Dee, that's one thing I really like about hockey too, that the players are much more laid back and down to Earth than most players of football, basketball, and IMO, baseball. (Though I still love football regardless, just not the T.O.s and the Chad Johnsons, etc) Plus, hockey is such an exciting, fast paced game.
I haven't watched the Wings enough to know their players enough to be annoyed by any of them on or off the ice, but I can't stand the coach, Mike Babcock. After game 1, with the no-goal ruling with Holmstrom's interference (1st period I think), Babcock went on a tirade at the post-game presser about the call. If getting/not getting that goal would have been the difference in the game, sure, let him cry and whine about it, but they won the game 4-0. Any classy coach would have said something to the effect of, "Well, sometimes calls don't go your way, but fortunately we were able to move on and still win the game."
ETA: The media markets Sidney Crosby (or shoves him down your throat depending on who you ask) because, outside of Canada, and select hockey-crazed cities in the US like Detroit, the NHL has a real PR problem post-lockout. If I asked a random person on the street (in MD or DC) which two teams are playing in the Stanley Cup final, I'm sure most people wouldn't be able to tell me.
Sidney Crosby has been big news in Canada since he was 14 playing with 17 year olds. Because of his youth, talent, looks, and because he is from North America, the NHL likes to use him to create excitement about the sport and the league. Contrast him with Alex Ovechkin, for example; Ovechkin has the talent but lacks the marketability. Also, the Winter Classic. I don't think Buffalo and Pittsburgh were chosen at random to play in that game.