Hockey!
In the first round of the NHL playoffs, I was fortunate to witness the single greatest goaltending performance I've ever seen: Montreal's Jaroslav Halak's 53-save masterpiece against the Washington Capitals in Game Six.I've never seen so many shots, by so many great players, coming without pause. Halak had perfect positioning on every one, and even then, he had to stand on his head for at least twenty absolutely spectacular saves. It's one of those performances in sport that's so brilliant it gives you chills.
Tonight (6 p.m. CST, on Versus), the Canadiens play the Pittsburgh Penguins (our favorite team) in Game Seven of the Conference Semi-finals, and even though Eli 8.9 is a huge Penguins fan, we've already committed ourselves to root for the Canadiens in the next round if they win tonight. I don't think I've ever seen a team play harder on a second-to-second basis than the Canadians do.
If you want to get a taste of what hockey is all about, watch this game.
Hockey has actually ruined the NBA for me. We've watched at least one hockey game a night (often two) since the playoffs started, and they've been better this year than ever. The intensity and excitement level has never been better.
I've tried to watch NBA games several times since the playoffs started, but I just can't do it--within ten minutes, I'm bored to death. There are so many interruptions to the flow of play that it seems like an incredibly disjointed game compared to hockey, and while I always knew that, it seems totally glaring this year. There are some tremendously compelling storylines in the NBA playoffs this year (LeBron trying to lead Cleveland to a title, badass Steve Nash playing with one eye swollen shut--and winning--against San Antonio), but it's hard to get involved.
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