[mathdotcom]

Everyone has been talking about how the young Oilers of the 80s made the cup finals and lost to the veteran Islanders. Gretzky commented that after the last game he walked by Islanders' locker room and the old guys weren't partying but nursing their wounds.
Oilers, a year wiser, won next year against Islanders.

Islanders were an old old veteran team. Just because the Wings are older than Penguins does not mean they are so old they have to rely on experience to compensate for lack of speed. If anything, Wings have been flying all over the Penguins. The old farts like Chelios and Draper aren't even playing. Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Hossa = old? More like they are in their prime.

[betplom]

Mather, sometimes the masses can't see the obvious.

Detroit = Prime

There really shouldn't be a comparison, those were two of the greatest teams ever to play the game.

[mathdotcom]

Someone here said during the Wings/Ducks series that the winner of that series is also the cup winner. I definitely agree that that was the true Stanley Cup final.

[Deuce]

Helmer, Abdelkadder, Ericsson, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hossa, Hudler, Clearly, Kronner, Lidstrom, Stuart, Rafalski, Ozzie, Franzen, Lebda, Filppula, I can think off the top of my head all those athaletes stepping up huge in the playoffs in different situations. All are mid career or rookies, minue Lidstrom, Lidstrom though is top 3 defensemen to ever lace up the skates.

[VegasDave]

You make it sound like that Islanders team was terrible.

It is true that there are differences; The Wings certainly aren't on their way out, and they do such an excellent job drafting and developing players and they always have first dibs on the free agent market, the Wings don't look like they are going to be anywhere but the top of the league for a while. That said, you do realize that they still have the oldest average age in the league, right? Just because they don't play old and a lot of their key players aren't old doesn't mean they aren't old.

Obviously these are two totally different circumstances, eras, etc. But all that aside, the comparisons are really cool. It's been over 20 years, and on one side happens to be the older veteran team again and on the other side happens to be two of the NHL's best young up and coming players.

[mathdotcom]

If the average age of the Red Wings was 22, but that happened to be the oldest average age in the league, would you call it an old team?

Take out Chelios and Draper from the calculation and the average age drops quickly

[Deuce]

If the average age of the Red Wings was 22, but that happened to be the oldest average age in the league, would you call it an old team?

Take out Chelios and Draper from the calculation and the average age drops quickly

And Malts, and Lids

[VegasDave]

If the average age of the Red Wings was 22, but that happened to be the oldest average age in the league, would you call it an old team?

Take out Chelios and Draper from the calculation and the average age drops quickly

The point is, as a sports angle, I think its fun. Unlike the tired "revenge on his old team" or "breaking the curse" garbage, we have a passable comparison to a situation that happened 25 years ago.

Really no reason to be "sick of it", I don't think. I'm sure the Red Wings are enjoying shutting everyone the hell up about it.

[VegasDave]

And Malts, and Lids

And Rafalski, and Osgood and Holmstrom...

This team still gets very real contributions from veteran players. That is what makes them so damn good, the way they blend the old with the young.

[mathdotcom]

And one more bad comparison:

If Pens = Oilers, then Crosby = Gretzky

[VegasDave]

Deuce, we are still on for our deal right? If Pittsburgh makes a sick comeback I'm expecting that Sid the Kid avatar for a week

[VegasDave]

And one more bad comparison:

If Pens = Oilers, then Crosby = Gretzky

Exactly, you are taking this WAY too literally.

[Deuce]

Deuce, we are still on for our deal right? If Pittsburgh makes a sick comeback I'm expecting that Sid the Kid avatar for a week

[mathdotcom]

Exactly, you are taking this WAY too literally.

No I just really don't see any similarity between the two situations.

[VegasDave]

No I just really don't see any similarity between the two situations.

Two teams meeting in back to back finals.

Islanders old, Wings old.

Islanders won round one, Wing won round one.

Young Oilers have two of the best players of the generation (and of course all time) in Gretzky and Messier, Pittsburgh has the same (generation-wise, not all time wise per se) in Crosby and Malkin.

