# Red Wings vs. Penguins



## SPACEMAKER

With Franzen=Detroit in 4

Without Franzen=Detroit in 5


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## Sharkie_Fan

I'm going Detroit in 7... sadly.

I'm really hoping (against hope) that the Penguins can somehow figure a way to beat the Wings, but I'm just not sure it's possible. I think it's going to be a good, long series. I don't see either team running away with it.

The Penguins are playing well at the right time. The Wings, after a little bump in the road, looked like world beaters yesterday against the Stars.

I think the Penguins are the best team the Wings will have played in the playoffs. The Predators were lucky just to make the playoffs. The Avs were hurting in a big way. The Stars are good, but you knew all along if the Wings played well, the Stars couldn't beat them. The Stars were an opportunistic team, capitalizing on mistakes. The last couple of games, they managed to make the Wings pay for some of their mistakes, but just not enough to beat them.

The Penguins, on the other hand, will go out and generate some offense. They'll play nasty when they need to, but they've got some skilled players as well. In alot of ways, they look like the Wings. Solid hockey, the ability to play whatever style of hockey they need to.

That said, they're young, and they don't have alot of playoff experience. THe Wings ooze experience. Throw in older players like Dallas Drake who have never made it this far and are going to put EVERYTHING on the line to win a cup.

Pens will make a series of it, but Wings take it.


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## mazter

I'm going the other way Pens In 6. Flurey has stepped up big time this postseason. Hossa has made a believer out of me. Detroit , well they have a couple of dinosaurs in net. Detroit been in this position before (overwhelming favorite) only to get smashed . Hello (New Jersey).


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## tfederov

mazter said:


> I'm going the other way Pens In 6. Flurey has stepped up big time this postseason. Hossa has made a believer out of me. Detroit , well they have a couple of dinosaurs in net. Detroit been in this position before (overwhelming favorite) only to get smashed . Hello (New Jersey).


No way. Red Wings in 6.

(And because of your location, Pistons in 5 )


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## miksmi21

Penguins in 6. Pistons in 7....Celtics have looked like crud this postseason.


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## Jimmy 440

Penguins in 7.I hope so,I drew them in the office pool.And ironically,I'm a die hard Flyers fan !!!!


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## Koz

Disclaimer: I'm a lifelong Wings fan, born and raised in Mid-Michigan.

Wings in 6. I don't think the Pens defense has seen the kind of offense the Wings can roll out. True, the Pens have a lot more offense than the Wings have faced so far in the playoffs, but Lidstrom, Chelios, and Rafalski aren't surprised by anything anymore. Wings skate around with the Cup in the Igloo.

Regardless of who you're rooting for, who's excited for the best Stanley Cup matchup in years?!? I was obviously pulling for the Wings, but I was also rooting for the Pens to make it. Great TV. Great for ratings. Great for the sport.


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## Sharkie_Fan

Koz said:


> Disclaimer: I'm a lifelong Wings fan, born and raised in Mid-Michigan.
> 
> Wings in 6. I don't think the Pens defense has seen the kind of offense the Wings can roll out. True, the Pens have a lot more offense than the Wings have faced so far in the playoffs, but Lidstrom, Chelios, and Rafalski aren't surprised by anything anymore. Wings skate around with the Cup in the Igloo.
> 
> Regardless of who you're rooting for, who's excited for the best Stanley Cup matchup in years?!? I was obviously pulling for the Wings, but I was also rooting for the Pens to make it. Great TV. Great for ratings. Great for the sport.


Absolutely going to be a great series, I think.

The best 2 teams made it, IMHO.

Any word on how bad Chelios' injury is? I know they don't let those things out in the playoffs, but he did miss game 6 against the Stars... any chance he misses more?


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## tfederov

Sharkie_Fan said:


> Absolutely going to be a great series, I think.
> 
> The best 2 teams made it, IMHO.
> 
> Any word on how bad Chelios' injury is? I know they don't let those things out in the playoffs, but he did miss game 6 against the Stars... any chance he misses more?


They weren't real specific when I read the news on it yesterday. Hopefully he's going to be up to snuff by Saturday.


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## Castlebill

Go Penguins - Red Wings S..K.


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## bonscott

Castlebill said:


> Go Penguins - Red Wings S..K.


Red Wings 4 Colorado 0. AVS S..K Wings in 5


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## n3ntj

Let's Go Wings!


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## tfederov

bonscott said:


> Red Wings 4 Colorado 0. AVS S..K Wings in 5


:lol:


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## Rob77

It will only be a little over 90+ days between the Stanley Cup playoffs and Training Camp for the 08-09 season. Tickets went on sale today, there were long lines and people are really excited. Hockeytown North is ready 

http://www.redwingstrainingcamp.com/


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## apexmi

tfederov said:


> No way. Red Wings in 6.
> 
> (And because of your location, Pistons in 5 )


Damn straight!


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## tfederov

Rob77 said:


> It will only be a little over 90+ days between the Stanley Cup playoffs and Training Camp for the 08-09 season. Tickets went on sale today, there were long lines and people are really excited. Hockeytown North is ready
> 
> http://www.redwingstrainingcamp.com/


My brother used to work at the pro shop up there and would see and talk to the Wings all the time.


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## JACKIEGAGA

T-Fed Good luck on you Red Wings


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## TheRatPatrol

I'm just amazed that they didn't play each other this year, so I've been told.


