hockey

There has been plenty of talk this spring about a widespread conspiracy in the National Hockey League.

There has been plenty of talk this spring about a widespread conspiracy in the National Hockey League.

They have reached the same point as a year ago -- the Stanley Cup final -- but the Pittsburgh Penguins took a different path this time.
They still had to win three rounds -- 12 games -- to become the Eastern Conference representative. There even was a common opponent along the way, Philadelphia.

That the Pittsburgh Penguins will skate for Lord Stanley's Cup in consecutive seasons is a striking testament to their skill and heart and to talented people throughout their "organ-I-zation,'' and right now no one should doubt their championship credentials.
Go ahead, look 'em over.

Felt pretty good about the Pittsburgh Penguins' chances of beating Carolina last night about the time Evgeni Malkin was trading punches in the second period with the Hurricanes' Chad LaRose.
When Malkin is that inspired, the Penguins are too much for just about any opponent to handle.
Clearly, this is a man you don't want to tick off.

So you're convinced the National Hockey League is out to get the Carolina Hurricanes.
You're not alone. Many players are also convinced the league is tilting the ice in favor of Sidney Crosby, too.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is much too nice of a kid -- a true gentleman, really -- to address the many critics who have picked apart his game this spring. So we will do it for him after his terrific performance in the 3-2 Game 1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes Monday night.
Take that and, you know, stick it.
Not to be rude.

It's still hard to say this Pittsburgh Penguins team is better than the very popular 2008 model.

Along 7th Street here Wednesday night, the young redheaded girl toted her white sack of fast food three hours before Game 7 of the Penguins-Capitals NHL playoff showdown. She mounted the first few marble steps of the National Portrait Gallery and sat down to eat 20 feet from where a man was offering professional palm readings.

There was no debate about this one. It was a sucker punch, and the Carolina Hurricanes were the suckers. They took it right on the chin.
By giving up two goals in the first five minutes, the Hurricanes gave the Boston Bruins life Tuesday night, and after the 4-2 loss, they have given the Bruins new life in this series while putting themselves on the verge of elimination.