Detroit Red Wings

As the New Jersey Devils slip and slide their way into the postseason, they look like a very tired and worn out squad.

Ever since Martin Brodeur broke Patrick Roy's record for career victories, the Devils have been struggling to get into the win column.

At the same time, over the past two weeks the Detroit Red Wings have struggled to maintain the winning form that led them to the top of their division standings. 

He's had a horrible season by any measure. A goals-against average of 3.18, a save percentage of .884—numbers that rank him 42nd, and 45th in the NHL, respectively.

These are the worst numbers of Chris Osgood's long career.

No one seems to know what has happened to the Osgood of last season, who was a top 10 goalie in the NHL and won the Jennings trophy with a 2.04 GAA and .914 save percentage—numbers that actually improved during the Wings' Stanley Cup run.

When I think of best performances by an old athlete, I find myself drawn to one name.

When I first started watching hockey the announcers at the time were letting me know that Gordie Howe was in the twilight of his career.

The year was 1970.

The year before, at 40 years of age, he had finished third in the scoring race with 44 goals and 103 points.

The Grand Old Man Of Hockey is "Mr. Hockey", himself, Gordie Howe. He played in the NHL and WHA until age 51 and made a celebrity comeback with the Detroit Vipers when he was almost 70.

Claude Lemieux made a comeback this year, rejoining the NHL at age 44, but Chris Chelios is the oldest player active in the NHL at 46.

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As a young child growing up in Newton, Massachusetts the Boston Bruins were my first love.

The post-lockout years have been grim for the NHL. Having lost its place on ESPN, the league has broadcast mainly on the Outdoor Life Network (now Versus) and has lost a lot of recognition in the United States.

That being said, the 2005-06 season brought two bright spots that have been slowly bringing hockey back to the U.S.: Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

For the casual hockey fan, the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry is fun, fascinating, and a reason to tune in to the coolest game on Earth.

After a loss to Calgary Monday night, Detroit came into Edmonton looking for a win to boost themselves back towards the top of the Western Conference. With a third period comeback to beat Edmonton 3-2, they regained the lead in the Western Conference from the San Jose Sharks.

Both teams came out looking strong, but it was Edmonton scoring first from a rocket slapshot by Denis Grebeshkov on the powerplay that gave his team a 1-0 lead in the first period.

Detroit continued to have great chances, but couldn't seem to get it past Roloson, who played very strong all night.