Top 10 Games - E

Listed below are the top ten professional hockey games I've attended. I'm using the same criteria as JP - evaluating the games in their present context. After careful consideration, I picked these games either because of the excitement of the game, the company, or the context in which the game was played - and sometimes all three. I allow myself to cheat by listing two games at the number 10 spot.

#10 (t). Saturday, June 1, 2008 - Chicago Wolves, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2 (Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL) - Game 2, Calder Cup Finals
Minor league baseball games sometimes feel more pure than professional games. This game was the hockey equivalent. The view from the seats made you feel like you had traveled to the 1960s. The game featured brutal hitting, lots of talking on the ice, and a rowdy, obnoxious crowd that screamed obscenities for the full 60 minutes. Sure, the level of play was significantly lower than in the NHL. (Let's just say that Joel Kwiatkowski won't be playing serious minutes in the Stanely Cup finals anytime soon.) But it's tough to get to the finals in any sport, and this game had all the feel of a championship match.

#10 (t). Saturday, June 13, 1998 - Detroit 2, Washington 1 (Verizon Center) - Game 3, Stanley Cup Finals
Of the games on the list, this one had the fewest interesting moments by far. After the opening introductions, the level of excitement dropped and never returned. But it was a Stanley Cup Finals game, and that alone qualifies it for the 10th spot. President Clinton attended this game - his first hockey game and also the first time a sitting president attended an NHL game while in office. The nation's capital had a buzz about it during the early summer of 1998, and for the first time in my life everyone was talking about hockey. Unfortunately, this game was the penultimate chapter of that wonderful playoff run.

#9. Saturday, March 14, 1998 - Dallas 3, Boston 1 (TD BankNorth Garden)
My first game at a non-Patrick Division stadium. In fact, this was only the second "new" stadium I had visited. Perhaps the seed for attending all 30 NHL arenas was born that day. Anyway, it was also a great game. Brett Hull scored career points 998, 999, and 1000. Sergei Samsonov showed why he was drafted in the first round by Boston, skating circles around players.

#8. Saturday, March 25, 2006 - Washington 3, Carolina 1 (RBC Center)
This was the first time I attended a Caps game outside of DC (not counting the many times I saw them play in an old, ugly stadium in Landover, Maryland). I thought it would be a pretty benign place to watch a game wearing the opposing team's jersey, but I caught a surprising amount of heckling from Carolina fans. The trip was justified, however, because the Caps won an exciting game, Ovechkin scored a goal and an assist, and the Canes won't be winning the Southeast Division anytime soon. I was impressed with Carolina fans - they were surprisingly passionate and knowledgeable fans considering North Carolina's biggest sports draw is NASCAR.

#7. Saturday, Feb. 5, 1994 - Washington 6, Tampa 3 (Capitals Centre)
Peter Bondra scored four goals, including three in first period, and Tampa received a lesson in how to play in the NHL. To this day, this was one of the most memorable games, and one of the most dominating individual performances, I have seen.

#6. Friday, Feb. 3, 2006 - Washington 4, Toronto 1 (Verizon Center)
Alex Ovechkin approached a special level of dominance during this game. He didn't do much on the score sheet, tallying only an assist on the Caps first goal. But he was targeted by the Leafs - and particularly Bryan Berard - the entire game, and he proved that he could stand up to all kinds of harassment. Throw in three quasi-brawls and a very near fight between Olie Kolzig and Ed Belfour and this was one helluva game.

#5. Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004 - Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 4 (Wachovia Center)
No special context here, just an awesome game. The Flyers dominated early, scoring three goals on a 5-minute power play in the 1st period. Atlanta made a great comeback, but everyone in the building knew that it would end well for the home team. Simon Gagne won it on a penalty shot with one minute left in the 3rd period.

#4. Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 - Washington 3, Columbus 2 (Verizon Center)
This was the Caps home opener, and my first game after the lockout, so it was bound to be special. It was also Alex Ovechkin's first game, and he didn't disappoint. Ovechkin excited us from his very first shift, during which he hit an opponent so hard that he dislodged a support beam. He went on to score two goals and almost a third on a breakaway. This game marked the start of something special for the NHL and something transformative for the Caps.

#3. Saturday, March 8, 2008 - Pittsburgh 4, Washington 2 (MCI Center)
I flew from St. Louis to DC to attend this game. The atmosphere at the Verizon Center was electric; even during the Stanley Cup finals it was never like this. The teams played playoff-style hockey for three periods, scoring two goals each. With a minute left overtime seemed like a surefire bet. But Nicklas Backstrom put the puck in his own net, Sidney Crosby got credit for the goal, and the Penguins scored an empty netter to seal the win. Probably the most devastating game I've attended since the lockout.

#2. Friday, Nov. 23, 2007 - Washington 4, Philadelphia 3 (OT) (Wachovia Center)
If this game had been in the playoffs, it would have landed in the top spot. When the ref dropped the puck for the first faceoff, the Capitals had a league-worst record of 6-14-1. This game, Bruce Boudreau's first as coach of the team, sparked them onto an incredible run that would end with them winning the division and finishing third in the conference, only to lose to the Flyers in Game 7 of the first round. This game was all Washington for the first 30 minutes, with the Caps taking a 3-0 lead. The Flyers rallied for two goals in the second period and then future captain Mike Richards tied it with five minutes left in the third, a potentially backbreaking goal that sent the teams to overtime. But the Caps demonstrated an ability to bounce back, a trait Boudreau taught them which led to great success the rest of that season and the next. Three minutes into overtime Ovechkin took the puck up the wing, right in front of our seats, and dished a perfect pass to Nicklas Backstrom, who scored the winner. And so a rivalry was rekindled.

#1. Monday, May 25, 1998 - Washington 3, Buffalo 2 (OT) (Verizon Center) - Game 2, Eastern Conference Finals

Simply the greatest game I have attended, without question. Washington and Buffalo squared off as two strong teams with very distinct styles: Washington had great scoring, strong veterans, and a string of overtime victories; Buffalo had solid defense, hitting, leadership, and - oh yeah - the best goaltender in the world playing at his peak. Buffalo won Game 1 in Washingotn; in Game 2 of this series the teams were still getting to know (and hate) each other. One of the most indelible memories I have is watching Peter Bondra run Dominik Hasek. Hasek responded by throwing his blocker pad at Bondra thirty feet away (and missing). An even better moment happened a few minutes later in overtime. The Caps dumped the puck deep into the Buffalo zone, on what was probably a blown icing call by the referee. Underrated forward Andrei Nikolishin dug the puck out of the corner, passed to the high slot, and Todd Krygier slammed the puck home for the gamewinner. This team was in Hasek's head, and they had that extra spark that you need in the playoffs. Washington would go on to win the series, four games to two, before getting swept in the Stanley Cup Finals.