Many comparisons are being made right now between the 1984 Edmonton Oilers team and the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins team.  Is that fair?  Or even accurate?

The 84 Oilers were a dynamo of a team, led by Gretzky, Messier, Kuri and Fuhr.  They were nearly an unstoppable force, and ushered into the NHL a new era of offensive hockey that was played in ways that the game had never before seen.  Gretzky was the key, and his ability to play from behind the net and find the open man led to point totals that may never again be rivaled in the NHL.  The entire team was built upon youth, speed and skill, and the Oilers were dazzling when they were playing at full speed.  It was a different era for goalies, though, before the wide-spread popularity of the butterfly goalie style, and the larger pads and bodies to match.  It was before the neutral zone trapping defenses that were created to stop teams like Gretzky's when the opponent couldn't match speed or skill.  The 84 Oilers played an Islanders team that had just won 4 straight titles, including against those same Oilers in the previous season.  So while Detroit isn't coming off of four straight titles, it is the first back to back Finals rematch since those two teams tangled.

So what is similar?  The Pens have the game's best young player in Crosby.  Like Gretzky, Crosby is a gifted athlete, subperb with the puck, has a dazzling shot when he needs it and is a tremendous passer.  He is driven to win, and is proving himself in this playoff year.  The Pens as a team are young, fast and have skill from top to bottom.  They have a young goalie, the secondary scoring, a second supreme goal-scorer in Malkin and they are obviously hungry for a title.  At face value, the teams are similar in that respect.

But the Oilers faced an aging, tired Islanders team on the last legs of their run.  It was not likely that they'd be able to beat the favored Oilers in the rematch, and that was proven when the Oilers swept them out of the Finals.  I don't think anyone that knows the slightest bit about hockey is expecting a sweep in this Finals; if anything most people are expecting it to go the full seven games.  Detroit is not on its last legs, either, getting to the Finals on smoke and mirrors.  They are a year older, and they are banged up, but they have a stable of younger players themselves, and they are a balanced team that generates scoring from top to bottom.  This is not an Islanders team served up as an appetizer for greatness to come.  They are a great team in their own right, and will be a huge challenge for Pittsburgh. 

This Finals is truly a strength on strength kind of matchup.  The Wings have Datsyuk to counter Crosby, and Zetterberg to match with Malkin.  The role players on both teams are tough, energetic guys that have a deft scoring touch.  Their goalies are playing quite well despite the constant suggestions that neither is up to the task of winning a series.  The only difference is that the Wings won last year.  But you can wonder whether or not getting to the Finals, and then finding some traction against this same Detroit team last year is enough experience for these Pens.  If there's a huge difference its between the coaches.  Bylsma is a rookie.  Will he make rookie coaching blunders?

It's not as if a Finals series needs to have something extra.  Both teams are the best in their respective conferences, and each have the burning desire to win the title.  No extra motivation is necessary.  But, the Pens have a great deal of extra motivation, and it will be played up in the media - this is the hype machine here.  Last year, the Pens swapped three young, talented players to rent the services of Marian Hossa.  AFter the Pens lost, Hossa had three offers on the table - a one-year deal from Detroit or more lucrative multi-year deals from both Pittsburgh and Edmonton.  Hossa chose Detroit, stating in his press conference that he believed the Detroit Red Wings gave him the best opportunity to win a Cup.

You have to understand Hossa's history to understand this decision.  He was among a stable of young stars in Ottawa, and signed a rich, multi-year deal with the expectation that he would be part of that franchise for a long time.  The Senators promptly traded him to Atlanta.  Hossa I believe was dismayed by that, and it opened it eyes.  He was aware that he was viewed only as an asset to a team.  Therefore, his one and only defense was to in effect become a mercenary.  If there was one way to offset the decisions that the teams made on his behalf, it was to become as hard-line on making his own decisions once he got that ability.  Furthermore, I think that Hossa quite clearly saw the dynamic in the Penguins locker room.  He saw there was significant personality conflicts between the coach Michel Therrien and the players.  And I think he more clearly saw that, in his opinion, Therrien's system was holding back this gifted group of forwards, and looked west to see a team that had a similar dynamic but played a very different system.  He saw a team stocked with stars, that was stable, that had a good locker room dynamic, and he was truly a mercenary.  So Hossa made what was probably the best decision for him at that time.  You cannot blame him for making that decision because he was convinced that it was the correct one, and so far this year he's seen nothing to convince him otherwise.

