On This Day: Johan Franzen Hat Trick Powers Red Wings To Playoff Beatdown Of Avalanche
There was no shortage of great moments for the Detroit Red Wings during their run to the 2008 Stanley Cup, the franchise's 11th in club history and their most recent title to date.
Along the way, the player that Steve Yzerman affectionately referred to as "Mule" during his first NHL Training Camp in 2005 emerged as a bona fide playoff assassin.
Forward Johan Franzen , who had broken out offensively in the second half of the 2007-08 regular season with a whopping 14 goals in March, continued his scoring prowess in Detroit's opening round playoff series win over the Nashville Predators .
Not only did he open the scoring in the series, but would later score the overtime game-winning goal in Game 5, giving Detroit a three-games-to-two series advantage that they'd eventually cap off with a win in Game 6.
Moving on to face the Colorado Avalanche for the first time since 2002, Franzen took the series by force.
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Not only did the Detroit Red Wings sweep the Colorado Avalanche, but Johan Franzen himself managed to outscore the entire Avalanche roster over the four games, lighting the lamp nine times.
He recorded two hat tricks, one in Game 2 and another in Game 4, the latter coming in an 8–2 win in Denver to complete the sweep.
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