sorry can’t give congratulations as I don’t feel the Penguins honestly earned it .. I think the officiating helped them out and yes Bettman too.
  I’m not saying that they gave them the wins out handedly BUT all “THE LITTLE THINGS” added up to be too much for the RedWings to handle this time around.
  They knew the RedWings were beat up big time and so Bettman rushed the finals start date ... before that letting the Ducks get away with murder and out and out basically maiming the RedWings and then the same thing with the Chicago series.  The Wings over came all that though but the rush of the starting dates of the finals was just too much ... and yes I do think that was Bettmans plan. 
Then to add insult to injury the refs letting everything go in the finals ...  the interference and holding, the off sides whistled on the Wings which weren’t ........ etc all of that slowed the game down and held the Wings up enough so that they couldn’t play their game the way the are used to ..  which was of course advantageous for the Pens. 
The botched calls were pathetic and certainly don’t believe they evened out for each team out as some have said.

I do wonder where the NHL goes from here though ... when after the lockout they professed to want nothing more than to showcase the skill, speed and the talent in the NHL but all the playoff’s did was to showcase the skill (if you want to call it a skill) of slowing players down and that goon type play can win it..  It certainly is not the direction I want the NHL to go in and certainly not the NHL I will support monetary wise.

Posted by MsRedWingFan from West Michigan on 06/13/09 at 08:28 PM ET

Man, Wings fans get accused of being arrogant and acting like we’re entitled to win every year and here are Pens fans after winning their first Cup in what, 15 years, and they act like we should all kiss the ground they walk on.

I’m gonna give you guys some advice, and this is in all seriousness:  get used to having others dispise you, it comes with winning.  The sympathy vote you guys got from other teams’ fans for being the underdog is gone.  You guys have a huge target on your backs now, fans from all other teams will be coming at you hard.  You wonder why Wings fans act brash and arrogant, it’s more like we just developed a thick skin over the years from having all other fans constantly bash and hate us because we have a good team.  You guys have the unfortunate combination of resentment against you from not only winning, but having your team and captain shoved down everyone else throat for the past few years.  I’d highly suggest you develop a thick skin as well, and don’t look for or ask for anyone else to like you, because they won’t.  All the stuff you guys have been saying about us the last 2 seasons and even before that, get ready, because it will be coming at you from all sides at once.  Pretty soon the fact that you beat the hated Wings will wear off of others’ minds, and they’ll just remember you won, and you are the enemy their team must beat.

You have been warned.  If you’re smart, you’ll revel in it, as you’ll know it’s because you have a good team.  If not, it’s gonna be a looooooooong year.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 06/13/09 at 08:35 PM ET

Man, Wings fans get accused of being arrogant and acting like we’re entitled to win every year and here are Pens fans after winning their first Cup in what, 15 years, and they act like we should all kiss the ground they walk on.

As I said - they remind me of San Jose fans.

(Except that San Jose hasn’t won a Cup yet, but the desire for respect is the same.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 08:38 PM ET

Yeah ludemeister.  He looks so unhappy handing Lidstrom the Cup in this picture.  Douche.

Posted by mdr from Home of the Stanley Cup on 06/13/09 at 08:41 PM ET

Besides the obvious reasons, why is Hossa the only one getting blamed for not showing up?  What about Franzen, he is supposed to be the next Holmstrom, just better right?  Besides being on the giving / receiveing end of some hits, I hardly noticed him.

Posted by Johnson from PA on 06/13/09 at 08:44 PM ET

Yeah ludemeister.  He looks so unhappy handing Lidstrom the Cup in this picture.  Douche.

he’s just gritting his teeth   and probably saying “I don’t wanna let go, I don’t wanna let go ... where’s Sid???”   

Posted by MsRedWingFan from West Michigan on 06/13/09 at 08:45 PM ET

Ha ha losers…keep whining you classless arrogant jerks!  You lost Game 7 on Home Ice.  Enjoy the unemployment line and another Lions season…I’ll enjoy another parade for the City of Champions on monday!

Posted by radiohead from Not in Unemploymentville, MI on 06/13/09 at 08:46 PM ET

Okay, this is just *#$%@& ridiculous -  Do they not have blogs in Pennsylvania?

