The guy can't catch a break.  Every thing he does results in the spewing of hatred in his general direction.

That's why this latest controversy that has resulted in a chorus of "unsportsmanlike" calls is so illustrative.

Even I underestimated this one, figuring the silliness would quickly blow over.  But, Sidney Crosby Derangement Syndrom (SCDS) should never be underestimated. 

I've even seen articles comparing Crosby to LeBron James, who angrily marched out of the stadium following a playoff loss without congratulating a single member of the opposition.

Comparing the actions of a guy who was caught up in the moment after winning his first championship with someone who was intentionally and defiantly a sore loser borders on delusional.  

Let me stipulate up front that Crosby made a mistake.  He should have been at the front of the Penguins' handshake line. 

On that point, I agree with the critics.  No doubt when the Penguins win their next Cup, Crosby will be out front leading them in the traditional handshake.

But, he got caught up in the moment and celebrated just a little bit longer than perhaps was appropriate before heading to the hand-shake line after the Penguins claimed the Stanley Cup.

Can anyone blame him?  That is, other than some disgruntled Red Wings' veterans and their media enablers.

This guy has had the weight of the world on his shoulders from the moment he stepped into the league.

This was the biggest moment in his life, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.  He was overcome with both joy and a healthy dose of relief at the same time. 

The guy was simply lost in the moment.  Anyone with a shred of common sense could see that.

Nobody has had more pressure on him than Crosby, a key savior of hockey in Pittsburgh and the face of the NHL.  The new Arena going up in Pittsburgh is frequently referred to as the "House that Sid Built" for good reason.

Despite his tremendous success up to this point, the "will he win a cup?" nonsensical monkey was forever off his back.

Was it really asking too much for the Red Wings' players to let Sid enjoy this magical moment without trying to poison it?

This guy has carried himself with class far exceeding his 21 years on this planet, handling media availabilities under even the most trying circumstances with grace while being a community leader in Pittsburgh. 

Crosby ultimately made it to the handshake line, shaking hands with much of the Red Wings' team and their fiery head coach, Mike Babcock, who congratulated Crosby on his leadership.

No doubt Sid would have been more than happy to shake the hands of the Red Wings who had already left for the locker room.    

It is never hard to shake hands when you are the winner.

And, let's not forget that a devastated and emotionally exhausted Crosby shook hands with every last Red Wing last year.  He didn't miss a single one of them.

He politely waited for them to finish their celebration and then did his duty.

Do the Red Wings' veterans really forget how it feels to win that first Stanley Cup? 

Ironically, it was much vilified ex-Penguin Marian Hossa who brought some sanity back to the discussion.

"After the game, when I start shaking their hands, I did not think, 'Who is there and who is not there?'" said Hossa.  

"After, I think about it and I thought that I did not remember shaking hands with Sid. I'm sure he was caught in the emotion and did not know where he was. I know him. He wouldn't do it deliberately. He is a great guy. I think he was just excited and caught up in the emotion."  

Bingo.  Marian may show less loyalty than the average family cat, but he was plenty insightful in this situation.

In his defense, Niklas Lidstrom echoed this sentiment, although not quite as eloquently, carrying it a bit too far in calling it a learning experience for Crosby.  

True.  But, it didn't really need to be said by a Red Wing.

While Crosby made a mistake, his accusers have displayed a complete lack of sportsmanship in how they have responded to that mistake.

No doubt the Red Wings' veterans are fully aware of the SCDS phenomenon and knew they could stoke the fires with just a few words, since there is a veritable army of Crosby-haters ready to jump on the bandwagon of any faux controversy. 

Kris Draper started the latest Crosby hate parade. 

Said Draper, "Nick (Lidstrom) was waiting and waiting, and Crosby didn't come over to shake his hand. That's ridiculous, especially as their captain, and make sure you write that I said that!"

Well, we now all know that you said it, Kris, just as you wanted. 

Hope you feel better about yourself. 

And did it ever occur to you to go seek out the young and overly exuberant Penguins' captain to offer your congratulations to him?  Apparently not.

If it was that important to him to shake hands with Sid, he could have gone over to the visitor's locker room, as the classy Brian Rafalski did so that he could offer further congratulations to former teammate Petr Sykora.

Henrik Zetterberg decided to add his own bit of poison to the punch bowl, later commenting, "I think you should do it after a series, shaking hands. I think it's disrespectful. I don't know the reason he didn't do it, but I hope he has a really good one."

Got to give it to him, he's a profound one, that Hank.  He thinks you should shake hands after a competition.  Even your average five-year-old understands that. 

Did it escape his attention that Crosby shook hands with plenty of his teammates?

The insult be Zetterberg was all the more poisonous because of the tremendous individual battle that played out between the two players. 

So, Crosby was called ridiculous and disrespectful by two of the Red Wings' leaders.  What a classy bunch they are, these Red Wings.

Crosby has chosen to not apologize to the Wings.  Good for him. 

Any right to an apology was forfeited when they started spewing technicolor vitriol at him.   

In my eyes, Zetterberg and Draper have forever been diminished. 

Draper let his mouth get the better of him following a tough loss.  Fine, it happens.  But, I'm not sure what really motivated Zetterberg's comments long after the final game was played.

Part me me thinks he may be trying to further fan the flames of a rivalry that doesn't really need it, giving the Red Wings a reason to find the passion that so often eluded them against the Penguins, at least in the early stages of the games.

But, I don't think he is that calculating. 

I suspect he is just bitter at having lost.

The only thing good to come out of this is that there will be even more intensity in what is developing to be the most compelling rivalry in the NHL.

If these two teams meet in the Finals next year, the spotlight that burned on the Crosby-Zetterberg individual battle in this year's series will be blazing smoke-coming-from-the-screen hot.

It is possible that Crosby-Zetterberg may even be eclipsing Crosby-Alex Ovechkin as the league's most compelling individual rivalry.

Sportsmanship is one of the great traditions of hockey.

Too bad Draper and Zetterberg missed one of its key lessons.

The Penguins stand alone atop the hockey universe, as champagne continues flowing out of the Cup in Pittsburgh.

But there is a voice in the back of my head yelling, “Danger!” 

