It's time for game #10 on my list of the top ten sporting events I've attended. If you haven't yet, please read my short introduction to the series here.
It was April in 2006 and I badly needed some relief from my full-time job as a debt collector for a bank in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I spent much of my free time looking for sporting events to attend, dreaming of something more fun and less stressful than asking someone for a payment on their past due credit card.
I purchased three tickets for Game 1 of the 2006 NHL Quarter Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Edmonton Oilers. My brother and our roommate and friend Greg, both Red Wings fans, were happy to come along with me.
This Red Wings team was absolutely loaded with talent, including Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom, and Henrik Zetterberg.
Our seats were in the very last row of the arena, and even labeled as "obstructed," however, sitting in the old Joe Louis Arena, there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The compact nature of the stadium made you feel like you were a part of the action whether in the back or on the ice.
We got to the city an hour or two early so we could enjoy a few drinks at a local bar, and then some more once we got into the stadium.
The Game
The Red Wings, who were the #1 seed coming into the NHL Playoffs, started off strong against the #8 Edmonton Oilers with a goal in the first 5 minutes of the game (Robert Lang). Seven minutes later, Sergei Samsanov tied it up. The Oilers then took the lead in the second period and seemed to be in control of the game.
With less than seven minutes left in the game, Kirk Maltby scored off of a rebound and the crowd absolutely exploded. The rest of the third period was tense as the Oilers had several chances to take the lead.
Two intermissions later and we were in the second overtime period. This was what I was promised NHL Playoff hockey was, and I was not disappointed. Both teams were skating their hearts out and each team seemed to have countless chances to end the game. Finally, Kirk Maltby secured the puck off the boards, turned and shot, very innocently, and the puck found its way past Edmonton goalie Roloson.
While the Red Wings won the game, the #8 Edmonton Oilers would win the series and go on to the Stanley Cup Finals where they would lose to the Carolina Hurricanes.
View the full boxscore here courtesy of NHL.com.
My Experience
This two-overtime victory was intense and enjoyable. There are several things I will forever remember about this experience that didn't happen on the ice.
The most memorable part of this game for me happened sometime near the end of the second period. I had been consuming "several" alcoholic beverages, and when I do that, I tend to wander. In a stadium, there is a lot of walking room, so I strolled around the stadium a time or two just looking around. At one point, I ran into a woman who was just standing in the middle of the hallway. I apologized and then squeezed past her and the man behind her.
As I looked back, I realized that they were standing in a line, but not for concessions. There was an elderly man sitting at the table, so as a drunk idiot, I of course went up to the man, took a picture with my flip phone, and went on my way.
When I got back to our seats, I showed the picture to my friend Greg who is a much more well-informed hockey fan than I am. "Holy shit, Mikey," he said, "That's Gordie Howe!" So I had stumbled past the greatest, or second greatest, hockey legend of all time and awkwardly taken a picture a couple feet away from his face without saying anything.
To spare them the embarrassment of calling them out directly, one of the three of us spent the entire first overtime session in the bathroom.
After the game was over, I remember my brother, who is an extrovert to the core of his being, high-fiving every single person in attendance and making up some sort of cheer that others seemed to follow.
My final memory of the game is how tired we all were. The game took place on a Friday; however, I had to work the next morning. Arriving home at around 2 AM didn't give me much time to recover from the game before work, but I would do it again if I had to.
Stay tuned tomorrow for #9 on my list of the greatest sporting events I've ever attended, and please read and vote for the introduction post of this series to see which events made my list of honorable mentions. Thank you for stopping by and for your support!
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