DETROIT -- When Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland sat down this past offseason to plan out his approach, he had one simple goal:
He wanted to win.
I know, weird.
His team has made the playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons, a streak unheard of in hockey these days. In all of sports, really. Holland wants a 26th. He just wasn't willing to concede the Eastern Conference to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals or Pittsburgh Penguins -- or willing to make way for young teams making strides in the East like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.