I have volunteered to try and sum this up tonight. I could go into a breakdown of the game, but would you really want to read it? Yeah, me either. There was so much good: The fight, the effort, Huet. But some bad too: Far too many turnovers in our own zone, another bench minor, and of course, a loss.
I’m sure there will be some people rushing to say this absolves Huet of everything, and he was great. And I’m sure there will be others who will remain unconvinced, and that’s fair. All I’ll say is I’m fully confident that Huet can match what Khabby did this postseason, and if the players in front of him improve, maybe it’s enough for a Cup. Maybe it’s not, time will tell.
I will also admit defeat on the Chris Osgood debate. I thought the whole year someone would get to him, and I was convinced when this series started it would be us. But he stood tall time after time, especially tonight. He is the goalie version of John Druce, or Billy Hatcher. Well played, sir.
What more is there to say? We were beaten by a better team, and we all knew that going in. Three OT games, two of them losses. Maybe the gap isn’t as big as a loss in 5 would suggest, maybe it’s bigger. We shall see. There’s a lot to be decided this summer, but that discussion is for another time, not now.
What is important right now, and I’m sure Killion and McClure will want to write their own version of this, is to say how much I’ve enjoyed this season and team. And a lot of that comes from you. I know we’re all blown away by how this has taken off, and those of you have come out to Whirlaway, or stopped by when I’m selling The Indian, or emailed just to say how much you enjoy our work, we can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. It’s been a joyride, and we can’t wait to do it again next season.
As I said in the now-lost issue of The Indian, this is probably as fun of a season as we’ll ever have, at least until the night we win the Cup. It’s been akin to being on coke for six months. This team has provided us with so many moments we’ll remember forever, and constantly surprised us. Really, when the puck dropped in MSG in October, how many of you thought we’d be doing the post-mortem in the Conference Finals? Me neither. Now the expectations rise, as does the pressure. But it’s all part of the way.
Anyway, I’m sure we’ll all need a couple days. We’ll be here for free agency, maybe something for the draft, and whatever else happens this summer. Take care, and thanks so much.
God, months of watching the Cub bullpen. Gonna need that razor for more than shaving….