Falling in Love: June 14, 1994

You can’t explain love. Sure, you can rationalize reasons to explain all the extreme feelings that you have, but you can never truly explain the inexplicable connection that you have with someone or something. You can’t really make someone else understand the butterflies in your stomach, the excitement you get from being reunited after not seeing each other for a while or the feeling of pure bliss in a shared perfect moment.

I’ve been asked many times during my life why I love hockey and aside from giving clichéd answers about how great the game is, I can never verbally explain my relationship to the sport. I can, however, recount the moment that I fell head over heels in love with hockey and with the Broadway Blueshirts.

Let’s flashback to 8pm June 14, 1994, shall we? I was a tiny 5 and a half year old with a mound of curly hair and my Mom sat me down on our living room couch to watch game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks. I’m sure I didn’t really understand what exactly a game 7 meant or how big of a deal the Stanley Cup was or that the Rangers hadn’t won the Cup in 54 years, but I’ll tell you what, I knew it was a big deal. And little 5 year-old Paul stayed up until midnight to watch the entire game and the post-game ceremonies.

I certainly don’t remember Brian Leetch opening the score 9 minutes into the game. I don’t remember Captain Mark Messier scoring the 3^rd goal and eventual game winner in the second period. I especially do not remember the Canucks Captain Trevor Linden scoring his second goal of the game to cut the Rangers lead to 3-2 less than 5 minutes into the 3^rd period or the immense amount of stress that must have accompanied it for those slightly older than I was.

But here’s what I do remember. I remember the Rangers winning. I remember being as happy as I was at any point as a child (and I was a pretty happy child). I remember my Dad calling our house after the game from Delaware, where he had to watch the game at a hotel bar while away on business. And I remember falling in love hook line and sinker with the game of hockey and the New York Rangers and never looking back.

It’s been a long and bumpy road since that summer night. I’ve had some amazing memories: listening to Adam Graves’ double overtime game winner against the Devils while sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant with my Dad on Mother’s Day 1997, scoring my first high school goal, Jaromir Jagr scoring a franchise record 54 goals and carrying the Rangers back to relevancy in 2005-06 and the magical dream like season the Rangers had last year.  I’ve also had some terrible moments: suffering through 7 straight seasons where the Rangers failed to make the playoffs, almost losing my right eye when I was high-sticked during warm ups in 2002 and receiving 8 stiches under my eyebrow (I did feel like a hockey player) and experiencing the pain that came with Adam Henrique ending the Rangers dream season last year in overtime of game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The thing about relationships, though, is that there are always peaks and valleys. When I boil it down, I wouldn’t change a thing and I’m more in love with hockey and the Rangers than I ever have been.

So what I’m trying to say, on June 14, 2013, is that I love you, hockey. And I love you, New York Rangers. It’s been an amazing 19 years and I can’t wait to find out what the future has in store for us.