Leo (July 23 — Aug. 22)
A tantalizing possibility now lies before you. The trouble you have endured for so long is essential to the progress you need to make. You will soon feel justifiably excited as that trouble shows signs of abating.
Wings fly high over Pens
Lidstrom honoured to be the first European captain to accept Cup from commissioner BettmanPITTSBURGH–When Detroit defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom, his smile almost as polished as the trophy he was about to receive, took the Stanley Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, it was a historic first.
No European had ever captained an NHL team to a title.
But this terrific final, capping an excellent post-season for the league, wasn't so much about history as it was about inevitability.
Detroit was just too skilled, too complete, too determined and too good for the admirable but overmatched Penguins. And with a record seven Swedes in the starting lineup, the Wings also further broke down any notion that hockey leadership is determined by one's passport.
"It's something I'm very proud of," the Swedish veteran Lidstrom said of his shining moment. "I've been over here for a long time. And I watched Steve Yzerman hoist it three times in the past and I'm very proud of being the first European."
Not content to demonstrate his class and leadership playing the game, Lidstrom also showed it once he had the Cup in his hands.
When he began the traditional passing of the trophy – each player getting his moment to hold it aloft – it didn't go to another star such as Conn Smythe Trophy winner Henrik Zetterberg, another Swede. It was handed to Dallas Drake, a reclaimed Wing often forgotten in any glowing praise about the team.
Lidstrom said he started thinking about who would get the handoff way back in the first round.
"I didn't tell anyone about it. But I started thinking about if we were to go the whole way, who should be the guy I gave it to first," he said.
"Dallas had been in the league for 16 years and he had never been to the final before. So it felt natural to me to give it to him for all the effort and hours and everything he's put into the game and not having a chance to hoist a Cup yet."
It was touching but it was also symbolic. This Wings team wasn't just about flash; as significant to their success was the relentless work of Drake, Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper.
It was needed because Pittsburgh didn't go down without a fight. Trailing 2-1 and then 3-1 in the third period last night, the Penguins continued to come back hard, getting a late Marian Hossa goal and refusing to give up on a miracle finish to their dream season. Even with the final tenths of a second ticking down, a Sidney Crosby shot that would have tied the game just trickled wide.
The 3-2 final score was appropriate; the Pens always keeping it close but never able to break down the inescapable fact that the Wings were the better squad.
The skill and defence of Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, the hard hitting of Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart and the surprisingly good-when-needed goaltending of Chris Osgood proved too much the young Penguins.
For the Wings, it was their fourth Cup in the last 11 seasons.
Osgood is a remarkable story. He wasn't Detroit's starting goaltender to start the post-season, but when the legendary Dominik Hasek faltered four starts in, the Wings turned to their 35-year-old backup. He didn't let them down.
"When you pull your goalie in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, that usually means you're going fishing in about three days and not (getting) 14 more wins or whatever we needed to get it done. You gotta give him a lot of credit," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
"I have a bigger heart than people think," Osgood said of his second Cup win. "I'm mentally strong."
The Penguins will be back. They need to sign key players such as unrestricted free agents Marian Hossa, Brooks Orpik and Ryan Malone and restricted free agent Marc-Andre Fleury, but the core of this team is extremely young.
Crosby, only 20, couldn't have legally sipped champagne from the Cup in Pennsylvania if the Penguins had won. Evgeni Malkin is 21, Fleury is 23. The solid foundation is there for a long stretch of success, remarkable when you consider this team is only shortly removed from bankruptcy and two years removed from finishing 29th out of 30 teams.
"There's not much to say . . . it hurts," said an emotional Michel Therrien, the Pittsburgh coach. "You could feel the pain from everyone. I'm very proud of that group, what they accomplished this year."
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