Organizations strategize their rosters, players hone their craft, and fans follow every detail along the way for an opportunity like the one Pittsburgh has in front of them tonight.
The Stanley Cup will be in the arena for this evening's game. Philip will have the polish ready to go.
A win is no sure thing for Pittsburgh tonight. The Sharks are in the Stanley Cup Final for a reason. However, I am fairly confident that the Penguins won't be laying an egg tonight. That would go against everything we have know about the team and the mindset they have displayed under their new coach's leadership.
Look for the best players to be the best tonight. You don't think Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are going to reflect on the past six years of playoff failures and not bring their best? You don't think Phil Kessel knows what this will do to his reputation?
A win tonight and there are a lot of tired narratives that go out the window.
A win tonight and a Pittsburgh home crowd will get to bear witness to a championship for the first time since Bill Mazeroski's home run against the New York Yankees in 1960.
A win tonight and we will see the legacies of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin forever changed.
The players are ready, the coaches are ready, the front office is ready, the fans are ready, the city is ready.
This is a chance of a lifetime to realize your childhood dream to win a Stanley Cup. Play without fear and you will be successful! See you at center ice.Mario Lemieux