Observations XVI

[BigFatCat999]

It was really really loud. Yes harmful At times I've commented on twitter to sean Henry and he just says he will say something to a person at Bridgestone. Nothing ever happens.

I lost some of my hearing from the 303 pre-speakers so Bridgestone Arena can be dangerous to your health.

 

[PredsV82]

St Louis won the division that year. Chicago finished 4th.

Also rans is a little strong don't you think? We had 104 points, Detroit had 102- it was series between two of the top 6 teams in the entire league.

Point was, for as long as Detroit was Big Brother, I wanted to win the division in regular season when they were still in our division, or beat them in the playoffs when they were division champs. Beating them when we were the 4 and they were the 5 and they were leaving next year was less awesome than I had hoped for because I knew we'd never get to be the ones to knock them off the top.. they had already been knocked off

 

[Viqsi]

As a person who drives with you a lot...


Oh ****, I WAS ****ING DRIVING WITH YOU WHILE YOU COULDN'T SEE!

Feel free to panic if you see me doing so without my glasses on. Otherwise, shut up.


Meanwhile, one possible sweep I wanted avoided was avoided tonight. One sweep I want to see happen is up for grabs Thursday. Git 'er done.

 

[Adz]

1 Still the very first home playoff game. Never felt anything like it but I would like to again.
2 3 OT win
3 Last night
4 Vokoun's shutout vs the Wings, first playoff run
5 Making it to round 2 Vs Anaheim (first time) Wow moment.
6 That goal...Game 5 vs Anaheim 2011 Thank you Shea Weber.
7 Holding on to win Game 7 last year...how can seconds last SO LONG!!!
8 Beating Detroit in the playoffs

I could think of so many more but those are the first ones I think of. I love hockey but the playoffs are a whole different level.

 

[PredsV82]

Last year we would have loved an extra day between games... this year, I hate it...

 

[NSH615]

Last year we would have loved an extra day between games... this year, I hate it...

I love it! This is allowing me to get semi caught up on sleep. It was hard enough getting up yesterday but even going to bed early last night didn't help this morning. I almost overslept this morning.

 

[Armourboy]

Last year we would have loved an extra day between games... this year, I hate it...

Amazing how things change based on winning.

As much as I don't want to be a downer, this series isn't over. Yes on paper the odds are definitely in our favor, but stranger things have happened. I spent yesterday just going nuts, now it's time to get back to reality a bit.

We need to come out Thursday and finish this thing. I don't want Chicago to have any hope, and even bigger than that I don't want us to have any doubt. I'm praying like heck that with this two day break that we don't lose the focus we've had, they think they have this made, and stop skating. This team has been up and down so much this season that even with a 3-0 lead I'm still scared a bit.

Looking at the Chicago playoff thread there are a couple of things that get my attention when it comes to this series. 1.) The regular season stats don't mean a whole lot once you hit the playoffs, it truly is a second season. 2.) Being overconfident will kill you. 3.) Being great 3 months ago doesn't mean jack in the playoffs.

You read so much, granted a lot of it from fans just like us, but I think lots of people saw us as a weak opponent. They forget ( and we do too ) that this team was picked at the start of the season to be very good. We under performed during the regular season, but this isn't the regular season. We are finally playing like the team we were supposed to be.

 

[hockey diva]

The Oil got run out of SAP last night. Columbus finally broke thru. I hope we don't underestimate the Hawks.

 

[Armourboy]

The Oil got run out of SAP last night. Columbus finally broke thru. I hope we don't underestimate the Hawks.

Yeah definitely my concern.

 

[Datsyukian Deke]

I would be interested in the old timers on here, not so much fans of the last 5 or so years. Even had a brief twitter exchange last night with a few people.

Most satisfying win
1) Last night
2) putting Detroit out after all the years of Predwings and the Firesale crap.

I wonder if a win Thursday would replace knocking Detroit out for me.

Not to take anything away from the Preds, but that Wings team wasn't exactly a top tier team. Howard couldn't stop a beach ball when it mattered, it seemed. (and things haven't changed in that regard )

I recall after that series I was moreso disappointed that the Preds seemed to have used all the energy to simply eliminate the Wings, as to fall flat against Phoenix in the next round. It's what I used to refer as the Sharks syndrome, due to for years in the playoffs, the Sharks would go all out vs. the Wings in the playoffs, eliminate us, and then not show up in the next round, which was always a bit disheartening I must say.

