Some Hockey

originally posted on Tuesday June 03, 2008 @ 10:33 AM EDT @ http://fans.nhl.com/members/JuiceinLA/blogs/16087

One minute left of play. 1 minute. NBC had just shown Lord Stanley’s Cup. It was being polished and made ready for presentment. Tears welled up in my eyes – they still do when I picture it. It had been an incredible game. I watched the clock tick down, barely breathing.
Right to the 34 second mark.

34 seconds. 34 frickin seconds.

Not a sport for the faint of heart. How many times and how many ways can to say you are exhausted, spent, numb? And what do you do when you realize that its going to get more and more tense every time here on out and the stakes are going to be that much higher?

What kind of person are you if you willingly do this to yourself? If you willingly anticipate a game almost (almost) exactly like the one played last night? If you stay awake until dawn watching 6 insane periods, knowing you’d be getting less than 3-4 hours of sleep for work the next day, sitting on your hand for an extra 60 minutes of play waiting for just one goal…just one.

Well you are probably a hockey fan. This is not a sport for the faint of heart. And no matter what side you cheered for last night, well that was some hockey.

I’d photoshop a Charlotte’s Web graphic of Wilbur with “Some Hockey” written above it if I knew how, and had a lot more time on my hands.

Of course the argument could be made that with all the blogging I do I seem to have plenty of time on my hands, but really I am just not getting a lot of sleep these days…

I’m numb- it feels a lot like heartbreak, except there is absolutely no way I’ve given up the slightest bit of hope and faith in my Red Wings. I’m not worried about the ultimate outcome.

But it was a tough loss. A tough tough loss. Would have been for either side.

34 seconds.

This blog is a little disjointed today but its sort of how I feel. All my thoughts are just sort of floating in and out. Here they are.

When I said I wanted a good game, and hoped the Pens would show some character , which I had previously found lacking, well I certainly didn’t mean for them to win – you know, just give a good show of it. (the grimacing faced icon is implied). Truly, I was impressed by Sid and Co.’s play- they definitely played with the hearts of lions. Like they said they would- with nothing left to lose. I said as much to my brother, then I realized that it negatively impacted my team, and well, I stopped lavishing praise on the Pens.

except to say this- Hossa- now there is a kid who left it on the ice.

34 seconds. I keep going over that last damn regulation goal in my head. And I want to blame someone, but there was no one to blame. Ozzie had his skate on it on the first poke, and then he had two options, keep the leg there, or anticipate the rebound was coming in higher, so he scrambled with the glove. Can’t say it was a bad move because either way that puck was coming back at him. Sofa king sickening.

Ozzie didn’t let me down. I know what the naysayers are are thinking- but he made the big saves too. That score in the first period could easily have been 4-3, but BOTH goalies kept their teams in this game through 6 periods.

Fleury played the game of his life, +50 shots, many of which were good scoring chances. For a while in the second OT I thought he was wearing a Plexiglas shield from his shoulders. He really really stood on his head.

Top Shelf--My brother insists its harder to score top shelf, but H-E-D-H-S, that is the way to go with this goalie I swear his weakness is that he sprawls like a stripper. For real- at one point I think I saw $1.00 bills coming out of his pads. I know, I joke, I “kid” if you will. He prolly’ had a few $20’s shooting out of there. Laughter is supposed to lessen the pain, right?

First periods are turning out to be crucial in this series- neither team was settled in the first 20 – it looked like a three ringer out there. Wings have to take control of the first period. And set the tone. I think I they do that, then all they have to worry about is the last two minutes of play and 6-on-5 action.

Dats. And they continue to almost completely shut Pavel Datsuyk’s scoring opportunties down- I couldn’t figure out how they were doing it. Sure they are all over him whenever he gets into the lane, but a friend pointed out that they are spreading the play out, possible just to try and keep Fleury’s view from being obstructed. Whatever the reason, it’s keeping Dat’s to 1 goal, 1 point these entire finals- and if you told me that was gonna happen after Game 2, I would have told you that you know nothing about Hockey.

Zetts continues to leave me spellbound. I don’t know how he finds his way through that all that traffic with the puck…. He’s like manna from heaven. Talk about the heart of a lion- He’s got the heart of Secretariat. And a little of his speed too.

Cleary, Franzen, Maltby, Helm – I expect the Mule to score big, but the other three- played as tough as I have seen them play all through the playoffs. I was especially excited to see Maltby be so dynamic on the ice- was hoping it would give the other guys a lift. He really stepped it up.

Rafalski and Stuart- they gave me fits, but each time they did, they redeemed themselves.

Officiating. I’m tired of complaining about the obvious, I know it looks like sour grapes- I mean COME ON! And NOOOOO, even though I think Hudler’s 4 minute high stick was unintentional, I am not talking about that call- but is there really anyone out there who saw any goaltender interference, once let alone twice? Utter horse hockey.

What is “horse hockey” anyway- Puke or Polo?

Felt like we were playing Marco Polo looking for a goal last night.

What if it has ended earlier? Would it have been better to have lost earlier? Many people will say yes, they will cite old legs, ages difference, momentum, etc… But I am not so sure.

First, Legs: this “old legs” business, these Wings are not as old as people want to play up. But if it lulls Pittsburgh into a falls sense of security, well then, let’s by all means, promulgate that stereotype.

Second- Momentum. I always try to find the lesson a team needs to learn after losing to be successful in the next game. Here you’d be inclined to think the Wings gave the momentum away, but I think if that were the case, the game would have early ended in the 1st or even 2nd overtime. Pens found their feet- but we didn’t lose ours, and I still think the Wings are the better team. Now they just have to prove it. I don’t think momentum will affect the Wings, though I believe it will affect the Pens, and I think they will have some- at least for the first period.

Third- Heart. What I saw in that third overtime was that these Red Wings too have hearts of lions- that these Wings were in it to win it, and they stayed in it to win it that they have as much if not more heart than the Pens. How can I possibly justify such an opinion? Well because remember- technically the Wings didn’t have to win this game, but they played as if it was a must win- and that is why I think I am so sure of the ultimate outcome.

No, no ladies and gentlemen, this is not a sport for the weak. Last night’s game reminds us all why hoisting the most important 35 pounds of silver known to the sports world is so incredibly significant, because the opportunity to do so it is so completely earned and never granted to anyone who hasn’t left it all out there on the ice.

Copyrighted 2008, all rights reserved by Behrgreer Ltd. and the author. No reproduction or use without the express written permission of the author.