But in Pittsburgh, especially among his short-term teammates, it was seen as something else entirely.  It was a rejection - of a team, a city, a system and most importantly, its players.  Sidney Crosby reputedly lobbied extremely hard for Hossa to resign.  When Hossa spurned the Pens and Crosby, it was also rumored that Crosby took it personally.

For examples of what happens to teams when Crosby decides to take them personally, I suggest you talk to the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.  Crosby was sheer dynamite in those two series.  He played with an edge, and at times so dominated the ice you had to wonder if anyone could stop him.  Now, he's playing against the Wings, and more specifically, against Hossa and his decision.  I believe that Crosby would take far greater pleasure in winning the Cup than proving Hossa wrong...but you've got to think that exacting a little personal revenge might make it just the tiniest bit more pleasurable.  You'll never, ever hear Crosby say anything like that, however.  Not now, not ever.  Crosby measures each and every word that he says in front of cameras and microphones, and you'll not hear him gloat or respond.  His stock answer will be that "Hossa made a decision that he believed was best for him, and we all wished him well in that decision."  Or some variation of that.  But inside, in his heart, Crosby burns for the Title, and for retribution.  Proof, that Hossa made a poor choice.

I cannot imagine any Finals except for a very exciting and competitive one.  It would take outside influences of a tremendous degree to alter the competitive landscape - a killer injury is the only thing that comes to mind.  Whether Pittsburgh can beat the Wings remains to be seen.  Not only am I hopeful, but I believe this year that they have a truly excellent chance to do so.  The sub-plot between the Pens and history, and between Crosby and Hossa, add some elements to the Finals that can only enhance it.  It should be a great, great series.  GO PENS!

Pens 6, Canes 2.  The score doesn't fully indicate the nature of this game, but at the same time it does.  I had expected a far different Canes team tonight.  My preview entry went so far as to suggest that the Canes would come out with a game plan and energy that would secure them the win.  But, as the game wore on, and this series wears on, it has become painfully obvious that the Canes defense has been terrorized by Evgeni Malkin primarily, and Sidney Crosby to boot.  They are turning and fleeing any time either one of these two players gets the puck on their stick in space, and then they are looking confused in their own end.  Whether they're mesmerized by the skill or simply outmatched by the speed it's hard to tell.  But the Malkin/Crosby show has struck once more, and the Canes season is on life support now.

The first period began in perfect form for Carolina.  An early goal got them the lead and some momentum.  The expected flurry came but not with the same intensity that you might expect.  A power play handed to the Pens, however, saw Malkin score his first on a really pretty bang-bang play that evened the score.  It remained that way through a pretty even first period as both teams traded some decent chances.  But the nature of this game and this series was clearly demonstrated in a :31 time span late in the first.  Crosby streaked towards the net and received a great feed, and just like that chipped it past Ward.  Then, :31 later, Malkin did basically the same exact thing.  The air went out of the building to a large degree, and out of Carolina.

Even a scoreless second period didn't boost the Canes, nor did the early third-period goal by Samsonov.  The crowd got back into it, but then Malkin - who'd been dazzling the Canes all night - drove hard to the net with someone on his flank.  This, after Ward had made a series of simply astounding saves that left me wondering if that was going to be the necessary spark for Carolina.  Instead, Malkin did the prettiest little drop pass which was picked up by Fedotenko and zipped past Ward's shoulder to give the Pens a 4-2 lead.  The empty net goal scored by Adams was fluky, and then Bill Guerin added insult to injury by backhanding a goal past Ward while the Pens were on a late power play. 

