Who Do Ya Like?

Very quick post before I head out for the weekend...

Schadenfreude being what it is, I typically turn fervently against any team that beats the Sharks in the playoffs. In the past, even teams that I normally like and support (such as Calgary and Edmonton) have earned my enmity in this manner. So you can imagine just how hard I was rooting for the Detroit Red Wings to beat the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semifinals, and just how worried I got when the Stars came back, Sharks-style, from an 0-3 deficit to force a Game Six. (Seeing the Stars succeed where the Sharks had failed would've been too much to bear...)

But in the end the Wings took care of business, setting up what for the NHL has to be the dream final, pitting not only two hockey-mad cities but also two intriguingly disparate teams. The Red Wings, a threat to win it all each season for the past fifteen years, represent the old elite of the league. The Penguins, only two seasons removed from their fourth-consecutive last-place division finish, are making good on the promise of what everyone recognized a couple of years ago as a ridiculous amount of young talent, including Hart finalist Evgeni Malkin (21), Jordan Staal (19), and of course league poster boy Sidney Crosby (20).

It should be a great matchup, and I just have enough time for a quick prediction...

Wings in six.

Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!