The Humanity Factor

The Red Wings/Pens matchup is quickly becoming one for the ages. It's a seeming David versus Goliath battle between a well-oiled, nearly perfect team of experienced veterans against an upstart, fast and feisty group of youngsters who smell blood after last year's letdown. Whoever ends up winning the Cup will have done so not necessarily because they worked harder or played better, but because they were able to persevere amidst adversity and capitalize on key opportunities. At the end of the day, both of these teams match up pretty evenly when their respective pros and cons are weighed. This makes it mighty difficult to predict a winner, but unbelievably entertaining to watch.

The thing I love about hockey is the raw emotion and humanity behind it all. Players who never score will suddenly come alive and light the lamp; players who never make mistakes will trip up at the worst of times; and players who rarely fight, block a shot, or finish a check will suddenly show they do indeed have a pair. That's what makes hockey so fantastic. These are not robots, these are real people who can get fired up to play beyond their normal means, or can tire enough to fall short of expectation. It's what we hope for in the Stanley Cup Finals in particular: two teams, full of real-life men who are prone to all sorts of hills and valleys. We as viewers find perfection in their imperfection, for it's those moments of blunders and greatness that make for a riveting Stanley Cup series. One that we'll remember.

There have been multiple examples of the Humanity Factor in this year's playoffs. Let's take a look at a few:

Wings D-man Jonathan Ericsson has an appendectomy three days before Game 1. This would sideline most - athletes included - for up to a month. Ericsson? Nope, out there playing. Not only that, but in his own end he's outplayed teammates higher up on the depth chart like Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall.

Sidney Crosby. His numbers before Game 4 aren't great indicators of how he's played. He's put in the work of your typical THIRD liner: mucking, grinding, effective in his own end, finishing checks, and crashing the net, but with all the trimmings of the superstar he is. I think it's also important to note the attention his play has demanded. Every shift Brian Rafalski, Nick Lidstrom, and Hank Zetterberg are out to shadow him. This they've done admirably, but doing so leaves the likes of Stuart, Kronwall, and Franzen to handle Evgeni Malkin. Uh oh.

Perhaps my favorite moment of humanity in action came at the end of Game 2 when Maxime Talbot - probably out of frustration - jabbed his stick into the midsection of Chris Osgood after failing to score, knocking the Wings keeper clean over. Perfect example of humanity causing you to do things you normally wouldn't in the midst of adversity. Then, out of nowhere comes Hank Zetterberg to give Talbot the classic cross-check and complimentary face-wash for his dirty deed. "I love it," I'm thinking to myself. A superstar leaving his niche and personality behind in the name of standing up for his 'keeper. But wait, it gets better: Evgeni Malkin, similar in niche and skill to Hank, jumps in to the fray and engages Zetterberg in what he desperately wants to be a fight, all in the name of protecting his teammate. He didn't accomplish much in the way of hurting Zetterberg, but the look on his face suggested he was ready to kill. This whole exchange was a perfect example of human players doing things they normally wouldn't do, all in the name of playing for a shot at being the greatest team in the greatest league in the world. We can point fingers at whoever was wrong or right, or who deserved what penalty. But what it comes down to is what we've been waiting for all season. Again, we find perfection in the imperfection. And it's damn good hockey.

Then there's been the gaffes: The aforementioned Talbot skewering Osgood; Rafalski bumbling the puck that led to a shorthanded goal by Jordan Staal; Marc-Andre Fleury allowing goals off the back of his legs; and the Red Wings specialty team problems, to name a few. Things like this will continue to happen. There will be missed calls, cheap shots, and retaliations. We can keep a tally of who's done more, or we can just enjoy this fantastic series for what it's worth.

For all it's worth, I think the Pens had to win these past two games. Maybe the Mullet said it best on Sportscenter tonight when talking about Game 4, pointing out that the Penguins are starting to realize they can win, while the Red Wings are realizing they can lose. Detroit looked tired tonight after outplaying the Pens in Games 1, 2, and 3, while the Pens look fresh and hungry. They look poised to take the series after stealing back the momentum. Of course, never count out an experienced Detroit team who will be back in their building with their stellar home crowd. They will get the last change, an ever-important advantage in these Finals, especially in the Crosby-Zetterberg matchup. Hank has done a good job on Sid offensively, but looked dead tonight, while Crosby had a breakout night. It could go either way.

All in all, the winner of the next game will probably win the Cup. I don't see this being a longer series than six games. There's just too much momentum, too much hanging in the balance. The Pittsburgh crowd will see the Stanley Cup raised in their building, whether it's the home or away team is the question to be answered next week. But whatever happens, I'm finding a lot of perfection in the imperfections of this year's Stanley Cup Finals.