THE BRUINS WON THE CUP.
I have no words...
Of course I do or I wouldn't be here right? DUH.
Yesterday as I prepared for the kids swim meet, I had the phone glued to my shoulder as I spoke to Mary hurriedly and full of stress - "Can I say it aloud, is it okay to say it?" PAUSE... Hesitantly, cautiously Mary replied "I don't know"
Pause...
"I think they are gonna do it, I think they are gonna get the cup"
sigh on her end, "Me too"
From the meet I checked my cell phone constantly which btw lost battery life twice and so in the midst of trying to get my kids to clerk with goggles and caps for a total of 9 (stellar I might add) races, I was also intermittently running like a chicken with my head cut off to plug in my cell phone in the pool house office.
Last night was nothing short of a completely stress filled endeavor, if I had not had my fierce black and gold manicure going, I would have surely bit my nails down to stubs and I am most certainly not a nail biter, even under the most dire conditions.
The meet was complete chaos from my standpoint - there were so many people and my kids were hopped up on sugar and adrenaline and although I tattoo my daughter with her name down her arm in huge colorful bubble letters, I still had a hard time picking her out of the hoards of goggles and bathing capped beauties - And then there is Matt, who is hard to contain under the best of circumstances, forget amongst hundreds and hundreds of screaming, playing and racing kiddos. I was a train wreck from the minute we arrived and that state of being did little to subside as the night wore on.
What are the chances that the Stanley Cup Finals, Game 7 would be the night not only of my childrens first swim meet, but even more importantly Matthews first meet ever....
OMG.
They both showed really well in their first events, the relay - both my little munchkins showed up on the block looking ready, although a second before the race began, Matt who was the third leg, began to panic and I could see his tension building as he spoke to one of the coaches. I watched from behind the zoom lens, zeroing in on his mouth trying to access the freak out - he was doing butterfly and was desperately trying to tell the coach he was no good at it.
Dan and Brian and Gabe and Emma were all standing around me and I said out of the side of my face from behind the camera "He's panicking, someone go, he's panicking!!!"
His Father went over just as Matt got ready to climb the block, apparently nerves were not gonna keep him down, Atta Boy Matteo, fight the negative thoughts, slay the negative self esteem demon, kill it but good....
And Man did he butterfly that water like he was butterflying a filet with a sharp ass knife - smooth as silk and slicing...Arms up and around in smooth, fluid, strong strokes, torso and legs like a lifelong dolphin. NICE MATTEO, yessss son.
Nerves and self doubt be damned.
Then came individual races and this was where I was really feeling the nerves as a Mom at the pool side - I so wanted Matt to hit the wall first so that he could get one win under his belt and finally believe YES I CAN....
Emma was up first and I did what I do "EMMA CLAIRE" find me daughter, here I am honey, locate the position of my voice and BIG SMILE. BIG SMILE returned, little Emma wave and she's up and over that block, knuckles white as snow as she arches her back into the anticipated release - BUZZ, splash, screaming parents and Me "GO EMMA GO, PUSH BABY PUSH"
And she did, man did she, she amazes me - she glides through that water like she is on a slip and slide and covered in vegetable oil, she just gets to the end so fast she leaves a blaze of mingled colors behind in her wake.
FIRST, yesss, way to go Mimzy, her heat winner ribbon in hand, heat winning lollipop in mouth.
Now on to the really important race, Matt's individual...Oh Geez, did my stomach hurt.
Please let him get a first please let him get a first, please just let him get this one race as a first so he believes that he can do it.....PLEASE...
Look at the clock, half hour til faceoff time. OMG....Please let them get the cup, please just let them get it please.
I had so many please Mantra's on loop in my frontal lope that I felt like the front of my head was going to blow off and splatter right there all over the pool deck - my head throbbed and my mouth moved in silent prayers to the confidence God - please let them win....
When he got up on block, he looked really good. My oldest son Brian and I yelled his name so loudly, you probably heard us yourselves. Matt located our faces, we game him the "YEAH MATT, GET IT BUD" battle cry and he was off at the sound of the buzz.
I began to take pictures, but quickly tossed the camera when I realized, this race I must see with my own eyes, no more 3 by 5's for this race...
And I watched, mouth open "GO MATTTTTTT GOOOOOO" as he pushed through that water with so much power and force - I could feel his determination in my own bones, I could feel each pull through the water as if I were in the pool myself...
And he did it!!!! That little shitsky hit the wall first and FINALLY knew he was not the little engine that could - he is a speeding train that did....
Thank you Jesus, Allah, Buddha and Neptune.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you.
