It took them six games to do it and it would have been way cooler had they won it at The Joe, but on Wednesday night the Detroit Red Wings stunned a Penguins crowd to finally put an end to the NHL season by winning the 2008 Stanley Cup (by a score of 3-2). This is Detroit’s fourth National Hockey League Cup win in 11 years. They’ve also won the President’s trophy six times and the Clarence Campbell Bowl (as the Western Conference champions) five times.

With the win, Nicklaus Lidstrom became the first European-born and trained captain of an NHL team to hoist the Stanley Cup, while Henrik Zetterberg became only the second European player to win the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoffs MVP. Lidstrom was the first in 2002.

And so Hockeytown, USA lives on. Any guess as to what the odds are on Detroit to win the 2009 Stanley Cup? Pretty good, I would imagine.

The first round of the NHL playoffs ended with a bang Tuesday night. In a pair of Game 7 clinchers, the Philadelphia Flyers (+145) beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 in overtime, and then the San Jose Sharks (-185) chased Miikka Kiprusoff from the net in a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames.

The Flyers’ win means they’ll face the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the New York Rangers, who dusted off their suburban rivals from New Jersey in just five games. Pittsburgh leads all teams in playoff profit after the first round with 6.65 units, courtesy of a four-game sweep of the Senators. The Pens covered all four games against the spread.

In the West, the Sharks avoided the golf course and earned themselves a second-round matchup with the Dallas Stars, thus ensuring the latest chapter in the Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche saga will be written. Get the foil.

Mats Sundin may be staying in Toronto for a while longer, but Tuesday’s frenzy at the NHL trade deadline made up for that disappointing non-event.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were 12-1 to win the Stanley Cup at press time; they might be the new best team in the East after shipping Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a 2008 first-rounder to Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. It’s an excellent trade down the road for the Thrashers, but it’s go time right now in Pittsburgh.

Tuesday’s other blockbuster saw the Tampa Bay Lightning finally move one of their many scorers for a reliable goaltender. Tampa Bay dealt Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist to Dallas for Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern, and a fourth-round pick. The Stars may have been better off trading Marty Turco, but getting Richards on board makes Dallas a strong Stanley Cup value pick at 15-1.

With the second half of the regular season under way here then is a preview of which teams will be separating themselves from the rest of the pack:

1. Detroit: Having already set a franchise record for points in the first half of the season the Red Wings are strong Stanley Cup contenders.
2. Pittsburgh: Crosby and Conklin continue to work wonders with their team.
3. Calgary: Iginla continues to show why he should win this years MVP.
4. San Jose: Boring to watch, but tough to beat.
5. Philadelphia: Are the Broad Street Bullies back?
6. Ottawa: On par with last season’s run.
7. New Jersey: Contenders but they need to pick up their pace.
8. Vancouver: Luongo continues to inspire this team towards the finish line.
9. Montreal: No regulation losses since Christmas.
10. Nashville: Strong play against teams in the superior Western Conference.

Yes, it’s awfully early in the year to be calling the NHL champions. But we do this for a reason: to praise the Detroit Red Wings as clearly, overwhelmingly, the best team in the league this season.

Every once in a while, you get a team that has it all: goaltending, scoring, team defense, youthful energy, veteran savvy, depth and smart coaching. Detroit has these things in spades. The Red Wings were at the top of the league standings at press time at 31-8-3, going 22-20 against the spread and avoiding the chalk monsters at 12.36 units in the black – third-best in the NHL behind upstarts Boston and Columbus.

The Red Wings have a goal differential of plus-1.38. Ottawa, the best team in the Eastern Conference and a favorite to return to the Stanley Cup finals, is far behind in second at plus-0.83. And this dominant performance by Detroit is coming out of the superior Western Conference. Game over.

Those of us who have artificial ice coursing through our veins are looking forward to making a mint on the NHL futures market. But you don’t have to be a puckhead to make a sharp hockey bet once the football season is over. Consider these five possibilities for 2008:

Detroit to win the Stanley Cup: The Red Wings are outstanding at every position, two deep in net, and have steamrolled the competition thus far.

Ottawa to win the Eastern Conference: The Senators had a little dry spell there, but are back on track and clearly the beasts of the East.

Nicklas Lidstrom to win the Norris Trophy: Nearly as automatic as when Bobby Orr was in his prime.

Alexander Ovechkin to win the Maurice Richard Trophy: Heating up, and so are his linemates.

Denis Savard to win the Jack Adams: Having Patrick Kane on your team makes you look pretty smart.

What the heck’s going on here? Philadelphia, Carolina and Columbus are all kicking ass in the NHL. Anaheim, New Jersey and the Rangers are all sucking wind. What’s a hockey bettor to do?

Get used to it. This is life under the salary cap. NFL bettors know all about parity, how some teams can go from the penthouse to the outhouse and back again. The dynasties of old are no more, and non-traditional hockey markets like the Carolinas are winning Stanley Cups.

This may or may not be “wrong,” depending on your hockey worldview. But here’s what I don’t like about the league, and it’s the same problem with the NBA: that ugly corporate smell. It’s in their insipid marketing, their continuous expansion that robs the game of its quality level, and their unending grab of taxpayer money to finance new arenas. The ugly ownership mess surrounding the Predators speaks volumes. But it’s always been this way, hasn’t it?

And while we’re talking about what’s wrong with the NHL, how about a little something about what’s right- depending on whether you enjoy brutishness or not.  For you then, rafish hockey fan, some fist’a'cuffs on video.