It's over.
Tonight, despite a 5-1 win over the 'Canes, the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs with New York's 2-1 win over Philly.
That has to be one of the most helpless feelings in all of sports - your team did its part to stay in the race, but its destiny was in the hands of someone else.
In the coming days, I'm sure we'll all have our theories and comments on the season that was. Too little too late, needing too much outside help - I know that I should have seen this coming. I knew that it would take a miracle for this team to reach the playoffs.
That doesn't mean that this still doesn't hurt.
It hurts for me to see Ryan Miller so sad, when he was one of the few players who really stepped up this season.
It hurts to think that Saturday could be Lindy's last game behind the bench as a Sabres coach.
It hurts to have to pick another team to root for in the playoffs; it never feels right when I do.
It hurts to say goodbye to this team until October.
But I don't have to do that just yet. I'll be at the game on Saturday, and I hope that they go out on a high note. I hope they play with the pride and fire that they showed tonight because I was really proud of them. Tonight, they did all that they could in a game I thought they would never win. I just sincerely hope that they will put it all out there again Saturday, give the fans something positive to take into the offseason.
Another year, another bittersweet night in Carolina. It's funny how the circumstances were reversed, though. In 2006, it was a loss that left us in tears but the memories of a beautiful season that took some of the sting away. In 2009, it's a win that should leave us jubilant but the memories of a turbulent season that have us depressed.
Saturday still matters - for the fans, for proving that there's still some fight left in this team. It may be over for us, but it should never be played like it's over for them. That game is going to show us a lot about how this team really sees itself, and I can only hope that it makes me go into the summer with some pride left in these boys.
3 comments:
I think I'm going to the game on Saturday too, if my brother can score some press passes for the both of us.
If I do get to go, I really hope that the Sabres end the season on a high note - doesn't mean that I won't leave the arena without a few tears, though. Until September...
doesn't mean that I won't leave the arena without a few tears, though.
I'm fully expecting to be emotional no matter the outcome tomorrow. I know that some people are fed up with this team, but there's still guys I love in Blue and Gold - and I hate knowing that I won't get to watch them play until the fall.
I feel the same way you do, Katie. I can't bring myself to hate most of the boys.
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