The View From the Top

No one even knows how long it's been since they witnessed the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisting their first Stanley Cup in 17 years.

Not that it matters anyway.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are World Champions, and until the puck drops for the opening game of the 2009-10 season, that isn't going to change.

Even after a new (or the same) champion is crowned next June, 2009 will go down in history as the year of the Penguin.

The Cup has made its' way back to Pittsburgh.

The parade has been held.

It has taken its' dip in Mario Lemieux's pool.

It made its' way to Las Vegas for the 2009 NHL Awards Show, where it was chauffeured down the aisle by Evgeni Malkin, Max Talbot, and head coach Dan Bylsma.

It sat idly by while the awards were handed out to the top performers of the 2009 season.

It watched Evgeni Malkin get the snub for the Lester B. Pearson and Hart Memorial trophies.

It also felt a little tingle in its' right side where Geno's name had recently been engraved.

It looked on at the crowd, full of players, coaches, and owners alike.

It saw Brian Burke scouting the room, contemplating how he can make the Toronto Maple Leafs even more irrelevant during the upcoming off-season.

It saw Nicklas Lidstrom, who actually was in the house, despite the general consensus.

When it was time to award the Norris Trophy, Lord Stanley's Mug once again scanned the room for Lidstrom, but he was nowhere to be found.

Rumor has it that he was in the lobby, waiting to shake Sidney Crosby's hand upon his arrival to the show.

"You wanna shake my hand?"

Sid never showed.

Zdeno Chara did. Whooooooooooooooo.

The Stanley Cup looked on as Geno accepted the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season.

It wondered if there was even room on Geno's mantle for the Art Ross, seeing as how the Conn Smythe had been there for a week already.

The off-season can be one of the most grueling times for any hockey fan.

Trade rumors, pending retirements, free agency, and contract extensions are fun to read about for a month or so.

The 2009-10 Pittsburgh Penguins may very well look a lot different than the 2008-09 Pens did.

Guys like Pascal Dupuis, Petr Sykora, Miroslav Satan, Mathieu Garon, Chris Kunitz, Bill Guerin, Rob Scuderi, and Hal Gill might be donning another team's colors come September.

Jeff Taffe might once again be centering the Pens' fourth line heading into training camp.

As the beginning of free agency rapidly approaches, the mystique of the reigning Stanley Cup Champions is already beginning to wear off in every city not named Pittsburgh.

The tears flowing out of Detroit will eventually come together to form another Great Lake.

But we've already been down that road.

So, as we approach the off-season, complete with pending free agency and trade talks, it is important to remember to not forget.

Cherish these moments at the top, because as we all know, you might not be here for another two decades.

Let's Go Pens.

17 Years in the Making: Your 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins

When the Pittsburgh Penguins were defeated in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, no one with a computer or a pen or a job at any major sports outlet was giving them a chance of returning to the Finals the following season.

When Dan Bylsma took over as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins with just over 20 games remaining in the regular season, no one was giving the Penguins a chance of making the playoffs.

When the Washington Capitals won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the whole world was ready to end the debate about who the best player in the National Hockey League was with two letters "AO".

When the Penguins' headed into the Verizon Center for Game Seven against the Caps, no one outside of Pittsburgh expected them to win.

When the Detroit Red Wings stole the first two games of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals on their home ice, people around Detroit were already planning their parade.

When the Pens forced yet another Game Seven, people said that there was no way that Marc-Andre Fleury could overcome his history of choking under pressure to win a game of this magnitude.

No one thought the Red Wings would, or even could, lose to the Penguins on their home ice.

No one outside of Pittsburgh thought Max Talbot would do anything beyond blocking a few shots on the penalty kill and finishing his checks in the corners.

In each of the above circumstances, the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame adversity.

You see, it didn't matter what "no one" thought.

It didn't matter that the Penguins might not have been the most experienced or even the most physically talented team in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

All that mattered was the will and determination of the 21 Penguins who set foot on the ice at one time or another during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Bill Guerin, Petr Sykora, Philippe Boucher, and Hal Gill were playing for what could have been their last chance at raising the Cup.

Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy, Jordan Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury, Max Talbot, Kris Letang, Rob Scuderi, and Brooks Orpik were playing for a chance to fulfill boyhood dreams of winning the greatest trophy in professional sports.

Everyone was playing for a chance at redemption.

Marian Hossa wasn't even playing. Whooooooooooooooo.

The Detroit Red Wings did not lose the Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins won it.

17 years ago, the Lemieux-led Penguins hoisted Lord Stanley's Chalice for the second time in as many seasons.

You can be sure that not one Penguin fan thought it would be another 17 years before they would do it again.

The 2008-09 season was not the Penguins' most prolific season in team history.

However, 2009 has now become a part of their history.

The 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins will forever be the Stanley Cup Champions.

No one can take that away from them, or from us, as fans.

Pittsburgh has once again become the self proclaimed city of champions after the Steelers and Penguins both won their respective championships in 2009.

But that doesn't really matter.

