Maybe it was the public address announcer introducing Sidney Crosby as Stephen. Maybe it was the fact that Marc Andre Fleury stumbled as he came out of the runway. Maybe it was that the butterflies in the young Penguins stomachs were a bit much. Whatever the case, you got a feeling that it might not be the Penguins evening.

Sure there was the feel good moment when Le Magnifique joined Stevie Y at center ice for a ceremonial faceoff along with Sidney Crosby and Nic Lidstrom. There was also the disallowed goal for the Red Wings when Tomas Holmstrom interfered with Marc Andre Fleury...good or bad, it didn't give me a better feeling. Even after the Penguins carried the play for large periods of time during the first period, it just didn't feel like it was going to be their night.

The good news is that the Penguins have only had three of these nights over the past two months. In fact, they haven't had many over the last three months and that is why I think that they will bounce back on Monday night.

I will say this much, Chris Osgood is playing some of the finest hockey I have ever seen out of him. I wasn't giving him too much credit coming into this game. His numbers had to be the product of a great Detroit defense, right? Well make no mistake...the Detroit D is solid as a rock, but Ozzy held his own all night. He made every save that he had too and weathered a major league storm in the first period.

Watching the Big Red Machine is a real treat...though it is tough when it is coming against the home town squad. Kronwall is a monster on the blue line...he will be the stalwart D man for years to come once Nikki Sixx (nod to Garth) moves along.

Mikael Samuelsson, the former Penguin who was traded along with the number three overall draft pick for the right to select Marc Andre Fleury number one overall, was the big offensive star for Detroit on this night. His hard work coupled with two Penguin turnovers became a 2-0 lead for the Wings. The first being a nifty wrap around...the second coming off of a botched clearing attempt between the aforementioned Fleury and Evgeni Malkin.

Speaking of Malkin, he was absent tonight. Sure he was on the ice, but he seemed to be on a different page, as did many of the Penguins during the second and third periods. The entire team just seemed to be out of sync and their inability to complete a pass was a big reason why they lost this game.

The crisp passes that we have become accustomed to seeing from this group throughout the playoffs were M I A tonight. The Penguins looked like a completely different team at times during tonight's affair in Hockey Town. Sure some of that had to do with the Red Wings scheme, but almost as much came from the Penguins attempting too many of the above mentioned passes.

The team passed up open shots and forced passes into the heavily defended slot. The Red Wings merely intercepted the ill fated passes and went the other way.

The Penguins did generate some pressure early and that will be the key to the next game. They can ill afford to go down 2-0 against this Detroit team.

More tomorrow...hang in Penguin Nation...it is still a long series. It will be interesting to see how the boys react to this adversity.


*****

Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Pre Game...

The Pittsburgh Penguins are just under five hours removed from participating in their first Stanley Cup Final game in 16 years. Has it sunk in yet Penguins fans? I know that it finally started to hit home with me when I started to see all of the Eastern Conference Champions gear. I have been getting emails from Dick's Sporting Goods with special pricing offers, seeing the items all around town and even mass quantities of them in Pittsburgh International Airport. It's true...oh, it's damn true, your Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup Final!

Most Penguins are very enthusiastic about their first Stanley Cup Final appearance, but there is one who isn't very thrilled right now. Gary Roberts was officially ruled out of game one last night and is none to pleased about it.

"Obviously, I'm not happy about it but I'm going to let Mike talk about why I'm not playing," Roberts told the gathered media in Detroit yesterday.

I can see both sides of the coin on this one...first of all, Gary Roberts has waited for a very long time to get back to the Stanley Cup Final and has to be chomping at the bit about getting back in there. However, I do not blame Mike Therrien for not wanting to alter his line-up...the same line-up that knocked off the Philadelphia Flyers and put the team in position to compete for the Cup.

As I stated in a past blog, I expect the series to be one of the best of the playoffs. These two teams are very hungry for a championship and are very evenly matched. There have been no glaring weaknesses on either side during the playoffs and the first team to expose one in the other will be the likely winner.

Look for this to be a feeling out game...sort of like the first games against Ottawa, New York and Philadelphia. This one could be even more so based on the fact that these two teams did not meet in the regular season. It will probably be a higher scoring than future games in the series and decided during the third period.

Get ready for some very exciting hockey Penguins fans...this series is one that will not disappoint. I am watching this one on the road, but will be back in town tomorrow evening. I will have tons more for you post game...stay tuned! Enjoy the "other series notes" below...

Other Series Notes:

Sidney Crosby is the youngest team captain in history to participate in the Stanley Cup Final.

Jordan Staal is the first teenager (19) to play in the Final since Dainius Zubrus in 1997 vs. Detroit when he was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Penguins enter the Final with a 12-2 record in the playoffs. They have the fewest losses of any team who has advanced to the final since 1980.

This series is the first of the playoffs that the Penguins have not had home ice advantage. The Penguins are 4-2 on the road in the playoffs.

The Penguins are 19-23 all-time in Game One of a playoff series, including 1-1 in Game One of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Penguins have never played Detroit in the playoffs.

