Black and Golddust makes himself known for the final time this season. He's going...ahem...balls out against the Cards.
Time to leave it all out there, fellas. We're playing for a ring.
Go Steelers!
Oh, yeah, the Steelers are playing the Cardinals.
Here's my best two MSPaints involving Arizona. I rule so hard.
The above one is from this post. The one below is from here.
LAST CHANCE TO DOOKIE ON THE AFC! BLACK & GOLDDUST IS READY! ARE YOU?
Go Steelers! So hard!
One of our favorite big-armed pass rushing OLBs was on NFL Live last night, talking about something, something, something, blah blah blah football.
Oh, it was LaMarr Woodley, and I was too distracted by his annoyingly loud Tapout shirt that I failed to pay attention to what he was saying. Probably had to do with the Ravens, or the playoffs, or something of that ilk.
Really, LaMarr? Tapout? You couldn't find any Ed Hardy shirts instead? I don't know how you guys do it back in Michigan, but I don't usually associate the Steelers with douchebag shirts. Get yourself some Carhartt if you wanna fit it.
Or I guess LaMarr thought the AFC Championship was played in some Staten Island club. He's young and hasn't been to this level of the game before, so I guess I'll let it slide.
A 5 hour interview?
LeBeau used those 5 hours to prepare for Baltimore.
Go Steelers.
Every win from here on out will probably be coupled with some sort of exclamation like, "What a win!" There are no shitty wins in the playoffs, and each victory is special in its own way.
Yesterday, the Steelers made it clear that they wanted no part of another 11-10 pissfest. The 35-24 final was actually a lot closer than the story of the game. We let the same thing happen as the last time we played San Diego...an early touchdown allowed followed by defensive dominance. Since it is the playoffs, you don't think about things like allowing the opposing QB to pass for over 300 yards when we allowed one TEAM to accumulate 300 in an entire game...you just take the win however you can get it.
I hope this win doesn't inflate the egos of the fans as the early season win against the Texans did. Everyone lauded our brilliance as a complete team, something that was again evident against the Chargers on Sunday night. But it takes one iffy game, especially now in the playoffs, to destroy any delusions of grandeur.
We're finishing up with the final few MMCNYs, so let's just get to the rankings.
Sasso. The critics have been officially silenced. Ben played like he's never been concussed, or the concussion gave him some superhero abilities. As in, Ben's concussion = Spider Man's radioactive spiderbite. I haven't seen Ben's passes so crisp in...well, ever. He's put together good passing performances before, but opposing fans are always quick to point to his lower-level play come playoffs. He let Willie run the ball about 700 times before he even threw a pass, and after a weak start, finished with respectable numbers and no turnovers. Ben executed the gameplan to perfection, so he gets a perfect 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Willie. But Ben couldn't do everything that he did without Willie. 146 rush yards, 2 TDs and a 5.4 yard average. Willie looked like he was tired of all the Sproles-love from the past week, and wanted to remind the NFL that when healthy, he's one of the supreme ground talents in the game. Maybe I'm too awestruck by the win, or blinded by the fact that it's the playoffs, but I ave to open with 2 perfects. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Now do that to Baltimore!
Santonio/Hines. Showed up! You look at Santonio's line and see 2 catches and a reverse. But then you remember that his punt return TD was our only offense for almost half of the game. After the O came to life, Hines made clutch grab after clutch grab, destroying third downs like they were nothing. Together, they had less than 100 yards combined receiving and no touchdown receptions, but their combined efforts really meant something in this game. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Berger. Yeah. That was a 48 yard average. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Defense. In the weirdest stat of all time, the D let Philip Rivers pass for over 300 yards, but kept the Chargers to only 290 yards of total offense. I guess that can be classified as a push...and the house wins on a push in Pittsburgh. Sproles did what he was going to do, and padded his stats with a nice long touchdown catch and run after the game was nearly decided. I'll look at holding the Chargers O to 1 offensive play in the third quarter, and the fact that we created turnovers when I'm relating this to our game for next week. The final word is that the D, while allowing a few yards, really limited the Chargers after the initial and potentially devastating scoring drive. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Home field advantage. We'll see you in Pittsburgh again, Baltimore!
