"Let's Do THAT Again!"

Pheeeeuuuuuffff!

With a quick wipe of my brow I am back to myself again. How many heart attack scares are there going to be in this series?! Playoffs are like roller coaster rides. You wait in line for what seems like half of your life until the operator finally ushers you and your friends into your seats. You all WANT to sit directly in front or directly in the back but sometimes you don't have a choice. Sometimes you get stuck with a less appealing middle car. Once everyone is all aboard you're instructed to pull down the harness above your head until it's firm against your stomach. This harness is then locked into place and you now have zero chance of changing your once ambitious mind. (Even if you scream bloody murder now, the operator is back behind the control booth and can't hear your sissy squeals, or at least pretends not to.) The Coaster slowly unlatches from the station as you slip down into the first turn and maybe you think to yourself that this isn't so bad. You're climbing up a steep hill and neither you nor your friends can see anything but the sky, which at this angle is directly in front of you instead of directly above. Now you're nervous and you haven't a clue when it will end or what's on the other side of this upwards tugging. Then it happens. It never occurred to you that what goes up must come down, until now. No choice, no way out, all you can do is hang on tight and scream your face off until the ride comes to an abrupt end at the bottom of what felt like a free fall. Your harness is released, you push it up, and even though you can't decide whether you hated it or loved it, you run back to the end of the line to do it all over again.

The waiting is over and we're four games into our first rollercoaster ride. One of the reasons I thought my analogy was suitable was because of the similar feelings I have in my gut participating in both activities. We score, I cheer, they score, I want to throw up. The worst part is sudden death overtime periods back to 20 minute intervals, which I'm sure no one is used to now since we've gone straight to a shoot out after 5 minutes of unanswered play in our regular season. (I forget to breathe and it usually takes almost passing out to realize.) Luckily so far in this series Calgary has only gone to an Overtime period of play once against Chicago, un-luckily it ended 18 seconds in with a winning goal scored by the opposing team. (I still think it was goaltender interference!)

I talked a few posts ago about picking up our game while on the road because our away statistics this year are far less than appealing. Starting this first series with two games in Chicago was intimidating I'm sure for everyone involved, of course unless you ARE Chicago. Sure enough, we played well, and sure enough we lost both games. Then I thought about it and remembered my city when we're in the Playoffs. If we lose to Chicago in their house, there's no way we can lose in ours! Of course there is a way, but I wasn't about to begin believing we would allow them to walk/skate into our 'Dome and take anything but a lesson! I was almost choking on my thoughts last night while I watched Chicago tie up the game from a 4-1 Calgary lead in the first half of the 3rd period. (Let's hear it for Jarome Iginla for doing what he does best!) The Flames leave the Saddledome and all their fanbase with their beliefs and pride intact! This isn't going to be easy, but those Flames are working hard and it shows! 5-4! Way to go, boys!

Having Rene (You too Daymond!) back made me smile and shriek inside, he's a go getter and something we've been missing lately! (Does it drive anyone else completely nuts that the announcers call him Renny?!) We need all of our men back on the ice to beat a team like Chicago. I haven't put much thought into anything past the next game. I don't need to be worried about winning a war when there are still so many battles until there are only two left standing. I'm still trying to calm my queasy tummy from the last four roller coaster rides! (Todd, STOP hogging the puck! That especially makes me want to barf.) It's the best two out of three now that we're tied with two wins each. One away game, one home game...can we take them both? (If Keenan would stop changing the lines every second shift!) Are we a playoff team? Hell yes! Does anybody else have a Jarome Iginla? Hell no! Who has more wins than anyone else in the regular season? Kipper! Kipper! Kipper! Let's go boys!

I wish more than anything right now that someone would have agreed to take my shift at work this coming Saturday. I would have been driving to Calgary for Monday's game. I just can't take it over here knowing that there is potential for this series to be over that day! Whether I made it to the game or just into the crowd of the Red Mile for that would have been spectacular, and quite an ambitious trip (the words of my Canuck loving boyfriend). Sadly, unless something changes I'll have to watch from my living room with my Flames socks and Jersey all by myself. Or maybe, just for fun, I'll go to the pub! Sometimes I hate being an "Away jersey". I get homesick for Hockey.

If we win this series it gives me another chance for a road trip home, one I will be planning ahead of time! I know we have what it takes and I can't wait for Saturday night. One day at a time, one play at a time, one win at a time...one roller coaster barf scare at a time! I'm back in line with all the other kids! As long as the Roller coaster is open, we're riding!

Let's do it again! Go Flames Go!

T