Considering the quarter of the century gap and the massive era difference, small similarities like this are cool, even if they are coincidences/a bit of a stretch.

I mean how can two situations 25 years apart EXACTLY duplicate themselves? This is pretty close all things considered.

[yisman]

Detroit happens to have more old players than most teams. Many of their key players are in their primes, but they still have to be considered an old team.

Chris Osgood: 36.5
Nicklas Lidstrom: 39
Brian Rafalski: 35.5
Chris Chelios: 47.25
Kris Draper: 38
Kirk Maltby: 36.5
Tomas Holmstrom: 36.25

Plus, the core players who aren't really old are around 30.

It's a good comparison and I agree with VegasDave.

Crosby and Malkin are today's equivalent of Gretzky and Messier. Doesn't mean they're the same. Just means they're the closest the NHL has.

[mathdotcom]

Guerin 38
Gill 34
Satan 34
Sykora 32

[yisman]

Sykora? You do realize he effectively is not on the roster, right?

I don't think he's dressed once in the playoffs.

As for Satan and Guerin, there's a big difference between them and long time Red Wings like Maltby, Holmstrom, Lidstrom, Draper, Osgood, etc.

[mathdotcom]

Detroit happens to have more old players than most teams. Many of their key players are in their primes, but they still have to be considered an old team.

Chris Osgood: 36.5
Nicklas Lidstrom: 39
Brian Rafalski: 35.5
Chris Chelios: 47.25
Kris Draper: 38
Kirk Maltby: 36.5
Tomas Holmstrom: 36.25

Cough, cough.

[yisman]

He's been with the team since 1999.

[Chi_archie]

Satan? is he still on the pens?

[blittydeuce]

Satan? is he still on the pens?

yes arch, try watching a a game hes out there quite a bit

[reno cool]

the game is just too tight now. It's all about playing a system. And the Wings do it better than anybody right now. An individual flashy player or two means nothing.

[reno cool]

Pit has the potential stars. That's not the issue. ...I liked Grant Fuhr.

[Flyers09]

they r the only 2 teams in the NHL who are good these days, everyone else blows....why not compare them?

[Flyers09]

And one more bad comparison:

If Pens = Oilers, then Crosby = Gretzky

no..no....cindy=sore loser

Malkin=AMAZING

stop comparing crosby to this n that, n stop ball washing him...Malkin is better, WAY better

[Flyers09]

deuce im backing you on this bet, wings win it all

[yisman]

no..no....cindy=sore loser

Malkin=AMAZING

stop comparing crosby to this n that, n stop ball washing him...Malkin is better, WAY better

You're crazy.

[Flyers09]

You're crazy.

the guy gets hit, he is still standing, he is an ogre, he gets into a scruffle, he fights back. When he needs to step up, he does it.

Crosby gets bumped, and hes on his back or ass.....

Malkin deserves so much more credit, especially right now

[yisman]

to say Malkin is way better is madness and proves you cannot objectively analyze the game of hockey.

[Flyers09]

to say Malkin is way better is madness and proves you cannot objectively analyze the game of hockey.

i see what i see, and what i see is Malkin winning battles and stepping up to make sure the pens win. 3 assists in game 3, says it all pal,cindy still 0goals 0 assists in this series...hes been sleeping and scared..... but u and i will always have our differences......

PS-dont get me wrong its not always bout points, you can make a good play defeseivly to generate a scoring oppurtunity BUT, the NHL has been ballwashing cindy and his 28 points this playoff year, ...and now that hes been zeroed out, its time someone shouts it out there.....Pens need him when it counts, which is...NOW

[Flyers09]

hossa picked the winning team, he saw no future in the pens, and so far, its proving so

[VegasDave]

deuce im backing you on this bet, wings win it all

So if the Penguins win the cup, you too will sport an avatar of Sid holding the cup in the air, no photoshopped baby effects or anything?