The Season's Over

I admit, I didn't have a good feeling going into game 5, down 4 games to 1 in a best of 7 format and feeling a bit sentimental, I took my camera with me to the game to take some photos & video. I didn't trust myself with the camera out during the actual game but here what the view from my playoff seat looked like during warm ups.

And here's a zoomed in shot of Paul Kariya in warm ups. He used this same shot during the third period to score Nashville's only goal.


I've been feeling a little philosophical today (& I use philosophical in its loosest terms since this is nothing life altering). In the grand scheme of things, sports are nothing more than entertainment. Some people get their entertainment from hearing the soprano hit that high C note, some from hearing the perfect guitar solo, and some from seeing actors... um... act. Then, there are those of us who find the best entertainment is that last second shot from the 3 point line, or a kick off returned for a touchdown, or a top shelf slap shot. The only thing that makes those things even better, is when those great plays happen for the home team and the home team wins.

So here's what I think. No, the Predators didn't win the Stanley Cup this year, but it provided the best entertainment for its fans. The Predators lead the entire league in home wins during the regular season. Only 9 times out of 44 regular season home games did the fans leave unhappy. For a team in only it's 7th season of play, I'll take that. This team shattered most of the previous season records. They turned a lot of non fans into casual fans & even more casual fans into serious fans. And they turned at least few people into fanatical season ticket holders.

I could whine & make excuses for this team in the playoffs but this season I won't dwell on that. The bottom line is that this team had a great season & exceeded expectations. Give the young players another year or two to understand the playoffs & I completely believe they'll be hoisting the Cup.