Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

What a difference a year makes.

Last year the Wings were reeling after being eliminated in only 5 games in the first round of the NHL playoffs.  A month later the best defenseman of his generation called it quits.

Next, Brad Stuart, Jiri Hudler, and Tomas Holmstrom flew the coop, and pundits began to question how even a storied franchise like the Red Wings could ever overcome such significant losses.

Detractors said Detroit was no longer a desired destination for star players after being given the old cold shoulder during NHL free agency last summer.  Ken Holland was criticized for not pulling the trigger on a deadline deal this season.

Whispers that the Dead Wings era was once again upon us were turning into full-blown shouts.  Traditionally, Detroit has proven to be one of the most resilient franchises in all of professional sports, but even for them this was a tall task.

Then, the regular season began and Detroit looked exactly like experts said they would for the first 44 games of the year.

But, in game 45 something clicked for the Red Wings.

Henrik Zetterberg put the team on his back, and let it be known that Detroit wasn’t missing the playoffs during his tenure as captain.  Jimmy Howard put his net on lockdown, Danny DeKeyser plugged the leak on Detroit’s blueline, Mike Babcock put on his coaching cap, and the rest of the team put on their hard helmets and went to work.

Just like that, the Wings were in the playoffs for a 22^nd consecutive season.

Detroit had every excuse to miss the playoffs, but they didn’t make any… it’s not the Red Wing way.

Instead, they hopped on a plane, flew out to California, won 3 overtime games, and upset the 2^nd place Anaheim Ducks in round one.  Almost everyone predicted a Blackhawk beat down in round two, but the Wings dug in and took a 3-1 series lead over the NHL’s kingpin.

A Brent Seabrook blast may have ended Detroit’s season, but it didn’t end their reason for optimism, for what looks to be a very bright future.  Without a doubt the first two rounds served as a crash course for Red Wing rookies on what NHL playoff hockey is all about: intensity, puck battles, timely scoring, and sacrifice.

Consider it a lesson learned because Detroit’s youngest players passed this test with flying colours.  In particular, the third line of Gustav Nyquist, Joakim Andersson, and Damien Brunner made significant progress.  They scored huge goals in both series, including two overtime goals, and were the Wings’ most dependable postseason line on a lot of nights.

Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

As well, Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl made important strides in their careers as impactful NHL caliber defensemen.  Mike Babcock showed a ton of faith in them by utilizing both in every critical situation.

These valuable experiences can’t be understated as this new generation of Red Wings moves forward.

Yet, we haven’t even touched on the success of Detroit’s AHL farm team this season. The Grand Rapids Griffins are currently battling in the Western Conference Finals, doggedly pursuing a Calder Cup title.

Future Red Wings like: Tomas Tatar, Landon Ferraro, Riley Sheahan, Petr Mrazek, and Tomas Jurco lie in wait, ready to make their mark for the big club when called upon.

So, as much as things change in Detroit the more they stay the same.  When it’s time for a veteran player to step aside, a younger player is always ready to fill that role because he’s been thoroughly schooled in Detroit doctrine since joining the organization.

In Detroit, the roster may change, but the Red Wing way of life stays the same.

If the last 22 seasons have proven anything, it’s this: in Hockeytown you don’t buy success… you breed it.

May 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Dave Bolland (36) scuffles with Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader (8) during the second period in game one of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

You aren’t going to hear any of them admit it in interviews, but the Chicago Blackhawks are frustrated.

How could they not be? They now trail 2-1 in their second round series with the Detroit Red Wings, a team that had to battle just to make the playoffs while they skated to the Presidents’ Trophy.

These are the same Red Wings, at least on paper, who they swept during four regular season meetings, including a 7-1 shellacking in Detroit. Now all of a sudden they’re headed into a Game 4 which, if not exactly a must win, is pretty darn close.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

And that’s without considering how the Blackhawks must feel about the way they lost Game 3, hitting the iron on three good scoring chances while watching Jimmy Howard stop almost everything that was on net. You already know they’re still steaming about the questionable goalie interference call on Andrew Shaw that wiped out an apparent game-tying goal.

With that in mind, the Red Wings have to be prepared for a Blackhawks team that is going to come out guns a-blazing on Thursday night. That means matching their speed and intensity, which were on display early in Game 3, as well as continuing to commit to the physical game. Chicago was out-hit 28-22 on Monday night but isn’t likely to allow that to happen again in a “backs against the wall” situation.

But based on the way every clock stoppage in the final two minutes turned into a scrum, the most important thing the Wings can do in Game 4 is to keep their cool. They can’t let the likes of Shaw and Bryan Bickell get to them, and with five-on-five play mostly going their way, they absolutely need to stay out of the penalty box.

Even with the return of Drew Miller giving the penalty killing unit a boost, the Blackhawks have looked much more dangerous with the man advantage so far. The best way to combat that is to avoid having the Chicago PP on the ice, which means playing smart and turning the other cheek if necessary.

Granted, the Wings don’t have too many guys known for taking retaliatory calls, but a few come to mind. Justin Abdelkader needs the edge to his game to be effective, but he can be goaded into penalties from time to time. Several members of the defense corps, including Kyle Quincey and Brendan Smith, can be drawn into some extracurricular activities too, and it will be vital for Niklas Kronwall to lead that group by example.

That doesn’t mean getting pushed around. More than one hockey commentator thinks that part of Detroit’s success so far is due to playing a tougher game than Chicago expected and/or prefers to play. It just calls for keeping cool as much as possible, even as the intensity of the series gets ratcheted up another notch.

In other words, Game 4 isn’t the time to do anything stupid. All the pressure, and yes, frustration, has shifted to the Blackhawks over the last two games. The best way to keep it there is to play smart hockey, pay the agitators no mind, and hopefully send them back to the Windy City down 3-1 and even more perplexed about how it all went wrong.