Moments like this ....... (thread for only diehard Pred fans)
C’mon Pred fans, enough of the doomsday talk. We’re better than this. 30 fan bases started the year with grand hopes and legit reasons for making the playoffs. 16 did, 14 didn’t. For the 7th time in 8 years (and the one year we didn’t, we missed it on the last day of the season), we made it. That kind of track record made every single regular season game meaningful. It gave us purpose and provided us entertainment and passion. As we did last year, we won the first round against our big brother, the team we’ve been emulating since Year One. Pred Nation has grown by leaps and bounds. 25 regular season sellouts, 16.7K average attendance, tv ratings doubled, and a winning over of the casual sports fan in Nashville. A Pred game is once again a cool place to be.
We run into a team who’s modeled themselves after us. Because we have not played our best, and we suffered the loss of AK46 and Rads to stupidity, we are down 3-1. If we score the OT goal in Game 1 and that goal last night wasn’t blown dead, we could be up 3-1.
So here we are, down 3-1. Same place as last year, but not the same circumstances. Last year, the Canucks were better than us. We needed them to falter and us to play our best. Given that tall order, we won our first elimination playoff game ever, giving us a Game 6. We can and will to the same Monday night. Rads and AK46 will play their ***** off. We’ll dig deep and win, setting up a Game 6.
This Game 6 will be different. We are as good as they are. When we both play our game, it’ll be a one goal game. We will hit another Pred first: winning a Game 6 and forcing our very first Game 7.
Think of how fun this will all be. This is why we do what we do. Spend money, endless hours reading blogs, tweets, posts, and gauge our mood on the outcome of Pred games. To borrow from one of this year’s slogans, we’re “all in”. The trade-off of being “all in” is the heart pumping anticipation of winning or losses when you really care about it. Win and it’s like a drug. Lose and you need a drug.
We may lay an egg Monday night and fold the tent. If we do, I’ll be really disappointed, depressed for several days, swear off the rest of the playoffs, second guess why I spend so much time and money on this team, and transition to something else to fill the void that appears unfillable. I plan to watch at Brew house South. I watched all the great away games last year there and feel it has max karma for a win. I’ve watched the two away games in this series at a friend’s house, and then mine. Win or lose, I want the company of as many people who care as much as I do as I can get.
I’m a vet sports fan. Growing up in the shadow of NYC in the 60’s, I am a diehard Mets and Jets fan. As an 11 year old, experiencing Namath’s improbable Super Bowl win as a 17 ½ point underdog in January, followed by Tom Terrific and the Miracle Mets in October, I fell in love with sports. Then I experienced the lean years, most of the 70’s thru the mid 80’s. Disappointment after disappointment. Even when the Mets got good again, and we made the World Series in 86, we got down 3 games to 2, and were down 2 runs in the last inning with two outs and nobody on. 3 minutes later, Vin Sully was screaming, “…and it gets by Buckner and the Mets win!!!!”. I will never forget that feeling. Ever. All that said, I’ve just pretty much chronicled for you the highlights of 50 years of being a Mets/Jets fan. Doesn’t seem worth it, does it. Well, it is worth it. The opportunity to feel that feeling of having your team prevail against all odds is like no other. It’s worth all the disappointments. In fact, the disappointments are necessary to make big wins special.
This playoff season may end just like the other 6 for the Preds. If it does, we sulk, work thru our emotions, and then reflect on how much better we have it than the vast majority of the other franchises. Imagine being a Blue Jacket fan. Even imagine being a Coyote fan. They may lose their team forever.
But maybe, just maybe, this is our “…and it gets by Buckner and the Mets win!!!!” year. The year your 11 year old will become a Preds fan for life because they did the improbable. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit is so cool because each win builds on itself. The other team starts squeezing their sticks tighter. It engulfs the city in a way that winning 4 games to 1 doesn’t. It’s a memory that converts people from casual fans to diehards.
What makes it special is you don’t really see it coming. You hope, but deep down you’re already preparing and protecting yourself emotionally for the ultimate defeat, but it never comes.
