Crosby

This feels like the longest wait ever. Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup final is still a day away, as they’ve gone and put a two-day break after Game 6.

The wait probably feels even longer to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, who know that by the end of Friday night one club will be the champions and one will be the runner-up. For the Pens not to carry away that second designation again, they’re going to have to figure out how to win a road game against the Wings.

Pittsburgh is 1-5 at Detroit over the last two postseasons, and it hasn’t helped that Joe Louis Arena has been a house of horrors for superstar Sidney Crosby. The center has put up just two assists in six games played in Motown in the last two final series. For Crosby to really establish himself as “The Man” in the NHL, he really needs to grab this do-or-die game by the horns and make sure nothing stops him from getting his. He might want to do something big early, because the Wings will be focused on discouraging the Pens from the first drop of the puck.

History is on the Wings’ side as far as hosting Game 7. Home teams have won 12 of 14 do-or-die final games and six in a row. But Detroit is experienced enough to know skating in its own barn isn’t going to be enough to end the Pens’ dreams. Playing at home might stop Marian Hossa from pressing against his former team, and that would be a boon to the Wings’ cause.

But really, this game is going to be all about which players press too much and which find the right level of intensity with everything on the line. I’m most curious to see how Crosby reacts because I think these playoffs have proven he is the best all-around player in the league. But without a solid showing in Game 7, he’ll still have his doubters.