Yes, the Game is Finally Over...

I just finished watching the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in the first game of the Stanley Cup hockey finals.  If I'm exhausted and drained, I can't even imagine how the players feel, let alone can how they could skate, let alone stand.

I say this because it was the fifth longest game in the history of the Stanley Cup.  It went into three overtimes, and the winning goal was scored with 7:52 left.  Only a few more minutes, and it would have gone to the fourth overtime.

Here's how long it took.  When I recorded the game on my DVR, the schedule was for three hours.  I always add the maximum extra for live events, which is two hours, just in case.  I figure the games won't go that long, but if one ever did, I'd hate for the recording to stop mid-way through.  With this game, a few minutes into the third overtime, I looked at the clock and realized that the five hours were almost up!  So, I quickly set my DVR to record the following program, for safety.  How tight was it?  When the winning goal went in, and the Blackhawk players at the net through their hands up -- before the (I'm sure) exhausted announcer Mike Emrick even had a chance to shout, "Goal!!!" -- the recording stopped!

I thought it was a goal, the puck was in the net, and the Blackhawks had started to celebrate, but you never know if something got waved off, for a penalty or stoppage of play, or whatever.  Fortunately, I'd set the other recording and quickly went to it -- to immediately hear Emrick's cry of "Goal!!!" and the United Center fans in CHicago, most of the initial 22,000 still there, roar.  What happened is Michal Rozsival’s shot was deflected off the stick of  teammate Dave Bolland, and that, in turn, deflected off the knew of Andrew Shaw.  So, a double deflection ended the third overtime.  After five hours.

And now, I can rest.  The players will likely have to be peeled off the locker room floor.