That’s what Big Angry Man said as we were driving home tonight.  I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face from tonight.  I still can’t!  What a great night.  What a great win.  How wonderful for everyone involved, especially us.  To listen to my husband talk about Arbour, I was trying to understand how someone who actually lived through his coaching years actually felt.

 

“That’s the way they always used to win.  You were never worried if they went into the third down 3 – 0 with Arbour behind the bench.  They found a way to win. That’s what made that team special.  When they needed the win, they found a way.”

 

I’m not that lucky to have that feeling.  Truthfully, and please forgive me, my heart sank when I saw Dubie take the net after Ricky left.  I chanted his name with everyone else as he made some great saves.  I also couldn’t believe how well he was sending the puck up ice.  Tom Liodice from The Tiger Track (http://tigertrack.blogspot.com) told me that Dubie used to do that all the time in Bridgeport.  It worked tonight.

 

I watched the game from my seats in 211:  my really GOOD seats in 211.  I spent most of the time on the edge of it.  I listened to B  We watched Hilbert work.  And although the boy can’t seem to find the net, he really DID do a lot of things right.

Again proving, we just have to trust Ted.

 

Ok.  I shouldn’t really talk about the game.  I’m sure you watched it.  If you didn’t, you missed a real treat and a half.  So instead I’ll talk about what you didn’t see.  The stuff that happened, um… to ME! 

 

Ok… Meet & Greet at Gate 1 tonight was very special because a lot of very special people were there!  Rockit found a way to get to this game and Viking was back in town.  We haven’t seen him in … oh… FOREVER… so it was wonderful to see him again.  3POTI made her way to the party, but did miss out on the photo ops.  I don’t think she minded much.  There were so many of our board members there, it was wonderful.  Also, Alex came by to introduce himself.  I really think we’re going to start needing name tags.  I can’t remember everyone anymore.  There are too many of us now.  And this is a GOOD thing!

 

Assistant Coach Dan Lacroix found his way back to our little group and again stopped to chat.  Oddly, he had no idea what the Blog Box was as he read my name tag.  Then the light bulb went off and he said “Oh!  The internet thing.”  I guess he spends most of his time on line combos.  I hope.

 

As I said, I watched the game from my seats instead of the Blog Box, but at the 2 minute mark when they were winning, I ran (literally, as I was wearing cowboy boots tonight and not heels.) through the concourse to section 201.  I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything with the guys.  I watched the celebration with them.  Needless to say, it was a great experience. I did have to laugh a little when we were watching the tribute on the jumbotron and Ken (http://okposo.blogspot.com) said “The man’s not DEAD yet.”  It did have a certain feeling of a eulogy.  But the amazing thing is here was a bunch of people who are part of a new wave of information dissemination watching history in the making; a history born from a dynasty so long ago.  That concept was painfully evident when Islanders alumni brought out the new 1500 banner and the crowd chanted loudly, “Steve WEBB!”  There was Islander greatness on that ice, and what the crowd acknowledged was cult favorite Steve Webb.  I can’t imagine how he felt.  I can’t imagine how Trotts felt.

 

After we watched the banner go up, we were ushered downstairs.  We were so excited because we had no idea what to expect.  The tunnel was crowded with cameras and smiling faces.  I stood directly behind Eric Cairns while our blogger conga line had to stop in the tunnel.  Eric blocked the light.  It was like an eclipse.  We made it to the hallway outside the little press room where we usually go, and again, the wagon train stopped.  We stayed against the wall while there were 20 conversations going on around us.  Tom, who was celebrating his birthday, turned to me and said “Is this surreal or what?”  I tried to play if off as if it was nothing. I didn’t want to put my head in that place or I’d freak.  But you couldn’t help looking down the hallway and seeing Arbour, and everyone around him with the biggest smiles on their faces.  The only negative about the moment was wondering “Where’s Ricky?”  It was Mike Carey from Islanders 360 that brought to my attention that Ricky was NOT on the ice for the ceremony and photo op.  Ricky NOT present for a photo op??? Something was dreadfully wrong.

 

The little room quickly filled up as ALL the media personnel entered, followed by staffers and alumni.  Some of my cohorts were smart enough to make their way to the front of the staging area, and Mike (http://www.islesblogger.com) had his camera ready dead center.  Considering the number of photos he took last night, I’m surprised it didn’t just explode.  I was in my usual place, in the back, just taking it all in, just happy to be there when along comes Clark Gilles with that trademark smile.  “What?  It looks like one of those Bud Light commercials in here!”  Then he turns to me.  “Or is that Coors?  Which one?” he asked me.  I didn’t have an answer.

 

Jean Potvin came around behind me and then jumped UP onto one of the folding chairs next to me.  They were all like giddy little kids waiting to see Al’s press conference.  I turned on my recorder, but knew I wouldn’t hear a thing from back where I was.  When Jason Lockhart joined the party, he stood on my left.  I had to ask him, “So?  Did they take DiPi to the emergency room?”    He answered with a smile “Well, for Rick to miss this he’s either DEAD or at the hospital.”  I’m sure he’s a might angry man this morning for missing out.

 

After Arbour spoke, Ted took the podium.  We know that he is usually very reserved and controlled when speaking with the media, but it was different.  There is nothing better than seeing Ted smile.  It was genuine and warm and just pure satisfaction.  The night he had asked for couldn’t have turned out any better for anyone.  Not for Ted, not for Al, not for every single member of that organization that worked so hard to make it all possible.  Not for every member of that team that had an opportunity to work under a legend for just one night.  Even Ben Walter will have a special memory of the six shifts he took under the watchful eye of Al Arbour.  This is a memory to last a lifetime and beyond.  One more for the hockey history books that the Islanders seem to be writing this season.

 

And hey, B.D., cookies for the Blog Box on Tuesday.  I promise.