Pittsburgh vs. Detroit, the Rematch
Let's hop in the Delorean and return to July 1, 2008, the first day of the NHL free agency signing period. The Penguins sit by and watch as some of their major contributors sign with other teams. It was hard to see guys like Malone, Ruutu, Laraque, etc. come and go, but we all knew there was a reason to Ray Shero's madness. He had to save cap room for Marian Hossa, the talented winger acquired at the trade deadline to play alongside Sidney Crosby. Most of us figured that Hossa would resign with the Pens, fresh off a trip to the Stanley Cup finals and loaded with top-end young talent. Little did we know what would happen next...
Hossa pulled the ultimate Benedict Arnold move and signed with the Red Wings, a team that just ended his season weeks before. Penguin Nation was stunned, shocked, pissed...you get the point. So you could argue that not only did the Pens lose out on Hossa, but they also lost the opportunity to resign key guys like Malone, who was commanding big money on the open market, but has since said he would have taken less to stay in his hometown. The problem at the time was that Shero deemed Hossa as being a higher priority, and had the Pens been able to retain him, there was no money left over for guys like Malone. So Bugsy went to greener pastures (greener only in money terms) and the Pens were stuck combing through the free agency leftovers.
Back to the present...the Pens and Red Wings, for the most part, cruised through their respective conferences and will meet again for the chance to lift Lord Stanley's Cup. And the main storyline (which will be thrown at you from every possible angle) will be the Marian Hossa situation. The Penguins now know how it feels to be so close to winning, and their drive and determination should be at an all-time high, and the fact that the former teammate who spurned them this past summer will be on the other side should add fuel to the proverbial fire. With Crosby and Malkin playing like they're the best players in the world and Detroit's injury situation, I've got a feeling the Cup will be back in the 'Burgh sooner rather than later.
Hossa pulled the ultimate Benedict Arnold move and signed with the Red Wings, a team that just ended his season weeks before. Penguin Nation was stunned, shocked, pissed...you get the point. So you could argue that not only did the Pens lose out on Hossa, but they also lost the opportunity to resign key guys like Malone, who was commanding big money on the open market, but has since said he would have taken less to stay in his hometown. The problem at the time was that Shero deemed Hossa as being a higher priority, and had the Pens been able to retain him, there was no money left over for guys like Malone. So Bugsy went to greener pastures (greener only in money terms) and the Pens were stuck combing through the free agency leftovers.
Back to the present...the Pens and Red Wings, for the most part, cruised through their respective conferences and will meet again for the chance to lift Lord Stanley's Cup. And the main storyline (which will be thrown at you from every possible angle) will be the Marian Hossa situation. The Penguins now know how it feels to be so close to winning, and their drive and determination should be at an all-time high, and the fact that the former teammate who spurned them this past summer will be on the other side should add fuel to the proverbial fire. With Crosby and Malkin playing like they're the best players in the world and Detroit's injury situation, I've got a feeling the Cup will be back in the 'Burgh sooner rather than later.
I'd love to be in the handshake line if the Pens can pull it off. Pens in six.
LET'S GO PENS
LET'S GO PENS
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