The Official NHL Thread

[POJO_Risin]

Okay...so I had my sign on...a Canes jersey given to me as a gift by the former President of the team (I taught her daughter), and a 12 pack...in a cooler...in a backpack...

Several cars honking like made...

but get this...I get about 2/3 of the way to the arena...and a car pulls up along side me. It's a carful of Edmonton fans. Now...I'm thinking...Oh shit...

and the guy says, "Hey, are you from here? Can you help us get around?"

I immediately say, "I'm not a Canes fan really...a transplanted Pens fan...but I do live here."

He says, "Hop in...we're just looking for maybe a home cooked BBQ place to eat some food, then we'll take you down to the arena."

So...I throw my bag in the trunk...hop into the car...there's five of us in the car...a PT Cruiser rental...and they let me take shotgun...

I'm still a bit worried...but I take them to a place down the street...called Pam's Farmhouse...

I don't get murdered...or beat the hell out of...

2/4 of Van Hagar...lmfao...a Samuel (didn't like Sam or Sammy), and a Michael...Barry and Steve Dayhim...all brothers...Samuel and Steve are twins...

all diehard Oiler fans...all a bit older than I am...

so we sit and talk some hockey...

[POJO_Risin]

They basically wanted to know the history of the team here...and about the rumors of the team leaving...stuff like that...

they were a might impressed that the team spent 2 years in Greensboro in front of about 7,000 a night (mostly Raleigh folk traveling the hour to Greensboro), before the RBC opened...

we talked about how most of Raleigh are transplanted northerners like myself who's hat is in another team's arena...but still root for the local boys because we like having the NHL here...

The knew a lot about the fans from the 2002 cup run...and they were impressed with the crowd...

I explained that it's a city that is on the verge of becoming a hockey giant...if they can manage to convert some of the other fans...they've been to every game here...(wow)...and were impressed with the fan base...

I told them about Edmonton wanting to come to Raleigh in the mid-90's...and they laughed about it...

but boy did these guys know their hockey...I know my shit...but I couldn't touch them in knowlege...their knowledge of lines...and of shifts and of stuff that's way beyond me...

they actually said something that appeared to happen tonight (I haven't seen the game on TV yet...so I'm not 100% sure it happened, but it seemed too)..."The Canes need to start working Brind'Amour opposite of Peca...keep him off the ice because Peca's done such a good job on him..."

anyways...we ate...chatted...and went to the arena. At this point...the lot was still closed...but the cops were letting people in...free mind you...because there were a decent bit of Edmonton fans...who had nowhere else to go...

[POJO_Risin]

I was secretly hoping they had tickets...but they didn't...but they told me to hang around...usually someone has a spare ticket...someone misses a flight...etc. So I do...

The have their own beer...

and we just hang around...

they actually start asking around for tickets for me...

I wasn't planning on paying...can't affort the ticket...but you never know...

a couple hours draw past...and we're sitting with a mix of fans...talking the game...and sports in general...

good conversation...more curiousity on the Canadian's part than anything else...

The RBC sits right next to the NC State Carter Finley Stadium...where the football team...so they had tons of college questions...about how big college sports are...and about football in general.

There were a ton of soccer fans there...so we talked World Cup (they knew a ton...I didn't know shit...but it was fun anyways...

It's around 3 o'clock at this point...no tickets...but I'm okay...I figure I'd hang out and watch on the big screen...

[POJO_Risin]

On a side note here...

these guys couldn't stop talking about Cam Ward...and how they really thought this kid was not only big in the playoffs...but the buzz in Edmonton since he was drafted was that he had a chance to be special...

of course...they said...after tonight...