Something wicked this way comes, and it is the salary cap, hovering over Mellon Arena like the specter of the Grim Reaper with sickle raised. 

I think the offseason may turn ugly for Penguins fans, or at the very least, uncomfortable.

I would like to start with a brief thank you to Marian Hossa. Had he accepted the long-term offer from the Penguins at the end of last season, not only do I not think they would have hoisted the Cup, they’d be sitting squarely in Salary Cap Hell with no hope of parole.

I have no idea how they would have managed that situation. It would have made Mission Impossible look like child’s play.

As it is, Ray Shero has a tough task ahead of him.

The biggest challenge from a salary cap perspective is that the Penguins have two of the top young hockey talents in the world. 

Even after taking a hometown discount, Sidney Crosby is still being paid as a hockey immortal. 

Evgeni Malkin is also about to see a nice bump in his salary, as it climbs up into the $8.7 million range, putting him on par with Crosby.

It’s hard to argue with that. I'd hazard a guess that most Penguins' fans don't begrudge Geno for the raise that is coming his way.

However, after spending some time analyzing the numbers on capgeek.com, a fascinating site that lets you play around with the salary caps of all of the NHL teams, I don’t envy Shero one bit.

As it stands, the Penguins have nearly $47 million committed to 14 players on their roster for next season, with the cap expected to stay at $56.8 million. If they didn’t need 23 players on a roster and could get by with three defensemen, they’d be in splendid shape. 

Alas, I don’t think Brooks Orpik is ready to average 56 minutes of ice time a game. Slacker.

That means the Penguins have about $10 million to sign at least eight, probably nine, players. Needless to say, the ageless Billy Guerin will not be earning $4 million next season as a Penguin.

Some key Penguins who are not signed for next season are Guerin, Rob Scuderi, Ruslan Fedotenko, Philippe Boucher, Miroslav Satan, Hal Gill, Craig Adams, and backup goaltender Mathieu Garon. 

Kris Letang is a restricted free agent who may very well get an offer.

In looking at that list, things aren’t that dire. 

However, unless fan favorite Guerin is willing to take a huge pay cut down to the $2 million range, he is gone. 

I also think Scuderi’s outstanding play in the playoffs has priced “The Piece” right out of Pittsburgh.   

There are plenty of other teams looking for that special piece who can't help to have noticed that Scuderi can play some mean defense and even double as a goalie from time to time.

Shero will certainly try to re-sign him, but somebody will make a bigger offer than the Penguins can afford to match. 

The decision will ultimately rest with Scuderi, but I won’t blame him if he takes the big raise and chooses to lace up his skates in another city.

Satan and Petr Sykora will probably be relocating to finish their careers in other locations.  Fedotenko will only come back if he accepts less than his market value to return to the fold.

This is not a one-year problem, but will be an ongoing challenge for the Penguins. With 37 percent of their salary cap tied up in their top three centers, there will never be enough money left to invest in really skilled proven wingers or blue-chip defenders. 

The Penguins will likely have high roster turnover every year now that Crosby and Malkin each require their own armada of armored trucks just to deliver their paychecks to their doors.

Frankly, I think they both are absolute bargains, taking less to play for the Penguins than they could be making on other teams.

I suspect plenty of teams would offer contracts north of $10 million a year for the services of either player. If Hossa can demand more than $7 million a year, does anyone doubt that? 

The market determines a player’s true value, and frankly, Sid and Geno are being underpaid even with the eye-popping numbers they are pocketing.

Sid and Geno are the types of magical players who fill every seat in an arena. As a comparative value to what other players are being paid, these two guys are some of the best bargains in the league. 

The unfortunate side effect of having two transcendent all-universe players in a salary cap era is heavy roster turnover.

You can't have one without the other.

Do not expect Shero to even look at any of the big names hitting the market this year. He will be far too busy just trying to figure out how to fit enough low-money players under the cap to fill out a roster.

The Penguins will need to rely on veterans willing to accept under-market value contracts, or unproven young players who have not shown enough yet to warrant a high salary. 

Smart drafting will be absolutely essential, and hopefully the Penguins have found a good coach to replace Dan Bylsma in Wilkes-Barre to develop that talent.

The good news is that I think plenty of veterans will take a pay cut for the chance to play alongside Crosby and Malkin for a run at a Cup. 

Guerin will be a great test case. If he accepts less than he is worth to stay on Crosby’s right wing, that is a great sign that attracting veterans dreaming of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup is a viable strategy. 

Maybe Mario Lemieux will step out of the owner's box and accept the league minimum to play on Crosby's wing for a year or two. I'm guessing he can still slap it around. 

For that matter, Wayne Gretzky may be looking for a change of scenery following the Phoenix debacle. Maybe he wouldn't mind seeing if he still has game while pairing up with Geno.

Okay, back to reality. 

Targeting veterans looking for a Cup run for under market value has certainly been a decent strategy for the Red Wings, who have not been relying on the city of Detroit’s unmatched reputation as a happening town to attract top-flight talent.  

Incidentally, the Detroit Red Wings are facing many of the same problems due to the huge contracts commanded by their stable of veteran superstars. 

I don’t see how they can re-sign Hossa without wrecking their own salary cap structure. 

So, maybe the Penguins should invite Hossa back for the league minimum and give him another shot at that coveted Cup.

I expect the Soldier of Misfortune will be suiting up for his fifth team come next season—quite an accomplishment for a guy yet to turn 30.

While I think the Penguins have to be the odds-on favorite to win the Cup in 2010, Mike Babcock’s warning about the salary cap potentially getting in the way of a long run of success is not just a bunch of hot air.

If you want to follow the salary cap impacts this offseason, I hope you were paying attention back in Mrs. Smith's ninth grade algebra class, because it may all come down to some very creative and innovative math. 

They are the ones with the names Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury sewed on the back of their jerseys. 

Everyone else is some odd creature known as a "role player."

What the heck is a role player?  And how can a team have only a few people who aren't constantly called role players?

Based on the constant commentary that accompanied the Penguins' run to glory, I gathered that it was important that they "step up."

