The Missing Piece

As the Pens get more and more trampled and my prediction seems more and more unlikely, I would like to offer a totally unreasonable explanation for the problems faced by those youngsters from Pittsburgh.

As I looked at their sad faces on the bench and my beloved Sid's endearingly delusional determination in the press room, I realized that the Pens are really missing a very important factor in their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Scoring? Discipline? Defensive responsibility? All of these are very reasonable answers, but they're not what I'm looking for.

What the Pens are missing - what Sid is missing- is...

Colby Armstrong

It was said over and over again before Colby was traded in the Hossa and Dupuis deal - Army was the "glue" that held the locker room together. Now, these boys are becoming more and more "unglued" with each passing moment in these Finals. Yes, they're talented, but they're also young and feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders. If there was one thing Army did, it was bring some much needed laughter and lightness to what could have been a very pressure-filled team.

I will admit, I have a EXTREME personal bias towards Colby Armstrong. He is in the running for, if not already the winner of, the title of "Katie's favorite NHL-er who is not a Buffalo Sabre." He is the definition of the kind of player I love - gritty and chippy, hits hard, plays far outside of his expectations, and is a great guy off the ice. When he got traded, I was more emotional than I was for Soupy. It still pains me to see that he is just as broken up about the trade today as he was 3 months ago. In a time where we often get jaded about player's attachments to a team, it's nice to see that it genuinely broke his heart to leave the Pens.

I read this article just before watching Game 2, and it made me so sad. What stung the most was seeing just how much he misses playing with Sid. I have a feeling the separation anxiety is mutual. Colby was Sid's grounding force, always making fun of him and allowing Sid to mock him right back. Seeing all the stress on Sid's face right now makes me wonder just how much he misses having someone to make him laugh and forget that he has to be the "face of the NHL."

There is nothing sadder to me than splitting up a perfectly good bro-mance

I know in the article Colby said he didn't want to call Sid because it would distract him and "he's a psycho," but I think that Sid needs his best friend right now. Hopefully, he can tell him how pathetic he thinks his beard is, but let him know that he's growing one, too.

I know that the sensible hockey fan in me says that the Hossa trade was the thing that made this run possible for the Pens. Colby is not a better player than Hossa; that I'll admit to. With Colby in Pittsburgh, who knows if they would have even made it this far. The thing is, though, that sometimes fanhood isn't sensible; it's emotional and totally irrational. I'm a fan of Colby Armstrong, and I miss him on my second favorite team. I miss celebrations like this:
So, come on, Sid, Protect the Chops, and do it for Colby.