NHL/LNH : happy end.

The NHL may have a better Stanley Cup Winner than it deserves.

Classy: the word rarely pops to mind when one thinks about hockey, but the Detroit West Wings really look like a class act, on and off the ice.

It is quite refreshing that the Stanley Cup winner also be the last team in the league for fights.

Also quite refreshing that, notwishtanding all predictions to the contrary at the start of each series, that the better team, rather than the better goaltender, consistently won throughout the play offs.

Goaltenders were as good as their teams rather than the other way around. Lundqvist looked great agains the Devils, then came the Penguins... Price looked great against the Bruins, then came the Flyers... Biron looked great against the Habs, then came the Penguins... Not to mention, in the West, Theodore, Giguere, Turco, who all eventually went to the bottom with their team.

To return to the Red Wings : what about a Swedish dynasty in the NHL ?

With a Spanish zest : the Red Wings control the puck pretty much like F.C. Barcelona, in a good day, control the football.

And suddenly, the game against the boards and forechecking for the sake of forechecking look pretty much like past its prime kick and run and tackle English soccer.

(PM)