BUSINESS AS USUAL IN DETROIT

Winning does not seem to be a luxury in Detroit, just business as usual. It was astonishing not only to witness Helm's OT winner to send the Wings back finals, but also to see Wings fans' reactions. I don't know if it was merely a coincidence but every fan that appeared on Versus after the goal was scored seemed to have an a look of indifference on their faces. They clapped and they smiled, but there seemed to be NO look of jubilee or rejoice that would have certainly been present at the Marina had the team who just won been the Sabres. It bothered me for several minutes, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The Detroit Red Wings are winners, so much so that the fans not only want to win, but reasonably expect to win year in and year out. In Detroit, Stanley Cup playoff victories are routine; almost a right and not a privilege.

Don't agree? Still think that all fans share that same feeling every year? Well, here is some food for thought?

In the four years since the lockout, Detroit has finished over 100 points (ranging from 112 to 124 points) every season, winning the President's Trophy twice. They have made it to the conference finals 3 times making it to the cup finals twice and winning one cup so far. Oh, and by the way, they have finished the regular season with 100+ points every year since 2002-2003 as well.

Let's sit back and think about this for a moment. How nice would that be? Well, it would be so nice that 100+ point seasons really would not mean much anymore. Further, "good playoff runs" also would not suffice. When you are that good for so long, the only thing that really matters is winning a cup. Why else would you get excited?

The Red Wings are the blue chip stock of the NHL that always performs. From the days of Stevie Y playing under Scotty Bowman, to the present day of Nick Lidstrom playing under Mike Babcock, the team wins.

So, after a quick survey of the Wings's recent history, it was not surprising at all to see those satisfied but not overly excited faces at the Joe last night. The Wings are winners so the fans expect them to win. Winning is Detroit's business and business is as good as its ever been.