Sykora calls his goal, Pens win in Triple OT, does it get any better?

2008 Stanley Cup Finals: Red Wings lead 3-2, Game 6 Wednesday, NBC
Commentary: Why Detroit Sucks Video

SCOTT JACOBS

The tension was building. The morning was approaching. Lord Stanley’s Cup was in the building for Detroit’s taking. The Red Wings up 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals had been here before. They led the Stars 3-1 but fell in game five, at home. This time, in the same situation, only with a NHL title on the line, they lost, again. Only this game took a little longer.

The Red Wings were 35 seconds away from winning the cup in the third, when Pittsburgh’s Maxime Talbot’s wrister beat Chris Osgood, and the Pens kept their unlikely, fading cup hopes alive. Then just 50 minutes and 3 seconds into overtime (not a typo) Petr Sykora (who told an NBC reporter sitting right next to the team’s benches that he was going to score earlier in the overtimes) did!

It was incredible. Hockey fun just too much to take in.

Sports the way they were meant to be played.

Overtime without commercials. Sudden death, flying bodies everywhere trying to stop that little black puck from getting near that crease. And the most exciting announcing in sports. You can have Mike Breen. I’ll take the best hockey announcers over an NBA announcing crew of Jackson, Van Gundy, and Breen any day.

Back to the game. The Penguins were outshot 58-32! They led 1-0, 2-1, and couldn’t hold on.

It didn’t matter. They fought, they clawed, and now Pittsburgh is going back to the Steel City where they’ll try to push the Wings to a winner take all game seven.

Just uh, wow. And boo to ESPN for shameful coverage. Youknow they would mention the Sykora type bit if it was in baseball, football, or even women’s softball. But in hockey, the details get lost in the terrible coverage. One of the guys on Sportscenter was talking about how its good to hit the black circle into the net. Really? How about taking the sport seriously, especially during the freaking championship round.

O well, ESPN won’t can’t ruin this. For one night hockey returned to its glory days. And I was thrilled to watch it all the way till the bitter and stunning powerplay goal end.

A phenomenal game. An epic game. The type of game you expect the Penguins to lose, because this was the perfect script for Detroit to win a Cup. In sudden death, in front of their home crowd, in comeback fashion. But that never happened.

Fleury’s 55 saves prevented that.

An absolute crushing loss for the Wings who totally and completely outplayed the Pens.

But it’s that scoreboard that read 4-3 in three overtimes that matters.

So you can take your stats and shove them.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have two more wins to go, to complete this crazy franchise turnaround.

Whether they win or not, tonight/this morning they put up one hell of a fight.

I can’t wait for Wednesday Night!

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