O' Canada!

I can remember watching teams like Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver play and thinking to myself about how exotic and far away those cities must be - Edmonton especially. There was something about 'oil country' that always made me excited to watch a game. It seemed to me that the games were being broadcast from a far and distant land. Even the atmosphere in the stadiums seemed foreign; more sincere, more heightened, more alive. Powerhouses like Detroit, Dallas and Colorado would play, regardless of their opponent, in what seemed to be epic battles every step of the way towards the Cup. Watching the NHL Western Conference playoffs was one of my favorite things. The crowds were electric, the games were always close, and the teams exhibited more passion than any sport I had ever witnessed. Did I mention the the crowd? Simply put, something about the sound and feel of the frenzied masses always held me captive. The closest thing I can think of to compare it to would be watching a European soccer match. The sound simply never stops. Always cheering, always chanting, and always clapping. It was like no other American sporting experience I had seen. Couple all that with staying up late during the school week and falling asleep on the couch during the second period, only to wake again to watch the third and in many cases a riveting overtime, it was this kids dream come true.

Below is a video of the Edmonton fans singing "O' Canada" before a playoff game against Anaheim. This was in response to the Anaheim fans booing the Canadian national anthem. Watch the fan at the 0:55 mark. You can almost see the physical depiction of his accent. That part always makes me laugh. Still a great video though.

My day in the sun

I’ve been to my fair share of great sporting events - playoff Eagles games, seven different 76ers playoff games (during their historic run in the 2001 playoffs), watching my beloved Phillies battle the hated Yankees in the 'House that Ruth Built' - but none will match the feeling I had when my father and I were fortunate enough to see the Flyers play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs on Sunday May 7, 2000. This game was the first game after the historic five OT game that was played in Pittsburgh just three days prior. The Flyers won that game 2-1 on a goal by Keith Primeau, at the 12th minute of the fifth extra frame. The game was on a Thursday night and ended at 2:35 a.m. EST Friday.

The Flyers came out like gang busters on that Sunday and defenseman Andy Delmore scored a hat trick on the way to a 6-3 Flyers win. I couldn't tell you specifics about the day; not the weather, the news stories, or any little interesting thing that happened around that time. That is a skill my father and brother possess. What I remember and what struck me most was the crowd. To this day I have never been able to come up with the words to express the feeling inside that stadium before the puck dropped on the opening face-off, a feeling that was sustained throughout the entire game. It was, in short, the most amazing in-person sporting experiences of my life.

I had never before, and have never since, felt the same bone-rattling, stadium-shaking emotion that I did that day though that’s probably because I haven’t actually seen a Flyers playoff game in person since that day. I have never been a part of a crowd whose voice became one, whose actions were in perfect unison. The chants of “Lets - Go - Fly - ers!” [clap … clap … clap . clap . clap] somehow sounded like a stadium full of Greek gods whose roar was heard across all the land. Even now, I try to start unison chants and clapping when I go to concerts during the encore break. I’m the guy chanting ‘ole … ole . ole . ole…. ole … ole’ as my friends reluctantly pitch in only to fade out seconds later. It’s only because I long to experience again the feeling I had that day. And for those of you who are curious, I was successful once. The whole Electric Factory started chanting during the encore of a show that our friend Tim was dubiously thrown out of - before it even started. But I digress.

I’ve thought about why playoff hockey has that feeling, while baseball, basketball and football don’t. I've thought about why my experience has been enjoyed by thousands of fans every playoff season, watching a sport that is, decidedly, the fourth major sport these days. I think the answer lies partly in the size and intimacy of the crowd; the fact that the game action doesn’t stop; and the fact that the nature of the NHL creates close-scoring and tense games. Maybe the fact that the NHL allows fights has something to do with the heightened energy of the crowd as well. I’ve thought about it. And I could probably ramble on about it. Who am I kidding, anyone who reads this knows I could ramble on about it. But for once I said to myself, don’t worry about it. So instead I’m turning up my radio and settling in to listen to the Flyers battle the Capitals in the third period of tonight’s game, holding a 4-2 lead. I’ll close my eyes, listen to the sounds and remember. I’ll remember a time when I was among the thousands who became one.

LETS GO FLYERS!