Post-Cup Ramblings

So the Stanley Cup has been won. Red Wings fans have mixed feelings on the outcome. I mean, really. We were stuck with Chicago or Philadelphia. It's a tough call no matter what side you choose.

You all know that I was leaning toward Chicago and I still stand by that. I'm one of those crazy Wings fans that didn't hate Hossa for leaving, and I like a handful of players on Chicago. I knew there was no way we could keep Hossa and he was hurt a lot more than us fans were led to believe. I honestly smiled when Toews was shouting, "Hoss! Where's Hoss?!" and handed the Cup to him [which I called]. And his interview with the CBC...I actually got teary-eyed at how speechless he was. That man wanted to win the Cup so much that he jumped ship from so many talented teams in hopes that he would find the right one. This year, he finally did. Next year, maybe not so much. But this year is all that matters to him right now. Third time's a charm, he'll tell you that.

Let's ignore last year's SCF for a bit. Seeing the Stanley Cup presented has to give you the chills. It's the hardest trophy to get in all sports and you know the team that wins it works their asses off to get it [again, ignore last year]. Seeing the players' initial reactions when the final buzzer goes, or when the final goal wins it in OT for them, it's heartwarming. Seeing Gary Bettman enter the ice and hearing the boos follow has to make you cackle evilly, especially since you've been practicing said evil laugh in front of the mirror. It's an experience that you can't find in any other sport, and one that I will never take for granted.

My wrist is bare again. Yes, I kept my "playoff beard" bracelets on throughout the entirety of the playoffs. I was going to cut them off after the Wings lost, but I forgot and when I remembered, it was already the end of the Conference Finals. So I will put on my Zetterberg wristband, my black beaded bracelet, and my newly added penny bracelet [bought in Copper Harbor, MI, if you were wonder], and I'll start to count down the days until training camp starts. Which is at 99. Or 98, since it's past midnight.

But look on the bright side - Toews is now the youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup! That means...wait. What? He's sharing that with Crosby? Pardon my french, but fuck that shit! This was why I was rooting for Chicago! This was my justification! [among other reasons, too]. Damn it!

And hey. If you run into any annoying Chicago fans, just point out this little fact: they now have as many Stanley Cups in their 84-year history as Detroit has in their last 13.

And that's all she wrote. Until next season.

What do we look forward to now? We keep our eyes peeled on the Internet horizon for happenings within the Wings and big news around the league. We wait for the NHL Awards at the end of June. We wait for the schedule to be released, which is really early and really weird. And we wait for July 1, when all hell will break loose in the league.

For now, we're stuck with the gorgeous weather that is summer and the monotony of a time without hockey in our lives. I advise you to stay away from Youtube videos of hockey for as long as possible. I made that mistake last year around the end of July, and it was my downfall.

This was a strange year for hockey. Let's hope next year doesn't follow in its footsteps.