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So Game 7 is fun, right? Right? |
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So this is fun, right?
It's Game 7. It's the best thing in sports. A winner-take-all game. No holding back. No doubt the words "urgency'' and "desperation'' will be uttered more than a few times before puck drop and even after the puck is dropped.
It would seem to be a stressful situation, right? Nerves will be at moving at a rapid pace. Butterflies flutter all around. Daytime naps seem impossible. Every possession of the puck feels like an overtime shift.
And this is fun?
"It will be a fun game (Thursday) night,'' Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman said. "It's what athletes dream of and aim for and all those memories and all those dreams that you have as a kid kind of comes true, and you just have to enjoy it and have fun with it.''
But fun?
"Fun, you're just masking the stress,'' Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "But it's a game we've all played at some point our entire lives, and these guys are competing at the highest level. When you sit back and you think, you know, it's September in training camp, and if I told the guys, hey, I just want to let you know, in May, we're going to play a one-gamer so you have a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, I think all the guys would have been pretty fired up to play that game.
"So I don't think we need to be stressed about that. I think we need to have fun with it, and when the game's over, just walk by the mirror and look at it and say, did you give it your best shot? If the answer's yes, let the chips fall where they lie.''
OK, so have fun. Embrace the moment. Don't wilt under the pressure, and there is pressure. One shift can be the difference. One bad shift and you head home. One good shift and it's off the the Final.
Yup, no pressure.
It's all about having fun. So if you are a fan of either team tonight, watch the game, cheer for your team and most of all . . . have fun.
Stamkos playing?
So what to make of this from Bob McKenzie?
Stamkos did say this morning that his status has not changed. But as McKenzie said, things can change in a hurry. What might have been this morning, may not be the same at game time.
It seems the general feeling in talking to some today is that it might actually be 50/50 on whether or not Stamkos will play. I'm on the side of the ledger that say he doesn't play, but I was also wrong on how I thought the Lightning would come and play Game 6 at home.
So what do I know.
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • 
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