The Pens relentless attack, especially by their two dominant centers, has put Carolina's entire defense on their heels.  They're unable to respond effectively to the speed and wizardry of Malkin or Crosby, and now they are looking more confused than ever in their own end.  It's been an exciting playoff year for Carolina, and certainly their fans had a great deal of hope and excitement coming into this series.  Whether Pittsburgh has another gear or not is hard to tell.  I think that this series has snowballed against the Canes to a large degree.  It has the hallmarks of "whatever can go wrong will" right now, and how Carolina battles that and the highly skilled Pittsburgh players is a near-impossible double assignment.  It's not really the showcase the NHL had expected, nor the battle that I think Pens fans fears and Canes fans expected.  It's just been a one-sided series thus far, and really it boils down to the play of Malkin and Crosby.  They are flat-out winning the series and bringing the whole team with them.

Game 4 is on Tuesday.  How the extra day will impact the teams is hard to forecast.  If anything it might hurt Pittsburgh because they've built tremendous momentum in the past 4 days and that is at risk for being lost.  It may give the Canes time to regroup and reconsider.  But, there wasn't much difference in the Pens between games 1 and 2, so maybe this extra day break won't mean much.  This series certainly looks like it's only going to go 4 games.  I don't know.  I've enjoyed these wins, but refuse to look ahead.  The only game that matters is game 4 on Tuesday night.  Go Pens!

For any Pens fan that reads this, all you have to know about tonight's game is to watch highlights from last night's Detroit/Blackhawks game.  For any Canes fan that feels all hope is lost, all you have to do is recall that your opponent on this night came back in the previous round from an 0-2 deficit of their own.  There are no safe bets in Conference Finals games.  Hell, it's not that hockey and basketball have that much in common, but LeBron James's Cavs were down to the last seconds, and to the last shot of the game, and his tremendous game-winner completely changed the nature of that series.  The Hawks win last night changed the composition of the Western Conference Finals, just like the Nuggets drawing even with the Lakers. 

PIttsburgh will face a team that is angry and cornered.  They will be hugely inspired by playing in front of their fans.  Pittsburgh is a hockey town, but it's not really a hockey arena.  The fans grow quiet while watching the game from time to time; that won't be true at the RBC Center.  They'll be loud and raucous tonight, using that noise as a way to spur on their team to victory. 

Carolina is in a must-win situation.  There is simply no way that the Canes can win four straight against Pittsburgh.  The Canes are an excellent hockey team but in Pittsburgh they are facing a team that is slightly better than them.  Talent wins out in the long run, but the intangibles play roles when the teams are relatively evenly matched.  Expecting a four-game winning streak is probably not a good thing; therefore, the Canes are facing the all of the pressure this evening.  They have to win.  They simply cannot lose.

Eric Staal has been in a goal-scoring funk since game 4 of the conference semis.  He's had his chances, but has faced the oppositions top defensive units in three straight games; tonight he'll not have to face his younger brother's unit as much and may get a break against the defensive pairings as well.  To me, Staal is the key to this game.  He's the big gun, the high profile offensive player, and simply has to get on the board and get production.  He's more than capable of doing it - his size and strength combined with his speed make him a very tall order for defenses.  It also ought to be in Staal's favor that so far in this series neither team has played great defense in front of their own goalie.  The goalies have been hung out to dry for long stretches of game action.  I would think that Staal will find the going easier tonight, and it Pittsburgh again is lax in their own end then Staal should be able to get on the board. 

Carolina has to first and foremost play better defense in front of Cam Ward.  Yes, the man's a great goaltender, constantly overlooked and overshadowed by bigger names playing in bigger markets.  But he's a money goalie, and he has few weaknesses.  The trouble is that when you allow PIttsburgh forty-plus shots on net, you're hanging Ward out to dry.  He won't stop everything.  Pittsburgh has too many top offensive players to expect a shut-out.  But playing better defense is a good start, and Carolina must play in their own zone far better than they've done thus far.  If they don't, it might not matter if Staal earns a playoff hat trick of his own. 

Carolina has been getting good and consistent production from other scorers so far in the first two games.  Those guys - LaRose, Cole and Eaves - have gotten the big goals.  If they remain as productive as they've been - both in terms of scoring and in energy - and Staal can add in some scoring, then the Canes have a solid chance of winning this game.  But they can't make the mistake of thinking Eric Staal can do it all on his own. 

