By Mitchell Gatzke

Although no one down here in Ohio seems to care about hockey whatsoever, in Detroit the Red Wings are a pretty big deal.

Considered by many to be not only the best organization in National Hockey League but all of sports, the Red Wings hold the best record in hockey this year. This is mostly due to their nearly flawless protection of their home ice.

The Wings have won 24 of their 27 home games this season including an NHL record 23 straight. The record had been held by the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and the 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers before the Wings eclipsed that mark with their 3-1victory over the Dallas Stars.

Pavel Datsuyk leads the team and is eighth in the league in scoring with fifteen goals and 42 assists for a total of 57 points.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Howard has put his name in the conversation for best goalie in the league this year. Howard boasts a 2.03 goals against average with thirty two wins, including five shutouts.

However, a broken thumb has kept him out of the lineup since he suffered the injury on Feb. 2. Luckily for the Wings and their fans, Joey MacDonald has been a great fill-in during Howard's absence with four wins in five games started.

This record is great, there is reason to celebrate it but at the end of the day it means nothing if it's not accompanied by a Stanley Cup Championship this season.

Red Wings fans have become somewhat spoiled by all the success their team experiences. It is almost as though no one truly cares about the regular season, they simply take for granted they will see their team in the playoffs and won't tune in until then.

There is good reason for this. The Red Wings have another streak going for them right now, twenty consecutive seasons in which they have made the playoffs. During this stretch, they have won Lord Stanley's Cup four times, including back to back championships in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

This all being said, it will be interesting to see how the Detroit Red Wings adjust to all that is going on with them right now, from their starting net minder being injured to breaking a long-standing record.

Even with all this, there will still be the same expectations placed upon them. Stanley Cup or bust.