If you followed this year’s playoffs, you probably heard more than one commentator talking about the fact that Marian Hossa turned down a lucrative, long-term contract (worth almost $50 million) with the Pittsburgh Penguins in order to accept a one-year deal (worth $7.5 million) with the Detroit Red Wings.  The reason for his defection?  He thought he had a better chance of winning Lord Stanley with Detroit.
I really couldn’t believe he did (or said) that but I didn’t think about it too much until it was clear that the two teams were going to get a rematch.  I started mulling …read more

Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the odds and took home Lord Stanley after thriller of a game at the Joe Louis Arena and no one can say that this team relied solely on the skills and talents of star players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  They pulled together and became the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

It’s been almost a full day and I still can’t believe it.  I will write more about some things like Marian Hossa’s decision to join up with the Detroit Red Wings to have a better chance at winning and the fact that Evgeni Malkin …read more

The Pittsburgh Penguins have beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in a very exciting game and have become the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions.
Sidney Crosby is the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup and after the night he’s had I’m sure the moment feels incredible.

From the start, the Penguins looked like the sharper team but, in the first period, both Pittsburgh and Detroit came out with a lot of intensity but the combination of Maxime Talbot (who scored both goals for the Pens) and the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury was simply unbeatable tonight.
By the second period, I kept looking around …read more

This is it.  This is really, REALLY it.  It’s do-or-die time and I am extremely nervous.  I don’t know what it is about this matchup but seeing the seasoned, experienced Detroit Red Wings take on the younger Pittsburgh Penguins is very exciting to me.  It was all over in Game 6 last year and I think it’s absolutely amazing that we get to see a rematch.

I thought history might repeat itself since the Red Wings only needed one more win and could have eliminated the Pens (again) in Game 6 but Pittsburgh dug deep and sent out a message that …read more

Going into Game 6 tonight, I have to admit that I was not overly optimistic.  However, within just a few minutes it was clear that the Pittsburgh Penguins had used those few days off to regroup and bring the focus and energy that got them to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in as many years.

I was absolutely stunned by how controlled the Penguins played and how well they managed to keep the Detroit Red Wings from getting too many shots away.  In total, Marc-Andre Fleury faced 26 shots on net and he turned away 25 of them …read more

I needed a full night’s rest to write about the events that took place during Game 5 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.  I thought the Detroit Red Wings might play an excellent home game, especially with Pavel Datsyuk back in the lineup, but I was not prepared for the bloodbath that I witnessed.

Critics had been questioning Detroit’s play recently with some even referring to them as “shaky” but they showed everyone that they are solid and they sent the Pittsburgh Penguins a clear message – they intend to keep Lord Stanley.
The Penguins were held scoreless in three periods while …read more

The Pittsburgh Penguins dug deep and found a way to win last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with a final score of 4-2.  The victory has evened up the series since each team has won both of their home games.

Evgeni Malkin got the Pens on the scoreboard very early in the first on a power-play but his goal was quickly answered with one by Detroit’s Darren Helm.
They went into the second period tied up and after a goal by Brad Stuart, the Red Wings were held scoreless for the rest of the game as a shorthanded goal by …read more

Maxime Talbot scored two important goals last night as the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted defending Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings, for the first time in the Finals.

There were grumblings among many a hockey fan saying that the Penguins were on their way to being swept but, fortunately, last night’s game disproved the gossip.  I would imagine that even Red Wings fans would like to see a little more action before a winner emerges.
Watching the game, I felt like there was a lot less passion than I was expecting through those first two periods.  Fortunately, two goals by Talbot and …read more

The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a crushing blow as they were easily beaten by the Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.  The defending champions now have a 2-0 series lead.

First of all, I know a lot of people are not pleased by the back-to-back games in Detroit at the start of this series and I’ve got to say that I really didn’t like it much either.  I’m not crying about it or blaming the scheduling for the loss but I do think it’s less than desirable at this all-important stage of the playoffs.
Of course, there …read more

For the second time in as many years, the Detroit Red Wings faced the Pittsburgh Penguins for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  The defending champions ended up skating away with a 3-1 victory, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series.
The puck seemed to be bouncing in favor of the Detroit Red Wings as two of their goals actually bounced off the boards and off of Pittsburgh goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury, and into the net.  I’m not saying that Detroit needed the help but I’m sure they didn’t mind those lucky bounces.
We also saw a lot of action between …read more