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 08:48 PM ET

And look who lost tonight. ***damn Tigers…

Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 06/13/09 at 08:57 PM ET

First of all, most of us Pens fans really couldn’t care whether you congratulate us or not. The Pens won.  What you do and say reflects only upon you.  And what you’re saying—i.e., bashing Crosby, blaming the officiating, bitching about Bettman—reflects poorly.  Man (or woman, as the case may be) up and accept the loss.  The Wings played their asses off and don’t deserve to have excuses made for them.  They lost by one goal in Game 7 at home.  Simple as that.  Start planning for winning one more game next season.

Painting Pens fans with the broad brush of some of the idiot 12-year-olds trolling here is pretty stupid as well.  We dealt with the obverse of these pricks over on thepensblog cblog, and instead of claiming that all Wings fans were small-dicked adolescents like Paulinmiamibeach, most of us just waited for the trolls to disappear when the Pens won.  RedWings and JJ from Kansas didn’t get that treatment from us, and they won’t.  We don’t expect them to suck us off in order to like them either.  Just don’t gloat.

Second, this comment—

sorry can’t give congratulations as I don’t feel the Penguins honestly earned it .. I think the officiating helped them out and yes Bettman too.

—flies in the face of every strained semantic explanation that nobody’s claiming a “conspiracy” on the part of Bettman or the league.  Like I said before, go back and read some of the live blog from November 11th’s collapse.  Seems like everytime there’s a call against the Wings, there’s a mention of Bettman calling the refs or some other similar bullshit.  And it continued during the Finals.  It’s pathetic.

I really wanted to come here the day after Game 7 and congratulate Wings fans on two successive great Finals series.  Instead, I’ve had to shake my head wondering if there’s enough kleenex in the State of Michigan today.

To those of you not in league with the whiners, congrats on a good season and hope to see you in the Finals again next year.

Posted by Docc8 from Maryland on 06/13/09 at 09:00 PM ET

Pirates ticked off at being outscored by a rookie pitcher yesterday. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 09:00 PM ET

Of course some people will always believe in conspiracies - the Kennedy assassination is it’s own industry, and some people are convinced that the earth is flat.

Judge by the actual comments of the blog author - not a few isolated comments pulled from a long thread.

And there is nothing *#$%@& strained about my “semantic explanation” - I use the words I use for a reason, I am careful about their meanings, and if someone else can’t understand logic - then bite me.

Right now I’m sick and tired of the Pittsburgh fans - all of them, even the well-mannered ones.  Bugger off and take your trolls with you and celebrate your Cup win.  Celebrate however you want - drink, dance,scream, sing, party, puke, donate to charity, set things on fire, have a wild orgy, masturbate - I don’t care.  Just go away and do it somewhere else.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 09:11 PM ET

The Wings didn’t lose because the league didn’t want them to win.  They lost because they didn’t want it enough.  End of story. 

That being said,  Gary and the league are very, very happy with that outcome.  The Detroit Red Wings are one of the most successful and profitable teams in professional sports; they don’t need any encouragement, or assistance, or promotion.  The Penguins, on the other hand, are a rehab.  They’ve successfully come out of Gary’s clinic, restored to full health and vitality. 

Do you know what this is about, in the here and now?  The Phoenix Coyotes.  Yes, it is. The NHL is fighting in court to try and keep the Coyotes in Phoenix, and what can they say?  They say- “look at the Pittsburgh Penguins.  They were languishing, broke, pissed on old arena,  lack of fan interest, no prospects, just a few years ago, and some people wanted to move them out of town.  But we said no- they stay in Pittsburgh.  We believe in the Pittsburgh Penguins.  And where are the Penguins now?  They’re the Stanley Cup Champions!  And we believe in the Phoenix Coyotes.  We know that not only can the Coyotes survive here, they can thrive and succeed.”  It’s very compelling. 

Gary Bettman doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the Stanley Cup, by the way. He doesn’t look at it the way a player or a fan looks at it.  For him, it’s a photo op, a marketing tool.  It puts butts in the seats and it’s always a hit at Bar Mitzvah’s.  Why do I bring this up?  Because Gary and the league are not in the business of protecting or cherishing Lord Stanley’s Cup, they’re in the business of selling tickets, jerseys, hats, keyrings, A Product.  The NHL Brand.  The NHL Product.  And they’re pretty good at it.  It’s a very lucrative, multi-billion dollar business. 

