Pens Win It All in '09

Wow, I did not expect the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Cup this year.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Hey Hossa, where's your Cup?

I still can't believe how awesome the ending was to this series with Lidstrom unable to tie the game in the final seconds as Fleury threw himself into the shot for the Cup winning save. Unreal.

You gotta hand it to the Pens because it seemed like from the start of the series Detroit was going to stomp all over them. Even though I was rooting for Detroit during the entire playoffs, it was nice to see another team dethrone the Wings. So...where will Hossa end up next season?

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.

Anticlimactic

I don't think Games 1 and 2 of the SCF have been boring, I think they've been anticlimactic. There's still hard hits, intensity, fierceness, great scoring, decent goaltending, etc...it's just that it's all coming from Detroit. I had high expectations for this series and I think the majority of hockey fans did too. Pittsburgh rolled into the Finals looking like the top dog but in the first two games of the Finals, Detroit has completely exposed all of Pittsburgh's weaknesses and for all non-hardcore Detroit fans, this has led to an anticlimactic start for the Finals. For the sake of hockey fans everywhere, I hope Pittsburgh regroups and figures out, at least the very, how to stay competitive.

(more after the jump)


Now, I know Osgood was bumped into, but good Lord is he a fantastic actor!! I really, really hope that a ref will call him for diving the next time he unleashes his inner Hasek. Be a man Osgood, if your team is way up, is it really necessary for you to embellish the minor contact?

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

Leave the diving to Hasek.

When the fiance first saw Crosby's "beard" he said, "He looks like a 15-year old Mexican going through puberty."

(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Just use a sharpie to fill it in

The Beeper King and the Cup

"It's the Stanley Cup, honey.
It's hockey's ultimate prize.
And me and it are teaming up to fight illiteracy."

I love 30 Rock and Dean Winters.

Super Bowl vs. Stanley Cup Finals

Last night was the first time I really watched a Super Bowl (well, ok, I almost fell asleep during the first half but I was wide awake during the 4th quarter) so I can finally make a comparison between America's favorite game and my favorite time of the year.


Why the Super Bowl (SB) is better than the Stanley Cup Finals (SCF)

1. The SB is only one game so you better have your A-game otherwise you're done. If the Giants and Pats played a best of 7 series there's no way the Giants would have won: exactly why last night's game was so exciting.
2. It presents itself as the perfect setting for a party, either at a friend's house or a bar. It's more of a social gathering than a celebration of a sports game. Maybe the kids in Canada hold SCF viewing parties but not in SoCal. However, if the Kings ever make it to the SCF again you can bet your life savings that I'll hold a party for every game as long as I'm not attending it.

Why the SCF is better than the SB

1. One 60 minute game isn't drawn out into a 4+ hour festival. Especially since most of the game was exceptionally boring the game seemed to last forever. However, I realize the game has to be exceptionally long because of commercials and corporate sponsorships, which leads me to...
2. The SCF isn't commercialized like the SB. Every year pseudo football fans say they're going to watch the SB for the commercials. Sure, I look forward to them but every year I'm disappointed with the quality of the commercials and yesterday was no exception. I think Coca-Cola had the two best commercials (the best going to the ad with Stewie and Underdog competing for a coke and Charlie Brown coming out the victor). Pepsi probably had the third best ad with the slight parody of "Night at the Roxbury". Bud Light's ads, which are normally clever and amusing, were so-so this year. All of the car commercials were utterly gay. The Go-Daddy ads and the ones with the talking baby were God-awful. Need I continue?
3. In order to make room for the trillion commercials, it was so frustrating when the game would come back on, a kick-off would happen, and then another TV timeout would take place. Talk about disruption of flow...well, not that there's much of that in football to begin with...
4. The award presentation is far superior in the SCF. The game is over, the commissioner comes out, the CUP comes out with handlers wearing white gloves so they won't smudge the Cup with nasty, greasy fingerprints, the commissioner makes a quick congratulatory speech and the Cup is handed off to the Captain of the winning team. (I know the MVP is awarded somewhere in there but it's a fairly quick presentation.) No oldtimer makes a speech. No owners take time away from those who won it...the trophy goes straight to the winners who kiss the Cup, lift her over their heads, and skate gloriously around the rink.

And don't even clobber me in the comments by making false statements that I'm "biased" because that is so not true. What can I say, the Stanley Cup Finals is just unbelievably awesome.