Forget the NBA Finals, The Stanley Cup Is Where It’s At

Lakers vs. Celtics. A rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals. The twelfth meeting of the two most celebrated and decorated franchises in NBA history. And it all starts Thursday night.

But who cares, right? The Stanley Cup Finals are already underway!

The NHL has the tremendous misfortune of having their championship taking place at the same time as the immensely more popular NBA, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less interesting. I’ll admit that I’m a casual hockey fan at best, but the two games between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers have been nothing short of fantastic.

When the Phoenix Suns’ dramatic comeback bid in Game 6 fell short, I decided I wasn’t going to watch any of the NBA Finals. I’ve already written elsewhere that the Lakers and Celtics have ruined the 2010 NBA Playoffs. I stand by that. We could have been treated to so much more than the defensive slugfest and inevitable Lakers championship (they’re winning in six, book it) that we’re doomed to see in two weeks. So why even watch? Why not take some time and become reacquainted with hockey?

America was reintroduced to hockey during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The US men’s team massively overachieved, cruising all the way to the gold medal game, where they were bounced by Canada. Millions of people in the U.S. who didn’t know the first thing about hockey found themselves cheering and becoming surprisingly invested in their country’s team. When Pittsburgh Penguins superstar (and Canadian gold medal-winner) Sidney Crosby was introduced at an NHL game after the Olympics, he was actually booed. By his home team. After years of indifference, America was finally starting to come around to hockey again.

So I fired up Game 1 between Chicago and Philadelphia, and let me tell you, I was hooked. The first period featured a staggering ten goals scored. That’s one goal every two minutes. Most hockey games don’t have that much scoring total. The United Center crowd was psyched. More importantly, they were loud. When I think of devoted hockey fans, I tend to think of Canadians, but Chicago showed me that they truly, deeply care about their team. (To be fair, the Blackhawks are probably the best sports team in the city now, which says a bit about how far the Bears, Bulls, and Cubs have fallen recently. We won’t even talk about the White Sox.)

The scoring fell off in Game 2, but it wasn’t any less riveting. There were several moments that literally had me on the edge of my seat. The Blackhawks were aggressive on offense, racking up a double-digit advantage in shots on goal. It looked like the Flyers didn’t have a chance, particularly after two shots found their way into the net in the second period.

And then, Philly fought back.

The Flyers chalked up an incredible 15 shots on goal in the third period, compared to just three for the Blackhawks. It felt like the entire period was played in front of the Chicago net. Antti Niemi, the Chicago goalie, was incredible, saving 32 shots with a variety of seemingly impossible acrobatics. He couldn’t save all of them, though, as one shot from Simon Gagne slipped past him. With two minutes to go and the Flyers down by one, they pulled their goalie and went empty net to try to even the score.

For those that don’t watch hockey, all I can say is that in my opinion, empty net is about the most exciting and dramatic thing that can happen in professional sports. There’s already a feeling of desperation that comes along with being behind with such little time left, but leaving your goal untended adds an extra element of danger that can’t quite be replicated in any other sport. Add the fact that the Chicago fans were screaming loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss and you had a breathtaking final two minutes.

With just 25 seconds to play, Chicago finally broke through the onslaught of offense and got the puck back into the Flyers’ zone. Patrick Sharp was ahead of the pack and had a wide-open look at the net. He let loose with a wristshot that narrowly missed scoring by bouncing off the goalpost. I actually stood up and screamed, “Nooooooo!!”, something I never thought I would do in a hockey game, particularly one between two teams I don’t really care about. (I’m an Avs fan, born and bred. Watching the 2001 Finals is still one of the happiest memories of my life.)

After the game, my wife asked why I had screamed. I explained the play, and she simply remarked, “Oh. I just assumed you were watching basketball.”

Folks, I love basketball. I’m a huge NBA fan. But if I can get that emotionally attached to a hockey game that quickly, shouldn’t you consider giving it a chance?

Game 3 starts tonight at 8:00 Eastern. Forget about the NBA Finals for a while. Come watch the most entertaining thing happening in sports instead.