[POJO_Risin]

Okay...so I start roaming...now...I've forgotten my cell...and get this...my wad of cash in my glove box a mile away...I still have my Mac Card and my wallet...but I'm fairly limited on tickets...

my sign was meant for sarcasm...but I fucking needed it literally now...I was willing to give up my damn summer tutoring ANYONE for tickets...

so I roam...at 4...the wave of fans start pouring in...I'm at this point...hanging out by the legal scalp section...hoping for some luck...but after an hour or so...and hearing some #'s of regular price tickets...2 and 3 hundred dollars...and moving away...and hearing some scalp tickets (lower level rollin' at 3-5 hundred dollars...Canadian fans were actually rollin' up the price)...I decided fuck it...

I'm not getting a call from my friends...no phone...

I can't buy a ticket...so I just walked up to the arena...with my sign...and said fuck it...I'll enjoy the festivities...and watch outside...

and it was a lot of fun...I bumped into a few friends...a friend from high school was there...he's a fucking horse cop...

but the atmosphere was incredible...

I've been to some pretty special places as far as sports go...Ohio State/Michigan...Penn State/Pitt...I've been to some World Series games...I've been to Fenway and the Bronx...Three Rivers...for a Steelers game...

Browns/Steelers...

but I'll tell you something...there was something fucking insane going on...the buzz of a game 7...

wow...

it's 7 o'clock...no tickets...no beer at this point...buzzin' alright...sign on...ready to roll...

I end up sitting outside this TV truck...huge screen TV...playing local pre-game shit...and I'm sitting with a couple of Pens fans...talking about what the Pens need to do this year...

lmfao VA...they asked me about fucking Jack Johnson...now...I know nothing about him...but they were eager for a deal...and yes...they were from Pittsburgh...visiting...older folks...brothers...

seemed to be a brother fest...

7:45...no tickets...not even looking...still have the sign on though...

decide to walk around the ticket window...Pens guys hold my seat...

[Sarge's Little Helper]

POJO IS THE FUCKING CAESAR!

[POJO_Risin]

So...I do a walkby...nothing...

It's 8 o'clock now...still a buttload of people out there...

I walk back to my seat at the big screen...the place is packed...

I get to my seat...feel a tap on the shoulder...

there was some guy and his kid...who apparently saw my sign...and tried to flag me down...I didn't see them...hear them (band was loud...and it was loud...hard to explain...electric...)

He asks me about the sign...

I tell him I'm serious...

he laughs it off...and hands me a ticket...in front of the Pens guys...they start screaming...I start screaming...

I give the guy my number...and tell him I'm serious...and tell him I'll pay him...he says...and this is word for word..."Look, my wife is sick, hates the games, I can afford it...and we'll just call this a thanks to all the teachers here in Raleigh."

I get a free ticket...again...

Gentlemen...I'm the luckiest fucker on the planet...I shit you not...

but I gave the guy my number...he gave me his...I thanked him...and told him I'd see him in the arena...didn't bother to look at the seats...didn't really care...

so I buzz into the arena before the guy changes his mind...

I'M IN TO A FUCKING GAME 7...STANLEY CUP FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[POJO_Risin]

Okay...

so...I get in...just as the game starts...I look at the ticket again...and it's definately a season ticket holders ticket...photo on it...whole shebang...

anyways...

I see fucking section 101 on it...it's a middle level ticket...

it has no price on it...so it was a comped ticket..and now I'm really excited...

now...I've gotten some good tickets...I was in 108 for Game 1...about 50 rows back...

I'm up a bit from that...

anyways...The place is fucking buzzing...I missed player intros...but the lights had come down...sitting below me...about 20 rows...is the Nature Boy (I didn't see him until later...but fuck...unreal)...anyways...

I don't know how this translated...but the fans were loud...the chick singing sucked...but the fans sang both anthems...pretty loud...a rip of Edmonton...not as good as Edmonton...but I will tell you something...

this group of fans did something that I've never seen...I'll get into that in a second...and I doubt very much you could tell on TV...

but the puck dropped...and the fans were nuts...but the Canes...holy fuck...they started putting an asswhiping on the Oilers...I don't know what the fuck the hit count was...but fucking Erik Cole was like a fucking man possessed...

bam...the Canes scored...

now...get this...NOONE HAS SAT DOWN YET...NOT ONE FUCKING PERSON...only 2 minutes in though...

