Could the NHL have asked for a more favorable Stanley Cup Finals matchup than the Detroit Red Wings versus the Pittsburgh Penguins? Probably not.

The markets involved are big hockey towns. Both teams play an exciting style of hockey (which for us is great, but for the casual fans might be just what the sport needs to grow itself). The Red Wings have lived up to their regular season billing, and the NHL's brand name of Sidney Crosby is finally going to the big show. I say finally as if we've had to wait and ponder for decades (like Dallas Drake, who incidentally has one of the coolest names in hockey if not all of sports. I'm sure if hockey hadn't worked out for him a career in auto-racing would have been there to scoop him right up) when we would get to see this superstar strut his stuff and legitimize himself amongst the greats of the sport. This is his third season in the NHL, and he arrives at the big dance. Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins have matured at an astounding rate. Transforming themselves from a franchise of the future, to a team of now. I think management saw something in the club in February that gave them the confidence to pull the trigger on the Marian Hossa deal. We've all watched as the Pittsburgh Penguins have easily cut a path through the Eastern Conference (only losing two games) to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Detroit Red Wings were dominant once again in the regular season, and while they may have shed their playoff choke label last season by attending the Western Conference Finals (losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks), any season that they don't win the Cup almost seems like failure (which is a tough standard to live up to). The Red Wings have also for the most part blazed through the Western Conference, and even though they received a few wake-up calls along the way (in Nashville, and Dallas), they always seem to bounce back hard.... much to the dismay of their opponents.

Both clubs are playing inspired hockey, and are clearly the class of their Conferences. So who wins? This is perhaps one of the more difficult choices I've ever had in determining a winner. Is their a clear-cut favorite? Can one bet against the best player in the NHL? Here's how I see things unfolding....

The Pittsburgh Penguins remind me of the baby Oilers of the early 1980's. A team that achieved amazing success throughout that decade and even beyond. However prior to that success, that team faced defeat... especially when they were smacked in the mouth by the New York Islanders. I think most franchises need to lose big, before they can win big. The Oilers needed to see what it took to win. So did the Red Wings. The Devils. The Hurricanes. The list goes on. All these teams grew from those heart breaking losses and became champions. Unfortunately for the Penguins, I think it is there time to lose. Their future will be a bright one, but the present will be very gloomy.

I expect the Red Wings to come out hard, put their foot on the throat of the Penguins and not let up. I think the Penguins defense, will be overwhelmed, and their offense will be unable to find the room to navigate through the Detroit blueliners. While I would love to see this series go long, I don't think that will happen.

Playoff Beard Prediction: Red Wings in 5 games

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh