Yawn. It’s spring again, so of course the Detroit Red Wings are back in the playoffs for the 23rd straight season—the longest active streak in North American professional sports. They did it a bit differently this year, though—a record number of injuries forced Detroit to rely on rookies and young players at a greater rate than they have in any recent season.
It was touch and go there for a minute, but at the end of the day, Mike Babcock’s club will be raring to go when the playoff puck drops, and as he says, “we’ll be a tough out.” Here’s a glimpse at just how far they’ve come since this whole thing began so long ago…