Abel to Yzerman
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A Day In The Life Of Game 1
by IwoCPO on 05/25/08 at 09:26 PM ET
Comments (29)
I had every intention of waking up at 0300 Saturday, updating the blog, getting on the road and making it to Dulles airport by 0530 for a 0640 flight to Hockeytown. But the neighbors came over Friday and next thing you know the Yuengling’s gone with another case on the way.
Hit the rack at midnite, set the alarm for 3pm and drifted off to sleep knowing what the next day held in store.
3pm. Yep. I said PM. Dumbass. How I woke up is anyone’s guess.
Up at 0430…somehow. Hygiene took a back seat to haste. On the road at 0515. Arrived at 0600, on the plane at 0630. Flight attendant walks by, sees my Wing jersey. “Go Pens.” Waited for my reaction. Literally paused in the aisle, looking at me, waiting. Stared at him a minute.
“You really have no idea what you’re in for.”
And thus began the trek to Hockeytown. My own little episode of 24.
Text message came in as soon as we landed. Buddy of mine who was buying my extra ticket backed out. Same guy who went with me to Game 3 in ‘98 in DC. Same guy who laughed when a Caps fan tried to karate chop me in the neck in the metro station after a Wing victory. And, you’ll like this, the same guy goaded Dallas Drake into a fight in a Marquette bar in 1988 only to watch Drake kick the living hell out of another friend of ours. I think I was hiding under a chair when it happened.
Anyway. He backed out. Placed a frantic call to Kukla. “Godfather, what do I do? I need to sell this ticket. If you help me, when the time comes and you need a favor, I’ll provide it.”
“Post it on the blog dumbass.”
And so we did. Took Osrt 2 minutes to respond. Amazing he could type since he was picking pacifiers up off the ground at the Tech Fest (or whatever the hell it’s called) in downtown Hockeytown. “I’m in. Gimme a ticket. I’ll pay 4 dollars for it.” Game. Set. Deal.
High noon at the corner of Woodward and Warren. Meet Osrt. Do the deal.
One hour later I’m at the A2Y bunker in St. Clair Shores. It’s 1300. Out to the boat. Out to the lake. Catch two bass. Don’t touch either one. Yucky.
1630. Depart the bunker, on the way to Nemo’s for chow. Sit with a couple old fellas from Windsor. Start talking hockey. Old time hockey. Canadien (an) fans. Told me about Budd Lynch and how he used to call games on TV in the sixties. Talked about the Wings, about Brunnstrom and the fact that Ken Holland may have set the biggest bear trap of all time. Surprised them by telling them Pavel Datsyuk led the team in hits this playoff. Off to the Tiger game they went. And me, my brother, my nephew: on to the Joe for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Frigging Finals.
1800. Walking up to the Joe. Pens fans in front of us. Hijinks in store? Negative. Bigger than me. “Good luck today. Have fun.” That’s what I said to them. They peered back. Wary. Stunned. We kept walking. Hear them mutter. “Not in Philly are we?” Meaning: more likely to get donkey punched from a Flyer fan than spoken cordially to.
1815: Mecca.
1820: Inside the Joe. Mike Ilitch himself stops me and asks if I’ve seen Gordie yet. Ok. It wasn’t Ilitch. It was his cousin, a young Ilitch. No. It wasn’t an Ilitch. But it was some dude working for the organ-I-zation. And he was all about telling me where Gordie was. Headed left. Big crowd. Pens fans surrounding Mr. Hockey. Waiting to shell out the bucks.
She was, like, “I got Yzerman’s autograph.”
A word about the Pens fans, and you’ll see more of them in a minute…have patience…good group of hockey fans. Hundreds of them bussed up, drove up, flew up, hitched up from Pittsburgh. No problems with any of them. And I didn’t see any other Wing fans with any issues either. The only dickeroo I met all day was the flight attendant. At the Joe? They had fun, at the start, yelled a bit, supported their team. I’ve been in their shoes, on enemy territory, before. And they did it right.
