Notes From the Finals - Game 1

There is a restaurant at the Waterfront that will never receive my patronage again. Not because their meals are a pale imitation of the southern style barbecue I enjoyed during my brief time in South Carolina. I ended up with a case of food poisoning and am spending the first game of the Stanley Cup finals on my couch, alone, while J enjoys the game with good friends, wings and beer.

If the first period is any indication, the Detroit Red Wings are a very worthy adversary and it would be an honor if the Penguins lost the Finals to such a team*. The Red Wings played a flawless first period and were robbed of a goal due to a terrible goaltender interference call by the referees*.

As fantastic as the Red Wings are, I am a fan of one of the coolest organizations in the NHL. The executives opened Mellon Arena, lowered the JumboTron and charged fans $5.00 a person to watch the game on a very big screen. All proceeds from the entry fee are going to the Mario Lemieux Foundation. Thirteen thousand fans have taken the organization up on the offer. Versus was considerate enough to show a couple of shots of the fans in the arena, madly waving white rally towels.

*Real fans acknowledge when the other team is better and also acknowledge terrible calls that fall in their team's favor. Realistically, I have genuine doubts that the Penguins can pull off four wins against the Red Wings and will not be too pained to see Detroit take the Stanley Cup.