Good times though, I do miss the Central Division, that's for certain.

 

[braindead]

Deke , I agree but if you have been beating your head against the wall for years you don't really care whether you got stronger or the wall got weaker. Felt great to beat Detroit.

As an "old-timer" day 1 fan, I would have to put Detroit playoff victory at the top of my list for how I felt at the time. However, context matters and the fact that we lost after that, combined with what happened in later years, probably makes me rank things differently today. It is too early to put game three into context. As of now, I would probably rank the three OT win higher.

Big shout out to ADZ – that list has most of my favorites. A couple of other fun memories include our first home victory in the first year on the moving net goal and our first home winthat against the blues, who had traveling fans equivalent to a modern-day Hawks fans... my god that felt good.

 

[Datsyukian Deke]

Deke , I agree but if you have been beating your head against the wall for years you don't really care whether you got stronger or the wall got weaker. Felt great to beat Detroit.

As an "old-timer" day 1 fan, I would have to put Detroit playoff victory at the top of my list for how I felt at the time. However, context matters and the fact that we lost after that, combined with what happened in later years, probably makes me rank things differently today. It is too early to put game three into context. As of now, I would probably rank the three OT win higher.

Big shout out to ADZ – that list has most of my favorites. A couple of other fun memories include our first home victory in the first year on the moving net goal and our first home winthat against the blues, who had traveling fans equivalent to a modern-day Hawks fans... my god that felt good.

Oh I understand that completely, and it's understandable of course, no worries.

In terms of favorite Preds moments, as I've said in the past, mine is still April 3rd, 2008 vs the Blues when the infamous tv time out cheering first started. I recall those last few home games being playoff like atmosphere in battling for the playoffs, and when the cheering started and continued to grow into what it was, there are very few moments when you're at a game that are as special.

I even recall Arnott in the on ice post-game interview after the win, saying how he had never heard the building quite as loud. A treat, indeed.

 

[Pred303]

we've been around long enough where we can have different 'era's; in Pred hockey. personally i think the most emotional moment in pred history will always be the first Predator home playoff game. after all the struggles, attendance problems, and the risk of completely losing the franchise. people were actually crying in the stands when the team took the ice for that first home playoff game. and the loudest moment i ever heard in any sporting event in my life was when Legwand scored the shorthanded first goal in that game. i honestly don't think that moment could ever be recreated because of all the pent up emotion except maybe with a stanley cup win.

i imagine all 'original old timer' pred fans will say that.

but there is a new 'era'. that starts around the post lockout good preds teams from about 2005. New fans, younger fans growing up. Those highlights certainly include our first series win against DET, the STL standing ovation in the regular season, the Fisher OT goal against SJ in game six, the game 6 win against ANA. We got revenge against DET, eliminating CHI would take that second money off our back and rank right up there (leaving needed revenge against SJS). This might have been the loudest i've heard since that first playoff series.

 

[PREDilection]

I would be interested in the old timers on here, not so much fans of the last 5 or so years. Even had a brief twitter exchange last night with a few people.

Most satisfying win
1) Last night
2) putting Detroit out after all the years of Predwings and the Firesale crap.

Seems like most Day oners and the like lean option 2. Most newer fans (and that isn't meant as derogatory) lean with the Hawks (and I get why)

I wonder if a win Thursday would replace knocking Detroit out for me.

And a second topic-I still maintain that the first playoff goal we scored was the loudest that Arena has ever been. Am I alone in that?

I have been a fan since day 1 but I was in college in 98 and didn't end up coming back to Nashville until 2002. Therefore, I did not follow them with the rabid nature that I do now. Hopefully, I still qualify.

