Damnit.....
A very few short hours ago, I blogged that I didn't really care which way or the other about who won the Stanley Cup. Well, that was before I watched the last 2 periods of game 7. ABC kept switching between the Sea of Red and the crowd at... well, whatever the 'Ning's stadium is called now. The people in Calgary knew hockey, they had it in their bones. Those in Tampa might as well been at a Bucs game or the roller derby. I pained me to see Gary Bettman's big stupid screwup win the Stanley Cup. It was Tampa Bay (why is everything called Tampa Bay, that isn't the damned city's name), it could have been Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix, or Miami. Can someone tell me why these cities have NHL teams, and Portland and Seattle (as Canadian as US cities can possibly be) don't? Just boggles the damned mind.
As for the game itself, it wasn't beautiful, but God was it exciting. The last 10 minutes was as thrilling a sporting event could be. Back-to-back-to-back desperation saves by Khabibulin, ferocious hitting, speed.. it was amazing.
And it might be the last time Lord Stanley's Cup is awarded, for a while anyway
Posted by Frinklin at June 7, 2004 08:51 PMI was torn between rooting for the team from the city with citizens who've actually played hockey and the team that played the more attractive game. I didn't much care for Calgary's style. They weren't just checking to keep the game close, they were hitting to hurt. I prefer skating and passing.
Funny enough, I never think of Seattle as hockey country. I know Seattle's near the Canadian border, but I didn't think the winters were like where I grew up, near Albany, NY. I grew up playing hockey on ponds. We used to shovel off the snow and the banks became the boards. Great. I wish I could still do that, but now I'm 40 and couldn't last 10 minutes on skates, let alone do everything else required to play hockey.
I always liked hockey because you didn't have to be a physical freak to play the game - small guys could play it. {I knew at a young age that I was never going to be big enough for the NBA or NFL.}I'm not sure today's NHL is as small-guy-friendly. I kept trying to picture Gretzky out there with those Calgary checkers.
Posted by: John at June 9, 2004 01:50 AMJohn, I completely understand where you're coming from about the Flames and Lighting. I ended up rooting for Calgary just because they were from Canada. Hockey-wise, the Lighting are a far more enjoyable, and just plain better team.
Posted by: frinklin at June 9, 2004 09:54 PM