Tonight is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Everybody keeps saying that the Wings have it won because they are 11-1 at home in these playoffs including being 3-0 in this series, but the Pens are a feisty young team and are capable of pulling off the upset. Pittsburgh went on the road in Game 6 against Philadelphia and closed out the series, won a Game 7 in Washington against the Capitals, and swept the Hurricanes in Carolina so they are capable of winning big games on the road but those teams weren't the Red Wings. Regardless of what happens tonight though the Penguins have nothing to be a shamed of they made a return trip to the Finals after being in 10th place in the East only 4 months earlier. The team fired Michel Therrien, the man who got them to the Finals the previous season, and promoted Dan, who was playing in the Stanley Cup Finals only 6 years ago, from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins went 18-3-4 leaping from 10th to 4th in the East and knocking off their cross state rival on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers in 6 games. Then they faced the star power of Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The Pens went into Washington and won Game 5 and ultimately Game 7. Pittsburgh swept the Carolina Hurricanes winning in Carolina by a combined score of 10-3. The Penguins played the Wings tough in the first 2 games and could have won them if they would have gotten a few breaks to go their way. They took it to the Red Wings in Pittsburgh winning both games in a tough physical fashion. The Penguins lost their composure in Game 5 and Detroit took advantage of it routing them 5-0 and looking poised to repeat. But the Pens came back in Game 6 and out muscled the Wings forcing a Game 7 with a 2-1 win. Just by forcing a Game 7 the Penguins set themselves up for an opportunity to be a win away from the Stanley Cup which very few people thought would happen. Pittsburgh's 3 big stars need to be exactly that tonight in order to quiet the raucous Motown crowd. If the Penguins play with the grit and poised that got them here then they will set themselves up for a golden opportunity to win the Stanley Cup for a 3rd time. This should be awesome for the NHL with prime time on a Friday night and 2 star studded teams giving it all in one game for Lord Stanley's Cup and a chance at immortality.
GO PENGUINS!
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Well they did it. Congrats now looking for a Brett Favre return *\o/*
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