CrashingTheGoalie

by Ron Spence

I enjoyed the Stanley Cup finals very much – even though I had to listen to all of the games on the radio via my computer.

The games were great, as were the numerous subplots – old vs. new, Hossa, Crosby, etc.

But, what happened afterwards has prompted me to comment.

I like Ken Holland a lot, but I have never heard a GM apologize for his players like he has. It reminds me of George Bush apologizing for Donald Rumsfeld.

Chris Draper never complained about Claude Lemieux like he has about Sidney Crosby – and the supposed slight.

Zetterburg should have been able to find Crosby after the series had finished. He was in Sid’s pocket for six plus games.

Had the Wings skated as fast during the series, as they did off of the ice, they would’ve been hoisting the Cup.

Nick Lidstrom has shown himself to be as classy as ever. No one would ever slight the guy. He’s up there in the Jean Beliveau and Mario Lemieux strata.

To me, a turning point in the series was when Malkin, Talbot and Gonchar were being interviewed together.

Their humourous interaction showed that the Pens were confident, and Malkin had finally found himself in the NHL.

Now, I’ve been under the knife a few times, and can talk about pain killers.

I’m sure that Sid the Kid was feeling no pain by the game’s end, and was more than a little light-headed.

And, by the time he jumped from the bench, he wasn’t thinking of protocol.

The fact that the injured player returned to the bench and wanted to play, says a lot about him.

The high point of the series for me?

An 8th round draft pick – 261st overall – scored the two goals that won game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

It’s something for every team to consider when they’re selecting their prospects at the end of this month.