it's june

so obviously a hockey fan's thoughts turn to ... the winter classic? rumors are brewin' that the bruins will host the flyers at fenway at the turn of 2010, and that it'll possibly be the first game of a doubleheader with the leafs traveling to calgary to play the flames later on new year's day. my take: two games is overkill. the league's done a great job with the winter classic thus far, turning it into a real must-see event. two games dilutes the attention, and the game already competes with a full slate of new year's day college bowl games. but we'll all have to stay tuned for the official announcement from bettman's office ....

pittsburgh is the new boston

well, the pens are the stanley cup champs! in a series that looked at times to be a foregone conclusion well in favor of the red wings, the pens did it! and although malkin was the conn smythe winner (and deservedly so for his amazing play throughout the playoffs), marc-andre fleury was the clear mvp of the finals. right down to the last second (literally).

the second round and the finals were so good that it almost -- but not quite -- makes me feel better about what happened in round one. which shall henceforth be known, a la j.k. rowling, as "that which shall not be mentioned". suffice to say it was enough to make me wonder if i can even continue to be a devils fan, and that says quite a bit.

back to the pens -- although i would have preferred the blackhawks, who stumbled badly against the wings in a very meh round three, the pens are exciting for a lot of reasons, not least of which is that they're a young team loaded with both talent and heart, and they have great ownership to keep things going for many years to come. not unlike that other world championship team in pittsburgh, the mighty steelers. mr. mario lemieux looked right at home on the ice last night, as well he should, but it seems to be he is poised to become a legend not only as one of the greatest players in the game, but as a great owner as well. it's remarkable what he and his group have done to bring the penguins back to championship form, so bravo, mr. lemieux.

so congratulations to the pittsburgh penguins, newly crowned stanley cup champs, giving the city of pittsburgh its second title of 2009 (and, let's face it, its last -- unless the pirates are a lot better than i think they are). you were fun to watch, and you kept me watching after the devastation of round one.