I Am Now a Blackhawks Fan

Before any of my readers flips out (both of you), I am not saying that I have forsaken the Penguins. I was born a Pens fan and I shall die a Pens fan. That's not the issue.

The issue is that a number of folks have e-mailed/texted me about which side I'm going to take the in the Stanley Cup Final. On the one side, you have the Hossa Curse and our desire to keep it in play. Marian Hossa left the Pens following their 2007-8 loss in the Final to the Red Wings to go to Detroit because he wanted to play for a team that could win the Cup. That stung, that sucked, but we got our sweet revenge when we hoisted the Cup on Detroit's ice last June. Hossa then signed a long term contract with the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks made the Final.

Thus, the Hossa Curse is still in play. For the third straight season, this championship whore might again watch as another team pours champagne into Lord Stanley's Cup. As a fan whose team was slighted by this man, you need to root against him, right?

Well, usually. Unless, of course, his team -- and there are a bunch of other guys on the Chicago payroll besides Hossa -- plays the hated Ravens of the NHL.

If you asked me to choose my top five most-hated teams, regardless of sport, the list would look like this:

Hated Ravens
New England Patriots
Flyers
Atlanta Braves
Dallas Cowboys

So, there's three NFL teams on there, which lets you know that hockey is not my primary sport. But, the Flyers are just below the Hated Ravens and the New England Patriots -- they're really a 2a, not a 3 -- and if you know how much I hate the first two teams, then you have some idea of how much I hate the Flyers. Also, if you know how much I hate the Braves and Cowboys, then it says something that the Flyers rank third.

I first started my hatred of the Flyers in the mid-90s in the playoffs when Eric Lindros intentionally shot a puck at full speed at mid-ice at Mario Lemieux's head with Philly ahead by four goals. In the mid-90s, a four goal lead was the equivalent of a 15 goal lead in today's hockey. Lindros was a thug. The Flyers were brawlers and jerks. I hated them. As they have evolved and as my interest in hockey as evolved, so has my hatred for them.

I hate their smug, entitled, over-confident and immune to criticism fans. I hate the fact that they think that Jesus has a loft on Broad Street because they won a championship recently. Big whoop. Since 1989, Philly has two championships across five sports (including Arena Football) and Pittsburgh has five across three. But, any time a Pittsburgh fan brings up the three Stanley Cups and six Super Bowls, we're being pretentious. Hell, we won as many championships in 2009 alone as they've won since Reagan's first term.

I hate the fact that the Phillies stole the heart of my brother and his future wife with their awesomeness, great fans, and winning ways. I wish he was still suffering in baseball purgatory with me, the rest of the Pirates fans, and the cast of Lost.

I hate Andy Reid's mustache.

I hate the way Philly smells. I hate Philly cheese steak. I hate the way they say "water". I hate the fact that it's always hotter there. I hate that they call themselves The Sixth Borough, but they'd get super offended if anyone from New York called them that.

But, I hate Eric Lindros and the crappy tradition of the Broad Street Bullies most of all. Them and their high-falutin' HBO documentary.

So, Marian Hossa didn't leave on good terms. Do we hate the Giants because of Barry Bonds? The Mets because of Bobby Bonilla? The Jaguars because of John Jackson? The 49ers because of Rod Woodson? The Jets because of Alan Faneca, Kimo von Olhoffen, and Santonio Holmes? The Seahawks because of Franco Harris?

My friend Laszlo actually inspired this post, because he texted me earlier today and asked me who I was rooting for. I texted back that I hate the Flyers more than Hossa. Hell, I hate Lindros more than Hossa and Lindros and he's been retired for three years. Laszlo said that the Hossa needs to teach a lesson to all the other mercenaries that are out there that being a mercenary doesn't pay due to the Hossa Curse.