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## apexmi

theratpatrol said:


> I'm just amazed that they didn't play each other this year, so I've been told.


I think once in the preseason.


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## Rob77

apexmi said:


> I think once in the preseason.


Right you are, Bob.....they played the Penguins on September 22nd and won 5-2. Hope this is a good sign of things to come !


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## tfederov

apexmi said:


> I think once in the preseason.





Rob77 said:


> Right you are, Bob.....they played the Penguins on September 22nd and won 5-2. Hope this is a good sign of things to come !


Okay, for the record I didn't count preseason. (I actually didn't look there)


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## jwd45244

*Go Pens!!*


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## j2fast

Disclaimer: I'm a Pens fan...

I think a lot of it depends on whether or not the lack of post season experience on the Pens side shows itself. If they can keep the hammer down this should be a great series. I'd love to see the young Pens be able to roll with old school Roberts in game 1 but he's been day to day since pneumonia got Gary Roberts.... 

I'll predict that the Pens steal 1 of the first 2 in Detroit and ride that to winning the cup in 6 games. Oh, and just to jump on the band wagon... I'll go with the Celtic's in 5 or 6 and the the same with the Lakers. The next best thing to the Pens in the finals right now would be getting to see the LA and Boston lock horns for the NBA title again. I love the 80's..... :lol:

*ETA: Some worthless trivia I saw on another site:*

...last time the Pens were in the finals.......they won....against a team with Chelios and Hasek.

While the 1991 Pens won a cup we had:

Clinton seeking the Democratic nomination for President
Bush at war with Iraq
Giants winning a superbowl.

Coincidence, I think not..... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## tfederov

The Detroit Free Press has a ton of these. Pretty funny....

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...0523&Category=SPORTS05&ArtNo=805230803&Ref=PH

My favorite though:


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## tfederov

jwd45244 said:


> *Go Pens!!*


Air Wing....


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## spartanstew

Wings in 6.


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## MN Sportsfan

If the series goes 7 games it might favor the Red Wings. The last time a road team won a game 7 on the road in the Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals or World Series was the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates beating the Baltimore Orioles in Game 7 of the World Series.


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## SPACEMAKER

Franzen out for game 1.


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## tfederov

That's one!


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## SPACEMAKER

13 down and 3 to go.


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## spartanstew

WooHoo.

Just finished watching as I had recorded it earlier. When I first logged onto the site a few hours ago and saw that Tony had posted to this thread, I had a feeling that meant the Wings were going to win.


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## Sharkie_Fan

I thought game 1 was a pretty good contest for the first 55 minutes or so. Obviously the final score isn't indicative of that, with the two goals being scored very late.

I think yesterday we saw the one thing I was worried about from the Penguins standpoint. The experience of the Wings, as a whole, is going to be hard to overcome.
The Penguins are still learning all about "playoff hockey", and while I thought they did pretty good yesterday, they also learned that the littlest mistakes can be back breakers in the playoffs! 

I'll be curious to see how Fluery rebounds in game 2. I didn't think he was horrible, but he wasn't great in game 1. Little lapses cost them goals. The "disallowed" goal, he should have stopped, but for whatever reason, he just lost it. Was it the stick in his pads? That shouldn't affect a goalie (and, FWIW, I think that was a pretty poor call, and I'm rooting for the Pens!). He had a little stutter getting across the crease on the first "real" goal. If he makes that in one smooth move, he probably gets to the wraparound chance, but that little slip up cost him a goal.

He'll be better in game 2, but will he be good enough?

If Fluery plays the rest of the series like he did in game 1, I think the Wings make short work of this series - 5 games, maybe. If he plays like he did in the first 3 rounds, the Pens make a series of it, but the Wings still come out on top.

After seeing game 1, sadly, I don't see any scenarios where the Penguins wind up with the Cup. Unless there's a team wide food poisoning epidemic on the Wings and they struggle to field a team, that is.


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## tfederov

Looks like Franzen will be in tonight!


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## apexmi

Sharkie_Fan said:


> I'll be curious to see how Fluery rebounds in game 2. I didn't think he was horrible, but he wasn't great in game 1. Little lapses cost them goals. The "disallowed" goal, he should have stopped, but for whatever reason, he just lost it. Was it the stick in his pads? That shouldn't affect a goalie (and, FWIW, I think that was a pretty poor call, and I'm rooting for the Pens!). He had a little stutter getting across the crease on the first "real" goal. If he makes that in one smooth move, he probably gets to the wraparound chance, but that little slip up cost him a goal.


I thought it was a sign of a bad night when he fell on his face coming onto the ice before the game...

*Go Wings!!!*


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## Sharkie_Fan

apexmi said:


> I thought it was a sign of a bad night when he fell on his face coming onto the ice before the game...
> 
> *Go Wings!!!*


We thought the same thing. That has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

The Pens better hope Franzen doesn't come back and play the way he did before he went out. They had all they could handle in game 1. If the mule comes out and puts up numbers even close to what he was early in the playoffs..... better luck next year, Syd. As it is, it's an uphill battle, with long odds, I think.


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## tfederov

Two....


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## SPACEMAKER

14 down and 2 to go.


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## Sharkie_Fan

I'm beginning to think that this series may actually end in 4!

Fluery has looked like the Fluery of two or three years ago, as opposed to the guy who was lights out in the first 3 rounds. Babcock and the Wings seem to have an answer for everything the Penguins try to do. Even shuffling lines hasn't done anything to get them some momentum.

