The story is simple: Detroit vs Pittsburgh. Joe Louis Arena. The Stanley Cup. One Game. GAME 7!
How sweet is that? After playing over 100 games each, one game will decide the 2008-09 Stanley Cup Champs. One game! How do you comprehend that? Anything can happen in one game! Anything!
And it's that premise that makes Game 7's the ultimate battlefield to which sports fans dream of witnessing. We dream of it as kids in the playground, and its ever so exciting for us adults too. It's Game 7!
So who will win? Well history tells us that Detroit is the clear cut winner. Here's why!
The last team to win the Cup in Game 7 on the road was Montreal in 1971. In fact, the last team in ANY sport to win their championship in a Game 7 on the road was the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979. Since then, 30 years of Game 7s in baseball, hockey and basketball have give the home teams an 18-0 record in Game 7s. That is astonishing!
Something tells me it's long overdue that a team wins it all on the road. Something tells me that Pittsburgh could pull off the upset.
Detroit has won four Stanley Cups recently, but none have gone the distance...does that make a difference? Crosby and Malkin have been almost non-existent in this series...they are due for a breakout.
These two teams are so evenly matched, but no game in this series has been deadlocked at the end of regulation....yet.
Game 7 is special. Overtime in Game 7 - to win the Cup? Who hasn't dreamt of that scenario. This Friday, I say it will happen!
Not since 1954 has a sudden death goal single-handedly won the Stanley Cup and I predict that we are due for the big one.
Who will score, it's hard to say? For Detroit, I'm going with Marian Hossa, who one year ago left Pittsburgh to try to win a Cup? Sure he's been invisible all series, but he needs this badly! On the other side, I'll take Bill Guerin who's invaluable Cup experience will life it high for the Penguins.
While Friday's hero has yet to be determined, one thing that is, is that it's going to be fun....and we are due for something very special.