I debated not watching last night’s game 7 of the Stanley Cup final between Detroit and Pittsburgh. After Detroit routed the Penguins in Game 5, I couldn’t bring myself to watch game 6. I was convinced that it’d be a repeat of last year’s finale when Detroit hoisted the cup on Pittsburgh ice.

I don’t know what it is about the Red Wings, but I can’t stand them. They remind me of the Yankees, a team that thinks they can buy championships. I was hoping that the kids (Crosby & Malkin) on the Penguins team would learn from last year’s loss and lead their team to the cup.

They really showed a lot of guts in this year’s series. Malkin played like a man possessed, especially in the Carolina series. Crosby also put on a show against Washington. Being down 2-0 to Detroit didn’t look good. Most sportscasters had Detroit winning the series in 6 games. It was entertaining to see Pittsburgh not be intimitated by the big red machine.

It was nice to see a player like Talbot score the two goals’ last night – a player who isn’t known for his scoring prowess come through for his team. It was also very nice to see Fleury rebound from his poor performance in game 5 to keep his team in it.

I sat on the edge of my seat throughout the entire third period, kind of like the injured Sidney Crosby. After Detroit scored with six minutes left to cut the lead to 2-1, I was practically out of my seat hoping the Penguins would be able to hold on. With one second left, Fleury made one last diving save against Lidstrom and the cup was the Penguins’.

It was kind of ironic, the Penguins’ winning on Detroit’s ice a year after losing it at home. I couldn’t help but wonder what Marian Hossa was thinking, losing the championship against the team he left after losing it with them last year.  I guess Hossa’s learning that organizations’ can’t just buy championships, it takes more than high payrolls to win.

After a very anxious night, it was great to see it end with this:

pittsburgh with the stanley cup