2008 Stanley Cup Finals: The Pittsburgh Penguins' Long Road to Ruin

The Pittsburgh Penguins' road to the championship finally came to an end on Wednesday night, as they were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2.

For the Red Wings, it was their fourth Stanley Cup championship in 11 years, and 11th Cup in the teams' history.

For the Penguins, they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their history.

While the 2007-08 season was far from disappointing, the cliche "the further you go, the harder it is when you lose" holds very true for this young team.

There is no recap worth writing. The game ended 3-2, and the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup.

The Penguins battled until the bitter end, seeing a last-second shot from Sidney Crosby turned away by Osjoke, and Marian Hossa's rebound attempt trickle across the goal line, just inches away from going into the net.

The ensuing replay did indicate that the clock had expired before Hossa even got his stick on the loose puck, but the "we were so close" feeling had already been etched into the hearts and minds of Penguins' fans.

As time expired, the Penguins looked on as the Mellon Arena was graced with the presence of the Stanley Cup for the first time in its' history. It was just hard to believe that it was about to be awarded to the visitors.

Nicklas Lidstrom became the first European-born captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup in NHL history.

Say what you want about Lidstrom, but he is no Gordie Howe. Is he an excellent defenseman? Yes. Is he a great team leader? I wouldn't know. Did he just win the Stanley Cup as Sidney Crosby looked on in agony? Yes. Enough said.

Seeing Chris Osjoke lift the Stanley Cup on the Mellon Arena ice brought about a sickening feeling that will not soon be forgotten.

While I feel that Osgood was largely untested in the series, he was good when he had to be. However, his arrogance and his choice to never acknowledge the Penguins as a worthy opponent have created a strong feeling of let's just say "dislike", to keep it clean, among many Penguin fans, myself included.

This may seem like an article with a bitter undertone from just another fan of the losing team. It is not. While I am indeed devastated by the loss, I cannot ignore the simple fact that the Detroit Red Wings were the better team, and they deserved to win this series.

The Penguins will undoubtedly take many lessons away from this loss in the Finals, as they did from their first round exit from the playoffs last season.

Now they know what it takes to win a championship. There is no longer room, nor need, for excuses. The lack of experience which was heavily emphasized throughout this series now becomes about as important as your third grade yearbook.

Moving forward, the Penguins have a lot of decisions to make during the upcoming off season.

Will "rent-a-forward" Marian Hossa return to Pittsburgh for another season?

Will Pittsburgh's own, Ryan Malone, accept a smaller contract to stay with his home town team in the future?

Will Gary Roberts return for one more go-'round, in a season that would include the celebration of his 43rd birthday?

Penguins' general manager, Ray Shero, has made it very clear that signing Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury to long term deals is at the top of his off season to-do list.

Will Malkin and/or Fleury follow in the footsteps of their captain, Sidney Crosby, and accept less money for the benefit of the team, or will they choose to hold out for the big money, possibly from another team following the 2008-09 season?

So many questions surround the Penguins' team. There is no doubt in the minds of the players, coaches, and fans that what the Penguins have going for them is a good thing. This group of players won't possibly be good for a long time, they will be good for a long time.

In this day of hefty Ovechkin-like contracts, keeping a solid core of players together has become a difficult task for team managers. It will definitely be interesting to see if a chance at winning is in fact more important than making the big bucks.

By no means has this season been a disappointment for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They won the Atlantic Division title, they finished second overall in the Eastern Conference, and they advanced to the Finals in the Stanley Cup playoffs, all while missing their captain and starting goaltender for three months of the season and playing many games with an AHL-littered lineup.

New heroes were made, new superstars emerged, and the word "teamwork" became more than just a phrase included in a coach's pregame speech.

From Evgeni Malkin to Ty Conklin to Connor James, Chris Minard, Tyler Kennedy, and Alex Goligoski, every player on the Penguins' roster contributed, in one way or another, to this team's success.

It truly has been a season to remember, and at the same time, one that will soon be forgotten.

To come so far only to see your dream slip away leaves you with only one desire: another chance.

That second chance will be on the minds of the Penguins' players, coaches, management, and fans until the puck drops to open the 2008-09 season in early October.

There are those die-hard fans who still remember the type of toothpaste they used, the color underwear they put on, the texture of the meatloaf they ate for lunch, and exactly where they were, who they were with, and what they said when they witnessed Mario Lemieux hoisting the Cup for the first time in team history in 1991.

Then there are those who have become more recent followers of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those whose age has prevented them from ever knowing the true meaning of "Le Magnifique." Those who have moved to the city of Pittsburgh, and have since become wrapped up in the Penguin frenzy. Those who think that young talent like Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury are promising factors for the future of hockey.

Then there are those who realize that the team donning the skating Penguin on the front of their jersey was, for the past two seasons, and likely will be for a long time, a force to be reckoned with in the NHL.

Whichever category you may fall into, whether you were cheering for Sid and Gino or waiting to see them fail, it's been a great ride.

All that's left to do is wait. Wait to see who's staying and who's going. Wait to hear all the analysis as to why the Penguins were unable to seal the deal and win the Cup. Wait to see if the Cup really does change everything. Wait to hear why next year will end with a different outcome.

But most importantly, all that's left to do is wait until early October when you hear that first "Let's Go Pens" chant raining down from the age-old rafters at the Mellon Arena, knowing that somewhere in Heaven, Badger Bob is looking on, with a smile on his face, uttering those timeless words:

"It's a great day for hockey."