1966 Red Wings discuss ill-fated 2-0 lead ahead of ’97 Wings’ Game 3

In the spring of 1997 — a quarter-century ago — the Detroit Red Wings embarked on their quest to end a 42-year Stanley Cup drought.

The Free Press has commemorated that historic quest with a new book: “Stanleytown 25 Years Later: The Inside Story of How the Stanley Cup Returned to the Motor City After 41 Frustrating Seasons.”

Day 50: June 4, 1997

The backstory: As Stanley Cup Finals shifted from Philadelphia to Detroit, the teams did what they did best: The Flyers announced another goaltender change. The Red Wings tried not to make waves. Tacked up on a bulletin board in the Wings’ locker room at Joe Louis Arena was a picture of a world championship ring, diamonds sparkling, with these words: “If it ain’t on your mind, it will never be on your finger.” With a day between Games 2 and 3, and Detroit with a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, the Free Press felt compelled to drive home a history lesson: Since 1939, when the finals went to seven games, only three of the 40 teams to fall behind 2-0 overcame that deficit. But twice it happened against the Wings — by the Montreal Canadiens in 1966 and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942. Plus, the Flyers captain Eric Lindros declared after practice in Philly before flying to Motown: “We’re confident about this. We’ve played well on the road all year. We’re going to play well (in Game 3).”

Habs and Have Nots: When the Wings reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1966, the Canadiens were the defending champions and heavily favored. Montreal finished atop the regular-season standings 20 games above .500; Detroit was the last playoff qualifier and only four games above .500. But the Wings won Games 1 and 2 at the Montreal Forum, 3-2 and 5-2. But … the Canadiens won the next four games  — 4-2, 2-1, 5-1 and 3-2 (in overtime).

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“I was working in the Montreal organization at the time of the 1966 comeback,” Scotty Bowman…