Stay tuned to Place to Be Nation as Justin provides running commentary for tonight’s Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
7:30PM: Hey, Nation! Justin Rozzero here and I have a full house inside the Place to Be Bar! I will be here throughout the night with observations about the game and the antics here at the PTTB. Stay Tuned!
7:45PM: Watching Red Sox/Tigers since NBC decided an infomercial was more important than any sort of pregame. Alan Webster looks a lot smaller than I imagined. Victor Martinez just went deep with a grand slam to give Detroit the league. Jordan Duncan celebrates. Drink Status: Narragansett Summer Ale
7:55PM: “The “Curious Traveler” beer sounds like a sexual deviant, and there is Porch Rocker…which is something Paula Deen would sell” – Josh & Chrissy – Off to a good start here at the Place to be Be Bar.
8:05PM: NBC is on the air and we are getting fired up here. Game Five! Will the high scoring flurry carry over from Game Four? Or will we go back to the defensive wars of the first three tilts? Here in the cave we have my wife, Jen Engle and friends Chrissy, Josh and Jason. A couple more still to come. I think the Bruins steal this game tonight. Or, I hope so anyway.
8:15PM: Pregame still on…Referee Rich and Jeff Machado are on their way over and we now have pizza, buffalo chicken dip and spinach dip available. Getting antsy for this thing to get going! Pizza is delicious. Drink Status: Narragansett Summer Ale (#2)
8:25PM: Chrissy just got a lesson in periods and quarters by sport. Good National Anthem. No triple fist pump though, which is sad. And we are finally ready to drop the puck and get this candle lit. Machado has arrived. We are ready to rock.
8:30PM: Big debate here about mesothelioma and how you would contract it. Machado also recounts the time he took the cinnamon challenge and defeated it. Fast paced to start with each team pressuring the opposing goalie. Jason with a stupid question about why hockey players can fight and beat each other up but not football players. Come on, man. And now a long discussion about fighting in hockey. I think Bergeron has a big game tonight. Chicago just hit the post on a point blank shot…that was nerve-wracking. Referee Rich in the house!
8:40PM: Machado shares a great story about how he was assaulted by pitbulls (he is a mailman) and his satchel got ripped and he almost died. The dogs may now be dead, can’t confirm. Game still at a fast paced stalemate. And now the welfare discussion as Jeff is peppered with “first of the month” questions. I am making the requisite Bone Thugs reference. Josh brings it back to hockey, lauding Jagr for doing the little things well. I fully agree, he isn’t scoring but he has kept the offense running. Beer Status: Narragansett Light Tall Boy (#3)
8:50PM: Another Chicago near miss amidst a discussion of Fox’s old puck tracker. How fucking awful was that? And now video games, so Brad Woodling can get excited. Rich and I used to play the hell out of ESPN Hockey Night and Ice Hockey. Rich says he was a hoarder when it came to Legend of Zelda. Jen talks about going to see Postal Service the band, and my wife claims that Jeff most know them. Joel Quenneville gives a much more courteous in game interview than Coach Popovich does. We are more than halfway through the first period and I will say Chicago has controlled the game so far, with the most close calls. Rask is holding up though. I made Jeff a nice Jack & Coke but now he is demanded lemon wedges to go with it. Tough crowd. TUKKA WITH A HUGE SAVE! Wowza. Jeff proclaims his confidence in the Bruins based on the save. Nothing beats the Cup, baby.
8:55PM: Jeff is heartbroken about singing Tuuka’s praises just before he lets up a soft goal. Kane picks up a rebound and slams it in behind Tuuka. Chelsea Dagger rings out in the United Center. Jeff promises this is the only goal Chicago will get. Will he be correct? And will it be enough for Chicago? Time will tell. Score: Chicago 1-0
9:05PM: We have hit the end of the first. Rask makes another save to keep the game at 1-0. I am going to take a much needed piss. Be back for the second period. Great first period as far as action goes.
9:20PM: During intermission, Rich and I went to scout out the area where we are putting down a patio. And there is an intense fast food debate going on as well. On TV2 we have Showtime Boxing up because I am told there is a big fight tonight by Chad Campbell.
