The Stanley Cup Champions
Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes, knocking off my Edmonton Oilers in a fantastic game seven. What can you do against a twenty-one year old madman like Cam Ward??
Every year I watch them bring that Cup out to center ice, and it looks more beautiful every time I see it. It’s a secular relic; sacred and hallowed. And those that get to hoist it at center ice have earned the right with their blood and sweat. What a glorious thing to watch.
Which brings me to the one complaint I have each and every year. The NHL has a great tradition of skating the Cup around the rink, giving each team member a few moments to hold it and parade around. Yet each year that ice seems to be more crowded with camera cables, media, spouses, familes and so on. The players can barely move around.
I’d like to see a new tradition. If you haven’t personally earned the right to stand on that rink and accept the Cup, you shouldn’t be there. This is a moment for the players and the players only. Let the two or three NHL officials come out, hand it over, and then clear out. As for the media: they make long focal length lenses. Let the players have the ice. Give them the space and time without interviews or photo-ops.
It is a life dream for most. Get out of their way.
Filed under: Hockey
Unbelievable that you would bring that up. That was the first thing I said to my sleeping wife when they were wheeling the Cup out. “Get off the God-D@mn ice! Let ‘em skate!” She wasn’t interested. They were walking the Cup out and had to run a gauntlet of gawkers, kids, wives… I saw a 40 year old dude in a Canes jersey holding some kids, had to be a brother, or brother-in-law or something, unbelievable.
I have a string of 10 straight years where I have watched the Cup being brought out, sometimes I haven’t seen the whole game, but I caught the part that matters. What a moment, one of only three times in life you can cry with other men. The other times being when you (or your team) lose the Cup and anytime you catch Rudy on TNT after four beers.
I’m sorry my attention waned this year with the NHL, cause that game seven was one of the best hockey games period I have seen, amazing intensity. No one played tight with the Cup on the line. There is nothing else in Sports like a Stanley Cup game seven, nothing. This from espn.com…
Game 7 of the World Series?
Where’s the violent release?
Game 7 of the NBA Finals?
Does every point matter? No.
The Final Four?
My bracket is already busted.
Sunday at The Masters?
Still a little too placid.
World Cup Finals?
Where’s the six-game buildup?
NASCAR Chase for the Cup?
Who gets that “point” system?
The Super Bowl?
Hoopla? Yes. Intense? Nah.
Two more things I love so much. There was a moment when Peca was laying on the ice after a hit and was literally, and I mean literally, pulled over the boards by his teammates to get back on the bench. The sideline reporter ran over there, then reported back by saying “I looked Peca in the eye and asked him if he was ready to get back on the ice, and he smiled and said of course.” He never missed a shift. In game six there was a Carolina player who had a massive hit to the head, went to the locker room throwing up and dizzy. Instead of stopping, he got back on the ice and doesn’t remember the rest of the game. the reason he got back out was because if he leaves early due to an injury then by rules he needs to be evaluated and sit out a game with a concussion, he didn’t want to risk it, risk it meaning not his health, but a chance to risk missing game seven. Awesome.
The last thing is the post game handshake. Proves that it’s a classy, ritualistic and bloody fight to the death with honor. The opposing team waits on the ice while the celebration starts, then has to offer congrats. For every other sport, the losing team vanishes after the last second of the game.
What a great sport! Have another doughnut!
How about the National Anthems!?
The fans in Edmonton were singing very loudly to BOTH anthems in game 4 and 6. In game 6, they sang 80% of the Canadian anthem a capella, after the Singer held the mic up in the air. That was very moving.
Not to be outdone, the Fans in Carolina sang both anthems very loudly, almost drowning out the attractive but weak-voiced blonde Singer. Those fans never sat down after that!!