Next season, 29 other NHL teams will take the ice again, looking to cash in on what could be their last chance at greatness, or fulfill boyhood dreams of their own.

New names, new faces, and new successes will flourish.

The Penguins might not even make the playoffs.

But none of that really matters.

All that matters right now is that the Pittsburgh Penguins are once again World Champions, and 60 minutes on a muggy night in June has made the last 17 years well worth the wait.

Relish this moment, Penguin fans, because you don't know if it will be another 17 years, or longer, before you get the chance to do it again.

Then again, it could happen in 2010.

We learned a lot about the Pittsburgh Penguins during this season of adversity.

We also learned a lot about the Detroit Red Wings during these Stanley Cup Finals.

We learned that the Wings' veteran presence and advantage in experience that aided them in dismantling the youthful Penguin presence last season actually worked against them this year.

The Wings looked tired from Game Three until the final buzzer in Game Seven.

We also learned that Nicklas Lidstrom can log all the ice time in the world, but leading a series in ice time doesn't win championships.

After this series, it has become quite clear that Lidstrom has become the most overrated player in the National Hockey League.

Not saying he isn't a great talent, and still one of the best defensemen in the league, but this guy is no Rob Scuderi. Sorry, Jack.

We learned that red beards are a joke and that Chris Osgood would be a second string goaltender on the majority of NHL teams not named the Red Wings.

We learned that Max Talbot scored big goals in big games.

Max finished what he started back in Game Five of the 2008 Finals during last night's Game Seven, but he was quicker to praise his goaltender, and his lifelong friend, Fleury, than he was to comment about his two goals.

We learned that goal scorers don't have to score goals to make a difference. They can make a difference by blocking six shots in a Game Six, then missing Game Seven because they got hurt doing it.

We learned, despite what we were told, that an unreal third line really can make a difference.

We learned that Mario Lemieux will have his name etched on the Stanley Cup for the third time in his career.

We also learned that the moving vans might be pulling up in front of the Gretzky residence in Phoenix before the end of summer.

The world learned that Evgeni Malkin can no longer be left out of the debate about who the best hockey player in the world is, even though we knew it already.

We learned that Ray Shero truly has the Midas touch. The moves he made during the off season and at this season's trade deadline were nothing short of controversial, but once again, Shero proved his doubters wrong.

We could go on forever, listing everything we learned from these Finals, but the sound of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's names being carved into the Stanley Cup is becoming increasingly more distracting by the second.

Chew on that, Ovechkin.

Let's Go Pens.

Here's to You... Signed, the City of Pittsburgh

On the eve of what is likely the biggest game of our lives as Penguin fans, it is only fitting to look at what we have become as a fan base, as a city, as the city of Pittsburgh, and just how we got here.

Here's to you 1984 for bringing us Mario Lemieux on draft day.

Le Magnifique would begin to write his legacy during his first shift in the National Hockey League and would eventually go on to become the greatest, most respected athlete in the history of our city.

He would go on to become not only the greatest player in franchise history, but our owner, and our savior... once on the ice and once from his office upstairs.

Here's to you 1991 for allowing all of us to enjoy our first sip out of Lord Stanley's Chalice.

You allowed us to witness firsthand the sheer greatness of Mario Lemieux and the blossoming of a young Jaromir Jagr, but also taught us that without guys like Rob Brown, Kevin Stevens, John Cullen, Paul Coffey, Tom Barrasso, Joe Mullen, Mark Recchi, Bob Errey, Larry Murphy, Ulf Samuelsson, Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, and countless others, winning was not guaranteed.

Here's to you 1992 for bringing us our second Stanley Cup Championship in as many seasons and allowing us all to gain a deep respect for our new head coach, Badger Bob Johnson.

Although the Badger's term with the Pens would be short lived, his legacy still remains alive and well in Pittsburgh today.

Here's to you 1993 for showing us that passion, will, and guts can be far stronger than a terminal illness.

You brought us the devastating news that Mario Lemieux had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.

Then you allowed us all to witness the most awe striking comeback in the history of professional sports, and made each and every one of us shed a tear of joy when #66 returned to the ice and went on to win the fourth Art Ross Trophy of his storied career after missing a quarter of the season.

You also brought us the Presiden't Trophy and our best season as a National Hockey League franchise.

Here's to you for bringing us David Volek's goal at 5:16 of overtime in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

You broke our hearts, but you made us stronger.

Here's to you Alex Kovalev, Martin Straka, Robert Lang, and Petr Nedved for showing us that regular season success does not guarantee a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Speed Racer

What a shot

You toyed with our emotions during the post-Cup years, looking dominant at times during the regular season, but bailing out of the playoffs early in 1998, 99, and 2000.

Here's to you Jaromir Jagr for teaching us that you can take the reigns from Mario as the captain on the ice, but you can't avoid "dying alive" in the locker room.

You won four consecutive Art Ross Trophies, but you couldn't lead "your" team past the second round of the playoffs.

You taught us that life without Mario was something that none of us were really ready to face just yet.

Here's to you December 27, 2000 for giving us our captain and our leader back.

