There was a time the Red Wings ruled this town.
Each game was dissected, examined and analyzed. Steve Yzerman was the top athlete. Yes, even above Barry Sanders.
It had been 40-plus years since the Red Wings hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup, and when they finally came through, the celebration was incredible.
It was big. Really big. Yes, even bigger than the Lions winning a playoff game.
But the warm, fuzzy feeling wasn't perpetual. Even though the Red Wings captured three more Cups the following decade, the hysteria gradually faded.
The thrilling play on the ice remained, but it became a bit old hat.
The hockey geeks were still ecstatic, but the general fan base in Detroit acted like, "Wake me when it's the conference finals."
Of course, the Red Wings had a quarter century of consecutive playoff appearances, which eventually was mocked as former general manager Ken Holland, who claimed a rebuild would take a decade, refused to accept the inevitable.
It made the ensuing years a wretched experience.
It's been since 2016 the Red Wings last made the playoffs. They haven't won a playoff series since 2012.
Yet, here it is, February about to turn to March, and the Red Wings, after a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over the powerful Avs Thursday, are positioned to make the playoffs.
Yzerman, now GM, had an excellent off season, retooling roughly half the Red Wings' roster. He has added bonafide star power in Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. He signed 31-year-old journeyman goalie, Alex Lyon, who has played at a high level.
Winger Lucas Raymond (21) and defenseman Moritz Seider (22) are among the best players their age in the world.
So the Red Wings are clearly headed in the right direction.
What will it take, though, to re-capture this town?
Let's face it, the Lions' enthralling playoff run sucked all the oxygen out of the room.
It was to this area what the Red Wings were those many years ago, even if the Lions were stopped short of a title. It had been such a long wait for a division title and a playoff victory. And it's the NFL, the king of sports.
Hockey is a niche sport, albeit a big one in this town. The joke that there are 30,000 hockey fans in Metro Detroit, and 19,000 show up at Little Caesars Arena, is trite.
The hockey freaks are clearly stroked by the Red Wings' blooming, but it hasn't grown yet.
Seems like the Red Wings are perceived as just a nice story, but haven't caught fire yet.
Perhaps it's too soon to expect Red Wings' frenzy.
But it will be interesting to see the reaction if they follow through and make the playoffs, especially if they were to win a series for the first time in more than a decade.
Will this town be excited about the Red Wings then? If not, when?