Most owners buy a team not to win, but to earn.  It’s the flip side of sports.  We love our teams.  We love our team so much that it hurts so bad to watch them lose in the Final we want to puke our guts out.  You know what the owners love?  Money.  Plain and simple.  So when it comes down to Wings-Penguins, round two, game 7, do you really think the league doesn’t have a favorite?  Come on.  Which one is going to sell more hats when they win?  The damn-near dynastic defending champion Wings, who are engineered from the ground up to contend every year?  Most of their fans are long-time fans, they’ve already got all that shit.  Been there, done that.  But the Penguins, just recently risen from the dead, and who haven’t won a title in 17 years?  Those fans are ripe.  A whole lot of them are new, and fresh, and they’ll all be drunk on their new-found success.  Cha-ching!

Know this:  when Sid went up to take the Cup and he posed for that picture, he really was that happy because he couldn’t believe he had it.  He had climbed the mountain.  He had won the Stanley Cup.  Nearly his whole life he had spent dreaming of this day, and here it was.  It’s a surreal moment.  He’ll never forget it.  Little Gary?  He was thinking about how good this was for league revenue, and how he could spin this against Balsillie. 

We hate Gary Bettman because he is everything that is wrong with sports in this country.  When you realize, if you haven’t already, that high school football is being commercialized, you can thank Gary and his crew, because that is how they roll.  Is Bettman personally responsible?  No, but he wishes he was.

If you’re a fan and you don’t hate Gary Bettman, then you have no idea what is really going on.

Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 06/13/09 at 09:13 PM ET

The fact that Pens fans are coming in here and defending their team, whining about not being “shown the love” they think they deserve is becoming a story in itself.

And it’s easing this kick to the nuts very quickly.

Therefore, it’s something we should explore even further tomorrow morning. 

Pens fans acting like little whining bitches even when they win the Stanley Cup.  Like captain, like fans.

Awesome.

Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 06/13/09 at 09:19 PM ET

Pens fans acting like little whining bitches even when they win the Stanley Cup.  Like captain, like fans.

Dude.  Isn’t it awesome? 

What is it that these “some Pens fans” want?  They don’t feel enough love?  Do they want us to suck their *#$%@&?  Is that what they want?  Group *#$%@&?  Would that be enough love?  Tell ‘em all to line up naked on the corner of Gratiot and Van Dyke next Saturday night, 9 pm, we’ll be there.  We promise.  We’ll bring snuggies for everyone, we’ll rub your tummies, we’ll tell you bedtime stories. 

Here’s what you tell them:  you won, have a blast, congratulations, go *#$%@& yourselves.  Enjoy the Cup.  We hope you choke.

*#$%@& amateurs.  Devaluing your victory.  *#$%@&.

Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 06/13/09 at 09:27 PM ET

The Chief’s right.  Pens fans constantly looking to us for approval even after they win sure makes me feel a little better.  Just goes to show you, even though they won the Cup, they still know we have the better team.  We’re still the measuring stick.  Thanks Pens fans, my mood has taken a turn for the better.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 06/13/09 at 09:41 PM ET

I’m just glad I’m not the only one trying to clear out the troll infestation.  Nice to have some help. 

Regarding the Phoenix Coyotes - there is some good discussion in this thread on Tom Benjamin’s blog (and I would pay money to let him ask Gary Bettman the follow up questions the media never does, and pester him until he gets an answer).

I particularly like this comment, from Tom, a ways down the thread:

Judge Baum has given the NHL a carrot in the form of a relocation fee and I suspect he won’t take too kindly to the NHL if the NHL tries to use that carrot to hinder the process by demanding an unreasonably sized carrot.

I don’t see it as a carrot. It is good news for the NHL in the sense that Baum is implicitly agreeing that the league as a whole owns the Hamilton market. The bad news is that he is saying “Okay, let’s forget about all this Balsillie crap and the lease and everything else. Lets pretend Moyes came to you and said that the Phoenix market was dead and he wanted to move to Hamilton. What are the criteria for Moyes to move? What’s the cost to him?

