Thursday, June 5, 2008

At Least Malkin Finally Scored

Congrats to Detroit! It's crazy how good Detroit was throughout this series. I thought Zetterberg definitely deserved the Conn Smythe. It seemed like he was always on the ice making the smart play, being in the right position. I first really noticed Hank during the '05-'06 playoffs when Detroit surprisingly lost to the Edmonton Oilers. I was so impressed with his play and couldn't believe he was a 7th Round acquisition. He's such an unbelievable player and with his fellow linemates and teammates I'm not surprised Detroit finally won the Cup with this squad; I'm just surprised they didn't win it last season or the season prior to that one. Little tweaks over the past couple seasons provided just the right combination to win the Cup.

As sad as I was to see the Kings trade Brad Stuart at the trade deadline, I was happy to see him shipped off to a solid team. Despite a couple flubbed plays during the playoffs I think he was a great fit in Detroit, especially alongside Kronwall. He was able to showcase his defensive capabilities, toughness, playmaking smarts, and scoring. I almost got teary-eyed when I saw him lift the Cup.

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Congrats B-Stu

As silly as it sounds, I thought it was too soon for Crosby to win the Cup. He'll win it eventually, but this year wasn't his time. Who knows whether or not Malkin was injured but that boy will need to step it up in the Finals next time if he wants to see his team succeed. It was refreshing to see him finally score a goal, but his team needed to see him notch his first goal of the Finals in Game 1 not on the brink of elimination. The Pens have a great team and with minor adjustments they'll continue to be fierce competitors for seasons to come. Both teams put on a great show and I can't help but wonder who will play for the Cup next season.

2 comments:

Steph said...

I started to LOVE B-Stu, I'm really glad we got him, he fits so awesome with Kronwall it's not even funny. I'm also glad to see him finally find a place that I guess makes him better just because he really seems to fit. We're trying to keep him :) (And you know, I didn't even notice his mistakes all that much - except the obvious one - probably because I'm just so used to that from watching Andreas Lilja :P)

Connie said...

What a great picture!!! Sigh, I heart him.