Mario Lemieux became the majority owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins and then returned to the ice two days after Christmas, making the 2000-01 holiday season one that every Penguin fan will remember for the rest of their respective lives.

Here's to you Darius Kasparitis for scoring one of the most memorable goals in franchise history during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Buffalo Sabres.

Although you couldn't repeat your magic against the New Jersey Devils in the next round, you taught us that anything can happen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Thank you for making us believe once again.

Here's to you Kris Beech, Ross Lupaschuk, and Michal Sivek for coming to Pittsburgh via Washington in exchange for Jaromir Jagr in the summer of 2001.

You cleared our locker room of what had become somewhat of a disease, but you became diseases yourself on the ice.

Collectively, the three of you played an integral role in beginning what is now referred to as "The Dark Ages".

Here's to you 2002 for reminding us what it felt like to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs after we did it for the first time in 12 years.

You sent Alex Kovalev to New York and Robert Lang to the free agent pool and catapulted us into the cellar of the Eastern Conference for what seemed like an eternity.

Here's to you 2003 for bringing us our goaltender of the future, Marc-Andre Fleury.

Sure, he was no Tom Barrasso yet, but this kid showed much more potential than Johan Hedberg, Ron Tugnutt, and Jean Sebastian Aubin combined.

Here's to you 2004 for bringing us Evgeni Malkin with the second pick in the NHL Entry Draft.

You deserve a toast not only for bringing us the now fan favorite "Geno" but for preventing us from playing host city to one of the biggest jokes in the National Hockey League, Alexander Ovechkin.

Here's to you 2004-05 for giving us all a glimpse of what life without hockey would be like.

Aleksey Morozov and Milan Kraft headed to Europe, and would remain there after the lockout had ended.

Thank You.

Here's to you July 22, 2005 for allowing us to win the draft lottery and eventually draft Sidney Crosby with the first pick in the 2005 Entry Draft.

You took the initial step in allowing all of us to have the pleasure of watching Sid "The Kid" blossom into Sid "The Superstar" and become one of the most passionate, dedicated, and physically gifted Penguins to ever lace up a pair of skates.

Here's to you Eddie Olcyzk for failing miserably at your job as our head coach.

You opened the door for Michel Therrien to take the reigns and mold our newly acquired young group of unseasoned Penguins into a championship caliber hockey team.

If you would only let us forget that you were fired every time you are on national television, we would greatly appreciate it.

Here's to you 2005-06 season for allowing us to bid farewell to Mario one final time.

His second departure was no more easier than the first, but it allowed Sidney Crosby to take the reigns and become the youngest player in history to record 100 points in a season, a record that had previously been held by Sid's mentor, and landlord, Lemieux.

Here's to you October 18, 2006 for finally allowing Evgeni Malkin to suit up for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Though he didn't speak a word of English yet, Geno set an NHL record by scoring a goal in his first six games in the NHL, and gave us all an early glimpse of his superstar potential.

Here's to you Craig Patrick for 16 years of dedicated service as our General Manager.

Patrick would be replaced by current GM, Ray Shero, on May 25, 2006 after having managed the Penguins to two Stanley Cup Championships in his 16 years of service to the team.

You always did what you thought was best for the team, whether it be making a big deal at the deadline to bring in Kjell Samuelsson, Ken Wregget, and Rick Tocchet or trading Jaromir Jagr for a bag of pucks.

You never gave up on us, and for that, we salute you.

Here's to you 2006-07 for once again establishing a feeling of satisfaction as the Penguins returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a 47 point turnaround from the previous season.

You let us witness Evgeni Malkin's Calder Memorial Trophy winning season as the NHL's best rookie.

You brought us the epitome of old time hockey in Gary Roberts and forever embedded the phrase "WWGRD?" into our hearts and minds.

You brought us our first 100-point season in 11 years.

You brought Sidney Crosby his first Art Ross, Hart, and Lester B. Pearson trophies and established him as the biggest star, and the best player, in the National Hockey League.

But most importantly, you brought us a first round playoff beat down by the Ottawa Senators, which taught fans and players alike that simply being talented wasn't enough to win a Stanley Cup.

Here's to you March 13, 2007 for allowing our Pittsburgh Penguins to remain in the city of Pittsburgh.

After months of debate, bargaining, political wars, Jim Balsille, talk of relocation, meetings in Kansas City, Oklahoma, and Houston, and countless hours of reading about what exactly a "slots license" was, you could once again rest easy knowing that the Penguins weren't going anywhere.

Here's to you April 2, 2008 for bringing us our first Atlantic Division Championship in 10 seasons.

The 2007-08 season saw the Penguins take a stronghold of the Eastern Conference, never slipping below third place from January until the end of the regular season.

Here's to you Ty Conklin for coming out of nowhere and keeping our playoff hopes alive and well in the absence of Marc-Andre Fleury during the 2007-08 season.

Here's to you Evgeni Malkin for carrying the team on your back for the biggest part of the 07-08 season and establishing yourself as not only one of the best players on your team, but one of the best in the world.

