Garden of Dreams

*Note: This article was written on Monday. Due to some internet issues and Barney’s busy schedule, it could not be posted until now.

How can I even begin to describe this past Sunday? What started out with a 15-minute subway ride to Penn Station ended with Madison Square Garden rocking and the Rangers playoff hopes uplifted. Yes, I was one of the 18,200 fans who was fortunate enough to be at MSG for what was the greatest Ranger game in recent memory, and no doubt the greatest sporting event of my life, and trust me, I have been to my fair share of sporting events (say like, going to the World Series at Yankee Stadium three times). It was an afternoon that I and many other Ranger fans will never forget, even if the Rangers playoff run comes to a halt in the very near future. I mean, a double-overtime win over the best team in the NHL in the second round of the playoffs. If you ask me, it doesn’t get much better than that. Besides the game being unbelievable, the excitement of the Garden Faithful was palpable even outside the arena before the game. And when Rangers came out of the locker room before the national anthem was sung, the raucous, towel-waving crowd shook the old foundations of the Garden and created what had to be an extremely intimidating atmosphere for the visiting Sabres. You can only imagine the decibel levels that were reached when Michael Roszival blasted his game-winning goal in double overtime. My ears are still ringing. It indeed was an epic afternoon, and here are some thoughts and observations about the game:

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The Quest Continues

Could the NHL Playoffs be any better? I mean, granted they are by far my favorite postseason in all of sports (March Madness is a very close second, emphasis on very), but this year they seem to be just awesome. While this comes as no surprise, the excellence of the first round has me even giddier for the rounds to come (mostly because of the Blueshirts making noise in the playoff world). Before I ramble on about the second round and my predictions and what not, why don’t we take a look at some of the memorable (in some cases not so memorable) moments from the first round:

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Stanley Cup Predictions

Because I have a burning passion for the Stanley Cup playoffs, I decided to enter a Stanley Cup pool, in which I guessed which team would win each series, until ultimately predicting the Stanley Cup champion. It also is useful that my dad paid for my entrance into the pool, effectively eliminating any risk of entering the pool. I probably will not pay my dad back either; so I’m pretty much set- I lose, no big deal…no risk was involved in the first place. I win…well in the wise words of Borat Sagdiyev: It’s niiiiiiiice!. Two notes before I let you see my predictions. First is that I promise you, swear to you, that these picks were made before Thursday night (the opening night of the playoffs). Second is that these teams are not the teams I am necessarily rooting for (I am pulling for my Blueshirts to make a run to glory), but the teams I think have the best chance of winning each series. Obviously there was some fantaking influencing my picks, but I tried to be as logical as possible. So, please sit back, and enjoy my selections for the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs.

P.S.- I know I probably will make a fool of myself with these picks…please, no need to remind me…I do have competence in some aspects of life.

P.P.S- On a totally different note, I just watched Master Hypnotist Thomas Bresadola perform at my school…and he was amazing. This is in all seriousness. It was honestly unbelievable what he was able to do with the volunteers. It was possibly the coolest thing I have seen in a while…besides, of course, re-watching clips of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals. But, anyways, if you ever want to experience the state of hypnosis, book this guy (you can most likely find him online- he did Lettermen, Leno, Conan…fairly well known). I’ll call that my first “advertisement” even though I am getting no payment or imbursement for doing it…it’s just out of the kindness in my heart.

P.P.P.S- Here are my actual picks:
Download nhl_pool.doc

Late Night Affairs

The most anticipated point of the NHL season has finally arrived. And after last night, everyone knows its here (and I am quite giddy for the days to come). The quest for Lord Stanley’s famed Cup begin last night in Ottawa and ended this morning in Vancouver. Between that time period, fans of the NHL saw the game’s next superstar score his first playoff goal; a little known forward, who had scored 7 goals all season, score a 2-OT game winning goal; one of the ugliest eventual game-winning goals ever; and a goalie make 72, yes that is correct 72 saves. Let’s break down this ScENtillating, PhENomenal, Wild, Quacky, NASHty, SHARK-ing, Star-studded, CAN-you-believe it? Night (get it, I just used abbreviations, in most cases, of all the team’s names in some way to describe last night- you never know when you are going to find your true talent!)

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