Has anyone ever been swept in the finals without ever scoring a goal? If you'd have told me that the Penguins got thoroughly dominated in the first two games and haven't even sniffed the back of the net, I'd have thought you were crazy, but here we are....

Maybe I should start pulling for the Wings, since my Sharks got eliminated, then I jumped on the Penguins bandwagon and they're looking pretty sad. Maybe I can make a series out of this!  Go wings!


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## apexmi

Sharkie_Fan said:


> We thought the same thing. That has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen!
> 
> The Pens better hope Franzen doesn't come back and play the way he did before he went out. They had all they could handle in game 1. If the mule comes out and puts up numbers even close to what he was early in the playoffs..... better luck next year, Syd. As it is, it's an uphill battle, with long odds, I think.


Last night they were blatantly try to injure Franzen with the cheap shot punches on a guy with a concussion the league should throw around some fines if you ask me....


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## SPACEMAKER

Pittsburgh is going to come out with a vengeance on Wednesday. If Detroit can weather the first 10 minutes the will be fine but Pittsburgh is going to pull out all of the stops. They aren't afraid to use every dirty tactic they can to try to throw Detroit off it's game or injure their players. (Cheap shots to Franzen's head were highly uncalled for)

Still, the series is far from over. Anything can happen.


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## Koz

Didn't get to watch Game 2 yet (was at the Tigers-Angels game in Anaheim), but from the highlights, it wasn't even close. I'm a Wings fan, but was actually hoping for a more competitive series. But if I can't have that, I'll take the 4 game shutout.

Go Wings!


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## Steve Mehs

This is great, the Penguins have yet to score a goal in the series. The NHL must be in a world of hurt that their wonder boy, Sidney The Kidney isn't the star of the show.


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## tfederov

Sharkie_Fan said:


> Maybe I should start pulling for the Wings, since my Sharks got eliminated, then I jumped on the Penguins bandwagon and they're looking pretty sad. Maybe I can make a series out of this!  Go wings!


Offensive post!!!! Mods, ban this guy quick!!  :lol:

Side note, I don't think anyone is expecting four shutouts in a row. I'd be willing to wager that it's never happened in a regular season either.


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## spartanstew

Expecting? No.

Hoping? Yes.


What's Osgood's GAA in the playoffs now? Gotta be about 1.0.


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## Sharkie_Fan

tfederov said:


> Offensive post!!!! Mods, ban this guy quick!!  :lol:
> 
> Side note, I don't think anyone is expecting four shutouts in a row. I'd be willing to wager that it's never happened in a regular season either.


Awww man... you had to go tattle on me, didn't you! 

It appears that 7 goalies have pitched 3 shutouts in a row in the Stanley Cup Playoffs... (Bryzgalov did it for the Ducks in 2006)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=230514025

Only Giguere and Frank McCool (1945) did it to open a series and give their team a 3-0 lead.

And Brian Boucher holds the record for consecutive shutouts in the regular season with 5. He broke the record of 4 which had stood for 55 years (since 1948-1949).

I think it's alot harder to string together shutouts in the playoffs though, since you play the same team over and over, and you build up a little animosity between the two teams and start to figure tendencies, etc.


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## tfederov

Yeah, as much as I love Ozzie I doubt he's gonna be able to do 3 games. The Pens are going to be out for blood tomorrow.


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## Sharkie_Fan

BREAKING NEWS..... This just in - the Red Wings are cheaters! 

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/51975

At least according to Michel Therrien, who says that the Wings defense is well versed at obstruction, blurring the line between good defense and breaking the rules.

I haven't seen his comments, just this little article. If he's _REALLY_ whining about this, then I'm a little dissapointed in him. Nothing gets called in the playoffs.

_More likely _(_I hope_), it's a little bit of gamesmanship, and he's trying to get his team a call or two in game 3.

I haven't watched the games as closely as I would watch if the Penguins were facing a good Western Conference team (like the Sharks! yeah, right ). However, I haven't noticed anything blatant by the Wings defense.... and now that Pronger is in Anaheim, we get a good look at a player who knows how to blur the line between good defense and obstruction.

Lets face it, Lidstrom is the best defenseman in the NHL. If he's your #1 defenseman, you're bound to have a pretty good defensive unit, regardless of who's playing next to him (and he's got some pretty good players playing next to him). Add to that the fact that the Wings have some of the better defensive forwards in the league, and it's going to be hard to generate offense against them.


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## tfederov

Yeah, I saw that somewhere else. BS. Desperate talk from desperate people.

Anyhow, not looking good tonight.


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## SPACEMAKER

I stopped watching. Too painful. I will FF through the recording later and see if things end up turning around.


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## Sharkie_Fan

Sharkie_Fan said:


> Maybe I should start pulling for the Wings, since my Sharks got eliminated, then I jumped on the Penguins bandwagon and they're looking pretty sad. Maybe I can make a series out of this!  Go wings!


Hey. What do you know... it worked! :lol:

Actually... I expected this to be a good series, and was at least mildly surprised that the Wings dominated games 1 and 2 so thoroughly.

Plus, the Pens are really good at home. Good home crowd, and you don't want to go down 3-0 against this Detroit team or your playoffs are all but officially over.

Go Wings! :hurah:


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## texasmoose

Well it looks like this series might get interesting after all! 

NBC feed isn't as clear as VSHD though...........

