September 6, 1999

TRAVERSE CITY -- Although the temptation to forget and escape was great, the urge to remember and learn ultimately proved stronger. So Steve Yzerman watched the 1999 Stanley Cup finals on television.

It wasn't easy. These were the first finals in three years that didn't include the Red Wings.

And that was precisely the intent. The hurt of defeat might restore the hunger for victory.

"Since we had played so much hockey the last five years, I originally just wanted to get away from the season," Yzerman said. "But I made myself watch and I found myself being very critical of everything. 'That guy isn't any good!' 'We could've done better than that!' 'Why weren't we there?' It makes you mad about losing what you once had, a feeling that you hope is shared by others."

The Wings' past season of discontent is what happens when gratification replaces starvation.

Attributing the Red Wings' season-ending four straight losses to Colorado as merely a tired team running out of gas is too convenient. The Wings' woes were mental more than physical, and they didn't suddenly appear after the Wings took a 2-0 series lead over the Avalanche. You can trace the first sign of such emotional flat-lining to last year's training camp.

Some chose not to believe this feeling's existence, others pretended that the Wings' old championship resolve would eventually persevere. But there's no denying today that desire was lacking last season, so coach Scotty Bowman didn't wait beyond the team's first training camp meeting Sunday to lay down the rules as only he can.

One day into training camp and Yzerman already sees a different mood.

"We needed a kick in the rear from the coaches," Yzerman said. "I'm looking forward to returning to where we were three or four years ago when we not only found a way to win, but we did it in a stingy way defensively."

During their two-year Cup reign, the Wings applied a defensive death grip around the opposition's throats, often limiting their foes to 15 shots on goal a game rather than a period. They were consistently ranked among the league's top five in goals-against average. Last season, they elevated their goals-against average from a disgraceful 21st in the league earlier in the season to a respectable 10th by its conclusion.

But merely reaching a respectable level of play doesn't keep Lord Stanley's chalice in your trophy case for long.

Getting back to the mountaintop is a greater challenge than reaching it the first time. You become content. You get comfortable.

"We got lazy," Yzerman said matter-of-factly.

In this time of self-evaluation, few could disagree with the Captain's assessment. It appears that the Wings understand nothing is guaranteed. The highest payroll doesn't ensure a championship date with destiny, especially if attention to detail and the commitment to excellence don't attain a similarly high plateau.

"The challenge is probably greater now," said Nicklas Lidstrom, the newest addition to the sports world's Dow Jones 500. "The motivation to win has always been there, but last year showed that that isn't enough sometimes. You have to go back to what got you there in the first place."

Bowman is ready to take the Wings back there. He missed last year's training camp while recuperating from angioplasty and knee-replacement surgery. He looks invigorated after spending an enjoyable couple of months away from the game, even spending some time in Scotland, where he attended his first British Open.

And he made sure Sunday he established his presence early, forcefully driving home the point about defense.

"I don't think that you can just point to the Colorado series, because we had experienced some difficulties throughout the season," Bowman said. "But because that's the way our season ended, that's what some people are going to remember most about last season."

Yzerman considered the Avalanche debacle a humbling experience. In the span of four games, the Wings went from the talk of the league, a team mentioned in the same breath as some of the great dynasties in NHL history, to an afterthought, an earlier loser than expected in the race in which advancing age usually wins.

"I don't know if getting too comfortable is inevitable," Yzerman said, "but it's probably not surprising that after having the success we had, you start to forget about the little things that got you there. You start to think that everything will automatically come back to you like flicking on the light switch."

The bulb flickered and ultimately dimmed much sooner than anticipated, finding the Wings in training camp seeking illumination.

But first they have to ask themselves if they're honestly satisfied with what they've accomplished. If not, then that's the first sign that they're regaining the ravenous appetite that drove them to devour everything in sight until last season.