Agony and Ecstasy - A New Boston Massacre

Vol. I, No. 62

They'll be talking about this one for years to come. It was a hockey game for the ages, exceeding the storylines of classic comebacks in 1942 (the Toronto Maple Leafs) and 1975 (the New York Islanders).

Boston choked not once, but twice.  After starting the series with three straight wins, the Bruins dropped three straight games - only the sixth time this has happened in NHL playoff history. Then came tonight's decisive game seven, on Beantown home ice at TD Gardens.

Watching the game at 7:15pm and then again at 9:15pm, you could swear it was two different nights.  Boston assumed overwhelming control with a 3-0 lead.  It is a truism that hockey teams don't come back from three goal deficits.  Don't tell that to Philadelphia tonight. The #7 seed in the East came out on top, after being down three games to none, after being down three goals to none. 

In the middle of the first period, down 0-3 goals, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette took an unusual time out.  No coach wastes that opportunity so early in the game, but Laviolette knew better.  After getting back on the ice, his team rallied and scored late in the first period. They started to smell the possibility. Victory can be snatched from the jaws of defeat.

The Flyers continued to battle in the second and Boston had no answer. Just like the comeback after losing three games to Boston, the Flyers refused to surrender. After 40 minutes of play, the score was tied 3-3 and it was anybody's game.

And then came the second, killer, choke. Boston took a penalty for too many men on the ice, and at 12:52 of the third period, Philly capitalized. Simon Gagne scored the game winner.  Boston fans and the rest of the hockey world will long remember the fateful penalty. The Bruins came so close, came back in the first period after losing three straight, only to lose their season in the next 40 minutes. And for what - one of the most elemental aspects of the game, changing lines without leaving an extra player on the ice.

Last year, the Devils blew a lead in the last two minutes of the third period of a game seven. At the time, I thought that was devastating. But that game was a marsh mellow, piker, powderpuff, compared to the 2010 Boston Massacre by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Without the final Boston mistake, who knows, the game might have gone to overtime with a different result. This game and the penalty will no doubt be used by coaches at every level, to demonstrate the importance of good line changes. These memories will not fade. 1942. 1975. And now, 2010.

So where does the NHL 2010 season stand?  In the west, the top teams have reached their final.  San Jose (#1) faces Chicago (#2). In contrast, the Eastern Conference final will have #7 and #8 seeds competing for the Prince of Wales Trophy. That's another first in hockey. It reflects this new era of free agency, and the equality of many teams. There is no one in hockey who predicted this outcome. 

Is it fathomable that a #7 or #8 seed can take on a top regular season team and win the Stanley Cup?  Ask the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils or Pittsburgh Penguins - all of whom have been beaten by Montreal and Philadelphia.

The Conference finals start on Sunday.  Can the Flyers compete against Montreal after the roller coaster they have just been on?  Will Chicago be able to erase its 59 year drought?  Is this the year that San Jose finally fulfills its destiny and wins the cup? The Habs have not won since 1993. It is a great day for hockey.  

Hockey Rules.

P.S. NHL top prospect Taylor Hall, playing for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, demolished the Brandon Wheat Kings (Western Hockey League) tonight in the opening game of the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament. The Spitfires, defending OHL and Memorial Cup champions, beat Brandon 9-3. It's not the same as the big leagues, but this is where tomorrow's NHL stars come from. The games are streamed live and shown on the NHL Network.