Hollywood-scripted final is one NHL wanted to showcase since lockout

If the script for the Stanley Cup Finals feels like it came straight out of Hollywood, it might be because the story line seems almost too perfect to be real.

Then again, truth is often stranger than fiction, so there is no reason to doubt that this NHL championship series between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins can become an instant classic. Certainly all the right elements are there in a matchup that features the league's two best and most compelling teams and enough diverse characters to keep the intrigue alive to the very end.

Patience? Crosby's Penguins want to make their mark right now. (AP)

For a league still struggling to regain its foothold in the United States after a debilitating, seasonlong work stoppage in 2004-05, something that is this attractive and broadcast on network television is nothing less than a godsend. Especially since the NHL has endured more than a decade of title rounds that have been as exciting as watching grass grow.

This one promises to be very different. On one side, you have the history-laden Red Wings, an Original Six team with a national following that will count on its experience to carry the day, while on the other there is a bunch of young and dynamic upstarts on a team that has survived bankruptcies and near relocations in recent years to become the new heartthrobs of the sport. And if that weren’t enough, the Penguins are led by the game's current leading man Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins' 20-year-old captain will be the focus of attention both on and off the ice, and really nothing could be better for a league desperate to broaden its appeal beyond its niche base of fans. Crosby is a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who is as poised as he is passionate about his game and has that rare ability to elevate those around him.

And in only his third season, he spearheads a team that many expect to be the game's next great dynasty, but one that is in a hurry to get things done right now.

"I think so," said Penguins forward Ryan Malone, the 28-year-old Pittsburgh native whose father, Greg, once played for the team, and whose own career started during the franchise's very lean years. "I mean, amongst the players, it's not really discussed, but I think especially with the big trades at the deadline, we all got the message that this better be our time. We have a lot of unrestricted (free agents) at the end of the year."

Malone is among them. On the heels of a great regular season and an even better playoffs, he has quite possibly priced himself out of Pittsburgh's salary-capped structure for next season. So the urgency he and several of his teammates feel is understandable, but it is a sense the Red Wings share.

"You always think the next year you'll have another chance," said Detroit forward Dallas Drake, a 39-year-old veteran of 16 seasons who joined the Red Wings last July. "The older you get, it’s hard not to think, 'Geez, I'm getting old here. I don’t know how many more opportunities I'll get.'"

Poll Who will win the Stanley Cup? 45% Penguins   55% Red Wings   Total Votes: 40641

If this is in fact Drake's last shot, it might also be his best. The Red Wings have two of the game's best forwards in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk triggering a generally effective offense, and one of hockey's all-time great defensemen in Nicklas Lidstrom leading what is arguably the best group of blue-liners in the league. Meanwhile, their goalie Chris Osgood has undergone a resurgence at the tender age of 35, playing the best hockey of his career and taking full advantage of teammates who hang on to the puck so much, he sees fewer shots than anybody.

That could change, of course, when Detroit sees Crosby, Malone and the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa and Petr Sykora for the first time this season. The Penguins have the NHL's most explosive offensive potential, yet they've made it through three rounds of the playoffs with only two losses in large part because of the way they play defense.

Pittsburgh's back-enders might have one marquee player in Sergei Gonchar, but they have played well collectively throughout the playoffs and have helped make their athletic 23-year-old goalie Marc-Andre Fleury nearly unbeatable for the past two months. Fleury is 12-2 with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage in the playoffs. Since March 2, his record is an eye-popping 22-4-1.

So if you put aside the young versus old consideration, there is really little to choose from between two teams that play the game with speed and skill, the way the NHL has wanted it since it re-emerged from the 2004-05 lockout. The new rules were designed to encourage this type of exciting product, and for the first time, it will be showcased on its biggest stage with some of its grandest stars.

And if that doesn't lend itself to a Hollywood ending, nothing will.