Stanley Cup Thoughts

Wow, I really did not see this coming. Even though Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury were all a year older, wiser, and better, I always thought last year's team was superior. Hossa/Malone > Guerin/Kunitz, but I was wrong.

I actually thought the toughest series in the East would be Carolina. Again I was wrong. After the Game 7 domination in Washington, the Pens were just full steam ahead against the Hurricanes.

I predicted Wings in 6, and again I was incorrect. The Pens had the superior grit and heart of a champion.

Part of me feels bad for Hossa. He hated Therrien and that was the single greatest factor in signing with Detroit. If you view it in terms of the Therrien factor opposed to Pittsburgh versus Detroit solely, than Hossa made the right decision. If Bylsma would have been the coach and his style implemented, Hossa would have signed with Pittsburgh, I almost guarantee it. Hell, if Bylsma was the coach last year, the Pens would have probably won. Shows how important the coach has been. Accept for his year with Crosby, Hossa has just never shown up in the playoffs.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk are good if not great, but not to the level of Crosby and Malkin.

Lidstrom and Osgood are about done. With a win, Osgood would have probably been a borderline Hall of Famer. Now, he probably isn't, again, wow.

This might be the end of the line for Detroit in the forseeable future. They will certainly be on the decline next year and young teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, and Chicago are only getting better.

Role players stepped up in big ways throughout the playoffs. Mark Eaton against Philadelphia. Ruslan Fedotenko against Washington. And of course Max Talbot in the finals.

Rob Scuderi and Brooks Orpik were absolute studs, the entire playoffs.

Staal stepped up big throughout and greatly improved on last year's playoff performance. Still the question is: Do you keep him or trade him and get a better wingers?

Fleury is simply one of the best net-minders in the NHL. He showed it last night, he's showed it throughout the playoffs, and he has shown it all year. Losers that complained after game five are probably praising him now. He is equally important to the Penguins as Crosby and Malkin.

It helps when you have the two best players in the NHL. The only problem with Crosby surfaced last night. He's just injury-prone. He has been throughout his career, and he will probably continue to be.

Which finally brings me to Malkin. I have been saying it for two years. He's the best player in the world. Out of the big 3, Ovechkin is the best scorer, and that's about it. In Pittsburgh, Crosby centers the top line, and had Hossa last year. Malkin has played his entire career with second line wingers. There have been some quiet whispers that the team plays better, at least in the regular season, when Crosby is out. They are equal passers and playmakers. Evgeni is tougher, more physical, and a superior pure scorer. In my opinion, the debate isn't even that close anymore.

CHAMPIONS

GAME 7.

More from Kniggette at Myxer

Let's face it, Steeler fans. Nothing compares with what we are about to see. The Steelers played 19 games to win the Super Bowl this year. The showdown with the Cardinals was special and amazing, but we can all agree that the Super Bowl is 90% pregame hype and analysis, 10% actual game. The Penguins will play their 108th game of this season (not including exhibition). Their Super Bowl has been going on for 13 days and still they continue to battle. I have never been so invested in a sports team or sports moment as I am right now with Game 7 looming. Must I bust out the undefeated running diary? In case you're feeling a little bit nervous about walking back into the Joe, perhaps you need a confidence boost courtesy of William Wallace and friends.



As sons and daughters of the Burgh, you may think we are blessed with awesome sports teams (2/3 blessed, anyway). Well I don't remember the Cup years. As a Steeler fan, my patience and loyalty was tested in 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, and 2004. Only after that came the glory. My memories of Penguins hockey revolve around choking in the playoffs to teams that suffocated us with defense: the Rats, the Great Brodeur, and the Big Red Machine. It's finally time to push through that barrier. Like everyone on this blog and certain Caped Crusaders, we never give up on the team.



It's hard to believe that all this pressure rests on the shoulders of a 21 year old, someone who plays with different linemates every year and still puts up insane numbers. This is what experts mean when they say he has the total package. Ovechkin can only help his team win by scoring goals, which is why he is currently out on the links wondering why his tee shots curve more than his hockey stick.

So, who will be the game 7 hero? What are the major storylines here?

- Maid Marian's decision to defect may lead him to a fate similar to Benedict Arnold ("I am NOT a DESERTER!"). If they lose, he goes down as the biggest goat in NHL history (unless he goes on to win a Cup in the future).

- Crosby and Malkin both need to show up. When one brings his A-game, the Pens keep it close, but the only game this series when they both stepped up, we dominated. It'll be hard for Crosby, who'll be shadowed by Big Hank all night, but there's a reason 87 is the best, and he needs to show it. Malkin gets to play against second-rate defensemen, so he should continue to be a monster with the puck and seal up the Conn Smythe.

- This game is going to have at least one soft goal, and whichever goalie surrenders it will suffer the loss.

- Fedotenko was Mr. Clutch for TB, scoring both goals to win the Cup in Game 7. Thanks to playing with Malkin, expect him to get plenty of chances.

- Mario "Christian Troy" Lemieux will continue to look imposing up in the luxury box with his Dasani and his hot wife.

- Expect to hear this: "WOW!!! Did you see that save by Chris Osgood?!? I'm telling you, Doc and Edzo, even though the Wings are trailing here late, he would still get my vote for the Conn Smythe. He has been phenomenal." *fart*

PREDICTION TIME:
- Pens win 3-1
- GWG scored by Sergei Gonchar
- Wings fans say the refs handed us the game.

