10 End of Hockey Season Things

1. I saw game 6 of the Rangers-Sabres series on Sunday.

2. Coincidentally it was the final game of the season for the Blue Shirts.

3. Didn't the Sabres colors used to be blue and white? Why do they have black and white and a little bit of yellow/gold uniforms now?

4. It was the first hockey game I've ever been to with my cousin, JCon. Should've done that sooner. My cousins are good company, folks.

5. During shoot around (watch my lingo!) the Rangers came to a stand still, which is a pretty odd thing to do during your limited warm up time before a crucial game. They were half circled at the line and it turned out they were waiting for their awesome goalie, Henrik Lundqvist to be ready for the drill. Was he stretching? No. Was he texturizing the ice in the key? No siree. Was he bent at the waist, elbows on knees, communing with the ice between his skates? Yeeeeees. I love me some crazy, crazy on ice.

6. In the 3rd period the Rangers are down 2 and the action goes to their goal. Lundqvist cuts the angle, which brings him way out of the crease. All of a sudden he's completely cut off from the net by 4 or 5 players. The Sabres have the puck. Most of the Rangers' line is inexplicably grouped around Henrik and therefore not near the puck or the net. Mara, who is about 11 gangly feet tall, throws himself in net and just flails at top speed like he's thinking that if he whirls like a fan the puck will have to hit a blade instead of getting through. Henrik heaves up like that stone dude from the Fantastic Four and starts throwing elbows indiscriminately while he backs into the net. Backs into the net. Without even looking. Stone cold fox that man. Sweden makes fish and goalies.

7. The Sabres did not manage to score during that fiasco.

8. It's possible that I had a miniature heart attack (far less cute than a miniature dachsund) during the same fiasco.

9. There were 2 guys sitting next to me who for some reason had spent over $500 to see a hockey game about which they knew nothing and for which they had no interest. Not sure why. When the action moved to the other end after #6 the guy at my elbow asked, "Are you going to be OK?" with a judgy sort of chuckle. Asshole. I do not know sir, the game isn't over yet. (Though some would say it might as well have been.)

10. It's the first time I've ever waved a rally towel at an event. I was, somehow, under the country bumpkin impression that fans brought these towels to the games. Of course not! What did I just fall off the turnip truck or something? It's a marketing opportunity, they pass them out on your way into the stadium. So, now I've got an unsuccessful rally towel taking up space in my apartment. Kind of love that.