Brophy on Leafs: A blueprint for success
Posted January 6, 2012 4:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
In some ways, the Saturday meeting between the Toronto Maple Leafs and visiting Detroit Red Wings could be compared to the annual high school clash between the teachers and the students.
That’s because, in spite of the original intentions, the Maple Leafs are much closer to evolving into the Red Wings – a team whose game is based on speed and skill – than the old Broad Street Bullies.
So while Brian Burke rants about ‘rats’ ruining the game and bemoans the fact he had to send enforcer Colton Orr to the minors, the truth is the Leafs GM has done a nice job of following the Detroit model when constructing his team. And that will get the Maple Leafs back to the playoffs eventually.
The Red Wings opened the season with five straight wins, but then lost six in a row. However, as of late, the Wings have found the consistency in their game that has been their calling card since they went to the Stanley Cup final in 1994-95 and then won back-to-back Cups in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
“When you know that team is in town, you know what to expect right away,” said Leafs left winger Joffrey Lupul. “On Thursday Winnipeg comes to town and they’re unbelievable at home and can’t win a game on the road. You’re not exactly sure how they’re going to play coming into your building. With Detroit, you know how they’re going to play. They’re going to play the same way they’ve played for the last 15 years. They’re going to try to control the puck, move the puck, be hard on the puck and be a hard-working team. For us it’s something we can learn from; watching a team like that. But you don’t want to get into that state of mind where you’re getting caught out there watching what they do. We have to go out and compete and play physical against a lot of their guys.”
Leafs defenceman Cody Franson saw more than his share of the Red Wings the past two seasons playing in the Western Conference with the Nashville Predators.
“They’re a very well-balanced team,” Franson said. “They’ve got a lot of skill up front; they’ve got guys on the back end that move the puck and skate well. They’ve got good goaltending. They’re good all-around. It’s a good challenge for us and we’re looking forward to it.”
The Wings, as usual, are being led by veterans Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg and ageless defenceman and sure-fire Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom. The supporting cast isn’t bad either; the likes of Valtteri Filppula, Danny Cleary, Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart and goaltender Jimmy Howard who leads the NHL with 24 wins.
Is there a danger of the Leafs not performing up to par because they are in awe of the visitors?
“I don’t think that will be an issue with our team,” said Leafs coach Ron Wilson. “We’ve got to build on what we’ve been doing. Our team is aware of how well the Red Wings have been doing this year, especially after the first couple of weeks when they were only .500. Through November and December they probably have the best record in the league. Again, our attention is entirely on us and what we have to do to be successful.”
As good as the Wings are, they have not been as dominant on the road this season as they were last year when they finished 26-11-4. Detroit is 15-2-1 at home, but just 10-11-0 on the road.
“It’s basically the same group, but for some reason we have had trouble winning on the road this year,” said GM Ken Holland. “We told the guys at the start of the season we needed to be better at home, but we didn’t mean at the expense of our home record. The thing is, we’re not getting blown out on the road. We lose by a goal here and there.”
The Wings have out-scored their opponents 73-32 at home, but have been out-scored 56-55 on the road. That does not mean the Leafs will take them lightly.
“I think you have to respect them,” Franson said. “They have a good record every year and they’re always considered a contender, so you have to respect that. At the same time you have to look at it as one of those games where we can measure ourselves and see how we compare.”
While Wilson acknowledged his team – as do others – is being modeled in some respects after the Red Wings, he knows the Maple Leafs still have a ways to go.
“The one difference is the Red Wings have drafted and developed big, power forwards – Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom and guys like that,” Wilson said. “We’re still a little bit away from that, but we have speed and we keep improving our skill. I think a lot of teams look at the Red Wings as the blueprint for having success in this league.”
Asked about superstar Lidstrom, Wilson said the superstar is not just a great player for the Red Wings; but a role model for all young players.
“Why doesn’t he retire, anyway, and give us all a break,” Wilson joked. “I know as a coach I have used him as an example. If you don’t have good things to show about your own team, you show Nick Lidstrom highlights. ‘This is how he moves the puck; this is how he defends.’ He’s not a physical player at all and yet he defends as well as anybody. Even at his age, to be able to put points up on the board is great. He rarely gets his shots from the point blocked and the little subtle things he has in his game are great teaching tools for younger players.”
