BLUE LINE
Changing of the Guard
By Bob Grove

The Stanley Cup Final between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings really could represent a changing of the guard. And not just because there is such a significant difference in the ages of the two teams - thanks in part to Chris Chelios and Dominik Hasek, who incredibly were playing for Chicago when Pittsburgh last appeared in the Finals 16 years ago.

The Red Wings, thanks to big spending in the pre-salary cap era and some great drafting and personnel decisions as well, have been the gold standard of excellence in the National Hockey League for some time now. They've reached the playoffs in 17 consecutive seasons, winning three Cups and now reaching the Finals five times in the past 13 seasons. That's impressive no matter how you cut it.

The Penguins, on the other hand, are only 26 months removed from being a 29th-place team in a 30-team league. They're only four years removed from losing 18 consecutive games in the second half of the 2003-04 season, which would stand as the longest losing streak in league history if one of those losses hadn't occurred in overtime.

Sure, it's all come together quickly for the Penguins, but that's because of good management, solid coaching and the presence of a group of young players who are not merely good but special. And this intersection in time might well be the point at which the Penguins begin to make it into every preseason discussion of Cup favorites, at which the Penguins become a perennial presence among the top teams in the NHL - just as the Wings have been.

It will be much more difficult, if not impossible, for the Penguins to match Detroit's recent run over much of the last two decades. Pittsburgh, remember, doesn't have the ability to spend as it wishes given the salary cap, and the parity present in today's NHL is about 180 degrees from the competitive situation present in the league over much of this impressive stretch by the Wings.

But in the shorter term, this extended playoff run should be just the first - not the only - bid for a piece of hockey history by the Penguins.

And while Detroit is certainly not going to drop its "Hockeytown" tag, even though the local economy is so sluggish the Wings have been unable to sell out every playoff game, we can certainly make the case that Pittsburgh has already supplanted Detroit as the epicenter of fan support among U.S.-based teams.

The Penguins will finish the season with a franchise-record 64 or 65 straight sellouts, depending on how long the series lasts, and with a season-ticket waiting list for the first time in team history. Local television ratings have led all Fox Sports News affiliates league-wide for two seasons running, and local radio ratings have been exceptionally strong.

Youth hockey in the Pittsburgh area is as vibrant as ever, both in the numbers of participants and the quality of play. Some of the first wave of kids who took up the game after Mario Lemieux's arrival here have already reached the NHL, and there is evidence that a similar surge in participation has occurred since Sidney Crosby showed up three years ago. Whether it is successful or not in winning the 2008 Stanley Cup, Detroit has had an amazing run. And whether they are successful or not in winning the 2008 Stanley Cup, the Penguins seem poised to follow in the Wings' footsteps.