Final all set

May 20, 2008   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

In case you missed it, the Stanley Cup Final is finally all set. With the Red Wings posting a 4-1 victory in Game Six over the Stars in Big D last night, the President’s Trophy winners and the Eastern Conference champion Penguins will meet for Lord Stanley beginning this Saturday with the first two games exclusively on Versus.

Why there’s that sort of delay to start this series is just another baffling reminder of how messed up the NHL is. Fyi…it’s worth pointing out that the Wings and Pistons don’t play in the same buildings. So, what’s the holdup?

It would make a lot more sense to give both teams Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare and have Game 1 faceoff on Thursday with Game 2 Saturday. But logic isn’t something that prevails much with league headquarters.

For some reason, they want to go up against the NBA. Granted. At least they got the desired final they craved. This really couldn’t have worked out any better. In terms of star power with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa on one side and Nick Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg on the other, this is an enticing match-up pitting the two best overall teams for all the marbles.

You got a wealth of skill, skating and solid team defense along with timely goalkeeping from unlikely pair Marc-Andre Fleury and Chris Osgood. Can the Pens’ talent at center slow down Detroit in the faceoff circle and take away their puck possession game which drives opponents nuts? With the undervalued Jordan Staal also in the fold, they match-up well.

This series definitely has the potential to be a classic seven-game series. Hopefully, it can live up to that billing cause this postseason has lacked that one defining series which you could hang your hat on.

Want to give a ton of kudos to the Stars for not giving up a la the Flyers in their humiliating 6-0 defeat which thankfully I didn’t see much of due to a wedding. While it’s true they fell behind 4-0, they never threw in the towel playing an excellent third period getting one goal and forcing Osgood to make some big saves or it might’ve been much more interesting.

I also want to give props to the Dallas fans, who were extremely supportive standing up and giving their guys the kind of support you like to see. That was really cool how they saluted them at the conclusion. Though I kind of felt bad for Marty Turco and Brenden Morrow cause they really laid it on the line. If there’s one goalie I’d really like to see win, it’s Turco. And Morrow’s also a real good leader and easy to respect.

One final observation which I didn’t see coming. Not long ago, I questioned the candidacy of fine offensive players Datsyuk and Zetterberg for the Selke. It’s apparent though that they each are very worthy because in every sense they are “two-way” players who play both ends about as well as possible. Just watching their relentless work ethic while shorthanded has been a breath of fresh air. We’ve witnessed some highlight reel shorthanded markers including a Zetterberg tally Monday which put it out of reach.

I usually have a hard time giving the Selke to an offensive star but would have no such issue if either won the award. I don’t think that’s on either’s mind right now as they got something a lot more important to win.

The other cool storyline which is one to follow is whether the European hex will finally end. In Stanley Cup history, no team captained by a European-born player has ever won the Cup. But with Lidstrom leading the Wings, I think it could happen. This is one of the best players of our generation who leads by example in his fine play on the ice. He’ll need to have a large series against the Crosby-led Pens.

It should be interesting to see how it plays out. Enjoy the Finals!