Here's to you Philadelphia for falling at our feet in the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals as we raised the Eastern Conference Championship banner.

You reminded us just how easy it was to hate you, your city, your fans, and your team, and how sweet it was to watch you lose.

Here's to you 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings for showing our new group of heroes what it takes to win the Stanley Cup, and for doing it in our house.

You dominated us in the first two games of the series, but we wouldn't go down quietly.

Max Talbot and Petr Sykora shocked the world in Game Five.

Then you came into our house and hoisted the Stanley Cup.

We have not forgotten, and neither should you.

Here's to you Game Seven.

It's been an unreal season.

In February, no one was giving the Penguins a chance at even making the playoffs.

Look at us now.

We have waived goodbye to Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Jarkko Ruutu, Georges Laraque, Adam Hall, Gary Roberts, and Ty Conklin.

We have played without our star defenseman for over half of the season.

We have suited up nearly two full lines of minor league players for over a month due to injuries.

We have fired our head coach, and hired a new one.

We have parted ways with Ryan Whitney in exchange for Chris Kunitz and Craig Adams.

We have brought in Bill Guerin.

We have eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers once again.

We have continued our post season dominance of the Washington Capitals.

We have dismantled the seemingly unstoppable train that was the Carolina Hurricanes.

And now, we are right back where we started.

The Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins will play one game tomorrow night in Joketown.

One team will win. That team will be crowned the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

For Detroit, the title of dynasty is on the line.

For Pittsburgh, the fulfillment of boyhood dreams lies in the balance for some, while one last shot at glory looms over the heads of others.

For both teams, it all comes down to this one game.

Two teams. 60 minutes. The greatest prize in sports on the line.

If you're like us, you barely knew how to tie your shoes the last time the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup.

This will be the biggest game of your life.

Never give up.

Let's Go Pens.

Stanley Cup FInals Game 6: Scuderi, Orpik, Fleury Stymie Wings, Force Game 7

In the past few days leading up to tonight's Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Disco Dan Bylsma had his usual calm, cool, and collective attitude on display in every press conference he did.

He talked about the Pittsburgh Penguins beating the Detroit Red Wings in Game Six.

He didn't talk about the Penguins preventing the Red Wings from winning the Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh, he talked about the Penguins winning one game in order to be in a position to win the Cup themselves.

The Penguins began the 2008-09 season on October 4 in Stockholm Sweden.

105 games later, one win stands between fulfilling a dream and suffering yet another devastating defeat.

It doesn't get any bigger than Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but you don't need us to tell you that.

Recap

Coming off of an embarrassing loss in Game Five, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked to a familiar source for an extra boost in Game Six.

17,132 strong once again filled the seats of the ageless Igloo, and they made their presence known early and often tonight.

The Pittsburgh Penguins weren't playing to prevent the Detroit Red Wings from winning, they were playing to win themselves.

The Pens dominated play in the first 20 minutes, out shooting the Wings 12 to 3, but came out of the opening frame with nothing to show for their effort on the scoreboard.

You could tell that the Penguins were playing like they had nothing to lose, and really, they didn't.

Jordan Staal finally rewarded his team for their valiant efforts in the opening minute of the second period.

Rob Scuderi moved the puck to the blue line where Tyler Kennedy made a nice play on the wall to chip the puck into open ice.

Staal picked up the biscuit and generated a two-on-one with Matt Cooke after beating a Red Wing in the neutral zone.

Staal later said of his decision to decline on a pass attempt: "I'm not a passer, I'm a shooter."

A shooter he was, as Staal's initial attempt was stopped by Osjoke, but the big man stayed with his shot and banged home the rebound to put the Pens on top 1-0.

After the goal, the Wings pushed hard, but Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi led the Penguins' defensive corps to one of the best shutdown performances in recent memory.

The Wings came out strong again to open the third period, but Marc-Andre Fleury came up with a couple of big saves to preserve the lead.

Ruslan Fedotenko, who was set up by Evgeni Malkin at least four times in a quality scoring chance situation in the game, was not discouraged by his inability to find the back of the net.

Tank kept a puck alive in the offensive zone and Max Talbot made a nifty play behind the net to reverse the puck to a wide open Tyler Kennedy.

TK walked out in front of the net and took a couple of whacks at the puck before beating Osjoke on the glove side to put the Pens ahead by two goals.

Just three minutes later Kris Draper put a puck behind Fleury to pull the Wings within one.

The performance of the Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Fleury, Scuderi, and Orpik, in the final 12 minutes of regulation should have its' own bridge named after it in Pittsburgh.

As the Stanley Cup was being removed from its' case and polished in the recesses of Old Lady Mellon, Orpik was demolishing anything in a white jersey in the defensive zone.

Scuderi made more saves down the stretch than Fleury did, in particular two huge saves in the final minute of the game when he dropped to one knee in the crease to prevent the puck from finding the back of the net.

The Penguins held on for the victory, and held on to their hopes of winning their first Stanley Cup since 1992.

Ladies and gentlemen, for the last time in the Mellon Arena in the 2008-09 season, Elvis has just left the building.