Finally.
We haven't had a show in awhile...the postseason hopefully brought out the best (worst?) in us.
Go Steelers.
Watch it again at OFTOT.
Even with all our young stars like Sid and Geno, the contributions of Max Talbot cannot be overlooked. Here's a guy who went from goal scorer/point producer in the littles to critical role player in the bigs. The dude is constantly flying up and down the ice, doing anything to spark his team. Forechecks, backchecks, blocking shots, hustling...you can't overlook what he brings to the Pens.
Last year in the playoffs, Max broke his foot while blocking a shot, which caused him to miss a few games. You never really know how much you miss a guy like Max until he's out.
With the loss in the Finals and the offseason that followed, Max was looking at plenty of time to heal up and get ready for the year. But a few pictures and ruminations on The Pensblog last night really had me worried. Those are the the pictures at the top of the post and this one here:
Unfortunately, the Passion season came to an end in the Conference Championship game over the weekend. I'll let longtime reader and Passion megafan smarchit take over:
The Passion season came to a disappointing close this evening in the IWFL Eastern conference championship game at the hands of the host Chicago Force
The game was a hard hitting defensive struggle throughout, but the Passion managed to draw first blood midway through the 2nd quarter, capping off a 65 yard drive with a 1 yard TD run. The Passion held a slim 7-0 lead at halftime, and maintained that advantage through the 3rd quarter.
At around the 5 minute mark of the 3rd, the hard hitting of the Chicago Force started to turn the tide of the game a bit. While picking up a key first down to move the Passion inside the Chicago 30 yard line, Pittsburgh starting QB Lisa Horton was knocked out of the game by Force safety Linda Bashe, and replaced by backup Kara Prentice. With Prentice at the helm, the Passion were unable to move any further until a 4th down pass that came up short of the sticks, turning the ball over on downs at the Chicago 10 yard line. The Force were able to get a few passes to get out of their own end and towards midfield, but were eventually forced to punt again. The punt was nearly blocked by the Passion, but Chicago got it away, and benefited from a good bounce that pinned Pittsburgh down inside their own 2 yard line.
Number 3 QB (technically a #2b, but officially 3rd on the depth chart) Janice Masters took over for Prentice, and helped give the Passion a little more breathing room, before they were forced to punt with about 8 minutes to go in the 4th. Chicago took over at the Passion 48 yard line, and started to move the ball. Pittsburgh had Chicago down to their final gasps though at 6:47, facing a 4th and 1 from the 33. On the 4th down attempt, the Passion had appeared to stop Chicago short, but a timeout had been called just before the snap, giving the Force a second chance. This time, they converted on a QB sneak by Samantha Grisafe, to continue the drive.
Behind the powerful 2nd and 3rd effort running of Force FB Melissa Smith, Chicago got the ball down to the 1 yard line. From there, Grisafe did the rest, calling her own number to get the Force on the scoreboard with 4 minutes to go.
Then lightning struck for the 2nd time in as many playoff games for the Force, as Melissa Smith converted the 2 point attempt for an 8-7 Chicago lead. Horton came back into the game on the ensuing Passion drive, but Pittsburgh was unable to move the ball again, and facing a 4th and 2 with just over 2 minutes left, fumbled away the ball back to Chicago.
With all 3 timeouts still in their pocket, the Passion defense was able to force a 3 and out, and got the ball back one last time at their own 31 yard line, with 45 seconds left to go. After a false start on first down, Horton nearly hooked up with WR Wilma Walton on a 1st and 15 needle threading sideline pass. But Bache was able to knock it away on a bang bang play, bringing up 2nd down. On 2nd and 15, Horton wound up and threw again, but Theresa Simon stepped up and intercepted the pass, sealing the deal.
