Last night, a story was written - but not the usual story. No, it wasn't the usual inspirational triumph of the underdog David over the mighty Goliath or the magical tale of a young knight going up against a big bad dragon. No, this time our task was not to pull off an improbable upset, but to keep little David down, to quash the hopes of the naive young knight. The Sharks and the Giants were by no means underdogs last night- neither Davids nor unknowns. The Sharks went into Detroit with a 2-0 series lead for Game 2 of the NHL conference semifinals, looking to build on its already formidable lead, while the Giants sent its best to the mound - Tim Lincecum - to make a statement in the first of a three game set in Florida. We were not just hoping to win - we expected to win.
And in the beginning, things appeared to be going our way. The Sharks, despite trailing 2-1 after the first period, clearly had momentum their side. Setoguchi had scored yet another goal from the seemingly unstoppable San Jose second line with just seconds remaining in the first period and Nabokov made a nifty save on a Zetteberg penalty shot to keep the score close. They looked poised to make a surge after intermission and to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series over the desperate Red Wings. The Giants had a 3-0 lead thanks to timely hits from Aaron Rowand and the usual superb pitching from 2-time Cy-Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who had racked up 11 strikeouts in just 5 innings. Nobody in their right mind would believe that the Florida Marlins could have any chance at winning this game.
But, as you all know, these are also the beginnings from which underdog stories are told - the longer the odds, the greater the story. And so, it began, like any underdog story - the weaker team fighting valiently to win over the hearts of viewers, to unravel what was surely expected to be a night of triumph for the stronger team. The Red Wings scored early in the second period to regain the momentum and to take a 3-1 lead. The Marlins, seemingly with fate on their side, got two runners on board thanks to a ground ball that found a hole and a perfectly placed unintentional swinging bunt. Hanley Ramirez would capitalize on Lincecum's only mistake of the day (and it wasn't even much of a mistake) and blast it over the wall for a three run homer.
Of course, as no great underdog story is without continued adversity, the Giants and Sharks made sure the fight would not be easy. The Sharks outshot the Red Wings 12-9 in the second period and drew three power play opportunities. The Giants negated the Marlins' strategy of intentionally walking Huff and retook the lead with Uribe's two-run double, setting up ace Tim Lincecum once again for the win.
The underdog, assuming its own role as well, however, would continue to play its part. The Red Wings, despite all the opportunities for the Sharks to score, held their ground and would allow no goals in the second period, going into intermission with their two goal lead in tact. The Marlins had plenty of magic left in their hat, hitting yet another three-run homer - this time coming off the bat of Dan Uggla.
All signs pointed toward a triumph for David, and another day of disappointment and regret for the Goliath, who had let the games get away. It appeared to be just one of those nights where you shake your head and move on - the story seemed to be coming to a close, the unsung heroes had made their say, and on this day, on this night, fate wanted the underdog to win. Had things gone as usual, the Sharks would have just faded away, conceding victory to the more desperate team, and the Giants would have been too shaken by the barrage of three-run homers to do anything more. The Davids of the world would have a night to celebrate and journalists were ready to publish their underdog stories for the world to clamor over. The last pages were finally being written...
...but, wait. It didn't turn out that way. Not this night, not this year.
No, the Sharks and the Giants refused to let fate dictate their destinies. These were not the same teams as last year - not the same perennial primetime chokers, not the same good-but-not-quite-there-yet teams. These teams were different. They refused to accept their storylines - they refused to accept their supposed fate. Not this night, not this year.
On a night where what could have gone wrong - allowing a desperate underdog at home to take a solid lead and the momentum into the final period, giving up two three run homers to make all of Lincecum's strikeouts go for naught - did go wrong, the Sharks and the Giants did not give in. Instead, they rebounded, doing everything possible to make sure that what could go right did go right. The Red Wings, looking to stamp out another scoring opportunity for the Sharks in the heat of the 3rd period, were ready with Thornton sitting in behind the goal. They knew that Thornton loved to make assists from behind the goal, and they were ready for it. In Florida, the Marlins brought in their closer Leo Nunez and were within one out away from a thrilling 6-5 victory over the great Lincecum and the Giants. Things looked bleak, and by all means, two losses were in order, but that was not the case. Not this night, and not this year.
Thornton, as if knowing he had to do something different to shed his playoff curse, took the puck himself, skated in front of goalie Jimmy Howard, and scored to bring San Jose within one. Logan Couture would add a goal of his own minutes later, capitalizing on Howard's rookie mistake of not protecting the goalpost. And just like that, the game was tied. In Florida, Rowand, with two already gone in the top of the ninth, launched a ball into the left field bleachers - no save for Nunez. The games would go on, as the Sharks and the Giants refused to give in. Not this night, not this year.
But of course, many expected the underdog story to continue. The games headed to overtime and the bottom of the 9th, respectively. The Red Wings and the Marlins were set up for thrilling walk-off victories to complete their tales, but things didn't turn out that way. Not this night, not this year.
The Sharks and the Giants made sure of that. Thornton, looking to further dispel his image as poor playoff contender, made a perfect pass on a 2-on-1 breakaway to Marleau, and just like that, it was the Sharks who would be celebrating a thrilling overtime victory. In the other arena, Wilson, Runzler, and Mota made sure the Marlins wouldn't get their say, shutting down Hanley and company over the final three and a third innings. Aubrey Huff delivered a clutch two run single in the top of the 12th inning to put the Giants up for good.
And just like that, it was over. No underdog tale, just the story of two great teams that recorded expected wins - two teams that battled and battled - two teams that decided their own destinies, that refused to let momentum and fate dictate their futures. And this is why I'm excited for this year. These aren't the same Sharks and the Giants of last year - these are true playoff teams. They're going to do great things - I can just feel it.
Let this also be a lesson for your own life. Don't let a situation dictate what you can or cannot do. Greatness is born from what you make of the situation, not from what the situation makes of you. Create your own destiny, and let nothing get in your way. No story is prewritten - nothing is scripted. The only question is: Will you let someone write the story for you, or will you write it yourself?
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