Well, I'm a superstitious person, but if someone offered me a 12-year contract worth $62.8 million, I would throw superstition out the window. In fact, having watched three huge superstitions debunked -- my undefeated record watching the Steelers play live, the fact that me sitting in the same seat in the same bar didn't help the US beat Canada in the Olympics, and the fact that me sitting in the same seat in the same bar didn't keep me undefeated in Game 7s -- in the past two years, I would take $14 and six pack of Michelob Light for my superstitions.

So there's that.

For now, I can't hold onto my bitterness towards Hossa, but I most certainly can hold onto my hatred for the Flyers.

LET'S GO HAWKS!

I still feel dirty.

Pens Playoff Perspective

It has been a little over a week and I have to say that I'm not terribly broken up about the fact that the Habs dispatched the Pens as thoroughly as they did in last round's series.

I'm not saying that I'm happy that the Pens lost, but I understand. Here are a number of reasons why I (and others) like the development:

1. I think a guy in my Marketing Research class put it quite well when he said: "I like the fact that I don't have an excuse to drink every two days." I think we can all appreciate the relevance of that statement.
2. If we simply had to lose to a team, what better team than the Habs? They have a fantastic fan base. They have the entire nation of Canada behind them. They're the underdogs. I hope they win it all. I really do.
3. Given that the Blackhawks are still (well) alive in the West, that leaves the "Hossa leaves the Pens to win the Cup, then loses his THIRD in a row" in play. I hate Hossa. A lot. I will have a serious issue choosing sides if the Hawks and the Flyers make it to the Cup final.
4. Montreal played one of the tightest playoff games I have ever seen to close out the series. I know everyone was hoping for a hotly contested Game 7 with everything on the line, but, let's face it... the Canadiens deserved to win that game.
5. If Game 7 ended up playing out like every other game in the series, with the Pens dominating for two periods and the Habs digging deep to win it all... that would have sucked more.
6. As they proved tonight, if there's a team that can upset a club that had just pulled a HUGE upset, it's the Habs. Don't count them out at down 2-1. If they win on Saturday, it's a 2-2 series and is basically a three game series. Don't count Montreal out.
7. We have six weeks to talk to Gonchar. C'mon, Sarge. Come on back. Last year, we really only had two weeks -- with the draft mixed in -- to concentrate on free agency.
8. The stars for the Pens have played 300 games -- including the Olympics -- in the past 30 months. They need to rest.
9. I said that a team can win six games on balls, determination, and willpower. The Pens won seven, so that's a plus.
10. The wife said that I'm not as upset about the Pens because they're not the Steelers. That's partially true. BUT, if the Steelers went to the Super Bowl two straight years, winning one, then lost in the divisional round the next year, I'd be OK. That's basically what the Pens did, so be happy.
11. The Pens have their stars signed for the long term, so it's OK. They'll be back.

LET'S GO PENS!

Game 7 Primer

Well, kids, they say it doesn't get any better than this. I say that it most certainly can get better than this. The Pens could have won Game 6 and closed out the series then. They could already have won the series by pulling away in Game 4. It could already be, say, 9:30 p.m. and the Pens could have a 5-0 or something.

As you know, I don't think that the odds favor the Pens beating the Habs tonight.

I think that they have an excellent goaltender that's an all-around great player and not just someone on a hot streak.

They have the momentum, having won Game 6.

Homefield advantage has not existed in these playoffs, Game 7 or not. The Canadiens already beat the Caps on the road in a Game 7 in round one. But, it's not really possible for a team to come back from a late series deficit only to win the deciding game on the road twice in one postseason, right? Oh. Yeah. That's just what the Pens did last year in the playoffs.

Last year, the Pens had the Eye of the Tiger, they seemed like the team of destiny, and they rode a hot goaltender and timely offense all the way to their first Stanley Cup win since Lemieux was a player.

Logically, given all those factors and the simple fact that the big guns for the Pens -- Staal, Malkin and Crosby -- have combined for two goals and five points for the series and it doesn't add up to a win for the home team.

But...

Anyone who thinks homefield advantage doesn't exist in this year's playoffs obviously didn't watch Game 6. Or Game 4. The Habs fans carried their team and I could feel the energy in the arena through my TV. The players could feel it, too, and they fed off of it. Every time it looked like the Pens would slam the door, the fans bailed them out and carried them to victory.