1845: Meet the Godfather next to the Gordie statue. He’s a kid in a candy store. Been all over the place, talked to everybody. He’s having the time of his life.
1855: Christy Hammond’s walking around. She’s got a walkie talkie on her belt. I think Uncle Mike was in constant contact asking about line combinations.
1900: Walking to the beer stand, the Molson one. Some dude stops my brother, asks if he wants to ride the zamboni, says he’s got a deal for him. This guy whips out a piece of paper, a contest winning notification. Memo says to show the paper to a Wing marketing bubba and report to the East entrance with ten minutes left in the first. My brother looks at him and says, “How much?” The guy doesn’t miss a beat. “Two beers.” Game. Set. Deal.
1915: On to the seats. Section 227a. Up. Up a bit further. Up further. Break. Rest. Further. Osrt’s holding down the back row, beer in each hand. No pacifier in sight. We all sit down and in come the Pen fans. One row in front. Full of ‘em. The next row, then the next. The whole section. Me, my brother, my nephew, Osrt and an ass-ton of Pen loyalists. And they’re making a ruckus.
1945: The Joe’s filling up, but there are still rows of empty seats in the lower bowl. I tell Osrt that if this place isn’t full we’ll never hear the end of it. Wings have already done their pre-game skate and here was my impression: Osgood looked like garbage. They were kicking pucks past him from the blue line. Hasek looked sharp. I was worried. “Let’s Go Pens”...all over. Surrounded by it. Scared. Skittish.
2000: Down go the lights.
Did you watch the whole thing? If not, go toward the end and you’ll hear us laughing when Fleury falls.
2010 and that’s about the last time reference you’re going to see. Still see pockets of empty seats in the lower bowl. Yeah, you’ve read it was full. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t. Let me say this. If you’re one of the shrivs with season tickets, corporate or not, and you didn’t go, or you didn’t give them or sell them or scalp them to someone who would have enjoyed those seats? You’re a tool and an embarrassment. Those tickets are sitting, unused, on your counter right now, or they’re in your secretary’s desk drawer…anywhere but where they should have been, in the hands of a real fan who would have chewed his arm off for the chance to go to that game.
Underway and both teams look tentative, but Pittsburgh’s pressing. Osgood’s in our end and he’s looking great. I was, shocking, wrong about the warmups.
What was it? Ten minutes in? Twelve? Lidstrom off the left faceoff circle. Scores. Yes, bitches. The lead we need. And the Joe frigging erupts. I mean it. Erupts. Glance at the board. No “1” up there yet next to “Wings”. Staring at it. Waiting to see it. Look down at the ice and notice Homer plowing his stick against the glass in the penalty box. Not once. Repeatedly.
Boos. Lots of ‘em. Can’t see the bench but I understand Uncle Mike ran into the hall to catch the replay, then back to chew ass. How frustrating would that be, to know your team is getting the shaft. You know it. And you can’t do a thing about it.
20,000 waiting for the replay. Staring at the jumbojoebigscreenvision, waiting to see what Homer’s been accused of. Nothing. Showing Osgood’s last save. No replay of the “penalty”, the wave off. Nothing. And that’s frigging gutless. Every fan in that arena wanted to see that replay and we never did. Gutless. I’d like an explanation for that one please.
You don’t think Homer’s marked? Good call or not. It’s not made on anyone else. Not a chance.
My brother’s gone down below, kid in tow. I’m still not convinced that evil genius didn’t scam us for a couple Molson’s. If he did, good on him. First period’s over and out comes the Zamboni.
See the little kid in red? My nephew. It’s going to take him a few years to realize just how cool that was.
Start the second and the Pens fans are getting louder. All around us. The longer this game stays tied, scoreless, the better their chances. Unfortunately for them Gary’s Baby Boy is invisible and so is his slew footing sister, Malkin.
