For years, I was the fan of a shitty hockey team. In fact, this winter will mark 20 years as a fan of the Hartford/Carolina franchise. But now, thanks to a hell of a Game 7 win last night (that had everything I pointed out yesterday and then some, by the way), the Hurricanes are returning to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in five years. In fact, not only are they the only team in the NHL to reach the Finals twice in the last five years.

And, for hockey fans and non-fans alike, this final should be outstanding. Much like the Carolina-Buffalo series was based on speed and end-to-end action, I expect the same from the Edmonton-Carolina Final. Unfortunately, the schedule for the Finals is on a strict “Monday-Wednesday-Saturday” schedule, which means I’ll be at work every day a game is played. On the bright side, the last five (*-if necessary) games will be on NBC, so finding a TV with it on at work will be no problem at all. In fact, it’s more likely to catch the eye of a number of non-fans in the office that have wondered why I’ve been hunched over in front of a 10″ screen for the past two months randomly throwing my arms in the air and doing victory laps around the newsroom.

I don’t ask them to accept it, I just ask that they understand.

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As a footnote, WordPress is showing me that this is my 715th post. I apologize if it wasn’t as dramatic as you had hoped, considering ESPN broke in live to bring it to you.