Monkeebooger: here goes brotha - it's first important to know and I think you know this about me, that my view on sports is that they are simply entertainment. Many feel EVERY SINGLE GAME AND EVERY SINGLE SERIES in sports is pure and played straight up. It is from my experience that this is not the case. I have no direct facts to back it up but I can tell you I've won a lot of money having this stance of the world of "entertainment" known as "sports". I look at this series no different than how I looked at the cavs last year, the cubs last year, the Clemson football team this year, the heels this year to name a few examples of recent time. Were these teams the BEST? You can argue some were, some weren't. My point with this is feeling what the leagues want, what the books want and who is willing to make these happen.
When I look at this caps/pens series, I look at crosby. It begins and starts with him. This guy was breed by lemieux to not only take the keys to Pittsburgh, but take the keys to the NHL. He's won at every level and he has been given a lot from the game of hockey. World cups of hockey titles, Olympic gold medals, Stanley cups, mvps.....he's one of the greats. So with crosby, what better guy to pave the way for ovie? The pens have owned the caps since ovie has been in Washington yet ovie, like crosby has helped keep this game afloat in a time where basketball and football have ruled. What has ovie to show for though? Multiple 50 goal seasons, an mvp? Really? He's getting up there in age and he's been known as the choker. The guy who guaranteed game 7s, the president trophy poster child, the lunatic who lives life carelessly. Well....I feel it's his time. The caps have been the favorite all year and they blew this league away AGAIN, in the REGULAR SEASON. What's the difference this year? Defense, goaltending and most of all, COACHING. Boudreaux was a pud and showed again this year, that he could not do it in the playoffs with the wild. Down 2-1 to Toronto the caps came back. Down 2-1 to Pittsburgh, without crosby, my stance changed with this team. The light bulb went on! A game many thought the caps would win....they lost. Then crosby decides to play game 5 and we see this glorified character walking in a suit into the arena, a game time decision. People are it up! Everybody then expected pitt to win....pitt lost. Call me crazy but in the first two series the books made some good money off the caps series, especially this one. The books have done very well just like they did in the hawks/preds series. Are they hurting with all the caps futures tickets? Sure, the same way they were hurting with the patriots tickets, UNC tickets, cubs tickets last year....The books have done very well though so far with these playoff games. They will be just fine if caps do win.
Ultimately, the caps have paid their dues year after year and ovie, unfortunately has been the butt of all the jokes. They lost last year to the pens and what better way to right the ship this year than to do the unthinkable and come back down 3-1, against crosby and force two wins to get the series to a game 7. Some call it coincidence...I call it the perfect script. Ask yourself this: with the Blackhawks out, which team could the dominant caps face that would take more public money than the caps? Yep. The Penguins. The league knows this and the books know this. It's a perfect scenario. If new England can beat the Falcons in a crazy type ending, why can't the caps do the unthinkable?
Game 7, tomorrow. Even with the beatdown the caps gave Pittsburgh, the media will refer to the history of the caps. Read the forum in here. The "experts" like the last two games will say the caps will choke. Listen to trotz on the bench in the second period tell pierre that they cant go back and change history. They can't go back and right the wrongs. He says they are having fun, enjoying the moment. This game 7 puts pressure on both teams but the pressure is more so on Pittsburgh because they are EXPECTED to WIN The caps....they are EXPECTED TO LOSE. You can't write it better than this. You just can't. I wouldn't be surprised if the pens scored first tomorrow but as the game progresses, the caps take what's theirs and find a way to silence the demons in front of a crowd who is so desperate for a hockey winner in the caps.
I write a lot here and I'm placing myself out there. Whatever. If caps lose, i get the "i told you so". 2-0 so far though in the series! The caps could lose but inside, I truly believe they find a way tomorrow to return the favor to crosby. Will it hurt crosby to lose? Sure. If ovie can do it his entire career, what better guy to beat than his brother in arms, Crosby, the other guy who kept this game afloat. I have no data or facts to back this stance up but I've predicted two wins in a row and a series win before game 5. I think the caps take it and I think they go on to win the cup in June. ALL MY OPINIONS HERE. These are my views; whoever you pick, that's your choice. Can't wait for game 7 baby!