Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Team

DETROIT -- No crowd will ever sing the praises of the winning team's general manager, as the fans in Joe Louis Arena chanted "Oz-ie" Monday in tribute to goaltender Chris Osgood's second consecutive shutout in the Stanley Cup final. If ever a general manager deserved public accolades it's Detroit's Ken Holland, who put together a team that takes its dedication to defense as seriously as its dedication to one another.

DETROIT -- It's not enough that the Detroit Red Wings have shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins twice, held them without a shot on goal for the first 12 minutes Monday and are making a mockery of a Stanley Cup finals that was supposed to win over millions of hockey neophytes. The Red Wings, 3-0 victors at Joe Louis Arena and owners of a 2-0 series lead, believe they can raise their game. That's not what the Penguins needed to hear as they try to avoid utter embarrassment Wednesday at Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH -- You're the Pittsburgh Penguins. You've been shut out by the Detroit Red Wings in the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals. Your top scorer this season, Evgeni Malkin, has been invisible. Worse, he's playing as if he's allergic to being hit. The most noteworthy contribution from Gary Roberts, inserted into your Game 2 lineup for his leadership, was a reprehensible left hook to the head of Detroit's Johan Franzen, who had sat out the previous six games because of a concussion.

DETROIT -- Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero took a moment to ponder the question. Had his team come of age Monday with the 4-3, triple-overtime victory that sent the Stanley Cup finals back to Pittsburgh on Wednesday for a sixth game, a performance built on resilience and pluck and the unflappable goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury? "I know the manager did," he said, smiling.

DETROIT -- Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock didn't say anything to his players after they squandered a chance to claim the Stanley Cup on Monday night at Joe Louis Arena. "I don't talk after we win and I don't talk after we lose," he said. "So I don't have to think of something to say." He could have said how surprised he was to see his veteran team so nervous and lose, 4-3, in triple overtime, sending the finals back to Pittsburgh for Game 6 on Wednesday.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins' season was ticking away. Champagne was being delivered to the Detroit Red Wings' locker room at Joe Louis Arena and the Stanley Cup had been polished to a blinding shine. In the first defining moment for a young team, Maxime Talbot -- on the ice in place of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, brought the Penguins even with 34.3 seconds left in the third period by scoring a tenacious, second-effort goal.

Mario Lemieux, one of hockey's most dominant players despite a career dogged by injury and illness, retired from the NHL for a second time Tuesday, saying he could no longer perform up to the level he expected because of an irregular heartbeat. "It's always a difficult decision for any athlete to make," the Pittsburgh Penguins' captain and owner said, his eyes moist and voice trembling with emotion. "But I feel the time has come."

The face of the Pittsburgh Penguins seems to be evolving, with new profiles being added every week. The team has banked on a young-guns approach, on the ice and in its marketing campaign, plastering the hearts and minds of local fans with what amounts to a senior class photo. Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Whitney and Colby Armstrong were first to strike the pose, appearing on the media guide cover and billboards with the slogan "Experience the Evolution."

They had superstars block shots and support players score goals, meaning that the Pittsburgh Penguins essentially turned themselves inside out Tuesday to defeat the Detroit Red Wings and claw their way back into the Stanley Cup finals.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got themselves back into their Stanley Cup finals series against the Detroit Red Wings with a 4-2 victory in Game 3 at Mellon Arena on Tuesday night. The win, in front of a crowd of 17,123, cut the Red Wings' lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1 with Game 4 on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are attempting to become just the fourth team in NHL history to rebound from an 0-2 deficit and win the Cup.