STANLEY CUP FINALS! - GAME 7 !!!

NHL.COM ^ | June 10, 2009 | vanity

[airborne]

Game 7 of the Final is hockey's ultimate contest

For a hockey fan, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is like waiting for Christmas: It seems like the big day takes forever to get there, but when it does, it's well worth the wait.

Of course, Christmas comes just once a year. A Final series that goes the maximum seven games comes along infrequently. Since the NHL expanded from the Original Six teams in 1967, the championship round has gone the distance just eight times, including this year's Final between Detroit and Pittsburgh. If the Stanley Cup Final is really the NHL's two best teams facing off for the championship, it seems logical that there would be more than eight seven-gamers in a span of 42 years — after all, baseball's World Series has gone the distance 14 times in the same span (though not since 2002).

But baseball has just eight teams in the postseason and only two rounds of playoffs before the World Series, so there's a much smaller likelihood of upsets in the early going. In contrast, with three rounds and potentially 21 games to play just to get to the Final, at least one of the teams is often worn out from the journey.

[Betis70]

GO PENS!

As someone else said, the last change has really made a difference in this series. Tonight ought to be very fun to watch!

Who wins this year will have EARNED it.

[penowa]

GO PENS! GO BEARS! I hope you have a double to celebrate tonight.

[shove_it]

Three games in Hockeytown so far. Pens scored 2 goals, Wings scored 11.

My 2 cases of Strohs against your six pack of Yuengling says the Wings will repeat last year's championship.

Waddya say?

[Petronski]

...2 cases of Strohs against your six pack of Yuengling...

No exchange rate can fairly equivocate Yuengling and Strohs.

[FourPeas]

ROFL

[Betis70]

Strohs? Ick, you’d have to pay me to drink that. Now Yuengling is a righteous brew!

Enjoying a Thomas Hooker right now. Detroit is tough this series at home, no doubt. But games 7 are always full of surprises.

Love love love game 7s.

[rahbert]

Its do or die... Go Pens!

[Hot Tabasco]

Detroit, an original 6 team, sucked in the 20th century.

4 Stanleys in the last 12 years......not bad.

[Petronski]

Just remember:

Strohs = backwards shorts

[Larry Lucido]

Not at all.

[Larry Lucido]

Mid 20th century wasn't too bad.

[Hot Tabasco]

'97 I became a Wings fan, with McCarty's ass whipping of Lemieux and Vladimir Konstantinov following the Stanley Cup Victor.........what a tragedy.

Konstantinov

[Betis70]

Detroit really dominted the first ~7 min or so, Pens battled back then it seemed to flow back and forth.

Detroit: The most sustained pressure
Pens: best scoring chances

Good game so far.

[shove_it]

Gordie was the man. He never forgot a cheap shot. It may have taken a few games but he always got even, usually with a sly stick jab to the ribs as he passed by the poor ba$tard when the ref wasn't looking.

[Betis70]

Goooooallll Pens! Talbot. 1-0 Pens

Stick-side problems again for Osgood.

[codercpc]

One of the Detroit RedWings lives about 2 miles from me. A couple of years ago (when he played for the New Jersey Devils) he brought the Stanley Cup to a local restaurant.

It was an unplanned visit, but I happened to be there that night, and I got to drink beer out of the Stanley Cup!

Probably one of the most memorable things I have ever done, so I am hoping Detroit wins it this year so I can do it again!!!!

[Voter62vb]

Awesome!!!

[Betis70]

Rafalski? Cool story.

[codercpc]

Yes, he lives on the "rich side" of the Chain of Lakes, I live on the "poor, no water" side.

Seriously though, he and his family are true winners, they are the most down to earth people you will ever meet!

[Betis70]

2-0 Pens! Talbot again, awesome.