PITTSBURGH – Knute Rockne and the scriptwriters from the movie Rudy need not apply.

A game like the one we have reached in this Stanley Cup final — one where the Stanley Cup is in the building — is not preceded by the long, inspirational speeches the Hollywood writers would have us believe.

So what does the preparation process for a Game 6 entail, particularly with two advance days for everyone to say their piece?

"It's stuff that you [media] guys, it doesn't have a enough flair for you," said Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. "But it's the facts, and living in the present is no different than what I'm doing right now. If you're here, you might as well do a good job of it."

That means doing things the same way you’ve done all the way up to this crucial point. Bo-ring.

Then again, Babcock has no reason to change a detail over the next two days. His team is the defending Stanley Cup champ who surely doesn’t need a coach to hop up on the stump and orate on what a win in Game 6 at Mellon Arena is worth.

Dan Bylsma’s Pittsburgh Penguins however, may require even less inspiration. All Bylsma’s players have to do is recall a year ago when the Red Wings passed the Stanley Cup around the ice in their building, in front of their fans.

So the question is posed: Does Bylsma coach more over the next two days? Or less?

"Well, that's a good question," the rookie coach said. "I think there are situations where you may coach less to an individual player, and there are players maybe that you need to coach more to.

"But there won't be a big change," he said. "I think change is a sign of an alarm bell."

That is a common theme that runs through every successful organization — and not just in hockey.

You are always cognizant of what the other team does, and you may scheme or match up a little differently against them. But the truly good teams find a way to play their game their way against every opponent. So changing everything with your season on the line could become a self-fulfilling prophesy for the Penguins.

You move away from what you do, and suddenly not yourself anymore.

"You set up the way you do things," Bylsma said, "so that in situations like this we can act like we normally act. We can do the things that we normally do. It's just a matter of fact that we lost Game 5."

But not a reason to panic.

"It's the same in our preparation," Babcock said. "As much as everyone wants to get caught up in momentum and carryover and all that stuff, I've said many times I'm not a big believer in that. I'm a big believer in being prepared, getting focused and executing.

"If you do all those things, you have a chance to get lucky."

With a chance to pull in their fifth Stanley Cup in the past 12 seasons, "lucky" might stretching it a bit.