Based on the constant commentary that accompanied the Penguins' run to glory, we all became aware that the Penguins "role players" needed to "step up." 

That was one of the keys to just about every game.

Nothing is quite as inspiring as slinging together a bunch of nonsensical clichés to make a point. 

The "role players" had a lot of nerve hoisting the Cup so high over their head.  They should have shown an appreciation of their limited "roles" by lifting the Cup only half way.

What a slap in the face of the "real" players. Some guys just don't get it.

For that matter, why do they get to wear the same jerseys as the real players?  They should at least make them a different color so casual fans can tell the difference between who they should regard as real players, versus the role players. 

Maybe the Penguins' "role players" should have worn those powder blue outfits they wore in their outdoor matchup.  Then none of us would have made the mistake as regarding them as being above their station.

Maybe we should put a scarlet "R" on their jerseys in the same spirit as the "C" and the "A." 

To be fair, I'm sure most of the writers who have used the term meant no disrespect by it, but it really sells the contributions of every member of a team short.

It is the one term I wish we would banish from our hockey vocabulary. 

Calling someone a "role player" implies they are somehow less than a real player, being suited to fill a single role. 

Jay Caufield was a true Penguins' role player back in the day.  When he came out on the ice during the Super Mario years, chances are he was filling one distinct role, to throw his gloves on the ice and get his butt kicked by the other team's resident goon. 

I never quite understood why the Penguins couldn't find a better goon. 

Rob Scuderi, Max Talbott, Jordan Staal, Sergei Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, and the rest of the Stanley Cup swigging Penguins are definitely not "role players." 

It reminds me of the movie Sky High with Kurt Russell when students at the Superhero school are loudly broken into two groups, heroes and sidekicks, on their first day of class, defined for the rest of their lives. 

But, in this case, the hero class would be absurdly small, while the sidekick (aka role player) class would be overflowing with bodies.

I can even see the players standing before Don Cherry as he decided whether to deem them "heroes" or scream "sidekick" in their face.

"Max Talbott.  All you can do is grow a really impressive beard, fly around the ice, and score critical goals?  SIDEKICK!!!!"

The Pittsburgh Penguins took turns emerging as heroes during the Stanley Cup playoffrun.  They were all "the piece" that was needed, the term made famous by a Rob Scuderi slip of the tongue when, ironically, he was trying to make the same point I'm trying to make here.

Scuderi's point was that every player is a piece in an overall puzzle that turns into a championship team.  He made the unfortunate mistake of saying he was "the" piece instead of "a" piece, earning himself a first-rate nickname in the process.

Could the Penguins have won the Cup without Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby?  No way, although they did win the most important game of the season with Crosby injured on the bench for over half of it. 

Still, those two may be the best one-two punch in the history of the league and they deserve every accolade they receive, and then some. 

Could they have won the Cup without Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill, or Tyler Kennedy?  Perhaps.
But, that doesn't mean those players weren't a huge part of the team's success. 

Pittsburgh's third line scored the two key goals in a pivotal Game Six, while Rob Scuderi took his turn at goalie, channeling his inner Patrick Roy to wipe two potential Red Wings' goals off the board in an elimination Game Six.

A goal scored is no more important than a goal kept off the board.  Both have the exact same influence on the overall outcome of the game.  In that sense, what Scuderi achieved in Game Six was every bit as impressive as if he had scored twice.

He was just being a good role player. 

Mad Max Talbott, a guy who is becoming an absolute legend, scored the only two Penguins' goals of the decisive final game, converting a nifty pass from fellow role player Chris Kunitz into the winning goal. 

Nice job, Max, on maximizing your inner roleishness. 

Jordan Staal scored arguably the biggest goal of the series, his short-handed equalizer in Game Four that sparked a three goal rally and lifted the Penguins back into the series. 

Again, heck of a job Mr. high-paid Role Player.

Were all of those Penguins' defenders forcing everything to the outside in Game Seven simply filling a role?

Brad Stuart also had a role to play, gift wrapping a couple turnovers to the Penguins as part of the league's conspiracy to give the Stanley Cup to the Penguins.  Just kidding.

Considering the amount of money locked up in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury, there will be high turnover on the Penguins' roster each year.  That is an unfortunate side effect of having such elite players in the salary cap era.

But, the new guys coming in will not be "role" players.  They will simply be players, and the Penguins' success or failure will be largely determined by how they fit into the overall team concept. 

The contrast when the media talked about the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins was striking.

With the Red Wings, it was always about their incredible depth.  None of their players were relegated to second-class citizens as part of the Hank Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk hit parade.

But, with the Penguins, it was always about the fantastic two and their merry band of role players.

No team is going to win a championship with a couple elite players and a bunch of slugs. 

But, far too often, that was the tone of the commentary when talking about the Penguins. 

It takes a true team effort to win Lord Stanley's Cup, the greatest trophy in all of sports.  And, for that reason, it is time to retire term "role player" and appreciate the synergistic contributions of every member of the winning team.

Otherwise, get used to the idea of seeing a steady parade of "role players" lift the Stanley Cup over their heads in the years to come as they earn the more impressive moniker of "champions."

It was time to break out the Iron City Beer, or if you are a more cultured sort, the green-bottled Rolling Rocks.

Pittsburgh is Title Town…the City of Champions. 

It is also the City of Parades. And who doesn’t love a parade, especially when your favorite players come bearing championship trophies? 

The city came dangerously close to capturing another of sports’ most coveted titles when the Pitt Panthers’ hoopsters advanced to the Elite-8 during the NCAA Tournament.

Alas, that team met its Waterloo against Villanova but should be positioned to make another great run in 2010. 

Now, all we need is for the Pirates to catch fire and finish the Trifecta. 

That is less likely to happen than seeing Raiders’ owner Al Davis suddenly announce that speed is a vastly overrated commodity in NFL wide receivers or finding a Washington Capitals’ fan who doesn’t think Alex Ovechkin is the best player in hockey.

Some things just aren’t going to happen.

Regardless, Pittsburgh sits alone once again at the top of the sports universe.  There are 32 teams in the NFL and 30 teams in the NHL.  And Pittsburgh’s two squads are number one in both.

