Here’s what’s happening as I type this. The Redwings are in the Conference Finals, the Pistons have a one game to none lead in the second round of the playoffs and the Orioles are near the top of the standings in the AL East. (Early I know but you take what you can get when you’re an Orioles fan)
I came to ask myself the age old question. Do my teams have what it takes to win a world title? The short answer is, “maybe” but that would make for a painfully short post. So I’ll instead ask; What is that all championship teams possess that allows them to persevere and come out on top of a grueling post season. Plenty of great teams across many sports have attempted and failed in their climb to the top. Is there a formula? How can a team make it into the hallowed halls of greatness?
I’m reminded of a certain great NHL team from the early 80’s. This team had it all, Speed, skill, penalty killing, incredible goaltending and the ability to outlast their opponents. I’m speaking of course of Al Arbour’s NY Islanders teams. Winners of 4 consecutive Stanley Cup in the first part of the 80’s. Now, it’s hard enough to win one Stanley cup but four in a row? Inconceivable!
How did they do it? How do you stave off the injury bug? You need four straight years of the breaks always going your way. You taking everyone’s best shot night in and night out. It’s hard to fathom but they pulled it off. Yes, Bossy, Smith, Potvin, Trottier and the boys were the Kings of Hockey. (That is, until a young Canadian wearing 99 came along.)
Perhaps Greatness can only be achieved by the being able to match yourself up with the best. I read an article a while back profiling Gretzky and in the article he mentioned the first time the high flying Oilers came up against the Islanders in the cup finals. The Islanders beat the Oilers for the cup that year, I forget in how many games. But Wayne was talking about how he was outside the locker room after the finals giving an interview and he was able to see into the Islanders locker room. He had expected to see a team celebrating by showering each other with champagne, and kissing the cup. What he saw was entirely different. Guys were slumped over in their lockers, ice bags all over the place, and nursing a multitude of ailments. No celebrating, no high fives, no owners hugging coaches. Just battered men, exhausted from the quest. It was at that point that “the Great One” knew what the Oilers had lacked. This young upstart team from Edmonton, that in many ways embodied the new era of the NHL, didn’t do what it took to win. They may have thought they had, but clearly they had gas in the tank. The Islanders didn’t save anything for tomorrow. I know it’s a cliché but they left it all on the rink. In the end, they emerged exhausted, bloodied, wounded yet triumphant. After seeing that, Is it any wonder that Gretzky’s teams won four Stanley Cups in a row after that year? Maybe Gretzky finally knew what ingredient his team was missing. The Oilers were what’s next but the Islanders were what’s now and they held onto that which was precious for as long as they could.
Time and injury took their toll on the Islanders and their Dynasty eventually faded. I was an Oilers fan growing and I hated the Islanders. It was only with age and hopefully wisdom that I learned to appreciate what they had accomplished.
Getting back to my original question. Do the Wings, Pistons and Orioles have “what it takes”? I certainly think the Wings do. They control the puck like not many teams can and if you combine that with the great goaltending they’ve been getting from Osgood, look out. The Pistons might be a different story; they take some games off and don’t look like they want to win every night. (Someday I’ll write about what the NBA used to stand for and how the Pistons and Pacers might have destroyed everything Magic and Bird built). While the Orioles look good, it remains to be seen if they can keep it together for an entire season. I’ll look back at them in August.
It’s rare to see that extra gear anymore. Jordan had it. Tiger has it today. Maybe all the money associated with pro sports these days has softened players, I don’t know. I hope making 15million a year wouldn’t change or diminish my competitive drive but who knows. I’d like to find out. Maybe a few more of today’s pro athletes need to take a run on the beach with Apollo. . Not in a subtly homo-erotic way either.
“There is no tomorrow!!!” Apollo Crede
Until Beer with Breakfast is socially acceptable,
Dickie Dunn
“If Dickie Dunn said it, it’s gotta be true.”
I came to ask myself the age old question. Do my teams have what it takes to win a world title? The short answer is, “maybe” but that would make for a painfully short post. So I’ll instead ask; What is that all championship teams possess that allows them to persevere and come out on top of a grueling post season. Plenty of great teams across many sports have attempted and failed in their climb to the top. Is there a formula? How can a team make it into the hallowed halls of greatness?
I’m reminded of a certain great NHL team from the early 80’s. This team had it all, Speed, skill, penalty killing, incredible goaltending and the ability to outlast their opponents. I’m speaking of course of Al Arbour’s NY Islanders teams. Winners of 4 consecutive Stanley Cup in the first part of the 80’s. Now, it’s hard enough to win one Stanley cup but four in a row? Inconceivable!
How did they do it? How do you stave off the injury bug? You need four straight years of the breaks always going your way. You taking everyone’s best shot night in and night out. It’s hard to fathom but they pulled it off. Yes, Bossy, Smith, Potvin, Trottier and the boys were the Kings of Hockey. (That is, until a young Canadian wearing 99 came along.)
Perhaps Greatness can only be achieved by the being able to match yourself up with the best. I read an article a while back profiling Gretzky and in the article he mentioned the first time the high flying Oilers came up against the Islanders in the cup finals. The Islanders beat the Oilers for the cup that year, I forget in how many games. But Wayne was talking about how he was outside the locker room after the finals giving an interview and he was able to see into the Islanders locker room. He had expected to see a team celebrating by showering each other with champagne, and kissing the cup. What he saw was entirely different. Guys were slumped over in their lockers, ice bags all over the place, and nursing a multitude of ailments. No celebrating, no high fives, no owners hugging coaches. Just battered men, exhausted from the quest. It was at that point that “the Great One” knew what the Oilers had lacked. This young upstart team from Edmonton, that in many ways embodied the new era of the NHL, didn’t do what it took to win. They may have thought they had, but clearly they had gas in the tank. The Islanders didn’t save anything for tomorrow. I know it’s a cliché but they left it all on the rink. In the end, they emerged exhausted, bloodied, wounded yet triumphant. After seeing that, Is it any wonder that Gretzky’s teams won four Stanley Cups in a row after that year? Maybe Gretzky finally knew what ingredient his team was missing. The Oilers were what’s next but the Islanders were what’s now and they held onto that which was precious for as long as they could.
Time and injury took their toll on the Islanders and their Dynasty eventually faded. I was an Oilers fan growing and I hated the Islanders. It was only with age and hopefully wisdom that I learned to appreciate what they had accomplished.
Getting back to my original question. Do the Wings, Pistons and Orioles have “what it takes”? I certainly think the Wings do. They control the puck like not many teams can and if you combine that with the great goaltending they’ve been getting from Osgood, look out. The Pistons might be a different story; they take some games off and don’t look like they want to win every night. (Someday I’ll write about what the NBA used to stand for and how the Pistons and Pacers might have destroyed everything Magic and Bird built). While the Orioles look good, it remains to be seen if they can keep it together for an entire season. I’ll look back at them in August.
It’s rare to see that extra gear anymore. Jordan had it. Tiger has it today. Maybe all the money associated with pro sports these days has softened players, I don’t know. I hope making 15million a year wouldn’t change or diminish my competitive drive but who knows. I’d like to find out. Maybe a few more of today’s pro athletes need to take a run on the beach with Apollo. . Not in a subtly homo-erotic way either.
“There is no tomorrow!!!” Apollo Crede
Until Beer with Breakfast is socially acceptable,
Dickie Dunn
“If Dickie Dunn said it, it’s gotta be true.”
