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6 Responses to "Pens Win the Stanley Cup!"

1. | Reply Erik J. Barzeski
   Posted 13 Jun 2009 at 9:27am #
   

   A few random thoughts now in the morning light.

   I made myself go to bed at 2:30. Woke up at 5 anyway.

   Last year, losing like that, just makes this year that much sweeter. And this series was never about Marian Hossa (and he made sure of it with his disappearing act), but Hossa was the cherry on top.

   The Pens faced - and overcame - adversity every step of the way, all season long. They weren't given a chance by the majority of the media in every series. They've proved everyone but their fans wrong.

   Sidney Crosby: youngest captain to hoist the Cup. Hate the guy all you want - Pens fans see this guy give his all every game, and if anything, he's under-rated.

   The reffing? Funny how much a lot of Wings fans want to blame it. Once the Pens realized they could play by 1995 clutch-and-grab rules, they won 4 out of 5 against the Clutch-and-Grab poster boys.

   Wings fans booing at the trophy presentation? Puh-lease. I particularly loved the many times the Pens fans in the audience out-cheered the Wings fans during the game.

   I love the Steelers, but this win is so much better than any I've witnessed by the Steelers. Perhaps it's the fact that you've gotta win 16 games to do it.

   But having two championships in a city with two professional sports teams (get it?) means something. It's pretty awesome that I've got two championship games on my DVR.

   Only team in history to win the Cup after being down 0-2 TWICE in a series. Pittsburgh 5-0 in game 7s. Won every series on the road.

   I feel bad for FHCMT. But only a little. The Pens were thoroughly unprepared in last year's finals. Not this time around. Not with Disco Dan.

   I was too young to really have understood what the Cups in '91 and '92 meant, but I have the poster. Like with my Steelers hats and shirts, I'll have the Pens hat and shirt as quick as nhl.com can get it to me.

   It has big taste.

2. | Reply Detroiter
   Posted 13 Jun 2009 at 12:07pm #
   

   A quick few points. First I'm from the metro Detroit area and grew up a Wings fan. After the strike year I really never did care about hockey after that. However I have to suffer listing about it on the radio. So here are a few thoughts...

   1.) Wings fans HATE Crosby. Mostly due to how the NHL hypes him, which they have good reason to do. Along with that most Wings fans don't watch NBC/Versus instead they opt for the CBC coverage and Don Cherry hates players from outside of north america... Crosby is a golden boy to him... Wings fan are sick and tired of Crosby this Crosby that. To them it a kin to having to listen about Yankees-Red Sox's 24/7 and Crosby is a over hyped and over rated as Tom Brady. The Wings have some very good players as well that you never hear of.

   2.) Reffing. Just plain stunk, both ways. I must admit I watched bits of two finals games the calls where not consistent. Just look at the goalie interference calls... or lack of. You have to admit yes Zetterberg was knocked in the goalie the other night and was called for interference. Just like in game 7 a Wings player nudged a Pen off balance and knocked over the Wing goalie and no call... and the Wing fan really feel slighted in game 3 of the west finals... when Kronwall was tossed from the game. Consider what happened in game 3 of the finals Pens had to many men on the ice for what 1:20ish without a call. You might feel a tad slighted as a fan. I however think calls like that even out over a year.

   3.) Booing trophy presentation goes back to rambling point number one. The only person at the Joe last night wings fans despise more than Crosby is Bettman. The Wings have last all notion of any historic rivalries outside of Chicago. You see NY, TOR, MTL and BOS maybe once a year. The Wings are in the West to draw numbers in PHX, LA, NAS and rest.

1. Erik J. Barzeski
   Posted 13 Jun 2009 at 7:16pm #
   

   [quote comment="54450"]Wings fans HATE Crosby.[/quote]

   Well, that says a lot about them, hating someone simply for being skilled and maturely shouldering the responsibility the league hoisted on him. If they thought he was doing a poor job representing the league - or that he'd asked for it in some sort of ego move - I might give them slack in slagging him. Instead of hating a guy, perhaps they should respect his talents and leave it at that. Instead, they cheer when he's injured. Stay classy, Detroit.

   [quote comment="54450"]Reffing. Just plain stunk, both ways.[/quote]

   I agree that it's lousy how the SCF are always officiated as if it's 1995 and clutch-and-grab is perfectly legal. You play the whole season one way, then get to the SCF and half the rules get thrown out the window in favor of some vague idea of "let 'em play."

   But c'mon, the Wings are famous for playing a borderline clutch-and-grab/obstruction style of game. Despite being outplayed in games 1 and 2 (marginally), the Wings won them largely because they know where that line sits in the SCF and they got some breaks. Then the Pens adapted to the way the games were being called and won 4 of the last 5 games. Something they never did last year.

   The calls probably evened themselves out in the end. Zetterberg putting his hand on the puck (twice), Kunitz not being awarded the goal on the empty net… those things probably balanced out.

