“Champions aren´t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.” - Muhammad Ali
When
Logan Couture scored early in the third period of Game 5 to put his San Jose Sharks up 3-1 with 18 minutes remaining, the outlook was bleak for a Red Wing rally to prolong the game and this series. Even with the plethora of major comebacks we have witnessed throughout the 2011 NHL playoffs, the Red Wings looked early in the 3rd period as if they had met their match and unwanted fate.
Having been outskated, outworked and outplayed for the opening 42 minutes, the two goal lead looked insurmountable given Detroit's relative ineffectiveness in the offensive zone on this evening. Only the stellar goaltending of
Jimmy Howard kept them within striking distance.
But like a lightning bolt, one terrific break from a fanned
Henrik Zetterberg shot resulting in a
Jonathan Ericsson goal and the Wings were suddenly reinvigorated to bring forward everything they had in an attempt to steal a game they had no business winning given their performance through 40 minutes. That goal, which appeared to come out of nowhere, sparked this group and once it occured, you got the sense their intensity level skyrocketed with the realization they were only down one goal in a game they could have been down four or five.
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Resiliency is
Daniel Cleary banging away at the puck relentlessly until it crosses the goal line to tie the game at three.
Resiliency is
Pavel Datsyuk knocking
Patrick Marleau off the puck in his own end, maintaining control of the puck while spinning away from Marleau's despereate attempt to retrieve possession, before dishing it back to
Nicklas Lidstrom setting up the game-winner.
Resiliency is
Tomas Holmstrom returning to the top line in the late stages of the contest and proving the doubters wrong (myself included), by doing what he does best by residing in front of the opposing goaltener and deflecting Lidstrom's point shot for the game-winning goal.
Resiliency is the struggling penalty killing unit coming up big when needed most, killing al four penalties and in particular killing off the final Sharks power-play shortly after taking the one-goal lead late in the third period.
Resiliency is
Henrik Zetterberg winning two
HUGE faceoffs in his own end late in the 3rd period, ensuring the Sharks did not maintain possession of the puck in the Red Wing zone.
Resiliency is
Jimmy Howard throwing this team on his back and proving to not only unsure Red Wing fans but also the hockey world in general that he is more than capable of leading this team to the promised land. He almost stole Game 1 of this series in San Jose and he essentially stole Game 5 from the Sharks for two periods, allowing his teammates to complete the heist in the third period.
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The downside remains, despite all of the hard work and good fortune that has come the Red Wings way the past two games, they are only halfway to their ultimate objective. It's no secret that San Jose looked superior for the better part of Game 5 and Detroit appeared at times early on to be running on fumes. The likely injury to
Johan Franzen does not help the Red Wings cause. However, perhaps an inspired
Jiri Hudler or better yet a highly motivated
Mike Modano come back from the abyss and show their
resiliency by playing an important role in Game 6.
There is no doubt in my mind the Red Wings
should perform much better in Game 6. But at this stage, a good performance is meaningless unless you get the desired result. Nevertheless, win or lose from here on out, this team's resolve and determination shown during the past two games by rebounding to win Game 4 after coughing up a 3-0 lead at home and clawing back from their death bed in the final 16 minutes of Game 5 is what makes champions. And even if this group does not succeed this season, there is no questioning they have the will and desire to be champions, at all costs.
You cannot place a price on the experience being garnered by the likes of
Jan Mursak,
Cory Emmerton,
Brendan Smith,
Jakub Kindl and
Thomas McCollum. Just being around this hockey club and watching the sacrifice and commitment the current day Wings are exhibiting while attempting to scratch and claw from this 3-0 deficit can only assist these prospects in the long run. Even from afar, the lessons they are learning will only help them in their attempts to help maintain the strong Red Wing tradition alive in future seasons.
It's that desire to be champions, deep from within them, that allows the Red Wings to keep the
dream and
vision alive.....for at least one more game.
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