Hockey Thoughts: What it Feels Like to Win

I guess it's about time for me to address what happened on Sunday.  I was drunk Sunday night, hungover on Monday, and simply spent Tuesday and Wednesday.  So, I'll do something "productive" in the thirty minutes I'm required to wait after getting my allergy shots!  If I wait too much longer, the second round will have already started. 

I still haven't wrapped my brain around it, and I'm not sure I'm ready to say much at all.  I'm not ready to make my predictions for the second round, particularly since I've been trying to give my brain a hockey vacation for the last few days to recharge emotionally from the Preds' win.  I'll try to work on picks later tonight or tomorrow.  With that said... 


I'll admit that toward the end of Friday's game I was not feeling positive.  With about five minutes remaining I was utterly depressed.  Then the unthinkable happened.  We tied the game with 35 seconds remaining by pulling our goalie.  Then we won in OT.  Going into Sunday's game I wasn't nervous.  I had a feeling.  Charles called it.  And all was well. 


It was exciting and emotional.  I cried for the last three minutes of the game, after holding back tears for the whole second half.  With the exception of Sully's goal, I did a good job of maintaining composure--aided by shovelling popcorn into my face.  We yelled, partied, celebrated, etc...

It was unbelievably relieving and exciting at the same time.  I felt like I was floating for days, even with a brutal hangover and running on too little sleep.  It kinda felt like we'd won IT.  Not the Stanley Cup...I'm sure the excitement at that point is off the charts...but just that we'd won IT.  You know, IT.  Whatever IT is.  The last battle, the final match.  My brain wasn't ready to abandon the happiness and joy it felt from winning to think about what happened next.  that we'd actually have to play another team, and one (out of any of the potential options at the time) that was vastly better than either us or the Ducks.  It was too amazing to look ahead.  Why spoil it with depressing thoughts of actually having to play another round...when we WON IT!


I'm not sure it's really sunk in.  Until late Tuesday night we didn't even know who we were going to play.  Once I found out, I refused to overthink it.  I had deep-down wanted Detroit.  I had mentally prepared for Detroit.  Vancouver, well, that's a whole other animal.  Then they sprung it on us late yesterday afternoon that the first game would be tonight.  I'm simply not mentally or physically ready.  I haven't run down the possibilities in my mind and I'm exhausted.  The only thing I'm grateful for right now is the start time that's an hour earlier than usual, so I have some hope of getting a little rest tonight.  I'd like to believe that I'll either be so excited or so upset that I won't be able to sleep much.  I think that I'll be so drained that all I'll want to do is sleep.

One thing about making it to the second round is that immediately after the euphoria wears off, it's exponentially more stressful than the first round.  Even though I had a good feeling about the Preds this time around, and picked them to win (in 6, no less), I still wouldn't have been surprised had they lost.  Processing those emotions is familiar.  I have plenty of practice.  By now, I'd have started to feel better. 

I'm used to not really caring at this point.  Frankly, I'm not sure I have enough hockey-energy in reserve to make it through even a short round two, let alone a protracted battle to 6 or 7.  Hopefully, once the puck drops tonight I'll feel differently and find renewed energy I didn't know I had.  And hopefully the Preds do, too.  Even more hopefully, the Canucks will be out of steam after their hard-fought battle with Chicago.  But why think about that now?  I'll go crazy if I do!  I'll think about it tomorrow...because tomorrow is another day!