YinzPitt

Where do we go from here?  The whole city of Pittsburgh is literally entranced in getting through the day and making it to 7pm tonight.  Nothing else matters, no amount of thinking is going to get it here faster.  The only thing we can do is trudge through our daily work and hope that we can think of something outside of hockey for minutes at a time.

I unfortunately am not one of those people that can take excitement/nervousness very well, especially being a die hard Pens fan.  I’ve even

Jaroslav Halak of the Montreal Canadians

made mention when I first started this site that I wouldn’t talk about the Penguins, and I’d let one of my favorite sites ThePensBlog do all the work.  It’s become clear now, that I have to say at least a few things about the Penguins to ease my mind a little bit, and hopefully others as well.  In my last post, I predicted a Penguins win, I predicted Crosby getting a goal, and the Penguins advancing past a tough Montreal team.  I was 1 for 3 on those educated guesses.

Today, I predict nothing.  Game 7 is one of the biggest crap shoots you can imagine.  Ask the Capitals last year, and this year.  Ask the Red Wings.  Hell, even ask the Penguins.  They saw two game 7′s last year against the Capitals and the Red Wings, and both were wins.  The adversity was there last year, the Pens were backed against the wall against heavily favored teams, and we pulled the upset.

The Pens this year, were the heavily favored team going into this series with the Canadians.  Halak has been outstanding, but like Fleury, he’s capable of giving up soft goals.  Crosby and Malkin have yet to get going in this series.  Sure, Crosby really has been all over the ice and he’s been creating plays, but the Montreal defense has all but kept him in check, even if they have to resort to clutching and grabbing to do so.

Will tonight finally be the game where you see multiple goals from Malkin and Crosby?  Or will it be another stand-out defensive performance by the Habs, and making our transition game an absolute nightmare?  Only time will tell.  Questions will be answered, problems will be solved, hearts will be broke, and one team will leave with the adversity and confidence of surviving a game 7.

Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins

The greatest thing about this?  Fleury.  He’s got the best trump card of all.  He has the ability to take his game to new heights, and load another brick on the wall of his legacy with a possible win tonight.  He’s stoned some of the greatest players to ever grace the ice, Ovechkin, Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Zetterburg, you name it he’s faced it.  It’s time for him to shine tonight.   He certainly looks spotty at times, but the great ones rise to the occasion.  He did last year, and now it’s time to see him do it again.  I’ll never give up on #29.  Never.

I’m just not ready to cede this season and end the last year of the Mellon Arena, better yet the Civic Arena with a whimper.  I’m just unwilling see that happen to a building that’s had a wonderful history and deserves a champions finish.

The crowd better be electric tonight, I’d give anything to be there.  I don’t want to hear booing of the power-play, booing of another players injury, and/or anything else ridiculous like that.  It’s time to do things the Pittsburgh way, cheer hard, be proud of where you come from, and show the class that both teams deserve.  Don’t be like Philly fans, or Washington, or even for that matter, the Canadians.

This has by far been the longest post I’ve ever written, it’s just as much therapeutic relief as it is confidence that tonight is the night our stars shine.  I’ve got nothing but faith.  Let’s Go Pens!

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