And then the weirdest frigging thing happened. Malkin on the giveaway. Sammy, of all people, is a dirvish behind the net. And the bastard scores. Osrt
is confused. He’s looking around. It’s too much for him to handle. He starts doing jumping jacks right there in section 227a. Samuelsson scoring has fried his brain. He turns to the chick next to him, a Wing fan with her Pen fan boyfriend, and asks her for a bowl of Lucky Charms.
The Joe is rocking. Pens fans are silent. And it was then that I turned the camera on this guy for the first time.
The guy on the right. I never introduced myself. But looking at him, I decided his name was Jules. Long trip. Big game. Expensive tickets.
And pain.
Second intermission’s over the Wing parade to the box begins. But not until Sammy does it again. Are you frigging kidding me?
Back to Jules.
Two straight goals from Sammy and Osrt is pretending he’s Robert DeNiro in Cape Fear. He’s talking but I can’t understand a word he says, and it has nothing to do with the volume at the Joe. Two goals in a Stanley Cup Final game from the Enigma Jr., William Tell, our whipping boy…and it’s just too much. Osrt’s lost it completely. He’s turned a napkin into a paper football and he’s asking Pen fans to hold their index fingers up so he can kick an extra point.
A Pens fan in front of me waits for the crowd to quiet during a tv timeout and starts yelling “Let’s Go Leafs”. It could very easily be the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard chanted at any kind of event ever, in the history of my life (Rocky II reference). But, of course, some idiot chick Wing fan takes the bait and yells at him to shut up. He keeps yelling. She stands up, madder than ever. “Let’s go Leafs.” “Shut up.” “Let’s Go Leafs!” “Shut up!” Their exchange continues throughout the tv timeout. And what I’m about to tell you is the absolute truth. I saw them exchanging numbers after the game by the Gordie statue. Please don’t have children.
Zetterberg drills Crosby and the only reason I know he did is because Osrt told me so. I think he may have been the only one in the arena to see it. Crosby, Gary’s Baby Boy, was a non-factor. Malkin was a disaster. The only impact he had was cheap-shotting Datyuk every chance he got. Rumor has it Hossa hit a cross bar? I didn’t see it. Their “big 3” were invisible from 227a.
Shorthanded and in barrels Charlie Frigging Buckets. Does anyone need one worse than him? Sprung loose by a pass from Stuart, I believe, and off he goes. Turns the hyphenated French goalie into a pretzel and Game 1 is done like dinner.
And Jules?
Stunned.
The Joe is going frigging insane. Osgood with a couple point blankers. Nothing’s getting by him. Nada. Zetterberg is shutting down Crosby. Draper won’t let Malkin breathe. It’s become a clinic and everyone recognizes it. From last round? No. From the Dive in the second? No. The last two against Bubba? Nope.
It’s 1998 all over again. This team can stifle any line, any star, any team. And every fan in the place has begun to realize it. One minute left in Game 1. Wanna watch? Of course you do.
Again, if you didn’t watch until the end, go back and do it. The salute from the Pens fan was unscripted and unbeatable.
What a night at the Joe. I’ll leave you with this. Paul mentioned earlier today that I had the chance to attend this game with a media pass. There’s no way I could have done that, not with a game this important, in that kind of atmosphere. I can’t talk today. My voice is gone. I’m a lot poorer than I was two days ago and I don’t care. I’d pay it again Monday if I could.
Blogger’s access? Not for me brother. I’ll take a fan’s access any day of the week.
Osrt and the Chief.
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Comments
Thanks for sharing this great little adventure with the rest of us.
Like you said, Osrt, we need to sponsor you two for the rest of the playoffs. If it means we’ll be seeing more games and blog posts of this caliber, I’m all for it!
Nice to see you had a great time all around!
Poor Jules. He looked totally gutted throughout. He should have brought more beer money.
