Coke, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper?

But I'm wondering why nobody is really talking about Evgeni Malkin? The guy won the NFL jerseys Art Ross Trophy and could win the Hart too. But he gets no respect. In the Coke or Pepsi debate, Malkin is like Dr. Pepper - the vastly under-appreciated soda.
Now before I get way off track and start comparing Alexander Semin to some obscure soft drinks like Tahiti Treat or Wink, let me give you a run down of what I witnessed from my vantage point in Game 1.
12:52 p.m. - Reading some old press clippings before the game, I notice some columnists in Washington are really going after goaltender Jose Theodore. Apparently, his nickname in town is Jose Three-Or-More. And I thought the Canadian media was ruthless. Poor Jose is probably thinking the Montreal media is pretty tame.
1:22 p.m. - The Washington-Pittsburgh rivalry is alive and well, judging by some of the tasteless signs in the arena. One Caps fan had a sign that said "Crosby Has The Whine Flu."

1:33 p.m. - I notice that the press box at the Verizon Centre is packed. Media from all over North America are here to cover this historic series. And upon first glance, you might even think some of the international media from around the world is here. But that's actually just me and John Lu sitting in the corner of the press box.
1:55 p.m. - The first fight in the stands breaks out right next to me. Two fans go tumbling down the stairs. In the end, a Penguins fan wearing a baby blue Sidney Crosby jersey is thrown out of the arena. Here's a good rule of thumb: If you're going to start trouble at a sporting event, don't wear baby blue. You just look ridiculous when you get tossed.

2:12 p.m. - Looking down at the Penguins bench, I see that Mathieu Garon is the backup goalie. Remember when he was the heir apparent to Jose Theodore in Montreal? Now they are at the same level. In fact, perhaps it's a good-luck charm to have a former Habs goalie on your bench. Cristobal Huet seems to be helping out the Blackhawks. I predict the most highly sought-after free agent this summer will be Jocelyn Thibault.
2:24 p.m. - Simeon Varlamov lets in a terrible goal against Mark Eaton all the way from the blue line. Some mean-spirited Washington columnist is probably going to call him Some-Are-In Varlamov.
2:31 p.m. - During a TV timeout, I look up at the rafters of the Verizon Center and notice they don't have any championship banners hanging. Instead, they have banners commemorating lesser accomplishments. My favorite one? The banner celebrating the Washington Mysticks as the 1998 WNBA Attendance Champions.
2:37 p.m. - Varlamov just made a ridiculous save off Sidney Crosby. Hands down, it's the best save I've ever witnessed at an NHL playoff game (No Ottawa Senators goalie jokes here please).

2:51 p.m. - Game is tied at the start of the third period. The NHL is praying someone scores in the third period, so they don't have another series of "I can't believe NBC chose horses over hockey" columns to deal with if this game goes to OT.
3:07 p.m. - I just noticed Ruslan Fedetenko for the first time in this game.
3:11 p.m. - Tomas Fleischman scores the go-ahead goal. NHL and NBC executives planning a group hug and plan to give Fleischman seasons 1 & 2 of "The Office" if his goal stands up as the winner.
3:51 p.m. - Conducting my post-game interviews in the two dressing rooms after the Caps’ 3-2 win. You know it's playoff time when there are 27 people crowded around David Steckel.