Land of Hype and Glory

OK, what am I missing here? It is the Stanley Cup finals again, and it is Pittsburgh v Detroit, again. And the league and their TV cohorts are hyping up the presence of Sid Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Again.

And the Red Wings are simply going out there, ignoring the hoopla, and winning, again.

Is it just me or is there something desperate and hollow about all the claims being made for the Penguins' not-so-dynamic duo? Last year they were flat out embarrassed. Sid 'The Kid' was made to look like a petulant teenager and the vaunted Russian might just as well have been back in his homeland for all the use he was.

But this time would be different, we were told. This time the undoubted skills of Crosby and the goal-scoring prowess of Malkin would really come to the fore and sweep all before them. The mighty Wings were there for the taking and the Penguins just had to show up for Crosby to claim his rightful crown and save the NHL's little self-defeating world (Finals coverage on Versus? Are you kidding me? Is this a real league or Mickey Mouseville?).

The league kept saying it and much of the media kept saying it (albeit not the handul of Detroit outlets, who have largely side-stepped the Pittsburgh fawn-fest). And, at times during the opening game, NBC would have had you convinced Crosby and Malkin were the only players involved, as virtually every bit of their coverage revolved around either 'Crosby-cam' or features with Malkin's parents.

What we actually saw last night was was that The Kid is still subject to fits of unseemly petulance (his swipe at a Wings player at the end of regulation was the stuff of pure teenage tantrums) and Malkin again disappears when the chips are down .

So, if there is no shift in momentum in tonight's Game Two, how much longer will we have to put up with NBC's love-in over these pesky Penguins? Or will they *gasp!* have to change tack and actually mention one or two Detroit players?

The league have already made themselves a laughing stock over their ridiculous scheduling (three games in four days - is this Little League?) and farming out coverage to cable stations most of the country have never heard of, let alone can see. Perhaps they should nudge their media 'partners' and let them know the Finals are actually a two-team event.