One bounce is all we need

Hockey, Our great Canadian game, can come down to one lucky bounce, one slip of the stick or one shot from the point that pin-balls around before barely reaching the back of the net.

Our game can be decided by a bad line change, by one broken stick, by one faceoff win.

Our game can be frustrating for 50 percent of us and be the cause of great joy for the other 50 percent. Our game can force us to bite our fingernails, yell at the TV or radio and yes, walk around the house in our jersey and rally cap.

This game controls us, controls those around us, yet we don’t even play the game.  We are Lidstrom, Chelios, Datsyuk and Zetterberg.  We throw ourselves onto the floor, displaying Hasek flops and Osgood stops.  We question every pass, every penalty and every goal.

We complain about the broadcast, we think the play-by-play man is too old, too technical or is clearly rooting against our team.  The sports analyst on NBC/CBC doesn’t know what he is talking about, doesn’t know the rules, has no clue about the make-up of our team, still we keep coming back.

We can display passion, appreciate the play of the other team and become so frustrated by the play of our team, all within 10 seconds.  Yet we continue to watch, hoping against hope at times that our team can either come back from a two-goal deficit or hang onto that one-goal lead late in the game.

In case you haven’t noticed, I have described the current Detroit Red Wings-Dallas Stars series.  What will happen tonight, when the Red Wings can move on to the Stanley Cup Final or Dallas can force a Game 7 at their Arena?  Who knows, but I can tell you fans of both teams and fans of the game of hockey, will be watching.

One bounce, that is all we need, one faceoff win, one unbelievable stop, one amazing shot, just give us one more win. That is all we want, no matter what team you follow, one is the key word, the only words we want to hear tonight are; “We Won One”!