Sitting in the season tickets I shared this year with two of my lifetime friends, I found myself overcome with emotions before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Colorado Avalanche were five seasons removed from the worst season any team has ever completed in the salary cap era, while UMass, my beloved alma mater with one career NCAA hockey tournament appearance in 22 seasons at the Division I level, went 5-29-2 that same season.
Just five years later, UMass had two national championship appearances, winning one, and now the Avalanche were hosting the Stanley Cup Final against the NHL’s dominant force, and were just a week away from ending the Tampa Bay Lightning’s incredible streak of 11 straight playoff series victories.