khandor’s sports blog

The highlight of a very busy weekend in the world of professional sports?

… which included:

* The 136th running of the Kentucky Derby
* The beginning of the 2nd Round in the NHL Playoffs
* The beginning of the 2nd Round in the NBA Playoffs

What this fine young player from Northern Ireland accomplished Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon, on the PGA Tour:

Best get accustomed to seeing his face.

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Golf’s changing of the guard

To see Irishman Padraig Harrington, grinning wider than an Augusta fairway, in his civilian clothes, waiting for McIlroy after the round, throwing a paternal arm around the lad, telling him he’d just crafted “a good bit of stuff”; to see stoic Jim Furyk give him an earnest soul shake by the scorer’s table; to see Phil Mickelson’s caddie, Jim (Bones) Mackay, interrupt a McIlroy press session outside to congratulate the winner; to see Rory himself give the Euro-styled “hands over head” appreciation clap to the crowd … to see all that was to see a golf world embrace the new kid in town, and to read into that the existence of a little Tiger Fatigue would not be the wrong call at all.

Throw in a springtime rebirth for Mickelson – he followed his win at Augusta by beating everyone at Quail Hollow not named “Rory McIlroy,” then gushed about McIlroy to CBS afterward, trumping Tiger’s post-Masters pout – and you have Tiger wondering where he fits in at this party.

What was once reserved exclusively for a cornucopia of US college football bowl extravaganzas has now been supplanted by the National Hockey League’s feautured regular season contest, played annually on this date, on an outdoor rink, where so many of us first learned to love the game. 

Nov 22 2003, Commonwealth Stadium

Jan 01, 2008, Rich Stadium

Jan 01 2009, Wrigley Field

Jan 01 2010, Fenway Park – Live Stream

If you’re a real “player” at-heart … it doesn’t get any better than this. 

For the first time in 38 years … now that’s a long time … Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals was won by the ROAD team.

Kudos to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Champions, who were 6 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot, on Feb 16, with 25 games left in the regular season, when they dismissed their head coach [Michel Therrien], hired rookie Dan Bylsma, and turned their fortunes around.

The Hockey Gods smiled on the Pens last night … which is exactly what it takes to get the job done in adverse conditions against a championship-calibre opponent.

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Penguins march to glory
The kids are all right. In fact, the kids on the Pittsburgh Penguins are more than all right, they’re Stanley Cup champions.

Superstar Sidney Crosby, limping on his left leg after a second-period hit and playing just one shift in the third, became the youngest captain in NHL history to hoist the Stanley Cup when the Penguins shocked the Joe Louis Arena crowd with a 2-1 win last night over the Detroit Red Wings.

At just 21, he’s two years younger than Wayne Gretzky when the Great One first lifted the Cup.

“It was a lot heavier than I thought, but it was worth it,” said Crosby, who played only 32 seconds in the third because of his injury and watched the rest from the bench. “It’s a dream come true.

“It’s everything you imagine and more. It’s all the sacrifices you’ve made, and your parents. It’s what all your coaches have done for you.

“All these people I wanted, I wanted to do it for. And the guys sitting next to you.”

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The King is dead. Long live the King!

According to a report heard last night on The Sports Network [TSN], the last road team to win a Game Seven in the Stanley Cup Finals was the Montreal Canadiens … back in 1971, 38 years ago!

June 9, 2009 … prior to Detroit’s Game Five victory, which gave them a 3-2 lead in this series … the posted wagering line on the outcome of the Stanley Cup Finals was:

Pittsburgh Penguins +131
Detroit Red Wings -141

If told on that day these teams would be playing a Game Seven, with a posted line of:

Pittsburgh Penguins +175
Detroit Red Wings -185

Would you have felt good about the opportunity to cash in on the Red Wings at -141?

Yours truly did, most definitely.

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It should be another hum-dinger this evening, at The Joe, with the home team eventually celebrating their 5th NHL Championship in the last 12 years [excluding the lockout season].

The Detroit Red Wings, under the ownership of Mike Illich, and the expert direction of Jimmy Devellano and Ken Holland, have been a Prime Example of “How a Top Notch Organization Goes About Its Business, which just happens to be Winning.”

No major team sport has a post-season which is more physically gruelling than the NHL’s.

At the moment, the Detroit Red Wings [i.e. the defending champs] are -141 to re-capture the championship vs the Pittsburgh Penguins. At that price, and given their defensive prowess, the Red Wings are an extremely attractive proposition to win this series.

There are certain things in the world of sport that warm the heart repeatedly and reflect perfectly what The Game is about.

As the Detroit Red Wings [-128] prepare to win ‘the Cup’ this evening against the Penguins (in Pittsburgh) … it just wouldn’t be the same without hearing this at least once this spring.

“Pro hockey may barely rate as TV programming, but no team sport is better to see live. NHL fans fixate on the action with unwavering intensity; they are demanding, loyal zealots who have their own ideas about showing devotion.” – S. L. Price (Seafood For Thought)

It truly is a Canadian game.

For those of you who might not have seen last night’s Game 3 in the Stanley Cup Finals, Sid the Kid’s response to the most recent challenge placed in front of him exemplified how a champion responds to adversity …

Buckle-up … Concentrate … and give Maximum Effort, at all times.

Do these things and … come h* or high water … you will live to fight another day, Win or Lose.

http://khandorssportsblog.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/penguins-must-learn-on-the-fly/#comments

Sports DO NOT build character.

Sports REVEAL character … and CLASS.

After last night’s resounding victory, Detroit now leads Pittsburgh 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals, with mainstream media stories beginning to take a different approach to this series overall …

Like the ’83 Oilers, must these Pens lose before they can win?

in comparison to the advance billing for Game 1 …

Pens-Wings matchup something grand for NHL.

Unless Pittsburgh’s coaching staff can unearth a rapid remedy to Detroit’s deadly combination of:

1) Top notch NHL goaltending (Chris Osgood)
2) The three-headed monster of Henrik Zetterberg (C), Pavel Datsyuk (C) & Nicklas Lidstrom (D)
3) Skilled talent up throughout its line-up
3) Vastly superior Stanley Cup experience,

the 2008 version of the Playoffs will culminate in the exact same way as the 1983 edition did, with a dominant 4-game sweep by the favoured team.

Game 3, tomorrow night, is the most important of the Penguins’ season.

If they’ve learned their lessons quickly and can (i) stay out of the Penalty Box, (ii) exert a consistent fore-check against the Red Wings … specifically when Lidstrom is off the ice … (iii) score a Power Play goal, and (iv) get a stand-on-his-head performance from Marc-Andre Fleury (G), the Penguins can win a tight defensive game, on their home ice.

If not, cue the parade in Hockeytown, USA … as the Red Wings organization, from top-to-bottom, remains the best operation in the game today.