Rough way to end the season, especially for a team that had won a championship the year before. It is difficult to assume what the team expected this year, what with the success of last season and the uncertainty of a move to a more demanding conference. Sure, the team still has an unreal regular-season win streak, but I bet that's little consolation after losing a conference championship.
On behalf of Passion fans everywhere, I'd like to congratulate the team on a thrilling season filled with tons of wins and and one crushing loss. I pity any team that has to play the Passion next season, as I bet the team has a little extra motivation in '09.
Passion Season Recap:
Game 1: 62-0 win over Central PA Vipers
Game 2: 34-8 win over Boston Militia
Game 3: 38-34 win over D.C. Divas
Game 4: 38-0 win over Columbus Phantoms
Game 5: 28-0 win over Baltimore Nighthawks
Game 6: 28-21 win over New York Sharks
Game 7: 54-6 win over the Holyoke Hurricanes
Game 8: 17-12 win over the D.C. Divas
Playoffs
Game 9: 41-6 win over the Orlando Mayhem
Game 10: 8-7 Loss to the Chicago Force (above)
Congrats to the Passion, who defeated the D.C. Divas 17-12 this past weekend to finish the regular season undefeated. This marks back-to-back undefeated seasons in two separate leagues for the Passion. The win streak has hit 21 games.
The team was only one of two teams in the Eastern Conference to finish the season at 8-0.
With the win, the Passion will host a home playoff game on Saturday June 28th. They'll play the Orlando Mayhem, a team the Passion is completely unfamiliar with. Orlando went 7-1 this season. Should Pittsburgh win, the next round of the playoffs resumes on July 12th.
Here's all the regular season games wins, for your convenience:
Game 1: 62-0 win over Central PA Vipers
Game 2: 34-8 win over Boston Militia
Game 3: 38-34 win over D.C. Divas
Game 4: 38-0 win over Columbus Phantoms
Game 5: 28-0 win over Baltimore Nighthawks
Game 6: 28-21 win over New York Sharks
Game 7: 54-6 win over the Holyoke Hurricanes
Game 8: 17-12 win over D.C. Divas (above)
We're now in a new week, beyond the Penguins season and into some dumb hot weather. I guess the end of the playoffs segues into the start of a new season...Trash The Penguins Season.
My name is Tony Gallagher.
I write one-sentence paragraphs.
My view on the NHL sucks.
I like to complain about the Penguins.
My opinions mean nothing.
Seriously, read that link. Here it is again, in case you're an idiot.
For those of you not up to date on the Stanley Cup Finals...they're over. Detroit showed they were the better team and took the Cup with them. Empty Netters has an entire season recap posted. The Pensblog is about to write their own recap. Nothing that I, or any of those guys, say makes any difference in what happened in the Finals. We lost, Detroit won, let's move on to next season.
For Tony Gallagher, that isn't enough. He has the balls to question the officiating in the final minutes of Game 6:
While nobody really wanted to say so, how could you have possibly watched the calls in that series and not had the feeling that somehow, consciously or more likely unconsciously, there was a slant toward favouring the Pittsburgh Penguins?
While it seemed to be prevalent most of the series, at times to a far lesser extent, the final 20 seconds of Game 6 illustrated the problem perfectly.
With Detroit just having given up a power-play goal that allowed Pittsburgh to get to within 3-2 with under two minutes to go, the Pens had their goalie out and the Wings under siege.
But with about 18 seconds left, Pavel Datsyuk of the Wings managed to skate free with the puck, skate it out over the blue-line, but as he readied a shot toward the open net, he was hauled down with an abundantly obvious stick foul so blatant that Helen Keller would have been forced to raise her arm.
No call.
Pittsburgh then got the puck, stormed the other end and nearly tied the game in the last second.
