When Marian Hossa left Pittsburgh, he probably didn’t think this day would ever come. Now, the city that once revered him gets a chance to consider him a villain. It’s like when Chris Pronger of the Ducks touches the puck, the Joe Louis Arena starts raining boos. Melon Arena will boo Hossa. There’s also two possible Conn Smythe candidates, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fluery, both of the Penguins, going up against Pavel Datsyuk and the defending Norris winner Niklas Lidstrom. Now the NHL offices in Toronto have two of the biggest teams on the NHL’s brightest stage. This is what you work for in training camp. This is where all of your strength and conditioning comes into play. For the Penguins, it is a chance of redemption. For Mike Babcock and Mike and Marian Ilitch, it is a chance to retain the throne and prove that the Stanley Cup is not an easy trophy to win. You can’t mention the Stanley Cup without saying Detroit. This series will be full of punch counter-punch. In goal for Detroit there’s 35 year old Chris Osgood who has the heart of a lion. For the Penguins, there’s 23 year old Fluery, who hopes that he can prove to the rest of the world why the puck stops with Fluery. This is the series that I wanted to cover. It has all the makings of an NHL classic. It’s Muhammad Ali vs. Sidney Holyfield.

Where can you see the epic battle? It all starts on Saturday May 30, at 7:00 pm Central, on NBC. Here’s the XM Stations: Red Wings with Ken Cal and Paul Woods on 204, Penguins with the greatest hockey voice ever Mike Lange on 205.

Marian Hossa and Sidney Crosby are one step closer to meeting, but this time the enemy lines will be clearly drawn. Hossa left Pittsburgh to try to get a taste of Lord Stanley. There’s one more game for Crosby and one more for Hossa, until the match-up we have all been waiting for: Detroit vs. Pittsburgh. In one more game, the Carolina Hurricanes will be downgraded to a tropical depression. For Detroit, one more game will deliver yet another Western Conference Banner. This is the norm for Detroit. They play in an arena named after a boxer. Detroit has been giving their opponents the KO punch. Meanwhile, the Penguins have had Sid being Sid and Marc-Andre Fluery being Fluery. One game away from the ultimate hockey supremacy match-up. One year ago, it was the Red Wings drinking from Lord Stanley, but this year will be different. You have to lose one to get one. These Penguins have shown why they are the perfect representative out of the East. It is because Brooks Orpik has the heart and the will of a champion. He has delivered a fatal blow to the Hurricanes by hitting them 71 times. The Penguins will be no slouch for the Red Wings. This series has the potential to go seven. The Sheriff’s pick: Crosby and Fluery. Sorry Marian, but Sidney will smash your dreams. If you would have stayed in Pittsburgh, you would have been drinking from Lord Stanley this year, but instead, you were disloyal and left to where the money was talking. Now you’re one series away from not getting the Stanley Cup.

It will be 22 year old Crosby lifting the Cup on your ice. Chris Osgood will be Os-Bad. You will be disappointed again because you will be denied a Stanley Cup by a smarter and younger Penguins team.

Mike Lang is one of the most humorous broadcasters in our profession.  Yet another reason why the Sheriff can be found listening to one of the greatest players in the NHL, Sidney Crosby.  When you guys hear how enthusiastic this guy is, you’ll understand why I like being part of the profession I call the “media family.”  For those of you who have satellite radio, this is hockey at its best, Mike Lang style.  Do not listen to any other announcer.  You want fire and passion besides your favorite writer on this website?  Well, listen to the passion in Mike Lang’s voice when he’s calling a Pittsburgh Penguins goal.  This guy is one of the greatest broadcasters ever.  Thats why I like covering sports.

Detroit – Tonight’s Game 2 features the Detroit Red Wings having a 1-0 lead over the young and youthful Blackhawks.  It will be interesting to see if Joel Quenneville goes with Nikolai Khabibulin or Cristobal Huet.  For Detroit, it will be interesting to see if they learned there lesson.  It will be a really fun to watch Quenneville and Babcock play a game of coaching chess.  In the playoffs, it’s always fun to watch the coaches try to outsmart each other.  We’ll see if these young Blackhawks can get off to a better early start and how much rubber the Red Wings fire at Chicago’s starting goaltender.  Also, we’ll see if the ‘Hawks can stay out of the box.  It will be interesting to watch if the Red Wings throw in a new wrinkle that Chicago hasn’t seen before and to see if Detroit cleans up their one flaw from Game 1, turnovers.

Pittsburgh – Mellon Arena was the site of Game #1, Staal vs. Staal, which featured Jordan Staal of the Penguins against Eric Staal of the previously unstoppable Hurricanes.  That is until last night.  Two heavyweights were after a one-game-to-none lead.  Remember in 
yesterday’s preview how we talked about the keys for the Hurricanes?

The key for the Hurricanes was to rock #87 Sidney Crosby.  Early in the first period, the forecast was a heavy dose of Marc-Andre Fluery as he would stone the ‘Canes shooters into tropical depressions.  The boys from the Steel City were the ones who drew first blood.  Miroslav Satan set up the play by doing good work along the boards and then firing a shot past Cam Ward for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.  They added another beam of steel when Evgeni Malkin went top-shelf on Ward to make it 2-0.  However, in the second period, Marc-Andre Fluery face a tidal wave named Chad Larose, cutting the Penguins lead to 2-1.  Pittsburgh’s Phillippe Boucher restored a two goal lead early in the third making it 3-1.  Joe Corvo scored the final goal of the game, but this time it would be Jordan emerging victorious.  Jordan Staal and his Penguins now have a 1-0 lead over Eric’s Hurricanes in this seven game match-up of Staal vs. Staal.  Game 2 is back at Mellon Arena on Thursday night at 6:30 pm.