   [quote comment="54450"]...and the Wing fan really feel slighted in game 3 of the west finals... when Kronwall was tossed from the game.[/quote]

   I really don't care about the Hawks series. I'm not talking about Ovechkin's cheap hit on Gonchar. Both teams won those series…

   [quote comment="54450"]Consider what happened in game 3 of the finals Pens had to many men on the ice for what 1:20ish without a call.[/quote]

   It was about 24 seconds (I also heard 26). Nice exaggeration. The sixth guy didn't touch the puck and Detroit's bench didn't even notice until Eaton got back to the bench. The Pens got away with one, so okay, take away one of the penalty shots the Pens should have gotten when Zetterburg decided to play goalie. 🙂

   [quote comment="54450"]Booing trophy presentation goes back to rambling point number one. The only person at the Joe last night wings fans despise more than Crosby is Bettman.[/quote]

   Still rates as pretty classless in my book. I hope the hockey gods repay Detroit fans booing the presentation of the Stanley Cup. It shouldn't matter who's presenting it. Pens fans cheered and clapped last year. The "worst" thing they did was start a "Let's Go Pens!" chant.

2. Detroiter
   Posted 13 Jun 2009 at 8:41pm #
   

   [quote comment="54456"]
   Well, that says a lot about them, hating someone simply for being skilled and maturely shouldering the responsibility the league hoisted on him. If they thought he was doing a poor job representing the league - or that he'd asked for it in some sort of ego move - I might give them slack in slagging him. Instead of hating a guy, perhaps they should respect his talents and leave it at that. Instead, they cheer when he's injured. Stay classy, Detroit.[/quote]

   I really do feel they believe he is talent and skill. If they cheered when he was injured shame on those fans.

   [quote comment="54456"]
   I agree that it's lousy how the SCF are always officiated as if it's 1995 and clutch-and-grab is perfectly legal. You play the whole season one way, then get to the SCF and half the rules get thrown out the window in favor of some vague idea of "let 'em play."[/quote]
   Welcome to the world as a Wings fan mid-90's. 😉

   [quote comment="54456"]I really don't care about the Hawks series. I'm not talking about Ovechkin's cheap hit on Gonchar. Both teams won those series…[/quote] You may not care but the Wings fans did believe the NHL was "out to get them"... he should never have been tossed from the game.

   [quote comment="54456"]It was about 24 seconds (I also heard 26). Nice exaggeration. The sixth guy didn't touch the puck and Detroit's bench didn't even notice until Eaton got back to the bench. The Pens got away with one, so okay, take away one of the penalty shots the Pens should have gotten when Zetterburg decided to play goalie. :-)[/quote]I honestly have no idea how long it was... nor do I care. However who exactly was the sixth guy and how can you say he never touched to puck? Sure you can say only 3 or 5 Pens touched the puck... and does it really matter if he never touched the puck? If your playing defense you still need to pay attention to one other player... in the end it really should be a mute point since the Pens didn't score off it and the Wings didn't take any desperation penalties form having to play short over that time span.

   In the end it sounds like it was a good series for the NHL... maybe two new rivalries where formed... and that can only be good for a league that has been faulting. Enjoy the championship, I had great memories of the Cup in the late 90's. Make sure you savior every bit... next year you will get everyone's A game. Maybe with any luck the Pens and Wings will face each other again in the Finals... and maybe both teams will be healthy... I think I recall hearing some of the Pens had some significant injuries last year, but I could be mistaken on that.

   Like it or not Detroit and Pittsburgh have one thing it common each city has a professional sports team that will always be the doormat of the league 🙂 (However I think even the Pirates could beat the Lions in football)

3. Erik J. Barzeski
   Posted 14 Jun 2009 at 9:48am #
   

   [quote comment="54458"]If they cheered when he was injured shame on those fans.[/quote]

   Was almost the loudest they cheered all game. They spent large portions of the rest of the game being outcheered by the Pens fans in the audience.

   [quote comment="54458"]Welcome to the world as a Wings fan mid-90's. ;)[/quote]

   Yeah, I know the Devils won their Cup against the Red Wings by playing that style of hockey, and the Red Wings complained about it. The complaints then were valid too.

   [quote comment="54456"]You may not care but the Wings fans did believe the NHL was "out to get them"... he should never have been tossed from the game.[/quote]

   From my perspective, Kronwall left his feet on that one hit. Your momentum doesn't carry you UP off the ice like they tried to say later (I'll give him a pass on that guy not touching the puck yet - it was in his feet).

   [quote comment="54456"]However who exactly was the sixth guy and how can you say he never touched to puck?[/quote]

   The guy highest, the one who stood near the blue line and who skated off. I can say it because they showed the whole clip from the end-zone camera.

   [quote comment="54458"]in the end it really should be a mute point since the Pens didn't score off it and the Wings didn't take any desperation penalties form having to play short over that time span.[/quote]

   You're the one who brought it up!

   [quote comment="54458"]Make sure you savior every bit... next year you will get everyone's A game.[/quote]

   Yeah, I don't buy it. The Pens were there last year. They were the EC champs. I don't think that's going to change very much, winning the Cup instead of losing it, in terms of how much "tougher" the other teams play against us.

   [quote comment="54458"]I think I recall hearing some of the Pens had some significant injuries last year, but I could be mistaken on that.[/quote]

   There were some fairly serious injuries to the Pens last year (none of them were inflamed testicles), but that's no excuse.

   [quote comment="54458"]Like it or not Detroit and Pittsburgh have one thing it common each city has a professional sports team that will always be the doormat of the league 🙂 (However I think even the Pirates could beat the Lions in football)[/quote]

   You know, the Pirates aren't even currently last in the NL Central Division. The Lions didn't win a single game…

3. | Reply Mario
   Posted 13 Jun 2009 at 3:39pm #
   

   What is Stanley Cup?

   😉