Faceoff Factor

Gonchar/Malone – Warriors

Jesse Marshall | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jun 3, 10:33 AM | Hype this story!

After last night’s triple overtime win against the Red Wings, I told myself I wouldn’t write about this game. I mean, what else could be said? We saw everything we needed to see last night at roughly 12:48 A.M., EST.

But the more I thought about it, the more I felt that I needed to commend Ryan Malone and Sergei Gonchar for the late-game performances they pulled out after suffering injuries in the second period.

The spirit of hockey is a wonderful thing; its guts, perseverance, sportsmanship, and the will to win. For me, that was exhibited none better than when Sergei Gonchar climbed over the boards in the third overtime.

If that scene didn’t give you goosebumps, you need to see a doctor.

After receiving treatment for a back injury in the locker room, Gonchar was called upon to step to the ice for the 4:00 power-play that was forthcoming.

The result would be a goal with the assist coming from “Sarge”.

Here is Sergei Gonchar, a man who has already been defeated in the Stanley Cup Finals at the hands of the same Detroit Red Wings, a man who in all his years of hockey has never achieved the greatest victory of them all, the Stanley Cup, climbing over the boards with a back injury to lead his team to the next step.

In a do or die situation, Gonchar did.

Gonchar, who had a Norris-caliber season by the accounts of many, just added to his storybook season; the fortitude he showed at the end of the game will be remembered by many for a long time.

The same can be said for Ryan Malone.

We all remember Game 1 of the Philadelphia series when Braydon Coburn took a slap shot to the eye, ending his series and breaking his orbital bone.

When I saw Malone fall to the ice last night, I looked at my friends and said “That’s it for him; he won’t be back for the rest of this series”.

Little did I know.

Malone not only returned, but he became active. Late in the first overtime, Malone dove head first to attempt to block a shot from the point. With a 2x broken nose, Malone put his face and his health on the line for victory.

I am proud of this team, and you should be to. In the face of adversity, they didn’t lie down and die. They put up the greatest fight of their lives. Like in series past, a marathon overtime game can change the course of a series. The Penguins achieved that same shift when Petr Nedved scored against the Capitals and the opposite when Keith Primeau torched the Penguins.

As a closer, I’d encourage you all to enjoy these coming games. The electricity in Mellon Arena for Game 6 is going to be unbridled, and could potentially be the loudest the Igloo has ever been in its entire history.

One more thing to cherish; there is a rumor swirling that Gary Roberts addressed the team during the game last night, and Roberts was the first player that Therrien shook hands with after the game.

If this is indeed the end for “Scary Gary”, watch his last few shifts with a sense of appreciation. He represents a different type of player from a different era, and he is irreplaceable.