No love for Fleury?

@ Joe:

Centre depth. Obviously the whole team matters, but centre depth was the biggest reason, IMO.

Dan Bylsma and Sergei Gonchar didn't hurt either.

Hoping next year will be the oilers time.

BAHAHAHAHAHA at HOSSA!

@ Harlie: totally agree. I guess karma is a bitch. Should have took the nine year deal with the oilers, or even sign with pittsburgh. Wouldn't it be funny if he tries to sign with the pens in the off season.

Will there still be love for Hossa in Edmonton should he re-explore signing here?

Chris wrote:

Will there still be love for Hossa in Edmonton should he re-explore signing here?

I hope not. He's not a builder; not a winner, and now a proven loser. He disappeared once again.

Jonathan Willis wrote:

@ Joe: Centre depth. Obviously the whole team matters, but centre depth was the biggest reason, IMO. Dan Bylsma and Sergei Gonchar didn’t hurt either.

If they don't have a goalie like Fleury and go in with Garon or someone else, there is no freakin' way they win the cup, Willis. Fleury's save on Lidstrom is legendary.

I must admit I got goosebumps when Sid hoisted the cup... I'm an Oiler fan first, but... it was fun to watch history unfold. Meaningful history. Sid, Malkin, Fleury, and Staal: these guys can take ANY group deep. Good for them.

It's all Talbot my friends. Crosby was a non factor this entire series. Good for him for winning the cup. It's like everything has come full circle. But it was the 3rd and 4th line guys that really made the difference.

@ Ivy.eyez88:

If you look at a Stanley Cup winning team, everybody looks good. Winning does that.

Fleury played very well. He got some crossbar luck but the fact is that he played very well.

That said, so did Jonas Hiller. You don't win the Cup without all cylinders firing, and the strength in Pittsburgh - without question - is their top three centres.

@ jeanshorts:

Depth guys are usually a factor in the "big game". Everyone is so dialed in... and the stars are sooo closely checked; it just seems to work out that way. Without Crosby the Penguins would have missed the playoffs... or would have failed to advance past the Capitals. Malkin was a beast. Staal was my First Star in game six...

*leaves mid thought to pour ANOTHER wisky*

@ Chris:

Oh Crosby was huge every other series. But he was just invisible in the finals. Staal and Gino definitely carried the weight in Crosby's absence. And Fluery was lights out games 6 and 7 after shaky/mediocre play throughout most of the playoffs.

@ jeanshorts: Crosby was playing against zetterberg, franzen, and of course Lidstrom, all series man. I wonder how good Malkin or Talbot would looked playing against those three all serie's. Zetterberg and Lidstrom are probaly the two best defensive player's of all time. And if you look at the history 3rd and 4th liner's have allway's had a big impact on stanley cup final's. They need to in order to win, because the star's are to closely checked.

how did you know about Talbot Gregor? my count your 12-3 thats some good ratio

That was a pretty good game. It seemed like the Wings were in quicksand, but credit to the Penguins for saying 'screw you' to the odds. I will say though that Zetterberg can play on my team any day.

I can't help it...those three might be incredibly talented, but they're also sensationally ugly.

Chris wrote:

Will there still be love for Hossa in Edmonton should he re-explore signing here?

He disappeared during the finals, he wasn't that impressive realy. But GARON got a ring anyways ROLI.

Looks like the Wings came out of gate determined to put it away in the first. When they didn't, the writing was on the wall. That clink off the crossbar with two minutes left is going to be in their brains for a long time. I bet Hossa feels like a dick right about now.

Jonathan Willis wrote:

Centre depth. Obviously the whole team matters, but centre depth was the biggest reason, IMO.

And our team's biggest nightmare.

Chris wrote:

Will there still be love for Hossa in Edmonton should he re-explore signing here?

That ship has sailed. Right now he would be plan E or F. Besides, he knows he has something good going with Detroit, as long as they take him back.

@ David S:

I was trying to stay positive ;)

Chris wrote:

Will there still be love for Hossa in Edmonton should he re-explore signing here?

We s**t-talk him now, but if Tambo managed to sign Hossa during the offseason, guarantee every Oilers fan gets a boner and hails him as our very own Lord and Savior.

That save at the end was incredible. I didn't want those "chumps" in Detroit to win, so, as an OILER fan, I am as happy as I can be to see a team other than the Oil hoist the cup. Have never been a Crosby fan (I think because he is force fed on us, not his fault but....) until the playoffs, and ya, he didn't light it up in the finals, but this guy does everything. I think that ring is gonna help him lead in the olympics!!!! And what must Hossa been thinking!!!!! hahahaha.

