YYYEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

YES! After a crushing loss in the third overtime of Game 5, the Wings brought their game to Pittsburgh and WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!

Tonight they would not be denied, despite some good, desperate play by the Penguins (and a little help from a horrid penalty call late in the third period).

I have to say the Penguins have proven themselves a great and capable team, worthy of respect. They have a great "never quit" attitude that will serve them well. I expect to see them hoisting the Cup within the next few years.

But, for now, it's the WINGS!!!!

GO RED WINGS! 2008 NHL CHAMPIONS!!

Is it June already?...and, 15 down, one to go

Well, semester break is over, and the summer session looks pretty bad already. Since it is 10 weeks rather than 15 everything is compressed. Yuck.

I can't believe it's June already. Halfway through 2008, it seems like it just started last week.

In hockey news, the Red Wings are currently up three games to one against the Penguins in the Stanley Cup final! Yes, if they win tomorrow night they will have their fourth championship since 1997. As a die-hard Wings fan, I am very happy about this.

Now, it's time for a nice dinner and a few minutes of relaxation before I start reading my next few chapters for school...sigh...

Break time!

Semester breaks are awesome. Three weeks with no classes.

Grades are in for the semester just ended...I got A's in both classes, and maintain a 4.0 GPA for grad school so far. Yeah, I know it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, but it's a goal I've set.

Tomorrow night is Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Wings vs. Stars. It looks to be a lot more difficult than the ice-wiping they gave the Avs. Still, I think they'll pull it out and go to the Cup final. Johan Franzen just might win it for them single-handed.

MTV HD is playing "This Is Spinal Tap" right now. What a totally classic movie. It just never gets old.

Busy week. Oh, and Happy Birthday to me.

Wow, been busy this week (or two). Finished up research papers for both classes. I got one back, with a grade of 93.4%, not bad. Haven't gotten a grade for the other one, but I expect it'll be the same or higher, because it was a better paper.

The Wings' second-round matchup against the Avalanche is looking pretty lopsided, with the Wings up 3 games to none. They could wrap it up tonight, but that would be quite a chore since the Avs will be playing pretty hard trying to stave off elimination. I'll watch part of it, but the rest will have to go on the TiVo.

And, today's my birthday. I don't make a huge deal out of it, but we are having my favorite dry-aged steak for dinner (Yum!). Then I have to work on an exam. (Boo!) But it will still be nice.

Bye-bye, Predators

Ah, yes, game over, series concluded. The Wings advance in 6.

Osgood's been outstanding, and the guys in front have played well.

Lidstrom's 110-footer, echoes of 2002 vs. the Canucks. Fantastic.

Now they have a few days off before facing...???

Four down, 12 to go.

YEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!!

Oh, boy, what a goal by Franzen.

3 down, 13 to go, and the Wings back on top in the series.

Of course, to end it in six games, the Wings will have to win in Nashville. That's a tall order, but I think they can pull it off, IF they stay consistent.

The big guns had plenty of good chances tonight, a few of which didn't miss by much. If those start going in, they'll get it done.

Next game is Sunday in Nashville. I hope they pin the Preds to the ice and don't let them up for the full 60 minutes.

I stayed up late for this?

Nashville 3, Wings 2, and Hasek got pulled.

Sad, really sad. Now we're treading on all-too-familiar territory--another great regular-season performance, another embarrassing early playoff exit (potentially).

Of course, they're not any closer to elimination than Nashville, but, based on the first two games of the series, they should have finished them off last night.

There are, of course, worse places to be than in a best-of-three with two of those three at home, against a team that has never won a playoff game in your building.

Still, this should have been a five-game series at most.

Game 5, I don't know when, probably Friday at the Joe. I'm just a bit tired this morning...

That. Sucked. ASS.

What else is there to say?

Preds 5, Wings 3.

The Wings need to remember...if you have a team on its knees, YOU DON'T LET IT STAND UP.

Two down, 14 to go

That was a strange kind of game. It was kind of a donut--all Red Wings except for a hole in the middle. Not that Dom could have been blamed for the freaky off-the-boards bounce that resulted in Nashville's first goal, but that followed by Lilja's giveaway shortly thereafter (he gets one of those per playoff, but this time it didn't cost them the series) had the boys looking down a bit.

Fortunately, Babcock took my advice and used his time-out at just the right moment, after which it was all Wings.

Next game is Monday in Nashville. If they win that one, it's all over but the shouting.

One down, 15 to go

The Wings secured their first victory of the playoffs this evening, defeating Nashville 3-1. Nashville put forth a decent effort, even controlling play from time to time, but in the third period the Wings dominated.

It's a good start, but we've still got two months before the Cup final, and the eventual champions will have to win 16 games to hoist Stanley. So, for the Wings, it's one down, 15 to go.

After that, it's the long, dark tea-time of the soul, until the teams return to the ice in early October.