A bittersweet anniversary

One more thing I wanted to post earlier....

Last Saturday (April 24) was the 14th anniversary of the 5th longest NFL playoff game ever....

Pens-Caps, Game 4, 1996 NHL Playoffs

I remember this game pretty vividly - I was in Washington for a training class, and I picked up Layup from college to go to the game that night. I think I called that day (in the morning) to order tickets and we picked them up at will call. The game startd at 7:30. I planned that it would end at 10, I'd get back to the hotel room at 11, and get plenty of sleep for the next day.

This was my first NHL playoff game - and I thought it was cool that it went to overtime. Sudden death! Wonderful!

Then no scores in the first period. Layup and I looked at each other - c'mon, he was in college, what deadlines did he have? We'll stay for the second OT.

The second OT came - we had a penalty shot (Juneau took it? is that right?)- but he missed. It's now 12:15 in the morning. Should we stay? OK, one more OT.

Third OT - another scoreless period. We are now well past 1 am. At this moment, what's the point of sleeping? We stayed on....

Fourth OT - at the 18:00 mark (2 min left), we were still tied at 2-2. It's 2:15 or so in the morning. Jesus, am I going to get a sleepless night?

Petr Nedved (damn him) scored at the 19:15 mark of the 4th overtime; the Caps lost 3-2, and the series was tied, 2-2. Do I have to say that the Pens won the series in 6?

At that time (I think), it was the 3rd longest game in NHL history. Now it is the 5th longest. In doing research for this post, it's weird to see that an Anaheim-Dallas playoff game in 2003 (5 overtimes) passed this Pens-Caps game, and the Anaheim game was played on the same day - April 24.

(It's ironic that I post this now given the Caps' collapse vs. the Canadiens. The more things change..... God, I hope the Habs beat the Pens in 6. )