The Ultimate Fantasy Wrestling Card

Ever since WWE13 came out, there have been alot of talk on website about fantasy wrestling cards so this week I put together an extensive one. It includes WWE, TNA and ROH wrestlers. Much like all these lists if read by wrestling there will be alot of, "why didn't you include this person?" and the match order is going to shock people. I went through alot of debate trying to figure this out and made a 12 match card. So enjoy.

Commentary: Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler
Ring Announcers: Lillian Garcia & Howard Finkel

Match 1:
The Hardyz (Matt & Jeff) vs. Rey Mysterio/Billy Kidman vs. Motorcity Machineguns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)

Match 2:
American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Edge & Christian

Match 3:
Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne) vs. Los Guerreros (Eddie & Chavo)

Match 4:
Chris Jericho vs. Austin Aries

Match 5:
Beer Money Inc. (Robert Roode & James Storm) vs. APA (John "Bradshaw" Layfield & Ron Simmions)

Match 6:
Special Guest Referee:Ric Flair
Fortune (AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels & Kaz) vs. Evolution (Triple H, Batista & Randy Orton)

Match 7:
Special Guest Referee:Mick Foley
Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker & Kane) vs. Kevin Steen & Samoa Joe

Match 8:
The Rock vs. Sting

Match 9:
John Cena vs. Hulk Hogan

Match 10:
Karma & Beth Phoenix vs. Trish Stratus & Lita

Match 11:
Shawn Michaels vs. Daniel Bryan

Match 12:
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. CM Punk

End of a Wild Ride (the playoffs are over)

It's over. After 65 long days and longer nights, 24 games, 14 Devil victories, four episodes of Puck Nuts and a possible dent on my living room floor and rug, the LA Kings have won the Stanley Cup.

Last week after game three, I had all but given up on this team. I went into game four a defeated fan, I even wrote a four page blog in my notebook, convinced it was over. Now it's the day after the Stanley Cup was awarded and it's only the second time I've ever experienced a finals loss. The first time was in 2001, after that I was extremely depressed. That was heartbreaking, especially after being up 3-2. But that was then, this is now. This one doesn't hurt so much. I mean last night's game was extremely hard to watch. I don't know how much of the third period I actually watched.

Ever since this series started the phrase "I wasn't even supposed to be here" popped into my head. It was the truth, the Devils were not supposed to be here.

It was a long ride. First it was the Panthers. Devils were down 3-2 and they found away to win. Game 6 went to overtime. Game 7 went to double overtime. It was after midnight and a quick turnaround and the Flyers were waiting. After losing game one in overtime, the Devs went on a tear and suddenly the series was over five. Then came the Rangers and the wars of words amongst players, coaches and friends began. A week and a half later the Devils beat the Rangers, the series went to six and after a very quick overtime, the ghosts of Matteau and Messier were finally gone and replaced with Henrique! Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Devils were the Eastern Conference Champions.

My hat that I've worn everyday
since the middle of March. It will
now be retired.

It was shocking to say the least and that takes the sting off losing the Cup. Look at it this way, the Devils missed the playoffs last year. They had a new coach, a new style and even a new attitude. So looking back this has been a great year.

But with every great playoff run comes the people who have to deal with the fandom and the friends who are there during and after all the games.

1. To my amazing wife Mandy. She has put up with alot this year, not only the Devils run but with the Giants one as well. But to her credit she always made sure I was home for almost all the games (I worked during game three of the conference finals, so there's nothing that can be done there.) She put up with my mood swings, my strange superstitions, my playoff hangovers and my contast hockey talk. If I was in her shoes I'd be excited this was over just as much as her. But her patience dealing with me made it much easier to get through.

Sal sporting his imfamous
playoff beard. It lasted
till the night of
Game 3 of the Finals.

2. Through all the games and days, my phone has been going crazy talking hockey. It had been a long time since I talked this much game. But there had been two guys who have actually become closer friends with me because of this run, they are Sal & Scotty. Scotty has been my WI hockey buddy for a while, and after his Preds were knocked out, he jumped on the red and black bandwagon, but mainly because he wanted me, as his friend, to be happy. He would text me during games especially during the Conference Finals just to check on me, pump me up and make sure I wasn't on the ledge after a big loss. On the side of the coin, I spent many a night pulling Sal off the ledge after losses and even after rough periods. Through it all, me adn him have bonded over this run and it was needed for both of our sakes.

3. This is a message for the rest of the family who have been dealing with me. At this point everyone, including myself are probably sick of my pre-game music, Soundgarden-Live To Rise and Van Halen-Running With The Devil. Those songs are indeed being retired from being played till next season.

This is the towel that Janet
got at game six of the
conference finals. Too bad
I didn't get it before game five,
maybe it would have brought
more luck.

Finally thank you to all the people who have been dealing with my mood swings, screaming, late television nights, attitudes an flat out annoyance since April 13th. It has been really difficult to really get through these playoffs. Life is different and I'm older than the last time the Devils made a run. I learned alot about how to deal with playoff hockey and a family this year. Now next time hopefully won't be as hard.

All things being and considered though, this has been an exhausting playoff ride. I'll be happy to have anymore stressful intense for a long while.
So till next season, when they reveal the new banner on opening night, it's time to start my sports summer vacation. It's been a long year and a it's time to recharge the batteries. It has been a great year, hopefully though, next time, the Devils finish the job they started.

A salute to the 2012 Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils!

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.