I would like to apologize for the lack of posting over the last week. I've gone back and forth from Detroit/Chicago three times, started a new internship, and moved to a new city so there's been a lot of adjusting at my end. Since I'm about to head to work, here are some quick Wing notes to hold you over.

Goaltender Dominik Hasek retired after winning his second Stanley Cup in sixteen seasons. After being replaced by Chris Osgood in net after four games this postseason, you just knew that Hasek didn't like not being No. 1 in net. And when you're 43, just won a Cup, and didn't play the role you had hoped in the playoffs, it's a fairly easy decision to retire.

"When I was kissing that Cup, I had made the decision," said Hasek, 43, who made his exit from the game at a Monday morning press conference at Joe Louis Arena. "I didn't feel I needed to wait. I know it's 100 percent the right time."

Head coach Mike Babcock has signed a three year deal worth approximately $1.5 million per year plus bonuses. The deal was pretty much done before the playoffs, but they had to wait until the end of postseason to nail down some specifics regarding minor contract details.

"For me, this place has been fantastic," said Babcock, whose deal is worth approximately $1.5 million per season plus bonuses. "I love coming here to work. I love where I live. Our staff here has the same passion that I do. They love and care about hockey."

"We're excited about the opportunity here," Babcock said. "We're looking forward to the next three years. I don't think we're going away. The core players we have coming back will give us an opportunity to be successful."

Todd McLellan, one of the Wings assistant coaches this past season, is heading to San Jose where he will be the head coach of the team for three seasons after Ron Wilson was fired. While I hate to see him go, he is certainly deserving of this position.

"It's a very good feeling," McLellan said in a statement released by the team. "From the first moment Doug called to the moment he offered the job, I felt comfortable. I think the Sharks have done a tremendous job. You don't get that close to 50 wins for a number of years in a row without a lot of talent. It's a matter of getting over the hump. There are some real parallels between the Wings and the Sharks."

So I get to work at my internship in Chicago Thursday morning and my bosses ask when the parade is. I tell them and they ask if I’m going. I said that no, I’m working here. After a discussion amongst themselves, they decided they would be mad if I didn’t go. So I took the 5.5 hour train after work from Chicago to Ann Arbor. It’s 7:10am on Friday and I leave for Joe Louis Arena in half an hour. I’ll be front and center at the parade and I couldn’t be more excited!!

Basically, I’d like to apologize for a lack of posting especially after such a fantastic victory, but I’ve been a little busy and getting home to work the parade was a bit more important than blogging. Sorry! Whenever I get back from the Joe, I will be sure to make some decent posts or two this evening. But until then…I’m celebrating in Detroit!

P.S. I’d like to remind everyone that I picked the Wings in six this series. Spot on baby.

I've been celebrating tonight and am really in no position to make a post-game recap at the moment. So until then, here is Frank @ PensBurgh's letter to WIM:

Dear Wings Fans,

Congrats on a great win and playing a great series.  Your defense is impenetrable, your goalie infallible and your offense is incredible.  You've earned the win and set some records in the process.  Congrats to having the first Euro-captain - that's something that can never be defeated.

Enjoy the parade and the Cup.

Hugs and kisses,

FrankD

Pensburgh.com

Tonight, the Wings take on the Penguins on the road at Mellon Arena in what many view as a must-win game. A win would give the Wings the Stanley Cup, which they were 34.7 seconds away from winning on Monday night. A loss would send the series back to Detroit with either team winning the Cup on Saturday night.

As of right now, there are no changes in the Detroit line-up and Chris Osgood will start the game in goal.

The game begins at 8pm and will be shown on NBC and CBC. I will not be able to post here while watching the game, but feel free to leave a comment nonetheless. I'll be sure to stop by afterwards. Go Wings!

Early this morning, the Wings lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in triple overtime after having a 3-2 game lead with 34.7 seconds left in the game. A win would have meant the Stanley Cup, but the Pens rode goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a victory and a chance to head back home for Game #6.

Unfortunately due to inconvenient timing, my summer internship in Chicago started yesterday. In the past 48 hours, I have driven to and from Chicago, worked 7 hours in Chicago, worked 3.5 hours in Detroit, taken a train back to Detroit, and then crashed. I'm still completely exhausted and trying to adjust to a new place and job so I'm going to ask for you to read the game recaps from two other SBN blogs: PensBurgh for the Pittsburgh view and Pride of Detroit (Detroit Lions) for the view from a Wings fan. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Feel free to vote in the poll below on what you think the outcome of Game #6 will be after an exciting Game #5 in Detroit.

Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings have their first shot at winning the Stanley Cup since 2002. Will they be able to pull off a 4-1 series victory over the Penguins at Joe Louis Arena? Or will the Penguins send the series back to Pittsburgh for a Game #6?

The only question mark for Detroit regarding their line-up for Game #5 is that of Tomas Holmstrom. He told head coach Mike Babcock earlier today that he would play, but that was the impression we had for Game #4 which he was unable to play in. Thus, it sounds like it will be another game-time decision.

Detroit fans with tickets to the game are excited at the prospect of seeing the Cup win at home. Let's hope they aren't disappointed.

I will be at the Joe for Game #5 and will be unable to check on this thread during the game, but please feel free to leave comments amongst yourselves about the game.

The game begins at 8pm and will be shown on NBC and CBC. Go Wings!

WIM,

Zetterberg is the real deal.  Offensive, defensive - the guy comes from the school of hockey.  It didn't show on the board for him, but it didn't have to.  Great work on the PK.

So I suppose we're coming to our end soon enough.  Is this going to be it on Monday, or will Pitt squeak out the win to bring the circus back to PA?  I wouldn't manage a Penguins blog if I didn't have faith in Pitt's ability to win Monday.  As I mentioned in the open thread for Game 4 - I can't allow myself to give-in until the final horn of a team's fourth win.

And so we wait - one short day for travel and Game 5 on Monday. 

Something tells me Pitt's not done yet.

Hugs and kisses,
FrankD
Pensburgh.com

Tonight at 8pm, the Detroit Red Wings take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road.

The only potential line-up change for the Wings is if Tomas Holmstrom does not play due to an apparent hamstring injury. He is a game time decision. If Homer can't go (and I think he'll play), Darren McCarty will fill out the roster.

The game will be shown on NBC and CBC. Go Wings!

Feel free to leave a comment in the thread below with any game-related comments. I will be stopping by throughout the game.

After a 3-2 loss against Pittsburgh last night, the Wings have another concern to add to the list. Forward Tomas Holmstrom left the game with just over six minutes remaining after a Hal Gill cross check (update: trip) and did not return. He was seen limping as he exited Mellon Arena.

Despite this, GM Ken Holland believes that Homer will play in Saturday's game.

He felt OK this morning," Holland said. "Sometimes in the first 24-48 hours, you get significantly worse. He wasn’t any worse today, so that’s a good sign."

Teammates weren’t overly concerned.

"They said he was limping out of the arena," Zetterberg said, "and I said he does that a lot of times."

Now it's not incredibly unusual to see Holmstrom with ice after the game after the beatings he usually takes in front of the opponent's net, but he did miss the end of the game which concerns me a bit. Still, it's the Stanley Cup Final and Homer would have to be in a ton of pain to not play in Game #4. It's not like Johan Franzen, who missed six games with concussion-like symptoms and you had to be cautious because it's his brain. This is an alleged knee injury. Slightly different story in that regard.

Correction: I was appropriately corrected by a Pens fan over at PensBurgh that the injury did not come from a Hal Gill cross check, rather more of a tripping motion. My bad.

Update: Holmstrom practiced this morning on the first line, but is still not a 100% yes to play tonight. He is a game-time decision and Homer will be the one deciding whether he plays tonight or tonight. I expect him to play based on Babcock and Homer's comments.

Dearest Wings Fans:

We have a series now, huh?  That was one hell of a game.  Hard hits, fast skating - it had everything.  For the sake of the sport, let's hope the ratings were through the roof for NBC.

The Pens proved that Osgood is breakable and they did it in superb fashion.  And Franzen?  Now I know why they call that guy The Mule.  That power play goal was just devastating.  His stock value has skyrocketed this post-season.

So now we have two days off.  Two days for Detroit to shake the loss, and two days for Pittsburgh to try and ride it out till Saturday night.  If this series heads back to Detroit 2-2, we're looking at what can possibly be one of the best series in years.

Good game,
FrankD
Pensburgh.com