Every Sunday morning at 11am, The Tail Wag examines something that made me happy in the past week.
I watch a lot of sports. I almost certainly watch too much sports. Yet I continue to watch sports because every once in a while you are rewarded with a moment you will never forget.
Going into Game 5 of the Blackhawks/Kings series for a place in the Stanley Cup Final, I'd be lying if I was that interested. The Kings has thoroughly outplayed and, frankly, embarrassed the Blackhawks during two games at the Staples Center. It seemed like game over.
In fact, I didn't even watch the first two periods, I was more focused on LeBron and the chronically confusing Indiana Pacers. But once it became clear the NBA was pushing for a Game 6, I moved back to hockey.
The third period of the game was tense and exciting. It was everything you want from a playoff hockey game. But it was not everything you could get from a playoff hockey game.
The first overtime was possibly the most exciting playoff overtime period I have ever seen in my life, that did not involved my beloved New York Islanders.
The 20 minutes took only 27 minutes in real-time to play. There was an 8-minute stretch of nothing but hockey with no stoppages.
And it wasn't just that they were playing tense, important hockey with a season on the line. They were doing so at the highest level imaginable. I had never seen a playoff overtime played with such pace. They went up and down the ice. Rush after rush, save after save, end to end followed by end to end.
You could feel the energy pumping through the television screen. You could feel the crowd, many of whom were standing, riding the wave of emotion with every play, every missed shot and every potential game-ended.
When the period ended, you knew it couldn't last. You knew you had witnessed something special. The Blackhawks won early in the second overtime and I was happy.
I wasn't rooting for either team until then. After the first overtime, I wanted a Game 6. I wanted more hockey between these two teams.
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I watch a lot of sports. I almost certainly watch too much sports. Yet I continue to watch sports because every once in a while you are rewarded with a moment you will never forget.
In fact, I didn't even watch the first two periods, I was more focused on LeBron and the chronically confusing Indiana Pacers. But once it became clear the NBA was pushing for a Game 6, I moved back to hockey.
The third period of the game was tense and exciting. It was everything you want from a playoff hockey game. But it was not everything you could get from a playoff hockey game.
The first overtime was possibly the most exciting playoff overtime period I have ever seen in my life, that did not involved my beloved New York Islanders.
The 20 minutes took only 27 minutes in real-time to play. There was an 8-minute stretch of nothing but hockey with no stoppages.
And it wasn't just that they were playing tense, important hockey with a season on the line. They were doing so at the highest level imaginable. I had never seen a playoff overtime played with such pace. They went up and down the ice. Rush after rush, save after save, end to end followed by end to end.
You could feel the energy pumping through the television screen. You could feel the crowd, many of whom were standing, riding the wave of emotion with every play, every missed shot and every potential game-ended.
When the period ended, you knew it couldn't last. You knew you had witnessed something special. The Blackhawks won early in the second overtime and I was happy.
I wasn't rooting for either team until then. After the first overtime, I wanted a Game 6. I wanted more hockey between these two teams.
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