Here We Go Again

As the coaches finish up their meetings in Naples, I too am headed back north, looking forward to starting my new job on Monday. I'm also ready for more Rangers playoff hockey, as the puck drops tonight in Pittsburgh on the Blueshirts' series against the Penguins.

This was the matchup I was least looking forward to, because I feel like Pittsburgh is the toughest matchup remaining in the East where the Rangers are concerned. However, this is hardly impossible, and I would remind the naysayers that the Rangers won the regular-season series. And no, that doesn't mean the Rangers are going to win here. It just means that the Rangers are capable of beating the Penguins.

It's going to be a great series to watch, of course, with lots of starpower on both sides, the big storylines like Jagr vs. the Penguins (and their fans, the Boo-Birds) and Jordan Staal vs. Marc Staal, and two teams that have played good hockey against each other. However, for now, I'd like to look back to Tuesday night.

Yes, the Flyers won, and I hate the Flyers. Yes, Steve Downie played in the win, and I can't stand Steve Downie. However, it was the best NHL game I have ever seen in person. The atmosphere was everything I could have hoped for, right up until the moment when the life was sucked out of the building as the Flyers scored the winner.

And yes, I thought there was goaltender interference on Philly's second goal. In fact, Don Koharski was also officiating when I watched the Wolf Pack's game against the Pirates in Hartford last week, and he was awful then, too. How he got Game 7 of a playoff series is beyond me. Seriously. How does that happen?

(EDIT: My friend Ken Schott up in the Capital District, where the Albany River Rats went to five overtimes last night, pointed out that the Koharski in Hartford was Don's brother, Terry. I mused to Ken that apparently, every incompetent hockey ref has an equally incompetent brother, and called it "Murphy's Law." If you're an ECAC Hockey fan, you know why. Of course, you WCHA folks might have another name in mind.)

But I'm not going to let Don Koharski tarnish my memories of an absolutely amazing experience. The energy in the building was truly amazing, and Alex Ovechkin is a marvel to behold in person. His goal to tie the game in the second period...wow. Of course, one person I know is quite happy the Capitals lost because Ovechkin is now available to play in the World Championship (and with alll due respect to Tim Thomas, I have a feeling that we're really going to miss Rick DiPietro this year for the US...good to see Lee Stempniak getting another call, though).

I got my first practice giving the "Maaaaarty...Maaaaaarty" chant to Martin Biron, because we're going to need someone else to pick on once we start chanting "Faaaaaaaaatso....Faaaaaaaaaaatso" at Martin Brodeur, and the Caps fans next to me liked it. I think they may pick it up.

Cristobal Huet is also a fun goalie to get behind. I was even able to get a few people in my section to sing "Huet, Huet Huet Huet, Huet, Huet," soccer-style. That's one thing I'd love to see them add, especially during penalty kills (a nod to BU there). Also, as long as they're going to make "Rock the Red" into a big slogan, they might want to lift the Cornell/RPI practice of shouting out "RED" during the national anthem at the appropriate point. Then again, does anyone else find it funny that a hockey team starring Ovechkin, Semin, Fedorov and Kozlov is wearing red and playing in our nation's capital? Just saying.

OK, my BoltBus is about to reach the stop (for the record, I highly recommend it for travel between New York, Washington, Philly and Boston), so I'm going to end it here.

LET'S GO RANGERS!