The Oilers

Wow! Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Championship did not disappoint me at all. I have to admit, I have not watched a lot of hockey -- this was game #2 for me (the first being the final game of the playoffs which was fantastic). Oh, I've seen bits and pieces of other games in the past, but nothing really captured my interest . . . until now.

I did not watch the first two periods -- some people have said that the Oilers did not play that well in those periods. I did, however, see the third and final period. I was mesmerized by the beauty -- the dance -- of the game. Both teams were INTENSELY focused. Their ability to "play" with the puck was awesome to see, as well as their ability to bluff with their bodies in an incredibly graceful manner. It seems as if these guys can change to the completely opposite direction in a split second.

I could not see much of a difference between the teams for the first few minutes of the period. Both seemed on top of their game. Soon, though, it appeared to me that Carolina had the edge. It seemed as if they knew in advance where the puck was going -- they were always there. They seemed fresh and fast. Our players are scrappers, though, and they dug deep and never once appeared down to me -- I loved that! They just kept going on. They had opportunities and as far as I could tell capitalized on them as best they could. One rebound by Pisani should have hit the mark for sure. He was there, it was his.

In the final two minutes, with the Oilers down 2-1, the Edmonton goalie came out, and we had 6 offensive players on the ice. We did not convert, and unfortunately, the Hurricanes captured a goal. Alot of people will probably question the wisdom of the decision to remove the goalie, but I don't. I think the Oilers did exactly the right things.

Sometimes, though, things just don't go the way you think they should -- this was one of those times. The game could have gone either way, but it could only go one way, and it went the other way.

Sometimes, things in my life don't seem to work out the way they should. Sometimes, I can do the right things and yet seemingly lose the game. Fortunately, God loves those who take a hit but get up and try again.