The Red Wings and their hype machine

If one has been following the Detroit Red Wings' first round playoff series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, it really has become comical. No, not the teams or the quality of play -- both have been very good -- but rather some of the Detroit area media hype. Talk about overreach.......

Before the series started, most considered TB the superior team, including the Detroit media. It would be an UPSET of monumental proportions if the Wings could prevail.

During Game 1, when the Wings were outplayed, outshot, and out-everything else, they somehow squeaked out an improbable victory. The media said, Holy Lord Stanley, these guys won't go down without a fight. Well, no kidding and let's hope so. Waving the white flag of surrender and forfeiting the rest of the series while ahead 1-0 would have been quite the story indeed.

The Wings were thumped in Game 2. The media said, yes, but TB isn't such a good road team. Big time advantage for the Winged Wheelers.

They would win Game 3 at home to go up 2-1. The media said the Wings were showing their "pedigree". While I'm not sure exactly how a comparison to dogs is relevant, and further considering most of their players are foreign born, this was a confusing analogy.

Alas, while ahead for most of Game 4, the Wings would fold in the final minutes, only to lose in overtime. The media said it was a collapse of epic proportions. Can their death knell be far behind?

On to Game 5. The Wings posted a convincing 4-0 shutout in TB to go up 3-2 in the series. The media said Detroit was the "gold standard" of the NHL all along. They haven't won a Cup in over a decade and some star players have taken less money to play elsewhere in the meantime -- hardly a ringing endorsement from those that matter most -- but the spinmeisters got busy again. The series should be over, they say, save for a few minutes back in Game 4. Perhaps, but they seem to forget about the "stolen" Game 1, else it might be 3-2 the other way. In such situations, the media always talks about their team "having their backs against the wall" and/or facing "do or die time". Funny, yours truly never quite equated an NHL playoff hockey series to a firing squad, but to each their own.

Now the Wings go back home for Game 6 with a chance to close it out in front of their raucous fans at Joe Louis Arena.

Here's a prediction you can pretty well count on -- somebody's going to win and somebody's going to lose that game.

If Detroit prevails, their media might well call it "destiny" and start looking up more "puh-leeze" sound bytes of the greatness variety to apply to their next series. It can't just be hockey games. Oh no. The media insists it has to be of maximum importance, the ultimate roller coaster ride, as if life in Detroit (such as it is) depends on the Wings success.

But if TB comes into Joe Louis and wins Game 6 to even the series at 3-3, entirely possible, the media will no doubt attempt to prepare Red Wings fans for the doom that may await them. They had their chance at salvation, but are now facing Armageddon. Did I mention "puh-leeze"?

Here's hoping there's a Game 7, just to see what the media will come up with. If the Wings win and move on, we'll likely hear and read about "character", "playoff experience", "a comeback for the ages", and with apologies to John Wayne, maybe even "true grit".

But if they lose, the media will play the card they always play in such situations. To wit:

"Though they gave a valiant effort, the Wings weren't really expected to beat TB".

And if THAT happens, yours truly would have a couple questions. Well OK, so what the hell was all that crazy roller coaster hype about -- from destiny and the gold standard to being on the losing end of nuclear war? Further, does the media really believe this stuff themselves, or just try and sell it to the gullible masses?

Here's wishing the Red Wings all the best, but if they wind up losing this series, it's a pretty safe bet the populace in Detroit isn't going to start jumping out of tall buildings or bulldoze their entire city to start over -- though that's a thought.

It's a hockey series. Somebody's going to win and somebody's going to lose. Before the playoffs are over, every team but one is going to taste defeat. The high quality of play between various teams along the way is certainly to be appreciated, but can we have a little slack when it comes to the ridiculous hype?

Idle thought: There was much media hand-wringing over Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek starting in the nets. After all, he had no playoff experience, the pundits said. This was always a stupid over-hyped premise. What difference does it make whether it's a playoff game or one back in January? It's still the same game. Guys skating on ice with sticks trying to put a puck in the net. Most goals in any given game wins. And it's not like the net gets any bigger just because it's a playoff game. Either he performs well as a goalie or he doesn't. So far, Mrazek has been quite good.

And don't look now, but when's the last time you heard or read the name Jimmy Howard? The long-time Red Wing goalie has been kicked to the curb by the media. Such is the plight of goalies. Win a few games and be a star. Lose a few games and have a kid get hot in your place -- and you're forgotten faster than Mitt Romney or a runner up on Jeopardy. It's a tough, fickle business being an NHL goaltender, running for President, or trying to outsmart a couple other geeks on a trivia show.

Be it athletes, politicians, or game show participants, there's always somebody giving you competition and breathing down your neck. If you slip just a little, they just might take your place.

Pity it doesn't work the same way with the media.

Hmm. Considering many of them have heads bigger than Barry Bonds, maybe THEY should be routinely tested for performance enhancing drugs for some of the over the top hype they continue to come up with.