Lions Fan - "Wings are Old"
From the Free Press Readers Column this morning:
Some things happen during Michigan's summers. We are accustomed to the Tigers playing well enough in the first half of the season, only to break our hearts in some fashion after the All-Star break. But other events, we're not as familiar: the Pistons becoming this generation's Clippers and the Red Wings age before our eyes while other teams are getting younger, faster and better.
Now...take it with a grain of salt - heck, make that a line of salt and a tequila shot (it may be a bit early in the morning for that) - but this was written not by St. James or Sipple...this was a reader who submitted it to the Free Press.
But the Red Wings are aging before your eyes, eh?
Guys like Zetterberg and Datsyuk are getting over the hill? Have we seen the best from "old man" Franzen? Has Valterri Filppula had his best days behind him? Are Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader on the decline because of their advanced age?
Draper, Bertuzzi, Rafalski, and Lidstrom - those are your "old men" on the squad. Rafalski and Lidstrom are on everyone's "best over 35" list. Draper works harder off the ice than arguably anyone on the team.
I'm all for supporting the Detroit Lions - because I love all Detroit sports (now that the Shock is gone). But come on - don't try to pander to me about the silver and Honolulu blue by berating other franchises.
The Wings may have a few aging veterans - but show me a team that has won the Stanley Cup that hasn't. With guys like Helm, Abdelkader, Eaves, and Howard on the up-and-up - we're also getting "younger, faster, and better".
As for the Lions...I long for the old glory days of 8-8.
