Experiencing 7th Heaven
by Ben Boggs
December 3, 2006

There is a certain mystique around a Game 7, especially one in championship series. It’s an event that turns heads in the sports world. People who don’t see a game all season get immersed in the excitement surrounding Game 7.

Game 7 of a championship series is the type of game that sports were meant for. It’s a silver lining on a long season and extended playoff run. All the hard work comes down to one game, one night. Dreams become reality for the victorious while heartbreak sets in for the team that comes up short. I’ve always watched these series classics whether I followed the first six games or not. As an avid hockey fan it was always a desire of mine to witness one.

For the past three seasons I have purchased tickets to the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals with the hope that the series would go the distance. Luck must have been on my side.

For the first time in NHL history the finals went to Game 7 three years in a row: 2003 New Jersey versus Anaheim, 2004 Tampa Bay versus Calgary, and 2006 Carolina versus Edmonton.

Though I relive those memories in my head on daily basis, this year’s experience has been placed on a pedestal in my mind. It was a combination of things that made this year’s game that much more special.

Sitting at the game with my 77-year-old grandfather added a serious sentimental value to the evening. He lives only a couple miles from the RBC Center in Raleigh. I had to jump at the opportunity to attend the game with him. People thought I was crazy for actually going to the game instead of selling the four tickets I had. Similar seats to ours were going for a minimum of $1000 each on eBay the night before the game. I decided well ahead of time that this would be a family affair though, with my uncle and mom attending as well.

The day before the game I got a call from Ticketreserve.com, the company which I had ordered two of the tickets from. With it just happening to be my birthday, they had news for me that made the best present I ever received. I was supposed to receive two upper level seats from them, but through a stroke of luck, they upgraded me to a lower-level luxury suite. I was told that I would by receiving an upgrade free of charge. My jaw dropped when I picked the tickets from will call and saw that I had two lower level suite tickets. On any other night I would’ve jumped at the chance to sit in such style. I decided I would give up those seats to my mother and uncle. On this night I would be sitting with the fans.

When I say sit, I don’t mean it literally. I witnessed something at the RBC center I thought I would never see at a professional sporting event. All 18,978 fans stood up. From the top of the stadium to the seats against the glass, they stood up and they never sat down. This was sparked by a radio campaign “Nobody sits tonight”, but I never thought it had a chance of working.

I didn’t even bother answering my cell phone after the first couple calls. The Raleigh fans silenced the critics who said the sport doesn’t belong in North Carolina as the entire arena was continuously deafening.

There was never a five-minute period where I didn’t get the chills. Even though I was doing this for the third time, it felt like it was my first time attending this once in a lifetime experience.

The intro to the game included a series of videos and images onto the ice with the arena in darkness. Fans cheered as their favorite players and recent playoff moments were captured on the ice. The fans were sent into an absolute uproar when the introduction concluded.  An image of the Stanley Cup filled up the entire ice as the home team skated on with the appropriate tune “Rock you like a Hurricane” playing in the background. The ear splitting crowd made Virginia Tech’s “Enter Sandman” entrance look like a joke.

It was a low scoring affair, the way I think a game of such importance should be. But the scoring began early, with Aaron Ward lighting the red lamp up only 1:26 into the contest and sending the ‘Caniacs into their first frenzy of the night.

The game was full of priceless moments for the hometown faithful. The third period was 20 minutes for the ages. Going into the final stanza, the Hurricanes were up by two goals and it appeared as they were going to run away with the cup in hand. But only 1:03 into the period, Fernando Pisani of the Edmonton Oilers got yet another clutch goal to bring his team within one in the biggest game of his career.

Edmonton continued to put it on the final 20 minutes but could never find the back of the net again. I knew the Hurricanes had it when Cam Ward made epic rebound save on Pisaniwith only minutes left, a save that will never be forgotten by the Carolina fan base.
The Hurricanes sealed the deal when Justin Williams scored an empty net goal that sent the RBC into what can best be described as a free-for-all. Chants of “We want the Cup” echoed throughout the arena and tears streamed from the faces of the fans who had been waiting for this moment. Mixed emotions ran through me as a neutral fan experiencing it. I couldn’t help but feel slightly bitter and jealous that it wasn’t my beloved Washington Capitals and our fans celebrating. But no matter how you look at it I was living a hockey fan’s dream. I had to get caught up in the excitement.

Team captain Rod Brindamour, after 17 long years, finally raised the Stanley Cup that evening, rookie Cam Ward won the Conn Smythe trophy, and ‘Caniacs celebrated in the parking lot until sunrise. I felt fulfilled walking through the festivities in the parking lot. The emotional high I got out the game made sleep an afterthought on the drive home to Virginia.

Two months later on a trip to Toronto, the epicenter of the hockey world, I was able to further celebrate the experience.. Toronto is the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Naturally, I had to check it out. On the way to the trophy room there is one wall entirely dedicated to a picture of that year’s Stanley Cup winning team on the ice with the silver treasure.

I stared at the picture for minutes reliving the evening in my head. My friend pointed out that I not only was in the picture but that I actually stood out. You could clearly see me in the background standing on my seat with my bright red “7th Heaven” sign high over my head. It may not seem like anything big, but as a hockey player myself this was the closest I would ever get being placed in Toronto’s hallowed halls. I couldn’t help but take a couple pictures with myself.

Words aren’t a means of expression to experiences like this. There is an asterisk in my mind every time I remember these moments though. Fans of hockey dream of attending the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals. It is taken to another level when they witness their team in that game and it’s fantasy if they win. I’ve always been a die-hard hockey fan, but when it comes down to it I am a Washington Capitals fan to the grave.

No matter how much these games meant to me, no matter how many more times I am lucky enough to live this dream, I will still feel like something is missing if I keep attending these games as a neutral fan. This 1400 word rant will turn into a novel the night I witness my team raise hockey’s holy grail. My hockey obsession won’t feel fulfilled until I can stand there and be one of those fans on the verge of joyous tears while screaming “We want the cup!” until my voice goes away. That will by my 7th heaven.