NHL: Stanley Cup seems to be at home in Detroit

PITTSBURGH - From Bowman to Babcock, Yzerman to Lidstrom, the Detroit Red Wings have this Stanley Cup thing all figured out.

Free-market spending or salary-cap shackles, it doesn't matter in Hockeytown, where the Cup will reside for the fourth time in 11 seasons.

"Well, the news is since the cap world, everybody's good," coach Mike Babcock said Wednesday night after the Red Wings eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. "We played four tough series. I can't remember who we played last, it seemed so long ago, but they're all good."

That is exactly the point in the world of the Red Wings, an Original Six franchise with 11 Stanley Cup titles. It really makes no difference who the opponent is because they are going to play their game and make whatever club is on the other side adapt to them.

Nashville went out in six games; Colorado exited in four; Dallas and Pittsburgh posed some threats but never put Detroit on the ropes facing a must-win contest. They both were gone in six games, too, and the common theme is that each club was knocked out on home ice.

With Nicklas Lidstrom anchoring a solid defensive front, and Henrik Zetterberg - the Conn Smythe Trophy winner - and linemate Pavel Datsyuk showing that their checking is every bit as impressive as their scoring touch, the Red Wings are virtually impenetrable.

Well, they would be if they ever decided to give up the puck in the first place.

"Hopefully, this will teach our young kids how to win," said Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux, a two-time champion with Pittsburgh in the early 1990s. "Hopefully, next time we'll do much better."

Even with a slew of young players like captain Sidney Crosby, fellow forward Evgeni Malkin, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and teenager Jordan Staal, there is no guarantee that the Penguins will be poised to make another run next year.

Crosby is signed for five years and big money, but the bill on the others is coming due in the next two seasons. A new arena will give the Penguins a necessary financial infusion, taking away the issue that nearly cost Pittsburgh its team on several occasions, but now it is cap dollars creating the problem.

The Penguins are facing the prospect of losing key players Marian Hossa, Brooks Orpik and Ryan Malone to free agency.

That makes the Red Wings' semi-dynasty even more impressive.

They captured the Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002 in the old financial landscape where all-stars and Hall of Famers could be stockpiled. Steve Yzerman was a fixture who was complemented by other luminaries such as Sergei Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan.

They even had Scotty Bowman behind the bench as he added to his astounding total of nine NHL championships.

Lidstrom is joined by Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty as the gang of five to be with the Red Wings for each of their four most recent titles. Chris Osgood has been a part of three, including as the starting goalie for the 1998 run.

"We've proven that under the new system, where it's more of an even playing field, that the team has really responded well," said Lidstrom, the first European captain of a Stanley Cup winner.

Ratings.

Television ratings for the decisive game of the Stanley Cup Finals were double the last Game 6, in 2006.

Detroit's clinching victory drew a 4.4 overnight rating and a 7 share on NBC, the network said yesterday. The Game 6 between Edmonton and Carolina two years ago earned a 2.2.