NHL, SUPERSTAR

For a guy who considers himself to be an NHL hockey playoffs action fan, I am surprised how out-to-lunch I have been these last few days (as I discovered last night).

"Barry, you have work to do... Barry, am I not making myself clear? Shut that fucking 'Vancouver Canucks versus the Chicago Blackhawks is the shit and exciting as all heck' hockey game off! You have work to do!"

I did answer to this rather tempestuous soul, the one named "Lance", who sits on my shoulder and who hurls insults when I watch Gilligan's Island instead of finishing that article (sometimes the "definite" kind). "Okay, Matts Sundin just scored to put the Canucks ahead 3 - 2. Looks like they are going to win. What could happen now?"

Well, faithful readers, if not equally zestful NHL hockey playoff action fans -- I cheated. Yes, I did get back to work and got a fair bit done, but I could not resist: After glancing at my wrist watch, and seeing that the hands carefully explained to me that it was just past 11:30 pm, I got curious, all of a sudden. I popped the CRT back on and saw that the game clock was at 45 seconds (remaining) and rapidly decaying (as only time can do). My eyes glanced up to the score. (For some reason -- must have been the tone of the commentators' voices -- I assumed Vancouver was racing to victory.) Imagine my surprise when I saw that the score was actually 7 - 5 for the Blackhawks.

I was so disappointed! Not only did I miss a whole raft of fluttering netting, but I did not see the Blackhawks fire back to win. The horn sounded (including the ship's horn) and the play-by-play announcer yelled "the Chicago Blackhawks have eliminated the Vancouver Canucks!"

"What?! I thought Chicago was a game in deficit... What happened?! I must have missed one. Was there a game on Sunday afternoon, or something?"

I wanted to see the Chicago Blackhawks eliminate the Vancouver Canucks. And that included the 'tying up the series' match.

"Where have I been these past few days?... Talos IV?"