After my semi-incoherent ramblings from last night, I feel compelled to put some more thoughts down. You see, now that I've started this blog, I find myself with an endless stream of opinions that I feel simply must be shared with the world.
Now that Game 5 is over, and I've slept off the jubilant energy that always follows such a victory, I've been thrown back into the usual cycle of mounting stress. I'm trying to counteract that by concentrating on sending positive vibes to three different players.
Mostly, I'm trying to mentally heal Brian Rafalski's mysterious injury. I don't have any clue what it might be, but I have to believe that somehow, some way, I'll be able to make it better through sheer force of will. Even though they completely dominated yesterday, the Wings still miss the hometown boy. This isn't the kind of thing for which official stats are kept, but I'll be damned if he isn't the best in the league at holding the puck in the offensive zone. I can't even tell you how many times he's blown my mind by keeping the play alive by knocking down clearing attempts at the blue line. Whether he's jumping up in the air to grab a puck or stretching out to nab it with his stick, he always seems to be able to keep the attack going. This is a completely underrated and rarely noticed skill, but it's one of the reasons why the Wings' power play misses him so much.
I'm also spending time sending offensive vibes to Pavel Datsyuk. He's had his share of chances, but I'm not satisfied with that. I want him on the scorebord. Preferably starting very early in Game 6. His little "suck-on-this-Harlem-Globetrotters" play from Game 5 was nice and all, but unless it ends up in the back of the net, it's just eye candy. I'm all for eye candy most of the time, but this is playoff hockey and it's serious. Also, being a big believer in the Hockey Gods, I can't help but believe that once he does break through, it's going to be in an epic fashion. There's a reason he was one of the leading scorers in the league this year (that reason being that he's the best all-around player in the world right now, forget Ovechkin and Crosby), and may the Hockey Gods help whatever poor souls are tasked with defending against him when he finally comes to play.
If my positive energy can make those two things happen, I'll be more than happy, but I'm also attempting to mentally heal Kris Draper, and not just because we have the same name. Well, actually the same shortened name. He's worth keeping around just for faceoffs and veteran savvy. Not to mention that epic playoff beard.
If nothing else, this effort is keeping my mind off of the stress as I wait for Game 6. I'll probably be back later to get out some more of my anxious thoughts, and possibly with an explanation of some of the terms and nicknames that I frequently use. Not that I expect anyone to be reading this. I just like to pretend because it makes me feel important.
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