2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Stanley Cup Final

It’s all about one win for the Detroit Red Wings as they prepare for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final against the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday at Mellon Arena, with a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series.

A victory will give the Wings the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row, the first time that’s happened since Detroit won back-to-back Cups in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

At this stage of the game, it’s all about calming the nerves and staying the course.

“It’s the old cliche,” said Detroit winger Kirk Maltby. “Everyone gets tired of hearing about it, but it’s one win at a time. If you get too far ahead of yourself -- which I think maybe we did last year in Game 5 (which they lost to the Pens with a chance to win the Cup) -- you just worry about what you’re doing at that place and time and the rest will fall into place.

“Whether it’s in the Stanley Cup final or the first round, you have to worry about first and foremost. You just learn to go out there and handle what’s on your plate at that given time. When the horn blows, regardless of the outcome, you move forward and get ready for the next challenge.”

Nerves? What nerves?

His first chance to win the Stanley Cup just hours away, Detroit rookie defenceman Jonathan Ericsson was the picture of calm.

“Right now, everything is normal for me,” Ericsson said. “I didn’t have any trouble sleeping, I never have. I’m just doing everything the same way I’ve done it before and trying not to think about how big it really is. I’m trying to focus on doing my thing and not changing much.”

Ericsson indicated his nervous moments come much earlier in a playoff series.

“The first game in every round, I’m a little bit nervous, because everything is new,” he said. “As soon as I get out there, everything seems to be cool. I feel good out there and I don’t get nervous at all. I think that’s a good thing.

“Maybe that might catch up on me later when I realize how big this really was.”

Nick’s marks

Another game, another move up the Stanley Cup record ladder for Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom.

When he takes the ice for Game 6, Lidstrom will be playing his 234th career Stanley Cup game, tying him with Claude Lemieux for fourth on the all-time list.

What about me?

Wings defenceman Brian Rafalski gave an interesting response to a query about whether the team was motivated to win the Cup for teammate Marian Hossa, who left the Penguins after last spring’s final loss to sign for less money with Detroit.

“I’m going to be selfish,” Rafalski said. “I want to lift it again myself.”

Tie game

Despite the 5-0 win recorded in Game 5 while wearing it, Wings coach Mike Babcock insisted he wouldn’t go with his lucky McGill University tie in Game 6.

“I’m not wearing that for sure,” said Babcock, a McGill alumnus. “I’m probably superstitious the other way.”

His one mission was to find a bill of fare that suited him before the game. “I haven’t found a restaurant in Pittsburgh that works yet,” Babcock said. “McCormick and Schmick and the Capital Grille are done now.”

Minor matters

A Wings Cup win will make minor-league history as well.

Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader, Jonathan Ericsson, Darren Helm and Ville Leino are attempting to become the first quartet of rookies in NHL history to play at least half of the regular season in the AHL before playing in the Stanley Cup final and having their names engraved on the Cup.

A handful of Stanley Cup champs have had as many as three rookies who fit all three criteria, most recently the 2007 Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and 2000 New Jersey Devils.

In their favour

This is the 23rd time that the host team in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final has been seeking to stave off elimination and the odds are it won’t happen.
Fifteen previous times, the visiting team has won the contest to close out the series and win the Cup.

At the Helm

If the Wings win the Cup, Darren Helm will become the player who’s won the Cup in each of his first two seasons while playing the fewest number of regular-season games. Helm has appeared in 23 NHL regular-season games, and Game 6 of the final would be his 39th Stanley Cup game.

“We were just in a situation cap-wise that we couldn’t keep him,” Babcock explained of why Helm spent all but 16 games this season with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. “He’ll be on our team next year.”