In a rare opportunity last night, I was allowed access into the Islanders' Blog Box, Media area and the Islanders' locker room as an opposing team blogger. It was an experience I’ll take with me for the rest of my days. As a life long hockey fan, to be behind the scenes is just simply a privilege. The fact that it wasn't a team that I followed, and more so a team I adamantly rooted against did not at all take away from the awe of the experience. In fact, I feel that it gave me a unique perspective on it. There I was in the den of the enemy, peeping inside where so many never get to see.
I would like to take this time to thank Chris Botta, VP of communications for the Islanders, who was gracious enough to give me a media credentials pass and let me roam through the building.
My original intention for this today was to be a satire piece, chock-full of movie references and typical Gallof goofiness. But, as I reflected on the experiences I had last night I decided at that last second, namely 2 minutes before I started typing this all out that I was going to play it straight. Just as a personal account of the night from my perspective, as I got typing it just got longer and longer, so it is going to be a two parter. If anyone wants to see the live blog B.D. and I wrote during the game you can check it out
right here.
And with that, I give you:
We pulled into the VIP/Media Parking lot at the Coliseum at just about twenty minutes after 6pm. The lot was already entirely full and we parked practically on the Nassau Community College campus, my old stomping grounds. I thought to myself as we tried to catch a cab to the actual entrance, we should have just paid like everyone else it would have been a shorter hike.
We got to the entrance at twenty minutes later, huffing and puffing, two sweaty hefty messes. Actually to be honest I am embellishing some, we were only parked a few feet away. After resting some and taking a Gatorade break and oxygen to revitalize ourselves we marched through the blue awning and after a brief strip search we were given our media passes and allowed to migrate into the main area.
It was the first time my name has appeared on any kind of entrance pass, and it was spelled correctly to boot. Even my own boss that I have worked with for almost 8 years constantly spells the name with two "F's" and one "L". Say what you will about the Islanders, at least they know how to spell "Gallof."
B.D. and I walked around the vestibule area for a while. I saw as many Rangers jerseys as I did Islander jerseys. I thought to myself, wow these people are still sober, it would only be maybe 30 - 40 minutes from now most these people will be slobbering drunk and spilling beer all over themselves… especially that 7 year old kid with a purple Mohawk, I imagined he was breast feed on Coors.
We made our way to the Blog Box, the players were still out on the ice warming up. The sounds of ice blades cutting on the ice surface, sticks slapping, and pucks colliding off the boards all with a loud resonating thud all brought together with horrid tacky 80’s music pouring out the arena's loud speakers, I felt right at home.
The Blog Box itself is located right to the side of the entrance ways. A long thin table up on a platform with stools, electrical sockets provided for laptops and other electronic equipment. For every seat there were Game notes and press releases. B.D. and I hoisted ourselves on the platform and started unpacking. As B.D. brought out his trusty laptop and started setting up our live version of "Sibling Rivalry", I leaned back against the large HockeyBuzz banner and surveyed the arena trying to think of witty retorts for later in the night.
The other Islanders' bloggers glared menacingly at me, most of them I have met at B.D.'s cocktail party where I showed up with a Sean Avery shirt and talked my typical amount of smack. Now I was on their turf, an intruder. I think they all expected me to be more rambunctious and boisterous, but I had no actual intentions of really whooping it up. I was there to cover the game and more so I was there as a guest. Yes of course I was going to be argumentative and condescending towards the Islanders in our dueling blog, but that’s the entirely the whole point of the Silbing Rivalry blogs.
The arena started to fill up and B.D. and I started to pass the laptop back and forth making our entries on the live blog. It was time for the national anthem, B.D. was still typing away, and I was too busy chortling at the ice girls who actually started waving the gigantic American flag up and down when the singer said the line "Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave."
Then it was my turn to type, I started to write on how B.D. should be deported for typing during the anthem, pretty much for lack of anything else to say. But just as I am typing, I glance up from the keyboard and I see number 14 streaking across my line of vision, he gets to the net and scores. My body contorted, my arms wanted to fly into the air and my legs wanted to jump up and down in glee. It took all I had to fight it; I stopped the arm motion and remained stationary. It was odd for me to be at a game and not cheer and scream. But, again I was there as a special guest and as a favor to both my brother and I. I did manage to smile though as Shanahan celebrated with his line mates.