I just want this series to go 7 games...........can not get enuff of NHL HD Stanley Cup Fever!


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## SPACEMAKER

Much credit to Crosby and Fleury. They are the only reason this series is going beyond 4 games. Obviously Game 4 is going to be huge.


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## Koz

Even though the Wings lost, I thought last night was a great game. Haven't seen the ratings, but I hope they were good. It was a great game for NBC and the NHL.

Go Wings!


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## Sirshagg

Yep. Forget about who won/lost - it was a MUCH better game than the previous two.


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## SPACEMAKER

15 down and 1 to go.


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## Sharkie_Fan

SPACEMAKER said:


> 15 down and 1 to go.


I made the mistake of letting out a quiet "YES" when the Penguins scored first today. Ruined the bad luck mojo for the Wings, I guess. :eek2:

Parade time in hockey town.

Better luck next year, Sid.


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## Jestr40

texasmoose said:


> Well it looks like this series might get interesting after all!
> 
> NBC feed isn't as clear as VSHD though...........
> 
> I just want this series to go 7 games...........can not get enuff of NHL HD Stanley Cup Fever!


At least you got to see the game, last nights game was not shown in my local market because the local NBC station was doing a telethon. So I have D*, OTA and COMCAST and no hockey. They didn't even bother to put it on one of their sub-stations.


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## tfederov

Can't wait till tomorrow night....


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## SPACEMAKER

Jestr40 said:


> At least you got to see the game, last nights game was not shown in my local market because the local NBC station was doing a telethon. So I have D*, OTA and COMCAST and no hockey. They didn't even bother to put it on one of their sub-stations.


That is just brutal. If I were the NHL I'd be a bit peeved that one of the NBC affiliates was allowed to pull such a stunt. They've got all summer to run that telethon crap.


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## Sirshagg

Jestr40 said:


> At least you got to see the game, last nights game was not shown in my local market because the local NBC station was doing a telethon. So I have D*, OTA and COMCAST and no hockey. They didn't even bother to put it on one of their sub-stations.


WOW! That really stinks. I bet they'd never pull that with MLB, NFL, or NBA.


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## TheRatPatrol

Jestr40 said:


> At least you got to see the game, last nights game was not shown in my local market because the local NBC station was doing a telethon. So I have D*, OTA and COMCAST and no hockey. They didn't even bother to put it on one of their sub-stations.


AH too late, but it was shown again on Univeral HD. You might want to check and see if its going to repeat again today. Sorry, I didn't see your post until now.


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## Koz

I'm giddy thinking about tonight. Anyone else?

Also, if anyone finds any good postgame coverage, please post. FSN Detroit is usually pretty good, but they have a Tigers game tonight. I'm sure NBC will go off the air rather quickly. Hopefully NHL Network or ESPN News has some good coverage.


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## Mocco71

Jestr40 said:


> At least you got to see the game, last nights game was not shown in my local market because the local NBC station was doing a telethon. So I have D*, OTA and COMCAST and no hockey. They didn't even bother to put it on one of their sub-stations.


A similar situation occurred in my DMA last year during the tennis US Open. The Jerry Lewis telethon trumped the US Open coverage. They did put the tennis on a sub channel so I had to poke around with my rabbit ears since the station is broadcast at such a low wattage. What really drove me mad was that the Jerry Lewis event was on the HD channel being broadcast in SD and the tennis was on the SD channel being broadcast in HD. It should have been reversed!


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## SPACEMAKER

Koz said:


> I'm giddy thinking about tonight. Anyone else?
> 
> Also, if anyone finds any good postgame coverage, please post. FSN Detroit is usually pretty good, but they have a Tigers game tonight. I'm sure NBC will go off the air rather quickly. Hopefully NHL Network or ESPN News has some good coverage.


I think the NHL Network will be your best bet. Their NHL on the Fly show covers everything in depth after every game.


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## Sirshagg

Koz said:


> I'm giddy thinking about tonight. Anyone else?
> 
> Also, if anyone finds any good postgame coverage, please post. FSN Detroit is usually pretty good, but they have a Tigers game tonight. I'm sure NBC will go off the air rather quickly. Hopefully NHL Network or ESPN News has some good coverage.


Looking forwad to the game but not giddy. Unfortunately I suspect Detroit will finish it off today.


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## koji68

Lots of this tonight


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## Sirshagg

koji68 said:


> Lots of this tonight
> 
> View attachment 14035


What exactly is that?


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## koji68

What? You have never seen Al Sobotka, the building operations manager at the Joe wave the octopus!? Unconceivable.


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## Sirshagg

koji68 said:


> What? You have never seen Al Sobotka, the building operations manager at the Joe wave the octopus!? Unconceivable.


OH! No I have not had the "pleasure".


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## Rob77

tfederov said:


> Can't wait till tomorrow night....


I expect you to be sitting by your television set tonight....beer in hand.... 
Go Wings


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## Sirshagg

Rob77 said:


> I expect you to be sitting by your television set tonight....beer in hand....
> Go Wings


Go Penguins!


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## Sharkie_Fan

Rob77 said:


> I expect you to be sitting by your television set tonight....beer in hand....
> Go Wings


I'll be sitting in front of the TV with beer in hand for the game.

I'll also have the other 5 beers on ice just in case the Red Wings do finish it off and I need to drown my sorrows for picking the wrong team to win..... again! 

(actually, much to my chagrin, I picked the Wings to win. I just ROOTED for the wrong team to win!)


