With the Red Wings 4-3 win on Thursday night at the Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit, the Red Wings’ win sets up what could be a NHL classic match-up between the defending Stanley Cup Champions and the upstart Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have not been on the map since 1996.
Here’s the match-up that I think NHL fans should look forward to:
Niklas Lidstrom vs. Jonathan Toews – We’ll see if there’s any gamesmanship between the two captains. One is in the younger stages of his career (Toews, 3rd year with the Blackhawks), while the other one is the elder statesman of the NHL. Lidstrom has garnered the honor of Best Defenseman earning 6 of the last 7 Norris Trophies.
Expect there to be a little bit of bad blood, because what we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is two teams that just plain don’t like each other. Detroit doesn’t want to get shown up at the Joe, and the Blackhawks don’t want to have people saying that this season was a fluke. It’s going to be Central Division hockey at its best. Two teams, each wanting the same prize, but who will have the stronger will? Don’t forget that the Chicago Blackhawks are coming off of a 4-2 triumph over the Canucks. Meanwhile, the Red Wings are coming off of a grueling 7 game series with Anaheim, winning the series 4 games to 3. Where can you view the game? NBC at 2:00 p.m.. If you want to listen on the radio, it will be on Detroit’s WXYT, Chicago’s WGN, and XM Satellite Radio.
