Fire on
ice
An old time ice hockey fan feels life seep into his old tired bones with the New York Islanders playing for the game, the series, of their lives.
by rick olivares pic by greg shamus/nhl
For
the casual sports fan, he’d dismiss ice hockey as too odd and maybe too brutal.
As a long time ice hockey fan, I never liked the fighting even if one may say
that it is a part of the game (as it is the one major sport that allows a
modicum of fisticuffs for players to vent out during a game). I never did
although there are some teams and players who I dislike. However, on occasion,
I can appreciate the gloves coming off.
When
New York Islanders alternate captain Kyle Okposo delivered that devastating overhand
right to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Niskanen at the 7:37 mark of the second
period, it sent a strong message to the Eastern Conference’s top team – to
steal a line from glam rockers Twisted Sister – ‘that we’re not going to take
it’. Anymore.
The
finis has yet to be written in this first round series but this is a feel good
moment for the downtrodden Isles, long suffering, and like my other favorite
club in the world, Liverpool, who have been living on old and fading glory.
After all, they’re back in the playoffs for the first time in six years and now
have a chance to make a real statement. To create new heroes who will pick up
the mantle from the sainted Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies, Butch
Goring, Ken Morrow, and Bob Nystrom, and Pat LaFontaine to name a few.
Niskanen
delivered two rights to Okposo before the officials separated the two. The
Penguins’ defenseman might have won the fight, but Okposo’s willingness to
stand up to Pittsburgh (not to mention that he bloodied Niskanen) who they’ve
shared a contentious history served as inspiration for a late Game Two push.
And that Okie scored the game winning goal is going to gnaw at the Pens.
Now
maybe after New York’s 4-3 comeback win over Pittsburgh to level the series at
1-1 (after that ugly ugly 5-0 Game One loss), everyone will have to take the
New York Islanders seriously. What looked to be sure doom as the Penguins and
the returning Sidney Crosby staked their team to an early 2-0 lead in the game
and a possible 2-0 lead in the series has now opened up a different plot twist.
Last
March 24, New York was at 13-15-3 when they went on a late season tear. They
won three straight before the Penguins sent them crashing back to earth with a
2-0 win at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. However, the Islanders won
two in a row to set up the final push for the playoffs with an 11-7 record to
close out the strike-shortened elimination round.
That
the Penguins are the first round opponents guaranteed an intense series.
New
York took the first meeting of their four-match series of the regular season; a
4-1 win at the Consol. But Pittsburgh bounced backed to win the last three
head-to-head matches of the season. The Penguins believe they have the
advantage while the Islanders have something to prove. And there’s the matter
of the memory of February 11, 2011 that still haunts the history between these
two Atlantic Division teams.
On
that day, was a day of victory for New York but is was also one infamy. The
Islanders won by the incredible scoreline of 9-3 but no one really remembers
the final result as the match is more known for the 65 penalties assessed by
game officials. And that included 15 fighting majors, 21 game misconducts, and
346 penalty minutes. For a while it resembled the notorious Hanson brothers of
Slap Shot fame.
The
Penguins will also have something to say about the rivalry as they seek to gain
revenge for the concussion Crosby suffered during a November 2011 match with
the Islanders that took a toll on their title defense.
“We
wanted to let them know it was going to be a battle,” an overjoyed Okposo said
in the aftermath, “and we’re not going to roll over.”
After
Crosby, the best player in the NHL, scored his second goal for a 3-1 Penguins
lead, it looked like this was going the way of Game One. Then came the
Niskanen-Okposo scrum.
The
fight seemingly reinvigorated the Islanders who despite the score line, had
outplayed their foes for much of the game. Colin McDonald and Matt Martin
equalized before the end of the second period to set up the nerve wracking
final period.
Okposo
scored the game winner when his shot caromed back into the crease and rolled
off the back of Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury and into the goal to give
New York a 4-3 win; its first playoff triumph since April 14, 2007 against the
Buffalo Sabres.
And
so the plot thickens as the series moves to Long Island where the next two
games, beginning today, Monday, could be the last to be played at the old
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island. Next season, the Islanders
are moving into their swanky new digs at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
It’s
going to be loud. The blue and orange faithful will howl and stamp with paeans
made to the old hockey gods. The old saints will be trotted out and the crowd
will bellow for Niskanen’s head and an Islanders win.
The
gloves are off.
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