There are many reasons to expect Carolina to win tonight.  They have proven to be resilient in this playoff year, and won't see an 0-2 deficit as an insurmountable challenge.  They can play that solid punch/counter-punch game with anyone.  They have a Cup-proven goalie.  They are relentless in the attack, and have many players that feature great skill and speed.  Those are all of their positives.  They'll need every single one of them if they want to win tonight and force at least a fifth game in this series.  Finally, maybe most importantly, they are again playing at home.  They've been great at home so far, taking two in a row last round against Boston to earn that 3-1 series lead they held at one point.  If they can get more responsible in their own end and maintain that high intensity in the offensive zone they ought to be able to earn a win and get this series back to something they can handle.

All that being said, however, is pretty much being a master of the obvious (for which I apologize, by the way).  The Pens know this as well.  They already know about the Canes skill and speed, and know about Ward's ability to make dazzling saves and routine saves.  They know that they can't hold Eric Staal off the scoring sheets forever, and know that as the visiting team the matchups will favor the Canes. 

Pittsburgh last year was solid defensively, but leaned just a trifle too much on the top scoring line to provide most if not all of the offense.  They have gotten scoring now up and down the roster, with chip in goals from Miro Satan, Phillipe Boucher and Chris Kunitz.  Malkin and Crosby are lighting the lamp with such regularity, however, that everything Carolina does could be rendered moot by those two guys alone.  That's the danger of playing Pittsburgh.  Their offense is relentless and fluid like Carolina's, except that they have two of the NHL's five best players.  That's almost patently unfair - it's like fielding a basketball team where both Kobe and LeBron are in the back court.  You have virtually no chance of winning against those two, especially when they're truly on their game.  Crosby and Malkin are both on their game, and they have been making everyone look silly this year. 

Pittsburgh will have to find a way to match Carolina's intensity, especially in the first minutes of the opening period.  The Pens can expect a flurry of action, with Carolina pressing to get that all-important first goal, and to get that crowd really rocking behind them.  Marc-Andre Fleury has been absolutely stellar in such situations; he'll have to be again tonight.  If MAF can hold the Canes scoreless - weathering the storm - and allow his team to get into the flow of the game then the Pens can earn that third win.  The Pens are the better of the two teams in my opinion.  Tonight they'll have to prove that they are capable of going to yet another level if they want to take a 3-0 series lead.  They are capable of doing it.  Whether they can or not is the question.  Tune in!

There's hate in this series now.  It was evident that these two teams had taken a serious disliking to one another around the mid-point of that wild first period.  The way these two teams played in the first period, you wondered if it wasn't going to end up a 10-8 game or something.  It seemed that both teams forward units had great hop, and the defense and defensive schemes were flat.  The punch/counterpunch of the first was enjoyable, if a bit stressful for fans of either team.  The flow of the game was fast and up and down the ice, with many good chances being earned by each team.

Both teams seemed to settle down in the second period.  Obviously both coaches had a word or several with their teams about playing defense.  Yet Carolina made another glaring error during a line change, and Maxime Talbot got loose and wound up, blasting the puck past Ward.  As the second period went on, the Pens forecheck wound up, and they had several long puck possessions, and the one at the end of the second period was a nightmare for Carolina.  The strength of the bangers, and their skills along the boards and their ability to shield Canes defenders from the puck wore down the Hurricanes.  While it was a nice, nifty shot by Kunitz that staked Pittsburgh to a 4-3 lead, you could see that it happened because the Canes were exhausted.  They were simply done in by the relentless pressure.

The third period started even again, and the Canes seldom-used fourth line got what should have been a huge, momentum-changing goal.  But it didn't seem to energize the team that much, or Pittsburgh stepped up their defensive game.  That was when Evgeni Malkin took over, and basically by himself scored the next two goals for a natural hat trick.  Versus mistakenly showed a graphic that said Malkin's hat trick was the first for the Pens in 10 years, but they forgot about the hat trick that Crosby earned in the game 2 loss against Washington.