As long as a Balsillie bid (and the state of the Phoenix market) meets the league criteria for relocation and as long as Balsillie is willing to pay, I think Baum will force the sale and relocation. I didn’t see a path to the Hamilton Coyotes but I see one now. I think it now depends on whether Balsillie is really prepared to make it happen. Will he pay, say, $300 MM or $350 MM? I think if he will, he definitely gets the team.

I can’t see this development as anything but a huge blow to Bettman and Bettman’s position. He’s being dragged along a road that commits the NHL to selling Balsillie the Hamilton market for a reasonable price. Bettman doesn’t want to sell it at all.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 09:42 PM ET

Know this:  when Sid went up to take the Cup and he posed for that picture, he really was that happy because he couldn’t believe he had it.  He had climbed the mountain.  He had won the Stanley Cup.  Nearly his whole life he had spent dreaming of this day, and here it was.  It’s a surreal moment.  He’ll never forget it.  Little Gary?  He was thinking about how good this was for league revenue, and how he could spin this against Balsillie.

In basketball, they don’t even refer to it as a sport or a game anymore - it is almost always called “the product.”  Like toothpaste or dishwasher detergent.  Just another consumer product.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 09:45 PM ET

Pens fans acting like little whining bitches even when they win the Stanley Cup.  Like captain, like fans.

Seriously, Cheif.  Look at yourself.  Crosby hate is beginning to consume you just like Wysh and Kris Draper.

It’s just sad seeing this place devolve into a bitch-fest about Crosby, Bettman, and Pens fans.  Nobody seems to be honestly discussing why the Wings lost.  Osgood letting in a shot he should’ve stopped?  The Wings not sustaining enough pressure against a short-benched Pittsburgh?  Nope.  It’s all Gary’s fault…oh, and Crosby is a joke of a “captain” (whatever that’s supposed to mean in quotes).

Sad.

I honestly don’t give a f*ck whether you “show us love.”  We’ve got a Cup to catch your spit and tears.  But it I can’t tell whether to laugh hysterically or feel pity for what I see going on here.  I’m oscillating between the two.

Posted by Docc8 from Maryland on 06/13/09 at 09:46 PM ET

No oscillation here my friend.  I am laughing my ass off.

Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 06/13/09 at 09:51 PM ET

Bettman had the same smile last year MORON and if you dont believe me, here

http://www.nhl.com/cup/series/serieso_index.html

thats a picture of last years Stanley Cup presentation to lidstrom

Posted by oldcrapple on 06/13/09 at 09:54 PM ET

Get the *#$%@& trolls out of the way and we’ll be happy to discuss why the Wings lost.  Right now they get in the way of any conversation anyone might try to have.

Once they bugger off some actual discussion can happen.  That hasn’t happened yet - and it’s making me stabby.  I just want them to go away, and like persistent cockroaches, they just won’t.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 09:54 PM ET

Besides, if we do mention why the Wings lost, I know exactly the response:

“They are saying the Wings lost instead of talking about how the Penguins won!  They aren’t giving us any respect!  We beat them and all they want to talk about is themselves!”

Just go away.  They must have blogs in Pennsylvania somewhere.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 09:57 PM ET

In basketball, they don’t even refer to it as a sport or a game anymore - it is almost always called “the product.” Like toothpaste or dishwasher detergent.  Just another consumer product. 

Exactly.  For us, it’s The Stanley Cup.  To them, it’s “the product”.

Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 06/13/09 at 09:59 PM ET

Hey Docc8, I don’t know whether to laugh hysterically or feel pity for Pens fans who are still on a Wings site 24 hours after you guys won because the only way they can feel good about themselves is to talk sh!t to Wings fans and put down the city of Detroit.  Get over yourselves, you’re not that important.

If you

honestly don’t give a f*ck whether you “show us love.”

then why are you still here?  Feel a little inadequate?

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 06/13/09 at 10:02 PM ET

They must have blogs in Pennsylvania somewhere.

I’m not so sure, they do have a lot of Amish…

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 06/13/09 at 10:05 PM ET

This is awesome.  Even in defeat we’re still better than everyone else.  It’s fun being a smug arrogant bastard.

Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 06/13/09 at 10:05 PM ET

The BBBB fans now have a friend, the Poor Pathetic Pitiful Pens, except they’re even worse, they turn into whining little bitches when they win, as least the BBBB’s have a reason to bitch.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 06/13/09 at 10:09 PM ET

Get the *#$%@& trolls out of the way and we’ll be happy to discuss why the Wings lost.  Right now they get in the way of any conversation anyone might try to have.

If I had that ability, I would.  But, alas, only you have the power to ignore them.  And the best way to do so is to start discussing something other than how much you hate Crosby, Bettman, and Pens fans.

And before acting high-and-mighty about Red Wings fans somehow being “above” such trolling, I’d suggest checking Tony’s recent post over at the Confluence.  A few of your brethren are over there trolling up a storm. 

Oh well, have a good night and get some good sleep.  I hope A2Y returns to something coherent and less frothing-at-the-mouth at some point.

Posted by Docc8 on 06/13/09 at 10:12 PM ET

I found myself incredibly frustrated with the inadequacy of all capitals, bolding, and multiple exclamation points to express myself.

What I really wanted was a font that would send two hands out of the computer monitor and choke the living daylights out of the idiot typing on the computer despite the fact that they seem to only comprehend every third word of a written explanation - that I tried my best to make comprehensive, logical, and well-enough organized that it should be easy for someone else to follow.

I just wanted to squeeze their throats so hard that their empty heads exploded.  It is extremely frustrating.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 10:13 PM ET

I hope A2Y returns to something coherent and less frothing-at-the-mouth at some point.

You don’t have to hope, to achieve that just leave and take all your cronies with you.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 06/13/09 at 10:15 PM ET

Besides - why should anyone else care about Red Wings fans discussing why the Red Wings lost?

I don’t go on Oilers blogs and ask them to discuss why the Oilers lost - I don’t go on Montreal blogs and ask them to talk about the shortcomings of the Canadiens - I go there for hockey conversation in general.

(And obviously he hasn’t noticed that trolls show up whether Crosby is discussed or not - and if he wasn’t discussed in the last two weeks, they will excavate an old thread to try to start shit up.  Standard troll operating procedure all year.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 10:17 PM ET

It will be coherent if we have a written test for admission, including reading comprehension.

I don’t know why I’m so surprised - the world is awash in morons.

Like I always say - not enough people getting eaten by bears. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/13/09 at 10:20 PM ET

Like I always say - not enough people getting eaten by bears.

Baroque, I love you. I honestly love you.

Posted by TeamDub from The gratch. on 06/13/09 at 10:24 PM ET

On a different note, it will be interesting to see, in the salary cap era, if the Pens will be able to maintain a winning team now that they don’t get #1 draft picks every year.  With 2 superstars eating up a lot of cap space, and a goalie who I’m sure is going to be requiring a raise some day, it will be imperative to do what the Wings do and keep finding late round gems to keep the roster full and competitive in the future.  I hope your scouts and GM are able to scout and draft beyong big names and obvious #1 picks.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 06/13/09 at 10:28 PM ET

The fact that Pens fans are coming in here and defending their team, whining about not being “shown the love” they think they deserve is becoming a story in itself…

Therefore, it’s something we should explore even further tomorrow morning.

Okay, Chief, we’ll all look forward to that. And thanks for all of your love, enthusiasm and, YES, bravado regarding the Wings this year. It made a season that was extremely frustrating a lot more bearable.

But when you address the “Pens fans” situation, how about a few words of reality regarding your assertion that the Wings will sign Marian to a seven-year deal. I honestly can’t envision one scenario that will allow that to happen. If you can, please share it with us.

Get the *#$%@& trolls out of the way and we’ll be happy to discuss why the Wings lost.

You know the hurt runs deep when a woman of science doesn’t get that “fighting” trolls is the only way you encourage them to replicate. They breed in an environment of “response” (whether it’s hostile, educated, theoretical, analytical or something else). Never, ever feed the trolls. It’s the only way to assure that they die the pathetic and lonely death they deserve.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 06/13/09 at 10:33 PM ET

Get the *#$%@& trolls out of the way and we’ll be happy to discuss why the Wings lost.

I picked my goats out already and Hossa isn’t on my list.

