overtime
the reason i needed a nap after brunch was because the boy and i had tickets to the leaf game on saturday night! my work was giving them away and, because it's a pre-season game, our ceo said someone in the office could have them. and that someone turned out to be me. the boy was ecstatic.
my favourite part of the hockey game is when the lights go dim and the home team comes out. i love the footage of the players walking through the hallways, walking down the corridor, and finally skating onto the ice. seriously, i just love it!
i wasn't sure what to expect since it is a pre-season game so technically it doesn't count. but i should have known it would be somewhat exciting because we were playing philly and these teams hate each other.
(image courtesy of the boy)
there was a heck of a lot of fighting. a heck of a lot. the guy behind us kept calling the game a goonfest. people at hockey games make me laugh! after one fight, a funny fan called out, "take off your visor, nancy!" and then when the ref failed to call a tripping penalty, another inebriated fan stood up all by his lonesome and screamed, "i hate you!" but i digress. the tiniest things would set off the players. even something like them crashing innocently into each other would cause a bloodbath. this guy, colton orr #28, freaking loves to fight. after his first fight, he put on a big grin like those crazies in the ufc. check out the box score for all the roughing and fighting penalties.
(image courtesy of the boy)
here are the guys picking up the sticks, gloves, and helmuts strewn all over the ice after another blowout.
(image courtesy of the boy)
in the first period, emery let in 2 goals so we were leading 2-1 into the 1st intermission. the leaf fans heckled him like crazy and boucher replaced him in the 2nd period. toskala was doing well but unfortunatley let in a whopping 3 goals so we were trailing 2-4 going into the 2nd intermission.
(image courtesy of the boy)
i started experimenting with slow shutter speeds and this next photo is a mistake but i love it because it looks like there is no one on the ice except for the two goalies.
there were random fans trying to start the wave and eventually it caught on. there was some confusion and it actually went both ways starting behind boucher. i think this psyched him out because that was when we got one back in the 3rd period! 
(image courtesy of the boy)
everyone was sooooo happy. i liked that the guy in front of us gave his honey a squeeze as they were cheering.
we continued with the wave and it went around and around 3-4 times before it died. oh! another favourite part of the game for me is in the last 8 minutes or so... when carleton bear starts following the action. i've always loved how he turns his head to watch the puck and how he heckles the goalie on the opposing team. it is so ridiculous, yet oddly cute. a couple of fans passed behind him when he was crouched in front of the glass - 2 grown men - and one of them actually petted him on the head. i would have never imagined that a mascot would be something people would enjoy so much.
(image courtesy of the boy)
we sneaked in a two-man advantage with around 4 minutes left in the game and the leaf coach called a time out. then we tied it with our 4th goal!
the game went to overtime and we won in the 5 extra minutes. the boy was hoping for a shootout but he still seemed happy when we won 5-4. yippee! it was a very exciting game. i nearly had a heart attack towards the end but maybe it was all the cheese, bacon, and butter from brunch. here we are walking home.