Of all the points and counterpoints surrounding the ongoing saga that is the Pittsburgh Penguins precarious position (wow, that’s a lot of p-words) in the Steel City, there is one that should transcend all others.  Simply put, 40-year-old major league sports franchises that boast the history, fan base, and success that the Penguins have had in their colorful four decades on the Igloo ice do NOT move.  They just don’t.  It’s the same reason the Edmonton Oilers didn’t move when things looked so bleak there several years ago.  You simply cannot do that to a city and a fan base that has been such a vital and vibrant part of the league and the sport for so long.  That’s why it is imperative that the NHL helps to broker a deal between the franchise and local and state government that makes sense for all parties.  It’s the only thing in this entire scenario that would end up making sense.  Pittsburgh without the Penguins is totally nonsensical, as is some of the rhetoric that has emanated from this stalemate.  It’s time for everyone involved to stop drawing lines in the sand and start drawing up the paperwork of a fair and equitable deal.

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One of the things that looks absolutely sure in the Eastern Conference’s stretch drive is that no playoff bubble team is going to back into the Stanley Cup dance.  It’s a credit to those teams either trying to hang onto the last few playoff berths or leapfrog their way into the playoff picture that most are playing pretty darn good hockey.  Even the Boston Bruins, who were pretty much written off after a weekend loss in Philadelphia, came back with a vengeance in Detroit, against a Red Wings team that has been among the top two or three at home all season.  Montreal bounced back from a 6-2 pasting at the hands of the Thrashers last week (their fourth straight loss) with a huge road win in St. Louis that left the rouge, blanc, et bleu just two points out of the eighth spot.   If you listened closely enough, you would have heard the mournful notes of a dirge wafting from the Big Apple about a week or so ago, signaling the apparent end of the Rangers playoff hopes.  But Tom Renney’s gang reeled off a 3-0-1 week and snuck right back into the playoff fold.  Then you have a Florida team that’s making one of the strongest pushes of all.  The Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the game right now, and if they maintain this pace, it could very well be an eight or nine team race for the final four or five playoff spots in the East. 

No one said it would be easy, right?