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## djnaldo

As someone once said "It ain't over til it's over."

Lets Go Pens

On a side note, the NHL should be ashamed of the officiating although I'm not saying that it's the reason for the Penguins being behind.


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## BlueSnake

As long as the puck gets in the net, that's all that counts. If Detroit has to score for the Pens to keep it alive, I'll take it.


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## TheRatPatrol

Just a reminder, if you miss tonights game it will be shown again tonight on Universal HD at 2am ET/11pm PT.

BTW, this game is nerve racking, I think I might be sick.


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## tfederov

OVERTIME..... yuck. Let's get them in OT!


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## Sharkie_Fan

tfederov said:


> OVERTIME..... yuck. Let's get them in OT!


Since I don't really have a horse in this race.

I LOVE OVERTIME! Only thing better than OT is OT in game 7! Unless, of course, your team is playing. Then it just leads to premature gray hair (as if I need any more of those!)

Here's hoping I don't have to finish off that 6 pack in the fridge tonight... I do have to work tomorrow, after all!  Go Pens!


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## SPACEMAKER

So frustrated right now. I can't believe that just happened. If we don't win this game I might literally puke.


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## TheRatPatrol

Empty net with less then a minute left and they couldn't put it away.


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## Sharkie_Fan

SPACEMAKER said:


> So frustrated right now. I can't believe that just happened. If we don't win this game I might literally puke.


I know the feeling ALL TOO WELL (I am a Sharks fan, after all. They've got the killer instinct of a blind, 3 legged chihuahua).

Sadly though (at least from THIS side of the aisle) a Penguins win tonight just delays the inevitable, I'm afraid.

It would require a nuclear meltdown of epic proportions for the Red Wings to lose 3 games in a row and send the cup to Pittsburgh.


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## tfederov

Man... 2nd OT.

Is it just me or are there no TV timeouts in OT?


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## SPACEMAKER

Gotta give credit to Fleury. He's the only reason this game didn't end in regulation. I just want this series over with ASAP. My nerves can't take it.


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## TheRatPatrol

Man the Red Wings look tired. They looked tired late in the 3rd, which is probably why we're here.


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## tfederov

theratpatrol said:


> Man the Red Wings look tired. They looked tired late in the 3rd, which is probably why we're here.


Pens are looking pretty flat too. Of the two, I'd say Detroit still has more gas in the tank. Not being a fanboy, but the way they're playing sure looks like they have a ton left to give.


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## TheRatPatrol

tfederov said:


> Pens are looking pretty flat too. Of the two, I'd say Detroit still has more gas in the tank. Not being a fanboy, but the way they're playing sure looks like they have a ton left to give.


Man I sure hope so. This could be a long night.


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## Sharkie_Fan

tfederov said:


> Pens are looking pretty flat too. Of the two, I'd say Detroit still has more gas in the tank. Not being a fanboy, but the way they're playing sure looks like they have a ton left to give.


I agree with you. I thought at the end of the first OT period, the Wings clearly displayed why the Penguins are facing a 3-1 deficit right now. They didn't get the puck in the net, but they sure dictated the pace there for a while. Almost as if their dominating play can be turned on like a switch.

And credit Osgood for keeping this game going, as well. The shot that he popped up late in the OT and then snatched out of the air was going in the net if he doesn't catch it. Malkin was on the doorstep waiting to knock it out of the air!

Interesting that the Wings have gotten called for two goaltender interference penalties in the 2 overtimes. I'm not sure how I feel about either one, which is probably a good indicater that they're not good calls, since they went "my" way. I'm not usually a conspiracy theory kind of guy, but penalties just don't get called in OT.... things that make you go Hmmmmmmm.


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## TheRatPatrol

Man oh man triple OT. :eek2:


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## tfederov

Don't these guys realize the rest of us have jobs???? :lol:


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## Sharkie_Fan

theratpatrol said:


> Man oh man triple OT. :eek2:


As much as I love this, I'm fading fast! The boys are in bed, and watching this is bringing back bad memories of the Sharks last game of the season. Are we going to have another of "my" teams eliminated in a late night thriller?


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## Sharkie_Fan

tfederov said:


> Don't these guys realize the rest of us have jobs???? :lol:


It sucks, doesn't it!

The sharks last game, I was up till almost 1:00 am watching it. I couldn't tear myself from the TV!

I was draggin a$$ for a week after that! I'm not as young as I used to be.


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## TheRatPatrol

Sharkie_Fan said:


> It sucks, doesn't it!
> 
> The sharks last game, I was up till almost 1:00 am watching it. I couldn't tear myself from the TV!
> 
> I was draggin a$$ for a week after that! I'm not as young as I used to be.


Good thing its only 930 now.


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## Sharkie_Fan

theratpatrol said:


> Good thing its only 930 now.


Good for us.

It's getting late for tfed, and for some other Detroit fans, it's already damn late!


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## cforrest

Hope this goes til 2am over here on the East Coast, love it!


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## TheRatPatrol

Sharkie_Fan said:


> Good for us.
> 
> It's getting late for tfed, and for some other Detroit fans, it's already damn late!


I know. 1 more hour for me then I have to go into record mode. But Detroits coming out hard in the 3rd OT, they want to end it bad.


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## Sharkie_Fan

theratpatrol said:


> I know. 1 more hour for me then I have to go into record mode. But Detroits coming out hard in the 3rd OT, they want to end it bad.


