Had A Bad Day #4

4. 2007-08 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 - The Wings beat the Pens 3-2

This one still stings because it happened so recently. Winning the Cup the following year in an epic rematch was sweet justice but the Pens had a team that was built to win at that moment. They were the obvious underdogs against the favored Wings team and the fact that it even got to 6 games was a miracle. The Pens nearly tied it in the closing seconds but fell short in the end. I can go on and on about this game but it was so recent that most hockey fans, and non-hockey fans for that matter, remember this one all too well. 

So rather than ramble on for five screens about my pain and anguish over this one, I will just leave it at that.  I now have a deep seeded hatred for the Red Wings and anything else coming out of Detroit.  Until then, I really was indifferent toward the Motor City.  In fact, I kind of felt bad for the city having to endure the hardships of the auto industry decline and the fact that three of their four major sports teams were pathetically awful.  Now, I hate them all.  The Lions, Pistons, and Tigers all will suffer my dislike and general disdain because they are guilty by association. 

Like I said, redemption was sweet a year later.  We will see we get a chance at a tie breaker this year.

Okay so I was being lazy on this one and kind of phoned it in, so to speak, but I promise I will do better next time.

The Downward Spiral...kind of

Lidstrom trys to give Sid a little "how's your father"

Not much to say about the Pens lose to Detroit at the Joe last night.  For the majority of the game, the Pens seemed to be playing sloppy, uninspired hockey.  For a minute there I thought I was watching the Bruins.  But I digress.  There was no shortage of the "Crosby Sucks" last night either.  Each and every time he touched the puck or even came near it, off they want.  I thought they had moved the game to Philadelphia and traded the Joe for food stamps there for a minute.  Flower played great, despite letting two softies float by.  If they are going to move me in this playoff run, he is going to have to be stellar.

Bottom line...did we lose to our Western Conference rival Detroit?  Yes.  Was it detrimental to our winning the Atlantic Division?  Maybe.  Was it the nail in the coffin for a playoff berth?  No way, Jose.  That's not to say the game wasn't important.  This wasn't like a preseason tryout game or an early season positional game.  This was a playoff like atmosphere.  The two points for a win would have definitely helped push for the #2 spot in the East.  Jersey now has two games up on the Pens and is only 2 points back.  At this point, we are really playing for home ice advantage through the Conference finals. 

For Detroit, this was a playoff game.  The Wings were two points ahead of Calgary, who has a game up on Detroit, for the 8th and final spot in the West.  They are in Full Metal Playoff mode, ie. bumping and grinding and sticking to you like fly paper in their "non-penalty" inducing interference kind of way.  I'm not saying there were bad calls, more like bad non-calls.  I haven't seen that much obstruction since I saw a fat guy get stuck in a subway turn style.  I'm not complaining though (CHEATERS!!!).  That is playoff style hockey.  They had the intensity and we didn't.  Fair enough.  Now STOP IT!

The Great Ape in all his fashionable glory

We get the Caps on Wednesday and I have a feeling this is going to be a statement game for Washington.  They are the team of destiny if you read Washington media.  They are built to win and to win now.  This would be icing on the Presidential Trophy season cake if they can go in at the end and wipe the ice with the Champs.  We are probably going to be without Malkin again so it is going to be no easy task.  Either way, I think we are in for a great game.

The first day of Hate Week

Today is the first day of Hate Week in Pittsburgh.  What is hate week you ask?  Well for any hockey fan, it's the week where we play all the hated rival teams in the course of 7 days. 

First up is the team everyone loves to hate, the Detroit Red Wings.  This is sort of a new rivalry since we sort of created it by being the best two teams in the league for the last two years.  Each of the regular season matchups between us has also been highly competitive and fun to watch.  The Wings are fighting for the playoff lives and are coming off a weekend where they won in overtime against their rivals Vancouver.  The Pens are trying to keep their division lead intact and make a momentum push into the playoffs.  Now is about time we should hit our stride.  Unfortunately, we are going up against who I think is front runner for rookie of the year in Jimmy Howard.  He has played awesome for the Wings, putting up a 2.32 GAA and a .924 SV%.  Here's some stuff for ya...


Yes, that's Penguins coach Dan Bylsma fighting with former Wing Brendan Shanahan.

On Wednesday, the feature game that they have been hyping up for two weeks on the NHL Network is the Pens against the Evil Capitals. I have grown to despise the Caps on a regular basis, although I forget that I don't like them sometimes because, to be honest, they are a fun team to watch. The two biggest stars of the NHL will be on the ice with Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. I actually get tired of all the comparisons these two get. They are both amazing players to watch. Ovie has tons of individual awards to his credit but Crosby has the Cup. That's all that matters here. The Caps are arguably the best team in the NHL and are hoping for hardware at the end. With this being their last meeting of the regular season, chances are they will meet again in the playoffs.

Finally, on Saturday, the Pens face cross-state douche bag dous-jour's, the Flyers. I love to hate me some Flyers. Regardless of how they perform or play, they are always viewed in my mind as a bunch of goons. Their team is made up of a bunch of faces on America's Most Wanted. Carcillo, Pronger, Hartnell, Giroux, Laperriere...the list goes on and on. Nothing would make me happier than a win here...except maybe 3 wins.

The Pens magic number is 6!! If they win tonight, that would be down to 3 and if the Thrashers win on Tuesday, it would be down to 1. Barring global innihilation, I think we got this.

Go Pens!!

Ice Time: Red Wings vs. Blues

Boredom is an interesting thing. It makes you do things that are totally out of the ordinary sometimes. I was just sitting here finishing up watching the Wings/Blues game. Normally I wouldn't have bothered but I love watching teams beat Detroit. It's one of my favorite things. I can't figure out why.

Some random thoughts on this game.

--Detroit loses in a shoot out. The shoot out is such a ridiculous way to settle a game. It is sure a helluva lotta fun to watch though.

--I had an argument with the Mrs. about how fights in hockey are a part of the game. She thinks it is simply testosterone infused rage typical of the male disposition. I promptly showed her some women's hockey fight videos as well as a few of the kids. That shut her up.

--TJ Oshie is only 23 years old and is one of the best actors I have ever seen. I think he drew at least three penalties in this game.

--Chris Mason looked awesome in this game compared to his hideous performance last night when he was pulled. What a bounce-back performance.

--I didn't realize how many insert cards from the last two years I have of St. Louis Blues players. I lost count of all the Brad Boyes cards. Weird.

--The last 3 minutes of overtime were crazy with at least a dozen odd man rushes into each others end.

--Bill Patrick made a Spice Girls reference in the post-game report. Why do these guys suck so bad? Can't they find a studio team that is at least half palatable? I would even take Barry Freakin' Melrose over these guys. That's saying a lot since I would rather see him choke on his own vomit rather than hear his voice.

--Paul Kariya scored his 11th of the season. I didn't even know Paul was still playing. Seriously! I thought he quietly retired and went away.

I'm bored. Wait. Didn't I say that already? I want to break some packs. I have that feeling again. What's open 24 hours and sells cards? Maybe I will just go to bed early.

(Well it's official. I have hit 20 followers. The great and powerful NightOwl becomes the 20th follower to my blog and I couldn't be happier. NightOwl is a great blogosphere veteran, a seasoned trader, and a great all around guy. He is also an awesome writer. Anyone who hasn't checked out his blog, needs to right now. But I doubt there is anyone that hasn't. Thanks for signing up NightOwl. I appreciate the acknowledgment.)