NHL Hopes Star-Studded Final Lifts Hockey

The NHL may have dinky ratings and a long way to go to catch the big three of American sports, but it couldn’t ask for a better pick-me-up than this year’s Stanley Cup final. The Pittsburgh-Detroit matchup that starts tonight is one of the most compelling in years, the Washington Post notes. The Penguins are loaded with young phenoms like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, while Detroit boasts a veteran lineup well suited for "Hockey Town."

“I cannot recall more stars in a final since 1987,” said Mike “Doc” Emrick, who will call the games. “I think the hockey gods are smiling so wide we can count their missing teeth.” Both teams also come from big, hockey-loving American markets, a far cry from recent finals like last year’s Anaheim-Ottawa. (More hockey stories.)