Wings want 1 for the thumb

Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom, Kris Draper, and Kirk Maltby helped Detroit beat the Penguins in the finals last year and also hoisted the Cup in 2002, 1998, and 1997.

Draper, though, couldn't bring himself to share his thoughts on what it would mean to carve out his own spot in Red Wings lore.

"To really talk about something that hasn't happened yet, is not easy to do that," Draper said yesterday, a day after Pittsburgh's 2-1 win forced Game 7 in Detroit. "For now, there's a lot of work to be done."

Darren McCarty, who also played for the previous four Cup winners in Detroit, is still with the team but played just 13 regular-season games and hasn't suited up in the playoffs.

A player must play at least 40 regular-season games or at least one game in the Stanley Cup final to get his name on the Cup. Teams can petition the league to allow a player that didn't meet those requirements to get his name on the Cup.

Several players helped the Red Wings win four championships, including Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, who hoisted four Cups in the 1950s.

Only two road teams have won in 14 Game 7s: Montreal in 1971 and Toronto in 1945.

The checking-line forward, who had 15 goals and 35 points during the regular season, had a goal and an assist Tuesday night.

Kennedy's entire line was key in Game 6. Center Jordan Staal got the other goal, and the unit, which includes Matt Cooke, played well in shutting down Detroit's top line of Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Dan Cleary.

"I think offense starts in the defensive zone, and we played well defensively," Kennedy said. "I think I had a meeting when we played Washington, when I played against [Alexander] Ovechkin it really showed me what I need to do out there. That's what I'm trying to do, trying to keep their guys out of our end and keep the pucks in their end."