Detroit Free Press

PHILADELPHIA -- Brendan Shanahan lives by a wise old hockey philosophy: Don't think.Skate hard. Take shots. Do ...

PHILADELPHIA -- Thank heaven there's a hockey game tonight. If people here had to wait any longer, they might implode.I'm not talking about the normal Philadelphians. Normal Philadelphians might have a few other things in their lives, like jobs. The Philadelphians I'm talking about are the rabid fans who have nothing better to do but call into Philly sports talk radio -- or as it's known in the industry, Lawsuit Central.Now, it's true, most towns have some kind of sports talk radio station. Many sound like this:

PHILADELPHIA -- There were llamas and trapeze artists and the air smelled like horse droppings. The circus had taken over the building where the Stanley Cup finals were being staged, so the players had to dress in one locker room, then take a shuttle bus -- or worse, walk across the parking lot, fully dressed except for their skates -- maybe passing a few clowns and the fire-eating man. All this to get to a second building, across the way, where ice was available.

There is a word for what he does, we just don't know what the word is. Instigator? Annoyance-maker? Stick-poker?He ...

I got a phone call Thursday from a man who sounded frantic. He said he would speak only to me. He said he'd found ...

I have dreaded this day for 12 years.I knew it was coming. You can't escape your past, no matter how far you run. ...

Look, Philadelphia. I don't want to ruin your day. But while you're talking about how big and tough your hockey ...

The game was in the final minute, the Colorado goalie was pulled, and finally, finally, there really was nothing standing between the team and the dream. Brendan Shanahan raced to the loose puck, took good healthy aim and put that baby in the open basket, unleashing a flood of noise that could be heard all the way to the Rocky Mountains.