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Detroit Red Wings articles

The 1997 Detroit Red Wings: A Proud Franchise Gets The Monkey Off Its Back

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The Detroit Red Wings were a frustrated organization in 1997. They’d played the best hockey in the Western Conference for three straight years. For their troubles, they’d been upset in the first round by San Jose in 1994, lost the Cup Finals to New Jersey in 1995 been ousted by Colorado in a conference finals showdown that left bad blood brewing carrying all the way into the new season, as the 1997 Detroit Red Wings looked to get the monkey off their back.

The 2008 Detroit Red Wings Tease But Finally Deliver

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The Detroit Red Wings are one of hockey’s proudest franchises, and the track record backs them up. They came into the 2008 season having three recent Stanley Cups under the belt (1997, 1997, 2002). Those Cups had been won under the leadership of head coach Scotty Bowman. The 2008 Detroit Red Wings won a championship for third-year boss Mike Babcock, and were that rarest of birds—an NHL team that validated regular season dominance with a Stanley Cup.

The Detroit Red Wings Fight To Find Their Footing

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Right now though, the Red Wings are kind of puttering along. They have 50 points, which puts them as one of a group of eight teams jousting for five playoff berths in the Eastern Conference (Pittsburgh, Boston and Tampa Bay having separated themselves at the top).

Are the Red Wings destined for mediocrity in 2014, or will we see a turnaround? Let’s take a closer look at what they’ve done and speculate on what might lie ahead.