Posted by HockeyJoe from Upstate New York on 06/13/09 at 10:49 PM ET

Well my link for the pic and I will link it again but as you may or may not forget from when he handed lidstrom the cup last year he looked even happier.  it’s called smiling for a photo boys, and a photo is worth 1000 words.

Bettman is I’m sure glad that crosby got the cup but then at the same time I’m sure he was glad that Lidstrom got his cup last year as well.  The officiating is terrible and without such things improving in the future it doesn’t matter what bettman does to this league and who he has as the face of the league, it will never get beyond niche.

Posted by Chris from Pittsburgh on 06/13/09 at 11:03 PM ET

Never, ever feed the trolls. It’s the only way to assure that they die the pathetic and lonely death they deserve.

I’m not convinced even that would work. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill trolls. These are a new breed entirely. They are so dumb they don’t even know how to celebrate their team’s victory. The Wings apparently taught the Pens how to win last year, but no one taught their fans what to do when they do win. I know what I did the very next day. I went to the store at 10 in the morning and asked for a hat. They weren’t in yet, so I put my name on a list and came back later that afternoon. The time I spent on the computer was reading stories about the game, the victory, the celebration, anything Wing-related. I made one brief stop at a pens blog to congratulate them on a good series, but I did not stay long. I was so ecstatic because I knew that not only had my team won the Cup, but I didn’t have to hear any crap from those fans anymore. We hate them and they hate us, and that’s cool. We’re fans of different teams. But I didn’t want to hear their complaining or anything, so I just didn’t go there.

Posted by MrsOtW from Wyoming, Mi on 06/13/09 at 11:03 PM ET

cough

Posted by Chris from pittsburgh on 06/13/09 at 11:04 PM ET

So, looking at the roster situation:

Dangle-Hank-Buckets
eVille-Wally-Mule
???Taz-???
Maltby-Draper-Homer

TPH-Raffy
Kronner-Stuart
Jonny Ericsson-Lilja
Meech

Ozzie
???

From what’s been reported, Chelios isn’t coming back, and Gator is going to stay in GR one more year. Leino apparently is high on the re-sign list, so we could probably plug him in next to Wally. Meech may be gone as well, although I don’t know who that would leave as a spare. I think CokeandPepsi is gone, even if Hossa re-signs, and I think William Tell is gone too. I think they’ll trade Lebda, unless Lilja can’t make it to training camp. And as for Ozzie’s back up, it’s likely going to be Howard’s sink-or-swim year.

So that leaves us in need of two 3rd line calibre players. We’ve heard the reports that the Big Hoss may be coming back, so I would think that would bump eVille down to the third line, and would leave us needing one more player. Happy would definitely be gone in this case. Or if we re-sign Happy, we’ll have a little more cap space to work with in still needing a forward. not a lot of attractive options out there though. The only one I’ve seen that may be in our price range is Mike Knuble, but that’s only if it’s Happy re-signed and not Hossa.

I’d hate to be Tick Tock. But somehow, he’ll find a way.

Posted by Alzy from Innisfail, Alberta, Canada on 06/13/09 at 11:21 PM ET

All of the conjecture about what team the Wings will put on the ice next year can be made more realistic, Alzy from Innisfail, if you’ll use this handy little tool provided by Matt at Red Wings Central.

If you use that, you can eliminate all of the wishful thinking that tends to go on here and concentrate on what’s actually possible under the modern-day salary cap. And, by the way, if you can figure out a way to sign Hossa in the real world, please let me know. In spite of all the hopeful rhetoric I’ve seen here today, I simply can’t find a way to do it.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 06/13/09 at 11:42 PM ET

Because the Pen is are denying the Syndey ditching/dissing the handshake (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09164/977298-100.stm), lets go to the video tape.

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?id=43746

After Talbot and the coaches go through around the minute mark, you can see the Wings stopped and waiting. And waiting. Then they skate off. Syndey doesn’t show up until 1:37 and appears to be getting an earful from the Mule (?).

But are we really surprised?

Posted by Coach B from behind enemy lines in Gettysburg on 06/13/09 at 11:48 PM ET

Bettman looks pretty happy there too.  I didn’t realize Oliver Stone was blogging here.  Get a life.

