Miracle on Ice

Last night was game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Hurricanes and Devils were in a do or die situation -- whichever team won was going on in the playoffs while the other team would see their season come to end. To say I was nervous is an understatement. It is no surprise to any of you that I am an avid and die hard sports fan! I was in no way ready for the Hurricanes' season to come to an end.

The game started off great. Ruutu scored in the first 90 seconds of the game! I thought for sure this was a sign of how the game was going to go. But no... a few minutes later the Devils scored to tie the game up. And then they scored again. The Hurricanes were able to tie it up at 2 apiece before the Devils took the lead once again. Ryne was not able to get the game as it was only broadcast locally. I was on the phone him relaying the game and counting down each passing minute. As the game wound down I had a sinking feeling that this was not going to end with a Canes victory. And then, all of a sudden the Canes showed the drive and fight to tie this game. And you know, they did! With 80 secs to go in the game Jussi Jokinen found the back of the net to tie the game up! Needless to say I was jumping up and down and screaming. Poor Ryen and Mistress had no idea what was going on! And no sooner did I calm down then the Hurricanes scored AGAIN! Yes, the Canes scored 48 secs later to take the lead!! I loved seeing the faces of the shocked NJ fans. They went from being so happy and sure of win to watching it all disapear in front of their very own eyes!! It was priceless!!

Look at the faces in the crowd... love their reactions!

It is not uncommon for fans to head to the airport to welcome the Hurricanes home after a big win in the playoffs. After talking with some friends we decided to head out to RDU to welcome the boys home. We arrived around 12:15am. There must have been 700+ people there with signs, horns, and banners. The Hurricanes arrived at 1am and we welcomed home by a sea of cheering fans. As they drove through the fan lined streets they all honked their horns, yelled out their car windows, took photos, and screamed right back at us. You could tell that they loved every single minute of it. It was such a cool experience and I am so glad I went.

I was back home and bed by 2:30am. I made for a very tiring day on Wednesday but it was well worth it.