HISTORY WAS MADE! uh, if anyone cares

There was a seemingly improbable Game 7 hockey playoff game tonight and I was extremely nervous before it. No, not Canadiens-Penguins, but Reading Royals vs Cincinnati Cyclones! AND THEY DID IT! Cincinnati is the FIRST team in the 22-year history of the ECHL, and only the SIXTH team in the history of pro hockey, to come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win 4 straight games and advance--in this case, to the Kelly Cup Finals, vs the Idaho Steelheads! More on the story here. I was sad I didn't make it to an ECHL playoff game in my first year of real hockey fandom (and I've only been to one ECHL game at all), but it looks like I'll have a chance...next week. Now I'm really glad I bought that cute Cyclones hat...

And it was DOLLAR BEER NIGHT. God am I jealous of anyone who was at the game...even though the final score was a nail-biting 1-0.

I'll give a recap of the Cyclones playoffs when I have time to read a bit more about them...I know there was a notorious brawl resulting in suspensions in this series. Maybe I'll even dig up photos of players or something; the ECHL sites aren't the most picture-heavy...

Oh...and Philadelphia Flyers? Please don't get any ideas about being the seventh team, okay?

another hockey hat: Cincinnati Cyclones

well, there are serious things to discuss...or at least a bunch of story links and fight videos to post, but when I was ready to write several blog posts last night, my Internet quit working (it was connected, but running at approximately a dial-up in 1994 speed) and after several fruitless hours of restarting it I gave up. so, for now, just something to pander to the "Girls in Minor League Hockey Hats" fetishists out there. in this case, Girls in Minor League Hockey Hats with Hilariously Awful Logos--I refer you to this review at the Bush League Factor.

I bought this at my Monday night game--seeing the Johnstown Chiefs play the Cincinnati Cyclones. of course I'll have pictures of the arena/a fuller review "later" like all my other game recaps...for now let me sum it up:

OMG how does a team have 5 shots on goal in the FIRST FORTY SECONDS and 14 SOG before the VISITING TEAM EVEN GETS ONE and they're one of the TOP TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE and have a good home record AND they're playing the ABSOLUTE WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE and yet they manage to lose to the WORST TEAM by a SCORE OF 5-1? FUCKING HELL, HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?! HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT HAPPEN?!!

still, it was entertaining, especially because of the fight/brawl that happened with 23 seconds left on the clock, and the fact that I was sitting close enough to the Chiefs' bench to heckle them if I wanted to (I didn't, but I heard other people). it was a lot of entertainment for $12. and I did want a hat in part because it's such a silly logo, and because I'm from Iowa State Cyclones country and hey, it's another team with the same colors called the Cyclones! why not?