And I teared up a little to see him win it - And here is my Deb disclaimer - it's not the win on all races - it was imperative for him, he win this ONE race and he did - from this point on what he does will never eclipse this confidence building, glowing moment. That's it bud, feel that shine - feel the glow - YOU ARE CAPABLE.
And then call Mary right away and text Toto and Ash....Mary answered and was so happy for Matt, she said, "If the Bruins don't win, it's okay, Matt Poulin just got his first, first"
My reply, "If the Bruins do win, we will always remember these events together, the cup and a first ever first place for Matt" :) smile smile smile.
The night wore on and I wore my tongue out running it along my gum line from nerves and my jaw hurt from chewing my gum like a horse chews cud...The races were spaced out and I was in it for the long haul.
When the Bruins began to score and I started receiving text messages from the masses, I really got ramped up emotionally, really began to feel like I was tearing in two - the meet or the game, the meet or the game?
First meet with many more to come vs. a possible Stanley Cup Victory in my lifetime that I could actually witness if only I were home and not at the pool with a pounding head full of racing conflicted thoughts and a heart divided and sitting on a teetering scale....dipping slightly this way, oh no wait SCORE, a little more that way...
I had a really nice talk with my old friend Dropkick Josh and that served a nice distraction, what a great guy - always the teaser and always the inquirer, really cares to ask about how my life is going - God I miss our WNRN challenges Joshua, he and I had good times coming up with songs and winning dinners we never went on...Miss you Josh :)
But then despite the respite, my tension mounted and it was clear the time had come - Mary called and said it was 3-0 at the end of the second and I needed to leave NOW.
I went to Emma as she sat with all the pool mom's and begged her to understand - I must go lovey, I have waited my whole life to see this moment....
A chorus of "GO'S" came from all my pool ladies and so I did - I raced home like a freakshow, my heart beating furiously in my chest and the nagging Boston responsibility complex rearing it's ugly head - what if I watch the third period and the Canucks start scoring???
I will have ruined it all, tempted fate with the nails, the gold and black eyes, the LUCIC jersey and by watching.....
Oh please Jesus - don't let me be the bad luck hex.
But then, I called Mary and we put on speakerphones and Horton from the Boston bench poured Boston Garden water from a water bottle on to the Vancouver ice and I knew the cup was coming home with us.
I cried, I literally cried at the sight of - Horton dumping dirty water on their home ice.
Take that you bitches - hit me will ya? Ha, it was the most beautiful moment of the entire series and it rivaled watching Ray Bourque tear up at finally getting his cup even though at the time he did not wear the black and gold...It's okay, enduring love knows no teams...
When the Canucks pulled Luongo from the net with three minutes left in the third, I called out for an open net goal - I love me some open nets, the puck just goes in with no resistance, the puck says "why thank you for the invite, I think I will take you up on it" SCORE and there it was, the fourth goal...
Now please let Thomas have a shut out, please let him leave this last game in a perfect place...
And sixty seconds of regulation boomed and the asshole Canuck fans began to boo and I began to jump and yell and cry and laugh - the good ole Deb ugly laugh/cry.
OMGGGGG, they did it :)
In my lifetime, I have now seen all the New England teams bring home the ultimate championships in their respective sport - One more MUST SEE under my belt.
And no superbowl, no world series will ever mean to me, what the STANLEY CUP means for the BOSTON BRUINS...I loved hockey before I loved shoes, before I loved my kids, before I loved myself.
It is a moment I have waited for since I was a little girl hugging my best friend Bruin bear in my footie pajamas, up way too late with hurting ear drums.
I am beyond a happy girl today - I am so grateful that I have lived to see this.
The cup is coming home and so am I :)
And.... My Matt got first place the night the B's dumped Garden water on Vancouver ice....I will never forget this night - this is one for the memory bank -
And so you readers can all breathe a sigh of relief, we are soon to be through with this chapter of my life - we have just the parade left which I will neither go to or get to see in person - I hope one of my Boston peeps yells really loud for me, I will most certainly be there is spirit, no doubt. I am always in Boston is Spirit, I love that dirty water - Boston you're my home....Tear.
What a sap I am.
Being a New Englander is not something you can understand unless you are one. It comes with a pride of our immigrant heritage, our Union beliefs, our progressive spirits our risk taking confidence - our ability to get back up again and again...
I am a Bostonian at my core and although I love me some Virginia, Boston will always be where my roots are entwined, buried deep in the black soil on the bank of the Charles....
Today is a really good day....Thanks Boys for playing your ever lovin asses off - that series will go down in history as the biggest dog fight ever - and yeah, we Bostonian's really do know how to scrap.
Can't wait to come home now....
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