9:30PM: Jason is a disaster as he asked “what is up with all the beards” and now we need to explain playoff beards to him. We make fun of Rich for not being able to grow one. Now Jason has questions about how to deal with growing a beard. Talk turns to a couple that Jay and I both know. Anyone else agree that “Dutchess” is a stupid name for a dog? Awful. Bruins starting to put some pressure on goal here, but Crawford won’t relent. We are now five minutes into the second, still at 1-0. And as I type that, Chicago presses and gets a goal off a rebound, their third shot on the drive. The room goes quiet, but still plenty of time left. Score: Chicago 2-0
9:40PM: Jeff is stewing and if the Bruins don’t score soon, I fear what is to come. He is angrily narrating what is happening, taking his frustration out on Chris Kelly. Now Jeff is the mess, confusing my unfinished basement for a garage. Although his Seinfeld quote “I couldn’t find that toolshed” saves it. The Bruins pressure Crawford with a flurry, but can’t put the puck in the net as we inch towards the ten minute mark. Rask gets lucky on a Chicago breakaway, knowing a third goal could finish this for good. Toews gets wrecked in front of the Boston net, but the hit was clean. We hit a break, still 2-0.
9:55PM: I just received a text that my PIC is also drinking Gansett. However, I have now moved on to something stiffer. Jeff and my wife are singing Black Velvet now as Jen brags about the liquor stores near her new house. Time is ticking away but the Bruins still can’t break Crawford. Chicago is now on a power play due to a roughing penalty. Can the tough Bruins penalty kill hold up? We will find out in 1:19. Props to the Chicago crowd here, they are fired up and rowdy. Jay gets Screech and Urkel mixed up as we talk about the 90s, and how we miss them. Not a great performance from him tonight. Penalty killed. Now Jay is lamenting trading in his SUV for a minivan. “I am officially fucked”. But now he defending his van, putting over all the features. Poor guy. And we hit the buzzer, end of two periods, Chicago up 2-0. Drink Status: Toasted Caramel Whiskey & Ginger Ale (#4)
10:20PM: Back here in the third period and the Bruins again are consistently in the Chicago zone, but can’t hit paydirt. It’s getting late early in the Windy City. Rask makes another big save on a shot by Saad. The Bruins offense needs to strike soon. The pizza debate here continued to rage on, having started back when the game started. Jeff is off his diet, with a plate full of delicious pizza pie. And…Bruins score! Charra busts off a slapshot and beats Crawford glove-side, natch. Things are looking a lot less bleak here at the PTB Bar! Score: Chicago 2-1
10:35PM: Bruins are playing with quite the sense of urgency now. My wife is more concerned with spotting Hayden Pannettiere in the crowd of the boxing match on Tv2. You know this is Rhode Island, because the discussion has centered around restaurants, both open and closed, and capped by “there was a stabbing at the Ground Round” and everyone knew exactly what was being discussed. Bear Grylls is as stupid a name as Dutchess. Jeff keeps housing pizza because I convinced him the Bruins scored because he broke his diet. And we get our first Zima reference of the night. Rask stops a slapshot as the Hawks offense looks for an insurance goal. Jay is angry that the Amish can’t deliver Yuengling to “The Freedom Trail”. He may need to sit a couple plays out. Jeff compliments the brownies I made earlier, making my night. Halfway through the third, still 2-1.
10:50PM: Apparently Bergeron got taken from the arena in an ambulance. Somehow, I missed this. Hopefully it is like a wrestling angle and he makes it back in time for the final minute. Rask makes a save on a shot from a face off. We hit the 5:00 mark, still sitting at 2-1. Charra just missed on another slapshot attempt. Kane has been the difference tonight, knocking in both goals for the Hawks. Jeff is hitting the pizza box and comes back with three more pieces, taking a lot hazing. Rich makes a good point that “the man walks 15 miles a day” and Jeff tells us he runs from dogs and chickens on his route, which also builds his metabolism. Things are getting tense here, as seconds tick away and we hope for a miracle goal. Jay is talking about Edward Scissorhands. Three minutes to go, 2-1 Hawks.
10:55PM: They are playing Layla in the United Center, which we consider to be an odd choice. First Gandolfini mention of the night goes without comment. Jagr misses a great opportunity in front of the net with less than two minutes to go. Rask makes a big save on a 2-1 push from Chicago as we close in on a minute. Bruins pull Rask, but he gets back in net in time to make a sick save. The Hawks are doing a great job clearing the puck every time the Bruins get into their zone. Jeff takes his hat off as a drastic measure to turn around Boston’s luck. We sit at :31.8 remaining. Will we get another miracle? Two guys named Banks and Mitchell are fighting on TV2. Jason asks why the graphic says “empty net” and I wonder what the fuck he is watching. The Hawks get an empty net goal and that seals the game. Tough loss as the Bruins will head back to Beantown with their playoff lives on the line. Chicago holds serve at home and this crowd certainly helped them earn it.
11:00PM: “Fucking sad” says Jay. My sentiments exactly. Hope you enjoyed this live blog! I am going to drown my sorrows and then pass out. Jay sneaks one last in: “If we win Monday, we go back to Boston!” Sigh. Take care!
