10
DETROIT — Holding court for a handful of reporters, Ken Holland was talking about his playing days (short, brief) and how they influenced him in his current position as the Detroit Red Wings' general manager (long, successful).
"I was a goalie," said Holland. "As a goalie, I always liked those guys that were right in front of me, controlling the game."
This was Holland, talking why the Red Wings invest the majority of their NHL salary-capped dollars in a high-end defence corps. Proof that Holland's system is sound came again on Saturday night, in the Red Wings' 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first game of the Stanley Cup final. On paper, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the one side and Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg on the other, there were some who thought the final could evolve into a high-scoring series.
That, however, would go against the grain of everything that makes Detroit so successful. For all the talk about their puck-possession game, it is their defensive play that has the Red Wings just three wins away from another Stanley Cup championship.
Related Articles
They were the No. 1 defensive team in the league in the regular season and they are the No. 1 defensive team in the playoffs. The Red Wings didn't play a perfect game — too many penalties early, one more controversy revolving around Tomas Holmstrom — but their composure and experience on the blue line and the fact that they limited the Penguins to fewer than 20 shots ultimately carried the day, and helped goaltender Chris Osgood record his second shutout of the post-season.
"We put our money in our defence," explained Holland. "That's where we jammed all our money. We've got $6 million in (Brian) Rafalski; we've got $7.5 million in (Nicklas) Lidstrom; $3 million in (Niklas Kronwall). We'd love to keep Brad Stuart."
Holland was talking about a time, back at the 1999 NHL trading deadline, when he and his assistant, Jim Nill "blew out all those draft picks" in deals to acquire, among others, Wendel Clark and Chris Chelios in a bid to win another Stanley Cup. That didn't work out.
That night, sitting in a sports bar near his house, seeing his picture on every TV screen, Holland said he turned to Nill and said from then on: "we've got to draft defencemen because eventually, when (Steve) Yzerman's too old and (Brendan) Shanahan's too old and (Sergei) Fedorov's gone, how do you stay competitive? If you're in the top five in goals-against in the league every year, you've going to be competitive. You have to be, even if you don't score a lot. So if you look at our drafts the last six or seven years, all we draft are defencemen. We've got lots of kids that we think our close to playing.
"So I believe in a mobile, puck-moving defence. We've got the best one in the business (in Lidstrom). Then, we got lucky. Brian Rafalski is a hell of a player. This is home, things fell apart in New Jersey and he ended up wanting to come home."
Rafalski played for a New Jersey Devils' team whose entire philosophy revolved around defence as well. In the days when they were contending every year, it was mostly because of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and a collection of quality journeymen.
But Rafalski says there is a night-and-day difference between the way Detroit plays defence and the way New Jersey did.
"We try to have the puck more," said Rafalski. "We try to control the puck in the offensive zone, not just throw it towards the front of the net to make a play, but to try to wear a team down defensively by being in their zone all the time, trying to make a play.
"It was a readjustment for me, that's for sure."
In the opener, Kronwall set the tone physically with four big hits in the first period — on Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy and Ryan Malone. Kronwall did the same thing in the first game of the Dallas series to Antti Mietinen. Just in case anyone thought there were issues about Detroit's toughness, they were settled early on. Message received. The Red Wings won't be pushed around — by anyone.
Last year, at the trading deadline, Holland thought the Red Wings needed a greater physical presence. It's why he sacrificed a top prospect, Shawn Mattias, in order to bring in Todd Bertuzzi.
"This year, I didn't think we needed that element," said Holland. "Last year, we played against Calgary, San Jose and Anaheim - the three biggest, toughest and meanest teams in the entire league — and our guys came through. We had Anaheim on the ropes. Tip your hat to them, they got off the ropes and they were the champions.
"At the trading deadline this year, I said, 'we traded a blue-chip prospect away last year. This year, I'm prepared to trade a second-round pick and maybe a little something else to get one player. What's the one player we want? Do we want to get a guy who can score? No, let's get defence.
"So we got Brad Stuart. Last year, when we lost Kronwall before the playoffs started and (Mathieu) Schneider in the Anaheim series, it hammered the point home: 'Get defence, get defence, get defence, get defence.'
"And the last thing I'll say is, it's because you've got Zetterberg and Datsyuk that you can focus on defence. If you don't get Zetterberg and Datsyuk, I don't know what you'd do. I might be at the lake in Vernon (B.C.), telling stories by now."
But he isn't. He's in the Stanley Cup final, three wins away from another championship, which would be Detroit's fourth in 11 years. Sometimes, it pays to develop a philosophy early in life — and then have the courage to stick with it.