That is an amazing accomplishment, especially in a relatively small city that is all too often overshadowed by behemoths like New York, Los Angeles, and Boston.

Pittsburgh, a traditional football town, is now also hockey town. 

It effectively has been a hockey town since 1984 when some guy named Mario Lemieux came to town, but nothing quite reignites that hockey passion in a city as seeing your team win the Cup. 

There is a whole new generation of Penguins’ fans to join those of us who became diehards during the Super Mario years. 

As for us more seasoned fans, I doubt most of us thought we’d actually get to see three once-in-a-lifetime players suit up for the Penguins in Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin.

Even before the Penguins finished their historic run, I started to think about what it would mean to recapture the City of Champions label…and Sports Illustrated covers. 

One of my all-time favorite SI covers, and there have been some great ones, was the cover from December 1979 in which the late great Willie Stargell and Terry Bradshaw appeared together as SI’s Sportsmen of the Year.

The time has come to for SI to once again honor Pittsburgh, and what better way to do it than with a new version of that cover?

I realize this can’t happen immediately.

The Penguins deserve to have a cover all to themselves after finishing up one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of sports.

Living in Korea, that magazine should be in my mailbox in about two months.  I’ve promised the SI with Tom Brady on the front to a Boston coworker, but it has also yet to arrive.

No doubt Sports Illustrated will also want to squeeze in a cover or two inspired by the Los Angeles Lakers capturing the NBA crown. 

But, after they check off those boxes, the magazine should put together a tribute to the City of Pittsburgh as the latest, and historical Title Town.

The Steelers and Penguins are both popular teams nationally, so the cover would have national appeal. 

Those who don’t love it will probably really hate it, causing them to buy it so they can attach it to their dartboards, especially if it features Sidney Crosby and/or Ben Roethlisberger. 

Either way, the cover will sell magazines.

So, who should it be Pittsburgh fans? Who would you pair on an SI cover honoring the City of Champions?

My vote would be for a cover in which Crosby appears with either Roethlisberger or Troy Polamalu.

That cover would feature two of the leaders of this generation of Pittsburgh sports icons to take the place of two of the beloved sports figures of a past generation in Bradshaw and Captain Willie. 

They could even one-up it and put Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the cover together with Roethlisberger and Polamalu.

I wouldn’t even be adverse if they chose two underrated players, like Mad Max Talbot in his full ZZ Top beard or “The Piece” Rob Scuderi paired with Casey Hampton or Aaron Smith as part of a story that highlights the unsung heroes that brought two titles back to the ‘Burgh.

Perhaps the best option would be a cover that featured Mike Tomlin and Dan Bylsma, with Tomlin wearing his Penguins’ jersey and Bylsma donning a Steelers’ jersey. 

That story would practically write itself. Pittsburgh wins two titles by going with young no-name coaches while passing over a host of better known coaching retreads. 

Just as Tomlin’s success started an NFL trend of teams looking for the next great young unknown assistant to become their head coach, Bylsma’s success will no doubt cause plenty of teams to eye the AHL ranks for potential breakout coaches who can relate to and inspire the players to greatness.

That one might actually be easier for SI since by the time they can get around to running a “City of Champions” cover, the story will have turned somewhat stale.  Using the coaching angle would keep it fresh and provide a new news angle.

It would become an instant classic, at least in Western Pennsylvania.

I’m already visualizing it framed and hung in my office.

So, how about it SI? Can you give us the cover that Pittsburgh fans want?

If you honor the city in that way, I would not be at all surprised if you win some subscribers for life. 

It worked the first time, why not bring back an absolute classic?

There was the Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals series that became the Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin-Evgeni Malkin slugfest. 

The Stanley Cup Finals featured a compelling rematch, a dream second pairing of a veteran, dynasty Red Wings squad against the upstart young-gun Penguins, whom they had taken to the woodshed the year before for a lesson in championship hockey.

Nearly all of the superstars played like superstars, while plenty of less known players took their turns in the spotlight.

The playoffs featured all three of the finalists to win the Hart Trophy, honoring the regular seasons's best player, in the Russian trio of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Pavel Datsyuk.

Evgeni Malkin would go on to become the first Russian player to win the Conn Smythe award as the MVP of the playoffs, while becoming the first player since Mario Lemieux to be the point leader in both the regular season and during the playoffs. 

Another Russian player who deserves special mention is Sergei Gonchar, who came back from nearly having his knee taken off by a vicious Ovechkin hit to be a major factor for the Penguins on their surprisingly strong defensive corps.

Watching these three superstars, and a host of other superb Russian players, I had a few flashbacks to 1980.  I kept wondering, how did a bunch of U.S. college kids beat these guys?

The miracle of that day got even bigger in my eyes, if that was possible, as watching the magic of these guys increased my appreciation for the magnitude of what was accomplished on that day in 1980.

Obviously, the U.S. squad never played against Ovechkin, Malkin, and Datsyuk, which is probably a good thing for them.  But, they played against the Malkins and Ovechkins of their day. 

The skill and ability of Russian hockey players is obviously not a new revelation.  Two of my favorite non-Penguin hockey players while growing up were snipers Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny, two of the early heralds of what Russian players could do in the NHL. 

But, 2009 represents something of a pinnacle, a high watermark moment when three of the most dominating players in the game are Russian superstars.

And that is why it this year's Stanley Cup playoffs that turned my mind back, perhaps for the last time, to 1980.

That Olympic win was one of the greatest achievements in the history of sports.  It was a true miracle, something that appeared almost impossible.

Nowadays, we throw around the word "miracle" to describe just about any sports achievement. 

But, a miracle implies that the achievement was considered impossible, even beyond comprehension.  

Very few sports moments truly qualify for such a powerful word. 

But, the 1980 Olympics win was a rare exception. 

It shouldn't have happened.  Nobody outside of that U.S. locker room truly believed it could happen.

The Soviet Union was loaded with all-world players.  They were amateurs in name only.

While they didn't have anyone named Malkin, Ovechkin, or Datsyuk, they had other players who were just as heralded at the time.

Their goalie, Vladislav Tretiak, may very well have been the best goaltender in the world. 