Have not been this happy with a cup win since uncle Dave Andreychuk hoisted the cup against those happless douche bags the Flamers! I love the Pens almost as much as the Oilers since the days of Lemieux and Jagr, congrats Sid, Lemieux and Mr. Shero, job well done and greatly deserved!

The Conklin curse continues.

Yea, you'll get to the finals with him as your backup but don't expect anything but heartbreak.

Nice to see Billy "The Butcher" Guerin pick up that cup last night.

Milli wrote:

That save at the end was incredible.

I actually yelled and jumped out of my seat. I was sure Lidstrom had it.

Jonathan Willis wrote:

I actually yelled and jumped out of my seat. I was sure Lidstrom had it.

You and every Wings fan in North America...only you may not have groaned afterward.

I wonder if players will now hold up the conference trophy now that Sid did it and won the cup too?

@ Sandra Blood:

So? No one is going to remember Garon for sitting on his rear when the Pens won the Cup. It'd be like giving Hasek credit for the Wings Cup win last year.

Victoria wrote:

@ Sandra Blood: So? No one is going to remember Garon for sitting on his rear when the Pens won the Cup. It’d be like giving Hasek credit for the Wings Cup win last year.

He has a Ring with his name on the Stanley Cup and Roli Poli Oli doesn't, that is all that matters. ROLI ROLI ROLI

@ Sandra Blood: Are you five years old?

I say no to Hossa. He admitted that the pressure of playing back in Pitt got to him, and he was invisible when it mattered.

Victoria wrote:

@ Sandra Blood: Are you five years old?

Four and a half

Sandra Blood wrote:

Victoria wrote: @ Sandra Blood: Are you five years old? Four and a half

Guess that explain why you can't spell Deslaurier. ; )

Jonathan Willis wrote:

Milli wrote: That save at the end was incredible. I actually yelled and jumped out of my seat. I was sure Lidstrom had it.

If regular skaters dream of netting the GWG in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, then that save on Lidstrom with almost no time left is what Goalies dream about.

@ Victoria: You can't either its spelt Deslauriers

@ heavyd:

This is one of the reasons why I never get into arguments about spelling in comments... I always wind up misspelling something and completely undermining myself.

@ bingofuel: That is true.

@ heavyd:

well played

Bryant wrote:

how did you know about Talbot Gregor? my count your 12-3 thats some good ratio

Gut feeling, plus I thought Talbot was great the entire Cup Final. Grit guys like him are crucial to any team's success in the playoffs. He will be revered in Pittsburgh for a long time now.

I did go 12-3 overall, but I also picked the Sharks to win the Cup, and they didn't even get out of the first round...so it's 12-3 with an *

Dear Detroit,

If you're going to do something as ludicrously classless as booing the Stanley Cup presentation, kindly cease any references to yourselves as "Hockeytown".

Love,

Canada

haha more like Detroit / Brad Stuart handing them the game and weak as hell coaching by Babcock. their offensive zone structure was weak Euro-hockey. put three forwards along the boards (half boards, corner, behind the net) with no one in front of the net. no cycle. no guts. no drive. if they didnt lose the puck battle on the boards - which happened more times than not - theyd throw it back to the point and hope for a shot to get through.

sorry. cant win hockey games that way. thats what happened the final two games. if anything, the Penguins D should be commended more than Crosby and Mouth Breather for making life easy by eliminating Detroit's Euro-hockey puss style.

the Penguins did nothing special in the final two games other than opportunize on mistakes. good for them, but dont act like they slayed some monolithic beast. they killed a "legend" of it, but as we all know in hockey, and from the Oilers beating Detroit - no team is unbeatable.

i seriously wasnt that impressed with either team the final two games at executing systems. it was more like a "see who cracks first" game.

Brad Stuart cracked.

heavyd wrote:

@ Victoria: You can’t either its spelt Deslauriers

Lol! A typo on one letter is much different then Desjarlais.

Victoria wrote:

A typo on one letter is much different then Desjarlais.

I prefer calling him Desjarlais. It's a much better nickname than JDD.

Archaeologuy wrote:

I prefer calling him Desjarlais. It’s a much better nickname than JDD.

Why not go all in and call him "Duzzintplay".

@ David S: EVEN BETTER!!

Archaeologuy wrote:

@ David S: EVEN BETTER!!

"COACHEDBYPETERS"

@ Jonathan Willis: Of course Max Talbot is a centre too.

I'd be very interested to see your column entitled something like: "A Recipe For A Cup Winning Run".

My list would include (but not be limited to):

-strength down the centre -timely goaltending -health/injuries -depth -bounces -matchups -youth/experience

How about yours?

(Love the "Pretend your mom..." suggestion -- same as mine on my blog, so that's no surprise, I guess.)