Fan In Van

Game Seven Heaven

There’s no better way to decide a Stanley Cup final series which has provided so many thrills and excitement than with a Game Seven. One game, winner take all, for all the marbles. It’s like seeing two kids meet in the old schoolyard after class and putting it all on the line, and for keeps.

So much is at stake here, and there are a handful of storylines to draw from, especially from a personal standpoint. In the end, only one team will emerge the 2009 NHL champion, and the other will have to settle for second place.

At the forefront of the series has been Sidney Crosby, who last year led his Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup final but suffered defeat. His performance back then was admirable, but this year his playoff has been nothing short of spectacular. With 31 points he shattered last year’s total of 27, but in the process has scored nine more goals. And after leading his Pens past Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals and Eric Staal’s surging Hurricanes, there should be no question now that Sid the Kid has become the best NHL player.

And it would be foolhardy to continue without mentioning Evgeni Malkin whose playoff performance has been equally spectacular, if not moreso. Malkin struggled immensely last year against Detroit in the final but in this series has been let loose, scoring 2 goals and 7 points in the first six games. If Pittsburgh goes on to win tonight’s final affair, Malkin would certainly be a candidate for the Conn Smythe.

From a personal point of view, none have been in the spotlight more than head coach Dan Bylsma and rearguard Kris Letang. Bylsma, who replaced fired head coach Michel Therrien, took the team reins and has never wavered, guiding his team from almost missing the playoffs to playing in a Game 7 for the Stanley Cup. In addition, don’t forget that Bylsma is only 5 years removed from playing in the NHL; a fact which has gone largely unnoticed is that Bylsma was a part of the 2003 Anaheim Mighty Ducks team that went to the finals and bowed out to the New Jersey Devils in seven games; his coach that year was current Detroit boss Mike Babcock.

And Letang. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Letang has had the biggest rollercoaster year of his life. He lost his best friend Luc Bourdon in a tragic motorist accident in June and underwent a stage in his career where he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to continue, but persevered and used the tragedy to urge him to forge ahead. With his best friend looking down at him, it has helped Letang evolve into a go-to defenceman for the Penguins powerplay.

This could also be the closest a handful of Penguins will ever get to winning Stanley’s holy grail for the first time: Sergei Gonchar (35 years) and Miro Satan (33 years) are both aging and neither may come close again.

But at the other front of this epic battle are the Detroit Red Wings, who are intent on establishing their dynasty and become the first back-to-back champions since they accomplished the feat in 1997 and 1998. Seemingly, all the Detroit franchise has done over the last dozen years is win; they have become the household name of the NHL, the team from which every other club has attempted to emulate and there seems to be no end in sight to their dominance.

With all due respect to Ty Conklin, every single member of the Detroit Red Wings has a Stanley Cup ring except Marian Hossa. Hossa, who has been in the spotlight ever since the finals started, is still searching for that elusive victory. His tale has been well-documented: He left a longer and more lucrative contract with the Penguins to take a one-year deal with the Red Wings; the twist of the knife was that Hossa approached the Red Wings, they didn’t approach him.

Whether or not Hossa made the right decision will be revealed tonight. He’s been uncharacteristically quiet thus far in the final, but he could be the outcome tonight.

Who will win? All these storylines have made this year’s rematch of the Stanley Cup final more exciting, not to mention that the Penguins have certainly improved over last year’s effort. And while the odds are against them since tonight’s last battle will be in Detroit, the Penguins are just as desperate to win as the Red Wings. All it takes tonight is one bounce. One shot. One big hit. Any of those things can make the difference tonight.

But from a personal standpoint, this series has been vastly entertaining. And the only thing which would make it a can’t-forget Stanley Cup final? Overtime in Game Seven.