The 2009-2010 season starts today.

Oh, I know it actually started yesterday. Joe Sakic had his number retired in Denver; a nice little ceremony and all that.

But it starts today for us. For Red Wings fans. They are dropping the puck in Stockholm in about 30 minutes against the St. Louis Blues.

Most of the MSM are espousing about how this is the year that the Red Wings start to lose their grip on Western Conference and Central Division supremacy. Prognosticators are putting Detroit anywhere from 2nd to 4th (Hockey News), in the Conference standings.

ESPN’s Scott Burnside sticks them behind the Blackhawks for the Central Division. Conversely, Allan Miur from SI is a smart cookie, and thinks that until they’re knocked from the throne, they’ll continue to rule the Division.

I agree with most that the Red Wings are likely to come in second in the conference, probably behind San Jose.  But I even hesitate to do that.  And there’s no way they’re losing the division titles to the upstart Blackhawks.  Why?  Because Detroit wants this.  They’re going to redeem themselves from last season.

CBC’s Elliotte Friedman twittered  several days ago:

Will say this: people predicting the demise of the Red Wings are going to be disappointed. This is a hungry group.

He also received this quote from a Detroit player:

“I hate Pittsburgh. I hate the Pirates. I hate the Steelers. I hate the Penguins. Don’t get me wrong….I respect them. But I hate them.”

On the record, Dan Cleary admits that he’s pissed to Burnside:

That final game frequently invades Cleary’s thoughts.

“All the time,” he said. “Driving, get up to use the bathroom, watching TV, see a hockey commercial. For me, I don’t know how other people deal with it, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. I don’t know. You never know if you’re going to get back there again. And to be able to go two years in a row was special.

“All due respect to Pittsburgh, and I believe they deserved to win because they beat us four out of five, but I can’t stand Pittsburgh. I was so happy we won Sunday,” Cleary added, referring to a preseason victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday shortly before the team jetted across the Atlantic. “I’ll always be like that ’til we get there again. I’m just being honest.”

Cleary’s thrilled that they won an exhibition game–agame that Pittsburgh played without Malkin or Crosby. That says something; a lot, actually. A statement like that shows how deep this bitterness goes, and how hungry they are to prove that Detroit’s not done. This is a team that is still intensely disappointed with last year’s outcome.

More from Friedman:

“We’re pissed off,” one player said when I visited Detroit last week. “I still don’t know how we lost,” added another. The Red Wings are motivated and angry. What sets them apart is their sense of professionalism. It’s all business all the time. The only thing that matters is winning. Some teams say it but don’t mean it. This team means it.

Damn straight. And they’re getting down to business today.

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