That first period was pretty good for the Rangers the forecheck was very effective and it was generating a lot of offense chances off of it. Nigel Dawes I noticed skated exceptionally well. Avery scored the second goal and again the Ranger fans present were making themselves known. I chuckled quietly to myself watching a Ranger fan in front of us with an Avery jersey dance and cheer in front of the blog box.
Between periods we were absolutely pelted with those t-shirts that get air shot out of the guns from the ice. Seems that the most of the rolled up shirts fall towards the crowd in an arc that just happens to lead right to where the Blog Box is situated. I watched Sparky the Dragon the Islanders' trusty mascot race a giant hot dog. Sadly, I didn’t see who won.
The second period begins, but it has a different tone than the first. The Islanders started to break up the initial passes through the neutral zone, but still some really good back and forth action. In fact, I don’t believe there was a whistle for about 7 full minutes of play. But, then the Rangers take penalty, and right after they take another.
It was a 5-on-3 for 51 seconds. I cringed and watched warily, waiting for the hammer to fall. B.D. was typing away the play by play, he wasn't feeling so confident. He was thinking that this was a recipe for a short handed play against his team. He was almost was right. The Rangers gutted out the 2 man advantage, Chris Drury, (who was my pick to get a short handed shot on Dubie) almost broke away down the ice, but it was broken up by the Islanders D. B.D. just shook his head; this game was not going the way he had hoped.
B.D. as the final penalty ran out of time handed me the laptop and went off to call the Mrs. I took over the blog and was typing how well I thought the Rangers' penalty kill was when I glanced up to see the Islanders' goal. The Islanders started to control the play from that point, pressing in on Lundqvist. As Avery got called for the high stick, beer flew on top of the laptop and poured down the side of the wall behind the box. I quickly grabbed B.D.'s jacket and wiped off the laptop. The Ranger fans behind the wall apologized, they accidentally knocked over their cup O' Budweiser. B.D. returned and wasn't enthused. Though the Islander goal did help somewhat.
During the second intermission we were once again assaulted by flying rolled up t-shirts. One flew just about my head as I was typing and a Ranger fan above me, I believe also responsible for spilling the beer whacked me in the head as he reached for the flying shirt. He seemed to genuinely feel bad about both the beer and hitting into me. We chatted a little bit, he asked who we were writing for and seemed surprised that we were covering the game live in real time. He didn’t seem the most technological advanced fella, but a nice guy nonetheless. B.D. was still stewing over his jacket and laptop and was typing away so he really didn't say much to the guy.
This third period much like the first period was all Rangers. B.D. was typing the Dennis Potvin, Ulf Nilsson story when Marc Staal took a big shot from the point and it was deflected in by Scott Gomez. That goal would be the straw that broke the Fishstick's back. I didn’t see the deflection, so I credited the goal to Staal in the live blog.
With about 8 minutes left to the game B.D. informs me to make my last entry and to start getting ready to pack up. Up two goals and with the Rangers controlling the play, I thought it was a safe bet the Rangers were going to skip out of here with those two points. Of course just in case I put in that last line, "If they lose, it's a fix!"
At the tail end of the game I almost broke my journalistic stone face, as I was outraged when Sean Avery was pulled down by the neck as he skated down ice towards the empty net. I was about to shout "What the hell?? Are you kidding me??" But, before I had the chance I saw the puck sliding towards and in the net, making it 4-1. Another beer comes flying towards us over the wall. I thought to myself, "The savages in this town…" Our friendly drunk Rangers fan above us declares, "This time it wasn't us! I swear!"
As the fans began to slowly filter out the entire blog box gets ready to head down into the entrance area and down into the locker room. This was the moment I was waiting for…
And so will you, until tomorrow! Muahahah!
That's right stay tuned for part 2 of
Blogging Behind Enemy Lines, which will be up tomorrow.
~Scott Gallof
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