by Spector

Since 1994-95, the Red Wings have been to the Stanley Cup Final five times, winning four of them. They've also won the President's trophy as the top regular-season team six times and the Clarence Campbell Bowl as the Western Conference champions five times.

The cast of characters has changed in that period both on the ice and behind the bench but the one constant is the strength of their front office, which has been consistently able to draft, develop, acquire and retain the talent required to be an elite team.

The Wings are also the last team to win back-to-back Cup championships, in 1997 and 1998, and it's possible they could return to the Finals next season.

Unlike most Cup champions in recent years that tend to break apart due to free agency, most of this year's roster is under contract for next season. Management has the available cap space to retain key free agents like Brad Stuart, Chris Chelios and Valtteri Filppula and still bring in some additional depth.

Among players under contract are team captain Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Kronwall and Mikael Samuelsson, who formed the Swedish contingent so instrumental to Detroit's Cup run this season.

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

The Red Wings' dominant performance in this year's playoffs should put to rest, once and for all, the ridiculous myth that European players were too soft to lead a team to the Stanley Cup.

When Lidstrom took over the captaincy from the legendary Steve Yzerman in 2006 some critics wondered if he had what it took to lead the Red Wings back to championship glory.

In other words, was he too Swedish, too European, to be an effective team captain?

Lidstrom's performance over his long career, including his Smythe-winning turn in 2002, should've been enough proof of his worth, but his performance as the Wings captain over the last two years will silence those critics.

Zetterberg's performance, and that of countryman Franzen and Russian linemate Pavel Datsyuk, ranks among the best in NHL playoff history. Zetterberg and Datsyuk were the top forwards, as dominating defensively as they were offensively, while Franzen was the Wings' and the playoffs leading goal-scorer.

In this year's playoffs, five of the top six scorers were European, Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen among them.

So much for the big lie that European players lack the heart, desire and toughness to lead a team to the Stanley Cup.

As for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they'll face a tougher road back to the Final than the Red Wings.

Eight key players -- Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Brooks Orpik, Georges Laraque, Jarkko Ruutu, Pascal Dupuis and Adam Hall -- are eligible for UFA status in July, while goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is a restricted free agent and eligible to receive an offer sheet from a rival team if unsigned by July.

Although the Penguins front office has indicated it will spend more next season on salaries, it's doubtful the Pens can re-sign those free agents to long-term deals and still have enough cash to re-sign Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal to new contracts by next summer.

It's expected they'll focus their resources on retaining their best young talent at the expense of losing veterans like Hossa, Malone and Roberts.

Replacing what those players brought to this year's team will be tough, but in the long-term, retaining their young stars should help their chances of competing in another Stanley Cup final in the near future.

The Penguins may have come up short in this year's Final, but the lessons that Fleury, Malkin, Staal, team captain Sidney Crosby and other young Penguins learned will serve them well. This is a team that possesses a strong young core which is only going to get better.