By: Chad Smith
In my short life time I have been to 2 NBA playoff games, 4 NBA Final games, 1 NFL Division playoff game, an AFC Championship game, and 3 NHL playoff games. I am from Massachusetts and every single one of those playoff games included a Boston sports team. In recent years Boston has become the center of the sports world winning more titles than any other city. It has been a pretty special time to be a Boston sports fan. I have a great memory from each one one of those games. Some of those memories include Marc Savard scoring an overtime goal in his first game back from a serious concussion, Paul Pierce being carried off the court in a wheel chair then returning a few minutes later to lead the Celtics to victory (we can talk later about how that may have been embellished but right now that’s not the point of this article), the Shrek and Donkey game, and my favorite so far Nathan Horton scoring in double OT to take a 3-2 series lead over Montreal, aka Canada’s dive team. But none of those compare to what I witnessed last night at game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in Los Angeles. Never in a million years did I think my best sports memory would happen in Los Angeles a city that is located 2595 miles away from Boston when I have reasons to root for both teams to win.
It is a night that I will always remember and talk about for years to come. The feeling walking into the Staples Center last night was surreal and I knew something special was going to take place. As the stadium filled up, you could feel the energy building throughout the building. When the puck finally dropped you could tell the Kings were on a mission and no one was going to stand in their way. When the Kings got their first goal on a 5 minute power play the Staples Center erupted. The Kings then got two more quick goals and you knew at that point the cup would be in the Kings’ hands at the end of the night. When the game finally ended I had a simultaneous feeling of joy, excitement, and disbelief because I was going to get to see Lord Stanley’s Cup in person. And seeing the Stanley Cup live is a rush I cannot explain.
If you have never been to a NHL playoff game I strongly suggest you go, and if you ever have the chance to go to a NHL Finals Cup game, GO! Nothing in sports compares to seeing players jump over the boards and toss equipment everywhere, the great tradition of the handshake line, and ultimately the greatest trophy in sports being carried around the ice and kissed by each member of the winning team. I was lucky enough to witness all 3 of those things last night. You don’t get those three things in any other sport. Nothing in sports compares to being at a close out game of the Stanley Cup Finals and I have been to my fair share of major sporting events. The video below is the best I could do to try and replicate the feeling I had all of yesterday.
1 comments:
Sounds like an awesome experience! Somehow seems more pure than the NBA
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