VM1138

Drake is so pumped he's going to explode all over Pittsburgh like a.....ehhh......let's just say he's going to demolish Pittsburgh, one by one. Drake is going to be like a rampaging rhino. I feel sorry for a player who tries to stand between him and the Cup.

It would be, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we haven't played game 1 yet.

That one and the Lilja one are my favorites so far. Hysterical!

I get tired of the whining, but yeah, Pittsburgh is favored by the media. Any given day on NHL.com or wherever else, there is SOMETHING, an ad, or an article, about the Penguins. Every day. Only team in the league to make it so consistently.

I don't know if I agree. True, they are all fairly equal in skill, but I feel the weaker Pitts defense (compared to the Wings) will give Dats and Z more room to play than Crosby and Malkin. Therefore, the Pens will need their supporting cast to win, but I think Dats and Z will have just as many chances as they have so far in the playoffs. And yes, Detroit's supporting cast will step it up a notch as well. It's going to be amazing. I agree that Malkin and Crosby are two of the smartest players in the game, but since they are so equal, I will take the fans way out and say Datsyuk and Zetterberg are better, while not belittling Pittsburgh fans for saying their pair is better. But I don't think they cancel each other out, as I stated about Dats and Z having lots of room to play with, whereas Crosby and Malkin will have to work harder to get their openings.

Hold on. The players have no control over it. If the doctor's don't clear them, they can't play. Simple as that. They have reason to be cautious. Our Doctors are also the reason our players are hardly ever injured for very long.

I think a lot of frustration comes not only from him consistently missing his shots and terrible decision making, but frustration with Babcock for giving him such crucial playing time. He's a 3rd liner when he's on a hot streak, and for the longest time he was on the Top 2 lines consistently.

I would pay money to see the Wings and Pistons play a hockey game.

Kiss the Cup goodbye fellas. McCreary was our only hope of a fair series. EDIT: I always reject conspiracy theories, but reffing the Cup Finals is based on merit, yes? Then don't you find it funny that the most established ref int he game (McCreary) is out, and a guy who has screwed up and made more controversial calls than any other is in to replace him?

It's not a bad signing. Similar to Chelios for us. Low risk, short contract to provide timely leadership.

I sort of agree with you guys, but let's not forget the NBA is collapsing. Hardly anyone watches. Aren't they at the same level or have recently slipped just behind the NHL in viewership? So yeah, we won't get those basketball fans, but we'll get the football and baseball fans. So no, I don't think it's quite a colossal fail as you guys do.

Yup, Sarich. I don't think it's blind homerism to say Datsyuk and Zetterberg are two of the best players in the world. W e always give credit where credit is due, and most people here are fairly smart when comparing players. But the Wings are just damn good. THe Pens have some damn good players, too, but there's no way Hossa is better than Dats and Zetterberg. I still hope we can sign him int he offseason, because he would compliment them well, but no, Datsyuk and Zetterberg are the OVERALL best players in the league. There are other players who are the complete package, but those players aren't at the same skill level as Dats and Zetterberg overall.

It's dumb to call someone dumb for making a pick. The Pens are good, and since the Wings and Pens never play each other, virtually every comparison has too many X-factors. No way calling either team to win in Game 7 would be dumb.

I don't know about 5 games. Defense or not they can score a lot of goals, and their speed will be a challenge.

I won't go so far as to make predictions, but your post really cut through a lot of the superficial stuff. Good analysis. I'd also add that the teams are equally deep. The overall gist of all the analysis? These are two behemoths ready to stand toe to toe. But of course, I give the Wings the edge for defense and just super awesomeness.

One thing I have learned these playoffs is how juvenile other teams' fans are. I don't think I see "such and such should die!!!! ARGKS!" or "Team X sucks balls so bad OMGMFTT", etc., etc. \ I can't believe the level of pure hatred out there towards our Wings.

I know some people who have partied with members of the team. They're insane. I've heard some crazy stories involving Chelios, Federov, and McCarty especially. I don't see Lidstrom as much of a partier though.

I have a feeling Game 1 will see the Wings come out flying. These teams are evenly matched, and Babcock will want to make sure the youth of the Pens will come into play. The Wings are going to make the Pens "grow up" or die. The Wings won't play defensively til they have to. They'll be pummeling your net in the hopes of getting the early leads and making Pittsburgh buckle down and play catchup. He knows the danger of letting a young, talented squad like the Pens get any momentum. I'm not a fan of the Pens, never have been, but I will not bad-mouth them. This is the best matchup, and the Pens have earned their right to be here. This Final will be the best in....well, as far back as I can remember. Finally, a hockey matchup outsiders will want to watch! But I think this is the year, Cup or not, that Pittsburgh becomes a full fledged dynamo in the league. There's nothing like playing the Red Wings to force you to play the best hockey of your life. Whatever youthful inexperience they have will be gone next year. Look forward to classy interactions and an amazing series.

The author doesn't know what he's taking about. He spends the entire thing talking about how much better Franzen is getting, then says something more is going on? And the statement before he declares something more is going on: "The Wings doctor's are usually the most cautious in the league" wouldn't that indicate that they are holding him back for nothing? This is like a New York Times article. Spend an entire article setting something up, then with the last sentence, tear what you just wrote apart. I'm thinking he'll be back. Like someone else said, you have to be headache free for a week. The article says he's headache free, so he's just biding time til he's cleared. Maybe not back for Game 1, but he'll be back at some point in the series.

Not to rain on the parade here, but those stats aren't overwhelming. And the Pens are a complete team. Weaker on defense but they are, statistically, just as deep as the Wings, not quite as deep, but not lacking enough to make much of a difference. These teams are almost perfectly even except in Defense.

Yeah, well, I happen to have a connection in a hospital that knew of a patient who claimed to have played 2 years with Gordie Howe back in the late 60s. Did a quick search for his name, never listed as a hockey player, let alone on any of those teams. But he seemed credible, too, until you search it. Doctors especially are full of crap. If he's bleeding in the brain they'd be treating this totally different.

Here is an interesting stat about depth. We've all heard how Pittsburgh has had so many players score goals and they're just so deep, right? 14 Players have scored goals for Detroit 14 Players have scored goals for Pitts 8 Players have 10+ Points for Detroit (9 if you count Sammy's 9 for being close) 5 Players have 10+ Points for Pitts, with no one with 9 points. So, as far as depth goes, wouldn't it seem that Detroit has the edge statistically, and realistically, they're about even? I don't see any advantage for the Pens on that front.

I threw up a little thinking of a Lidstrom-Lilja pairing.

I hate to sound like a homer, but I think Dats and Zetterberg are better than Malkin, and Crosby is better than Malkin. Don't get me wrong, he's a scoring beast, but Dats, Z, and Crosby are all better all-around players. Well, if you rank Lidstrom, Dats, Z, Crosby, Ovie, and Malkin in the top 6 like most people have, that means 5 of the top 6 players in the world will be showcased in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. Badass.

He'll be back to form next season. It's probably too late to hope he'll open up with scoring, but at least we have his great defensive play. We'll need some defensive forwards to handle the speed Pittsburgh has. And looking around on Pittsburgh forums, no one seems to know that the Wings are absolutely stacked with amazing defensive forwards. They seem to think they're only playing against Lidstrom and Rafalski and that simply by having offense they can manhandle us.