A Vapor Trail In The Empty Air

How about them Pittsburgh Penguins, eh? EH?!? Fuckin' right! Pretty good for a bunch of flightless birds! Ottowa swept under the rug in 4. The Rangers, gone in 5, and a playoff series win in Melon Arena for the first time in a long time.

Pittsburgh is Hockey crazy right now. And having been (and always will be) a Pittsburgher, I'm along for the ride and loving it. When the Pens won the Cup in the early 90s, I was just coming into my teenage years. While I lived in Pittsburgh, it was a different story. The Pens were on the outs, and Mario was just stepping up to save the franchise for a second time. And now, 8 years after my departure from the city that I love, the Penguins are once again flying high.

This time, though, if they go all the way, I plan on being right in the middle of it all, just like I was for Super Bowl XL. If only the Pens and Steelers could inspire my haphazard Buccos to at least playoff contention... Eh, can't dream TOO much at one time...

Pittsburgh is a championship town.* Always has been, always will be. Hopefully, Crosby and Crew can bring Lord Stanley's Cup back to the town that's salivating for it. It's not just Crosby's show: The Penguins have assembled one of the greatest supporting casts in NHL history - four lines, all of which can score the big goals, with only two players going without a point in nine games so far this post-season. And each and every one of these lines has displayed some incredible hustle when it comes to defense, back checking like crazy to kill rushes before they have a chance to get going.

Which says nothing for the incredible defense on the ice as well. Anchored by Sergei Gonchar, the rear guard has finally come back to the days when the Sammulssons (no relation) roamed the Igloo ice. And let's not forget The Flower. Marc-Andre was described by one fan as not being just a Flower, but Ivy: He's all over the goal mouth. With two shutouts and plenty of highlight reel-worthy saves in the first two series, not to mention being the heart of what became seven straight playoff wins... It's hard to find anything negative about him.

The board is set, the pieces are moving, and the Eastern Conference Finals are going to be a Pennsylvanian affair. No jet lag, no real need for a hotel for more than one night. The Penguins and the Flyers. South West PA Vs. South East PA. The Hot Corners Series. The City of Steel and Three Rivers takes on The City of Brotherly Love and Independence.

Oh yeah, it's gonna be a fuckin' war. My call? Well, Ottowa in 4, New York in 5, why not Penguins over the Flyers in 6? Then we can bring the hurt to Lord Stanley's Party and take it the full 7 games.

*At this point, I had researched and written four more paragraphs, but got sidetracked and decided to delete them all. Oh well, right? Right. Sometimes, the stuff I type doesn't turn out so hot...