Now, the end of the game was marred by a pretty nasty scrum/fight.  The Versus announcers were rather vague as to the reasons for the 5-minute major, but I thought that it was obvious.  During regular game action it looked to me that the Carolina played had raised his elbow rather obviously when crashing into Letang when Kris was touching up the iced puck.  Letang obviously had to retaliate for that dirty hit.  When the Versus announcers said that a Carolina player had been given a match penalty, they said that it must have been for something said or done in the scrum/fight that resulted.  I'm guessing that it came from the leading elbow.  Now I know the NHL is totally topsy-turvy when it comes to dishing out fines and suspensions, and while it was a dirty play, there were enough of them in this game and in game 1 that I think it would look somewhat unfair to assess a suspension to the Canes player when Matt Cooke didn't get one from his knee-on-knee hit to Cole.  I'll guess we'll have to wait and see about that.  I'm thinking that in the end it was about leading with the elbow; the fight and the resulting scrums were all about defending yourself and venting a little frustration (by Carolina) and protecting players (for Pittsburgh).  So in the grand scheme of things it meant absolutely nothing, but certainly has provided the necessary hate for this series.

I doubted whether Carolina could win this series to start.  When I looked at their comparative lineups, I thought that they had a slight edge at goal, but were not as solid in their forward units or defense pairings.  Cam Ward has been brilliant at times, but you can't lay all of the blame on him.  His defense has let him down at times, especially in game 2, and he's playing against the most elite goal-scorers he's seen yet.  To win this series, the Canes have to win both at the RBC Center.  I don't think they'll win both; I think they'll win one, however, but a 3-1 lead for Pittsburgh will probably signal the end of this series. 

The hype that will surround Vick from now until he signs with a team will remain fairly constant.  I personally think that it's almost a foregone conclusion that he'll sign on with a team.  There will be an NFL owner who will be willing to overlook his past, the fans' hue and cry, and general bad press in order to secure a player with Vick's many skills.  How he plays this year - whether he plays, what position he plays - will be a huge question.

First of all, I think Mike Vick's easiest path back to the NFL is to publicly approach the ASPCA and even the total bleeping idiots at PETA (an organization I personally loathe) and beg them to make him the public face of the two organizations.  The topic will be dog fighting, and on it Vick will explain that he was a total knucklehead, and that his mistakes should not be repeated nor tolerated by anybody.  Vick will have a certain sway among a group of people that are considered his peers; white suburbanites will remain angry with him because they have no way to relate to a man like Vick, with his history, but black families and youths will listen to him.  They'll remember his unbelievable feet, and his drastic fall, and seeing him speak on the subject may influence those people.  He'll have to agree to do this for a long time - perhaps as long as he plays in the NFL and for a few years beyond that.  And, he'll have to agree to do it pro bono - not accepting a penny of compensation for his time.  If he does that, then I think both PETA and the ASPCA will relent to a degree, and at least grudgingly let him off of the hook.  I think that would also make an impression in NFL corporate offices, and there's a group of people that protect the NFL's public image very carefully.  That kind of move will also have them nodding their heads.

So, assuming that Vick does something to convince people that he's learned his lesson, and is reinstated in the NFL, he'll need a very special team that will welcome him into their football family.

My guess - and this is pure conjecture - is that Vick will probably land in one of these franchises.

Buffalo.  Look, they brought in TO.  There's already speculation that they're in the market for him.  Their fan base wouldn't care (too much) about Vick's past because they'll look at Vick's talent and their existing team and realize how much he can contribute.  Would he be a starting QB?  Maybe not - but you can bet that the "Wildcat" formation would be in heavy use in Buffalo, and while Vick was never the strongest passer, having a runner that dangerous AND the ability to deliver a ball might be the kind of offensive spark that the Bills can use.  Plus, having a receiver like TO might actually help Vick.  Trent Edwards wouldn't like it, but then he's not exactly setting the NFL on fire, is he?

Dallas.  Yeah, they have a QB in Romo.  But Jerry Jones makes the final decision, and it's hard to tell what kind of thoughts run through his head sometimes.  He's the same person that brought in Adam "Pacman" Jones, TO and Tank Johnson all in the same year.  He's about selling tickets and generating buzz, and Vick would certainly do both.  Plus, imagine what kind of offense the Cowboys could have if they created some kind of hybrid position for Vick - a dual-shotgun formation or having Vick just kind of float around.  You'd have to defend him, and have to dedicate someone to him, and with the rest of the Cowboy weapons they have, it would add great stress to defenses.  But in the main, I think the likelihoood here is rather low.