So, as a fan base, let’s stop preparing for the ultimate doom and believe. Don’t ruin the moment by cashing in your chips while the game is still going on and you still have chips. Just push them all in to the middle of the table, and tune in at 9:00 Monday, and pray for Shane Doan to turn into Bill Buckner.
I'm more than a bit nervous about the rest of our series...but it's not over till it's over.
There are so many "this franchise has never accomplished ______" going on right now...I think that kind of history is made to be broken. Hopefully our TEAM has a lot more resolve than some of our fans. Because nothing would piss me off more than a flat, uninspired performance. If we go down, let's go down with a fight. But I'd rather us fight out a series win. It will be tough...but winning the Cup isn't supposed to be easy.
We've just watched the guys play two solid defensive games. They've generated chances. Now to capitalize. Hornqvist and Fisher are getting great looks ... now for them to hit the net. Make Smith stop the puck and possibly generate a rebound. Missing wide does nothing.
If Halischuk is healthy, he belongs on the 4th line. Wilson is playing like he finally got the message why he was sitting out and doesn't want to miss any more time.
The team has two options - quit or man up, play the game of their lives, and bring this series back home. This isn't easy ... it's not supposed to be.
We may lay an egg Monday night and fold the tent. If we do, I’ll be really disappointed, depressed for several days, swear off the rest of the playoffs, second guess why I spend so much time and money on this team, and transition to something else to fill the void that appears unfillable. \
.....and then come back ready to go just as passionate (if not more) come Sep/Oct for next season. I remember what a gigantic let down and summer from hell 07 was, and by the time October rolled around all was made well again. There is always another season, and yes good point this may be Phoenix's last so we have our ownership to be thankful for. Even if our team completely blows up there will be other stars in the future, just takes time. If they win out, great, but it is by no means the end of the world if they do not. Remember Boston falling after being up 3-0 in 2010? Or Pittsburgh losing in Game 6 of the final in 2008? Was that the end for them? No.
Also, look up Was/NYR in the 2009 playoffs. Guys, its possible. But if it doesn't happen we still have a team on the ice come October. And Weber/Suter have no right to ***** after the roster Poile gave them to work with, so the fans have shown up, the GM and owners are committed, now its all on the players. Let's see if they put their money where their mouths are.
if klesla gets suspended for any amount of games, which he should, our chances increase that much more. and i think a game 7 is the most plausible answer to the ending of this series. who will win? idk but if we get there i like our chances.
Thanks for that post bud. I for one, who have been a fan since the franchise was awarded in 1997 so I have seen everything this team has gone through, still believe.
I posted last night about how every year since 2008, a team has rallied to win a series after being down by 2 games and no one has done it this year yet as we all know. So as the 2004 Boston Red Sox would say, why not us?
So today during the Kentucky Derby, jockey Mike Smith was riding on Bodemeister.
He was really flying out there, set a record breaking pace and had a nice big lead.
Then he began to slow and some other horses started gaining.
I'll Have Another caught and passed jockey Mike Smith's Bodemeister for the win.
I appreciate the positive omen thanks. I heard about the Derby but only because I'll Have Another was riden by a guy trained in Vancouver. The Mike Smith and Bodemeister portion of the story wasn't talked about up here.
I admit that there have been some comebacks before...but a lot of people are remembering Boston last year. I can't remember the last time a team came back from down 3-1 in a series to win out.
I admit that there have been some comebacks before...but a lot of people are remembering Boston last year. I can't remember the last time a team came back from down 3-1 in a series to win out.
I guess it's time for another Music City Miracle.
Yes you are right about Boston who came back from down 2-0 twice to win the series. There was the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings who rallied from down 3-0 to force game 7s before coming up short.
But de pièce de résistance that you are looking for. In the first round last year, Tampa Bay rallied after being down 3-1 to Pittsburgh to win out. Game 5 & 7 in that series were in Pittsburgh. Just saying.
I admit that there have been some comebacks before...but a lot of people are remembering Boston last year. I can't remember the last time a team came back from down 3-1 in a series to win out.
