Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing. First round action has seen some pretty awesome games. Unfortunately, my Buffalo Sabres are down 3-2 in a best of 7 series to the much hated Boston Bruins.

Nothing against Boston, it’s just that Sabres fans hate every team they play in the play-offs. There’s really nothing like playoff hockey to ratchet up bad blood between two teams. Teams play up to 7 games to determine who moves onto the next round.

The games in the playoffs get real tight with tougher checking on both sides of the rink. Everyone plays up.

There’s nothing like it.

My fondest memory of hockey involves Buffalo and Boston in a first round playoff series. What made it more special was that I was in Boston with a bunch of my high school friends on a school trip. You know, one of those 4 same-sex kids in each room, tape on the door so chaperones know if you’ve been sneaking out and doors open when girls are in your room type of deals.

Whatever it was, this trip was just plain awesome. Being in Boston when the Sabres were on the brink of sweeping the top ranked Bruins was somehow cosmic.

We all watched the game in our rooms, all 20+ rooms had the game on. Almost the entire floor of a hotel in enemy territory. Luckily, there were more Buffalo fans than Boston fans and they knew not to mess with hormone engorged teenage kids.

We cheered every goal and watched intently has the game slowly crept into double OT.

It all plays out like a crazy drunken blurr…only none of us were drinking anything except caffeinated beverages.

…And then came this call:

Our floor erupted as we listened to the call and watched the play. Over and over and over again. We cheered, whooped, hollered and bounced off our beds (and walls).

There was a bunch of kids from the Boston area on the same floor, but you could hear a collective “click” on their doors and they locked themselves in, hiding from the crazed Buffalo masses who just watched their team, their boys, sweep the number 1 team in the league.

Hockey fans are filled with memories similar to mine and it’s why we love this game. It’s strange, but where sports like football or basketball don’t really move people to emotions except happy or sad; hockey is insanely personal to its fans. Perhaps it’s the fact that hockey players, unlike most professional athletes, are so approachable. These are normal looking people, men and boys, that you would expect to meet at the local super market. In a Spiderman, everyone’s super hero with a normal life, kind of way.

Maybe that’s it.

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