Stanley Cup Finals: Could The Penguins Be Making History?

At the time it may not have seemed like it, but Max Talbot's game-tying goal with 35 seconds left in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals has the potential to be something special.

It was Bill Mueller 2004 ALCS-esque to put it, if I may. If you cannot recall, let me guide you through it.

Down 3-0 in the series, and left for dead, Dave Roberts stole second base in the bottom of the ninth inning. Then, with the single greatest post-season closer staring him down, Bill Mueller tied the game up with a single.

David Ortiz hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 12th to give Boston their first win of the series, but still the odds were stacked against them.

Now, please, don't get me wrong; while teams have come back from 3-1 to win a playoff series in the NHL, no one is giving the Penguins much of a chance to complete the comeback.

And while Max Talbot is no Bill Mueller, and Petr Sykora is no David Ortiz, what they did was pretty special.

Consider this for a second. How fun was it to watch the Red Sox make an improbable comeback, and do the inevitable?

In my opinion, it was magical and something you only get to witness once in a great while.

Those few weeks of playoff baseball are legendary. That is a story that will be passed down from generation to generation. It's the type of stuff you want to tell your grand kids you witnessed.

I'm not predicting a Pittsburgh comeback, not at all. But, last night had the makings of something special getting under way.

Max Talbot's goal was improbable. How many hockey games that you've watched this year actually got tied up with less than a minute to go because of an extra attacker?

Not many, that's for sure; the game usually ends with an empty net goal by the other team, rather than a game-tying goal.

How many times have you seen a young superstar goalie stand on his head for three overtime periods?

Short answer: I haven't watched much hockey lately, but I can't say I've seen it before.

How often does a forward, with no points in the finals, tell a reporter he's going to score the next goal and actually do it?

I don't really think that has happened before. Who actually calls their shot and comes through? That just doesn't occur.

Can Pittsburgh make an unthinkable comeback, against a team loaded with stars? Detroit has done nothing but fire at will the past five games; even in their two losses they look pretty good.

As good as Marc-Andre Fleury was Monday night in overtime, Chris Osgood has been pretty good himself in all five games.

The Red Wings have out-shot, out-scored, out-defended, and pretty much outplayed Pittsburgh for the most part.

So, what reason does Pittsburgh have to come back and win it all?

What reason did the Boston Red Sox have for coming back from down three games to none?

How many questions have I asked you in this single article?

In all seriousness, we could be witnessing a legendary tale that could live in hockey history for a long time.

Watch game six and enjoy it. Breathe in the fact that you could be watching history unfold before your own eyes.

If it doesn't happen, then it's no big deal, because America doesn't mind rooting for history anyway. History is always fun to witness.