DET vs PIT

By Simon Dingley, CBC News

Pittsburgh - It is something few reporters experience.

Behind the scenes, at the Stanley Cup final. Outside the winning team's dressing room in the moments leading up to the trophy being awarded.

Wednesday night during the second period of Game 6, I parked myself beside the Red Wings' room at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena. Usually I cover NHL games from the press box. But I feared if I didn't get down to the Wings' room early, I may not get in at all because of the huge crush of media.

The room was located in the hallway behind the Penguins' net.

Early in the third period, I noticed a few familiar faces hanging around - the NHL's ice-making guru, Dan Craig; the league's vice president of broadcasting, John Shannon; and the Hockey Hall of Fame's custodian of the Stanley Cup, Phil Pritchard.

Surely, hockey's Holy Grail must be around here somewhere. But I couldn't see it.

Hanging with the 'mushroom club'

Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry chatted with hockey broadcaster Mike Milbury right behind me. Hockey Night in Canada reporter Scott Oake and his producer Kathy Broderick watched the game on a monitor in the hallway.

There were about 15 minutes to go in the third period when the Red Wings scored their third goal of the game.

"That's a goal, yes," shouts Mark Hartigan, a Red Wing who hails from Fort St. John, B.C. Hartigan hasn't played since the Wings knocked off Nashville in the first round.

He jokes that he is part of the Red Wings "Mushroom Club."

"We're kept in the dark, but we keep growing," he says. Hartigan is watching the game on a TV monitor, just like me.

He's already tasted Stanley Cup glory, winning the championship with the Anaheim Ducks last season. As the minutes tick by, Hartigan admits nerves are getting to him.

"My heart is pounding. We gotta keep playing our game," he says. He’s reluctant to talk about the Wings winning the Cup for fear of jinxing them, but he admits he has a plan if Detroit is still leading in the final few minutes of the match.

"I'm going to put on my gear.”

Celebration skate

Hartigan plans to head to the dressing room, and change into his player's jersey. He will then skate out onto the ice to join his teammates in celebration.

Suddenly a group of security guards start dragging out metal barricades. The barricades block access to the ice and dressing room.

"Nobody comes in without an on-ice pass,” says a guy barking orders to security guards.

Some have badges reading "Special Police.” I wonder what kind of special powers they have.

Several media people are escorted out of the area. Strangely, I am allowed to stay inside the barricade, behind enemy lines. Then a reporter from the local NBC station in Detroit spots me. She wants to know why I am allowed to stand beside the Red Wings dressing room and she isn't. Security guards confer. They look at my pass. I have access to the dressing room, but not on ice. They throw me out.

Several people attempted to make their way on the ice or to the dressing room. Three security people are scrutinized passes. "Get outta here," says one after a man who looks like a Red Wings fan tries to bluff his way through.

Tight security

Another man in a suit doesn't have the required pass, but tells the security guards: "I work for the team. I work for the coach!" But a Pittsburgh Penguins employee is undeterred. "I don't care! This is the pass you need, and you don't have it."

Even CBC's Executive Director of TV Sports Scott Moore is rejected. But there are no temper tantrums from Moore. He politely turns away and goes back to watching the game on a monitor in the CBC studio.

The game ends. My cameraman, Frank Piscitelli and I wait several minutes to get into the dressing room. Suddenly I get an email from CBC National Sports reporter Tom Harrington: "Go to the Penguins' dressing room. Crosby is talking!"

We abandon the Red Wings chase, and run with our TV equipment to the Penguins' chambers. There is a mob of reporters already there. I can't see Crosby, but I can hear him. The only way to get my microphone close to his face is to get down on my knees and snake it through a maze of reporters' legs. Jackpot! Frank signals to me that we are getting Crosby's comments on camera.

I spend about 10 minutes on my knees not able to hear a thing hockey's young superstar says. But I know we've got him on tape. As we head out the door, I see a newspaper reporter interviewing someone, who I can't make out. I can only see the back of the man's head. As we walk by, I realize it is Penguins owner Mario Lemieux. He hasn't done an interview in months. We jump in and get his comments.

Then it’s back to Detroit's room. We get sprayed with champagne by celebrating Red Wings players. My clothes are soaked, my eyes are stinging. I am sweaty and gross. But it doesn't matter. I've covered a Stanley Cup final.