"See you in Joketown"

Final Score: Pittsburgh 2 Detroit 1

Series: 3-3

- There aren't enough words in the English language to describe Rob Scuderi's performance in this game. Truly a season saving effort by Scuds.

- It was good to see Petr Sykora back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch since Game Two of the Caps' series. Sykie didn't get on the score sheet, but he did lay horizontally across the ice to block a shot in the second period in the midst of the Wings' most sustained attack of the game.

- There wasn't a player in a Penguins' uniform who didn't play 110% tonight.

- Chris Osgood is a joke. How a goaltender is allowed to stop play for well over two minutes after an icing call to "have his helmet adjusted" is unreal.

- The Pens' third line was their best line for all 60 minutes. When that happens, you are going to win hockey games.

- Game Seven is set for Friday night at 8:00 in Joketown. All the ups and downs this season has thrown our way as fans will culminate at 8:20 when some dork throws a dead octopus on the ice and the puck is dropped at the Joe.

After Game Four, the world was behind the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After Game Five, not many people outside of Pittsburgh were giving the Penguins a snowball's chance in hell at winning this series.

After Game Six, none of those people matter anymore.

60 minutes remain in the Penguins' season, that's all that matters.

There are no guarantees that after those 60 minutes you won't experience that same empty feeling you experienced just over a year ago when you watched the Stanley Cup grace the Mellon Arena ice with its' presence for the first time in history, and then you watched it being awarded to the Detroit Red Wings.

There are also no guarantees that after those 60 minutes you won't be rejoicing in what is likely to be the biggest victory you have ever witnessed as a sports fan.

As Sidney Crosby said after Game Six, "Last year at this time, our season was already over."

Let's Go Pens

Three's Company

With the first four games of this year's Stanley Cup Final in the books, fans of the Penguins and Red Wings find themselves right back to where they began... well almost.

With the series deadlocked at two games, whichever team can find a way to win two more times will ultimately hoist Lord Stanley's Chalice sometime next week.

The Detroit Red Wings have the luxury of not having to win a game on the road.

A Wings' win in Game Five and loss in Game Six would set the stage for the boys from Joketown to put the series away at the Joe in Game Seven.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, however, don't have that luxury.

If Crosby and Company are going to have their names etched on Lord Stanley's Cup, they are going to have to find a way to win on the road.

Now it's no secret that home ice has played a seemingly enormous role in this series thus far.

Both teams have played substantially better, and been substantially more lucky, in their own barn.

Both Chris Osgood and Marc-Andre Fleury have enjoyed playing in front of a home crowd perhaps more than any two other players in the series.

Mike Babcock has no idea he is in the Stanley Cup Finals and decided to bench Justin Abdelkader in favor of Kris Draper in Game Four.

Maybe Babcock had some sour coleslaw on his Primanti Brothers' sandwich before Game Four. Or maybe the Game Three loss went to his head a little more than he let on through the media.

Whatever the case, Penguin fans will graciously except the trade off of Abdelkader for the much older, farther past his prime Draper.

You don't need us to tell you that Game Five is a huge game.

If the Pens find a way to pull out a win at the Joke Louis Arena tomorrow night, you have got to believe that the chance to finally win a Cup in front of the fans in Pittsburgh would be more than enough motivation for the Flightless Birds to get it done in Game Six back in Pittsburgh.

However, a Wings' victory would once again deprive the Penguins' hometown fans of a chance to see the Cup being presented to someone other than the visiting team.

Evgeni Malkin has taken his game to a new level in the playoffs, and in particular, in the Finals.

Malkin has been the best player on the ice every time he jumps over the boards. You can try to argue that point, but it's a lost cause.

The apparent change in momentum that stemmed from Geno's fight with Zetterberg at the end of Game Two has swung the momentum in the Penguins' favor.

Yeah, we know, he should have been suspended. Take it up with Colin Campbell.

Since then, Geno has played with a fiery passion that makes the Russian Red Army look like toy soldiers.

Before the series started, people actually tried to argue that the Wings possessed a deeper bench than did the Penguins. C'mon, really?

Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Talbot. You don't get any better down the middle on any roster in the National Hockey League.

Say what you want about Max Talbot, but he is a proven big game performer. He also singlehandedly shushed the entire city of Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago. That's Hall of Fame material in my book.

The Wings' fatigue factor has become increasingly more evident with each game in the series.

Chris Osgood has gotten worse. Marc-Andre Fleury has gotten better.

Henrik Zetterberg finally seems to have gotten tired of chasing Sidney Crosby around the ice for 25 minutes a night, as Sid tallied his first goal of the series in Game Four.

Marian Hossa has yet to show up for the Stanley Cup Finals.

Pavel Datsyuk is supposedly returning to the Wings' lineup for Game Five. Bring it.

Nicklas Lidstrom might be the most overrated player in the history of hockey. This ain't 1999, and Lidstrom simply ain't a young buck anymore.

He still logs massive amounts of ice time, but as far as being a potential scoring threat from the blue line, well, Brad Stuart has supplied the bulk of the offensive production from the Wings' back end during the series.

