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!