Stanley Cup Final
Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
- After every Red Wings score, Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has a habit of skating off to the corner to try to get his anger out. Saturday night, there were a lot of quick trips. Game 5 became the Wings’ fountain of youth and Pavel Datsyuk became their Ponce de Leon. Energized by the return of their injured superstar, the Red Wings blasted through a wall of growing doubt as if it wasn’t even there. Red Strom Rises: Wings one win away from the Cup. Red Wings teach youthful Penguins a lesson.
- After game 5, Penguins fans must be wondering, if that was tired, how would Wings look rested? The good news for the Pens, it only counts as one loss. Sidney Crosby’s superstition has team switching hotels. If you had listened to all the hyperbole heading into Game 5, you would have thought the Detroit Red Wings were ancient. Pens winger Fedotenko has made quite the impact and management figures to make a big effort to re-sign him this summer. Pittsburgh now has no margin of error with series headed back to the Igloo for must-win game. `It was just mistakes,’ Crosby says.
Teams that are not in the playoffs
- Old home of Buffalo Sabres falls to wrecking ball.
- Men’s gold-medal Olympic hockey tickets sell in mere minutes.
- Dave Krieger of the Denver Post says he has a lot of questions about the Avalanche that need answering. Let’s just say the Avalanche doesn’t have the most sterling reputation around the league.
- “We’re going to enter into a very serious negotiation this summer with Rick,” said Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson about Rick Nash.
- Twenty five years ago, the Islanders’ reign as the dominant power in the NHL ended.
- It seems like so long ago that Tampa Bay was at the top of the hockey world, writes Erik Erlendsson.
- Pat Quinn and Rick Ley are unlikely to have a reunion in Edmonton.
Sunday special articles
- Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe talks to Joe Sacco about his first NHL coaching opportunity and provides some other notes from around the NHL.
- Larry Brooks suggests the Rangers pursue Marian Gaborik this off-season.
The Coyotes situation
- NHL’s dirty laundry stinks up Cup final.
- Apparently four groups have applied to the NHL to buy the Coyotes and keep them in Phoenix.
AHL Calder Cup
- A perfect performance from Hershey goaltender Michal Neuvirth on Saturday has given the Bears a chance to win the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup on home ice.
- The Moose were shutout for only the second time in 99 games last night.
- Tarik El-Bashir watched game 3 and discusses the game and the future Caps prospects.