Posted by lilja4ever on 05/25/08 at 10:13 PM ET
Most excellent recap, Chief!
As a fellow blogger, I’m with you. Screw “access.” It’s overrated. I’m a fan first, foremost, and always.
Posted by Big Al from Somewhere in he Detroit suburbs on 05/25/08 at 10:13 PM ET
Did Jules bring a terrible towel with him? That thing must have been heavy with tears by the end of the night.
He is holding it like a binky in that last picture…
Posted by J.J. from kansas on 05/25/08 at 10:18 PM ET
Chief,
Thanks for representing us transplants so well at the Joe!
We need the Mule to put us over the hump.
Little Gary. Ass. and his minions, including his Baby Boy will not deny us.
Posted by Jeff from Loveland, CO on 05/25/08 at 10:25 PM ET
Love it Chief. It was exciting enough watching at home. Being there would’ve been absolutely amazing.
Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 05/25/08 at 10:50 PM ET
Great recap! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I knew you would be the good luck charm, Chief.
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 05/25/08 at 11:04 PM ET
“same guy goaded Dallas Drake into a fight in a Marquette bar in 1988 only to watch Drake kick the living hell out of another friend of ours.”
Hey, I was at NMU in ‘88 when Dallas was playing for the Wildcats. If I remember correctly, he used to tool around in an old turquoise ‘66 Mustang. I used to play in a bar band and saw him and friends on more than one occasion get tossed out for being invloved in a fracas. Do you recall if the bar was JJ’s Shamrock?
Posted by Puck from San Francisco, CA on 05/25/08 at 11:38 PM ET
There’s no rooting in the press box, and there’s certainly no fist pumping from there either.
Explains why all the diggers seem to look for bad news first, doesn’t it? They want to spread the misery.
Posted by HockeyJoe from NY on 05/25/08 at 11:41 PM ET
freaking awesome and the video was first rate. Poor Jules, looked like a tool anyway.
Posted by RWBill from the Land of 12 in 12. on 05/26/08 at 12:06 AM ET
Chief! Wow! Nephew on the zamboni is one for the family archives. How fricking cool is that?!! Osrt..one lucky ba_ _ard!!
Way to go.. thanks for sharing!
Posted by Rumbear from Top O da Hasek, sippin rum & catchin some rays on 05/26/08 at 12:31 AM ET
Great post… Great game… and this Great Northern Porter is… well… GREAT!!
Deuce
Posted by ITDeuce from Michigan on 05/26/08 at 12:42 AM ET
Excellent stuff, Chief.
Did you say the phrase “slew footing sister” a couple times when typing it?
Posted by Steve from New Jersey on 05/26/08 at 12:46 AM ET
You need some new friends-the guy in your Drake story seems like kind of an *#$%@&. You might not want to leave him alone with your wife.
Posted by BobS. on 05/26/08 at 01:52 AM ET
GREAT post Chief, looks like a hecukva time. While I used to get to SCF games, I never did get to see any of the Cup-clinching games in the flesh. Don’t know if I ever saw an atmosphere like that. For that reason…wish I coulda been there. But hell, if you guys can get us that result every game, wire me the bank number and I’m in on the sponsorship.
I haven’t seen Osrt post on here since before the game…I’m guessing he’s sleeping off that day. Must have been exhausting, but exhilarating. And since it looks like nobody else is going to ask it…How was the DEMF, Osrt? Pete frigging Rock?!?
Regarding the empty seats, it’s a dirty little secret that even in the sellout times, there were still a few empty seats at nearly every game. Not as many as these days, because you could always sell your ticket if you couldn’t make it, but there were generally at least ten empty lower-bowl seats. I expect they were the corporate comp ones. Then again, I’m not sure there were ever empty seats at Cup final games, so I’m with the Chief here…if you had those tickets and din’t put an ass, any ass in those seats, and tossed ‘em a red shirt to wear…Shame on you.
Anyway…Let’s Go Red Wings!