Plenty of other players on the team would have starred on any NHL team of that era, including Boris Mikhailov, Valeri Kharlamov, Viacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Krutov, and Sergei Makarov. 

While some of these players eventually did go on to play in the NHL, it wasn't until they were long past their playing primes.   

The Soviets were a true Goliath in hockey at that time.  Their club teams were better than most NHL teams and their national team had walloped the NHL All-Stars 6-0 the year prior. 

The U.S. was thought to be a 15-pound hockey weakling, not even registering on the radar screen just yet, despite the obvious strides the nation was making in its hockey programs. 

Next to zero U.S. players were yet starring in an NHL that was almost completely dominated by Canadian players. 

That isn't to say that the U.S. players on that Olympic squad were not highly regarded.  They were the best amateur players in the country, and several would later go on to have excellent NHL careers.

Herb Brooks had plenty of talent at his fingertips to mold into the cohesive and dynamic unit that would eventually shock the world.

But, nobody thought they had a prayer of challenging the mighty Soviet lords of the ice. 

When the two teams met in an exhibition match earlier that year, the Soviets squeaked by the American squad by a mere seven goals in a 10-3 blowout, a score that could have been a whole lot worse.

En route to that historic Olympics matchup, the U.S. team had to work for just about every win, while the Soviets mostly won just by showing up.

They were the intimidators.  Everyone knew they were the best.  It was unquestioned. 

The gold medal was theirs.  Everyone else was playing for the silver.

The U.S. squad only got through their opening round game against Sweden with a tie thanks to a goal they scored when Jim Craig went to the bench for an extra attacker during the game's final minute. 

Meanwhile, the Soviets beat Japan, the Netherlands, and Poland in the preliminary rounds by a combined score of 41-5.

If the two teams had met 20 times, the Soviet squad probably would have won 19 of those games.  But, on the day they met in the Olympics, the Soviets rolled snake eyes.  

The game was miraculous, not just for the final result, but also in how it unfolded.  The U.S. squad fell behind 1-0, and then 2-1.  It looked like the Soviets would blow it open at any moment, as they literally pelted Jim Craig with a storm of pucks.

The Soviets were well on their way to taking that lead into the locker room.  

Literally as the final second remained on the clock, the U.S. squad found the equalizer, with only three Russian players still on the ice. 

The team had already cashed it in and headed to the locker room when Mark Johnson pushed the rebound into the net.

The fact that the game was tied after the first period was such a shock to the Soviet coach that Viktor Tikhonov pulled the best goalie in the world from the net, replacing him with Vladimir Myshkin.

The move was almost certainly a mistake, sending a signal of doubt to the superior Soviet squad.

The U.S. would fall behind again for a third time, 3-2, when Aleksander Maltev scored the only goal of the second period.

But, the U.S. would rebound in the third period when Mark Johnson notched his second goal to tie it.  Mike Eruzione, the team captain, scored the game winner.

The Soviet coach was so befuddled in the game's final minutes that he didn't pull his goalie, being caught completely flat-footed while facing a situation that had never even crossed the darkest recesses of his mind as a possibility.

It simply was not supposed to happen.  It couldn't happen.  It was inconceivable. 

The U.S. squad was dominated throughout all 60 minutes of the game.  They were outshot 39-16.  But, Jim Craig put together one of the greatest games ever played by a goalie. 

And, somehow, by some miracle, the U.S. squad won.  A bunch of college players thrown together a few months before beat arguably the best hockey team in the world.

The significance of that game was obviously heightened by the political context in which it was played. 

It was also one of the rare cases when the background story and the actual drama of the game lined up so perfectly.  It also came at a time of great national doubt.

On that day in 1980, the Soviet Olympic hockey team was Goliath, a manifestation of the enemy in a geopolitical struggle of competing superpowers.

We've come a long way since that day. 

The Russian stars of the NHL are now our heroes, as we marvel at their incredible skills, determination, and sportsmanship.

They are the miracle workers with what they can do with the puck while flying around the hockey rink with reckless abandon.

They are part of the fabric of the U.S. cities in which they play, with Malkin being both a Russian superstar and an adopted Pittsburgher.  

Detroit Red Wings fans show near reverence for favorite adopted son Datsyuk, while Washington fans flood the message boards with "Ovechkin is better than Crosby" lunacy.  

Then again, who knows?  If I was a Capitals' fans, I might suffer from the same dementia. 

One thing that we all have in common is the shared belief that it is our privilege to see these guys play. 

Pass me the Vodka, please.

Unfortunately for the Red Wings, that moment was now.

Talbot score one more goal than the Red Wings in leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to claim their third Stanley Cup.

The Penguins capped off one of the most unlikely runs to a championship in the history of sports.

In the middle of the season, this team was left for dead.  They Stanley Cup curse had struck.

They were playing without passion, seemingly adrift with no idea how to right the ship. 

Ray Shero had finally seen enough, replacing Michel Therrien, the man that guided the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals last year, with Dan Bylsma, who was coaching in Wilkes-Barre at the time.

Doubt was replaced by belief.  The players believed in their coach and they believed in each other.    

The Penguins, under Bylsma, caught fire.  They gunned down playoff team after playoff team while just trying to climb back into the playoff standings. They went from way outside the playoff standings to capturing home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. 

Along the way, article after article appeared, even among Pittsburgh sportswriters, declaring them dead after each setback. 

But, the team never stopped believing.  And by the time they made it to the playoffs, they weren't the only ones believing.

Nothing came easy for these guys. 

They were in danger of going to a seventh game against the Philadelphia Flyers in a first round matchup before catching fire to put them away in the third period of Game Six.

They were on life support against the Washington Capitals on several occassions.  First, they climbed out of a two game hole, surviving a pivotal Game Three by winning in overtime. 

They bounced back from a home-ice loss to put the Caps away in Game Seven in Washington.

Against, the Red Wings, they again found themselves in a two-game hole. No team had ever climbed out of two game holes twice in a playoff run. 

Sportswriters and NHL talking heads were practically tripping over each other to write the Penguins' obituary. 

They just weren't experienced enough, didn't have the same discipline, didn't yet have what it took to beat the Red Wings. 

