Takin' a T/O with BT: Red Wings, Stars, and Penguins—The NHL's Final Three?

Depending where your loyalties lie within the game of hockey, yesterday could have been one of the greatest days of your life. Or it could have been an afternoon that should have been spent doing something a lot more productive.

If you're a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, then you're on cloud nine. Your team has gone from bottom-dwellers in the NHL to the top-dog in only a few short years, and you're four wins away from the franchise's third Stanley Cup.

Not bad for a team who, only a few years ago, may as well have been pronounced legally dead.

If you're a Philadelphia Flyers fan, however, then you're spending this morning tending to your wounds and a playoff exit almost as demoralizing as in 2000 when the Toronto Maple Leafs totaled a whole six shots in a game six defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Devils.

Oh, and if you're a fan of Canadian hockey, then the fact that they got out-played during the third period and the three minutes of overtime and were beaten by the rival Russians wasn't exactly a great way to cap off your afternoon.

Side note: I could almost respect losing the title to the Russians. Almost. In my books, loving the game you play is a big factor in becoming a powerhouse country in that sport, and in watching the Russians play, they certainly love to play the game.

That and they love to score, as evidenced by their reactions after each goal.

Given the choice between losing a championship game to them or the Americans however, there's no contest. I'd rather have Canada win.

But fortunately enough, we aren't done.

If you've been thoroughly embedded in the 'Crosby/Malkin Show' this post season, then take a break and look west young man, as the Dallas Stars are locked in a tooth-and-nail battle with the Detroit Red Wings.

For a team that had been badly outplayed the entire series and hadn't held a lead going into game four, the Dallas Stars certainly started to turn a lot of heads.

Then they did the unthinkable—they won in Joe Louis Arena. Something Marty Turco had never done, while Brenden Morrow is undoubtedly battling through a myriad of injuries to try and carry the weary Stars to the finals.

Today? They're at home, primed to take the series back to Detroit for a "Showdown of Transcendent Proportions!" (Give me a break; it's been at least a month since I got to write 'The Surge for Stamkos'...you have to get excited about something).

For the Stars this year though, their success is mostly about their coming of age.

Marty Turco has finally proven that he can be "that guy" in a playoff series, following years of speculation and trade rumors following playoff disappointments. Sure he played out of his mind last year against Vancouver, but some skeptics still said he hadn't done enough to erase the doubt yet.

Needless to say, Turco has now tethered himself to the Stars' and their playoff hopes for the immediate future.

Brenden Morrow has become the prototypical playoff performer: he scores, he hits, and he leads by example. Whether it has been potting the winner in the fourth overtime to clinch the series against the San Jose Sharks, laying the body to the opposing team to institute the physical game, or playing through pain, Morrow has shown that he has earned every cent of that six-year deal he signed with Dallas in 2006, while he's worn the 'C' with as much honor and pride as past Stars' Captains Mike Modano and Derian Hatcher.

Steve Ott has become the diet version of Sean Avery—he throws himself into the middle of a scrum with no remorse, with the intention of letting the Wings know that the Stars aren't about to be trampled—at least not without a fight.

The rest of the roster—both with the forwards and on defense—is finally starting to represent a balance of experience and hockey sense, and youthful experimentation, as the younger players on the roster—Mike Ribeiro and Loui Ericksson—have been playing off of feisty vets like Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen and Stu Barnes (when they played), while the defense has looked like an experienced cohesive unit the past two games.

The fact remains though; they still have to win two games against arguably the most experienced team in these playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings.

For everything that's come together for the Stars this season, the Red Wings have been preaching to their organization for awhile—mix the youth and experience and let the youth energize the vets while the vets teach the youth.

Despite my less-than-favorable outlook on the Winged Wheel, their hard work has put them at the top of the league for the past 10 years, with a chance to cement their legacy with a fourth cup in that time span.

Needless to say, what we're about to see in game six may be even more explosive than what we saw when San Jose was in this exact same position in round two.

If Dallas wins tonight, then they go back to Detroit, and (in the sense of the 2004 Red Sox) if they were to win there, then the Octopus has lost its grip on the Stars—they're free.

If the Wings win tonight, or in game seven, then it's on to the Stanley Cup Finals where they'll meet Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, where the closest thing to a dynasty the NHL has seen in years will meet the team that looks to become the next greatest dynasty.

Whatever happens, the Stanley Cup Finals are primed and ready to go for the Pens. Now all they need is a dance partner.