The Penguins not only lost 1-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7, they blew a 3-1 series lead while scoring 4 goals in the last three games and going 0-35 on the Power Play. It's just staggering.
You four no-doubt know that the Penguins played much of their season and all of this playoff series without their two biggest stars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. That would be like the Giants entering the postseason without Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. It just wasn't going to happen.
Nonetheless, watching your team's season end is always a sobering experience. Obviously we've all done it -- a lot. Even if you've prepared yourself for it several hours in advance, there's always that glimmer of hope until the final horn. And once that horn sounds, you know your fate. Instead of watching the Penguins play hockey on Friday, you'll be forced to watch a made-for-TV movie on William and Kate. Payback's a bitch, says KB.
One of the hardest parts of the Penguins' elimination is what to do with the Sharks. Do I root for them? I guess. But in rooting for them am I secretly trying to reverse-jinx them? Probably.
Watching the Pens go home and the Sharks move on is like being eliminated from the school spelling bee while your cousin moves on to the finals. Sure, you're supposed to root for him. He's family. But really, you're just jealous. You know if he wins, your family, who all of a sudden cares about competitive spelling, is going to lavish him with praise while you have to sit and watch. Why not just have some random a-hole win? That way, you both lose instead of just you. So, you win!
That is, until you remember we're talking about the NH-- a spelling bee -- and no one will care in 5 weeks time, once people start getting geared up for Nathan's hot-dog eating contest on 4th of July.
You may be thinking, "Boy, that's a lot of thought to be given to hockey."
The tip of the iceberg, my friends.
As I sat with a handful of sad souls at Giordano's in North Beach and, over the next few hours, trudged through the 9 stages of a season ending loss.
1. Shock: 7:40pm
"..............................................blink......................blink blink........................"
2. Confusion: 7:43pm
"But? How did? Why can't? They had a 6 on 4 for 90 seconds. It was in the net. All they had to do was win one of three. Why is this happening to me? Is it going to be like this forever"
3. Anger: 7:47 pm
"Screw it. They suck. Way to gag a 3-1 lead. I hate everything."
4. Fantasy: 8:19pm
"God, it would have been so sweet to get a shot at the Caps. We would have had no chance, but you never know. What if we went to a Game 7. And then Sid comes back in the 3rd Period. And scores an OT goal. And then we win the Cup. And they make a movie about it. And I direct the movie. And the movie is called -- oh wait, we lost."
5. Anger: 8:20pm
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
6. Indifference: 8:21pm
"Whatever, I don't even care. Sports are so stupid. Why do I care so much? Why do I dedicate so much time and energy and emotion to some stupid game? I need to realize that in the long run none of this matters. Hey, Happy Gilmore is on."
7. Love: 8:44pm
"Sports are so awesome. Even though we lost, I'm so lucky to enjoy such awesome games. And to feel connected to such great teams. It really isn't about winning, it's about the team. It's about the journey. And watching great games. And this team will be better because of this season. When Sid and Geno come back, we're going to be unstoppable. God, I love sports."
8. Anger: 8:45pm
"Why the FRICK couldn't they score?!? They blew a 3-1 lead! These tomatoes went bad already?!?! That's it!"
9. Peace: 10:30pm
"Sigh, at least you'll never leave me."
I guess you're saying that the first loser in a family of losers is the winner...or something like that.
ReplyDeleteOh hey, Happy Gilmore IS on!