This call wasn't missed. There is absolutely no conceivable way it could have been missed.
But the officials chose not to end the Penguins' season. In fact, for the first time in all my years of viewing hockey, I was overwhelmed by a sense that there existed a desperate need to keep this series going for the good of the game, no matter how far rule interpretations had to be stretched.
Um...wow! Not just for the completely ridiculous "argument," but for the fact that I had to copy/paste 8 paragraphs that should have been merged into one.
I find it hard to believe that an editor would allow this filth to be published. We, as bloggers, take so much heat for publishing vile, salacious crap while The National Post greenlights complete b.s. The Wings won the Cup, dumbass. And see, we aren't the only ones making Helen Keller jokes.
Let's look at the numbers. There were 6 games played in the Finals. Over the course of the series, The Penguins were called for 41 penalties. That's almost 7 a game. Detroit was called for 36 penalties. That's 6 a game, for you math-starved kids. Half of the games in the series (3) showcased more Penguins penalties than Red Wings penalties. Detroit was called for more penalties in only 2 of the games, with Game 5 evenly distributed at 6 penalties apiece. Factor in that the first two games, in which Detroit went up 2-0 in the series, the Penguins were called for 8 more penalties than the Wings (21-13). Now, a number of those penalties were a result of the scrum at the end of Game 2, but Pittsburgh was penalized to a greater extent in that fracas despite both teams pushing and shoving.
Gallagher is more concerned with the Pens not being called on a trip with hardly any time left in their season. Using this logic, should I write a freelance article for The National Post complaining how the disparity in penalties in the first two games changed the course of the series? Because last I checked, Chris Osgood still hasn't been called for his dives.
Now, let's look at penalty minutes. Cumulatively, the Penguins were assessed 94 penalty minutes. Detroit was assessed 74 penalty minutes. Again, taking the Game 2 scrum into account, there is no reason why in that game, the Penguins had 30 more penalty minutes assessed (46-16). Also, Gallagher talks about the goalie interference calls in the OT winner in Game 5. In that game, Detroit only had 4 more penalty minutes than the Penguins. (14-10). If I remember correctly, the Penguins won on a 4-minute high sticking penalty that drew blood. Prior to that, the officiating "slant" was pretty damn close (10-10).
So let's base our arguments off one missed call at the end of a fantastic Game 6 in which both teams had legit scoring chances late. Please don't look at the entire series, in which the Penguins had more penalties and penalty minutes than the Red Wings. Conspiracies obviously exist because the officials allowed the beaten team one last chance at a goal, not because we were seemingly in the box at every possible moment.
Tony Gallagher, go complain about something else. The Wings won and the series is over. Quit fabricating "stories" in your own mind.
Thank God for the New York Sharks' website.
Usually, I have trouble giving you adequate Passion recaps of the games, because the IWFL sucks at keeping the (supposed) masses informed. This is what we get from the IWFL site.
All the points were scored in the 4th? Incredible!
And that's it. Thankfully, though, the Sharks have a decent recap posted. I won't give you all the details, but you can read about it there.
The win clinched the North Atlantic Division for the Passion, who have won it in their first tour of the IWFL. The Sharks had won the division every year since their inception in the league. Pittsburgh's move from the NWFA to the IWFL had to worry New York from the get-go.
Both Pittsburgh and New York traded touchdowns before the Passion jumped to a 28-14 lead. New York scored again, keeping the deficit at 7, but couldn't overcome the mighty Passion. New York had a chance to tie the game, getting the ball back with just under 50 seconds left in the game. Despite a few generous completions, the clock worked against the Sharks.
The team sits at 6-0, with the now 4-2 Sharks holding a distant second. The division is clinched, and Pittsburgh will now look to winning back-to-back championships in two different leagues. The Passion proved that their NWFA success was no fluke, and can hang with just about anyone, including the powerhouse Sharks.
