flames v hawks G4: epic

what can i say ?? that was easily one of the most amazing games i've ever been to... i was LITERALLY shaking in the last three minutes, the entire crowd on their feet praying that the hockey gods would let peter maher put it in the win column.... it's clear to me now that the definition of pure elation is the c of red at the exact moment their captain pots an empty netter to put the game away...

my stupidstitions got to new and epic heights yesterday with the jersey connundrum... you see, i am incredibly in love with the gio jersey and it has, historically, fared extremely well at the 'dome. still, i wore it during the first two games of this series and it let me down --prompting the change to the jrXL for game 3. well, we all know how THAT turned out... it seemed quite clear that i had to wear the jrXL to game 4, but it didn't feel quite right to drop my old faithful after so many games of good times... so i decided to bring the gio jersey along, just in case.... but upon arrival i second guessed myself...

as beazley announced the starting lineup, i got a text from my buddy mike, simply inquiring "u wearing the jrXL or gio ?"

"both"
:D

as ridiculous as it sounds, when we were up by three goals in the middle of the second period, i was certain i'd done the right thing (the string of calgary tallies also coincided with the consumption of a pocketdawg)... i will also freely admit that when the 'hawks made their seven-minute comeback and i knew something had to change, i was perfectly relieved to take off a layer (MAN, is it ever hot in two jerseys !!!! i was totally sweatin'....). yeah, so anyways. the jrXL it is, and i'm now aware that the three stitched letters "GIO" are the perfect size for my hands to nervously stroke....

[fyi: duncan wore the horsehead regehr for the matchup. both this and the jrXL are 2-0. my friend jon (with whom i attended last night) has a pair of red sneakers that are 22-3, and 5-0 in the playoffs.... i find it hilarious that anyone would know this record (i lost track of the gio jersey stat months ago)....]

anyhow. jokinen's emergence as an actual hockey player and nystrom's clutch performances have me all excited again about this team's chances of advancing... the loss of conroy and langkow bring me back to reality, however, and i know that it's gonna be tough to steal one at the U.C... but every game further we go, we get a little closer to regehr and that can only be good news...

the biggest surprise to me, following the pre-game skate, was roy drawing in for bourque... if it was honestly a case of bourquey not feeling quite right, then i think roy was probably the right call over lundmark --NOT for his stanley cup winning experience, but for a little... extra in the pushing and shoving department... in the first period when keenan was rolling all four lines, i thought roy made some timely and big hits. purpose served...

this is how i see the next game, presuming connie and langks are both on the shelf:

nystrom - olli - iggy
bourque - cammo - bert
glenX - boyd - moss
roy - lundmark - peters

all things considered, that is not a bad lookin' lineup. a healthy conroy (the more likely of the two, in my opinion) would draw back in on the third line and bump boyder down to take either roy or lundmark's positions... personally, i think we could possibly afford to lose one more guy (insert dvdg) but beyond that it's gonna be tough.

bets on backlund joining the squad if/when the rockets get taken out ? or, alternately, the bigger over/under: will the emerging lance bouma show up with the black aces when/if the giants lose out ?? will keith aulie meet the club in chicago today ???

(all in on aulie)