Going back to last night's Bruins game again, so slightly off-topic- but very much on the topic of what makes hockey so great.
Last night, late in the second period, the Habs were on a power play trying to pull back within two goals. Andrew Ference had his back turned to the play and was hit in the unpadded back of the knee by a bullet slap shot from the point. Ference hit the ice hard and couldn't get up for several seconds, giving Montreal a de-facto 5-on-3 in the offensive zone. Ference eventually mustered enough strength to pull himself up, then he stayed in position for the next :30 of the PK, essentially hopping along on one leg.
With the puck in his corner and 10 seconds left in the power play, Ference took control of it and hummed it 200 feet down the ice, killing the penalty; he then limped slowly to the boards and left the game for good, but not before making a huge play that helped his team keep control of the game. What a warrior. He'll probably miss the next few games, but he still managed to make a great defensive play despite being in excruciating pain. When people say there aren't good role models in pro sports, it's obvious that they're not watching these guys.
And while toughness is a big part of hockey, the game can also be beautiful for its players' brilliance. Marc Savard, for example, is brilliant. Not only is he physically gifted with the ability to make astonishingly good passes, he's also so intelligent and makes such great decisions on the fly. The game is flying by at lightning speeds but Savard always manages to read it brilliantly and make the exact pass the Bruins need. And whether he is wide open, double covered, on his ass, on his stomach, or up against the boards,. Savvy's passes are almost invariably right into the tape of his target player's stick.
With the puck in his corner and 10 seconds left in the power play, Ference took control of it and hummed it 200 feet down the ice, killing the penalty; he then limped slowly to the boards and left the game for good, but not before making a huge play that helped his team keep control of the game. What a warrior. He'll probably miss the next few games, but he still managed to make a great defensive play despite being in excruciating pain. When people say there aren't good role models in pro sports, it's obvious that they're not watching these guys.
And while toughness is a big part of hockey, the game can also be beautiful for its players' brilliance. Marc Savard, for example, is brilliant. Not only is he physically gifted with the ability to make astonishingly good passes, he's also so intelligent and makes such great decisions on the fly. The game is flying by at lightning speeds but Savard always manages to read it brilliantly and make the exact pass the Bruins need. And whether he is wide open, double covered, on his ass, on his stomach, or up against the boards,. Savvy's passes are almost invariably right into the tape of his target player's stick.
Last night was exhibit A. The first few seconds of this video
show the B's 3rd goal against Montreal - Sturm from Savard with six seconds left in the first period. With 11 seconds left it looks like Montreal is about to clear the zone, but the B's keep it in; Ryder feeds a wide open Savard to the right of the net, who has a pretty clear shooting lane. 99 people out of 100 - myself included - are thinking SHOOT THE PUCK, the period's almost over! But Savard knows Price is in good position. He drags it back a little bit, drawing in two Canadiens defenders, then makes a perfect pass to Sturm crashing in from the point; Sturm bangs it past a hapless, out of position Carey Price. And this all happens within a matter of maybe 5 seconds, with the pressure of knowing there's less than 10 seconds left on the clock. Absolutely frigging brilliant play.
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