But, they still believed and so did we. The Penguins rewarded our faith by winning the next two games.

After being blown out in Game Five, they were declared dead for the final time.  But, the operative word for these Penguins since the mid-season turnaround was resilience.

And they bounced back to win Game Six in a gutty performance on home ice. 

Still, plenty of people thought winning Game Seven in Detroit was a bridge too far.  They were a great team and should be proud of what they had accomplished, but the universe would right itself in Game Seven. 

The Penguins would hear none of it.  They still believed this was their Cup to lose.

Energized by Marc-Andre Fleury's best game of the playoffs, the Penguins rose to the task one final time. 

The game's pivotal moment happened in the second period.  The Penguins were up 1-0, had just lost their captain for the game, and now were facing a crucial power play.

The game was on the line.

If the Red Wings score there, the Stanley Cup probably stays in Detroit.  But, the Penguins played with heart and soul, finding just enough to kill off that penalty and the surge that followed.

Fleury threw himself all over the ice, as puck after puck stuck to him like glue. 

There is nothing quite as frustrating as running into a red hot goalie at the worst possible time and that frustration became more and more evident for the Red Wings and their fans as the game progressed.

Fleury may still be standing in front of the net in Joe Louis Arena, daring the Red Wings to try to beat him with his signature smile hidden behind his hockey mask.

The Red Wings found themselves in an odd position, down two goals entering the last period of a Stanley Cup Finals. 

And they responded as a champion should, by raising their game and attacking like there was no tomorrow.

The depleted Penguins, clearly feeling the loss of Crosby, hunkered down and continued to battle as the minutes winded down, barely hanging on.

The Red Wings finally beat Fleury with about six minutes left in the game, setting up one final frantic finish between these two teams.

In the final minutes, it appeared for a moment that the Red Wings had tied it.  They finally got a puck by Fleury that bounced off the top crossbar.  Time stood still for just that moment as the game hung in the balance. 

And then the Penguins had pushed the puck back up the ice for a much needed reprieve. 

It had to end this way for the Penguins, with one last gut check of a performance against a true hockey Dynasty. 

As the playoffs progressed, I rooted for every team the Red Wings played out of sheer respect for the Red Wings.  I believed, and still do, that they were the toughest possible matchup for the Penguins.

But, in the end, the the quality of the Penguins' opponent made the victory all the sweeter. 

The Penguins wanted to be the best and did it in the ultimate way, by beating the team that everybody thought was the best.

The win was secured when Fleury hurtled himself in front of one last guided missile as the final second ticked off. 

Penguins flooded the ice to celebrate one of the greatest achievements in all of sports.

While the Red Wings played with plenty of passion and pride, this was the Penguins' night.

Evgeni Malkin claimed the Conn Smythe after a sensational two-way effort in Game Seven that capped off his superb playoff run. 

Sidney Crosby took the Cup and lifted it over his head, literally beaming as he carried it around the ice before handing it off to the old grizzled vet who played on his wing, Billy Guerin. 

Guerin, like Brian Trottier seventeen years ago, looked like a kid in a candy store as he lifted the Cup up high, smiling from ear to ear, thrilled that fortune had handed him one last chance to lift Lord Stanley's cup over his head.

Marian Hossa looked on in disbelief as his old mates celebrated, trying to comprehend the hand that fate had dealt him. 

The war was over. 

The two teams met at center ice to shake hands as the champion torch was past from the veteran Red Wings to the young gun Penguins, at least for this year. 

Mike Babcock was heard congratulating Sidney Crosby on his leadership, a class ending to a memorable series between two great teams.

Each of the Penguins took their turn with the Cup as they basked in one of sports' greatest accomplishments. 

After Crosby took the first turn with the Cup as the youngest captain to ever secure that honer, the older vets got their turn to hoist it high before it finally made its way down to some of the younger players. 

A surprising number of Penguins' fans were there to watch the celebration.

Nearly every player on their roster took a turn playing the hero during this playoff run which is exactly what it takes to win the Cup.  

The March of the Penguins was over.

They were the champions. 

And this was their night.

The key moment of this game so far came right after the injury to Sidney Crosby.  The Penguins were up a goal but facing serious adversity.

There Captain and leader had just gone to the locker room and there was no knowing if he could make it back.

And, then came the penalty.  The Red Wings fired off a flurry of shots, some at point blank, off Fleury.  He stood firm. 

In fact, this is the best he has looked during the entirety of these playoffs, making some incredible saves.

The finals seconds ticked off the penalty with the Penguins still nursing that critical one goal lead.

Not long after the penalty kill, Mad Max Talbot added to his legend, firing off his second shot that beat Chris Osgood.

Pittsburgh 2, Detroit 0.

20 more minutes.  This game is far from over which was evident during the final two minutes of the second period.

The Red Wings attacked with a fury, controlling the play in the Penguins zone and getting off plenty of great shots in the process.

But, the Flower said "No...not tonight."  At least not yet.

One more period for heroes to emerge.  20 more minutes that these guys will remember for the rest of their lives.  20 more minutes of pulse racing hockey.

Go Pens!

Not only is the Stanley Cup decided by a winner-take-all game played by two teams with their backs to the wall, but the final battle in the less important individual war is being waged for the Conn Smythe trophy.

The finality of the game raises the intensity of each individual matchup that is playing out on the ice.

Hockey has two seasons.  And the two most coveted individual trophies are the ones that go to the MVP of each of those seasons, the Hart Trophy for the regular season and the Conn Smythe trophy for the playoffs. 

As of now, I think there are only five legitimate threats to win the Conn Smythe, two from the Red Wings and three from the Penguins.

It is possible that a wild card could sneak in, but it would require a crazy set of circumstances to happen, like Ruslan Fedotenko scoring four goals in a 4-3 Penguins win while not being assisted by Evgeni Malkin.  Sure, it's possible, but so is a monkey randomly typing out a Shakespeare play on a computer keyboard. 

So, barring something insanely crazy happening, there are five likely candidates. 

While the Conn Smythe recognizes the best player over the entirety of the playoffs, the final game will have a disproportionately high impact on who wins it.

That has almost always been the case.   

