Pat Caputo: The Red Wings Showed Their True Colors - And So Did Joe Thornton
There have been many open-ended questions recently regarding the Red Wings.
There was the question of skill. In the first three games of their Western Conference semifinal series against San Jose, the Sharks were just a little better in every facet than the Red Wings.
There was the question of will. It just seemed like the Sharks, who have a long history of faltering in the playoffs, just wanted it more.
There was the question of goaltending. Jimmy Howard was very good in net for the Red Wings during the first three games of the series, yet it still wasn't good enough.
But the Red Wings should never be underestimated. They have displayed time after time why. They did again Sunday night when they beat the Sharks, forcing Game 6 Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena.
The Red Wings were down both 3-1 in the game and the series Sunday. They won the game, 4-3. Will they do the same in the series with an improbable comeback?
The collective psyche of the Red Wings and Sharks are on opposite ends of the spectrum. You can sense the lack of killer instinct on behalf of the Sharks, whose desperation, even up two games in the series, was measured Sunday by the antics of their captain, Joe Thornton. Not only did he slash the Red Wings' Johan Franzen on his injured ankle, but he flopped to the ice like he was withering in pain after Franzen tapped him on the shin guards in retaliation.
Once called the greatest player in the world by the self-proclaimed patriarch of manly-man Canadian hockey, Don Cherry, Thornton is supposed to symbolize toughness and grit, the so-called Gordie Howe hat trick (goal-assist-fight) about to happen. Instead, it was as if he was trying to draw a yellow card. He'd better hope the tape of the incident is not allowed across the border for hockey fans from "across Canada and Newfoundland" to see, otherwise the next time Thornton plays for the Canadian national team, they'll insist he don a pink maple leaf on the front of his sweater and change his name on back to "FIFA.