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the computer screen, staring enviously on 05/26/08 at 03:30 AM ET
Awesome recap IWO! I was sure you were going to include that picture of me yelling “secondary scoring biatch!” ...it’s on your camera right before the video of my schizo jumping jacks.
Andrew, I posted this near the end of the live blog, worth repeating I think:
Things you didn’t know about the chief:
he’s sarcastic
children love him –– he was giving life lessons to impressionable young children in front of us.
“When you see a dumb girl like that, you run away and keep running…sometimes they come in handy but you still have to run after that…” [this was the girl who yelled “shut up” then exchanged numbers with her fellow special olympian]
he’ll make you feel ok when you’re the only one who stands and cheers when Z level Crosby, then sit sheepishly down…
“it’s alright dude, none of the 20,066 saw it”
“but why papa…why don’t they understand…”
The festival was/ is awesome Andrew. I hung out there for a few hours/ beers then went over to the Joe thinking the game starts at 7:30…totally mistimed my drinking. Thanks Gary. Ass.
After that amazing game, I sprinted back to the festival and caught the last hour of the Pete Rock set! Got offered E but decided I’d explode if I was any higher…
Went back tonight for another 5 hours––including an amazing live performance from Carl Craig (live Sax, Clarinet, Keys and synth players)–– then an after-party to catch another DJ, Benny Benassi (great hockey name, no?).
It’s 6am Monday morning and I got home 20 minutes ago. yea baby…it’s been a shagalicious weekend. The festival has been a perfect time kill between the Wings games! Gotta love the D 
Posted by Osrt on 05/26/08 at 05:07 AM ET
Poor Jules. He looked totally gutted throughout. He should have brought more beer money.
I’m going to pretend that nobody is feeling sorry for Pens fans. Respectful or not, this series is on now, and I expect nothing mature to be said about them until the series is over!
Posted by Nathan on 05/26/08 at 08:09 AM ET
I spent a bit of time out there on the intertubes yesterday reading reactions, and I have to say that about 90% of Pens fans out there have no idea why the Penguins stopped playing for the last two periods. When confronted by the idea that the wings maybe had something to do with why the Penguins didn’t look as good for the second half of the game, they did the internet equivalent of putting your hands over your ears and shouting “La la la, I Can’t hear you!”
Posted by J.J. from kansas on 05/26/08 at 08:14 AM ET
Alright bitches!! Way to hold down the Joe for the A2Y 19. Great reporting from the scene of the crime (whiny child abuse by an entire team).
I am amazed that Osrt made his way down there after all the disco biscuits that would have been floating around DEMF.
Hey Chief, if a land-locked sailor went to the music fest would he be called a REMF @ DEMF?
I have very similar seats to yours for Game 5, how was the view behind the net up top for watching the game? When I go I certainly hope I am not surrounded by Pens fans, especially ones chanting “Let’s Go Leafs”... as a Toronto native might I say RETARD.
It is universally understood that in Toronto you cheer “Go Leafs Go” and in Detroit “Let’s Go Red Wings” so to the makers of EA Sports NHL’08 and the guy chanting “Let’s Go Leafs”, FAIL.
Oh and the Penguins in Game 1, epic FAIL.
Posted by VooX on 05/26/08 at 08:17 AM ET
“Fan"tastic writeup Chief!! From all accounts, it appears “the Joe” was really rocking on Saturday Night. Hopefully, it will keep on rocking tonight!!
Unfathomable how the Joe could have had empty seats. VS tools were saying that all of the SRO tickets were sold; three deep. Some shmuck(s) who probably don’t even know who plays for the Wings (and likely don’t even care) decided they had better things to do Sat.; and left those tickets wasted. Sad, pathetic, really.
I’m totally thrilled you and your posse had a great time. Ride of a lifetime for the nephew, sweet (with pics to prove it). When he turns 25, frame the photo and give it to him, that way all of his buddies can be insanely jealous too!
