The Stanley Cup will be a match up between an “Original Six” team (Detroit) and a “Next Six” team (Pittsburgh). Montreal’s defeat guaranteed that Canada would be excluded for the first time in three seasons which probably made NBC breathe a huge sigh of relief. It is certainly a better series than last year’s; the Cup would go to a team from the Nineties’ expansion period, ugh.
I have to side with the Red Wings on this. It’s their fifth appearance in 13 seasons which is much better than anyone else since the Eighties’ Oilers. The franchise shares the same philosophy as Philly: change out the parts on the “machine” to keep it running through trades and develop long-term draft picks while they’re in juniors, Europe or a couple seasons in the AHL. Cheering against the Pens isn’t motivated by my Flyers losing to them for the Eastern title. My team only has themselves to blame there and all they had to do was lose well through close scores or drag the series to seven. Pittsburgh doesn’t deserve to compete for the Cup because this organization is managed in the same manner as other professional teams; poorly and greedily. SuperMario and crew threw away multiple successive seasons to land numerous draft picks: Crosby, Fleury, Staal and Malkin. I hate such a strategy which is why I grew disinterested in the NBA and never liked the NFL. It’s an insult to Pittsburgh’s true fans.
Let’s also not forgot the team’s threat to move if it didn’t receive a new rink. A pretty hard sell when the team stinks and barely plays AHL-level hockey. The taxpayers lose in the end because there will always be dumb politicians who fall all over themselves to appease wealthy thieves like the owners. Now all is forgiven since the Pens are in the championship game demonstrating how short Americans’ memories are. My hope is that the Red Wings clobber the Pens in a repeat of 1997, a 4-0 sweep. Unfortunately, the Flyers were the recipient of the beating with Lindros as Captain and other greats LeClair and Desjardins. It would prove ESPN’s fairweather analysts wrong again, they said Pens in 6, I think it’ll be Red Wings in 6 and it will only take them this long due to goaltending and offense issues.