playoffhockeyfan

"Just smile and wave boys....just smile and wave"

This is being way overblown. You guys complaining about this are in the "bargaining" stage of grief. You know you can't do anything about the Wings losing at this time so you will match it with something that makes you feel good (or something that will make your opponent feel bad). Clearly, Crosby is an easy target. My PhD educated neighbor complained about the same thing. She believes that Crosby intentionally snubbed Lidstrom. If you were Crosby, would you use the winning of the Stanley Cup as the forum to snub your enemies? If I won the cup, I would be in la la land and be in love with everyone. I will say that as captain, Crosby should have been more aware of his responsibilities and gone and made sure that he shook the hand of the other captain. This is an oversight and a mistake made by a young giddy winner. But there is no way in hell that he was intentionally dissing Lidstrom. If you believe that, then you are "bargaining." Marian Hossa defended [Crosby]. "After the game, when I start shaking their hands, I did not think, 'Who is there and who is not there?' " Hossa said. "After, I think about it and I thought that I did not remember shaking hands with Sid. I'm sure he was caught in the emotion and did not know where he was. "I know him. He would not do it deliberately. He is a great guy. I think he was just excited and caught up in the emotion."

I'm a Pens fan and live in Chicago. I have a neighbor and a co-worker who are die-hard Wings fans and we have friendly wagers between us (won a box of donuts). I got to same some things up front about the Wings. You guys are an awesome organization. Like a machine. You churn out champion teams again and again and generate star players from nowhere. Last year, I was in awe (and still am) of your team. The Pens were lucky to extend it to 6 last year as the Cup should have been wrapped up in that triple overtime game. Even this year - there are so many times when it seems that the Wings were playing as if they had a power play - but when I looked up - I didn't see any indication that there was one. The way your forwards control the puck and move it into the zone over and over again - it was awesome to watch. After going down 2-0, I didn't think the Pens had a chance. I think the only thing that saved the Pens was their youth. All those games in that short amount of time, I think hurt the older Wings and the Pens eeked it out. Still, I am in awe of the Wings. Babcock is as in-control of a coach I have ever seen. Win or lose, he is the same, strong and calm. Zetterberg and Datysuk and Franzen are crazy good and consistent. And lindstrom is as solid as they come. I think the whole world was thinking that Detroit was going to win again this year. After they went up 2-0 = those feelings became stronger. After the 5-0 win in game 5, it seemed to be a forgone conclusion. Even pushed to game 7 - it seemed that everyone believed the wings were going to win. History, home-advantage, and the way this series has gone (everybody winning at home) seemed to point towards the Wings. And the opposite happened. Mind you - it could have easily gone the other way. An odd bounce here and there and the Wings would have retained the cup ... easily. The Pens played well but not overwhelming better than the Wings in game 7 to be afforded all the accolades that they now enjoy. Visa versa, the wings did not play bad at all - to deserve all the questions that have now come about their team. Unfortunately, that is what a game 7 does - it portrays the winner as so much better and the loser as so much worse - when in reality, the line between the two is indistinguishable and in my opinion, I think the Wings are the beter team still and the Pens got lucky (one bad pass by Stuart and one luck stab at the puck by Kunitz got them the two goals). If game 7 was played as a 4 period game or if the series was a best of 9 - I firmly believe, Detroit would have won the cup. However, when the opposite happened, I was intrigued by the reaction coming out of the fans and players. I can listen to 97.1, the ticket over the internet and was avidly doing so because I could not get any Pittsburgh stations on my iphone and it was the only hockey talk on the air. I think the win by the Pens was so shocking - that it provoked a grief reaction and the Kubler stages. The pens winning was so unexpected, so surprising, and so sad to contemplate - it was similar to the shock one would feel when someone close to you dies. Stage 1: Denial - this stage was over quickly when the images of Crosby holding the cup was seen Stage 2: Anger - most of the fan are still in this stage. It has come out in many ways: 1. There was a conspiracy by Bettman 2. The refs screwed us by not calling offsides and icings at he most crucial moments - because they TOTALLY knew that the Pens were going to score imminently 3. Everyone is against the European Red Wings with Zetterberg, Datysuk, Franzen, etc ... and want the North American Pens - Crosby, Staal, Fleury, Orpik to win. 4. NBC wanted the Pens to win by making sure it went to a game 7. 5. Pens didn't play that good, the Wings gave it to them ... so the Pens really didn't deserve it. Stage 3: Bargaining - the rest of the fans have drifted here. These fans have accepted that the Wings lost but will make some comment to assuage the sting of that lost - usually at the expense of the Pens. For instance, the Wings lost but ... Crosby is a whiner, Crosby is not that good of a player as evidenced by his stats in the finals, Crosby is a bum for not shaking Lindstrom's hands, Crosby is a (fill in the blank) - just because I don't like him. Or they will say, the Wings lost but ... the Pens have cap problems and they would be lucky to get to the playoffs next year. Or the Wings lost ... we have 11 cups to your 3. I guess any team losing a game 7 will provoke such a reaction but I must say that it seem more extreme than usual, probably because it was so expected that the Wings would win. The reality folks is that there was no conspiracy by Bettman, the refs or NBC. There is no hatred against European players that translate to forces going for the North American Pens (Malkin, Gonchar, Fetotenko) and against the European Wings (Helm, Cleary, Stuart). The Pens played well enough to win 4 out of 7 games and the Wings played just as well. The Pens deserve to be champs and so would the Wings if a puck bounced one way or another. Crosby is a good player. He did not intentionally dis Lindstrom as Draper thinks he did. And there is a good chance that both these teams will make the playoff next year. But where would all the fun be if we could not shout out that there was a conspiracy or two. Good series Wings. I will always be in respect and awe of your team and I would love it if the Pens and Wings were in it again next year for the Cup. That would be good for the NHL, I believe., no matter whoever wins.