The opening ceremonies at Joe Louis Arena tonight were all about Courage Under Fire. The Courage of the Men who served in the last World War.
The second period has been a display of what Mike Babc0ck has called "Will" in the war on ice.
They're hurt...they're exhausted...they're coming off losing two in row.
The fickle fulminations of the Media Mutts are ringing in their ears.
But the Red Wings have a weapon in their arsenal called Will.
Will To Win.
That Will enables Pavel Datysuk to play with a broken foot, and, his skating compromised, still use his extraordinary playmaking talent.
That Will enables Dan Cleary, suffering from the flu, to score.
That Will gives the Wings, well wings in the 2nd, and fuel Valteri Filppula's motor as he starts The Surge.
That Will gives Niklas Kronwall the presence of mind to burst into the Pens' zone, outmaneuver the opponent and whack a shot past MAF.
That Will enables Brian Rafalski, labouring with who knows what injury, to dig down and find his PP rifle shot.
That Will enables Chris Osgood to forget how many games he's played, how many goals he let in, leave it all behind, zero in, on the Now...and keep the zero on the board.
That Will is why Henrik Zetterberg can retort, "Tired? If you're not tired, you're not working hard enough" as he hammers the nail that chases Fleury.
That Will stokes the Killer Instinct that is endemic to the Big Red Machine.
The Penguins are getting a lesson...in just one period of hockey...in why the Red Wings are World Champions.
You don't have to be a Detroit fan to see it...and to know what it means.