This is a tough one. Red Wings versus Penguins. Can I root for both? My son is a huge Malkin/Crosby fan, but has equally huge respect for the Detroit Red Wings. I'm writing the game schedule on my calendar!
ghp
· 1 year ago
You can root for both, just root for the Wings more. ;)
Seriously though, this ought to have been the series that the league wanted for the Finals all along. The best run of the legendary "Original 6" franchises (Detroit) vs. the sexy new up & comers (Pittsburgh). The last two franchises to win back-to-back Cups (Pittsburgh in 91-92 & the Wings in 97-98, both under Scotty Bowman).
Detroit has successfully made the transition from outspending everyone in the pre-salary cap era (witness their HoF-laden roster Cup run in 2002) to out scouting everyone in the new cap era, while having also managed the transition away from the Yzerman-era core of the last decade's success. Pretty darned impressive.
Pittsburgh has, as I've recently read, gotten to where they are the old-fashioned way -- they've sucked! :D Seriously, though, they've drafted smartly & taken proper advantage of fortuitous circumstances to get Sid the Kid & Geno, and mix them with Super Mario's personal charisma & business leadership skills to make a go of it Pittsburgh. (Although I must confess that I'd hoped they would've left for K.C. or Portland, if only to get Detroit back into the Eastern Conference & away from all that travel...)
This series isn't going to get awesome ratings in the States, and the Canadians will whine because (yet again) a Canadian team will not win the Cup. That all aside, this promises to be an outstanding series for hockey fans.
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Seriously though, this ought to have been the series that the league wanted for the Finals all along. The best run of the legendary "Original 6" franchises (Detroit) vs. the sexy new up & comers (Pittsburgh). The last two franchises to win back-to-back Cups (Pittsburgh in 91-92 & the Wings in 97-98, both under Scotty Bowman).
Detroit has successfully made the transition from outspending everyone in the pre-salary cap era (witness their HoF-laden roster Cup run in 2002) to out scouting everyone in the new cap era, while having also managed the transition away from the Yzerman-era core of the last decade's success. Pretty darned impressive.
Pittsburgh has, as I've recently read, gotten to where they are the old-fashioned way -- they've sucked! :D Seriously, though, they've drafted smartly & taken proper advantage of fortuitous circumstances to get Sid the Kid & Geno, and mix them with Super Mario's personal charisma & business leadership skills to make a go of it Pittsburgh. (Although I must confess that I'd hoped they would've left for K.C. or Portland, if only to get Detroit back into the Eastern Conference & away from all that travel...)
This series isn't going to get awesome ratings in the States, and the Canadians will whine because (yet again) a Canadian team will not win the Cup. That all aside, this promises to be an outstanding series for hockey fans.