So after some after some reflection on a post by pensburgh friend ahtrap,  it got me thinking about what not only makes the game of hockey great, but also what makes it so hard to devote yourself entirely to a team.

As most of you are reading this, there are probably three types of hangovers that are being experienced. The first is the simple "woohooo pens won the cup, man did I drink about 10 to many" . The second is the "woohoo pens won and gave me one hell of a reason to call in sick today". The third is the "well, there’s always next year" hangover. One thing that is lost in the mix in the celebrations and the agony of defeat is the effect sport has on the individual and society.

            Today and for the foreseeable future the streets and bars of Pittsburgh are going to be lined with people wearing their black and gold. The airport will be over run with people awaiting the arrival of a team of men who get paid to play a sport. Children will be playing in the streets and rink’s around the city and country. One kid will say "I’m Max Talbot!". One will say," I’m Flower!" Our devotion to our teams and their players will continue to rise, as will our desire to see them perform well, where ever they may go in the future. Why will this happen? Those of us that are getting older look at the young men on both the Red wings and the Penguins and remember. We remember what it is to be young again, what it is to have hope again, and really what it is to be proud again. A group of young men, most of us are older then showed us what it means to fight. Not fight with our hands, but with our stomachs. They showed us what it means to fight with our performance, rather then our words. There are some on the roster of the Penguins that are labeled as under achievers. Some that are labeled as over the hill. Men like Max Talbot, Bill Guerin, Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi, and Craig Adams all have shown us that age or skill is over rated. They showed us that the size of ones heart however can not be judged by a pundit or fan, by a coach or a gm.  Those that are young look at these men as hero’s, larger then life with talent and personalities to match. We will celebrate these men, these worlds toughest man competitors, and for good reason.

            500 miles away however, life will get back to normal for a city and a state that is by all accounts reaching a state of  crisis. Plants are closing, unemployment still moving higher while the rest of the country begins to recover,  poverty on the rise. The Red Wing fan base continues to go through hardships that some of us have been able to avoid through sheer luck. Now they are waking up to the fact that life is not better, the plant is still closing, their job is still being outsourced, and that foreclosure is pending.  Some of those reading this may be raising an eye brow now. Not long ago the steel city went through a similar down turn. Steel mills closed, coal mines shut their veins,  and all the keys to city growth were leaving. Not long ago an organization on life support was put up for sale with relocation on the horizon. Then within 12 months the final pieces of the puzzle were put in place, and shuffled again. A new deal was worked out and a new arena secured.  They reached the promise land, only to fall from the mountain.

            Four kids, grabbed an entire organization and city by its shirt collar and said "not this time, not this year." So again they began the difficult journey back to the top of the mountain, hoping to finally climb that last ledge. The puzzle was rebuilt and the dream realized. With the Stanley Cup returning to Pittsburgh, we must not forget our friend’s three states away.  All of us have experienced the heartbreak of reality, as well as the heartbreak of sport. We use sport to forget about our troubles, the loss of loved ones, and just general bad days. Last year at this time we woke up to another day at a crappy job, with a pain in the butt boss, and an awful commute. Detroit and its fans are waking up to that today. The irony is thick. Irony however is much like reality, brutally honest. Enjoy your celebrations penguins nation, but do it with class. Not long ago, we were in the same boat.