@ 7:00 PST

It’s days like these when you realize just why you’re alive.

Game seven. The end of the line, the beginning of a new tomorrow. It’s everything that’s beautiful about the greatest sport on Earth, and everything that’s horrible about spending another Tuesday at the office.

The tension in the air will be palpable as you walk past Gary from accounting, crunching his numbers and slurping down a Mountain Dew. A quick glance at the clock on the wall reads 11:34 AM, and instead of counting down the hours until your lunch break, you’ll think about the moment that will occur in eight hours time.

That moment. The one that hits you square in the chest and forces you to pay attention, compels you to offer up everything you still have left in your soul to take a breathe of it. Just to catch it in your lungs and hold it close, to understand that this is where you were always meant to be– and when you’re in that moment, when you indulge yourself and let it soak into your skin, you realize that there’s no way it will ever leave. There’s no way that you can let it. Forever a part of you, a portion of your persona that’s just as consequential as the street you live on or the taste of your favorite food.

It’s understandable to be concerned today as the Flames roll back into San Jose. Kiprusoff’s performance in game one raises the red flag amongst all of us, a clear indicator that he is able to steal a game in the barn he used to call home. Coupled with a shutout in game six, I fully expect him to be at the top of his game tonight, playing with a passion unseen before in any mortal man. There’s not a chance in hell Cujo sees a lick of ice time, and if I’m a betting man, I’d say the Sharks will require no more than two goals against in order to come out on top here.

Game seven of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Jarome Iginla and the hated Calgary Flames. An entire season coming down to a mere sixty minutes.

Nothing better than this folks.

God save us all.

Prediction: Sharks win 4-2. Patrick Rismiller has the game of his life, potting two goals and two assists in one of the greatest game seven performances in San Jose Sharks history.

Go Sharks.

Yes, we’re actually doing a live thread of game seven tonight at 7:00 PM PST. The link in the “Television” section will take you to a Hulu page, where the entire game can be streamed. If we coordinate when we press play everyone should be watching the action together as it unfolds. Should be a pretty good time, especially with news slower than Alexei Semenov on horse tranquilizers.

H/T to idunno723 for reminding me of this crazy idea I had last offseason.