With three of the four second-round series in this year's playoffs going seven games (and two Game 7s being played tonight), I thought this would be a good time to revisit the Islanders' last appearance in the second round. Sixteen years ago on this day, David Volek's overtime goal led the Islanders to victory over the seemingly unbeatable Penguins. To this day - and maybe this is more depressing than anything else - this remains the unquestioned highlight of my life as a sports fan.
Last year, I commemorated the fifteenth anniversary of this event by writing this piece. Of all the blogs I've done here at The Rivalry, this one is my favorite. And since the Islanders didn't even come close to winning a playoff series this year, I figured I'd bring it up again. If we're still linking to this in five years because the Islanders still haven't won a playoff series, shoot me.
Reading this piece, it's funny how it not only stood up pretty well over a year, but became even more truthful - no matter which teams you like besides the Islanders. The Mets pulled off yet another September collapse. The Jets - after that insane Thursday night win over the Patriots, which is the only thing that even compares to Game 7 in '93 - choked down the stretch to miss the playoffs. Newcastle United, my favorite soccer team, has spent much of this year at the bottom of the Premier League table. The Giants fell apart after Plaxico Burress shot himself. The Knicks have been reduced to praying LeBron James will come to New York in July 2010. The Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years. Hell, even the Rangers got in on the act, blowing a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs. And we don't need to get into the Devils' incomprehensible breakdown with two minutes left against Carolina two weeks ago. No matter how you slice it, nothing has happened in the past twelve months to make us forget the 1993 playoff run.
And that's just it. When you're an Islanders fan, your memories are pretty much all you have. People in my age group, those of us in our mid-20s, have the Easter Epic, the '93 playoffs, and the 2001-02 season. That's it. How sad is that? With the Islanders' future as unclear as it is, those of us who remember 1993 should cherish every memory. Volek's goal came at a time when Pat Riley's Knicks were in the playoffs as the top seed in the East. And yet, the Islanders still owned Long Island. Maybe we'll be fortunate enough to create some more of these memorable playoff moments on Long Island.
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