Good night, good night

Next season, the Red Wings are going back to the Eastern Conference, where they belong. But first, we will be treated to one last playoff series between the Red Wings and the Blackhawks. Over the 86 years these teams have been in the NHL, they've played each other more than any other two teams in the league (725). Chicago has made the playoffs 58 times, won the cup 4 times and is ahead in head-to-head playoff series wins against Detroit 8-7. Detroit has made the playoffs 61 times and has 11 Stanley Cups. These teams have immense history in which both fan bases take a great amount of pride. The players, too, understand there is something a little different about pulling on one of those red sweaters.

This has been a hard season to watch the Red Wings. The retirements, the missed free agents, the injuries. It all added up to inconsistent and sometimes excruciating performances. This is the first year Ken Holland had me seriously scratching my head. The Wings ended the regular season with more than $7 million in cap space. The trade for another top four defender never came. Holland and Mike Babcock talked openly about the strong chance of missing the playoffs.

I can understand why Holland played it conservative this year. The moves he's made (or mostly didn't make) will help in 2014. The salary cap will drop $6 million to $64.3 million next season, but Detroit will be $8 million under that before using any buyouts. This will give the team flexibility to re-sign important players, buyout under-performers, and even add to the roster. And we finally got a chance to see some of the prospects we've been hearing about for years.

But man did that mean there have been a lot of growing pains this season. As I watched the Red Wings drop games to middling teams, I almost wanted them to miss the playoffs. If you can't beat Calgary after they've stripped the team of its aging stars, do you belong in the playoffs? And apparently this is supposed to be one of the deepest drafts in years. Maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad thing to fall into the lottery.

But once again the GM is showing why he should get the benefit of the doubt. This team of veterans who are just a little too old, and rookies who are not quite old enough, has won me over. Franzen, Datsyuk and Zetterberg elevated their game. Zetterberg has 18 points in his last 11 games, when it was win or go home. Six rookies have already gotten their first playoff experience (Andersson, Brunner, Nyquist, Lashoff, Dekeyser, Smith). All of this and they've made it one round deeper into the playoffs than the team with Nick Lidstrom did a year ago.

And now Detroit has earned the opportunity to play maybe the best team in hockey. I wouldn't want it any other way. Chicago could very well be on its way to another cup. Locking horns with this team is the best way for those rookies to experience the caliber of competition required to reach 16 playoff wins.

I've looked at these teams from all the angles and Chicago is better in every way. It is not an accident that the Blackhawks are currently on a seven game winning streak against the Red Wings. Chicago scored 31 more goals in the regular season, and gave up 13 fewer. Detroit had a slightly better power play, but Chicago gave up the fewest power play goals in the league. Chicago was the better puck possession team.

My head tells me Detroit doesn't really have a shot, but my heart wants to see the Wings keep this improbable run going just a little bit longer. For so long these teams have mirrored each other, been the crack in the sidewalk they trip over, the raspberry seed stuck in the wisdom tooth. One last clash between these old Norris Division rivals before we say goodbye.