They hold a 57-59-16 record vs. the Red Wings all-time in the regular season, but just 13-41-12 in Detroit.

The meeting between the clubs was October 7th, 2006, a 2-0 win by the Red Wings in Pittsburgh.

The rally in downtown Pittsburgh featured Mayor Luke Ravenstahl eating octopus, since they should be eaten and not thrown. The Mayor also used a chainsaw to cut through a giant Red Wings logo...a great time was had by all and from what I have heard from folks who were in attendance the place was rocking!

Also, if you are from Detroit and planning on coming to Pittsburgh for games three and four, you most likely will not be able to purchase an octopus. Wholey's Fish Market in downtown Pittsburgh has said that it will card patrons who try to buy the 8 legged sea creatures and will refuse sales to anyone from Detroit!


Sidney Crosby Pre-Game One Transcript:

Q. Can you give us an idea what the last 12 hours were like for you. I know you've been in big situations before. This is big. Did you sleep, how do you feel?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Slept fine. I think we're looking forward to it getting started. There's been a lot of buildup over the last few days, and we're prepared and just anxious to get going.

Q. Sid, Mike Babcock said he would likely use Henrik Zetterberg against you guys. What do you know about Henrik and what's the challenge for you?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Offensively, I think he's a threat with Datsyuk out there. But he's pretty responsible defensively, too.

So playing against a pretty solid two?way line there. And it's a great challenge for sure. But you always face great challenges during the playoffs. And this is a similar situation.

Q. I know you haven't played here too often. What are your impressions of this building? Can you talk about the charm of two older buildings where so many others have looked the same around the League now?

SIDNEY CROSBY: It's not too often you come to a historic place like this. I think everyone enjoys being here, and we grew up watching some of the teams that have won here. And like you said, there's not too many older buildings left. And to be here and at the Mellon it's pretty unusual.

Q. The two?way nature of the line you're playing against, is there more of an emphasis on your part to be sort of match them in that regard, from a defensive standpoint?

SIDNEY CROSBY: I think we've always tried to make sure we played well defensively, I think we'll try to do the same thing to be honest. Hossa and Dupuis have done a great job and the personnel want to make sure they're responsible. I think it's something we've focused on all season and try to step it up a notch in the playoffs and we'll just try to do the same thing as the series goes on.

But I think there might be a feeling?out process to get used to some of the things they do. For the most part we just have to worry about what we're doing.


Q. Can you talk about puck possession and challenge that they present as far as winning faceoffs is concerned?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I mean they're a strong faceoff team. But we're going in there to win every one, too. That's a detail of the game that is important, and we'll battle every time there's a faceoff. We're not going to take any off and we'll see where it goes. And I'm sure each guy will learn a little bit about the centerman they're going against.

It's part of the playoffs is knowing your opponent and adapting and adjusting. And it's a challenge. But I think we're a pretty confident group that we can help our team get possession at the same time.

Q. Sid, do you have any special Stanley Cup memories from when you were a kid? Anything noteworthy that stands out, first time you remember or with family or whatever?

SIDNEY CROSBY: When Montreal won in '93, that's probably my first memory, looking back. And they're my favorite team growing up.

And I remember seeing them lift the Cup. That's probably my first memory. One that always sticks out in my mind was probably when Doug Weight lifted the Cup and had a separated shoulder. Nobody thought he could play and there he is lifting the Stanley Cup with a separated shoulder he could barely get over his head. Those two moments probably stick out most to me.

Q. Seeing you're a superstitious guy, has anything changed as far as preparation, as far as how you guys are feeling and nerves, from even yesterday to today as it gets closer?

SIDNEY CROSBY: I don't think so. I think we've done a great job preparing the same way we have for the other teams that we've played in the playoffs. And this is obviously a bigger stage, but I don't think we want to change too much as far as the way we prepare and making sure that our team's the main concern. And we really made sure we had a couple of good practices before we came here.

I think we're just more anxious to get going.


Coach Therrien Pre Game One Transcript:

Q. Can you talk about the decision not to practice here yesterday and not to get on the ice here until today?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: I'm not a big fan to change preparation, the way we do things. It's always been like this. We're not going to change because we're in the Stanley Cup playoff.

Q. Mike Babcock said they had no bones about it, they were going to go power on power, Zetterberg against Crosby, Lidstrom against Crosby, how do you feel about the matchup against the two super powers out there?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: Mike's obviously got the last change, but that's great.

Q. The decision not to play Gary Roberts, can you tell us your thinking, what's it like having that guy who has been around and won the Stanley Cup?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: Obviously it's not an easy decision, no doubt about that. But in the meantime we're more than satisfied with Tyler Kennedy and what he brings to the lineup. And he's got speed. And he's playing with a lot of intensity. We've got Jarkko Ruutu, he's been really good for us.

You got Adam Hall, he's got a role with our team, skill to penalty, he's good to take faceoffs on the right?hand side. And you've got Georges Laraque, he's a physical presence that we like. So it's something to say yes, we're going to bring another player. But the toughest decision is not that, so who are you going to take out? And those guys did a great job, a great job so far.

