OT: BMIPH Semi's: Legwand first home playoff goal vs. First playoff series win

[Jonesey]

The night the roof came down. David Legwand scores first Predators home playoff goal. 4-11-04

We played Duck Hunt. Predators eliminate Ducks for first playoff series win. 4-24-11

Voting begins now!​

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[jwhouk]

Oh, this is going to be interesting.

 

[Adz]

I was at both and each moment is worthy of my vote. In the end, I picked Legwand. The roar in that arena...it was just special. The joy of winning the first round was really really close, though.

 

[Drake744]

I was also at both, but I wasn't old enough to truly appreciate and savor the Legwand goal in the moment. I wish I was but at 19 I wasn't. However by the time we beat Anaheim I was more than old enough to appreciate how big it was. I happened to be at game 6 only because I was in town visiting family. I was living 30 miles from Anaheim at the time and I loved going back the next day and wearing Preds stuff for pretty much the next week and pissing people off (except Kings fans who loved me for it). Also I can't help but think about the Weber tying goal and Smithson winner in game 5 that got us to that point. Maybe it's an unfair bias but that's why I voted for the Ducks series win.

 

[sparkle twin]

This really is a tough one.

In the end I went with Legwand scoring the first goal. It was so unexpected, just a great play by Legwand to intercept Hatcher's pass and then the roar when he scored. I remember being so nervous during that game, that when he scored it was like OK, we're in this, we can do it and we did.

The absolute roar when he scored has, I think, never been topped. Legwand's empty net vs Anaheim was close but nothing like the first playoff goal at home.

 

[Pred303]

the original fan will pick the legwand goal, the youngsters the Anaheim win.

as someone else that has been there for it all, there will never be a moment quite like the legwand shorthanded goal and our subsequent first playoff win.

 

[Adz]

I was also at both, but I wasn't old enough to truly appreciate and savor the Legwand goal in the moment. I wish I was but at 19 I wasn't. However by the time we beat Anaheim I was more than old enough to appreciate how big it was. I happened to be at game 6 only because I was in town visiting family. I was living 30 miles from Anaheim at the time and I loved going back the next day and wearing Preds stuff for pretty much the next week and pissing people off (except Kings fans who loved me for it). Also I can't help but think about the Weber tying goal and Smithson winner in game 5 that got us to that point. Maybe it's an unfair bias but that's why I voted for the Ducks series win.

I am pretty sure I remember you posting about that on the old boards. If it wasn't you, someone else posted something similar!

I thought your 744 meant Kostitsyn and Ellis, so thanks for clearing that up. Ha ha!
My screen name over on the old boards had 18z in it. At the time it was created it stood for (Adam) Hall+z. Admiral Halsey, get it? I realized my folly when he left and 18z became Santorelli-z.

I think Logan would probably pick Legwand over the Anaheim series but ONLY because he was there for the Legwand goal. But I'm not sure--he'd have been 13 for the Legwand goal and, though he was "into" hockey, he became more so by the time we won the series.

 

[Drake744]

the original fan will pick the legwand goal, the youngsters the Anaheim win.

as someone else that has been there for it all, there will never be a moment quite like the legwand shorthanded goal and our subsequent first playoff win.

Speaking of the youngsters....I think for me personally, the earliest goal I associate with the playoffs and going absolutely nuts and remembering the roar of the crowd like the way most of you do for the Legwand goal was Dumont's shorty against the Sharks. I'll never forget that moment.

I am pretty sure I remember you posting about that on the old boards. If it wasn't you, someone else posted something similar!

I thought your 744 meant Kostitsyn and Ellis, so thanks for clearing that up. Ha ha!
My screen name over on the old boards had 18z in it. At the time it was created it stood for (Adam) Hall+z. Admiral Halsey, get it? I realized my folly when he left and 18z became Santorelli-z.

I think Logan would probably pick Legwand over the Anaheim series but ONLY because he was there for the Legwand goal. But I'm not sure--he'd have been 13 for the Legwand goal and, though he was "into" hockey, he became more so by the time we won the series.

Ohhhh wow I'm glad I cleared it up too. Ellis? Fine. Kostitsyn? I'm embarrassed that you thought that for a half decade.

 

[Adz]

Ohhhh wow I'm glad I cleared it up too. Ellis? Fine. Kostitsyn? I'm embarrassed that you thought that for a half decade.

Well, see, I liked him so it wouldn't be a slam on your screen name decision-making skills. Until his brother showed up I thought he was trying very hard to make points and play well. After the Radulov/AK fiasco, I admit he was pretty worthless.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Legwand's goal was kind of the moment that the Preds took that first step away from "expansion team" and showed they could play with the big boys. IIRC the Wings outspent the Preds $79M to $23M???

Of course the lockout had to kill that momentum, but I'm not sure that can be topped until someone scores a goal that wins a trophy (Campbell or Stanley).

 

[OriginalName]

I think Logan would probably pick Legwand over the Anaheim series but ONLY because he was there for the Legwand goal. But I'm not sure--he'd have been 13 for the Legwand goal and, though he was "into" hockey, he became more so by the time we won the series.

I think you know me a little too well! Yes, definitely the first home playoff games and everything that happened within them by extension. That was when the Predators activated as a real hockey franchise, in my opinion. We certainly had a team then -- the gritty core from the expansion seasons was still in our DNA (including the MIGHTY Tomas Vokoun -- I've still never felt more secure watching a Preds game than when we had Vokey backing us up in net) flanked by every 18-21 year old we could get our hands on to fill in the blanks -- but I think up to that point the Predators as an organization were primarily defined by the heart of the fanbase, like the soul of Section 303, the rally to keep the team, and the reputation for being rowdy in the seats but showing real southern hospitality in the streets.

But I have never seen a team and crowd give eachother so much than our first home playoff games. It was just an enormous amount of heart being poured into the team by the fans that night, and they completely reciprocated. The fans felt that and absolutely lost their ever-loving minds, and the energy just blasted through the roof. We gave more, so they gave more, and there was no ceiling to what we could do. We have had better teams since -- MUCH, MMUUCCHH better teams, teams that could capitalize on the home energy as well (I direct everyone to our last playoff run), but that's the only time I've truly felt as a fan that we weren't HELPING the win happen, we were MAKING the win happen. It wasn't like a prayer or a wish, it was like the team held out a big red button to its fans marked "WIN THE GAME" and said "You press this and we WILL make it happen," and even though it shouldn't have been possible, THERE IT WAS.

The Predators should NOT have been good enough to beat the Red Wings in any playoff games in any arena back then. It was like we had superpowers. And that was a special team to be close enough to its fanbase to be able to reciprocate the energy in the building ad infinitum. A lot is made about "heart" in sports. That team redefined it in those games.

Personally, it took me a long time to adjust to the players on the ice after the massive reorganization following Leipold's departure (chalk it up to young age and inexperience following a team for so long), so although I was extremely excited for the 2011 Ducks series win, it didn't feel as personal.

 

[Adz]

^Second generation poster here. I am so proud.

Live it. It stays with you (even on the other side of the globe) ;-)

 

[Datsyukian Deke]

^Second generation poster here. I am so proud.

Live it. It stays with you (even on the other side of the globe) ;-)

Hear Hear!

 

[deanwormer]

the original fan will pick the legwand goal, the youngsters the Anaheim win.

as someone else that has been there for it all, there will never be a moment quite like the legwand shorthanded goal and our subsequent first playoff win.

agree and agree.

I think, really, if you're looking at impact, the Leggy goal is huge emotional thing for the fanbase. If you're looking for tangible advancement of the franchise, it's probably the ANA win.

It's Leggy for me......