Before I start, a couple of disclaimers for the Red Wings fans about to say that they are still great even though they are getting up there in age and that all of their veterans still have enough to get them deep in the playoffs. And to that I have one comment:
I agree.
But, the truth of the matter is that the team is getting older, and there is a steep law of diminishing returns when discussing experience of a veteran, in that the older they get, their skills decrease faster than the increase in experience gained, except for players that are cyborgs or some sort of non-human entity(see Nick Lidstrom).
We will start with last season. During last season, it seemed as though the Grand Rapids AHL team was playing for most of the season, yet the Wings still found a way into the postseason, and did so in a strong manner. Despite the early postseason exit, which I attribute to age as well as a reduction in team chemistry because no solid lines were formed during the season, the fact they made the the playoffs at all says something of Mike Babcock.
Last season, the Wings lost 307 man-games due to injury. A man-game is ...
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Article written by John Gallo
Detroit Red Wings: Hurting From Age and Only Getting Worse
October 15th, 2010 by John Gallo Leave a reply »
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