Carolina played a great first period...I'm going crazy...the place is going crazy...and we spend the first period watching the Canes totally outplay the Oilers...but only get the 1 goal lead...

The play at the end of the period was sketchy...they called a delayed penalty...and I'm not sure what the official ruling was...but midway through the intermission...there was a buzz through the arena that it was really a goal...

then there was rumor of an NHL admission that there was a wrong call...that because of the delayed penalty...the minute the puck was trapped by Edmonton...the whistle blew...but if it was trapped under the guys hand...it shoulda been a penalty shot...

whatever...it didn't happen...

now...the fans stood up the entire first period...everyone...wow...

[Sarge's Little Helper]

HAIL CAESAR!!!

[POJO_Risin]

Truth be told...lmfao...no idea if that was Flair or not...never really paid much attention...

but heard a rumor it was him...

no clue if it was true...

[POJO_Risin]

Okay...second period starts...fans on their feet...not seated yet...crazy...bam...another goal...

and the Canes controlled the entire period...with some good saves by Ward...

I can tell you this...by the time the horn sounded for the end of period 2...I had a fucking grade A headache from screaming....mostly to the guy next to me who gave me the ticket...

you could barely hear though...

I never left my seat...and had to piss like a champ...such is life...

Cole was playing great...

had really set up the first goal...

The defenders were playing offensively...and they were taking away the seam that Edmonton killed in game 6...

it looked like this could have been a fucking clean shutout...

and we were all thinking it should be 3-0...

I don't know if that was the right call or not...

just what we were thinking...

[POJO_Risin]

Bam...that cocksucker Pisani scored again...

2-1...and here we go...

fans still haven't sat down...although I noticed the fans to the direct right...behind the net were seated...pussies...

it became the fucking Cam Ward show at this point...

Edmonton picked up their level of play...

Forgot to mention the crazy 5 on 3...then 5 on 4...then 5 on 4 for Carolina...

crazy shit...in the second...

back to the third...lots of rushes...but Ward shut the fucking door...BAM...

We were all counting down...every minute...10 to go...9 to go...8 to go...7 to go (fantastic save by WARD), 6 to go, 5 to go, 4 to go, 3 to go (and maybe the save of the series by WARD), 2 to go, and with 1 to go...Justin Williams puts it away...

wow...

the place went crazy...

and when Brind'Amour got the fucking cup...you should have seen him...DID NBC STAY WITH THE CEREMONY?

Brind'Amour really went crazy...

anyways...

I'm tired...need to get to sleep...

more on the post game..and the post game was insane...

[Romeo Delight]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
GGGGOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!

Okay...what a day...and all day affair for me...

let me get it started...one piece at a time...

after a fiasco of a father's day in which my son managed to graffiti the bathroom...

I decided today would be Dad's day...so I decided at about 9 AM to head down to the RBC...with a rather intriguing sign...hoping for a ticket...

the sign:

I'm a teacher: Will Tutor for Tickets
I just need one

Exactly what it said....

I got down outside the arena at about 10. The parking lot wasn't open...so I parked at my old apartment...and walked the half mile...

wearing the sign...

Just outstanding!

Thanks for the story

[POJO_Risin]

Dude...trust me...it gets better...

the post game was unbelievable...

[Carmine]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
...but fucking Erik Cole was like a fucking man possessed...

Erik is from my hometown. I watched this little fucker grow up on the ice. Before I took the Union job, I worked for Parks and Rec in Oswego and one of our areas was the city owned ice rinks. Erik comes back every year and gives "something" to the kids in the program. He's a great dude.


and the Stanley Cup will be here, this summer...in little ole Oswego, NY.