Next week, the undefeated streak goes up against Columbus, a team that Pittsburgh has already dominated this season.
Playoffs begin June 28th. Pittsburgh's ticket is already punched.
(this picture has nothing to do with the post, but that is a truly remarkable shot)
Going into this series, did you think you would ever be turned off by the sight of Lord Stanley?
When NBC cut to the Cup handler removing the trophy from its case and proceeding to polish it, I almost threw up. The Pens had successfully blown a 2-goal lead, Detroit was nearly celebrating the Win and I was in my own state of disbelief.
Now, let's back up for a second.
Will Leitch had an interesting chapter in his latest book, God Save the Fan. The 7th chapter in Part 4, entitled "Why a Crappy Flatiron Yuppie Bar Is Now the Closest Thing I Have to a Home," really means something more than just words on paper now. It talks of Will's struggles with being a Midwestern boy and Cardinals fan in the heart of New York City. What are the displaced fans to do when their team is making a historic run?
To make a long story short, the chapter is about Will finding a group of Cardinals fans at a random bar in the city, and making unreal bonds with other fans who share the same connection and disconnection based around a sports team. St. Louis was in the World Series, and the closest Will had to home was the random bar with other Cards fans.
First time through the book, I had to stop right there, because I thought Will was full of shit (had to do it, for you Bissinger fans). Being originally from Pittsburgh, I can tell you firsthand that nothing beats being right at the heart of huge sports happenings. The Super Bowl XL victory parade? Ridiculous. I didn't think you could get that type of excitement in another city. Everyone who watched that on tv from whatever exotic location you were in at the time...you missed out big time.
Then, as you all know, I moved to New York. Suddenly, I was a sports fan with no city, a man trapped away from all he holds dear (FSN Pittsburgh). I moved shortly after the NHL All Star game this past regular season. The Pens were streaking towards the playoffs, and I was stuck trying to find live feeds online. Even when the games started being broadcast on Versus, or MSG for the Rangers series, I stayed at the apartment, nervously pacing back and forth. I needed another fan, and the words in GSTF started ringing true in my mind. Perhaps I could find a home away from home.
Trust me, its not easy to find a Penguins bar right after dismantling the Rangers. The locals don't take kindly to you displaying the colors of the team that just eliminated their Rags.
But I found one. A great group of people who rival my fandom. I can talk about Jim Paek, or the North Side or Nigro's Restaurant and people know what I mean. In New York City!
Which brings us to the epic, 3-OT game from last night. I watched a guy bloody up his knee while wearing a suit because the Pens scored and we needed to celebrate. I saw groups of people nervously pounding on the tables as the OT minutes kept passing by. I wasn't alone in my stupid antics. Everyone had the same feelings. And these are mostly displaced Pittsburghers, some out of state fans, chicks from Holland and Sweden, friends from California. Everyone was united by the Pens...
...And hatred for the Cup. Honestly, I get chills every time they show Mario on that badass NHL commercial. However, seeing the Cup last night with the Wings up 3-2 was sickening at best. I never thought I'd get so angry seeing that beautiful Cup, but it happened with a few minutes left in the third last night. And I wasn't alone. I don't know if I've ever seen a larger collective chorus of cusses then when NBC cut to the Cup handler. Just as players don't like to touch Stanley until they win it, the fans don't want to see it when the other team is close to taking the prize.
Now, I fully understand the feelings Leitch had during the Cards' World Series run. That "back-home excitement" was present in a basement pub in Manhattan. It felt like we were all in the Civic Arena. Or at least out on the lawn.
Will the Pens take the Cup, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit? As much of a homer as I am, I can't say that we'll win for sure. I'm a 100% optimist, always wanting a win, but I have to realize that we're still a ways away.
But we're still alive, and the Penguins have brought together a bunch of out-of-place Pittsburghers...
...Who really don't want to see the Cup in Pittsburgh on Wednesday (however weird that may sound).
