I saw it coming though the final was the only game I saw; since the gutting and mismanagement of the Oilers, I turned my attention to the NFL, with its teams having nearly perfect losing seasons, the Cowboys getting stomped sometimes, and the Manning rivalry.
First off right away it was a full-tilt grinding game with the refs pulling no punches. I figured Pittsburg is a younger team, and barring flukes, would wear down Detroit. Pitts stuck to game plan all along, Detroit was more open and relied more on individual skill, though their offensive set up was well done. Detroit brought more offence, Pitts more steady defense; Fleury was smokin'. Pitts was simply more disciplined and did not succumb to desperation play; I foresaw this: after the first goal Detroit would get more desperate; and expected them to score, but for Pitts to accept that and score more in the long run. Detroit should have pulled the goalie down 2 and had a 6 on 4 power play; they did not and this doomed them. This is a sudden death game not a regular season game; desperate times call for desperate measures. Both got lucky, Detroit ringing a sure thing off the post, and Pitts not getting an empty-netter. I expected with Pitts being a younger team and the pace of the action that stamina would be the deciding factor, and Pitts should win. I think they won the mental game, and defeated Detroit's considerable individual talent. Yay, coaching won the game.
