2002 Western Conference Finals

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Discuss)

The NHL 2002 Western Conference Finals was a hockey series between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings.

Media attention

The series attracted media attention because of the rivalry between the teams and the superiority of the two teams over the rest of the league. There were many future Hall of Famers on the two teams, including Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Dominik Hasek, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Rob Blake, and Adam Foote among others.

Game play

The Red Wings won Game 1 at home, 5-3, on an improbable natural hat trick by Darren McCarty. McCarty had been a main factor in the rivalry between the Wings and Avs, becoming so when he avenged his friend Kris Draper, pummelling Claude Lemieux at centre ice at Joe Louis Arena in revenge for a hit from behind on Draper.

The Avalanche bounced back to win Game 2 in overtime when Chris Drury beat Dominik Hasek. At the Pepsi Center in Denver for Game 3, the Red Wings won Game 3, also in overtime, when Fredrik Olausson beat Patrick Roy. But again Colorado bounced back, winning Game 4 by a score of 3-2 and tying the series 2-2.

The series returned to Detroit for Game 5 and hype was surrounding the game. Goals by Steven Reinprecht for Colorado and Steve Yzerman for Detroit had the game tied 1-1 in the closing minutes. Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan had a chance to put the game away in the closing minutes and had Roy out of the net, but Shanahan's shot hit the post and the game remained tied. The game went to overtime, and it seemed like the Red Wings were going to win, but an odd-man rush resulted in a Peter Forsberg goal and a Colorado win. Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman called the officiating into question after the game; he believed that one Avalanche player was offside on the winning goal. The Avalanche took the series lead, 3-2, and the series went back to Denver for Game 6, where the Avalanche could eliminate Detroit with a win.

Game 6 was very intense throughout. This game is known for having one of the most memorable moments in the great Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry. Late in the first period, with the score tied 0-0, Patrick Roy made a remarkable save on Red Wing captain Steve Yzerman. Roy was known throughout his career as a goaltender who had supreme confidence in himself, which was often viewed as extreme arrogance by his opponents. After the save on Yzerman, Roy lifted his glove into the air, which Detroit fans thought was bragging. However, Roy did not have the puck in his glove, and did not realize it until Brendan Shanahan had pushed it into the goal. The Red Wings would go on to win the game 2-0 and tie the series 3-3. The media attention surrounding Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena was the greatest of any game during the 2002 season, and many expected a low scoring goaltender showdown between Roy and Hasek. However, the showdown never materialized. The Red Wings scored four goals in the first period scored by Tomas Holmstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Luc Robitaille, and Steve Duchesne. The Red Wings would score two more goals early in the second period by Brett Hull and Olausson, and Colorado was forced to take Roy out of the game. The Red Wings would go on to win the game 7-0, and the series 4-3.

There is some dispute over why the Avalanche lost so badly.

Analysis

Most agree that Colorado's injuries and fatigue were too much to overcome. Detroit would go on to win the Stanley Cup over the Carolina Hurricanes in 5 games. Another factor could have been the late-season trade which sent younger, healthier Shjon Podein to St. Louis for the veteran leadership of former Avalanche Mike Keane. While Keane had won a Cup with Colorado in 1996 and another one in Dallas in 1999, he was not able to reprise his third-line grit and timely scoring touch (1 goal in 18 games), and was a downgrade from the energetic Podein who was a valuable member of the Avs' 2001 Cup squad.

In addition, the trade-deadline acquisition of notorious defenseman Darius Kasparaitis did not pay off as expected; Kasparaitis was out-of-place needing to play more of a focused defensive role in a matchup with a great Detroit team, instead of being the relatively undisciplined head-hunter on which he staked his reputation.

Overall, the Red Wings were an absolute juggernaut in 2002. They boasted the most wins and points in the NHL, the second-most goals in the Western Conference, and a lineup which saw few weaknesses in talent or depth. The fact that Colorado was able to win three games in the series is a testament to how well the veterans and young kids meshed under fire. That year, unlike 1996 and 1997, the Red Wings were clearly the better team coming in, and beyond any Avalanche miscues, showed why they would be Cup winners.

This series effectively ended the rivalry between the two teams. Many of the key players who had been at the heart of the rivalry in the late 90s were gone or on their way out. Claude Lemieux had already been traded to New Jersey, and Darren McCarty would leave the Red Wings after the 2004 season. Patrick Roy would retire after one more season as an Av. Adam Foote would also leave the Avs, and at the same time Hasek retired and Sergei Fedorov would soon leave for Anaheim. Currently, almost all key players are off the Avs and Wings, such as Yzerman, Shanahan, Forsberg, and Blake.

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