From the Globe and Mail, via my buddy BP at Awful Announcing, comes news that Don Cherry snubbed Sidney Crosby.
Wow. I didn't see that coming.
Anyone who knows Sid and knows Don Cherry were not taken by surprise at this. Cherry is unique to listen to, and must be respected for all he's done for the game. However, he's had a history of berating Sid, mostly stemming from Cherry despising the now-famous lacrosse-style goal Sid scored in juniors.
So after the Game 3 win, Cherry gave tons of love to most of the Pens, including Gary Roberts (not that there's anything wrong with that), but seemed to miss Sid's contributions. I mean, its gotta be easy to forget the guy who scored the first two Penguins goals. Especially right after the game.
Here's the money quote:
When Cherry did his postgame spot for ESPN, he continued to ignore Crosby and wax lyrical about Roberts. Finally, ESPN commentator Barry Melrose said, “What about the Crosby kid?”
“Oh,” Cherry said. “I forgot. Yeah, he played a great game.”
Typical Cherry. I'd be more pissed if it was someone other than Don Cherry. I've come to expect nothing less, although he did wear Penguins colors earlier in the playoffs (above picture taken from that link).
Whatever. Drop the puck for Game 4, already.
Go Pens.
How do I even begin to describe my current emotions following last night's win?
Praise Sid? Thank God that the presence of Sydor might have changed our luck? Worship Brooks Orpik? Point out to Chris Osgood that goalies with the lead don't flop?
Nah. I'll chalk it up to the Playoff BTM. Home ice might have had something to do with the win, or maybe the whiteout. I think the BTM stepped it up huge, scoring early so Detroit was unable to keep up their puck-control nonsense. It seems the BTM does well when challenged, or when the team's back is against the proverbial wall.
Sid could have easily had a hat trick (or more), if not for the pipes playing about as well as Chris Osgood last night. No matter the case, a win means the BTM has a longer shelf life, and more importantly, means that the Pens are still alive.
Sure, I'd like to see a few other players step it up, like Geno (who played better last night), Hossa (he scores on Saturday. Write that down) or Jordan Staal (sure, he's been playing possessed, but he's missed on several finishes). The BTM can only do so much by itself.
Which is why its nice to have a flower in your corner.
What a win. I've been waiting for that feeling since 1992.
Go Pens!
If you follow this provided link, you may die.
I followed it, am still here, and am encouraging you to do so as well.
Puck Daddy, the fantastic Yahoo! sportsblog edited by the man, the myth, the legend Greg Wyshynski, has put together some of the finest Penguins fans songs from the tubes into its very own musical, of sorts.
I'd post each video here, but you should go to Puck Daddy to get the full effect. I'm not a huge fan of musicals, which you could probably guess since I'm a massive sports fan, but this is one I'd definitely check out. Multiple times. And since I live in New York City, I shall camp out in front of some odd Broadway theater (theatre?) until this show comes to fruition.
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Stanley Cup Musical [Puck Daddy]
How money is the Winnipeg Sun?
Straight from their desks, because I'm a blogger in my mom's basement, sitting in my underwear eating Bagel Bites (those things are killer, though) while only wearing my undies as I recycle other folks' stories, comes the realization that both the Pens and Wings have guys who played against each other for a Cup once. In 1989.
And now that I've mentioned it, I really want some Bagel Bites.
Flash back to '89, and we've got a local hockey team with no Cups to its name. Gary Roberts is a second year winger on the eventual Cup-winning Flames. Chris Chelios was finishing up his 15th season as a defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens (Chelios is old).
Both players have won Lord Stanley since Roberts bested Chelios in '89, but while Chelios is a sure-fire HOFer, look at the Sun's recap of Roberts' career:
[Roberts] has been an all-star, had his career ended by injury, made a remarkable comeback, lived through two lockouts, almost carried the Toronto Maple Leafs to a Cup final, changed his life with a second marriage and second family, signed as a free agent in Florida and was traded to Pittsburgh at the deadline one year ago.
