If I hear “this is the game you always dream about when you’re playing street hockey as a kid” one more time, I’m going to get sick all over myself.

That’s the real problem with a two-day layoff in the NHL finals – we have to listen to the same clichés a million times over for a whole extra day. Hockey players are the nicest guys in sports, but they are also the worst interview.

Thankfully, it will come to an end tonight at 8 p.m. when Game 7 goes down at the Joe.

Who will win? The Wings should, but I probably won’t be betting on them for Game 7. I took them at 3-1 to win the Cup at Betjamaica.com before the playoffs began and with that on the line, I don’t have much incentive to lay the -195 Friday night.

I am thinking about hedging with the Pens at +165 but then I’d go and suck all the drama out of the thing. It’s not very often your futures wager comes down to one game when it comes to betting H-ball so I might as well ride it out.

Here are a few other wagers I am looking at for Game 7:

Under 5.5 – Unless the goalies forget their pads, this one is going under. And grab it now because the juice is going up. Both goalies were sensational in Game 6, which was also the tightest checking game of this series by a long shot. The zamboni could have skipped the middle of the ice when it flooded between periods and we might not have noticed.

Expect this one to play out the same way. Most of the action will be contained to the boards and  players will be blocking shots with their noses if they have to.

Besides all that, the refs might as well take the pea out of their whistles. The last thing the stripes want is to have this thing decided by a whack of power plays and we’ve already seen them call fewer and fewer throughout this series.  

Overtime – I’m putting a small wager on the game going to OT when it comes out. The payoff will be solid and if this game is as tight-checking as I think it will be, I like the odds.

Conn Smythe winner – No line yet, but in my mind this comes down to two guys: Osgood or Crosby. If they’re both plus money, I’m hitting both. 

Marian Hossa – Unless he’s matched up against Crosby, I’m taking Hossa to get more points than anyone the book can throw at him from Pittsburgh. This game is the very reason Hossa signed a one-year deal for less dough with Detroit last offseason instead of re-signing with the Pens. If he doesn’t play like his jock is on fire, he should probably just retire.

Good luck and enjoy the game. My final prediction is 2-1 Wings in overtime. Let’s go with Cleary to get the game winner.