And so the season ends...

Pittsburgh Penguins won 2-1 in Game 7 last night, thereby winning the Stanley Cup.

Well, at least it wasn't a repeat by Detroit, right?

I didn't watch too much of the Finals, although I did watch most of the game last night. It wasn't interesting to me - I didn't care who ended up winning because I didn't want either team to win it.

That said, Game 7 was as Game 7s always are - action packed and full of tension. Detroit scored late to make a true game of it for the last minutes of the third - one of their shots went off the crossbar and Fleury somehow managed to save a point-blank shot with one second remaning. Props to Max Talbot of the Pens for scoring both of their goals.

And so now begins the long boring hockey-less offseason. Only four months until October!

Overtime, retirement, and firings

So apparently I missed a pretty good game last night. Game 3 went into triple OT, after the Pens scored two in the first, let in three consecutive and were ~35 seconds away from watching the Red Wings lift the Cup when Maxime Talbot saved the day. Then Petr Sykora won it in triple overtime.

But, I wasn't watching (didn't want to see the Red Wings win, as the Pens performance on Saturday didn't leave me with a lot of hope), and I wouldn't have stayed up for it anyways.

This game does increase the probability of me tuning in tomorrow, but considering all the games I've watched the Pens have lost, and all I haven't they've won...

In other news: Sami Kapanen, the Cane from long ago, has announced his retirement today. He was a fast little skater, and was a part of that special season of 2001-2002.

John Tortorella will not be coaching Tampa Bay next year, being canned from the job today. I'm happy because I thought he was a little arrogant and I didn't like his coaching style - but that happiness depends on the Lightning hiring someone that will enable the Canes to win. Not that having only one line on their won't help with that, it just is beneficial to the Hurricanes if the Lightning can pick up someone moronic.

And rumors are that Barry Melrose, the guy known to me as the ESPN hockey analyst that wears pinstriped suits and gets very little face time since the network dropped hockey games, will be taking the job. Which sounds weird because it doesn't look like he's coached in the last ten years, but it's just a rumor... But, hey, if he makes his team lose to the Canes, I'm all for it.

Which, now that I think about it, is pretty much my outlook on anything that happens in the NHL. Don't steal my players, don't beat my team, anything else is cool. And, if you can hurt Buffalo in any way, that's doubly fine.

Onwards to Game 6!