Thursday, May 18, 2006
Eight down
SINCERITY WARNING: Proceed with caution
I got a kick out of mike w's postgame piece. Excellent stuff. No one excerpt can get this across, but the theme is one of elation and "You Don't Know How It Feels". That's what made me smile. This comment is neither sarcastic nor sniffy: what is happening in Edmonton right now is exactly -- exactly -- what happened in Calgary in 2004, the most obvious (and fun) feature being an entire generation of both brand-new and decade-long-suffering fans experiencing their first run.
I happened to be at the Game 6 clincher against San Jose. Not the one yesterday, the one two years ago. And watching the 3rd period of last night's game, I had an intense feeling of deja-vu. As the series win became more and more inevitable as time ticked away, the crowd became constantly loud. There were still swells, but that base racket never went away. As the final seconds ticked away, it got louder and louder, to the point where it sounds like that's as loud as it can get. But when the horn finally went, there was another abrupt and HUGE jump in crowd noise. Watch the highlights! I would have had trouble believing it myself, if I hadn't been in the identical situation 24 months ago.
All season, the occasional jibe or insult was lobbed my way about both the bandwagon Calgary fans and our unseemly pleasure at a lesser result than the Stanley Cup. I never really engaged those taunts, and this is why. The bandwagon is one of the things that makes a playoff run exciting. It's got-dang hard to win playoff series; right now, there's 26 NHL teams filled (mostly) with players who wanted it just as bad as the Oilers players, and they're sitting at home with knots in their stomachs.
I won't be climbing on the "Covered" bandwagon myself, even for free coffee. But nor will I be scoffing at Oiler fans for their excitement (err, at least the non-armed ones). This shit is FUN; you gotta own it.
Semi-related postscript: Steve Simmons and Greg Millen aside, the most irritated I got all season at someone in the hockey media was at Grant Pollock, the Calgary Global Sports veteran. The day of the home opener in October, he went on the tube imploring Flames fans to sit on their hands while the Western Conference Championship banner was raised. It wasn't just "I'm not impressed by making the Cup finals", which is dubious enough, it was, "You shouldn't be either!" I gave his broadcast image the proverbial instruction to attempt an anatomically impossible sexual act. I assume my sentiments then are somewhat understandable to Oiler fans now.
Post-postscript: Regardless of where the Oil ends up, if you thought Edmonton was psyched before this season, with Pronger and Peca and the New Era, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
I got a kick out of mike w's postgame piece. Excellent stuff. No one excerpt can get this across, but the theme is one of elation and "You Don't Know How It Feels". That's what made me smile. This comment is neither sarcastic nor sniffy: what is happening in Edmonton right now is exactly -- exactly -- what happened in Calgary in 2004, the most obvious (and fun) feature being an entire generation of both brand-new and decade-long-suffering fans experiencing their first run.
I happened to be at the Game 6 clincher against San Jose. Not the one yesterday, the one two years ago. And watching the 3rd period of last night's game, I had an intense feeling of deja-vu. As the series win became more and more inevitable as time ticked away, the crowd became constantly loud. There were still swells, but that base racket never went away. As the final seconds ticked away, it got louder and louder, to the point where it sounds like that's as loud as it can get. But when the horn finally went, there was another abrupt and HUGE jump in crowd noise. Watch the highlights! I would have had trouble believing it myself, if I hadn't been in the identical situation 24 months ago.
All season, the occasional jibe or insult was lobbed my way about both the bandwagon Calgary fans and our unseemly pleasure at a lesser result than the Stanley Cup. I never really engaged those taunts, and this is why. The bandwagon is one of the things that makes a playoff run exciting. It's got-dang hard to win playoff series; right now, there's 26 NHL teams filled (mostly) with players who wanted it just as bad as the Oilers players, and they're sitting at home with knots in their stomachs.
I won't be climbing on the "Covered" bandwagon myself, even for free coffee. But nor will I be scoffing at Oiler fans for their excitement (err, at least the non-armed ones). This shit is FUN; you gotta own it.
Semi-related postscript: Steve Simmons and Greg Millen aside, the most irritated I got all season at someone in the hockey media was at Grant Pollock, the Calgary Global Sports veteran. The day of the home opener in October, he went on the tube imploring Flames fans to sit on their hands while the Western Conference Championship banner was raised. It wasn't just "I'm not impressed by making the Cup finals", which is dubious enough, it was, "You shouldn't be either!" I gave his broadcast image the proverbial instruction to attempt an anatomically impossible sexual act. I assume my sentiments then are somewhat understandable to Oiler fans now.
Post-postscript: Regardless of where the Oil ends up, if you thought Edmonton was psyched before this season, with Pronger and Peca and the New Era, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
# posted by Matt @ 11:33 am 
Comments:
I agree completely with everything you said here. This stuff is a lot of fun. While my heart is broken this spring, and consumed more than a little bit by jealousy, I am setting aside my decades old prejudices and at least semi-cheering for the Oilers.
The good folks of Edmonton will certainly appreciate and enjoy the ride more than the people of Southern California will (having made the road trip to San Jose for the Conference Finals last time, I know this to be so).
There is room on the bandwagon for everybody, and it goes faster and rocks harder when it's full. Enjoy the ride.
You're right. This is getting too soft and squishy.
Enjoy the wave you're on until it crashes on the beaches of Disneyland.
go Ducks!
Enjoy the feeling now. I have a feeling fans on both sides are going to have ulcers before this one is over.
