17 minutes

Much is being written today about the 8th longest OT in NHL playoff history, and the fabulous display that the 69:03 provided to those who braved the late night hours to see it. As the dust settles, or rather the streamers from the AAC rafters, I am much more interested in the 17 minutes between period 3 and the first overtime. Something changed. In a microcosm of their season, the Stars saw a good thing slip away in the 3rd, and to borrow a basketball expression, the Sharks were “running them out of the gym” with only Marty Turco providing the effort to extend the game. It felt like just a matter of time before they were done.

Then, like their transition from March to April, a light went on in their collective head and they remembered how to play inspired hockey just in time for overtime to begin. With Morrow, Richards and Ribeiro leading the way, the Stars played the aggressive hockey we’ve wanted them to all along.

I don’t know what happened during that intermission that turned the Stars engines on like that, but I liked it. As the 3rd period wore on, it seemed the Stars already had one foot on the plane back to San Jose. I was scared, I was feeling pretty defeated. You have to give them credit for coming out like that in OT. I don’t know how many teams would’ve done that. Well, except for the Sharks. They were pretty darned good as well.

Miscellaneous notes from last night:

-The AAC crowd was great. Give yourselves a hand, after your nap.

-Brenden Morrow: I don’t know what’s left to say about him. If you want to be a hockey player, you need to start asking yourself W.W.B.M.D? and just do that. He’s the perfect Captain.

-Mike Modano has survived in this league by adapting his game. He’s not a Selke finalist this year, but I don’t think that’s a ridiculous conversation to have.

-Mike Ribeiro: some of the defensive plays he made in OT last night were impressive, and every bit as important as his many helpers in this series. Are they checking this guy out in Montreal? Niinimaa for Ribeiro. Best trade ever.

-The Sharks scare the heck out of me. I can’t believe they’re going to can their coach. As long as you have Nabokov, Thornton, Cheechoo and those guys, I see no reason to think you can’t win the division again next year. I guess that’s not good enough for them anymore.

-Hand pass? Just saying.

-I don’t like penalty calls in OT, but the ones that were called needed to be called. I think the officials tried to let the players decide it as much as they possibly could. Unlike game 5…

-If the Stars had done as expected, and the Sharks were bounced by Anaheim, would Dallas be interviewing Ron Wilson next month? Funny how things work out.

-Razor: You should trademark “Turkolicious” before there are T-shirt sales you’re missing out on.