Cup Fever: Random Thoughts...

I tried to keep quiet until game time. I really, really did. Then Red Wings Nation (or at least the British blog representatives of it) put their reasons why the Wings will win the Cup. And in doing so perpetrated the falsehood that every non-Pen uses as their foundation argument to why the Steel City ain't getting a visit from Lord Stanley this year.

The "you've only got two players" argument...

Which on numbers of goals alone, is just about arguable (although I fail to see how a team which ices its top forward and best player, Henrik Zetterberg, even more than the Pens ice Sid the Kid and its second-and-third best players, Franzen and Datsyuk, for round about the same time as Malkin can complain about double-shifting superstars-especially when they ice Nick Lidstrom longer than the Pens ice Sergei Gonchar). However, given that the Red Wings would give their eye-teeth to have one, never mind both, that smacks of sheer jealousy. After all, this is a team relying on a starting goalie who let Fedor Tyutin (Fedor Tyutin!) do this earlier in the season...But hey, if you want to forget Sykora, Satan, Guerin, Fedotenko, Staal and company and focus all your efforts on stopping two players, then fair enough. After all...what's the worst that could happen? It's not like Feds has ever scored an important goal or anything...

Oh, wait...

It can't be denied that the Wings are a damn good hockey team with a huge amount of depth. But the Pens, this time out, are younger, hungrier and (Darren Helm excepted) as fast if not faster, player-for-player. But can you really see a 39-year-old who's just come off an injury as the ideal counter for Crosby, even if he's won six Norris Trophies?

Nick Lidstrom will play game one after finally recovering from an injury which saw him miss most of the Conference Finals...and Chris Kunitz, hopefully, will duly give him the same treatment he gave Kimmo Timonen. Certainly this would seem to make sense...last season it was the Wings who put the hits in early in the Finals, and we all know what happened there...

There's also been a claim over "the other side" that Crosby and Malkin have something of a "bromance" going on. I see your Crosby and Malkin, Matt, and raise you Draper and Osgood. Is that what they mean when they say he's got a "quick glove-hand?"

The clock is ticking...next post after Game One...