Honestly, if this were any other night, any other game, I would say that Montreal would, once again, find a way to win. This Game 7, though, and Game 7 is different. This is also possibly the last game ever at the Civic/Mellon Arena.

Will the fans let their team lose to a big-time underdog in a Game 7 and let that be the last game in that arena? Will they allow that to happen? Will the Pens allow themselves to lose?

Before this series kicked off, I said that the Pens seemed to have a switch that they flipped when things really, really mattered and that allowed them to bring their game to another level. Game 7. At home. Facing elimination. Possibly the last game ever at a building that has housed your team since Lyndon Johnson was president. Doesn't really get bigger than that, right? Unless you're talking about the Stanley Cup final. If the Pens don't win tonight, there's no possibility of a Stanley Cup final, so... maybe this is as big as that.

Just like with Detroit last year, my brain has been telling me since Monday night that the Pens have no chance to win this game. Just like Detroit last year -- by the way, the Game 7 against the Caps doesn't count because I was sure we'd win -- my heart won't allow me to believe that we can lose. My brain is trying to protect my heart, but my heart won't listen.

And, really, that's what being a fan of a team is all about. I mean, I'm completely idiotic when I follow sports. Proof: I am going to 11 Pirates games this year even though I know they're going to lose at least six of those games and the games I'm going to in August and September won't mean anything.

I will still be heartbroken if we lose, but I have learned a few things over the years and I have come to realize that sports aren't everything.

I think that Dustin Hoffman said it best in the movie Hero (underrated movie, by the way):

"What you learn, as you get older, is there ain't no truth. All there is is bullshit, pardon my vulgarity here. Layers of it. One layer of bullshit on top of another. And what you do in life like when you get older is, you pick the layer of bullshit that you prefer and that's your bullshit, so to speak."

So, the Penguins won't lose because the fans won't let them and because they can't lose the last game in Mellon Arena like this.

That's it. That's all I got. There are arguments both ways and you could talk yourself into choosing one side over the other.

You know what, though? That's my bullshit and I stand by it.

Basically, we've got a match-up of My Bullshit vs. The Team of Destiny. I think I win.

Take that destiny!

LET'S GO PENS!
LET'S GO PENS!
LET'S GO PENS!

Pens-Habs Game 7

Game 6 sucked royally and I have to say that I don't have high hopes for Game 7. Don't get me wrong, I haven't given up on the Pens, but any elimination game in any playoff format boils down to the following factors: momentum, luck, timing, coaching, and defense.

Look at that list. All those factors favor the Habs. They favored the Pens heading into Game 7 against the Caps and the Red Wings in last year's playoffs and they don't favor the Pens now.

Also, in the post-game show, the local analysts for the Pens stated that Game 7 is going to come down to goaltending. Given the fact that Halak has been unstoppable in these playoffs, that does not favor the Penguins.

The Habs seem to get every bounce, every hole in the ice favors them, and the Pens could have scored at least two goals in Game 6 if a couple of select shots had not hit the post. When you think of luck, of fortuitous bounces, you definitely think of Montreal and not Pittsburgh.

The fact remains that the Penguins are the more talented team, they're the deeper team, and they've risen to the occasion before. Fleury needs to step it up. Malkin, Crosby, and Staal need to step it up. It's Game 7. It's win or go home time.

It's time for the Pens to assert themselves, to establish dominance, and to prove that they are actually the better team. The Habs are scrappy, they're resilient, they have a phenomenal goaltender, and they're a very talented team, but they're not as good as the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But, when it has come down to do-or-die time, the Habs have made the plays, gained the momentum, and taken it to the Pens. We have one last, final opportunity to prove that we deserve to be in the next round, despite how inconsistent we've been in the first two rounds. It's time for us to finally seize the moment in front of our fans and make a demonstrative statement of purpose.

I just hope our boys have it in them.