The Inexperienced Penguins Were Supposed To Be Swept, Right?

Win or lose tomorrow night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, you can't talk about the Penguins lack of experience anymore. Not after last night's (or this morning) triple-overtime thriller that ended with a 4-3 Pens win and at least one more game in the Finals. Media members and NHL "experts" talked about the Penguins lack of playoff experience being the reason they would falter in this series. Everybody had Detroit down as their champion, except for the Pens of course. They heard that reasoning throughout the entire playoffs about them being too young and inexperienced.

I never bought into that argument. There are plenty of instances over the last decade of sports that disprove the no experience theory. Anybody remember the 2003 Florida Marlins? That went into Wrigley, scored eight runs in an eventful eighth inning and went on to knock off the veteran-laden Yankees team in the World Series. No experience for that team and they walked into Yankee Stadium on the game's biggest stage and stunned New York. How about the New York Giants in the past Super Bowl. Most of that team had never sniffed the big game and they walked in and defeated the undefeated, experienced, been there before New England Patriots. Give a young team a chance and things will happen.

I'm tired of hearing about the Pens lack of experience. The perseverance they showed last night on the road, rallying for a game-tying goal with 33 seconds remaining in their season and then fighting through three overtime periods for a victory was unreal. Crosby and Fleury are growing up before our eyes on national television on hockey's biggest stage. The Penguins have proven they can win games against the Wings...even on the road in a hostile environment. In the past three games, both teams have been battling and fighting for every loose puck in games that have all come down to the wire. Lack of experience? Forget about it.

If the Pens' Stanley Cup run does come to an end tomorrow night at the Igloo, it won't be because lack of playoff experience. Keep doubting this young Pittsburgh team and they just might have enough to win two more and pull this series off. Let's Go Pens!