Red Wings & Broom

In Wall Street, Lou Mannheim addresses Bud Fox, who is on the brink of complete annihilation… “Man looks into the abyss, there’s nothing staring back at him,” says Mannheim. “At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.”

Despite a 3-0 series deficit, the Blue Jackets’ support remained visible. From the Frog Bear and Wild Boar to R Bar, the bricks were crushed. The atmosphere was carnival. Alcohol and chants… Face painters and mimes… Hot dogs and scalpers… The menagerie equaled, potentially the only entity to ever equal, an Ohio State football contest…

The first period equaled it’s three predecessors… Despite an opening faceoff victory and an outstanding energy which permeated the telecast, the Red Wings, courtesy of Nicklas Lidstrom, recorded the opening salvo. Kristian Huselius countered ticks subsequent… However, Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary mirrored the manner with which the Red Wings won the opening three contests… After twenty minutes, the score was a familiar 3-1.

Although the Blue Jackets commencement was expected, the first period’s conversations were memorable… A Frog Bear and Wild Boar employee compared the Red Wings to a schoolyard bully, who took advantage of a weaker opponent (third graders and playoff squads… similarity anywhere?)…. DJ Nohbody and I discussed Cock Diesel, which it turns out, was his creation… And a Red Wings fan provided insight and intelligence on how this version compares with previous championship versions (at this point, I was assuming they compared well)…

Upon my arrival at R Bar, I encountered Frog Bear and Wild Boar Promotions Superstar Jeff, who was present in this venue (and not his own) for the purpose of coalition collaboration… We spoke for five minutes about the epic pre-game and this weekend… Then, Jeff returned to his collaboration (which he wouldn’t detail subsequently) and I returned, as the Blue Jackets returned, to the second period…

And said return was superb… One minute and forty-four seconds into the frame, Rick Nash, the captain and cornerstone of this stellar season, finally registered a goal to cut the score to 3-2. R.J. Umberger, the cornerstone of this series, then completed a gorgeous rush and knotted the contest. It was as if the Blue Jackets had, prior to the period, stared into the abyss and realized they still had character…

Unfortunately, the abyss returned fire… Marian Hossa, who finished last season losing to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals (you know what they say… if you can’t beat them…), reestablished the champion’s advantage at 4-3. Four and a half minutes later, he registered a second score to place the Red Wings ahead 5-3. It was if the Red Wings had realized that their opponents would have to be bludgeoned into submission…

Just as it appeared that the Red Wings would vanish, Kris Russell drew the home team to within 5-4. The implausible then occurred as Fredrik Modin capped the Blue Jackets third comeback with a backhand, which knotted the contest at 5-5. These were the Blue Jackets this city expected… Feisty and without fear…

The third period, which was split between the Frog Bear and Wild Boar and R Bar, was what one expects when they view a Stanley Cup playoff contest… The intensity was remarkable… Every shot snatched the viewer’s breath… Every save restored respiration… The period spent nineteen minutes and twelve seconds epitomizing why hockey fans rearrange commitments around this stretch of the season…

And then the seemingly inevitable occurred… The Blue Jackets were whistled for two many men on the ice… A correct call within the rules… An inconceivable call within the hearts and minds of a victory starved city… Johan Franzen snuck through, where a fifth player would have been, and within one second, concluded the contest (6-5) and the series (4-0).

The emotions ranged from acceptance to anger to sincerity to shock… R Bar Co-Owner Natalie Darr appeared heart broken… Several Blue Jacket fans cursed the penalty… Other fans congratulated Red Wings fans on an outstanding series… Still others waxed optimistic about next season and the potential to improve…

Ultimately, as fans and patrons and streamed into venues, consumed food and shots, there was an acceptance atmosphere… Acceptance not only of the sweep they had just endured… But, also an acceptance of what they had witnessed over the three prior hours… That hope, is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies…