DETROIT — The defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings are going from a playoff-tested, big-and-feisty opponent to a team in the playoffs for the first time since 2002 that relies on speed and skill.
No problem? Not quite.
The Red Wings expect the Blackhawks to test them in the Western Conference finals just as much as Anaheim did in the second round.
That’s saying a lot because the Ducks pushed Detroit to a closely contested Game 7 on Thursday night in a series its coach, Mike Babcock, said was the best series he’s been in and some players insisted was one of the toughest of their careers.
“I think this is gonna be a tough one too,” Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.
The Original Six franchises will meet Sunday afternoon in Game 1, matching up in the playoffs for the first time since 1995 and the 15th time overall.
“I think it’s good for hockey and it’s fantastic for us that we get to play Chicago,” Babcock said Friday. “We played them in the Winter Classic, and now we’re among the four teams still playing hockey while 26 teams are sitting at home.”
The fourth-seeded Blackhawks eliminated Calgary and Vancouver in Game 6s and have been idle since beating the Canucks on Monday.
Chicago is in the conference finals for the first time since 1995, when it lost to the Red Wings.
The Eastern Conference finals, pitting the Penguins against the Hurricanes, begin Monday night in Pittsburgh.
Balsillie lines up sponsors for team
TORONTO — Jim Balsillie has announced two corporate sponsors in his bid to bring the financially troubled Coyotes to Canada.
The co-CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said Labatt Breweries and Home Hardware are the first “anchor corporate partners” to support his bid. Balsillie has made a $212.5 million offer for the Coyotes, conditional on moving the team to Ontario.
“What began as a grassroots movement to support bringing a seventh NHL club to Canada is now attaining critical mass,” Balsillie said.
A Phoenix bankruptcy judge will hear arguments Tuesday over who is currently in control of the Coyotes — majority owner Jerry Moyes, who favors the Balsillie bid, or the league, which argues Moyes signed over control to the NHL in exchange for money advanced to the franchise.
Richards undergoes surgery
PHILADELPHIA — Flyers captain Mike Richards has had surgery on his left shoulder and will need 10 weeks of rehabilitation. The Associated Press
