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Friday, June 09, 2006
The Stanley Cup
Jonah Keri takes a look at hockey and Canada.
But none of the major pro team sports playoffs brings the same sense of urgency for Americans as the NHL does for Canadians.
My NHL highlight moment was probably Games 2 and 5 of the 1993 Finals. The Canadiens, led by the clutchest player in any sport of all time, Patrick Roy, reeled off overtime win after overtime win. The won more game in overtime than in regulation time, that playoff year. Game 2 was the infamous Marty McSorely game, where Canadiens’ coach Jacques Demers had the audacity and “unsportsmanship” to ask to measure McSorely’s stick. It was illegal, the Canadiens scored on the powerplay, and won the game. Game 5 was the winning game. I was there for both, and it was thrilling.
The Canadiens’ staff was exceptional. We had six standing room tickets, and the line started two hours before game time. A staff member saw one of us with a cast, and called us over. He unlocked a special door for us 2 minutes before the main door opened. We ran, or hobbled as the case may be, as fast as we could, and there we were. Center-ice, between the reds and the whites. (The best level being red, next white, and last blue.)
The Stanley Cup. What other sport can claim such an icon?