Damn.

NHL Western Conference Quarterfinals- Game 7:
Chicago Blackhawks- 1
Vancouver Canucks- 2 (OT)

Well, that was a rip-off. Sure, it was another great game from the wonderful 2011 NHL playoff (the thirteenth playoff game in ten days), with a fabulous ending. But for myself, a Blackhawks fan who watched the series in its entirety, from Canucks victories in game 1-3 to Chicago's subsequent victories in game 4-6, it was like watching the movie "Die Hard," and seeing John McClane doing all of those heroic and improbable deeds (killing all of Hans Gruber's henchmen, rescuing the hostages, escaping from the FBI helicopter that thought that he was one of the terrorists, escaping from the building's roof just as it was blowing up, surviving all those of the bruises and bleeding that he had to go through), only this time it ends with McClane dying of a surprise heart attack just before he could save his ex-wife, Holly.

Let me recap all of the moments that led to the series winning goal by Alex Burrows (Burrows!) in overtime last night:

April 17th: The Canucks defeat the Blackhawks in a close 3-2 final score to start the series off with a three games to none series lead. Vancouver is basically playing like a Presidents Trophy winner, one who not only scored more goals than any other team this season but also gave up the least as well. Sure, none of those wins came by more than two goals, but what team really does that in the NHL Playoffs (arguably the best postseason in all of sports)? Also, it finally appears that the Canucks goalie, Roberto Luongo, has finally exercised his '09 and '10 playoff demons, when the Blackhawks dominated him in games like Bill Russell dominated Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s. All directions point to the Canucks winning in the next few games.

April 19th: Blackhawks center Dave Bolland plays his first game of the series after a lengthy injury due to a concussion he suffered in early March. It proves to be a big key in this game, and during the remainder of the series, as the Blackhawks finally win their first game of the series in game 4, 7-2.Six different players score a goal, including Bolland (he would finish the series with 2 goals and 4 assists). Not a big surprise. After all, Chicago is a team with pride and was not prepared to get swept at home in the United Center. The real test would come two days later, with Chicago playing on the road in Vancouver.

April 21st: Another Blackhawks beatdown of the Canucks, this time coming at the Rogers Arena with a 5-0 victory. Suddenly, it appears that momentum has swung the way of Chicago. Not only have they scored 12 games in two days, but now they're coming back to the Windy City with an arena getting behind them and smelling a possible miraculous comeback. Oh, and played the game without one of their key players, defenseman Brent Seabrook, as he left early on due to injury. Oh, and Luongo? He gave up nine goals during those two losses. In other words, he was basically looking like the Luongo of old. As a result, the team announces that he will not start in game 6.

April 24th: Vancouver plays the game with three different leads, and actually looks like the better team throughout, but Chicago still manages to end all of them (including one by Mike Frolik, who scored the Blackhawks' first penalty shot goal in franchise history). The game ends up going to sudden death overtime, one of the most nail-biting and thrilling aspects of the playoffs if you aren't watching the contest in neutrality, only to end with a Blackhawks goal by Mike Smith over, you guessed it, Luongo (the starting goalie for the Canucks, Schneider, gets injured during the Frolik goal). 3-3 tie. Vancouver's once insurmountable series lead is over.

Which brings us to last night, game seven. The game starts with Alex Burrows scoring a goal in the first three minutes of the contest, making it a 1-0 score. And then, nothing. Not a single goal for another fifty five or so minutes, with Robert Luongo and Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (the MVP of the game, as it really should have been a blowout for Vancouver the way they were bringing everything, plus the kitchen sink, to the fight) playing their best games of the series. And then, with three minutes left in the third period, a Chicago players takes a trip to the penalty box (Duncan Keith). All of a sudden, the Blackhawks now had to play two-thirds of the remainder of the game shorthanded. The Rogers Arena crowd can feel. A 1-0 win is 180 simple seconds away!

Of course, with the defending champs playing like Hickory High these past four games, you knew what was going to happen next. With :40 seconds to go in the Vancouver power play and with 1:56 to go in the 3rd period, 2010 Conn Smythe trophy winner Jonathan Toews steals the puck from Vancouver, passes it to Hossa, and then rebounds the saved shot from Luongo for Chicago's first goal of the game, his first overall of the playoffs. All of a sudden, this game seven goes to overtime. The miracle comeback is looking more and more likely by the minute.

And then, in the first five minutes in overtime, the comeback was finally-and suddenly- put to rest. A defensive screw-up, followed by the end of Chicago's power play, leads to Burrows finally coming out of the penalty box, smartly chasing after it, and then scoring the game winner. Canucks win the series, and the defending champs are eliminated from their quest for a repeat. Great game, thrilling series...not the ending that my homer self would have liked or thought it would be. Oh, well, I suppose. The fact that this team, not even close to the Stanley Cup winners that they were last season, could actually go this far into the series after being down 3-0 is a huge achievement in itself.

Still...if this were, say, a movie or a comedy, it would have left any viewer (with the exception of Canucks fans) with a bitter taste in their mouth (other recent examples in sports: the 2010 Olympics gold medal hockey game ending, the Uruguay-Ghana match in last year's World Cup). Now I know how Stan Marsh felt after his pee-wee hockey team lost, killing his cancer-stricken player.

Anyways, congrats to the Vancouver Canucks and their fans for the win. Can't wait to see their inevitable fourth straight matchup in the playoffs next season. And let's go, Bulls!



Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15





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