Disappointed, but still VERY proud

[WingNut24 0]

I'm sorry to all who may disagree, but I had a real problem with this series and how the league approached the finals in general.

I can't remember having a real problem with any of the officiating during the first three rounds and I just find the bi-polar nature of the crew in stripes absolutely amazing. I'm normally not a conspiracy theorist and I've seen enough noobs get flamed on this forum to know that I'll probably get the same. I've been visiting LGRW for as long as I can remember, but I've never felt the need to write. Most all of you have managed to say what was on my mind but I find myself in pure disbelief tonight.

I realize that hockey is a "Warrior Sport" and that no excuses should need to be made, but it just seems way too convenient that the schedule was changed on a very banged up Wings team in favor of a much healthier Pens team. I had a problem with this from the start and it made me feel as if the league were stacking the deck agains us. At the start of the series it seemed that we would be able to overcome in spite of the obstacle but the officiating was at an unbelievable low. I'm not saying that we weren't the recipient of some missed calls but the Pens were the beneficiary of many more by far. One image that really sticks with me is a shot of Gary Bettman in the stands at game 5 in Detroit looking as if some one had just run over his kitten.

I know many of you will disagree, this is simply a regurgitation of my thoughts before I turn my attention away from hockey for a much needed break. I really just feel that the Pens (and Cindy Crosby) have been shoved down the collective throat of hockey fans all year and this was the way to justify tagging Crosby as the NHL's glory boy. When he melts the ice with 100 goals in a season I'll eat crow, but he's no more talented than at least 30 other players in the league who don't get their due.

I admire Babs for being a consumate professional and playing the politics of the league and press to a tee. His ability to think on his feet in press situations has really impressed, especially with plenty of potential controversy.

I watched the '95 loss to Jersey getting up every night at 3 a.m. in England but somehow that loss really didn't hurt quite as much as this one. I never thought I'd love a set of players as much as Stevie, Shanny, Fedorov, Larionov, etc., etc. but I have to say I really love the current iteration of our team (including Hossa).

[RedWings 79]

I think the wings had a too classy attitude for this calendar change.

This should have been decided BEFORE the chicago series, not after the pens advancing in 4 to cup finals...

Lots of respects to Babcock to not mentionning that again after game 7, but still that move by bettman was clearly biased.

[hokeychik22 17]

from what i saw, after pittsburgh scored that first goal wings looked as if something was missing

[GAWing 1]

Very tough to take, but despite the injuries and Hossa's vanishing act, it was a battle to the very end. If Kronwall's shot had been less than an inch lower on the crossbar, we may very well be celebrating today. But the Pens did what they had to do and deserved to win. Just hated to see them celebrate on our home ice though.

Who remains on the team next year and what moves Holland will make this offseason will be interesting to see.

[Hockeytown_Ryan 119]

from what i saw, after pittsburgh scored that first goal wings looked as if something was missing

yeah it was called "Heart" "Drive", "Urgency", "Determination" how many other ways can I say it?

how about "Interest"

[dat's sick 1,002]

yeah it was called "Heart" "Drive", "Urgency", "Determination" how many other ways can I say it?

how about "Interest"

I don't know, I saw all of those things in the end of the 2nd and in the 3rd. Had Kronner scored on his shot and we had won in OT we'd all be praising this team for having those exact qualities.

The Pens just did an amazing job of not letting the Wings get a lot of good chances, and they had Fleury playing the game of his life and they had puck luck.

[Zack is Great 14]

yeah it was called "Heart" "Drive", "Urgency", "Determination" how many other ways can I say it?

how about "Interest"

You can't honestly look at say, Zetterberg or Kronwall and say they didn't try. Seeing Zetterberg on the ice after the clock wound down just looking crushed, and Kronwall obviously crying on the bench shows you that these guys wanted it, but if I learned anything in my time playing sports, it's that wanting it doesn't get you it. Being tired is a simple medical fact. You can push your muscles all you want, but sometimes they just got nothing left to give.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

I'm not proud of the way the Wings played in this series, and have lost some respect for the leadership and killer instinct that we were reliable for in the past.

We blew a 2-0 lead, blew game 7 at home, didn't come out fired up for two games where we had a chance to skate the Cup, didn't feel like playing a full 60 minutes in any game, lost the killer instinct that we used to have in these situations, and looked content with just winning the Cup last year.

I'm proud of what we've accomplished in the past, but it's hard to be proud of this last week of hockey. Wings fans at the Joe last night deserved a better effort than that.