The later it goes, the more I agree with Tfed that Detroit has more left in the tank. I can't believe they're pushing the pace like this in the 3rd OT period.

They look good. I think barring an odd bounce (which is always the fear in a long OT game like this), Detroit probably wins the cup on home ice this evening (morning?)


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## thumperr

4 minute power play, lets go PENS


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## TheRatPatrol

Wow 4 minute PP for Pittsburgh. 

WOW SHOOT!! 

Its over, game 6 Wednesday night. 

We've got a series now.


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## thumperr

PENS WIN...Back to the Burgh for game 6...


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## cforrest

WOW! What a way to end the game. Look forward to game 6!


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## Sharkie_Fan

Bad luck.... get a little tired and a little careless with the stick.

Kinda scary (cool) that Sykora called his shot, telling Pierre last period that he would score the game winner.

Just delaying the inevitable, though, I think. I hope not, but I'm a realist.

Looking forward to game 6!

Off to bed for me. 5:30 rolls around awful quick. Especially with little ones in the house who don't want to sleep through the night!


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## tfederov

Crap. Bedtime for me too.


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## TheRatPatrol

tfederov said:


> Crap. Bedtime for me too.


To come back after being down 2-0 only to lose it in triple OT. They had it won but just couldn't get that empty net goal in late in the 3rd to put it away.


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## Koz

Ouch. Good game, though. I was standing up in my living room along with the fans in the arena for most of the game. My wife told me to make a drink and relax!

Glad I'm on west coast time.


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## texasmoose

WOW What a game!!!! Petr Sykora called his shot and came through, just like the Babe! I could care less who wins. I just want this thing to go 7. Just can't get enuff Stanley Cup Hockey. At least the whole game was in HD this time and it looked pretty damn good too.


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## spartanstew

CRAP....


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## TheRatPatrol

Sharkie_Fan said:


> I was draggin a$$ for a week after that! I'm not as young as I used to be.


Now I know how you feel. I couldn't sleep last night I was so upset. Now my a$$ is dragging.

Oh man I wanted them to win so bad last night, what better way to win the cup then on your home ice?

But I would rather they win on the road in game 6 then to lose it at home in game 7. I hope this isn't momentum for the Pens and they come back and win the next 2. I hope the Wings don't run out of gas, they wanted it so bad last night, especially the way they came out in the 3rd OT.

Ok, sorry to ramble on here..............better luck tomorrow.


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## Sharkie_Fan

theratpatrol said:


> Now I know how you feel. I couldn't sleep last night I was so upset. Now my a$$ is dragging.
> 
> Oh man I wanted them to win so bad last night, what better way to win the cup then on your home ice?
> 
> *But I would rather they win on the road in game 6 then to lose it at home in game 7. I hope this isn't momentum for the Pens and they come back and win the next 2. I hope the Wings don't run out of gas, they wanted it so bad last night, especially the way they came out in the 3rd OT.*
> 
> Ok, sorry to ramble on here..............better luck tomorrow.


I don't see the Penguins pulling it off (as much as I would love to see it). The Red Wings have shown they're the better team throughout most of the series, IMHO.

Last night, even, I think they were the better team. Pittsburgh just capitalized on a mistake.

I think in hockey, more than other sports, it's not uncommon for the better team to lose. When you're talking about games that are, more often than not, decided by a single goal, a bad bounce can cost you a game.

I still think the Sharks were better than the Stars. They outplayed them for long stretches during their series. The Stars were better at capitalizing on mistakes, and they made us pay for just about every one we made.

Same thing happened to the Wings last night. They were better, but a mistake cost them. I don't think it'll happen again. I think Detroit wins in game 6 in Pittsburgh.


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## Sirshagg

Sharkie_Fan said:


> I don't see the Penguins pulling it off (as much as I would love to see it). The Red Wings have shown they're the better team throughout most of the series, IMHO.
> 
> Last night, even, I think they were the better team. Pittsburgh just capitalized on a mistake.


Agreed.


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## koji68

Sharkie_Fan said:


> I think in hockey, more than other sports, it's not uncommon for the better team to lose. When you're talking about games that are, more often than not, decided by a single goal, a bad bounce can cost you a game.


Soccer is another one. Lots of games end 1-0 or 2-1. A mistake can do you in easily.

I agree that the Red Wings have been playing better than the Penguins. 

That's why I'm not worried. We'll get them tomorrow.


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## djnaldo

The last three games have been tight and could have gone either way, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Penguins win it all. 

Winning the way they did last night with the injuries can really inspire a team.


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## MrDad0330

I see it this way. The win last night may have made the Pens believe in themselves enough to go back to Pgh and with the great fans in Pgh, they could pull it off to tie it up...but going back to Detroit would be tought to winand also not to mention 3 wins in a row. 
Everyone wanted to see these two teams in the final. Age, experience vs. youth and dreams. A classic struggle. Either way, the Pens will be a better team for playing against Detroit. The Red Wings have been awesome to watch and although I am a die hard Pens fan, I have appreicated the great play of Detroit, they are truly a championship team.


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## tfederov

5 hours, 50 minutes till gametime.... anyone else nervous? I can't think about work the rest of the day!


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## Sharkie_Fan

tfederov said:


> 5 hours, 50 minutes till gametime.... anyone else nervous? I can't think about work the rest of the day!


No need to be nervous yet.

If the Pens somehow win tonight... then be nervous. Be very nervous!