Maybe Babcock will bench Stuart in favor of 68 year old Chris Chelios in Game Five, you know, just to stick with his current trend of terrible coaching decisions.

Game Five of the Stanley Cup Finals will likely tell the tale of this year's World Champions.

You'd be hard pressed to say that either team wouldn't find a way to win once they had the chance to close out the series.

Heading into Saturday night, the Penguins have all the momentum.

The Red Wings have, well, a dead sea creature that will be hurled over the boards before the puck is dropped.

As a fan of either team, if you're thinking about calling off work to make it to your teams' Stanley Cup parade right now, think again.

This series is far from over.

Let's Go Pens.

Stanley Cup Finals Game 3: Welcome to Hockeytahn

Sometimes it's funny the way things go in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Penguins played two of the best games of the 2009 post season in Games One and Two of the Stanley Cup Finals. And they lost.

In Game Three, the Penguins were hardly as precise with the puck as they were at the Joke Louis Arena.

However, whether it was the 17,132 strong in the stands and the other few thousands looking on outside on the lawn, or the realization that they simply couldn't afford to lose this game, the Pens did what they had to do to pick up the victory.

A lot of people have already written the Penguins off in this series. A Game Three victory won't change their minds.

Some were even starting to talk about a sweep.

Just ask the Washington Capitals how talking about a sweep after winning the first two games of a series worked out for them.

You could tell the Pens were feeding off of the home crowd early in the game.

Matt Cooke-Jordan Staal-Tyler Kennedy played one of the best periods of hockey a third line has ever played during the first 60 minutes tonight.

Max Talbot got the Pens on the board first as he found the taped 'X' on the ice just inside the left circle that has been recently vacated by one Petr Sykora.

Max posted up inside the circle and Evgeni Malkin found him with a perfect pass.

Talbot blew a shot past Osjoke to make it 1-0 Pens.

The Wings didn't waste much time in responding to the early tally as Hank Aaron pounded a hanging Sergei Gonchar curveball over the right field wall.

A couple of minutes later, Brook Orpik went off for interference and Zetterberg took over on the power play.

From the half wall, Zetterberg sailed a pass across the ice to The Horse, who buried the biscuit to give the Wings a 2-1 lead.

After Dan Cleary got caught admiring how perfectly many of his teammates' beards matched the red on the arms of their jerseys, he was sent to the sin bin for holding.

On the ensuing power play, the Pens were determined to even the score.

After a few solid stops by Osgood, Gonchar worked the puck to Malkin on the half wall and Geno sent a cross ice pass to Kris Letang.

Letang bobbled the pass momentarily, which allowed The Horse to forget he was playing defense.

Letang recovered and fired a shot toward the net that Osjoke still hasn't seen. 2-2.

The Pens dominated the first half of the second period, but managed just four shots on goal.

The Wings took over in the second half of the period and peppered Marc-Andre Fleury with 11 shots.

Neither goalie gave any ground as the period ended the way it started, tied at two.

At 9:06 of the third period, Jonathan Ericsson was called for interference.

Before Wings fans even have the opportunity to complain about this call, think about how many times the same infraction hasn't been called in the series. Then quickly FED EX as many boxes of Just for Men hair dye as you can to the Joe before Game Five.

Those red beards rival Jaromir Jagr's New York Rangers era goatee for the title of worst facial hair in professional sports.

At the tail end of the Penguins' power play, Gonchar set up shop in his office at the blue line.

He passed up a couple of opportunities to shoot the puck before Billy Guerin posted up in front of Osgood.

Crosby went to the net, drawing all the attention to himself. (Insert NBC/VERSUS loves Crosby comment here.)

Gonch fired a shot that beat Osgood and gave the Pens the only lead they would need to pick up their first victory of the series.

The look in Bill Guerin's eyes is what playoff hockey is all about.

The Wings managed just three shots on goal in the third period. Flower turned aside all of them.

Talbot added an empty net goal, his second of the game, in the dying seconds before Elvis threw a hip into Mike Emrick on his way out of the building.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 4 Detroit 2

Series: 2-1 Detroit

- Has Marian Hossa even played in this series?

- Chris Osgood whines incessantly.

- Billy Guerin has one more point than Marian Hossa in the playoffs.

- Although the Penguins didn't play their best game of the series collectively, individually, a lot of guys turned in their best performance of the post season.

- The entire third line was insane. Brooks Orpik was hitting everything that moved. Kris Letang looked like a seasoned veteran in all three zones. Rob Scuderi's stick killed more attempted passes through the slot than a Red Wings' fan at an Endangered Species conference.

- VERSUS gets points for allowing their broadcasts to be shown on the big screen outside the Igloo. Too bad they employ the worst group of commentators/analysts in professional sports.

- Has that Bill Whatever guy from the Hockey Central crew ever watched hockey before VERSUS hired him? He hosted the US Open and PGA Tour for eight years before gaining employment on Hockey Central. That explains everything.

