The Detroit Red Wings were less than a minute away from the Stanley Cup. Up 3-2, the fans at Joe Louis Arena were on their feet and chanting "We Want The Cup," over and over and over. All the Wings had to do was clear the puck and run out the clock.
And then a man named Maxime shoveled some garbage from the slot past Chris OsBAD (hold your applause) and sucked the life right out of the building. It was the most beautiful sound in the entire world: complete silence in Detroit.
Joe Louis = Stunned.
With only 35 34.7 seconds remaining, Max Talbot scored the equalizer and forced the game into overtime, giving the Penguins (down 3 games to 1) a new lease on life. And not just one overtime, but three overtimes that lasted well past midnight in the Eastern Time Zone.
I have to admit, I tried to stay up and watch the whole thing, but I passed out near the start of the third OT period, which means I missed the game winner (by the Penguins) but got a nice surprise when I woke up, nonetheless. The Penguins now head back to Mellon Arena (where they have only lost one game since February) with a legitimate---though still small---chance to win the series. Few teams come back from a 3-1 deficit, but coming back from a 3-2 deficit is far less daunting.
For the Penguins, Sidney Crosby had two assists, Evgeni Malkin finally got on the board after helping Petr Sykora with the game-winner (that he freakin' called), and Marc-Andre Fleury was money in net from the third period to the third overtime. He stopped 55 of 58 shots.
Even if the Penguins lose game 6 at home, it doesn't matter. Stealing the Cup (and the enthusiasm) from the self-assured ass hats at the Joe will keep me smiling at least until free agency starts on July 1st. Getting to see the stunned looks on their faces over and over on ESPN News this morning was just icing on the cake.
Suck it Detroit.
Pens in 7.
EDIT: Comments have been closed at 66. I just thought that was appropriate.