Is Game seven any more important than the other six games?  No...and yes.  The goal is to be the first team to win four games and each game counts the same, as one win. 

In that sense, the game has exactly the same overall impact as the previous six games.

But, the fact that Game sevens mean that both teams are playing with the same level of cornered-beast intensity does add a different element that is not present in the other six games. 

In that sense, Game sevens are different than other games with emotions running wild in all of the players. 

It is hard to predict how a team will perform in this type of pressure-packed environment knowing that the Cup is being polished up and all they need to do is just win to grab it. 

So, it is only right that how a player performs in the biggest game of the year should have a higher impact on the Conn Smythe than how a player performed in Game Two of the second round. 

The trophy rarely goes to a player on the losing team and it definitely won't this season.

There are years when a player's performance has been so spectacular and comparatively better than that of his teammates that he has already locked up the trophy before the final game is played with the only caveat being that his team needs to win.

This is not one of those years.

If the Red Wings win, the trophy will most likely go to:

Chris Osgood:  Osgood is as close as there is this year to a sure thing if one team wins it.  He has been sensational over all four series. 

During that time, he has given up few soft goals, and has been nearly unbeatable in Detroit. 

Far too often in the past, Osgood has been underrated and hasn’t seen much appreciation for his play. 

But, he was able to really shine this year primarily because the Red Wings were not as dominant as they were on a couple of their previous runs when he all too often seemed like a spectator on an offensive and defensive juggernaut.

That has not been the case this year. Unless the Red Wings win a shootout in which Osgood gets beat early and often, he’ll win it.

Henrik Zetterberg:  Zetterberg had the monumentally difficult task of neutralizing Sidney Crosby in the Finals.  And, by and large, he did a superb job of it with plenty of help from his defensemen. 

The problem for Zetterberg in terms of the Conn Smythe is that has come at a price.  His offensive production is also down as he has been forced to focus more on his defensive game.

That doesn’t lessen what he has achieved. But, in the stats-driven world of sports, that achievement is less noticeable, if no less impressive. 

The other thing Zetterberg has going against him is that he won the award last year.  That also favors Osgood.  But if a Red Wing not named Osgood is given the award, it will go to Zetterberg regardless of the offensive heroes of Game seven. 

Pavel Datsyuk has missed too many key games to enter the pictures and Dan Cleary, the other dark horse, has not borne anywhere close to the burden of Hank.

If the Penguins win, things get a bit more interesting.  Game seven will have a much bigger bearing on who gets the award for the Penguins since they have three legitimate contenders and two offensive stars who aren’t separated by much.

Evgeni Malkin:  Malkin will be the first player to top all scorers in both the regular season and playoffs since some guy named Mario Lemieux pulled off the feat.  That is no longer in doubt and is an amazing achievement.

He also stands a good chance to be the first player to ever do that while not collecting either MVP trophy.  While I think the Hart Trophy should go to Malkin, it will probably go to Alex Ovechkin. 

Malkin has been awesome at times throughout these playoffs, coming up huge against the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes.  When he has jumped over the boards, he has usually been the best guy on the ice. 

He is considered the odds on favorite to win the award if the Penguins win it all but I’m not so sure.  At the very least, I don't think he has wrapped up the award yet should the Penguins go on to win the Cup.  

Sidney Crosby:  Crosby has also been an offensive juggernaut throughout the playoffs and is only a few points behind Malkin. 

When faced with the decision as to who to throw their best defensive players at to neutralize, the Red Wings chose Crosby over Malkin.  That says a lot. 

I think a solid argument could be made that Crosby is more deserving than Malkin of that trophy.  He has won a ton of key face offs, been the on ice leader of the team, and effectively neutralized some of Detroit’s best players. 

That sword cut both ways in this series with Zetterberg and Crosby largely cancelling each other out. He also played with more maturity than Malkin, who took a few costly and unnecessary penalties. 

That isn't much of a knock on Malkin.  He has been every bit the superstar that he was during the regular season. 

I think whichever player has a bigger Game Seven is the leading candidate to win the Conn Smythe should the Penguins win.  It may very well come down to which player has a bigger role in the decisive goal, especially if it is a one goal game. 

One prediction I can make that I'm certain is right.  If Crosby wins the honor, the Crosby haters will go nuts, claiming Malkin was robbed with a few off-handed references to diving and whining and plenty of charges of league bias.  

Marc-Andre Fleury:  Fleury is a definite long-shot.  The Flower has made some spectacular saves, but he has also not been consistently sharp throughout these playoffs. 

There is only one scenario that would likely result in him winning the award. 

For Fleury to win, the Penguins would need to be noticeably outplayed and still win the game, preferably in a low scoring shutout.  That is not out of the question since Fleury can put together awe inspiring games in which he simply lets nothing past him.

If the Penguins win 1-0 on a goal scored by Hal Gill after being outshot 38-18, Fleury wins the Conn Smythe.  You can take that to the bank.

For that matter, if the Penguins win another game in which neither Malkin or Crosby break onto the score sheet, Fleury's odds go up. 

If I was a betting man, here is how I see the percentages breaking down on each player’s chances of winning the award:

Osgood:  32 percent

Malkin:  23 percent

Crosby: 22 percent

Zetterberg:  18 percent

Fleury:  5 percent

Marian Hossa:  0 percent

So, how do I really see it ending? 

I’m guessing that the Penguins nip the Red Wings 4-3 on a late goal by Bill Guerin on a key assist by Crosby.  Crosby skates off with the Conn Smythe but doesn’t really seem to care.  In the end, it’s all about the Cup.

He races to hand the Cup off to Evgeni Malkin, celebrating one of the best duos in the history of professional hockey.

By tomorrow this time, we’ll all know the real end of the story. 

And he singled himself out. "I better get better," Tomlin said when discussing the State of the Steelers.

"That's the nature of this thing. And getting better doesn't necessarily mean a better outcome; I understand that. I'm always trying to be the best I can be. I'm as critical of myself as I am of anyone. I think that's appropriate from a leadership standpoint."

"Hopefully I'll do a cleaner, more efficient job of that here in '09."

