BewareThePenguin

A very reasoned and thought-out post. Props to you. Some of your fellow posters could learn from you. However, I doubt they ever will.

Who are these Getzlaf and Perry guys? Honestly, I've never heard of them.

That wasn't the question -- but thanks for trying to steer the discussion in a totally irrelevant direction.

The Wings did a bang-up job for the most part on them. But I guess you missed the brilliant steal Malkin made to set up the only goal, or Crosby hitting the post and the puck somehow landing on Osgood's back like it was made of velcro -- not to mention the penalty shot that should've been awarded once his teammate's hand touched the puck in the crease? Maybe you should add "luck" to the list along with your other two theories.

And I defy you to claim you'd still feel all warm and cozy for Hossa if he: a) was given a nice offer by your team, but took as long as possible to decide before leaving, and b) announced on the way out he was leaving for the Ducks because the Wings are ancient, and they're the wave of the future

I don't want to turn this into another Hossa thread but let me just add quicky: it was more about HOW he left rather than the fact he left period. He opted to take as much time as possible to make his decision, and leave the team's offer (and the team itself) hanging PLUS the whole "I'm going where I can win a championship finally" dig he took at the team on the way out the door. So yes, Hossa WILL be a motivation beyond just getting revenge for last year.

I never underrated Osgood. Pluses, minuses and other numbers can be meaningless -- how does a guy perform in the big-game big-moment situations? He usually seems to shine. You rarely ever see Detroit do anything dumb, penalty-wise or other. That's another big hurdle for an opponent to overcome. The Pens had one tough series and two gliders. We'll see if they can step it up now.

Oh, believe me I haven't forgotten him. (See my other thread from yesterday.) The Hossa factor could also work for the Pens, as they'll be motivated by the supreme joy of getting to wave the Cup in his traitor face should they win. Just another fine storyline for the series.

Yes -- unlike some myth believers here who insist the Pens are a two-man team, guys like Kunitz and Fedotenko have contributed vital big-game know-how. In fact they're calling the whole new Bylsma style "Fedotenko hockey." Detroit's stocked with guys who have won though -- the injury thing is getting as overplayed as the Pens' "new experience" supposed advantage. None of it matters til we see how the Pens skate with Detroit the first couple of games. Last year it wasn't even close.

Gonchar still isn't 100 percent. Malkin and Crosby have to have a better series, as they were largely invisible last year. I don't claim the Pens experience will "pull them through", read my post again -- in fact I'm saying that theory is overdone. What will help is that at least the Pens will know what it's like to play in a finals this time around. So they at least won't have that burden around their necks. Coaching: you're pretty much agreeing with what I said. Health: Detroit's got more depth to deal with injuries than just about any other team.

Hossa didn't just leave, he: a) took his sweet time, and left the team hanging, as you mentioned b) made a big point of announcing WHY he was leaving, as a final slap to the team Those of you who don't get the Hossa hatred puzzle me. He couldn't have acted like a bigger jerk on the way out.

That was back when he didn't suck. Now -- Benedict Hossa sucks the big one. Hope that clears things up.

Hossa sucks. That is all.

Media coverage isn't the only analysis that blows. Your suck-up commentary is laughable. "Whipped a hot young goalie"? Yeah who played for COLUMBUS, the LOWEST SEED in the WHOLE PLAYOFFS. Nice touch pumping up Chicago too. Yeah, they're the second coming of the '80 Islanders. Whoo! Yes, the Pens faced cripples in wheelchairs, everybody the Wings faced is going to the Hall of Fame. Hilarious.

Exactly. Those last three guys don't exactly scare anybody. But I agree about the depth, that and the big-game savvy are what has set Detroit apart from the rest of the league. If it's Pens-Wings, burden's on the Pens to show they belong in that class.

Have the Wings made the finals yet?

I can think of a few other words to describe that scenario than "sweeeeeeeeeet" -- as a Detroit fan you've had to witness a certain ex-player of yours in a similar situation, so I guess you know pissed off. As for "sweet," that would be Crosby buzzing by Hossa as Sid waves the Cup in Hossa's traitor face, saying "well good thing you went to Detroit where you had a chance to win a championship, eh?" In fact, that would be what you'd call "poetic justice."

And how many yards did Fitzgerald have IN the 4th quarter? As for Harrison, he scored before the half -- that's not when games are won or lost. The Steelers had great defenses every year under Cowher, never won a Bowl until Roethlisberger showed up. Then they won two in 4 years. You think that's some coincidence? With Detroit's depth, they're capable of winning with just about anyone they put onto the ice. I don't argue with you there. But as for the "if they only do half" -- remember, the Pens almost took it to Game 7 last year with Crosby and Malkin essentially doing nothing.

Now wait a minute -- first you claim nothing happens if Crosby or Malkin aren't involved, now you want to go after the quality of the goals the other guys scored. Hmmm. I could say the same thing for, say, that fluke of a gift-wrap goal the Ducks' netminder put into the net for your guys, to seal up Game 7 -- but hey, that would be changing the subject too, now, wouldn't it? Every wishful-thinking fan of every Pens' opponent says the same thing -- because they WANT the Pens to be a two-man show. Again, the dominant player last night wasn't Crosby or Malkin. If you'd watched you'd know that, even the announcers were going on about him.

You sure we've been watching the same series? The most dominant player last night was Jordan Staal. Last I looked he didn't play with Crosby or Malkin. I don't recall either Malkin or Crosby assisting Fedotenko on his goal, the best of the night. Same thing with Talbot. BTW Fedotenko's been a quiet beast the whole playoffs.

Yes, living in Football Town USA, I know the game -- and it's defense and QUARTERBACKING that wins championships. You want to play the analogy game, the Steelers defense broke down in the 4th quarter of the Bowl, and depended on Roethlisberger to pull it out. The Pens do need their two superstars, no doubt -- it remains to be seen if they can be stopped. Not saying Detroit can't, but Sid and Geno are playing at a whole different level than they did last year. If they even contribute half of what they did vs. Carolina and Washington, the Pens will be tough to stop. Again, this assumes Detroit goes to the finals.

The uh "Pins" were lucky to make it to Game 6 last year, really only outplaying Detroit for one game. Then again, they went in with that whole happy-just-to-be-here attitude, and really the inexperience showed. (No surprise, I was here predicting that before the series last year.) No shame in admitting that, it was pretty predictable actually. That won't happen this time around. Should Detroit make the finals, it'll be one heck of a show. All you arrogant "west is the best" types will be in for a rude surprise. I wouldn't be happy with any other opponent than Detroit.

Agreed. Nor have the Red Wings faced a team like the Pens yet, either. The Ducks, for all you want to pump them up, don't bring it like the Pens do scoring wise. Works both ways. No doubt, though, having faced those big bad Western beasts like Columbus, the Red Wings should be primed.

Perhaps you haven't watched enough then? Fedotenko's been a beast, Talbot's stepped up, so has Guerin, so has Scuderi. Last night Staal (the one on the Penguins) dominated the entire first period, and showed up his star brother. Last year you did shut down Malkin and Crosby, and the series still came within a whisker of going the full seven. Then again, Crosby hadn't done much that entire playoff series -- think it's safe to say he's improved this year. We'll see -- provided the Red Wings take care of Chicago of course.

You do realize the Red Wings are part of the conspiracy in the minds of the conspiracy crowd... as in, "the league has it all set up for Detroit vs. Pittsburgh." You realize this right? If you don't you should.