The good folks of Edmonton will certainly appreciate and enjoy the ride more than the people of Southern California will (having made the road trip to San Jose for the Conference Finals last time, I know this to be so).
Care to be an Anaheim correspondent for the Battle of California? Your two-years-ago road trip to San Jose surely qualifies you to speak on behalf of the city of Anaheim (you were only eight hours away, for christsake!).
I think this might turn into an Edmonton-Anaheim battle over who gets the Flames fans on their bandwagon.
Sacamano: "You take 'em."
Sleek: "No, you take 'em."
Sacamano: "Maybe they'll take to the Hurricanes?"
Sleek: "Maybe."
Look, I love Anaheim. I love Disneyland. I've been to the Pond (beautiful arena).
But let's face it, the hockey fans of Anaheim are not out on Katella Avenue in the thousands after every Ducks win, they are not hosting victory parades 7 wins into the playoffs and they are not wearing their Ducks gear to their downtown office jobs every game day. There are no noon rallies and they are not dying and then living again every other night while the game is on.
The Oil Faithful are riding a roller coaster right now. The only roller coasters in Anaheim are in the California Adventure.
(Can't believe I am siding with Edmonton here. Up is down, black is white, blah blah blah).
But let's face it, the hockey fans of Anaheim are not out on Katella Avenue in the thousands after every Ducks win, they are not hosting victory parades 7 wins into the playoffs and they are not wearing their Ducks gear to their downtown office jobs every game day.
It's funny, but if you didn't know any NHL history, you might assume from the statement above that the Ducks are the longstanding franchise, and Edmonton is the new-kid-on-the-block.
I repeat Matt: we don't want you on the bandwagon.
It would be nice to have Dion instead of Pronger though.
By the time Phaneuf is as good as Pronger (and that's still some way away), they'll have to pay him top dollar anyway to fend off offer sheets. They get two extra years of Farnsworth as an RFA at the end, but if revenue continues to increase at the current rate, the league max contract could be $10-$12M by that time. (It only takes 6% annual growth to get to $10M in five years.) I wouldn't be too surprised if Phaneuf is actually more expensive than Pronger by that time.
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I agree completely with everything you said here. This stuff is a lot of fun. While my heart is broken this spring, and consumed more than a little bit by jealousy, I am setting aside my decades old prejudices and at least semi-cheering for the Oilers.
The good folks of Edmonton will certainly appreciate and enjoy the ride more than the people of Southern California will (having made the road trip to San Jose for the Conference Finals last time, I know this to be so).
There is room on the bandwagon for everybody, and it goes faster and rocks harder when it's full. Enjoy the ride.
# posted by 
: May 18, 2006 11:46 am
: May 18, 2006 11:46 am 
You're right. This is getting too soft and squishy.
Enjoy the wave you're on until it crashes on the beaches of Disneyland.
go Ducks!
# posted by : May 18, 2006 12:39 pm
: May 18, 2006 12:39 pm Enjoy the feeling now. I have a feeling fans on both sides are going to have ulcers before this one is over.
# posted by : May 18, 2006 2:09 pm
: May 18, 2006 2:09 pm The good folks of Edmonton will certainly appreciate and enjoy the ride more than the people of Southern California will (having made the road trip to San Jose for the Conference Finals last time, I know this to be so).
Care to be an Anaheim correspondent for the Battle of California? Your two-years-ago road trip to San Jose surely qualifies you to speak on behalf of the city of Anaheim (you were only eight hours away, for christsake!).
I think this might turn into an Edmonton-Anaheim battle over who gets the Flames fans on their bandwagon.
Sacamano: "You take 'em."
Sleek: "No, you take 'em."
Sacamano: "Maybe they'll take to the Hurricanes?"
Sleek: "Maybe."
Look, I love Anaheim. I love Disneyland. I've been to the Pond (beautiful arena).
But let's face it, the hockey fans of Anaheim are not out on Katella Avenue in the thousands after every Ducks win, they are not hosting victory parades 7 wins into the playoffs and they are not wearing their Ducks gear to their downtown office jobs every game day. There are no noon rallies and they are not dying and then living again every other night while the game is on.
The Oil Faithful are riding a roller coaster right now. The only roller coasters in Anaheim are in the California Adventure.
(Can't believe I am siding with Edmonton here. Up is down, black is white, blah blah blah).
# posted by : May 18, 2006 4:21 pm
: May 18, 2006 4:21 pm But let's face it, the hockey fans of Anaheim are not out on Katella Avenue in the thousands after every Ducks win, they are not hosting victory parades 7 wins into the playoffs and they are not wearing their Ducks gear to their downtown office jobs every game day.
It's funny, but if you didn't know any NHL history, you might assume from the statement above that the Ducks are the longstanding franchise, and Edmonton is the new-kid-on-the-block.
I repeat Matt: we don't want you on the bandwagon.
It would be nice to have Dion instead of Pronger though.
By the time Phaneuf is as good as Pronger (and that's still some way away), they'll have to pay him top dollar anyway to fend off offer sheets. They get two extra years of Farnsworth as an RFA at the end, but if revenue continues to increase at the current rate, the league max contract could be $10-$12M by that time. (It only takes 6% annual growth to get to $10M in five years.) I wouldn't be too surprised if Phaneuf is actually more expensive than Pronger by that time.
# posted by : May 19, 2006 5:54 pm
: May 19, 2006 5:54 pm Post a Comment
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