Star Power, Rabid Fans Brighten NHL's Big Stage

When the Stanley Cup finals begin tonight, the NHL will have one of its most anticipated matchups in years, one the league hopes will revive minuscule television ratings and serve as a potential first step toward moving the sport closer to North America's "Big Three."

Indeed, the best-of-seven series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins has it all, from star players and rabid fan followings to compelling story lines that figure to appeal to diehard and casual fans alike.

The youthful Penguins are led by Sidney Crosby, the reigning MVP, and Evgeni Malkin, an MVP hopeful, plus a cast of stars-in-the-making. The experienced Red Wings counter with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, two of hockey's most dynamic forwards, and Nicklas Lidstrom, winner of five of the past six Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman.

"I cannot recall more stars in a final since 1987 when Edmonton had five of the best, but they were all on one team," said Mike "Doc" Emrick, who will call the games for Versus and NBC. "All those guys -- [Wayne] Gretzky, [Jari] Curry, [Mark] Messier and [Paul] Coffey -- are all in the Hall of Fame now. But this time we have the stars divided out on [both] teams. I think the hockey gods are smiling so wide we can count their missing teeth."

Dubbed "Hockeytown USA", Detroit ranked third among U.S.-based teams in attendance at venerable Joe Louis Arena during the regular season, while the Penguins played to 100 percent capacity at cozy Mellon Arena.

There are plenty of interesting plots, too. Among them:

· Crosby, the most talked about player since four-time Stanley Cup champion Gretzky, is taking his first run at putting his name on the hallowed silver trophy.

· The Red Wings, who are the closest thing the NHL has to a dynasty these days, will be making their 23rd finals appearance and are aiming for their fourth Cup since 1997.

· The Penguins won back-to-back Cups in 1991 and 1992 but are less than two years removed from financial turmoil that threatened the franchise's future in Steeltown.

"Crosby has been the key to the NHL's hopes of rejuvenating the league, so it's an ideal situation to have him in the final," Toronto-based sports business lawyer Jeffrey Citron said. "It puts him on the big stage. All sports dream of having the marquee guys in the final. . . .

"I'm a lot more excited about watching Crosby and Malkin and [Marc-Andre] Fleury and [Marian] Hossa against the established Red Wings, who are close to being dynasty with their consistency through the years. If the league can sustain [its optimism] in years when they have less popular teams in the final, then you have a better case to say there's been a renaissance, and they can look forward to better days."

It has been several years since the NHL has been able to boast about its crowning event.

The sport, by most accounts, is in its best shape since 1994, when the New York Rangers won the Cup. The collective bargaining agreement forged during a costly season-long lockout three years ago has brought financial stability to many markets. League-wide revenue is up and rule changes, also borne out of the lockout, have allowed the stars to shine once again by cutting down on obstruction.

However, the league's TV numbers remain unimpressive by most standards, though ratings have improved in recent weeks. Versus says the conference finals were the most watched since 2002, when Detroit beat the Carolina Hurricanes, and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final between the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers was the highest-rated hockey game on cable television in the past five years (1.7 household rating or 2,345,834 viewers) and the network's most-watched telecast ever. NBC also reported increases.

The past three finals -- Tampa Bay-Calgary (2004), Carolina-Edmonton (2006) and Anaheim-Ottawa (2007) -- lacked the sizzle, star power and wide-ranging fan appeal.

"But Pittsburgh-Detroit final is different than having Ottawa playing against Anaheim," said Sam Flood, NBC's NHL producer. "Just [the] markets alone and the passion of hockey [and having] two American cities makes a difference."

With Crosby, Malkin and an emerging goaltending star in Fleury, the Penguins are making the first of what many expect to be several championship runs. But there's a feeling in the Penguins' locker room and front office that this is a tremendous opportunity. The roster includes 12 pending unrestricted free agents, including trade deadline addition Hossa, and keeping the team together could prove too expensive in the salary-cap era.

"With the big trade at the deadline, bringing in Hossa, [Pascal Dupuis], Hal Gill, we all got the message that this better be our time," Penguins winger Ryan Malone said.

As for the Red Wings, they are hoping the experience of veterans such as Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and Chris Osgood and others will be enough to outweigh the Penguins' youthful exuberance.

"Obviously, they've got a group of kids there that are as dynamic as anybody, and there's nothing wrong with being young. I think if you look at the '80s, the Oilers, they were all young when they won it," said Red Wings right wing Dallas Drake. "But I think we'll rely on our older guys that have been there to have a calming influence on us, and that's kind of how we approach things every game."