For The 24th Year In A Row, A Canadian Team Won't Be Winning The Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference Final. Game 7. Double overtime. But people still think they’re making a good decision by watching the Warriors sweep 3 straight series instead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. [Insert “What an idiot. What a fucking idiot, Weird Haircut Seth” clip here]
Obviously I’m not thrilled the fact that the Penguins are the first team to make back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances since the Penguins last did it in 2008-2009. But last night’s game is what makes this sport so great. Season on the line. 85:09 minutes of do-or-die hockey. Back and forth action. Some costly mistakes. Some late game heroics. And now the Penguins are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final and Canadian teams are still Cup-less since 1993. (Before you even say it, yes, I am well aware that the Flyers haven’t won a cup since 1975).
The first overtime alone was more entertaining than anything else the NBA Playoffs have to offer. You had Craig Anderson making ridiculous save after ridiculous save. You had this Phil Kessel shot that somehow managed to stay out of the back of the net and end up on top of it.
The fans in Pittsburgh showing how Donkey Brain’d they truly are by throwing shit on the ice after they thought that puck was in.
And then finally you had the Kunitz game winner 5 minutes into the 2nd overtime. Assisted by who else but Sidney Crosby
I still think it’s ridiculous that he’s even playing right now. I mean, CTE is no joke. His brain is clearly nothing but a bowl of mashed potatoes right now. But the Penguins are prioritizing a silly game over his mental health for the rest of his life. Sad. Tell da troof, Penguins. Tell da troof.
What a way to end the series though. Just a wild roller coaster for 7 straight games. You never knew what to expect for any of them. You just look at the different scores throughout the series. 2-1 Sens. 1-0 Pens. 5-1 Sens. 3-2 Pens. 7-0 Pens. 2-1 Sens. And then 3-2 in double overtime. Pittsburgh is on their way to defending their Stanley Cup and they’ll have the Nashville Predators for most likely another 7 games starting on Monday night.
Crosby, Malkin, Kessel and Kunitz vs Subban, Josi, Ellis and Ekholm. Murray vs Rinne. Getcha Molsons ready, folks.
P.S. – Quick shoutout to Craig Anderson. Guy played a helluva series and that’s a tough shot for it to end on. A fluttering puck while getting screened by Pageau. You got a guy like Craig who is going through all that comes along with his wife battling the hell out of cancer and he still put on dominant performances out there. Nobody saw the Senators going on this streak but he willed them to get to where they got to. That deserves a few stick taps.