Who Will Win Lord Stanleys Mug?
I learned a valuable lesson in the Conference semifinals: Never underestimate the heart of a champion. It looked like the Detroit Red Wings were vulnerable heading into their Western Conference Championship series with the Chicago Blackhawks after a less than convincing performance against the eighth seed Anaheim Ducks in round two. But despite several key injuries, the Red Wings found a way to not only win the series but also dominate the young Blackhawks, winning the series in five games to advance to their third Stanley Cup final of the decade. Their opponents will be very familiar. For the second consecutive year, the Eastern Conference champions are the young and super-talented Pittsburgh Penguins, featuring two of the top players in hockey in captain Sidney Crosby and NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins seem to be getting better and better as the playoffs roll along, sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals after a pair of emotional victories
