I should probably start today's column with a quick apology.
On Tuesday night, I sat down to watch the San Jose Sharks—my hometown-ish NHL team—take on the Los Angeles Kings in the third game of their Western Conference Quarterfinal series.
Early in the second period, the Kings took a 4-0 lead and the Sharks looked as listless as I've ever seen them. Then San Jose mounted one of the most unlikely and exciting comebacks in playoff hockey history with a five-goal second period, tying the game and earning some animated reactions from this writer.
When Ryan Clowe scored to bring the Sharks within one goal of tying the game, finally converting after a minute-long stretch of gold opportunities in the Kings' zone, I screamed. I jumped up and down. I let out a rather loud ""YEA!!!!!"" (yes, in caps lock, and yes, with that many exclamation points). That was around 11:30 p.m.
When former Badger Joe Pavelski scored to tie the game less than a minute later —further proving himself worthy of his playoff nickname, ""The Big Pavelski""—a similar reaction ensued.
And when Devin Setoguchi buried a wrister past Jonathan Quick for the overtime winner well after midnight, you can guess how I responded.
So, to my neighbors and roommates who were trying to sleep Tuesday night: I'm sorry. But can you blame me?
Tuesday's Sharks game might have been the high water mark for great playoff games so far this year, but it's not as if the rest of the series are slouches. Far from it, the past week or so has shown exactly why there's nothing like postseason hockey, and why all of those people who tell you, ""Nothing beats the Stanley Cup Playoffs"" aren't just saying that because they like hockey. They're saying it because they love great sports.
And if you're a sports fan who has decided not to watch the NHL playoffs, I have just one question for you: Why not?
It's a question NHL.com writer Dave Lozo asked on Twitter Tuesday night, ""What doesn't it have that the sport you like does? It defies logic.""
Hockey—playoff hockey especially—easily matches the intensity of an NFL game, and players' dedication and willingness to sacrifice themselves in the NHL goes beyond even that of football players.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's Martin St. Louis took a stick to the face April 13, and needed a double root canal aftwerward. He played two days later. Detroit's Johan Franzen crashedhead first into the boards in the second game of the Red Wings' series with the Phoenix Coyotes. He needed 21 stitches to put his face back together, but returned to action later that night.
Baseball fans are obsessed with their sport's history, and love talking about the grassroots love they have for the game so closely tied to their childhood. Hockey shares that same obsession with its history—those halcyon days when goalies stopped pucks without a mask—and the outdoor pond hockey rink is as susceptible to flowery prose as the baseball diamond.
If you're looking for the skill and artistry of the NBA, that's been on display all over the place—just watch some of Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk's highlights against the Coyotes. Or if you love the way a single performer takes over a game the way a great basketball player can, look no further than Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, who backstopped the Sabres' two 1-0 wins over the Philadelphia Flyers.
I don't want this column to sound like a hockey fan pleading, ""Hey, guys, just give my sport a chance!"" Nor do I mean for it to sound like a pretentious soccer fan saying that if you don't love the sport it's only because you are too stupid to ""get it."" (Soccer fans wouldn't like the NHL very much anyway. People actually score in hockey, as opposed to running around a field for 90 minutes, stopping only to pretend they are hurt.)
I want this to sound like a friend telling you about a great show (you should totally watch ""Archer"" by the way), letting you know about how awesome something is and why you might like it. Give hockey a chance these playoffs—you won't be disappointed.
Nico couldn't resist getting a dig at soccer in today's column. Feel free to call him an uncivilized, brutish American by sending an e-mail to savidgewilki@dailycardinal.com.
