Seriously? First of all, who cares. As much as I like Roberts it's quite clear that the Penguins can win without him. They got by the Flyers without him and did just fine during the regular season when he was injured.
Secondly, is it really surprising that a guy wants to play in the finals when he's been relegated to the press box? Not at all. It's just an example that the NHL needs to push up the games if the conference finals end early. Thursday would have been perfect to kick things off.
This matchup has been analyzed and broken down to death by now. We know the Red Wings are a very solid team from top to bottom. Managed well, coached well and generally solid in every facet of the game on the ice. We know that the Penguins have an insane amount of young talent, led by two super stars. All of the cliches have been busting out from every media source.
Some over the top comparisons have been made to the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers of the 1980's. I know earlier I stated the Penguins would march to the finals only to lose it to a more experienced team the same way the Oilers did, but to go to the extent some people have been going to is ridiculous. There are certainly some similarities, don't get me wrong. Where I used it to simply prove a point, people are using it as a direct comparison. The Red Wings run over the past 15 years has been impressive, but they never won 4 straight Stanley Cups. They have been the league's top team year in and year out more than any other over a stretch of time, but they have by no means dominated the NHL year after year.
On the Pittsburgh side, some more relevant comparisons can be made to the Oilers. They have two superstars (Gretzky and Messier: Crosby and Malkin), a young flashy goaltender (Fuhr: Fleury) and a very solid supporting cast, if you can call them that because some Oilers are hall of famers (Anderson, Kurri, Coffey, Lowe: Hossa, Malone, Gonchar, Whitney). The one difference between the two teams is that the Oilers suffered three straight years of post-season defeats before hoisting the Cup. The Penguins rise to prominence has been much faster with fewer bumps in the road. There was no "Miracle on Manchester" to crush their spirits, but ultimately make them a better team. Sure, the first round exit to the Senators last year was no fun, but certainly was expected.
Ultimately, we can't get ahead of ourselves when making these comparisons. Let the series play out, let time go by and then compare. Let's just enjoy this series for the fantastic hockey we hope to see. Sidney is not Wayne nor will he ever be. Let Sidney be Sidney and Wayne live forever in our memories as the great player he was without waiting for "The Next One".
I suppose sooner or later I should get to the actual hockey talk. These two teams were the NHL's "dream" matchup and mine too. There is plenty of skill and star power to go around and it should be a blast to see them provide a great show. I just worry that we've built this series up so much that it will disappoint in the end if it's not the best hockey we've ever seen. But because of all the speed and skill, I think the defence will play a huge role in determining this series based on who contains who more effectively. Though the Penguins blueline has been very solid and largely unheralded throughout the playoffs, Detroit certainly has an edge in that department. Nick Lidstrom will do that. Let's not forget how important team defence is and the Red Wings have the best group of two-way forwards in the league, led by Zetterberg and Datsyuk (two Selke nominees) as well as Draper (a
former Selke winner), Franzen (when healthy), Cleary and Maltby to shut their opponents down.If the series is half as entertaining as it's been hyped then we should be in for a treat. Expect it to go deep and expect the Red Wings to narrowly come out on top in seven games.
Okay, enough talk. Let's just drop the damn puck already!
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