Detroit Red Wings - Better Decade 1990s or 2000s

[The Zetterberg Era]

Since at one point they were up 2-0 and 3-2 in the series is that a viable excuse? Obviously if they won no Red Wings fans would have cared.

It was a talking point in the run in and is unlikely to ever be forgotten by most Wings fans. It was the first thing Babcock talked about with the media was his dismay over the schedule. They were mad enough to comment on it before the series. It wasn't a hindsight issue, they were angry the second the league choose to do something that they had done twice in the 100 year history of the league.

Had they overcome it, I think they would have continued to dump on the process they were pretty openly displeased with that decision. Still it doesn't change history, just a way that series is looked at in terms of when you ask the question a lot of Wings fans have really visceral feelings about the 09' finals. You have an easier time with the 95' loss.

But a lot of that is just personal. Like for me the worst loss I experienced as a fan was the 93' Leafs vs Wings series. It was just harder than most the other ones for me for whatever reason. One of them probably being I was a lot more mature when the 09' loss happened but that is probably the second toughest one I have experienced as a fan.

 

[JackSlater]

I can't remember if it was Staal or Malkin but wasn't there some incident which could have meant a suspension for either one and one of them ended up scoring the game winning goal in Game 6 and forcing a Game 7.

Yes, the NHL rescinded Malkin's suspension. It was for game 3, not game 6. He didn't score the winning goal but he did have three assists on Pittsburgh's first three goals in a 4-2 game that featured one empty net goal.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Regarding Yzerman/Fedorov vs Datsyuk/Zetterberg, particularly in the Cup winning seasons 97/98 vs 08, I don't think we can simply say Yzerman and Fedorov. Unlike the 90s duo, Datsyuk and Zetterberg essentially peaked at the same time during their 08 season. Both Top 10 in scoring, both Selke Finalists, both with big playoffs. As good as Fedorov was in the Wings Cups, Zetterberg's 08 run tops all of them.

In the overall and individual comparison, it's a different story, but if you were to just point to one particular season, I think 08 Datsyuk/Zetterberg would be the gold standard for those Detroit teams as far as a 1-2 forward punch.