Osgood for Conn

So the excitement of the Western Conference Final may have proved a little too much for me, since about 5 hours after I was heading to the ER with some heart issues. Fortunately I was released on Friday, in plenty of time to catch Game 1 on a nice CBC feed and not the NBC crap I would have had to have watched at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Not that the gap in posting that resulted was noticeable at all compared to my usual Lang-like absences.

Anyway. Osgood for Conn. Can it be anyone else at this point? Two fluky goals last night. Two fluky goals tonight. This team has not been as dominant, not nearly as much, as last year's team. I don't know what it is. The Hangover, the Lack of Hunger, the Lack of Datsyuk, Draper, the injuries to the Perfect Human. This team just isn't firing on all cylinders like last year.

Except one is firing, like, motherfucking double time. Lidstrom said it best: it's the best Ozzy has played. Period. It feels good. It feels quite good to finally be THAT team. You know, the team the Wings have so often lost, or nearly lost to in the playoffs -- that team that is just clearly inferior, but gets by on the strength of their netminder.

Now I'm not saying the Wings are inferior to these Pens. But let's face it, they're not routing them to the tune of 6-2 over two games. The guy who's made sure that's the goals ratio? Osgood. It feels so wonderful to have an elite goaltender. Have the Wings ever relied on one before? Sure Hasek was great in '02 but it's not like those Wings needed a goalie like that. This year we've depended on Ozzie though. And he's come through huge.

Goddam it's going to fill me with uncontrollable mirth when Little Gary calls his name for the Conn.