This was more than an exercise in humility, of which Tomlin appears to have plenty. He was setting the tone for the 2009 Steelers.

He was voicing his recognition that every member of the organization, including himself, must strive to be better in 2009 or the season will not end well.

Does Tomlin really need to get better? In two years as coach, he has already improved tremendously and has a Super Bowl ring to show for it.

He was not always great in key situations during his rookie coaching season. His head scratching decision to go for two late in the game against Jacksonville even after a holding penalty hurt the Steelers’ chances of winning the game.

That isn’t meant as a criticism of Tomlin. All coaches make mistakes early in their careers and all good coaches learn from them.

Mistakes are not decisions that lead to bad results. They are decisions that never should have been made in the first place.   

No doubt every coach who ever loses a playoff game spends plenty of minutes that night second guessing decisions that helped contribute to the result.

Tomlin is a quick study. In 2009, his coaching was much cleaner with few mistakes.

Tomlin set the right tone and was a large reason why the Steelers were the last team standing at season’s end.

It is Tomlin’s tremendous success that is resulting in so many other young coordinators getting serious looks for heading coaching opportunities.

He was the vanguard of a trend just as the Steelers’ success with the 3-4 defense sparked a revival of the defensive formation once thought to be on its way to extinction.

But, Tomlin hasn’t peaked as a head coach. He has plenty of room for improvement and he is wise to recognize that.

His comment is right on the money. The Steelers do need to get better if they want to repeat and, what better way to send that message than to hold yourself up as the prime example?

It’s hard for players to argue against the message when the coach is essentially cussing out himself.

No doubt Tomlin is also speaking to his coaching staff. The coaching, from an offensive coordinator standpoint in 2008, left plenty to be desired at times.

Every season is different. The 2008 Steelers were a great football team but they were far from a perfect football team.

In fact, they were one of the worst offenses statistically to ever win a Super Bowl. Statistics frequently lie and, in the case of the Steelers, gloss over the fact that the offense was at its best when it needed to be the most.

They also mask the improvement in the offense’s performance during the playoffs. But, I’d bet the farm that the Steelers will not be hoisting the Lombardi trophy in 2010 if their regular season offensive ranking buried in the 20s.

With their defense, it is possible, but I think it is highly unlikely.

I fully expect the defense to be even better this year than last year.

They might be the best defense in the history of the game in terms of talent and leadership and this year may very well represent their peak season.

But, expecting the same or better results is asking a lot.

So, Tomlin’s message to the Steelers is to forget 2008 and to strive to get better in 2009. That is the perfect message entering this season.

A team cannot stand still and expect the same results.

That is why so many championship teams suffer monumental letdowns. It is hard not to believe all of the headlines when they are telling you that you walk on water.

It is easy to mouth platitudes about giving 100%, but human nature invariably sets in.

Even the smallest letup in today’s NFL will spell disaster considering that every team boasts plenty of talent. While talent is obviously a huge factor, the difference between teams often comes down to preparation, desire, and heart.

Even championship teams have to win plenty of gut check games along the way. That is the battle that all coaches of championship teams face in trying to push the right buttons.

It is all too easy to take the easy road, to throttle back the level of effort and coast a bit.

That is one reason why Tomlin is a special coach. He recognizes what message he needs to send to the team and then he relentlessly sells them on it. That is what he is up to now.

He has his message. Now he is hammering it home.  

He made the decision at the end of last season to turn down a lucrative long-term offer by the Pittsburgh Penguins to sign with the Detroit Red Wings. 

He did it for one reason, and one reason only: Hossa thought he would have a better chance at winning a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.

He all but said as much.

That decision did not endear him with Penguins fans, earning him the nickname Benedict Hossa.

But the biggest story in regards to Hossa is the one that is not really being told, which is the impact of his decision on the fortunes of both teams.  

In my opinion, neither the Penguins nor the Red Wings would be in these Finals without Hossa making that decision.

Let's start with the Penguins. It is not that I think they would have been worse if Hossa would have stayed on board. Quite the contrary.

They would have been better. Love him or hate him, Hossa is a great hockey player. Partly because of the loss of Hossa, the Penguins took a big step backwards this year.

If he had remained a part of the Penguins' flock, that backwards step would not have been quite as cataclysmic. 

Which means I don't think the most meaningful thing that happened to the Penguins this season would have happened had Hossa stayed in Pittsburgh. 

They would not have slipped all the way to 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings where they were barely treading water, probably falling to somewhere between the sixth and eighth seed. 

But the lack of an impact winger in the mode of Hossa was only a small part of the Penguins' problems.

They simply were not responding well to Michel Therrien's defensive approach and disciplinarian style.

However, despite their struggles, they would not have slid far enough in the standings to cost Therrien his job, which means Dan Bylsma would still be in Wilkes-Barre.

The impact of that coaching change cannot be understated. The Penguins have responded to Bylsma in glorious fashion. They were a completely different team once he took over the ship. 

Bill Guerin would probably also not be a Penguin and would have likely landed on another Cup contender at the deadline. 

The Penguins wouldn't have had the room to make any big signings before the deadline as they stumbled into the playoffs.

That means that I don't think the Penguins would be playing in these Finals this year had Hossa remained a Penguin. 

As for the Red Wings, this year's squad needed Hossa. They were not as dominant during the regular season as last year's team and struggled to remain healthy. 

With the injuries sustained by several of the key players before and during the playoffs, Hossa has played a huge role for them.

I'm not saying I think Hossa made the right decision. I don't.

I think he would have been better off staying a Penguin. He would have put up scary numbers playing on a line with the best setup guy in hockey, Sidney Crosby, and that chemistry would only have grown in the years ahead.

His long-term impact as a Penguin would have been more profound than as a Red Wing.

But the most immediate impact of his decision was that it set in motion a course of events that landed the two teams right back where they finished last season, battling in the Finals for the Stanley Cup.

Maybe Penguins fans should be secretly thanking Hossa, even as they call out their boos when he touches the puck for one more game. 

If my guess is right, who would we be watching right now if Hossa was still a Penguin? 

My guess is that we'd be tuning in to watch Washington and Anaheim play for the Stanley Cup.

But we'll never know.