Survivors, wanna know what your playin for?

Pic of the Day

Liam Neeson and Ciarán Hinds attend a _________ together.

Fill in the blank:
A)pro wrestling event, we'll say King of the Ring
B)premier of some movie called "Eclipse"
C)male bonding weekend
D)street fight
E)beer garden
F)therapy session on how to get their cool hair back

VIDEO GAMES: Uncharted and Assassin's Creed Sequels!!!

Back in the day when our family subscribed to Gamepro (the Sega Genesis to PSone era), there was always excitement for the fabled E3. I still don't know what the 3 E's stand for (Entertainment and Expo are two of them), but this event has grown even more legendary, almost like the Comic Con of video gaming. This year, a lot of crazy stuff was announced and displayed, like Microsofts ambitious new motion sensitive controller (except, you don't use a controller!?!?), trailers for FFXIII, and many more Mario games for Nintendo. But the stuff that blew me away the most was NOT the God of War 3 demo (I never played 1 or 2, so I don't care yet), but the demos for Uncharted 2: Among Theives and Assassin's Creed 2.

Instead of just giving us more of the same, the creators of these games went above and beyond to improve graphics, story, gameplay, missions, details, weapons, etc, etc, etc. I haven't been this excited since the Diablo III gameplay footage was unveiled. Watch and love both of these videos.

Empire Magazine Follow Up

A couple of weeks ago, Dave posted a few preview images from Empire Magazine's 20th anniversary photo shoot, featuring some of the biggest stars in Hollywood reprising their greatest characters from the last 20 years. Go here to see the gallery that features a return to Silence of the Lambs, 300, the Bourne trilogy, and other blockbusters. Of course, you'd rather look at the best of the best, which is what I've posted here.


Another of Mel as Bill Wallace. Chills...




From left to right: Blue Steel, Le Tigra, Magnum, Ferrari



I thought nothing would be able to top the Braveheart pictures, and then I saw the leaders of free men. Congrats to Empire for not rounding up the hobbits for the photo shoot (I imagine it would be easy since they're probably not working). This is so much better. Gondor would be so proud...






Wow. I take it back. This is my new favorite, hands down. He looks just as he did 15 years ago, doesn't he? What does it say, that in an issue edited by Spielberg, the two actors picked to represent his work are Sam Neill for JP and Tom Cruise for Minority Report? I'd rather see Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley reunite instead of Cruise. For that matter, where was Hanks as Capt. Miller? Where is Hanks period!?!?





I know they want us to think Terminator for this one, but that cigar makes me think....
"Hey, Claudius????"

Game 4 - Period 3 Running Diary

Time to seal this bitch up.

10:13 - "What sets off the metal detector first? The lead in your ass, or the shit in your brain?" - John McClane. He knows what it means to have the same shit happen to you twice. The Pens won't allow this series to get away from them in Game 4 this time.

10:14 - The Pens jumped out to a quick start, but the Wings took over after that. In the second, the Wings started strong, but the Pens rebounded with 3 goals in 6 minutes. I'm kind of relieved that the Wings are surging now. Also, Fleury is making a ton of great stops. He's on his game.

10:21 - Already just 12:00 minutes left. This period is blowing by. There is a lot of grinding and passing and clearing. No scoring opportunities. No whistles. I like how the Pens are handling themselves, but I would feel better if they get one more to put this game away.

10:28 - Yikes. 8 minutes left and the Big Red Machine is continuing to press. The Pens are in full containment mode, clearing and dumping everything. They just showed a replay of Crosby going down, and I believe that Wings bloggers are going to have a field day with this. He went down like he was shot by a sniper. Poor Sid.

10:37 - Not much to report on, but I saw this exchange on the ESPN conversation of the game. Told you the fanboys would love it:

"If a Pen did that to Zets, you would be crying your eyes out that there was no penalty called, and that the Pens are dirty."
------------

"He is saying even Heidi and Spencer could take a slash like that, which is true. That was nothing. It wouldn't cause them to fly through the air, mouth open wide enough for 10 dickss."

10:41 - Wow. Fleury shut the door on one of the best scoring chances that Detroit has had all game. Doc and Edzo love it. Jim Hughson loves it. The Igloo is going nuts for it. 2:30 left to go.

10:44 - Cheap penalty to prevent an empty netter (unlike the Wings, Pittsburgh knows how to convert freebies). Hopefully the Pens score a PP goal to pour salt in the mood.

10:46 - Final Score: 4-2. Pens hold serve. Woo hoo. It's a whole new series and the Wings are scared. The Pens score 4 for the second straight game while the Wings have never scored more than 3.

We're done here. Mr. Game 4 Hossa must have taken a sick day. Osgood looked like a little girl. Sid, Geno, and Gunner Staal were in superb form, and Fleury was amazing. Is it fair to say that the Pens are playing their best hockey at the absolute best time? The Wings are gassed. This is the tipping point.

Besides Crosby kicking it into gear, the biggest thing to take away from tonight is that, for the first time this series, a goalie has allowed more than 3 goals.

Is it too much to hope for a win in the Joe and a chance to celebrate a cup on home ice? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Detroit fans will be hostile, but the team is dead tired. And no one can stop Conn Smythe Malkin right now. NO ONE.

PENS IN 6