"You're absolutely right, Steiggy, Patrick is a tool"

- By no means does winning this game mean the Penguins are back in the series. Game Four is probably more important than Game Three was.

Let's Go Pens.

Keep the Faith

In honor of tradition/superstition, we don't recap playoff games until the Pens have won one game in the series.

That being said, Games 1 and 2 of this series belonged to the Red Wings, but if you feel like the Pens are done, you haven't been here before.

Last season, the Pens were physically, emotionally, and mentally dominated in each of the first two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This year, they've fallen victim to some bad bounces and missed opportunities.

Detroit scored one legitimate goal in Game 1.

Letang rung a puck off the post in Game 1. Crosby and Guerin each rung a puck off the post tonight.

Justin Abdelkader has scored two goals that Fleury should probably have stopped. Those two goals have been the difference in the series so far.

If you're looking for something to pin your hope on, Evgeni Malkin supplied it for you by engaging in a round of fisticuffs with Henrik Zetterberg.

The game was over. The Pens were broken. Malkin's spirit was not.

Don't think that things like that don't go a long way in motivating the group of men looking on from the bench.

The Wings should be anything but comfortable with their two game lead in this series.

They are arguably the best team of the past decade, so chances are, they aren't comfortable.

Good teams know how to keep the pedal to the metal and finish off a weaker opponent.

The trouble is, the Penguins haven't been a weaker opponent thus far.

With the Penguins trailing two games to none, Old Lady Mellon awaits.

Remember the feeling you had last year when you had to watch the Red Wings parade the Stanley Cup around the Mellon Arena ice?

Each and every player on the Penguins' roster who was there remembers that feeling too.

The old cliche says that a team isn't out of a playoff series until they lose a game on home ice.

The Pens will put that theory to the test on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Keep the faith, and don't stop believin'...

Let's Go Pens

BELIEVE

Thanks to Chris Benson for the solid YouTube. If that doesn't get you amped up, nothing will.

New playoff-edition episode of Yinz Luv Da Guins. Always a solid job there by Jim Shearer.



Wings with 21 shots on the Hawks in the first period tonight. No goals. Could be interesting.

Let's Go Pens.

Pens-Canes Game 4: RBSweep Center

Before the Eastern Conference Finals got under way about a week ago, there was a lot of talk.

People talked about how Eric Staal would prove to be an uncontainable force for the Pittsburgh Penguins' defense. He responded by registering two points (1G, 1A) in the series.

People talked about how Cam Ward was an elite NHL goaltender. He responded by surrendering more than five goals twice in four games.

People talked about how the Carolina Hurricanes boasted so much depth on their roster, depth that simply couldn't be matched by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Canes role players responded by remaining in Boston at the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, well except for Jalen Rose, who made an appearance in Game Four to stick check Jordan Staal in the back of the knee right in front of an official in the third period with his team trailing by two goals.

People talked about how the RBC Center was such a loud and tough building to play in. Old Lady Mellon responded by farting in the RBC Center's general direction.

No words to even describe this.

People even questioned whether or not Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin could continue their assault of the NHL's playoff scoring race beyond the first two rounds. They responded by proving why they are the most lethal combination of players in the league.

After Bill Cowher took his metaphorical dump on the city of Pittsburgh before Game Four got under way, the Canes began their predictable push to score first.

Eric Staal made his first appearance of the series by swooping around the back of the net and sneaking a puck past Marc-Andre Fleury just over a minute and a half into the first period.

Caniacs were going nuts. The spit projecting from Cowher's chin probably soaked people 12 rows in front of him.

In the visitor's luxury box, Mario Lemieux looked on, knowing full well what his team had to do. And they did it.

Max Talbot made a great play along the right wing boards to direct the puck to Phillippe Boucher at the Canes' blue line.

Boucher fired a shot pass toward the net, where Ruslan Fedotenko directed the puck in behind Cam Ward who was more out of position than Cowher's red zone offense.

Ten minutes later, Cam Ward fell apart.

Talbot gained the offensive zone and created some space to the left of a Canes' defenseman.

Mad Max, who was at the end of his shift, threw the puck toward the net, most likely looking for a stoppage in play or a chance to get to the bench.

The puck hung in the air and Ward admired it like a Kordell Stewart Hail Mary. The difference was, this time, it wasn't intercepted. Whooooooooooo.

The puck glided over the glove of Ward and in to the back of the net to make it 2-1 Pens.

The Canes would push hard for the next 20 minutes, but Fleury would have none of it.

After a few unreal shifts by Malkin where he set up everyone on the ice in vain, Sidney Crosby and Billy Guerin decided to play a little game of two-man breakout.

Crosby gained the zone and downshifted along the left boards, coasting in on Ward.

Guerin drove the net hard down the middle of the ice.

As you can probably guess by now, Billy had no trouble beating the Canes' defenseman to the front of the cage.

Sid feathered a pass through traffic and Guerin tapped it home to make it 3-1 Pens.

After Carolina wasted away two power play opportunities, time began to run out on the Canes' hopes of extending their season. He didn't even have to perform the customary off-switching of his hearing aid, because the RBC Center had been silenced.

