With a couple of excellent last-second saves by Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pittsburgh Penguins wrested the Stanley Cup from the multi-championship-beringed fingers of the Red Wings on Detroit's home ice in Game 7 of the playoffs tonight, and set the stage for a victory parade they'll be paying for with bond issues for years to come. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that parade "will begin at noon Monday at the intersection of Grant Street and Seventh Avenue, Downtown."Just before the game began, I heard several sports analysts say things pretty much like, "I don't think the Penguins can win in Joe Louis Arena." WRONG. "Pittsburgh will need to get big games from their stars Malkin and Crosby to have any hope of winning this game." WRONG--Max Talbot (pictured at left) was tonight's hero. "Pittsburgh needs Fleury to have a near-perfect game and outplay Osgood for them to have a chance." WRON...no wait. That one was right, and was exactly what happened. Up by just one goal with seconds left, the Penguins lost a crucial faceoff in their own end, which led to a Red Wings shot, a dangerous rebound, another Red Wings shot, another dangerous rebound, and a brilliant, diving recovery by Fleury to block the third, last-second shot, which would have meant overtime and a big advantage for Detroit at home.
So it's been a great year to be a fan of Pittsburgh sports. The Steelers won the Super Bowl, the Pens have taken the Stanley Cup, so now all the Pirates have to do is...BWAH HA HA HA HA! Oh, dear (*wiping tears from eyes*)! I thought I could pull that off with a straight face, but no. It'll still be a great year.
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