I wanted to watch the Flyers game last night. Really tried to do it.
And then, before I realized it, the first period was 10 minutes old and I was watching clips on YouTube from the 2004 playoff run. It was about that time when I came to the conclusion that I just don’t care about the final four games of this regular season, and on a Saturday night, there are certainly more entertaining things to do with my time.
Last night’s win over Carolina was a pretty fun one — something I learned early this afternoon when I did take the time to sit back and watch the 5-3 win. Wayne Simmonds had a hat trick, Jake Voracek and Claude Giroux hooked up for a beautiful stretch pass-breakaway-goal and the Flyers skated well and came out on top of an up-and-down, all-around entertaining hockey game. It was two hours I don’t regret spending on a Sunday afternoon.
In a season that was cut short by a lockout, I’m trying not to take the last few games of this season for granted. Trying to accept them for what they are worth — some casual entertainment that I also happen to be unhealthily emotionally invested in. But even though there is actual meaning in these games with regards to the future — hitting the offseason on the right note, putting young players in more advantageous positions in meaningless games, etc. — I just can’t see them as all that worthwhile. No playoffs? No importance.
It’s probably a sign that I’ve been spoiled as a hockey fan that simply because this team isn’t playoff-bound I can’t get much real enjoyment out of them. But that’s where I sit. I’ll watch the games the rest of the year, and I’ll hope for some entertainment, but it’s safe to say I’m ready to turn the page on the 2013 season and look to the future. Or, look back to 2004, I guess…
How do you feel about the remaining three games? Will you watch, or are you already in offseason mode too?
How do you feel about the remaining three games?
| I’ll watch and root just as hard as I normally would | 202 |
| I’ll watch but I don’t care what happens one way or the other | 189 |
| I might watch but not if there’s something better to do | 212 |
| I’m not watching — not worth my time | 62 |
| Other (let’s talk in the comments) | 16 |
