He's keeping them in this. The Penguins look completely outclassed. I predict a sweep.

Spokane Wins, Breaks Memorial Cup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2cT5J0gxeU

To be fair to Fleury, I've only see highlights of Game 1.

And it goes without saying that if the Pens don't score for the entire series, it will hardly be his fault that they lost.

This may be a learning experience for Crosby, Malkin, et al. The difference in experience is striking; one of the guys on HNIC was saying that Chelios had won a Cup before Crosby was born.

I think Chelios was on Montreal's 1986 winner, so that sounds about right.

Some writers are already comparing this Penguins team to the Oilers team that lost to the Islanders in the finals before winning five of the next seven or whatever it was. It was the sunset of one dynasty and the dawn of another.

That's only clear in hindsight, so it's a bit premature to assume the Pens will do the same, but its possible.

The HNIC piece raised the same comparison, but expressly noted that it would be awful hard for the Pens (or anyone else) to match those Oilers.

Game 3 could be very interesting, and even if the Red Wings sweep, it will be interesting to see what they do in the off-season, as this team was very much built to win now.

The Pens should be able to keep their core for at least a few more years.

Agreed.

I was focusing on the Red Wings, who will need to make changes.

Obviously. They're about at the end of the road with this core group, I think. They hardly have anyone under 25.

But wasn't everyone predicting a 'long, dark winter of the Red Wings' only a couple of years ago, when they'd lost one generation of veterans and it was unclear whether the incumbents would be able to 'pick up the slack' ...if they stayed around at all. As it is, Zetterberg, Datsyuk et al are doing just fine. (If you're a Red Wings fan, that is - I'm hugely disappointed that they aren't suffering eternal torment in fifth place in the Central!)

It's because of this rather premature revival of the Red Wings non-corpse that I think the Pens aren't going to have things all their own way for the next few years, like the Oilers did.

That's true, but some of the "parts" (Chelios and Hasek for starters) are clearly well past their sell by date. And Lindstrom, Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Osgood aren't getting any younger. They may win well win this Cup, but I don't see them winning another (or even getting to the Finals) in the next few years.

This series illustrates yet another flaw in Bettmanomics.

We're already hearing mumbling about how horrible this is for the NHL that it's "marquee" star has been shut out.

He's listened too much to everyone who insists that every sport should follow the NBA example and market stars. But hockey doesn't lend itself to that the way basketball does. Even the best players play a little more than a third of the game.

They need to scrap that and follow the NFL route of ginning interest in great teams. Of course, its hard to do that when you've got so many expansion teams in places with no hockey roots.

The Red Wings are a great team.

They also need to find a way to talk up great defensive players like the NFL does. Crosby is struggling, not because he's bad, but because Lindstrom is so good. Indeed, Lindstrom may be the best D player since Bobby Orr but he's not well known outside of dedicated hockey fans and, of course, Detroit.

Lindstrom is without question the best defenceman since Bobby Orr. Sorry, Paul Coffy, Ray Bourque and Denis Potvin, but it isn't really close.

And he is better defensively than Orr was (and I say that as a childhood Bruins fan who absolutely worshipped Orr).

When he hangs them up, I expect Lindstrom to have the best NHL career of any non-North American. It is a privilege to have seen him play (for both Detroit and Sweden).

The Pens decided to show up. Fantastic.

I didn't know there was an international world ranking but here they are.
http://www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/home/world-ranking.html

Ireland at #40 with a bullet!!

The Wings pretty much wrap it all up in game 4 and nary a whisper here on the board in 24 hours?

Blimey!