Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is charged with sculpting this mythical creature in the backdrop of a franchise steeped in legends no less fantastic than the concept of a bird wreathed in flames standing in as the metaphor for their ascendence.

25 years. In a sport increasingly defined by parity, manufactured or otherwise, that 25-year streak of playoff appearances stands as a feat as special as any. It's a near-impossible bar for the next era of Red Wings hockey to match, but prudence and careful maneuvering can set the stage for a decade-plus of accolades all its own.

The last draft helps. They finally have a forward in the cupboard with credible top-of-the-lineup aspirations. Savvy maneuvering of the sort that saw the Red Wings load another second-round pick to the chamber for the final year of Marc Staal's contract is going to speed the whole thing up if it's replicated often enough.

Once a barren wasteland for young talent with those spaces occupied by the names that appeared annually on every worst contracts in the NHL article -- Motown's revitalization is permeating Little Caesar's Arena.