There used to be a bustling arena that sat in Buffalo until 1996 that was filled with a rich hockey history. The French Connection. The Fog Game. May day! May day! La-la-la-la-la-la-la-Fontaine. Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium, affectionately known as "The Aud" opened in 1940 and housed the American Hockey League's Buffalo Bison until 1970 when the Sabres entered the National Hockey League.

Now, all that sits is a pile of rubble, waiting to be taken away so that the space that was once the center of Buffalo hockey can be turned into a waterfront development project.

It's been 13 years since the Buffalo Sabres left the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium for the HSBC Arena, but like many old barns, they still hold a special place in heart of locals as the Buffalo News found as some 50 people watched the next-to-last stage of the demolition:

Peter Giarraffa, for whom memories of wrestling, roller skating and roller derby at the Aud remain fresh, was among those witnessing the dismantling of the

Jordan Staal's(notes) shorthanded goal that tied Game 4 at two was being prematurely labeled as a series turner as soon as the final buzzer sounded. After Detroit rebounded with an impressive 5-0 win to put themselves one victory away from another Stanley Cup title, Staal's goal may have just only helped delay another parade in HockeyTown.

If Pittsburgh is to come back and win this series, they'll have to do it being the first team to win a road game, which would be in a Game 7 no less. Marc-Andre Fleury(notes) will have to steal a game, possibly two. Sidney Crosby(notes) and Evgeni Malkin(notes) will need to dominate the Red Wing defense.

A lot of things will need to happen for the Penguins if they are to capture their third Stanley Cup. For Detroit, they just need to find a way to take Pittsburgh out of their comfort zone, which happened last night. The once disciplined Penguins spiraled out of control and lost a golden opportunity to set themselves up for a Game 6 at home in

Breaking in with the Montreal Canadiens in 1988, Mike Keane was a wide-eyed, undrafted 21-year old out of Winnipeg, who was hoping to make enough of a contribution so that he'd have a decent career in the National Hockey League.

Who knew that 21-years later, the 42-year old (Keane's birthday was Friday) would still be playing professional hockey. Oh, and in his fourth full season playing in the minors. (At least we know Chris Chelios(notes) might have a home if he isn't back in the NHL next season.)

The year after the lockout, Keane signed with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League for a salary under $100,000 a year. He had split time with the Vancouver Canucks and the Moose, their affiliate during the 2003-04 season. According to Keane, the love for the game is still there, so why quit now?

"It's the best job in the world, so why stop?" Keane said. "I enjoy coming to the rink and playing at a high level. I don't want to play just for the sake of playing. I want compete and

It wouldn't be the NHL playoffs without a little controversy, and through the first two games there are plenty of arguments from both sides.

Should the NHL have followed its own rulebook and suspended Evgeni Malkin(notes) for his late-game instigator penalty in Game 2? Is Detroit getting away with too much interference? Can a penguin out-swim an octopus?

Henrik Zetterberg's(notes) actions within the Detroit Red Wings' crease have been a hot topic in Pittsburgh after two games; and once again, the handy NHL rulebook is being researched and referenced to prove arguments that two key calls were missed for the Penguins.

The calls in question hail from said bylaw in the NHL rulebook:

"67.4 Penalty Shot - If a player, except a goalkeeper, while play is in progress, falls on the puck, holds the puck, picks up the puck, or gathers the puck into his body or hands from the ice in the goal crease area, the play shall be stopped immediately and a penalty shot shall be awarded to the

Here are your Evening Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

-That's new Montreal Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin promising general manager Bob Gainey that he won't muck things up like he did in Florida. [AP]

-Babcock on that "head-hunting" comment he made about Sidney Crosby(notes) after Game One: "So I misspoke or I didn't speak well, because, to me, speaking unfairly about Sidney Crosby would be wrong. He's going after Z [Henrik Zetterberg(notes)], and Z's going after him. I think it's a great thing. But I wanted to clear that up because that sure wasn't my intent at all. And it's an unfair comment on a classy player who plays hard." All cleared, sir. [ESPN]

-Kris Draper(notes) is healthy, but out of fear of tinkering with what's been working, Mike Babcock might elect to keep him out. [Freep]

-Fun fact (or not so fun if you're a Pens fan) from the NHL: "33 --

The pressure is on the Pittsburgh Penguins for tonight's Game Two. Or is it? They were down 2-0 to the Washington Capitals and managed to come back and win that series. Would it be time to panic if the Detroit Red Wings were to take the opening two games?

It's true that the Penguins played much better in Game One last night than they did a year ago and that the Red Wings were fortunate with a few bounces, but in the playoffs you make your own luck and Pittsburgh needs to adjust to the bounce happy boards at Joe Louis Arena in Game Two in order to head back to Mellon Arena with the series evened up.

There's tons of reaction to Game One, so let's take a look at what some are saying after, first from a local perspective:

Seth Rorabaugh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Empty Netters

"Each team made mistakes. Neither was perfect. But Detroit found a way to capitalize on the Penguins foul ups (bad pun sorry) while the Penguins only were only really able to cash once chance in. Detroit didn't

So here we are again at the end of another May awaiting a Pittsburgh Penguins-Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup final. Much has changed since Marian Hossa's(notes) last-ditch opportunity fluttered across the Detroit goal line as time expired in Game Six. For starter's, Hossa's now wearing opposite colors, but you all knew that already.

There've been other changes since the Stanley Cup was handed out last June 4th; changes that will make this year's version look different than what we watched a year ago.

Here are five differences between the 2008 match-up and what gets underway tomorrow night.

Evgeni Malkin(notes): The current Hart Trophy nominee and Art Ross Trophy winner did a disappearing act after he took a devastating hit from Philadelphia's Mike Richards(notes) in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals (Malkin would score moments after the hit). In the 10 games afterwards, Malkin managed just two goals and five points; not exactly what then-head coach Michel Therrien was hoping out

As soon as Simeon Varlamov(notes) propelled the Washington Capitals into the Eastern Conference semifinals, the comparisons to the 2006 version of Cam Ward(notes) began: A rookie goaltender, replacing the starter in the playoffs, leading his team to a Stanley Cup. Well, things didn't quite work out that way for "The Amazing Varlamov" against Pittsburgh. Against those same Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, Ward wished he would have been able to channel his three-year old hot streak.

All four games against Pittsburgh were a nightmare for Ward and every little trivial statistic that Versus and Carolina fans pulled out was shredded by the Penguins.

Ward is undefeated in Game Two's in his career. No more.

Ward has never allowed more than five goals in a playoff game. No more.

Ward has never lost a playoff series. No more.

After valiantly carrying the Hurricanes down the stretch of the regular season and through two Game Seven's against New Jersey and Boston, Ward was overwhelmed