It's too early to talk about a three-peat!
It's over and done and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup in consecutive years since the Detroit Red Wings did it 19 years ago. Yes, it feels great! It almost makes up for all the years I had to suffer in silence while the rest of the league swept the basement of the NHL with the Penguins.
For a bit it looked like I had a chance at my dream Stanley Cup Final, which would have been the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues. Both teams came into the league at the same time. I grew up in Pittsburgh as a die hard Penguins (and Steelers and Pirates) fan, and now I live in St. Louis and have become a die hard Blues fan. I'd go to every game I could possibly get to, and I'd have to cheer for the Blues, too. However, make no mistake as to which jersey I would be wearing!
No more hockey for a few months now, but there IS the 2017 draft to look forward to - in Chicago at the United Center on Friday June 23 and Saturday June 24. By winning the Stanley Cup, Pittsburgh will have the 31st pick in the draft. The last pick of the first round. The Nashville Predators will have pick #30. Arizona, Dallas, and St. Louis will have two picks each in round one.
Draft day is always interesting for me. Having been a hockey fanatic for all these years you'd think I would be able to decipher some of the strategy in place when certain deals are made.
For instance, Detroits' Pavel Datsyuk (my Dad used to call him "...that little triangle-headed bozo...") was injured and was going back to Russia (with or without love). Those factors were well known as well as the fact that he had a hefty contract following him around.
Arizona traded a player and a draft pick or two for Datsyuk. There was no contract, but Datsyuk carried with him a $7.5 million 'cap hit.' I struggle to understand that process. Anyway, the Wings got picks and a decent player in Joe Vitale (who is from St. Louis, incidentally, and will remain on injured reserve due to concussion issues), but they free up that much money for the ability to spend on players.
Datsyuk made it known that he was leaving the NHL and going back to Russia, where he was signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. What Arizona got were the rights to Datsyuks contract. If he ever decides to come back to the NHL, he will come back in an Arizona Coyotes jersey.
Well, enough about hockey for now. I wanted to make up for my terribly random and irregular posting habits. Next time will, in all likelihood, be a music rant. I got a CD from a French dark art rock band that sounds pretty good, finally tracked down a CD from the 70s hair band Love Affair, and was able to locate several CDs by the Little Bob Story - a band I've searched for since my college days!
So more on those and other topics, ummm, whenever I'm able to do it!
For a bit it looked like I had a chance at my dream Stanley Cup Final, which would have been the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues. Both teams came into the league at the same time. I grew up in Pittsburgh as a die hard Penguins (and Steelers and Pirates) fan, and now I live in St. Louis and have become a die hard Blues fan. I'd go to every game I could possibly get to, and I'd have to cheer for the Blues, too. However, make no mistake as to which jersey I would be wearing!
No more hockey for a few months now, but there IS the 2017 draft to look forward to - in Chicago at the United Center on Friday June 23 and Saturday June 24. By winning the Stanley Cup, Pittsburgh will have the 31st pick in the draft. The last pick of the first round. The Nashville Predators will have pick #30. Arizona, Dallas, and St. Louis will have two picks each in round one.
Draft day is always interesting for me. Having been a hockey fanatic for all these years you'd think I would be able to decipher some of the strategy in place when certain deals are made.
For instance, Detroits' Pavel Datsyuk (my Dad used to call him "...that little triangle-headed bozo...") was injured and was going back to Russia (with or without love). Those factors were well known as well as the fact that he had a hefty contract following him around.
Arizona traded a player and a draft pick or two for Datsyuk. There was no contract, but Datsyuk carried with him a $7.5 million 'cap hit.' I struggle to understand that process. Anyway, the Wings got picks and a decent player in Joe Vitale (who is from St. Louis, incidentally, and will remain on injured reserve due to concussion issues), but they free up that much money for the ability to spend on players.
Datsyuk made it known that he was leaving the NHL and going back to Russia, where he was signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. What Arizona got were the rights to Datsyuks contract. If he ever decides to come back to the NHL, he will come back in an Arizona Coyotes jersey.
Well, enough about hockey for now. I wanted to make up for my terribly random and irregular posting habits. Next time will, in all likelihood, be a music rant. I got a CD from a French dark art rock band that sounds pretty good, finally tracked down a CD from the 70s hair band Love Affair, and was able to locate several CDs by the Little Bob Story - a band I've searched for since my college days!
So more on those and other topics, ummm, whenever I'm able to do it!
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