healthsportsandfitness

Tonight we saw why Marian Hossa left the Pittsburgh Penguins and accepted less money and a one year deal to play for the Detroit Red Wings.  Quite simply it was the difference between a truly championship team (the Red Wings!) and a team with very talented players.  There is no doubt the Penguins have talented players - even looking past Crosby and Malkin to Stahl - but they showed tonight why they won’t ever be the dominant force for many years like the Red Wings are.  Their coach tried to get the point across to his own team as they were taking cheap penalties, “It’s not about the score, it’s about integrity,” he said during an in game interview.  At the time his team was down 3-0 and things had started to fall apart for the Penguins.  They ended up looking like a bunch of thugs as they took cheap roughing, slashing, and cross-checking penalties.  Malkin especially showed his true colors by hitting Franzen in the face with the butt of his stick and then cross-checking Franzen after play had stopped in the 3rd period.  Even supposed superstar Sydney Crosby took a cheap slash at Zetterburg and got to sit out for 2 minutes.  How did the Red Wings respond?  Not in like fashion but instead by methodically picking apart the penalty kill of Pittsburgh.  Even the announcers who usually don’t care much for Detroit’s overskilled play mentioned that they just play the game and were much more professional.  One announcer called the Pittsburgh players “juvenile”. 

And that, hockey fans, is why Hossa left Pittsburg for Detroit.

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