Grilled Cheese For Everyone!

For the first time in my lifetime, the Philadelphia Flyers have won a game in the Stanley Cup Finals.

This game was a thrilling back and forth affair that saw the Flyers dominate chances, but the Blackhawks hanging tight. The casual fan with no particular rooting interest must have been in hockey heaven. On the other hand, for me, it was a heart attack on ice. Back and forth. Every shot. Every save. Every goal. I lost years of my life watching that game.

But the fact of the matter is this: the Flyers won the game.

Ville Leino was a complete beast on the ice. The Red Wings traded him over 40 games into this season for harmful Flyers defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a 2011 5th round draft pick. Up to that point all season, he had 7 points. Now he is a house of fire.

He scored the game-tying goal in the 3rd period seconds after the Blackhawks made it 3-2 to early on in the period. He double-shifted, played several minutes, and was an effective player throughout the game. The player that the Detroit Red Wings left for dead is now one of the biggest reasons why the Flyers are still in this Stanley Cup Finals series.

If you are not familiar with the name Claude Giroux, get familiar with it, real fast. The kid whose pre-game ritual involves eating a grilled cheese sandwich before every hockey game is going to be a star in this league, if not a superstar. Aspeaking of Claude Giroux and pre-game, earlier in the afternoon he was taking a nap when he got a call from a friend. His friend told Claude he would score an overtime winner tonight. Sure enough, Giroux got the deflection on the game-winning goal and has salvaged the Flyers' hopes of winning the Stanley Cup.

As much stuff as there is that Gary Bettman does wrong, one thing the NHL does boast is instant replay. And while sometimes they still get the call wrong, it was used to perfection in today's game. 2 goals were reviewed, and the call was correct both times. While the officiating was not stellar tonight, the usage of instant replay and getting the call correct both times certainly marked a refreshing change of pace from what happened earlier in the game with Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga (more on that later).

They may be down 2-1 in this series, but the Flyers are going to keep believing and keep on playing until it is over. This Flyers team has more heart than any Flyers team I can ever remember. They will not quit. They will not go away. I love this team and am proud to have finally witnessed them winning their first Stanley Cup Finals game. Now to try and win 3 more.


In case you missed it or want to relive the action, here are the highlights from Game 3.