Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

Finally, after near 100 games each between the regular season and the playoffs, we are down to two teams chasing the greatest trophy in sports. What happened in the regular season is barely a memory and even the first round on the playoff feels like ages ago.

The final two participants is no surprise to me. Back a the beginning of the playoffs, I predicted a Wings vs Penguins matchup in the final. In fact, I picked the Wings since the beginning of the season. Both teams had their share of ups and downs. The Penguins got off to a slow start and suffered and injury to their leader, Crosby and their goalie Fluery. But Malkin and Conklin step up big time and helped the Penguins get to the playoffs. The Wings suffered through a 10 game losing stretch when 4 of their defensemen were out but ended the season recapturing the winning ways so frequent in the first half.

Both teams steamrolled playoff opponents. Although both suffered minor setbacks, they never trailed in any series. They typically out shot and outworked opponents and had big contributions from secondary players. Both teams look to be worthy contenders for the big prize.

As a Red Wings fan, the matchup with Pittsburgh scares me more than any matchup so far. Pittsburgh's got a ton of offensive firepower and they are playing strong team defense in front a young confident goalie. From my perspective, the series could go either way. The one thing I really don't expect is a short series. A sweep could happen by either side but I'd put the chance of that at less than 5%.

I'm not going to let me fear keep me from predicting what I've been predicting since the beginning of the season.

Detroit #1 vs Pittsburgh #2
PREDICTION : Detroit in 7
Confidence : 55%

How'd I come up with that prediction? Let me break it down a bit.

Forwards - Edge Pittsburgh - With Crosby, Malkin and Hossa have a powerful trio. A good combination of playmakers, strength with the puck and pure finishers. They can dazzle with skill or scrap it down low. On top of that Pittsbugh has more than its share of secondary scoring from guys like Malone, Staal and Roberts. Detroit throws has two super forwards to counter with in Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Although not the marketing magnets that Crosby is, both are just as skilled or more so. In fact, both of these players are also excellent defenders, a level above the likes of Crosby and Malkin. The Wings have decent secondary scoring but their prime-time chip, The Mule (Franzen) will be out for at least one contest with concussion like symptons.

Defense - Edge Detroit - Detroits top four are probably the best in the league. They carry the puck and start the offense better than any on the Pittsburgh roster. Add to the highly recognizable Lidstrom/Rafalski a healthy Kronwall bringing the big hits and chipping in points and the trade deadline acquisition Stuart. These four are better than anything the Pens can put out there. Although Gonchar can look impressive at times, I seriously doubt he'd crack the top 4 in Detroit. Detroit other forwards are also play great defense, something the Pens may have difficulty matching.

Goalie - Even - Two goaltenders at opposite ends of their respective careers but playing similar games. Both are cool, calm and collected and aren't easily frazzled. Osgood relieved Hasek and the team never looked back. While he doesn't face as many shots as Fluery, he makes the big save when called upon. Osgood has more experience playing at this level having won a cup before in 1998 and Fluery has been extraordinary this post-season. Both have sound technical skills and play the puck with confidence. Should either falter, adequate backups are available.

Power Play - Edge Pittsburgh - Getting all three of those super forwards on the ice at one time makes for a pretty scary power play and thus a notch better than the Wings. But the Wings have more scoring prowess from the blue line so they aren't far behind. Detroit has two of the best front of the net players in Holmstrom and hopefully Franzen. If Fluery and the Pens can't deal with them, this edge will push back Detroits way.

Penalty Kill - Edge Detroit - When you have great defense and nearly ALL your forwards are good defenders, you'll have an excellent penalty kill. While Crosby and Malkin are taken off the ice when their team is down a man, Zetterberg and Datsyuk stay out there. Not only does that limit opponents opportunities but it creates scoring opportunities for Detroit. Short-handed goals are a real threat in Detroit. Although Pittsburgh has many of the same qualities in ex-Thrashers Hossa and Dupois, those qualities don't run as deep as they do in Detroit.

Coaching - Edge Detroit - I'll say it. Babcock is the best coach in a league full of many good coaches. When critics around the league predicted a fall by the Wings, Babcock retooled the roster to be more physical, hard-working and defensive minded. He preached defense as a way to create offense and did it without stifling the skills of Zetterberg or Datsyuk. He dealt with Osgood replacing Hasek in the perfect way and integrated Stuart into a lineup with hardly skipping a beat. He isn't afraid to juggle lines or to roll all four to wear down opponents. He's been to this level before and knows what it takes to win.

Intangibles - Edge Pittsburgh - The pressure is on Detroit a bit more because they start at home and are expected to win the cup. All Pittsbugh needs to do is win one in Detroit to create some nice momentum. Although many of the penalties are deserved, there are times when it looks like the league is out to protect Crosby and his marketing image above all else. The refs haven't exactly been friendly to the Wings duo that works so hard in front of the net.

That's it I can't think of any more to add. Now get out your cell phone, call Guido and put down 5 clams on the Wings. Just do it knowing, I'll erase all traces of this post if things go bad.

Duke Creek Falls Hike

After walking the Raven Cliff Falls Hike, I still had plenty of energy so I decided to hit another hiking spot less than 2 miles away. This hike was shorter but a bit more challenging than the last simply because the grade was steeper. The trail itself was very wide, level and well maintained. In fact, there were steps with rails along the first 1/3 of the route.

The trail did a series of long switchbacks leading down a mile to the base of spectacular falls which dropped 250 feet. It was a view well worth the hike. After doing this hike at a fairly quick pace, I was definitely worn out for the day upon my return to the top. The hike took about 45 minutes total including a couple quick pictures.

Raven Cliff Falls Hike

Off for another hike in the North Georgia mountains. After a bit of debate I decided to do a 2 1/2 hour hike on this day because I wanted to do this location when there were less people around. I had the Friday off of work before the Memorial Day weekend so I hit the road around 9:30.

The Raven Cliff Falls hike follows a creek throughout its journey and feature many flat areas that make for excellent camping sites just off the beaten path. The stream features numerous small falls, a couple of medium falls and one really nice falls has created a huge chasm in the surrounding rocks.

This particular hike was described as "moderate" but I found it to be rather easy. The only tricky part was the last 60 feet that required some careful steps to ascend to the best view of the great falls.

Georgia Aquarium

Took another trip to the Georgia Aquarium. It was my third trip since it opened and although nothing has changed, it was still enjoyable. It's a great place to take out of town visitors and/or kids.

The featured fish is the large whale shark.

Here's Mom and Crimson seated outside the aquarium with a small piece of Atlanta's skyline in the background.

More Wallpaper Fun

With the master bathroom now behind me, it was time to start in on Crimson's bathroom. She's a little tired of the fish wallpaper and frankly it doesn't match her bubblegum pink walls. So down with the wallpaper and up with the paint.

Much like the master bathroom, Crimson's bathroom had two layers of wallpaper to remove. In fact, there was a third layer used as border. Here's a look at the before pictures.