Washington.  They've almost disavowed Jason Campbell as a starting QB, and Dan Synder hasn't shied away from controversy before.  Plus, it's not like Hampton Roads is that far from DC, and that's Vick's home stomping grounds.  I think, though, that in Jim Zorn's offense (the west coast variety) Vick would find great difficulty in passing; Atlanta tried that, and it failed as an offense with him leading it.  So at least personnel and scheme wise, Vick is a poor fit.  But you have to factor Synder into that equation, and then all bets are off.

Tampa.  Hell, they've brought in every other QB under the sun!

St. Louis.  They have a carpet - and a fast track for Vick - and are in desperate need of an excitement injection.  The midwestern types in St. Louis wouldn't approve of him, though, but the Rams could really use a man with his talents.  It's not like Marc Bulger has done a whole lot at the position.

Minnesota.  Let's assume for a moment that Favre can't come back.  Minnesota would be facing a nightmare scenario of a dominant running game and defense, and no passing game to speak of.  They, too, are a west-coast variety, but while Vick's never been the most accurate passer, he's certainly better and more accomplished than anyone they have now.  Plus, with Peterson, Vick wouldn't be the centerpiece of the offense, and just maybe he could operate and thrive within it.  The fans wouldn't appreciate it, and it would be a risky move, but the Packers and Bears both improved in the off-season, and Minny hasn't.  There's a need there.

Carolina.  They know what kind of dangers he brings.  The Panthers are a run-first, play-action style team, so again it's not the best fit for an inaccurate passer.  But after Jake Delhomme's bomb in the playoffs last year, the Panthers could consider such a move.  And with that run-heavy offense, there would be less pressure on Vick to be the top passer.  As long as he was effective enough...  Fan-wise, I don't think that there'd be much hue and cry as in other cities. 

Two reasons why Tampa and Carolina are extreme outsiders here is that Atlanta still controls Vick's rights, and I think Blank would go back on his word and bring Vick onto his team before he'd see Vick play against his team twice a year, and potentially extract revenge. 

The vast majority of teams wouldn't dream of bringing him onto the team.  Say the Steelers even considered it.  I think that after Dan Rooney got down bringing down the wrath onto anyone boneheaded enough to even suggest it, the Chief would rise from his grave and slay those dumb enough to think it.  There are many teams like that - Miami doesn't need Vick because they've already got Pat White and plan on using him in a Vick-like role.  The Jets took Sanchez and wouldn't risk that level of bad press.  The Pats have Brady.  The Ravens have Flacco, and I don't think Ozzie Newsome would want to risk that kind of bad press.  Same for the Browns with the press, although their QB situation is somewhat fluid.  Cincy's always a possibility, but Mike Brown has already garnered enough bad press and a worse reputation.  The Colts have Peyton, the Titans already have a head-case problem QB on their roster, the Texans don't need him nor do the Jags.  There are more teams that don't need his services than need his services, and unless there's a need for his services I don't think teams would risk the potential bad publicity.

But let's also be totally honest here about the NFL and its' fans.  Assume that Vick lands in Buffalo.  Further assume that the Bills roll out a version of the Wildcat offense that looks very similar in nature to Rich Rodriguez's West Virginia offense that had been led by Pat White.  Say that in that first game, Vick rushes for over 100, Marshawn Lynch rushes for over 100, the Bills score 5 TDs including an Edwards to Owens TD pass (to keep TO and Edwards happy) and the Bills win easily.  At that moment, every fan of the Bills would miraculously have selective memory failure, and completely forget that Vick ran a dog-fighting operation.  All they'd see is the next victim to the BillCat offense and what it can do for them.  Yeah, you'd hear references to his prison term and two-year absence all year, but even the ESPN guys can't get over his skills, and let's say that the BillCat offense has the Bills with a 7-3 mark after 10 games and atop the AFC East.  Go ahead.  Imagine it.  And tell me if I'm wrong that on ESPN, FoxSports, CBS, and NBC that Vick wouldn't be hyped like he was three or four years ago.  That dogfighting conviction would become an afterthought, mentioned only because someone felt it was appropriate to keep it in the public's eye, but mostly they'd drool and marvel over his skills and how he turned a moribund franchise into something worth watching.