“Listen up, all jobbers from The Pensblog. Pay attention, Nicholas from Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies…now is not the time to get cocky.”
Spirits in Pittsburgh are at their highest since the SCF started, and rightfully so. Everyone was ready to hand Detroit the Cup after they held serve at home for the first two games. Now, with the Pens winning Games 3 and 4 in Pittsburgh, the fans have reason to believe that Sid and Co. can atone for the loss to Detroit last year and put their names on Lord Stanley.
But before we start making asinine statements proclaiming that the series momentum has shifted in Pittsburgh’s favor, let’s remember that this isn’t really a SERIES yet. Until someone loses at home, Detroit has the upper hand. I’m not saying that the Cup is theirs, but facts show that they have 4 home games in the Finals. We did what we had to do in Pittsburgh…now it’s time to keep our minds right and do the same at The Joe.
Have fun with it, though, Penguins fans. There’s no harm in enjoying successive wins in the SCF, just remember that there’s a bigger task at hand. The Pens need 2 more wins, and only have more game at the Igloo.
Now that I’ve leveled you off, I want to end this post by giving massive props to Jeff Passan at Yahoo! Sports. He praised Sid for finally making his mark on the series. Whether that be by tiring out a chasing Henrik Zetterberg, threading a pass through Nicklas Lidstrom for a beautiful assist on TK’s goal or finally finding the back of the net, Sid gave us what we all were waiting for. And Passan threw in a perfect dig at the countless number of faceless Crosby bashers who hate on Sid just to hate on Sid.
“[Zetterberg] looked so drained,” Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said.
Orpik was blunt in his assessment: Crosby had worn down Detroit. This is nothing of which to be ashamed. It happens to Orpik daily in practice. He tries to stay with Crosby. He fails. And then comes the injury to insult: He’s dead tired afterward to boot.
“Sid’s just so unique,” Orpik said. “His feet never stop. His motor never stops. He’s relentless. … He’s a real physical player. He might not run you over, but just battling with him takes a lot out of you.”
Zetterberg didn’t go that far. He blamed his fatigue on how hard he plays and shrugged off Orpik’s theory on Crosby. No one outside of Pittsburgh dare give Crosby due. He is Cindy Crosby, the whiny (insert any number of expletives) who can’t grow a proper playoff beard because he’s a whiny (insert different expletive) who the league wants to win the championship. And he’s a whiny … well, you know.
Go Pens!
