THE SEQUEL: Pens v. Wings For The Cup, Part II

It's only fitting, of course.

After Detroit's overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in game 5 of the Western Conference Final last night, the Penguins now have their chance.

To avenge last year's loss to the Red Wings in the Cup Final.

To stick it up the you-know-what of the player who jumped ship to the team that beat Pittsburgh last year because he felt they had a better chance of winning again than the hometown squad.

To bring home Lord Stanley for the 3rd time in this team's glorious history.

That's right, folks.

It's Penguins/Red Wings, Part Deux.

Games 1 and 2 are Saturday, May 30 and Sunday May 31 in Detroit, respectively. Game 3 is in Pittsbugh on Tuesday, June 2, as is game 4 on Thursday, June 4. If necessary, game 5 will be in Detroit on Saturday, June 6. Also if necessary, game 6 will be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, June 9. A game for all the marbles, if needed, would be in Detroit on Friday, June 12.

All games are to start at 8 PM EST, with games 1 and 2 (and 5, 6 and 7, if necessary) being televised by NBC. Games 3 and 4 are on Versus.

There really couldn't be a better final for the league (again). The hockey is likely to be just as good as last year, if not better -- and with better storylines.

These two squads are the last 2 cup champions to repeat -- Detroit in '97 and '98, and the Penguins in '91 and '92 -- and this the 10th time 2 teams have gone against each other for the Stanley Cup in back-t0-back years in the league's history, and the first time it's happened in a quarter-century.

Of course, that's the comparison everyone wants to make.

In 1983, the upstart Edmonton Oilers with a young Wayne Gretzky and young Mark Messier were the offensive stars of the league. They romped over the opposition in the first 3 rounds of the playoffs only to face the team who had won 3 straight titles, the juggernaut New York Islanders, in the Final.

After looking starry-eyed in the first few games, the Islanders put the Oilers in their proper place and swept Edmonton for their 4th straight Cup.

The next season, Edmonton and New York made it to the final again, but the script was flipped, as the Oilers ended the Islander dynasty and won what would be their first of 5 Stanley Cups in 7 seasons.

Last year, even in the 2008 Cup Final, many saw the similarities between the Penguins and Red Wings, and the Oilers and Islanders.

The result validated those comparisons, with the Penguins looking out of place in the first few games, before falling in 6 to Detroit.

With this storyline in full force again, will history prove true this year?

That alone makes this series interesting.

Marion Hossa makes it compelling.

I still remember vividly the scene in the Penguins locker room 2 days after the season ended last June in that game 6 loss to the Red Wings in the Final when Hossa spoke in the locker room about how great of a time he had in Pittsburgh, and that he would definitely consider returning. When he went on to say he would definitely accept less money to play with a contender, I thought the Penguins and GM Ray Shero had the inside track to sign him.

I thought, how is he going to turn down the chance to play with the best young center and player in the game for the next 5 seasons?

As it turned out, he did.

Ray Shero did everything he could do, offering Hossa a 5-year deal worth about 7 million dollars per season, only to have #18 spurn them and sign a basic one year deal with no long-term security with the team that just dispatched the Penguins in the final, the Red Wings.

That was the knockdown punch.

Then came the kick in the cajones while you're down.

After the signing, Hossa said it came down to Detroit and Pittsburgh but, in the end, he felt Detroit gave him a better chance of winning the cup.

Talk about venom?

Hossa was booed mercilessly when he returned to Mellon Arena to play a game for Detroit against the Penguins in February -- a game where he scored a goal and the Red Wings won, 3-0.

Don't expect him to be treated any kinder this time around.

The ironic part is that Hossa hasn't played nearly as well in the post-season this year as he did with our Boys of Winter last season. Hossa only has 6 goals and 12 points in the 2009 playoffs, after having near double that last year.

In fact, his replacement on Crosby's RW, Bill Guerin, has scored more, with 7 goals and 7 assists, and is playing some of his best hockey of the season.

There are a lot of other things worth noting in this series -- including the many injuries the Red Wings are dealing with right now -- but a lot of that will be discussed in the next few days. I hope to post my series breakdown here late tomorrow (Friday) night, but in the meantime, here's at least one preview worth reading.

I think you'll like what's at the end:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4211064

I can't wait for this showdown.

LET'S GO PENS!