YAY to the Pittsburgh Penguins

So who'd have thunk it? I mean it's one thing to hope for the underdog to pull it off but few fans, experts, or players actually expected it to happen. It was an exciting do-or-die Game 7 after a wild Stanley Cup final series and one of the better playoffs in recent memory. Somehow the Pens overcame the odds and defeated the defending champs in their own building after losing the deciding game at home to the same Detroit Red Wings one season ago. You couldn't write a better script. Okay, maybe Revenge of the Nerds captured the same kind of underdog success, but Malkin is a way more compelling character than Booger.

They lose the first 2 games and everyone writes them off. They win the next 2 games and people start giving them a chance. Then in Game 5, they have their heart ripped out of their chest by Detroit and they're left for dead. But somehow they fight back to win Game 6 setting up the epic finale. Then in Game 7, they manage to get a couple of goals from grinder Max Talbot, they fight through an injury to their Kid captain, and Fleury holds the fort (with some help from the crossbar). Pens win.

The only thing that could have made this better is if it happened a month ago when more people cared. June 12 is a ridiculous date to decide the NHL's best. CBC is actually perplexed why the ratings are down. Gee ... I dunno, maybe because casual fans are on a patio or at the cottage to take advantage of the small window of decent weather we have in this country? Let's try bumping up the season by a month and watch the ratings skyrocket.

So YAY to you Pittsburgh Penguins. You deserved the win and you're the model franchise for rebuilding a team from the basement to the Cup. If only Leafs management cared about winning as much as your management does.