Likewise, Osgood looks at the Penguins and assesses their similarities to the younger, up-and-coming Wings. In the younger days, yeah. "(Wings captain) Stevie (Yzerman) wasn’t as young as Crosby, but I listen to Crosby talk and he talks like Stevie," Osgood said. "He’s a smart kid with a good head on his shoulders. Malkin, he’s kind of like (Sergei) Fedorov. They do have a lot of comparisons to our team from the early-to-mid 90s that won and came close to winning. They should have a great team and should be good for a long time."

Not than anybody should be ready to write the Red Wings off. They aren’t going anywhere, either. Don’t buy all this talk about the old Red Wings. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are in the prime of their careers.

"Everyone has to evolve," Babcock said. "Zetterberg is a better player than he was three years ago. Same with Pav. They’ve taken over our team. My first year here (2005-06), Stevie (Yzerman) and Shanny (Brendan Shanahan) were in charge up front. Now Z and Pav are in charge."

The key to Detroit’s success is that the Wings not only find players, they find ways to keep them around within a salary-cap structure. "I know players want to play here," Osgood said. "It’s not about being a big wig, it’s not about the money. Guys just want to win, or a lot of the guys still wouldn’t be here. Guys have had offers of more money to play somewhere else, but they stay here because they want to win."

Osgood left Detroit in 2001 and played with the Islanders and St. Louis Blues before returning as a free agent in 2005. "I know what it’s like," he said. "The grass isn’t greener. If anybody wants to ask me about it, I know what I’m going to tell them — don’t leave."

The Wings make it enjoyable to be around. Of course, winning tends to put a smile on everyone’s face. Detroit general manager Ken Holland is astute at performing his task and is as skilled a hockey executive as there is, but he’s a rarity among general managers in that he is close to the players and enjoys spending time with them. "He knows how to have fun," Babcock said. "Ken Holland sets an atmosphere here that the game’s a lot of fun and people are allowed to have fun and enjoy themselves. Sometimes hockey is all about we've got to work harder, we've got to grind harder, we've got to grind longer and it's not fun."

Could history repeat itself on both sides of the equation? Is another Red Wings-Penguins finals in the offing?

Why not?

The last time that happened, that both teams made return appearances in the finals, was that 1984 Oilers-Islanders rematch.

Proving their lessons were well learned, it was the Oilers who emerged triumphant the second time around.

As the Penguins will in 2009.

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