general manager, admitted that teams talk about the "hangover," but that he's not worried about it.
"We know we have a good team," he said. "It's hard to win anytime. You look at our teams over the last 10 years. We had some teams that I thought had as good a chance as any and they lost in the first round.
"We know we have a good shot at it. All you can do every year is make sure you're one of those teams that has a chance to win and we think we're one of those teams. We've been a legitimate Cup contender the last 10 to 12 years. That's all you can do. Give yourself a chance. Other things have to fall in place, too. Last year we didn't have any major injuries. We had good match-ups in the playoffs. The year before we lost two of our top defensemen. If we lost two top defensemen last year we probably don't win."
The Wings added to their talent pool in the off-season, signing All-Star forward Marian Hossa. They still have a veteran presence to lead the team and now have as many good, young NHL-ready prospects that Holland has seen since he's been with the organization.
It's the veterans, though, who will set the example.
"We have so many experienced guys, just looking at them and seeing how hard they're working, makes us younger guys want to work even harder," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "I don't think we'll have a problem with that."
And Babcock, Murphy said, will make sure of that.
"The Wings have been down this road many times, more than most," he said. "There's no guarantees. There's no given here. They realize that.
"Mike will discuss it with the players. He's not going to put it to the players this way, but it will mean the same thing. He's going to say, 'Yeah, we got Marian Hossa, and on paper we're a better team, but if you think for a second it's going to be easy, then we're doomed.'
"Mike Babcock is as determined as anybody that's ever coached. He's going to preach that philosophy all year long."
For more from today's paper, and complete coverage of the Red Wings training camp, see record-eagle.com/redwings
Print this story
E-mail this story