And that's the number one reason why that we're not changing the lineup. It's not that we don't want Gary Roberts in our lineup. Yes, we want them. That's been part of being a good team. We're a good team. We've got depth and we're going to start the series like this.

I'm not saying that he's not going to play. Nobody told that. And that's the way we feel that we're going to go tonight because those guys did a great job, and we'll go from there.

Q. Max Talbot seems like a guy who has bought into his defensive role, but when you need it, you can move him up into an offensive roll like you did with the Staal and Kennedy line last round. Can you comment on him and his ability as that two?way guy and almost the luxury it is to have a guy like that you can put in, when need be, into an offensive role?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: Yeah, when we start games, he's our fourth line centerman, because he's got quality players in front of him.

And he's got Crosby. He's got Malkin. He's got Staal. That's why we want him at that time, he's able to play center. He's really dependable on his own end. He's good defensively. He's capable to play the wing. This is something we worked with him, because we know the centermen we've got.

He's got a lot of energy. He's got a lot of speed. He's a guy that will sacrifice himself to block shots, and he's doing a great job in the penalty killing. You know, that young guy, he's a leader on his own weight. You look what he did in Junior, youngest captain and he did a fantastic job. He did a great job with me. First of all, he played for Team Canada, too, as well. And he did a fantastic job in Wilkes?Barre, too. He's a good, young leader of that group. And this is something that I really appreciate from Maxime Talbot.

Q. The Red Wings do a great job at backing away after the whistle and not buckling it up. How have you driven home the message of discipline to your guys' team and individual discipline as they go up against Detroit?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: Well, the word discipline, they hear discipline every game. You can't be undisciplined if you're in the Stanley Cup Final. I think both teams show they're disciplined. That's one of the reasons that's why they're here. That's one of the reasons why we're here. That's one of the reasons why Detroit is here.

So the most important thing is to play whistle to whistle. This is where you win games. I don't think you win many games after the whistle. But we're going to hold our ground. That's important. Yes, we're going to it. We're going to hold our ground. This is not a team that's getting intimidated really easily and we play some tough teams.

We've got some teams that tried to do it. It didn't work. We're pretty focused.

Q. A lot has been made about the fact that it's two puck possession teams playing against each other, but maybe lost is both team's ability to go get it when they don't have it. Can you speak to your team's ability to do puck retrieval?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: First of all, you need speed. You need a plan. When we're talking about puck possession, that doesn't mean that there's a lot of time. You need to chip the puck, because they're going to play a good tight checking game. And it's going to be time, you're going to need to chip the puck. This is where the decision with the puck is going to be more crucial, I think. In the offensive zone, it's like you don't want to make those hope plays, hope the guy's going to be there. Hope the guy's going to be there. You're making it easy on your opponent.

That's why we try to talk with the guys to manage the puck, to work for your chances. And I think right now the team they're doing a good job, even for a young group, doing a good job managing the puck. There's plays you can't get it back, if you have to chip it, we have to try to chip it. We're going to try to establish some forechecking that we believe has been a big success for us.

Q. Can you talk about Sidney's ability to rise to the occasion and tonight not only plays in the biggest stage in hockey but he goes up against arguably the best two?way center in Zetterberg and arguably the best defenseman in Lidstrom?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: He's one of those players that when the game is there, he's capable to bring his game to another level. And he always did that. So he's been a guy that, through his career, not only this year but the last year, finished and got some pressure when you're battling for the title at 19 years old. It's not many guys that have done that, obviously there's none. So there was some pressure to perform.

When the game's on the line you want to make sure your best players bring their A game, and there's no doubt he's the type of player, when the pressure is there, when the game means something, not only like the first game of the Stanley Cup playoff, it could be the first round, the second round, there's plays to be made. And you look into your best player to make those type of plays. And a guy like Crosby, guys like Malkin, a guy like Hossa, that's why they're good players.

One thing, too, with the new NHL, looking around the League, there's a lot of young players are capable to dominate. And I think it's good for the NHL to get those young guys the way that they're capable to perform. Look at Ovechkin, he's a young player, doesn't have much experience in the NHL. Definitely is one of the best players in the League.

So that's a league with the new rules about speed and intensity, that give a chance to the young guys to perform.

Q. I've heard your players talk a lot about the first 10 minutes and what they encountered last year in Game 1 against Ottawa. How do you anticipate the opening minutes tonight, feeling?out process or more aggressive up tempo?

COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: We use the experience from last year, but I think I thought this year we responded really well to those first 10 minutes. Even when we're on the road, first game on the road against Ottawa. Yes, the emotion was there from the home team. First 10 minutes we played against the Rangers, the same thing and we were successful. And the Flyers, the same thing.

So a hockey game, there's a lot of things to concentrate. Yes, we want to have a good start. We're going to focus having a good start. They want to have a good start, too, as well.

So what's going to be important to keep your game simple. Always go with percentage play. And you're going to have to have the feel of the game going on is, because it's two teams that haven't played for almost a week.

JAMEY HORAN: Thank you, Coach.

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