We're into the second half of the hockey season, and the push for the playoffs begin!

Game One Pre Game

Written by: Jesse Michael on 30th May 2009

Game One Pre Game | read this item

Detroit, MI – Game one tonight from the Joe Louis Arena kicks off the 2009 Stanley Cup finals rematch pitting the defending champion Detroit Red Wings vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last season, the unseasoned Penguins came into the final on a high note, winning their semi-final matchup 4-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers, only to lose to the grizzled playoff veteran Red Wings in six games.

This season however is a different story for both teams.

Pittsburgh starts the series relatively healthy, with only defenseman Sergei Gonchar as the only well-known injury after the hit by Alexander Ovechkin in the conference semi-finals. Gonchar has played over 20 minutes a game since the injury occurred however, leaving many to think that he’s close to 100%.

Detroit has been filled with injuries throughout the entire playoffs, but their immensely strong depth has allowed them to overcome these injuries on the path to the finals. Both glaring injuries in their lineup, Niklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk are expected to suit up for tonight’s game.

This year’s Final marks the first time in 25 years that clubs have met in the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive years. The New York Islanders swept the Edmonton Oilers to claim their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup in 1982-83. The Oilers turned the tables and ended the Isles’ ‘Drive For Five’ with a 4-1 series win in 1983-84, their first of five Stanley Cups in a seven-year stretch (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990).

Public enemy number one – in Pittsburgh – Marian Hossa is the first player to switch sides in a Stanley Cup Final rematch since 1964 and just the second player ever to do so. Forward John MacMillan, who appeared in one game of the 1963 Final with Toronto against Detroit, was claimed on waivers by the Red Wings in December, 1963 and played four games against the Maple Leafs in the 1964 Final.

Some other quick facts prior to game one;

Teams winning Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win the championship in 54 of 69 seasons (78%) since the League introduced the best-of-seven format in 1939. Following are the 15 clubs that came back to win the Stanley Cup after losing Game 1:

Year Stanley Cup Winner Winner, Game 1

1942 Toronto * Detroit

1947 Toronto Montreal

1966 Montreal * Detroit

1967 Toronto Montreal

1971 Montreal Chicago

1974 Philadelphia Boston

1979 Montreal * NY Rangers

1985 Edmonton Philadelphia

1986 Montreal Calgary

1991 Pittsburgh * Minnesota

1993 Montreal * Los Angeles

1994 NY Rangers * Vancouver

1999 Dallas * Buffalo

2002 Detroit * Carolina

2004 Tampa Bay * Calgary

* lost Game 1 at home

Who’s Hot?

Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin rank 1-2 in playoff scoring, each with 28 points in 17 games (Crosby 14-14–28, Malkin 12-16–28). Crosby has points in each of his past six games, averaging two points per contest (5-7–12). He is five goals from the NHL single-playoff record of 19, shared by Reg Leach (Philadelphia, 1976) and Jari Kurri (Edmonton, 1985). Malkin tallied 16 points in a six-game span (May 9-23) — the last NHL player with 16+ points over a six-game span in one playoff year was Wayne Gretzky, when he was with the Los Angeles Kings in 1993 (6 goals, 10 assists, April 27-May 9).

Detroit’s Chris Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek midway through Game 4 of the Red Wings’ opening-round victory over Nashville in the 2008 postseason and has been the playoff starter since. In that span he has posted a playoff record of 26-8 with a 1.79 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and four shutouts.

Topics: Detroit Red Wings, Game 1, Game One, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pre-Game, Stanley Cup finals