Not the way he envisioned

In any major sport, it's very rare to see two teams face each other for a championship in consecutive seasons.

But such was the case in the NHL these past two seasons, as the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins battled it out for Lord Stanley's Cup.

This season, Pittsburgh came through in a huge Game 7 when almost no one gave them a fighting chance to win it in Detroit. Last season, it was Detroit who hoisted the Cup after winning the 7-game series 4-2.

However, somehow there is a player who played for each team in the past two seasons and has yet to have his name etched on the Stanley Cup...his name?

Marian Hossa.

Yes, in perhaps a story that's more rare than the stat mentioned at the start of this post, Hossa played in the Finals in each of the last two seasons, but still has yet to win a championship.

How is this possible?

Well, after Hossa and the Penguins lost in the Finals in the 2007-08 season, he rejected a multi-year contract from Pittsburgh worth nearly $50 million and left to join the defending champs with a one-year deal.

In Hossa's mind, he thought he had a better chance to win a championship with Detroit, but when he got to the Finals, he wasn't much of a factor.

But how bad should we feel for him? After all, he did make his decision to join the Red Wings based on wanting a championship.

Anyone who believes in karma will tell you that it came back around to bite him in the end, but when you think about it, it's hard not to feel bad for a guy who has made it to the Finals in consecutive years and each time, had to watch in disappointment as the other team lifted the trophy.

And it's not like Hossa didn't do his part all season, he led the Red Wings in goals and points.

At first when I found out about the Penguins' Game 7 victory, I thought that Hossa had deserved to watch as his former team skated around with the Cup.

But now I sit here thinking about how hard it must be to give 100 percent all season and make it to the final stage and fall just short each time.

This season, he came to Detroit alone and had to get to know his new teammates.

After the result of this seasons' Stanley Cup Finals, he may have that same feeling of loneliness, as he wonders what could have been.

Lakers seem to have the right gameplan

Finally, the NBA Finals have come and it's not the Kobe vs. LeBron show that so many were hoping for. Still, despite Game 1's blowout, it should provide for better competition to come.

The first game of the series showed us exactly what we should have expected...a young, inexperienced Orlando team getting trounced by the seasoned Lakers, who were in this spot just a year ago.

Kobe scored 40 points, grabbed eight boards and dished eight assists and gritted his teeth for the second time this postseason in what has to be his best Finals performance to date.

Midway through the second quarter, the Magic forgot how to hit the jump shots that got them this far and though Jameer Nelson, playing in his first game since Feb. 2, said he felt fine after the game, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy left him in too long.

Nelson provided a spark for about the first five minutes that he played in the second quarter, but beyond that, he seemed to throw off a Magic offense that had gotten used to Rafer Alston at point guard.

Aside from Nelson's presence, the Lakers completely shut down Dwight Howard and benefitted from a dismal night from about all of Orlando's sharpshooters.

Howard, who scored the bulk of his points from the free throw line, made just one of six shot attempts and ended with just 12 points.

Rashard Lewis: 36 minutes, 2-10 (2-4 from 3-point range), 8 pts
Hedo Turkoglu: 33 min., 3-11 (1-3), 13 pts.
Jameer Nelson: 23 min., 3-9 (0-2), 6 pts.
Rafer Alston: 25 min., 2-9 (0-4), 6 pts.
Michael Pietrus: 32 min., 5-13 (3-5), 14 pts.

All in all, the Magic shot a low 30 percent from the field, and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc, making eight of 23 attempts.

The Lakers only attempted 9 3-pointers in cruising to their win in Game 1.

Lamar Odom once again was a threat off the bench and finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds while Andrew Bynum sat with foul trouble.

After watching last night's game, it's evident that the Magic can't win this series unless they can develop more of an inside presence. Howard, who usually dominates the paint, got completely dominated for the first time this postseason.

However, the Lakers are picking the perfect time to showcase their passion and drive for this championship. They've looked unstoppable in their last three games and show no signs of slowing.

In my last post I questioned how bad the Lakers wanted to win the NBA Championship after some lackluster performances against Houston and Denver. I stand corrected now.

One other highlight from last night's game was in the form of the MVP puppets advertisement in which the Lil Dez puppet asks LeBron "Do you think Kobe can get us tickets to the finals?" and then tries to console him for not making the finals.

Way to make up for blowing that prediction, Nike.