Schierer Space

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins for their 2-1 win to take the cup back to PA.
This was one of the best series I’ve ever seen with great play, heart stopping opportunities and great high-pressure play. I was rooting for the Wings to come out on top, but the Pens fought for it and deserved it. I’m glad Crosby wasn’t seriously injured, but I worried that any Wings victory would be shallow with him on the bench. The Wings certainly had their chances, but you don’t win or lose a cup in one game, you have to win four.

I hope this doesn’t sound like being a poor loser, but I really wish playoff games, and especially finals games were officiated like the regular season. Sure it’s consistent for both teams, but the style of play changes from what the teams have been practicing all season. I’ve never understood the ‘let them play’ attitude in any sport. I certainly won’t say that officiating made the difference. I just don’t enjoy the way the game degrades to grab and block hockey. I certainly found the last few games less enjoyable (even the 5-0 win by the Wings) because of this. In my opinion the NHL has made huge strides with the rules changes against obstruction of all kinds to make the game faster and more open. To see the finals somehow lower than the standard of the regular season is frustrating.

Still, the Penguins got the win they deserved for good strong emotional play. I’m not concerned, the Wings will be back in the mix next year. There are some folks who may not be back,^[1] but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing Abdelkader, Leino and Helm bringing youth and playoff experience to the bench next year. The Pens are partying tonight, and a lot of Red Wings will be dreaming of a three foot thick crossbar or some other what-if. The only way to avoid a 7th game “what-if” is to make the opportunities in games 1-6. So Pens, enjoy your cup. Next year… maybe we’ll go for best out of three.

1. I think Chris Chelios may finally hang up his skates. I wouldn’t be suprised to see him behind the bench some place instead of on it. [↩]

This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 10:46 pm and is filed under Life, Olympics / Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.