April 15th is finally here! If you ask die-hard NFL fans, they’ll say the NFL Playoffs cannot be matched. If you ask any big baseball fan, they’ll say the same about October. If you ask NBA fans, they’ll say – well, let’s not kid ourselves here!
We hockey fans have something that blows that stuff away: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. From mid-April through mid-June, not one sport can match the excitement and intensity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs over such a long period… not one! Here are some reasons why:

The Atmosphere

Let me paint you a picture here. You’re the goalie. The clock on the scoreboard in the arena strikes 2:00 before they sing the anthem(s), and seconds later, the players will come running onto the ice. You’re sitting in your locker, staring at the ground in your zone where no one says a word to you. Your knees are shaking in your pads. You reach the door of the locker room, and hear the crowd roaring. You start walking down the runway and you see the light at the end of tunnel where 20,000 screaming, towel-waving fans are awaiting. You reach the ice, and the adrenaline rush is exhilarating. That’s how the Cup changes everything. And as the game goes on, everything is cheered on by your fans… the penalty kills, the checks, the scoring chances… you name it! No other sport can match the atmosphere of the Stanley Cup Finals…

Expect the Unexpected

We all think we know what’s going to happen. The Sharks are destined… the Bruins are too much in the East… Detroit will repeat… Washington has no chance with Theodore… the Flames can’t survive the ‘Bulin Wall. In the 2nd season, you start from scratch. Who wants it more? What leaders are going to step up? Which stars will buckle under pressure? Every year, the unexpected happens. Who would’ve thought Edmonton would come one game away from taking the Cup in ‘06?? Who would’ve thought Chris Osgood, not Dominik Hasek, would lead the Wings to a championship last year?? Who would’ve thought the Mighty Ducks would SWEEP the defending champion Red Wings in ‘03?? You just never know… and that’s what makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so special!

The Intensity

Playoff intensity is almost indescribable. Did you see that Montreal/Boston game last week?? That was playoff hockey. Battles ‘n brawls after each whistle. One man hating the other. The hits are harder, the crowds are louder, and the stakes are higher. The face-off circle is where games can be won or lost. As a road team, it’s not 5-on-5 anymore… it’s 5 against 20,000. Every shift is treated like your last. And when you finally reach your goal of raising the Holy Grail, all the intensity that you poured out for 2 months feels that much sweeter.

Overtime

Overtime… where do I begin? Every shift has the capability of changing the series. You can be down in the series 3-2. One mistake, one letdown, one bad shift change, one bounce of the puck, and you can either tie it up at three, or go home for the summer. Heroes are born in overtime. It can last until the wee hours of the morning, or end in a blink of an eye.

The Stanley Cup

It’s the only trophy out of the 4 major sports where your name is on that trophy forever if you win it all. It’s what every hockey player dreams about – getting your name etched into that Cup. It’s the most beautiful prize in sports. The first 3 rounds are stepping stones to this prize. Every shift, every goal, every save, every penalty kill moves you an inch closer. And when you finally win those 16 games, men act like boys. They live their dream right there on the ice… skating around lifting 35 pounds of silver over their head.

I truly live for this: the Stanley Cup Playoffs… the best 8 weeks of competition that cannot be matched by any other sport. We’re only hours away! DROP THE PUCK!!

[Source: RedLightD.Blogspot.com]

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