The playoffs are magical. Watching Marc-Andre Fleury kick his skate out, his five hole at least four feet wide, as he slid across the net to just catch a puck with his toe last night was breath taking. I was watching at home with my two buddies who are Red Wings fans, and they both refused my attempts to get a high five after that save, spoil sports.
After the second period we drove to the bar at our local hockey rink which seems like a bad place to go to on a night when you don't have a hockey game but the bar there has a projector, cheap beer, and awesome chicken wings. Most people in the bar which is located near NYC are neither Wings or Pens fans, most of them were just rooting for more hockey - afraid of the four months of boredom that occurs between the Cup finals and next season (Leafs in
The atmosphere was great. Thirty or forty guys all crowded together at one end of the bar, not talking, just watching hockey and drinking, and collectively ooh-ing and aah-ing big plays. We were watching the final few minutes tick down as NBC cut to footage of the handlers polishing the cup for its eventual presentation to Detroit last night when the Darcy Tucker Moment happened again.
The what now? The Darcy Tucker Moment. It's what makes the playoffs great. You see, the Darcy Tucker Moment is when everything feels safe and secure for your team and then it all goes to shit. You know you shouldn't feel safe, you know you shouldn't think the game is won already but something happens and you just do. For all eight people who read this blog, you remember that Sami Kapanen being unable to find the bench was the turning point. Toronto was going to build on that momentum and win game six, and beat Philly in game seven and then the parade would go down Yonge and across Front and maybe down Bay bef- oh fuck Jeremy fucking Roenick.
Max Talbot did that last night. Detroit was playing good positional defense (hat tip to Puck Daddy) and Pittsburgh couldn't even gain the zone. The Cup was on its little Cupmobile ready to be wheeled out when Malkin and Talbot derailed the post game plans of the entire state of Michigan.
That's why I love the playoffs. That's why I love hockey. Here's hoping this goes to seven games, just so that we can all have a chance for more of last night's three OTs of anxious nail biting.
8 comments:
For all eight people who read this blog, you remember that Sami Kapanen being unable to find the bench was the turning point. Toronto was going to build on that momentum and win game six, and beat Philly in game seven and then the parade would go down Yonge and across Front and maybe down Bay bef- oh fuck Jeremy fucking Roenick.
Is it wrong that not only do I hate Jeremy Roenick for that play, but I still kibd of hate Kapanen too?
Ugh, I definitely hate Kapanen for crawling to within arm's reach of the bench. He should have just laid on the ice and enjoyed the last 30 seconds of his life. Instead we got one of the all-time kicks to the nuts 30 seconds later.
When the Detroit fans started chanting "We Want the Cup" with about 5 minutes to go, I thought "uh-oh". You need at least a 2 goal lead and less then 2 minutes left before you start that.
Also: Tucker and Talbot on the same line? Am I the only one who thinks that would be dynamite?
I thought the "Darcy Tucker moment" was when someone goes totally fucking apreshit for no apparent reason.
i thought the Darcy Tucker Moment was when he jumps into the opposing teams bench...good times, good times...
and while i want detroit to win it and send the kids from pittsburgh home, i too am enticed by the idea of a game 7...ain't nothing better than one game for the chance to win that most glorious trophy
I took PIT in 7 over on BoO's playoff pool, mostly because everyone picked Detroit in four or five, and I'm trying to make a last ditch push up the standings, so uh yeah go Pens.
I sort of detest both teams for different reasons.
That's the greatest hit I've ever seen. Still.
Who are you and what have you done with Greener?
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