Posted by Quit Your Whining on 06/14/09 at 12:00 AM ET

I’m just wondering…..

How exactly would you describe the expression on Mr. Bettman’s face in the following photo?

He looks pretty much just as equally enthusiastic as the 2009 version doesn’t he?

“Look at that.  That is serious pleasure.  That is a perversion.  Bettman has Cinemax at 0230 written all over his face.”

If that link doesn’t post a picture here:

2008 Stanley Cup presentation

Posted by AJ on 06/14/09 at 12:01 AM ET

All galant and class, until you get handed your ass.

You deserve Hossa, sign him bitches. Sign him to 20 years. Sign him big, goodness knows he is worth whatever you pay him. Maybe he can fail to score in the SCF next year, if you make it. Epic Fail. He can say what he wants, but he would rather be wearing the Black and Gold right about now, instead of the red PJ’s.

If the fact that you jumped ship to win the Cup, only to face your former team in the SCF, was not motivation enough - nothing is bitch.

Hopefully, the Chief is right. Hopefully, Hossa’s contract was signed prior to his ethereal disappearance from the playoffs. That way, chances are you overspent. Here’s a conspiracy for you, he was a double agent for the Penguins. He was paid to assist in getting you there, only to pump the Pens coaching staff full of insider information. Golly gee. Of course, he also refused to score against the Pens. Conspiracy I tell you - it explains it all. He was probably paid by Bettman himself. 

Hangover City. You always have your A2Y support group here. Can’t you just recognize it for the great series that it was. It did not turn out how you planned. So what. Reload and come out hard next year.

Give it a rest, your starting to sound like Caps fans. Sad.

Have a nice summer bitches.

Posted by sour grapes on 06/14/09 at 12:10 AM ET

If Pens fans honestly think the Crosby hate started with this series, they are freaking crazy.  I think Crosby is a good hockey player.  His antics are what get me.  I will never forgive him for asking the ref if they could speed up the game after Ovi scored his hat trick in the Pens/Caps series.  Seriously, who does that?  The fact that he dives and that he whines diminishes from his skill.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 06/14/09 at 12:13 AM ET

Damn OTC, I see what you mean now.

Unless Hossa signs some sort of out-of-this-world deal where his cap hit is like $2 million per, I don’t see how he could stay. Unless someone like Raffy is traded, but I don’t think Holland has lost his mind.

The one I’ve done that gets us under the cap is we re-sign Hudler, Leino and either McCarty or Downey. eVille gets a slight bump up to a million even, one of D-Mac or Downey signs for $500,000, and Happy gets an average cap hit of $2 million. That’s what I put in because I frankly think anything higher is overpaying. He’s a pure product of the Wings’ system, I think he’d falter somewhere else. I have Lebda as being traded, and Meech staying as the utility man. This is assuming Lilja gets healthy.

So, the roster would look like this:

Dangle-Hank-Buckets
eVille-Flip-Mule
Oompa-Taz-Homer
Maltby-Draper-D-Mac or Downey

TPH-Raffy
Kronner-Stuart
Ericsson-Lilja
Meech

Ozzie
Howard

That would leave us with $379,347 in cap space, so I suppose that money could be used to bring back someone like Kopecky instead of having McCarty or Downey on the big club.

Tough summer ahead for Tick Tock.

Posted by Alzy from Innisfail, Alberta, Canada on 06/14/09 at 12:29 AM ET

As a Pens fan, I must say, that while I am, of course, extremely happy with the results of Game 7, your team, as always, is an outstanding team. Anyone who thinks that the Detroit Red Wings are going to go downhill from here is a complete moron.

See you next year, guys.

Posted by Presidentjlh from Omaha, NE on 06/14/09 at 12:33 AM ET

This is the first time I’ve been on the site since Friday night.  I’ve had a hard time dealing with what happened.  I’m still not over it.

I haven’t read a comment…I haven’t read anything after the second period of game 7 because I don’t think I can handle it.  I’m not sure how I feel about the NHL right now.

I’m pretty sure the 19 would agree with me on that.

But I still love this team and I don’t think that will ever change because I’ve been a fan as long as I can remember.

Here’s to next year and all that it will hold!

Posted by Mimi36 from Illinois on 06/14/09 at 12:39 AM ET