Playoff Memories: 5/2/03-Tampa Bay at New Jersey Game 5

This game was a completely different experience for me. It is and remains the only game where I started watching it in one place and finished it at home with alot of driving in between.

It was a 3pm game, that I started watching at up north at my girlfriend Sara's house. The first period ended tied at one and I jumped in my car with the radio feed on ready for the hour drive thinking I'll make it home for the end of the 3rd.

During the drive home I heard, well not much happen in the 2nd & 3rd periods. As I got back into my driveway, overtime was about to start. So I ran inside and Gary was waiting for me and I blopped down and was ready to go.

It turned into a long afternoon of an ovetime marathon that felt like it took forever.

Finally a long day concluded with Grant Marshall scoring in the third overtime. That led to a long deep breath and then a celebration that went throughout the night. 

Playoff Memories: 6/8-10/00-New Jersey vs. Dallas Game 5/6

This was the longest and most exciting week I've ever been through as a fan.

This is the only time in history for me that two games really bleed together as one.

It all started on a Thursday night live from the CAA. The Devils had a 3-1 series lead and it looked like it was going to be an easy path to the Cup. Well the defending champs thought otherwise, and this was the first real time I realized that Devils fandom is NEVER easy.

Also this game had landed in the middle of Finals week at school so Gary couldn't join me & my dad for this one like he had for many games this playoff run. That being said, what I didn't realize was that a long night was about to begin.

The game as a whole flew by. It was an old school goalie duel between Marty and Eddie Belfour. I've seen my share of goal duels and scoreless games but never one to ths magnitude. Suddenly regulation time ended and overtime started.

At this point my dad went to bed because he had work in the morning so I moved from my computer chair to the couch. I'm glad I got comfortable.

Overtime flew by, then so did the second overtime. Entering the third overtime, the only thing that kept me awake was the fact that if the Devils scored, they would win the Cup. ABC, to their credit, kept reminding us of that throughout the overtimes showing the Cup getting polished over and over again.

Then it suddenly ended. Mike Modano scored just over six minutes into the sixth period of play, the defending champs survived another day. Suddenly I realized it was 1:30am.

The next morning, well a few hours later, it was obvious who stayed up and who didn't. Luckily it was only a half day.

Finally it was Saturday night, Gary's birthday and game six was ready to start. Me, my dad and Gary were back together hoping to celebrate a championship.

Well it took till early in the 2nd to finally score aganist Belfour, but we barely had a chance to celebrate before Dallas tied it and suddenly we were right back where it felt like we were for the last three days. Tied in a goalie duel deadlock.

Then nothing really happened in the third period. After the craziness and injuries, it was slower and again regulation had come to an end.

Again my dad was tired and didn't want to sit through what he felt was going to be a long night. So with that, overtime started and me and Gary were in our seats sitting back for the ride.

One overtime over and panic started setting in in the room because we didn't want a game seven. We were literally both pacing back and forth for the 15 minute intermission geting pumped up and hoping for the best. Then the 2nd overtime started.

It was quiet. There was no music from the computer, no talking to each other or yelling at the TV, the only noise in the whole house was the living room TV and my mom's bedroom radio. It was past midnight. Gary's birthday had officially passed. Then it happened.

*This is part where I actually discribe the above video clip, I'm not going to bother. Watch the clip then continue on.*

The puck hadn't even hit the back of the net and we had jumped up and look at each other, hugged and then the celebration began! Screaming and cheering and by the time I got into the kicthen my dad was already in the hallway wondering what was going on and he literally slid down the hallway to join the celebration. We all go back into or spots and watched Scott Stevens win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP and then it was time.

I started jamming We Are The Champions, Glory Days and Running With The Devil and then my mom came down the hall to remind us what time it was.

It didn't matter, it was one in the morning, we were exhausted but the Devils had become Stanley Cup Champions!

Playoff Memories: 5/11/97-New York at New Jersey Game 5

Well that was painful. Just painful.

This game still hurts.

The problem is I don't remember the game. When I left the arena that afternoon, I was in shock.

The overtime intermission was one of the most surreal moments I've ever heard. The thing was it was eerily quiet. Deathly quiet. No one really moved for the whole time which is bizarre looking back to not move for 15 minutes but no one budged.

The overtime started and the buzz was back and it was a loud mixed crowd.

Then the air came out of the building.

Adam Graves scored a wrap around goal past Marty and it was over.

It think this was the first time the first time that I didn't even make it through the three stars before I left. It was after the handshake line was over.

Never before, and honestly never again, have I ever been so depressed when I walked out of the CAA.

Playoff Memories: 4/17/97-Montreal at New Jersey Game 1

What a bizzare night this was.

It was the first playoff game I'd ever been to. My dad and I had been going to games all season and had a package in section 217, row 17, seat 9 & 10. But or the first time this was a playoff game.

It was a Thursday night and the CAA was electric. This was the first game since June 24, 1995 so we were ready to explode.

When the puck dropped it was loud electric. The game itself felt so much faster than it probably was. Alot of the game was a blur. I remember after the first goal, some fan threw a pig's head on the ice. It felt like a major fuck you to the Panthers fan at the time. Hysterical moment.

Suddenly it's late in the third. The game has flown by, it's 4-2 Devils and we were starting to get ready to go home when a little bit of playoff magic happened.

The Canadiens had pulled their goalie and played the puck in deep. Then Marty picked up the puck and shot it down the ice. I remember thinking nothing of it till it was still going straight down the ice and there wasn't a single player near it.

It felt like slow motion as the puck went in the net, the light went on and the horn went off. After that I don't even remember hearing The Hey Song.

I jumped into the aisle and started highfiving everyone around and two big guys ran over and hugged me in celebration. That went down as what I now call my first "Hug a stranger" moment.

It wasn't until the replay was shown on the board that I saw Marty jump into Shawn Chamber's arms in celebration. It was amazing. The chants of "MAR-TIN!!! MAR-TIN!!!" still remain some of the loudest I've ever heard in person.

That night I also realized that TV does not do this game justice, especially back in 1997. There is no way I would ever experience that kind of moment at home watching on TV.

Playoff Memories:Introduction

Since I've been in a writing mood lately, I decided to start a blog mini-series called "Playoff Memories". This would give me a chance to do something with this ridiculous long term memory I have.

Here's how it will be formatted. My biasis will be playoff moments or games from when I became a fan back in 1994. Through these 18 years there have been alot of those. It will be Devils orienated, from that point of view, good or bad.

It will not include parades, celebrations or even regular season runs that led to the playoffs.

Also I will try to find videos and/or photos to tell the story as well. This will make it more fun to work on.

Also, if you reading this, feel free to comment back either on here or via any social network outlet you can find me on.

Finally what's cool about this for me is that most of these moments happened pre-social networking so it will be the first time I write about them.

So I hope you enjoy.