FanHouse Petr Nedved

As a hockey fan, there are few things I enjoy more in sports than overtime in the playoffs. Actually, the only thing better than overtime hockey, for my money, is overtime hockey in a Game 7.

On Sunday, we were treated to a triple overtime thriller between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, which ended when Todd Marchant beat Chris Osgood with a perfectly placed shot under the crossbar, tying the Western Conference semifinal at one game apiece. If some folks in the NHL -- or the media -- had their way, it might have ended far earlier, robbing us of the brilliant goaltending performances of Osgood and Jonas Hiller, and the drama of a game ending in triple overtime.

Thanks to the events of Tuesday night, as the Capitals and Hurricanes advanced in their game 7 victories, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals will be taking part in a playoff series that could very well consume us all. We've seen playoff series' get hyped before, but nothing will come close to the tidal wave of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin coverage that is about take the NHL by storm. Consider yourselves warned.

Before we look ahead to the madness, let's take a few minutes and remember the glory days of one of the best playoff rivalries the 1990's ever produced.

During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it's not uncommon to hear local radio stations blasting corny "fight songs" over the airwaves in an effort to build excitement and support for the home town team. At least, I think that's why they do it. The problem is, many of the songs are awful, and so bad that they make your brain bleed out of your ears. But what happens when they're not only somewhat catchy, but when they're recycled from one city to another by simply replacing team and player names?

Let's ask the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.

Recently at both Can't Stop the Bleeding and Canucks and Beyond, bloggers have had some fun at the expense of Senator John McCain and his ghost writer when they pointed to a Newsweek article where he made what seems like a very obvious mistake -- one that Salter rushed to correct:

If the need arises and the range is close, Mark Salter will edit John McCain in midsentence. After 19 years at each other's side, neither man gives it a second thought.

When a writer for The New Yorker was interviewing them last year about their latest best-selling book, the talk turned to hockey and the Arizona senator's admiration for Wayne Gretzky, who coaches the Phoenix Coyotes. "Wayne Gretzky is one of the all-time best American athletes!" McCain proclaimed. But even before his boss finished speaking, Salter had spotted a slip-up: the hockey legend is from Ontario. "Yes," Salter interjected, "Gretzky is one of the best American athletes ... from Canada!"

As you might expect, both bloggers were quick to ridicule McCain and Salter. Wrote Jason Cohen at CSTB: "Hey, the Americas are the Americas, correct," while Alanah McGinley chimed in with, "[P]erhaps we can add that Alexander Ovechkin may be one of the best American athletes from Russia. Or then there's Mats Sundin --- shall we just call him the best Canadian athlete ever born in Sweden?"

Pretty funny, eh? After all, Gretzky was Executive Director of Canada Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team at both the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. Just how much more Canadian can you be? But the question is a little more complex. That's because shortly after Gretzky married the former Janet Jones on July 17, 1988, he -- like so many other Canadians playing in the NHL -- obtained American citizenship. So for more than 20 years, Gretzky has been a dual citizen of both Canada and the U.S.

And when you know that, a more appropriate analogy might be: Peter Nedved is one of the all-time most infuriating Canadian hockey players -- from the Czech Republic.