I was 19 when I joined this site. Being in my 30's has giving me a new appreciation for what these guys do.
I'm exhausted. Chris Kreider is older than me and he's going out and playing the games.
To be fair, this has been our most exhausting run for me, even though it's been comparatively the easiest.
I think it's because this is the deepest we've been in my adult life where I actually believe it could happen.
2014 and 2022, I was absolutely just happy to be there. The 2014 team was fire in retrospect but while it was happening, they were a game 1 away seed three times. Nobody really expected it. In 2022, I was thrilled to lose in round 3 to a team that was just better than us. It didn't stress me out at all.
It was kind of there in 2015, but I looked at the Chicago matchup and I was really like "eh, I don't know." The PIttsburgh series was mid. The Caps series was razor thin. It never felt dominant.
The poor 2012 team -- they had a fun run at the time but I don't really give them the time of day compared to the teams that came after to be honest. The 2024 Rangers would blow them the f*** off the face of the Earth.
This is the first time where I'm like, "you know, they could" and I don't feel like I'm lying to myself. It's cool, but it weighs a lot.