He won a Cup in his second full season in Calgary; He has not played for one since.
Unreal timeline.
While I don't like how most sports outlets like to give past stats as a way to predict current outcomes (i.e. Roberts is 1-0 lifetime against Chelios in the Finals), I'd hope that history CAN repeat itself, and despite the change in decades and teams, Roberts can prevail over Chelios once more.
Oh, and I know this is kinda old, but Gary Roberts doesn't hate Pittsburgh. Same can't be said for Chelios and Detroit.
Go Pens!
I need a moment, away from the parodies of Flyers fans, the BTM sightings, or any other cheap laugh.
The Penguins are going to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Our Pittsburgh Penguins, one year removed from a gut-check of a loss in the opening round of the playoffs, now stand 4 wins from hoisting Lord Stanley. I've yet to let that fully sink in,
I'll turn 24 years old in under 3 months. I can't be foolish enough to make you believe that I saw the Steel Curtain firsthand. Hell, I come from a generation after the "We Are Family" Buccos, and my best memories of our out-of-luck baseball team include a slide by a guy who used to wear black and gold before breaking the heart of every Pirates fan on a Barry Bonds throw home.
But with the Pens, something special happens. I find myself thinking back to the Cup days of the early 90s. How excited and fortunate I was to watch Lemieux and Jagr...on the same team. Two superstars united with one goal in mind, the Stanley Cup. I remember the games against the North Stars and Blackhawks. I can nearly name, from memory and almost in order, the players on the Stanley Cup Championship plaques that hang in my aunt's den.
Through the recent losing seasons, Lemieux's retirement, Jagr's trade, I would take myself back to the good times, desperately clinging to the pride of winning back-to-back Cups. With the Steelers and Buccos, I could only liken to moderate successes. Playoff appearances, short winning streaks...but no championship. The Steelers finally got their one for the thumb, but I couldn't relate that to any personal memory.
As we wait for our opponent, be it Dallas or Detroit, I have, as anyone in my age group or older, a connection made between this group of young Penguins and the champions of the past. The bridge had been built, but never finished. '92 seems like yesterday, and forever ago. It was the beginning of innumerable Cups. Jagr and Lemieux would hoist the trophy 10 more times, it would seem. But the sport is fickle.
16 years later, and we're back. Should it have taken this long? Does the wait make it this much sweeter?
Do any of those questions matter at this point?
Teams hope and pray and bargain with the devil to have everything line up at the perfect time. Free agent puzzle pieces. A white-hot goaltender. Young leaders capable of dishing AND scoring. Defense. More defense.
As I write this, the feeling starts to sink in more than when I began. I'm writing about the Stanley Cup. Its a highly plausible goal. We fought the best the Eastern Conference had to give for the right to TRY for the Cup.
Now all we need is 4 games of our hockey.
Those champions from my memories played their hockey, and were rewarded with their names forever etched on the Cup. Let's hope the connection remains true, and that this version of the team finds similar results.
GO PENS!
The Prince of Wales Trophy (next to our boy, Stanley) is going to be in the Civic Arena.
Let that sink in.
He has been stuck in Ottawa since last year.
Only two words need spoken.
Go Pens.
Megadeth rules! Woooooooooo!
Cros-by Su-ucks!
The Flyers are "alive and swell," baby!
I don't know where I heard it, but I think Game 5 is this Sunday on NBC.
That dude who brings like 30 signs to the games behind the net is the man. Its like he knows what's gonna happen!
Pink, popped-collared shirts are fantastic.
3 more wins til the finals, baby! Briere's gonna own!
(/blatant trip on a Penguin) Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
I need to buy some Dockers.
And some Edge Shave Gel.
We're only down because Timonen and Coburn are out. No, I've never heard of Mark Eaton.
Wooooooooooooo!
Championship.