Odds are still heavily in Detroits favor. Not just because of the 3-2 lead, but because I do think they're the better team.

I don't expect Osgood to come out as shaky as he was in game 5. And I'm not sure Fleury can put on another performance like he did in game 5. He's been real good all postseason, but game 5 he was fantastic.

still...... go Pens!

I am excited for the game though, and since the babysitter was sick today and I'm running 'Daddy Day-Care', I don't have to worry about concentrating on work!


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## SPACEMAKER

tfederov said:


> 5 hours, 50 minutes till gametime.... anyone else nervous? I can't think about work the rest of the day!


I feel sick. I just don't cope well with these types of games. It's quite pathetic.


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## Koz

tfederov said:


> 5 hours, 50 minutes till gametime.... anyone else nervous? I can't think about work the rest of the day!


I wasn't nervous til you said something. Thanks a lot!


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## Rob77

tfederov said:


> 5 hours, 50 minutes till gametime.... anyone else nervous? I can't think about work the rest of the day!


Tony, we are down to 15 minutes.....
Who me nervous


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## thumperr

Pens still can't score 5on3...


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## tfederov

Wow, 20 more minutes... I hope we can hold on....


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## tfederov

What.... a..... goal....


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## TheRatPatrol

Oh c*** here we go again. I can't watch. 

Nail bitting on the edge of your seat last 45 seconds, my hearts pounding.


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## spartanstew

WooHoo.


Thought they were going to score with 1 second left.


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## TheRatPatrol

PHEW its over!!!    :joy::barf:

It would have been so much better to win it at home.


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## Sharkie_Fan

Well... hats off to the Red Wings. Great series.

Congrats to Lidstrom. 1st European Born captain to hoist the cup. And he's a damn good one too!

You could probably go down the whole roster and find something good to say about every one of those players. I don't mind "my team" losing quite so much when it's to such a good team. None of the thuggery you see from teams like Calgary who think if they can't beat you on the ice, they'll just beat you into the ice. The Wings just play damn good hockey.

Enjoy it guys. I'm jealous!  Have a cold one... you can relax now - it's over! Congrats again.


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## tfederov

Wow, awesome!!! Had to take it down to the last few seconds though, eh?  :up:


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## Rob77

Great playoff games for both teams. The Pens should be proud of the job they did in a short amount of time during the season. The Wings were good all year from winning the Presidents Trophy to the Stanley Cup. Bring on the 08 -09 season


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## tfederov

Just ordered my hat to go with my other three Stanley Cup hats.


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## Sharkie_Fan

tfederov said:


> Just ordered my hat to go with my other three Stanley Cup hats.


Now you're just rubbing it in!  

Love to see Brad Stuart get his name on the cup, even if it has to be in red rather than in teal. He was a really good Shark!

But... man, don't you guys hate that Babcock guy. I think you should run him out of town on the next train.... In fact... I think there's a train leaving shortly that heads towards San Jose. If you hurry, I bet you could get him on that train!


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## tfederov

Sharkie_Fan said:


> Now you're just rubbing it in!
> 
> Love to see Brad Stuart get his name on the cup, even if it has to be in red rather than in teal. He was a really good Shark!
> 
> But... man, don't you guys hate that Babcock guy. I think you should run him out of town on the next train.... In fact... I think there's a train leaving shortly that heads towards San Jose. If you hurry, I bet you could get him on that train!


We only dump one coach a week. Flip Saunders already got dibs this week. :lol:


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## Sharkie_Fan

tfederov said:


> We only dump one coach a week. Flip Saunders already got dibs this week. :lol:


Damn... missed it by THAT much.

Latest rumors around here are that Tortorella might be the next Sharks coach....


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## TheRatPatrol

Hey guys thanks for the great conversation on here.

Now, what will we do now that hockey is over?


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## Sharkie_Fan

theratpatrol said:


> Hey guys thanks for the great conversation on here.
> 
> Now, what will do now that hockey is over?


Speculate about next season, of course!

Does Chelios retire having won the cup? Or does not playing in the finals leave him with a bad taste that he has to get out of his mouth?

Does Malkin stay with the Penguins? I've seen at least one national hockey guy say that the Pens can't afford Malkin. And named San Jose as a potential destination (I'm wouldn't complain!). Can't remember who said it, but it's been several weeks ago now. Frankly, I think he's full of crap - you can't let Malkin go after the season he had. He's my pick for MVP.

Where does Hossa end up? Again, heard his name linked with San Jose. (Not sure where san Jose is coming up with all this money, of course. They have an "internal" cap which they're very close to. Just resigning Bryan Campbell is going to be hard money wise).

What do the Wings do for goaltending next year? Do you hang your hat on Osgood once again. As good as he was, he's no spring chicken.

Probably alot more to speculate on when it comes to the Sharks than there is about the Wings, but there are some questions there that'll be interesting to see how they play out.

How long does Lidstrom want to play. He's 38 if I heard correctly on the radio broadcast tonight. He looks like he could play another 10 years, but what's his desire?

Does Dallas Drake retire now that he won the cup?


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## tfederov

theratpatrol said:


> Hey guys thanks for the great conversation on here.
> 
> Now, what will we do now that hockey is over?


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## SPACEMAKER

If I ever see Hudler on the street I am going to kick him in the nuts and then run away.


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## tfederov

SPACEMAKER said:


> If I ever see Hudler on the street I am going to kick him in the nuts and then run away.


