My hat is off to the Pens

[This Is Bida 0]

As I sit here at almost 30 minutes past 1 o'clock on this wonderful Thursday morning, as drunk as I may be, I can't help but look back on the whole season and this series just to soak in all the glory. How proud I am to be a Red Wings fans. I just came back from downtown Plymouth. My hometown and where I have lived all my life. I've been bred on hockey. Played it since I was just a few years old. So I may be a little cocky in saying this but sometimes I put myself above other Red Wings fans, because even though I am a Red Wings fans through and through... and though I may bleed only red and white... I am truly at heart, a HOCKEY fan! I'll watch other sports... Baseball, sometimes Football, very rarely Basketball (only for the Pistons, even thats hard to bare). But nothing competes with the physical AND emotional endurance hockey players are put through. Hockey, in my eyes, is 'bar none' the GREATEST sport known to man.

So with that said, as great as a series as this has been... and as happy as I am to be so relieved/excited/alleviated/euphoric etc. for this series to be over, I must tip my hat in respect to the Pittsburgh Penguins. I have now been alive to, not only witness, but remember 4 Stanley Cups in my life time and not once have I seen a team so resilient to hand over a Cup that does not belong anywhere but here in Hockeytown. Philidelphia was up there, fighting 'til the end, but were much more easily taken care of. The Penguins, on the other hand, fought back from being absolutely dominated in games one and two to make a series out of it not only once but twice, after the Wings taking a 3-1 series lead. Even with the Wings leading game 5 3-2, as the seconds ticked down, the Pens wouldn't give up...

So to make my story short...

Through all the complaining back and forth thru the Stanley Cup Finals about officiating, the bickering, the swinging of momentum... I have to say, you Penguins players and fans deserve all the credit in the world. Aside from your coach, the team in itself will be where we are at today. I will guarantee you Penguins fans that you have nothing to worry about. The Cup WILL be in Pittsburgh within years. You're team never surrendered, never gave up and fought hard 'til the end, even with the better team clearly winning. So one last time, my hats off to you!

As for The Wings and Nick...

As much as I miss the good old days with players like Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman. The North American players we can all relate to... I am very truly honored to be a Detroit fan! A fan of a team that is proud to be the first team with a European captain to hoist the Stanley Cup. Round after round, the analyst said we couldn't do it. Yet we did! A team that would 'never survive in the salary cap era'... a team that 'was too small to make it the whole way'. We proved everyone wrong. 100% I stood by the Wings and I am happy to and proud to be a Wings fan. Enjoy this moment everyone, for this is ours... and it could be a once in a lifetime thing. Thats one thing my father has taught me after the 42 year drought. Enjoy it!

P.S. If this series didn't prove to the Basketball/Baseball lovers across America that hockey is a true sport of all sports, maybe the game needs to stick to his true, diehard fans. This was a Stanley Cup Finals for the ages...

First 2 games the Wings clearly dominate.

The 3rd game the Pens continue their unbelievable home record.

Game 4 the Wings edge out to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

And game 5... wow! The Pens take a 2-0 lead. The Wings push back with all they have to not only tie, but take the lead in the 3rd. Then, only 34.3 seconds away from taking the Cup on home ice, the Pens tie the game. 3 overtimes later the Pens put the Wings into "gut check time" (thanks Matt) and force a game 6.

Even game 6. The Wings holding on to a 3-2 lead, with the seconds SLOWLY ticking down, as the Pens try for last rush, slide one across the goal line. What more could you want in a series?

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

For the most part I agree with what you say.

I know this is to be expected to a degree between fans of the teams, but some of the Penguins fans that joined here were pretty obnoxious from what I've seen and acted like trolls just starting s**t for the sake of doing it. That being said, I know that isn't indicative of the entire Penguins fan base and there have been a few Pens fans in here that have been a pleasure to have.

I haven't listen to much post-game stuff yet so this might not be accurate, but I still don't like Therien's post-game remarks this series overall. Just constant whining. Oh well, we've beaten this subject to a dead horse so I won't go on with that.

As much as we have whined about Crosby whining, I think overall he's handled himself very well on and off the ice. Outside of Hossa and Fluery (inconsistently), he was one of the few Pens to produce and even though he was kept in check for the most part, you can tell he was busting his butt out there and leading by example in a good way on the ice. Hopefully he won't be a bust as a captain without a Cup like Lindros turned out, b/c I do think in the grand scheme of things he's pretty humble and will definitely lead by example.

Good to see Malkin finally show up. He's like Datsyuk a few years ago I think, not entirely sure if he's going to be one of your go-to guys, but I think he'll only get better as he gets some more seasoning and more comfortable in this country.

I'd be shocked if the Penguins don't win the Cup at least once in the next 4-5 years.

[This Is Bida 0]

For the most part I agree with what you say.

I know this is to be expected to a degree between fans of the teams, but some of the Penguins fans that joined here were pretty obnoxious from what I've seen and acted like trolls just starting s**t for the sake of doing it. That being said, I know that isn't indicative of the entire Penguins fan base and there have been a few Pens fans in here that have been a pleasure to have.

I haven't listen to much post-game stuff yet so this might not be accurate, but I still don't like Therien's post-game remarks this series overall. Just constant whining. Oh well, we've beaten this subject to a dead horse so I won't go on with that.

As much as we have whined about Crosby whining, I think overall he's handled himself very well on and off the ice. Outside of Hossa and Fluery (inconsistently), he was one of the few Pens to produce and even though he was kept in check for the most part, you can tell he was busting his butt out there and leading by example in a good way on the ice. Hopefully he won't be a bust as a captain without a Cup like Lindros turned out, b/c I do think in the grand scheme of things he's pretty humble and will definitely lead by example.

Good to see Malkin finally show up. He's like Datsyuk a few years ago I think, not entirely sure if he's going to be one of your go-to guys, but I think he'll only get better as he gets some more seasoning and more comfortable in this country.

I'd be shocked if the Penguins don't win the Cup at least once in the next 4-5 years.

100% AGREED! If you notice I said I respect he Pens players and fans. I wanted to touch on how annoyed I have been by Therrien, but as you said, its been beaten to a dead horse. And if that man cannot accept the fact that the better team won, he clearly does not even deserve my praise. Also, about Crosby... I agree again. Yes, he can complain, but not near as much as his coach... and especially for his age, I think he can and will be one of the greatest captains of any league. Of course, he has some growing up to do, but people quickly seem to forget the fact that he is only 20 years of age.

With that said, every team has the trolls who will show up on this board, but for the most part... just talking hockey here... The Penguins PLAYERS deserve my praise and recognition. They are a great hockey club, and not to sound cocky or stupid here, but they honestly... truly deserve to be placed second only to the 2008 Detroit Red Wings.

P.S. THE CUP IS HOME BABY!!!

[HeyNow71871929 0]

It is irrelevant now. But there are speculations, not completely confirmed, that Malkin had 4 cracked/broken ribs since the Philly series. There was something about Sid playing with broken ribs and an injured groin. Petr Sykora was playing with a broken index finger on his shooting hand. Malone obviously broke his nose. And there have been other speculations of a player breaking his foot (may have been Staal because he came off limping after one of the practices).

Once again, all irrelevant now. And once again, Congrats to the Wings and their fans. You guys earned it and enjoy the parade. Hopefully, we will be having our own very soon.

Not sure how much longer I'll be on the board here now that the series is over, but thank you all for great hockey discussions and I look forward to having more with many of you here in the future.