Recapping the Maddness. Sharks 1 Wings 7

I will admit that I had a broom out yesterday, although it was only to sweep the seemingly endless piles of dust, spider webs and WTF IS THAT?! off my concrete slab of a patio before succumbing to a massive sneeze attack. (Is snot supposed to be that color...er, wait, nevermind...) I did not bring it out for the game today, because as a long time sports fan I know that a sweep is hardly ever a certainty. To say I wasn't nervous about the idea of a potential season ending game for the Wings would be like saying I wasn't nervous before I had my wisdom teeth carved out of my jaw. (well, ok, I wasn't but I was given pre surgery valium and whoooo it was a good ride to the dental office that day. But then I couldn't find my legs and folks, that was a problem.) And after such a stunning loss I thought it might be good to take stock of what we still have. You know, for perspective.

Legs? CHECK! And with feet too! Thank the hockey gods. Onto other items:

I still have a floating foam torso in my bathtub (with separate arm), the sky is still blue and located firmly above our heads, the sun set as was expected and shall rise again tomorrow, all the planets (including Pluto) still orbit the sun, and oh yes, the Sharks did EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECTED THEM TO and took 1 game out of the 2 they were to play in Detroit.

So what's with all the chicken littling, man? What? Just because they lost 7-1 you suddenly think the season is over. Really? Best anyone ever expected in this series before it started was that the Sharks would win in 6. Now they have a chance to win in 5. Sure, it's not a sweep but who cares? The team is still a) up 3 game to 1, b) played with heart and grit despite having little chance of coming back to tie or even win tonight and c) should they won't take a loss like this lightly or sitting down. They didn't roll over, they fought. And come Saturday the score tonight won't matter. A loss is a loss no matter how many tallies the winning team has next to its name.

I think part of the problem is that a lot of fans mistook the possibility of a sweep, (and yes, it totally existed), for the guarantee of one. Perhaps as the only guarantee the Sharks would be making it out of round 2 for the first time in 6 seasons. People forgot that this series is a best of 7, and that it's not won of lost in one game, it takes 4.

4 wins anyway you can get them, so long as you get to them first.

There's no reason to believe this series can't or won't be closed out in 5 or 6, the Sharks have been playing too well for that. So they had a stinker tonight. So the D came out and forgot how to play right as Franzen decided to remember how. So what. Get over it. The team has to and we fans should too. This isn't like past seasons. These Sharks aren't curling up and dying at the slightest hint of push back. They're fighting, their overcoming and they're winning. They believe in themselves as a team. This series is 3-1. You had better believe that game 5 will be some of the most amazing hockey you have ever seen at the Tank come Saturday.

So either sit down and firmly hold on to that bandwagon and your finned foil hat or GTFO. This ride ain't for the faint of heart.

Go Sharks!