The Aftermath

I haven't been around to blog much of late, and many are questioning if that has anything to do with the Wings loss to Pittsburgh in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. I can assure you this is not the case, as I have more than a blog or 2 worth of input to type on that topic.

I was unable to obtain tickets to the actual game itself, but felt the next best thing would be to drive over the border and watch the game with the fine people of Detroit, Michigan while soaking in the atmosphere that was a Stanley Cup Game 7. The fans in Detroit are both knowledgeable and passionate about their Red Wings. It's safe to say 90% of the general public walking the streets were either wearing a Wings jersey or sporting some combination of Red and/or White clothing. There were dogs painted with Zetterberg's #40 and Datsyuk's #13, I saw fans with the winged wheel tattooed on their body, and countless jersey's from the past. Names like Howe, Linsday, Sawchuck, Probert, & Yzerman blended in with the Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom jerseys in the streets. Driving past Joe Louis arena I can honestly say I haven't seen that many media vans surrounding one sporting event before in my life. Local movie theaters were showing the game on the silver screen for free, and every bar had TV's broadcasting in the windows. I can only imagine the celebration in the streets had Detroit been able to pull out a game 7 victory on home ice... but alas, the Pens won. As the final buzzer sounded and the Penguins took to the ice to celebrate, it felt as if the air was sucked out of the bar I was in. It was a long drive back, but all-in-all the experience was well worth it. I would have much rathered a Detroit victory, but the game was close, the series was closer, and a new NHL rivalry was born.

There was no partying or celebrating in Detroit that night, but only conversations about how close it was, and a focus on taking back the Stanley Cup next year. Only 4 months 'till next season...