Knocking out Detroit was such a coming of age moment for this team. Detroit held such the parental figure/big brother aura that beating them was akin to a passing of the torch. I can separate it from the awfulness that followed (although it definitely taints the memory). I hated Detroit as a rival but I never held the feelings of absolute disgust for the fans and players that I have for Chicago. I could separate my respect for Detroit as a franchise while hating them as our nemesis. I feel none of that for Chicago. Zero respect for the players, fans or organization. Therefore, if we can eliminate them this year it will probably move above Detroit for that reason. And if we can sweep them tomorrow then it DEFINITELY will. Because I don't want to just beat Chicago, I want to crush and humiliate them. I want to grind their egos into dust and make them live with the shame and failure of being the first team eliminated. I want to break their will so that going forward they'll lose that "it" factor a bit that lets them feel like "we're never out of it, we can still do it!". That right there would make this the sweetest victory by far.

 

[Pred303]

lol pred, well said

 

[66Falconboy]

The rally inside the arena when Balsillie tried to take the team was a galvanizing moment for me personally, but also the fan base and city at large. So proud of us that day.

 

[Pred303]

The rally inside the arena when Balsillie tried to take the team was a galvanizing moment for me personally, but also the fan base and city at large. So proud of us that day.

me too falcon.

 

[Datsyukian Deke]

The rally inside the arena when Balsillie tried to take the team was a galvanizing moment for me personally, but also the fan base and city at large. So proud of us that day.

That was a huge & special day when that occurred, and even signed up for my season tickets that day, I remember.

Ugh, Balsillie...what a tool.

 

[Legionnaire11]

The rally inside the arena when Balsillie tried to take the team was a galvanizing moment for me personally, but also the fan base and city at large. So proud of us that day.

It was a special time, and we've seen some similar rallies with the Thrashers, Rams and Raiders (off the top of my head). They're never well organized or well attended. And while I feel the pain of those fans, it still makes me proud of what we accomplished as a fanbase here, the fans, media, celebrities and politicians all came together and made our voices heard. Even the players were in on it.

 

[Adz]

Big shout out to ADZ – that list has most of my favorites. A couple of other fun memories include our first home victory in the first year on the moving net goal and our first home winthat against the blues, who had traveling fans equivalent to a modern-day Hawks fans... my god that felt good.

I was concentrating on just playoff memories, but yeah...those were good. I also remember the game vs the Wings where I think there were around 200 total penalty minutes racked up. That was so much fun! http://www.foxsports.com/nhl/boxscore?id=13728

Also the game against Ottawa where Cale Hulse fought like he was SUPPOSED to fight. We won 3-2 with Bill Houlder lumbering out of the penalty box to score a goal. Dec. 30, 2002 Vokoun had put this team on his shoulders and this was against a team that was very high in their division.

There are just so many memories!

 

[ILikeItILoveIt]

That was a huge & special day when that occurred, and even signed up for my season tickets that day, I remember.

Ugh, Balsillie...what a tool.

Bals got his a few years later when the corporate world decided to ditch their blackberrys and go with iphones or droids. Does anyone use a blackberry anymore?

Dude never recovered. It was the curse we put on him and anything connected to him.

 

[glenngineer]

If anyone has a single or an extra for tomorrow nights game let me know. I don't have one right now and would love to go. Thanks in advance.

 

[Armourboy]

For me it's gotta be that first playoff game. I had never seen anything like it, and taking my wife to games now, which she loves, I try to explain that what she has been too pales in comparison. I have never heard anything like that in my life, it was definitely special.

I don't get to go like I did back then, just can't afford it now that I'm married, but the other night was special too. If I yelled like that at home, I can't imagine how it sounded in the building.

 

[drwpreds]

I still can’t stop thinking about the whole experience Monday night. What a freaking night. At times I just turned to my wife and said “just look at thisâ€, looking around the arena and just soaking it in.

I have been a sports fan for 40 years- have favorite teams in almost all pro and college sports, and I have been to just about every big time sporting event you can name.

But there is absolutely nothing better than NHL playoff hockey in person- and when you have a night like Monday- great game, late rally to tie, win in OT?? Wow.

Heck, it still would have been a great experience even if we had lost. But for the game to go the way it did???? It just doesn’t get any better than that- it was one of the top live sporting events I have ever been to.

And what gets me is this is just a first round series. I said this in another thread, but I cannot even imagine how crazy it would be in that building if we won the cup on home ice……..

 

[Enoch]

So many big moments as you guys have alluded too:

1) Legwand playoff goal.
2) Rally to save the team
3) First OT win

This team is well loved. Let's hope they achieve another milestone by knocking off the #1 seed.