B's - Habs: Game 1

Some quick observations from the live experience ...

A couple of general notes:

• With the exception of the final 3 minutes, the B's were a bit flat.  Of course, that should give you an idea about how overmatched the Canadiens are in this series (this is not a jinx, this is not a jinx ... how many times do I need to say that to avoid a jinx???).
• That being said, the final 3 minutes were absolutely INSANE.  I had season tickets for three seasons back in the early part of the decade, and I never experienced anything close to the atmosphere that we had last night.  The building was absolutely shaking.

Some things I learned by sitting next to the Penalty Box:

1. Zdeno Chara is HUGE.  I mean ridiculously huge.  He looked like a dad who was out on the pond skating around with his kids.  This is not an exaggeration --- the average player who was out on the ice with him was as tall as his chin.  Just insane.
2. The glass around the boards is about as stable as I am at 3:30 in the morning on one of those magical nights when my kids conspire to take turns waking up every hour.  I mean, I really could not believe how much it was swaying each time someone crashed into the boards.  There was one instance when someone shot the puck into the glass that we were sitting behind, and I think I wet myself a little.  What, too much info?
3. The guys that work in the Penalty Box will not trade a hockey stick for a pretzel.  The two guys who were sitting in front of us were working them pretty hard, but they wouldn't budge.  Of course, after watching the sales pitch for 5 minutes I had to go and buy one.  For those keeping score at home, it WAS pretty tasty.
4. When a player gets sent to the Penalty Box, he is not in the mood to smile for a picture (of course, this one is pretty obvious).  When Patrice Bergeron was sent in during the 2nd period, I couldn't even get him to look at me (pictured below).  Though I might have had more luck if I was a hot blonde, rather than a chubby bald guy wearing a Don Sweeney jersey.

Prescient call of the evening ...

• About half-way through the 2nd period, my buddy Manny says that Chara is big and all, but he really needs to unload on the puck.  I don't know how it played on TV, but Chara's goal in the 3rd period was an absolute laser.  And to think, he only needed to hear Manny make the suggestion.

Finally, a VERY special thanks to my buddy Dan for scoring the tickets and inviting me along.  Dan's a good guy, a good friend, and a good dad.  I'm glad he's my pal.