DET vs COL

When the Colorado Avalanche first entered the visiting dressing room for the start of the 1996 Western Conference, fumes from a fresh paint job, courtesy of Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, filled players' lungs.

That was the start of what would become probably the best-played and most vicious rivalry in all of pro sports for the next six years.

Dirty tricks, on and off the ice, became the norm between the teams.

There was also some of the best hockey ever played, but since 2002 the rivalry has been fairly docile.

That could change again, starting tonight.

The Wings and Avs will meet for the 31st postseason game since '96, in Round 2 of the Western Conference playoffs. The bad blood might not literally flow like so many games of the past, as most of the principal figures are long gone. But not all. And it has never taken much for things to get heated up quickly between the teams.

One player still around - who re-signed with Detroit late in the regular season - is Darren McCarty. The man who famously avenged Colorado's Claude Lemieux, for a vicious hit from behind on Kris Draper in the '96 playoffs, doubts things will ever match the hate-level of days gone by. But you never know.

"There's a lot of new faces to this, but it all sort of carries on when you put on the Avalanche jersey and the Red Wings jersey," McCarty said this morning, after the game-day skate at Joe Louis Arena. "It's going to be a long, tough series. It's going to be important tonight to try and get off on the right foot."

Red Wings the favourites

The Red Wings have to be considered the favourites to win, after another Presidents' Trophy season. They beat the Avalanche in all four regular-season games, shutting them out three times.

But that was a different Colorado team. For starters, captain Joe Sakic didn't play in any of the games, Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny only played two and the Avs didn't have Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei then either.

All of them will be in the lineup tonight, and Colorado has become a much tougher team to skate against, particularly with the additions of defencemen Foote and Salei.

"It is a new team over there," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "Let's face it, the eight teams that are left in the playoffs all have a lot of skill. It's going to come down to who wants it the most, who wins the tough battles the most."

The Red Wings' top defensive duo of Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski probably gives Detroit the biggest edge in the matchup. Colorado doesn't have the kind of puck-carrying and passing ability of those two on the blue line, making it imperative they make smart decisions when they do get the puck.

"They have the puck a lot, and we have to make sure we manage it well when we have it," coach Joel Quenneville said.

"When we get some chances, we have to bury them."

Osgood to start for Detroit

Detroit will start Chris Osgood in goal. Osgood has never beaten Colorado in a playoff series as a regular starter, with the Avs holding a 3-2 edge in the five previous playoff matchups. But Babcock believes he has a different goalie than the past version.

"He was telling me the other day that when he first came to the Wings, Mike Vernon had to reinvent himself as a goalie to stay in the NHL, and Ozzie has done that too," Babcock said. "He hired a goalie coach last year and really worked on his butterfly, and he's a different goalie now. I think he's a better goalie now than he's ever been in his career. It's his job to keep Dominik (Hasek) on the bench."

NOTEBOOK

Defenceman Brad Stuart will miss Game 1 for Detroit. Stuart was with his wife for the birth of a son yesterday. He is expected to return for Game 2. Andreas Lilja will take Stuart's spot in the lineup. Red Wings veteran Kirk Maltby (hamstring) also won't play, and is doubtful for Game 2 Saturday… Colorado is 17-13 in the 30 previous playoff games with Detroit… Peter Forsberg, who enters the series in good health, has 28 points (12 goals) in 29 playoff contests against Detroit.