February 27, 2004
RAKING OF THE LEAFS
Got a chance last night to see the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Ice Palace.
We had great seats in the corner and the game had a lot of action. Even got to see my first quasi hockey fight. It wasn't a full-on glove dropper, but Tie Domi was involved, so at least it felt authentic. Nikolai Kahabibulin made some amazing pad saves. I swear, he got down to block one and then got back on his skates so fast I had to wonder if I even saw it at all. His reflexes when he's on are tremendous.
Here are some photos of the game:
Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3 and Photo 4.
The strangest part of the night involved this teenager who sat near us. I know the teen years are full of psychological conflict. You have the boy who wants to be a man and the young man who wants to still be a boy. You're trying to carve an identity by being unique at the same time you're seeking full acceptance and approval from the pack.
Still, there's no logical explanation for why he'd wear a propeller beanie with this inscription on the front to a hockey game:
It reads, "I don't want to grow up,.''
He might as well have worn a shirt that said, "Kick my ass.''
As a resident of the nation's capital, let me offer up a little hockey advice:
What you want to do is trade all your best and most loyal players for mediocre minor-leaguers and midrange draft picks.
Well, it's certainly worked for the Caps. We'll have to take notes from them when the Lightning play tonight.
Posted by: Jeff at February 28, 2004 12:40 PM