I guess it's time for another Music City Miracle.
The time I remember is when Montreal came back to beat Boston 5 or so years ago. And ironically SK and AK played a big part.
Ultimately in sports it's never over until the clock reaches 0:00. Until that time, no matter how many games we are behind the other team, we still have a chance in game 5. Win there? Will still have a chance in game 6. Win there? Will still have a chance in game 7.
I've *****ed and moaned about some things but never thought that we were not going to have any chance at winning this series.
We still have another game to play? We still have a chance.
Every single time I see folks here whining about their ill fortune, I just shake my head.
Quote:
In the 12 lotteries in which the Blue Jackets have participated, they have had the opportunity to move up in every one. But that has never happened. In fact, they've dropped at least one spot from where they deserved to be seven times, staying in the same position five times.
A mathematics professor from nearby Capital University, Dr. Jon Stadler, parsed the numbers and determined that there is a 57 per cent probability that Columbus would move up in the draft lottery over that span. Yet, when it comes to the Blue Jackets, such numbers lie.
So many of these kids don't know what true pain is.
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Remember - when you're a hockey fan, it's not "reckless driving", it's "good forechecking".
"Viqsi, you are our sweet humanist..." --mt-svk on the CBJ boards
Thanks, Howson, for cleaning up MacLean's toxic waste. Welcome, Kekalainen; let's get good things built!
So many of these kids don't know what true pain is.
While it would be brutal to never have one single bit of luck or success with your franchise. I actually think it's a worse feeling when you have a good team that comes up short. And the farther your team goes, the more painful the loss is.
I applaud all the optimistic folk. That said I don't share your optimism. I haven't seen anything yet this series that would lead me to believe we can win 3 straight.
While it would be brutal to never have one single bit of luck or success with your franchise. I actually think it's a worse feeling when you have a good team that comes up short. And the farther your team goes, the more painful the loss is.
Yeah, and on paper we had a pretty damn good team up here too. Too bad that paper didn't anticipate our blueline and crease having more injury-created holes than a secondhand rifle range target and our new #1C spending more time malingering and whining than actually playing hockey.
There's always ways to find suckage, even if/when you win the Cup. (See: Chicago's depth dismantlement.) Personally, I'm much happier with "damnit, we were so close" than being the chewtoy of sadistic ill fortune.
I applaud all the optimistic folk. That said I don't share your optimism. I haven't seen anything yet this series that would lead me to believe we can win 3 straight.
Of course we don't see anything yet this series that would lead one to believe we can win 3 straight. That's how it always works. Did Red Sox fans see anything in the first 3 games of their series in 2004 to lead them to believe they'd win 4 straight? Only in retro spect do we see the signs.
Just allow yourself the latitude to think this way:
What an unbelievable, improbable ride this will be. We pull out Game 5. Rads scores and the previously fractured team is doing the group hug. Yotes say it was a missed opportunity but since they play so great on the road, they'll win Game 6. We're happy but nervous because we've seen this movie before: last year. Win Game 5, lose Game 6 at home. The Gold comes out in force, and we blow them away in Game 6. Our collective hearts leap and Pred Nation is alive. We crowd bars, restuarants, and have home viewing parties next weekend to watch another Pred first: Game 7. We win in OT on a Weber slapshot from the point!!!! Lifetime memories are made and even the most agnostic sports fan in Nashville watched the game and talked about it on Monday. We're on cloud nine and go on to play the Kings.
Now isn't that better than a sleepy 5 game series win with no adversity?
I applaud all the optimistic folk. That said I don't share your optimism. I haven't seen anything yet this series that would lead me to believe we can win 3 straight.
Watching our play in games 1, 3, and 4 it's hard to believe we're on the edge of elimination in game 5. We're getting the chances, we've figured out how to play defense, we're just not getting any good luck. Plenty of waive offs that leave Preds fans wondering why ... watching the Yotes get lucky deflections that go in ... tons of bad puck luck. The effort has been there, the opportunities have been there, the finish hasn't.
