Did he say it? Did he say it? I just want to know if he said it.

There comes a time in our lives that we fantasize about dating the prom queen or stitching the perfect pattern or scoring the winning goal and the crowd goes wild. We all think about it in the dark of our nights but it hardly ever happens because we live in the real world of light that blinds us to our ambitions. You get a year book that says “best wishes” and you never see her again. The yarn stays raveled and the scissors stuck together in the cabinet made of veneer wood that gathers dust. But maybe not this night, maybe not this game. Surrounded by taco shops and stores that sell tee 3 for a dollar, there stood a cold cold ice rink where Bobby Trivia and his hockey team, the Coyotes were playing their 3rd and final game for the league championship. They had already played 2 previous games, splitting the win/loss record and tonight’s winner would carry the trophy home. But what happens when the team is down 0 to 2 in the last period? What do you tell the boys who’s heads are hung down low in sad misery. What goes through Bobby’s mind as the digital clock ticks down to the minutes? His wife is nowhere to be seen and his best man was out of town overseeing an art show featuring a gregarious Korean Woman and a beer drinking mountain man. But 20 minutes is enough time to make one goal to make the game look respectable and plausible. 1 to 2 now, that’s ok. T'was no shutout. But the men with metal blades and kevlar sticks in their hands continued playing with a sense of desperation in their heart and iron in their will, enough to propel another point onto the scoreboard. The game was now tied with 4 minutes left on the clock. At the worst, a shoot out in overtime. Bobby is a defenseman and stays close to the blue line situated about 15 yards from the net. He likes to snipe from that corner but 7 shots ago, they all came up empty. Oh “Quiet C”, why have you abandoned your loved one. Oh David, what troubled shoulder will you let Bobby cry on. The puck gets passed to Bobby and with a flip of the wrist, the puck goes sailing into a crowd of players lost in pandemonium in front of the net. The puck drops atop of the imaginary line that crosses the cage. Was it a goal, the black coal just stood there waiting to be cast out in defeat or lurch forward to victory. And than it was gone.

The ref whistled a score with one minute left in the game but the Coyotes held firm and won the game. Tonight, Bobby was no longer the answer to his own trivia question, tonight Bobby became True Star.

“Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that’s what you have here tonight boys. That’s what you’ve earned here tonight. One game. If we play them 10 games, they might win 9. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight we skate with them. Tonight we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can. Tonight, We are the greatest hockey team in the world, You were born to be hockey players. Every one of you and you were meant to be here. This is your time. Their time is done. Its over. I’m sick and tired of hearing what a great hockey team the soviets have. Well screw them. This is your time so go out and take it!” - Herb Brooks, 1980 USA Olympic Hockey coach. Gold medal winner.