Poor Jules, must have been painfull to watch the Pens squander all of those chances on the PP in the first, and see the totally bogus waived-off Nick goal—go for naught.
The Hockey Gods gave the Pens every opportunity to grab the mojo in this game, and they blew it. Pity, gifts from the Hockey Gods don’t happen very often, they are a fickle lot—too bad for Pen Fan! Great for Wing Nuts!!
Great blog, well done Sailor!!
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 05/26/08 at 08:21 AM ET
Voox: seats were good. Literally, as high as you can go in the Joe and they were still close enough to see everything.
REMF is right.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 05/26/08 at 08:22 AM ET
DAMN GOOD STUFF.
I’ve seen a couple games at the Joe that are top shelf, alebit a shelf below Saturdays. Seeing us POUND the slides in March of 02 & a little game played on 01/02/07 was a spendid evening as well.
Looks like Osrt should have given Jules one of the pacifiers for the 3rd.
Time will drag til the drop of the biscuit tonight.
3 and counting.
Posted by MOWingsFan19 from KC MO on 05/26/08 at 08:24 AM ET
Voox: seats were good. Literally, as high as you can go in the Joe and they were still close enough to see everything.
REMF is right.
Great to hear about the view, Chief. I have never watched a game from behind the net before, so this will be a first after many, many hockey games. I can’t wait… the video you took looks like a great angle.
It is time for all the REMFs here among the A2Y 19 (for those who don’t like guns and bombs like the Chief, REMF definition) time to step up and make life uncomfortable for those at Pensblog.
We only had a couple of guys posting there in Game 1 (thanks for representing) and THAT got their panties in a bunch at Pensblog. I have promised them when the full A2Y invasion party lands, Pensblog will be fetal by the first intermission. Let’s bring the fight to them and watch ‘em squirm.
REMF no more! To the front lines, bitches!
Posted by VooX on 05/26/08 at 08:51 AM ET
my one Wings game this year? New Year’s Eve. always wanted to go to a NYE game. got tickets online from one of those “scalping” sites. flew the girlfriend and I to Michigan to do the rounds and introduce her to family and friends. down to the Joe, and sat through…the Wings getting shut out.
(%&*
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/26/08 at 11:30 AM ET
pens in 6. hope you enjoyed game 1. now that its out of our system, expect a more physical, solid series. hossa + sid throw down in game 2. see ya in the burgh.
Posted by enjoy it now from pittsburgh, pa on 05/26/08 at 12:58 PM ET
Chief…
Thank you that was a great recap the video’s were awesome to watch for a transplanter! My nephew was at the game too! Had no idea where he sat, but I found out in the last 30 sec of the game when my Mom called.
What a game! What a shut down! Gots to do it again repeat style on Monday eve! And from the rumors flying around will have THE MULE back in the line up!
GO WINGS!
Posted by Tani from Atlanta on 05/26/08 at 01:00 PM ET
I know Pittsburgh isn’t all that far from Detroit, but it still must’ve sucked for Jules and his Tools to travel a fair distance on Saturday only to watch their Pens get skunked.
In contrast to what was no doubt a festive atmosphere during the bus ride inbound—made so by the anticipation of their Wonder Kids laying some smack down on the aging Wings later that evening—the trek home home must’ve been as subdued as the Kennedy compound was last week.
I feel bad for them.
*snicker*
Posted by O-Joe on 05/26/08 at 03:30 PM ET
This is what you can’t get from established, mainstream writers. You can’t even get close.
What a great job chief, all punctuated perfectly by the Pens fan at the end. Thank you!
Posted by redcootie on 05/26/08 at 05:54 PM ET
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Beautiful, Chief. My plans to get to the JLA for a game this year were thwarted last-minute. I would kill for the chance to be in the house for a playoff game.
Posted by J.J. from kansas on 05/25/08 at 09:57 PM ET