Because I've been going without a heartbeat since Sunday.
Let me just say, it was such a personal experience with the team over the past few days, I am going to give you my point of view.
The Flyers had a chance to clinch a playoff spot last week with just 4 points.
They finished the job with a 2-0 win over Toronto on Tuesday night, and looked to clinch on Friday at Madison Square Garden with a win.
Knowing how big the game was, I decided to take the train to MSG to see the Bullies take on Broadway.
Had I'd known that Brian Boucher would let up 3 of the softest goals I've ever seen, I would have stayed home.
Before I get into what happened, let me say if you have never been to MSG, you need to go next season. The Garden has one of the homiest feels to any arena I've ever been to. It had just been so long since I had been there, I had forgotten the nostalgia of it.
You'd think that MSG would be louder than the Wachovia Center too, but it isn't. The crowd chants are a lot louder, but the cheers after the Rangers score a goal are not as loud as the Center.
The first game I ever went to at MSG was on February 12th, 2004.
If you're a die-hard...you'll remember what happened.
I certainly do, because I was 10 rows up.
There was a face-off in the near circle, Boris Mironov rips a shot right off the draw.
I can still hear the sickening slap, then crack of Jeremy Roenick's jaw.
By the time I had turned my head from Mironov to where I heard the sound...Jeremy Roenick was unconscious in a pool of blood.
It was one of the scariest things you could ever see happen to a hockey player...but imagine being there. The image is implanted in my brain forever.
Also implanted in my brain was the cold beer that had been thrown at my back after the Flyers won the game 2-1.
However, to this day, I have nothing but respect for Rangers' fans because they showed Roenick the utmost class by applauding him as he was carried off the ice.
It's sad too, Ranger fans get a bad rap, when they don't heckle nearly as much or as bad as Flyers fans. They are passionate, but they don't mind intruders in their arena. They'll actually talk to you if you start up a conversation.
They won't heckle you during the game, but will before and afterward in the streets of NYC. It seems like more people care outside of MSG than inside.
Philadelphia's motto is: "We don't like you...or your team. Now get the hell out of my city."
This is why I am proud to be from Philly.
Anyway, I digress. Here's how the game went along from my view at MSG:
The Flyers took an early 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal by Mike Richards, only to see the Rangers take a 3-1 lead from goals by Chris Drury, Jody Shelley, and Brandon Dubinsky.
The Drury goal was pretty as he one-timed a shot from a pass through the slot, but the other goals had me shaking my head.
Jody Shelley's first of the season beat Flyers goalie Brian Boucher from a quick shot off a face-off, where it looked like Boosh didn't think Shelley would shoot and kept himself out of position.
Brandon Dubinsky's goal made me want to leave. Marian Gaborik peeled wide off the far circle, and Boosh went down and followed Gaborik instead of the puck, taking himself out of position.
Dubinsky had nothing but net to shoot as he came in as a trailer.
The Flyers battled back to tie the game at 3-3 off of a goal from Danny Briere and another by Mike Richards, but it was quickly deflated as Marian Gaborik fended off Chris Pronger and Matt Carle to flip a softie over Boosh's glove to take a 4-3 lead, a shot where Boosh let himself out of position again.
Boucher redeemed himself when he made that desperation save off of Jody Shelley on a wide-open net.
Everyone in the Garden thought that it was a goal, and everyone had a stunned look on their face until the end of the game.
After that save, the Flyers gained momentum, but King Henrik stole the show to preserve the 4-3 win for the Rangers, leading to a 1-game playoff in Philadelphia.
It was a long train ride back...but I knew the Flyers would pull it out on Sunday.
Up until this past Sunday, I had never heard the Wachovia Center so loud to start the game. As soon as Lauren & Kate ended "God Bless America," the chants of "Let's Go Flyers!" began.
When the Rangers scored 3 minutes in, the whole building deflated, and did not recover until Ian Laperriere gave a few fisticuffs to Aaron Voros.
Henrik Lundqvist kept the building so nervous, you could cut the tension with a knife.
It was more frustrating because the Flyers could not establish a forecheck because the Rangers were trapping the Flyers in the neutral zone.
That is, until midway through the 3rd period.
Matt Carle's PP goal relieved the building of all the built-up tension and exploded. You could see the fear on the Rangers' bench from the 200 level.
The Flyers took over from there and buzzed all the way until the end of OT.
Then came the Flyers' worst nightmare...a shootout.
The Flyers had never beaten the Rangers in a shootout, and going against Lundqvist, things could not look any more bleak.
Most of the Wachovia Center looked like the Flyers had already been heading for an early vacation.
When Danny Briere scored and Brian Boucher stopped Eric Christensen, the building was louder than I had ever heard it.
Then Mike Richards missed, and P.A. Parenteau scored, the building quieted like all noise ceased to exist.
Claude Giroux made up for his sophomore slump by completely faking out Henrik Lundqvist and putting the puck 5-hole...the whole building started a "Boosh" chant.
It stopped when Olli Jokinen moved in...
..and when Boucher stopped him with the left pad...the roof had blown off the Wachovia Center.
I can honestly say, I've been to the Center for some pretty big goals, but I've never heard the building that loud in my entire life.
There will only be one time in our entire lifetime where the building will be louder, and that is when the Flyers win a Stanley Cup in it.
And despite all the odds...the Flyers have a good chance.
With this win, the Flyers gained all the confidence in the world. They conquered their Achilles' heel in a shootout, beat an Olympic Gold Medalist in goalie Henrik Lundqvist 1-on-1, rode the back of an inconsistent journeyman netminder, and stepped up when it counted.
It took them 82 games through an up-and-down season, but to get to the playoffs the way they did...it's impossible to not build upon that.
They defeated the odds with all the adversity the faced, and it truly seems that the Flyers could be this year's Cinderella team.
That run starts on Wednesday when the Flyers take on their nemesis, the New Jersey Devils.
I'll be posting my playoff predictions later on in the day.
Until then, keep your stick on the ice.
However, I'll say right now...Flyers in 6.
Last Week's Results:
at Toronto - W - 2-0
at NY Rangers - L - 3-4
vs NY Rangers - W - 2-1/SO
Flyers Final Record: 41-35-6 88 Points, 3rd in Atlantic, 7th in Eastern Conference.
Quarterfinals Schedule:
Game 1: at NJ - Wednesday, 7:30PM
Game 2: at NJ - Friday, 7:30PM
Game 3: at PHI - Sunday, 6:00PM
Game 4: at PHI - March 20th, 7:30PM
Game 5: at NJ - March 22nd, 7:00PM (If Necessary)
Game 6: at PHI - March 25th, TBA (If Necessary)
Game 7: at NJ - March 27th, 7:30PM (If Necessary)
Caption of the Week:
Matt Carle tries to get the attention of a Toronto fan checking out Brian Boucher
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
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