Going into what he knew would be the last Mellon Arena game of the Stanley Cup final, Detroit coach Mike Babcock took a couple minutes to reflect on what the series has meant beyond the X's and O's.

"I'm trying to appreciate everything about it," he said after the Red Wings' morning skate yesterday. "And what I mean by that is enjoy everything about what's going on and taking it all in. I believe the people in the media, the referees, the coaches, the players, the league, we're all in charge of selling the game. I'm a big believer in that. And the better job we do selling the game, the more of us get to work in it and the better the game is."

Babcock recognizes what the series means to the two cities during difficult economic times.

"I think it's obviously really good for Detroit," he said. "You see what's going on in Pittsburgh. The cab driver on the way over here today thanked us, not just because he's a Pittsburgh fan, but the fact that he's going to make more money. And I see that every day when I walk into the rink, the ladies there that are cleaning up all the time always say, 'Coach, good job, let's keep playing.' They get to feed their kids by doing that. And I think that's important.

"It's good for our communities, but it's good for the league, and that's positive."

Babcock's previous impression of Pittsburgh came in 1997, when he was coach of the junior Spokane Chiefs and attended the NHL draft at Mellon Arena.

"They've done an unbelievable job with the city" since then, he said.

"And obviously Mario [Lemieux] and his [team ownership] group, keeping the team here, and the new rink coming and the franchise-type players and the youth they have here, and marquee names to sell a franchise, it's a great situation. And the people are excited about their team.

"I think it's fantastic for them. They had really great teams here for a number of years. Things weren't so good for a while. It's great to see them back and the city looking like it does."

The Detroit players had a difficult time getting any perspective on the city during the series.

"We've just seen the hotel and the rink," said Henrik Zetterberg, adding that he kind of likes the old barn that is Mellon Arena.

"There's a lot of history here. It reminds me a lot of Joe Louis [Arena in Detroit]. It's an old rink, and there's a lot of tradition."

Until this spring, the Red Wings have had trouble getting as far as the final since their previous Stanley Cup championship in 2002.

In 2003, they lost to Anaheim in the first round. In 2004, they lost to Calgary in the second. After the lockout of 2004-05, they lost in the first to Edmonton in 2006. Last year, they lost to eventual champion Anaheim in the Western Conference final.

Detroit won the Presidents' Trophy for most regular-season points this season and in 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06 and this season.

Zetterberg's two assists in the 4-3, triple-overtime loss in Game 5 gave him 25 points for the playoff season, a Detroit record. He passed Steve Yzerman, who had 24 points in 1998 when the Red Wings won the Cup, and Sergei Fedorov, who had 24 in 1995.