Blog

by Randy Gardner

I am very saddened today as to the loss of the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was very hard to watch. Honestly, I think the team got the axe a bit. They got a goal called back early and they could never recover.

Although they were at home in front of a great crowd, the Penguins just overpowered them. It was a goal for the Penguins at the end, which was almost a fluke, to make it one to nothing. Then you could just feel the 2nd goal coming and it did.

I always love to see the celebrations, but I love to see them at home more. Meaning it is always way cooler to see the home crowd celebrate.

What I thought was ironic was that we didn’t see any shots of Pittsburgh fans at home celebrating or maybe I just missed them. If the game was in Pittsburgh I am sure we would have seen shots of Nashville crowds. The crowds that were at the pregame ceremonies outside were incredible.

   I wish I could have been there. I can’t wait to see what happens if Carrie Underwood plays her tour in Pittsburgh; that would be an awesome sight to see. Hopefully she will have a great sense of humor about the whole thing. I thought it was cool to see guys like Crosby and Lemieux be on the ice for the Championship ceremony.

You can really see how excited they are to be champions. It is a long road to the Stanley Cup and even longer to win it. It is a brutal experience and the players’ bodies pay the price. They have a few months off now and then it’s back to the grind in September.

It’s the Blues year next year. I will always say that because there is always a chance.

I was glued to the TV on Sunday night- first to the United States National team playing Mexico. What a great game that was too. Unfortunately, the team tied but everyone seems to see it as a win. I think the U. S.gave up at the end though almost playing for the tie at the end. They had a chance to win it several times late in the game.

When you play in Mexico at Azteco, anything close to a tie is a win in the eyes of players of the country. The Mexican fans were very frustrated and started leaving and that really never happens. This game was a qualifying game for the Russia World Cup. I think the US will be in a good position leading into the games.

I am very excited about the depth of the U.S. team. It is crazy to see all of the big name players on the bench as substitutes, names like Dempsey, Howard, and Besler. These are guys that two years ago, were the mainstays on this team and now they are subs. This shows how far US soccer has come in just a short period of time. I can’t wait to see where this team heads over the next few years.

   I am really excited about the prospects of the veterans playing with the younger guys like Pulisic. I am hoping that one day I will have a kid that plays for this squad. It is a long road but through dedication and hard work it can happen. How cool would it be to have a child play a professional sport?

For me, it would be the ultimate in being a proud father. No matter what they do in life I will be proud. Take a minute and hug your child and say I love you no matter how old they are.

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