Did you notice too that he was the reason for the Pens winning game five and the power play goal tonight?


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## SPACEMAKER

tfederov said:


> Did you notice too that he was the reason for the Pens winning game five and the power play goal tonight?


I did notice. Even Osgood mentioned something about smacking Hudler for creating the extra stress.:lol:

But my gosh it feels good to have won another Cup. It goes a long way to heal the wounds of recent playoff disappointments.


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## TheRatPatrol

Does anyone know if FSN-Detroit will have any kind of special on?

Thanks


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## koji68

theratpatrol said:


> Does anyone know if FSN-Detroit will have any kind of special on?
> 
> Thanks


Yes. They are having one tonight at 10:30pm and the victory parade tomorrow begining at 9:00AM ET both.


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## koji68

Sharkie_Fan said:


> Speculate about next season, of course!
> 
> Does Chelios retire having won the cup?


During the interviews after the game was over he said that he is coming back. But that may be the Cup talking.

One funny comment came from Holmstrom. They asked what was wrong with him injury wise and he listed a few things, including a sports hernia. He looked at the reporter and said: "I'm too old, I don't need this sh!t." Live TV no time for a bleep. :lol: The reporter quickly changed the subject. :lol:

Go Red Wings!!! :joy: :biggthump :goodjob:


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## djnaldo

Congratulations to the Red Wings on winning the cup.

It was a great season for the Penguins even though they came up short at the end.

Malkin won't be going anywhere next year , he's still under contract. They can begin negotiating a new one this year though.


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## Sharkie_Fan

djnaldo said:


> Malkin won't be going anywhere next year , he's still under contract. They can begin negotiating a new one this year though.


Shows what I get for believing everything I read... 

Malkin is there for another year.

Free Agents for the Pens this year are Gary Roberts, Brooks Orpik, Marc-Andre Fleury, Georges Laraque, Marion Hossa, Ryan Malone, and Jarku Ruutu.

Next year is Malkin and Staal.

I've seen rumors that Roberts, Orpik, Laraque, Hossa are gone for sure. Malone and Ruutu are hard to keep because they have to pay Fleury this year, and Malkin and Staal next year.


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## TheRatPatrol

koji68 said:


> Yes. They are having one tonight at 10:30pm and the victory parade tomorrow begining at 9:00AM ET both.


Got it set up, thanks!


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## JACKIEGAGA

Tfed congrats on your Redwings winning the Stanley Cup


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## tfederov

JACKIEGAGA said:


> Tfed congrats on your Redwings winning the Stanley Cup


Thanks, buddy!


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## Button Pusher

Yeah Tfed,congrats on the Red Wings winning the Cup!


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## TheRatPatrol

koji68 said:


> Yes. They are having one tonight at 10:30pm and the victory parade tomorrow begining at 9:00AM ET both.


Hi, didn't see the special on last night, unless I missed it.

But I am watching the parade right now on FSN-Detroit. Couldn't do that if I had cable.


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## Button Pusher

theratpatrol said:


> Hi, didn't see the special on last night, unless I missed it.
> 
> But I am watching the parade right now on FSN-Detroit. Couldn't do that if I had cable.


Have you seen Tfed in the parade?


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## TheRatPatrol

Button Pusher said:


> Have you seen Tfed in the parade?


No not yet. :lol:

Did Dan Cleary just say that he was playing "sh**y hockey" ?


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## Rob77

tfederov said:


> Just ordered my hat to go with my other three Stanley Cup hats.


Great minds go in the same direction 

Just got the shipping notification this afternoon for my Red Wings Cup hat !


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## tfederov

Rob77 said:


> Great minds go in the same direction
> 
> Just got the shipping notification this afternoon for my Red Wings Cup hat !


Hmmm... I haven't received any notice mine went out yet.

Nope wasn't at the parade, I was working down here by my home in Texas.


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## TheRatPatrol

There's no more hockey on for a while now. I'm bored.............we need a summer roller hockey league on ESPN. 

I'll have to get out my hockey DVD's I guess.


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## n3ntj

Yeah, I know what you mean.. I have hockey withdrawal until October.


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## MN Sportsfan

I'd love to see Ryan Malone in a Wild uniform next season. I'd love to see more native Minnesotan's or College players from a Minnesota school on the team. Malone went to St. Cloud State. If Hedican wasn't that old I'd love to see him too. At least I got to see him bring the Stanley Cup to my hometown of North St. Paul. Go Polars.


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## Rob77

tfederov said:


> Hmmm... I haven't received any notice mine went out yet.


Received mine from Detroit Athletic Co.....many places are out of them....but they have an in-stock supply. Ordered on Friday....got it on Monday


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## Sharkie_Fan

So... Detroit has some "rebuilding" to do this offseason now!

Rumor has it that tomorrow, Todd McClellan will be introduced as the new head coach of my San Jose Sharks.

He was on Drew Remenda's show in Canada the other day and I was really impressed by him in the interview. Steve Yzerman was quoted as saying McClellan is "the real deal".

I'm pretty excited. I think this is a good hire for the Sharks.... 

It'll be interesting to see if the Wings are affected at all by McClellan's departure. He was apparently (from what I read) heavily involved in the offense, and in charge of the Power Play which was the 2nd best unit over the last 3 years. Obviously they've got tons and tons of talent, but I'm curious to see how much McClellans system maximized that talent and how things go from here.


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