NOTE: Tonight’s game has in fact been moved back a half-hour to 6 p.m. Eastern (7:30 NST).
St. John’s is at one end of the Trans-Canada Highway, as seen in the “Mile One” name for the barn. If you get on the Trans-Canada Highway and take its roundabout path for about 550 miles (17,401 kilometers) across Newfoundland, you’ll get to the Cabot Strait. There is no Confederation Bridge there, because it’s like 110 miles (3,480.2 kilometers) wide. Take the ferry to North Sydney, Nova Scotia, near another former AHL city; you can then wend your way back here. Mapquest says it’ll take you about 31 hours, if you time the boat right and don’t hit a moose.
But really, why would you want to leave? You might have gathered how I feel about St. John’s based on my five days there, a town where people almost sound Irish (never felt that half of me more), where the houses are painted day-glo colors, where everyone’s “milove” (that might be the Irish part, sure).
And besides, crazy stuff happens when the Sound Tigers show up at Mile One.
January 15, 2002: SJML 5, BPT 3. That’s not so much the story: The day before, after the Sound Tigers flew about 3,000 miles (94,914.5 km) from Salt Lake City, Dave Roche got traded to Anaheim in exchange for the immortal Jim Cummins. It would cost Ben Guite to get Roche back. (Then they’d get Guite back for nothing. Then let him go for nothing. But where were we?) The Sound Tigers were credited with 47 shots, then a team record; the Leafs were credited with 39. And all the scoring came in the last 35:01.
January 16, 2002: SJML 5, BPT 5. The notes in my season-at-a-glance file begin “Back from dead.” The Leafs led 3-0 and then 4-1 after one — “worst period we’ve played all year,” Steve Stirling said — but Trent Hunter (14:45 third) and Juraj Kolnik (15:57) tied it. Shots were 49-44, St. John’s. Hmm. Relative newbie Matt Higgins had four points.
Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 3, April 29, 2002: BPT 3, SJML 2 (2OT). A 6 p.m. Eastern start, but I was sweatin’ deadline. Justin Mapletoft tied it with 5:36 to play, and Juraj Kolnik finally won it at 38:36 of overtime. It ended at 11:40 p.m. Newfoundland Daylight Time, and it’s still the longest game the Sound Tigers have ever played.
Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 4, May 1, 2002: BPT 7, SJML 2. Just weird. Three tight games, and one explosion. Jason Krog recorded the first (and only, so far) Bridgeport playoff hat trick. As if I needed to love the town even more, the fans went bonkers in the final minutes, cheering their boys. When captain Nathan Dempsey, who was obviously leaving in free agency, gave them a wave, the roof almost came off. Beautiful. The score, though, hard to believe.
Oct. 25, 2002: SJML 4, BPT 2. Tomi Pettinen received a match penalty for swinging his stick. Says it all. (The referee was Bob Langdon.)
Oct. 26, 2002: SJML 3, BPT 3. The Sound Tigers had only 13 skaters — eight forwards, five defensemen — because Pettinen was suspended for a game and five other guys were hurt, three of them the night before. They still led 3-1 going to the third, but Paul Healey tied it with under 45 seconds to go.
And one of my favorite scoreboard bits happened in St. John’s. Ken Sutton was in the penalty box, so it must have been Game 4. There was a whistle. They showed a shot of him in the box; playing over it: “All By Myself.” Probably the Celine Dion version. OK, cute. Whatever.
Then there was another whistle. And they showed the same shot of Ken Sutton. And they played the song again. Hilarious.
OK, maybe you had to be there. But like I’ve said, best trip ever.
And now we’ll see if they can actually win a regular-season game there. See ya around 6 for some more attempted live-bloggin’. Maybe try top-down this time.