Maybe it's just us, but if you need an air horn in your arena to lead your chants, you are a joke.

"Does the Canes bandwagon stop here?"

The Capitals and Hurricanes both seem to enjoy the use of air horns at their games, probably because getting more than 12 people in D.C. or North Carolina to chant a simple phrase at the same time is next to impossible.

Joke Corvo hooked up Crosby at center ice, and the Pens killed two more minutes off of the clock.

Jalen Rose blatantly pickle-stabbed the back of Jordan Staal's knee in front of an official with less than eight minutes remaining in the game.

There's something to be said about winning with dignity, but there's a lot more to be said about losing with it. Chad LaRose has no idea what dignity is. However, he will get a pretty good idea what the word "FORE" means come tomorrow afternoon.

The Pens milked the clock until Paul Maurice had seen enough and decided to pull Ward for the extra attacker.

Talbot chipped the puck out of the Pens' zone to Crosby, who made yet another unselfish play at the opposite blue line by giving the puck up to Craig Adams, who sealed the deal with his second empty net goal of the series.

Alex Ovechkin doesn't give that puck up to a teammate, he tries to shoot it through the approaching defenseman. If you think otherwise, you aren't thinking. That's what separates superstar players from superstar team players.

As the final 90 seconds ticked off the clock, you were waiting for Mario to come out of his box and slap Bill Cowher in the face before leaving the building.

You can spit shine your shoes, 'cause the Pens are goin' dancing with Lord Stanley.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 4 Carolina 1

Series: 4-0 Penguins

- The next time someone tries to tell you Joni Pitkanen or Joe Corvo are quality defensemen, refer them to this series.

- There are rumors that if the Wings get it done against the Hawks tomorrow night, the NHL may consider moving the starting date of the Stanley Cup Finals to May 30 instead of the original June 5 date.

- The Pens became the first team since the 2000-01 New Jersey Devils to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in consecutive seasons.

- The Pens also became the first runner-up team to make it back to the Finals since the Edmonton Oilers did it in 1983 and 84.

- All the words in the world can't commend Dan Bylsma and his staff for the job they have done in turning around this team. If someone told you the Pens would be back in the Finals when Bylsma took the reigns, you would have kicked them in the teeth.

- How unreal is Max Talbot? Aside from picking up two points in the game, he did so many little things right, things that go unnoticed outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That's what Max brings to the table every night. What a player.

- As opposed to last season, when none of the Penguins laid a hand on the Prince of Wales trophy, this year, Sidney Crosby skated the trophy all the way to the Penguins' dressing room after posing for a few pictures on the ice.

- In the coming days, you will hear a lot of talk about last season. That means absolutely nothing. Is there a desire for revenge? Sure. A need for retribution? Absolutely. But keep in mind that last season's crushing defeat to the Red Machine from Joketown happened last season.

This is a new chapter. A new beginning. New stories will be written, new heroes will be born, but all the while, last season will not be erased, nor will it be forgotten.

Who knows, the Hawks might rattle off three straight victories to overtake the Wings and set up a rematch of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals.

So, until it is set in stone, enjoy this moment, Penguin fans, because in a few short days, war will be waged, and the greatest prize in sports will be on the line.

This is our time. This is the year that we Bring Back the Cup.

Let's Go Pens.

Pens-Canes Game Three- RBC(rosby)

There were many people, us surprisingly included, who felt that Cam Ward would at least push the Penguins to a five, or possibly six game series.

Those people have not been proven wrong yet, but they are on the brink of embarrassment.

There were also many people who felt the RBC Center would provide the Canes with the spark they needed to even up the series before heading back to Pittsburgh for Game Five.

The Pittsburgh Penguins posted five goals on Ward for the second consecutive game and took a commanding three games to none lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If you doubted Evgeni Malkin before now, all of your hesitance to crown him as an NHL superstar has been put to rest thanks to his performances in Games Two and Three of this series.

Geno once again took the game by the balls and proved the critics who said he disappears after the conclusion of the regular season wrong by toasting Ward for two goals and adding an assist in the Pens' 6-2 romping of the Canes on their home ice.

Matt Cullen, no relation to John Cullen, gave the Canes some false hope when he banged home the first goal of the game just four minutes into regulation.

The Pens responded by rattling off three goals before the end of the first period.

The second period saw both goaltenders stand their ground in an effort to give their respective team a chance to win.

Sergei Samsonov pulled the Canes to within one goal in the opening minutes of the third, but the Pens once again responded with three goals to seal the deal.

Jussi Joke-inen aided the Penguins in their winning effort by winning a faceoff and directing the puck into the open net, giving Craig Adams credit for his second goal of the post season.

A team has rallied from a three game deficit to win the series only twice in the history of the NHL playoffs.

The last time it happened was when the New York Islanders did it in 1975.

The Islanders opponent during that particularly rally... the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Don't get too comfortable, because this series is far from over, however, if you think there is any team in the NHL that can beat the Pittsburgh Penguins four times in a row right now, you are lost.

Let's Go Pens.