Tomorrow night at 8:00PM will mark one of the single greatest hockey moments of my life. The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Detroit to take on the Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, the ultimate winner-take-all slugfest of the sports world. The Penguins are looking to become the first road team to clinch a championship in a Game 7 on the road since the1979 Pittsburgh Pirates did it in the World Series. This would also mark the Pens first Stanley Cup Championship since 1992 when they defeated the Blackhawks in 4 games. This would be the Red Wings 2nd straight Stanley Cup Championship and 5th in the past 11 years. It marks only the 15th Game 7 in Stanley Cup Finals history (5 of those have taken place since 2000). I get chills when I begin to even think about the Penguins holding the Stanley Cup high above their heads as they parade around the ice at Joe Louis Arena for all to witness and envy. There is a lot of work that will need put in tomorrow night, but I am so very confident that this amazing group of athletes will pull together, put in the effort and get the job done. I am not over-exadgerating at all when I say, that if that occurs, I will probably cry haha. I have waited for this moment since I was 10 years old, and hopefully will have to wait no longer than about 28 1/2 hours from now to bare witness to it. Nothing in life is certain or given so you have to go out and take it. That's what I feel the Pens will do....go out and take the Stanley Cup from the Red Wings on their home ice and bring it back to Pittsburgh for a celebration. I will be a total nervous wreck all day tomorrow, and if you're a hockey fan and you aren't pumped, then you really aren't a fan at all, you're a poser. These are the moments where careers are defined and lives are changed forever. This series has been incredible and really could change the perception of the NHL around the United States, and a Game 7 on national television may also open up a whole new world for a young child out there tuning in for his first ever NHL game. The game effects more than just the athletes on the ice, it touches a captive audience all across the country. I know this from personal experience after watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup against Minnesota in 1991. I may not know much in life, but I know this: I am ready for this game. I am anxious for this game. I am nervous for this game. We will win this game. Yes we can. Lets Go Pens!
