You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars

I was at work this morning, still kind of in a state of numbed shock. I was in the middle of counting up the previous day's safe drops when I turned and asked my boss "Did the Hurricanes really win?"

She nodded and said "Yeah, they won the Stanley Cup."

Did I hear you say that this is victory?

It was like a fireball going off, burning away the surreal fog that almost had me convinced that I was dreaming. I started crying, and then I started laughing. You guys have no idea how much that Princess Bride quote really does apply to me, seriously. It was like all these stray bits and pieces just kind of fell into place, the stars aligned, and for the first time I can honestly say that I genuinely feel some kind of peace.

If the 'Canes had lost, I would have cried for a while and then just said "Figures" and just gone on with the war because I'm just that used to fighting the "hopeless battle".

But this...this is strange territory for me.

I've been fighting for this team for so long, defending their right to exist and defending the fanbase (and taking the Hammer to a few of the faithful that get outta line), that now that the 'Canes have won and effectively cemented their niche in the Triangle I find myself wondering what my purpose in life is.

I've been living on the edge so long
Where the winds of limbo roar
And I'm young enough to look at
And far too old to see
All the scars are on the inside
I'm not sure if there's anything left of me

And then it hits me:

All these years, I've been soaking up the tales from the team's history like a sponge. I've been learning about the history of the Hurricanes from their days in the WHA to 1997 to now, and I've been posting about much of it here.

Somebody's gotta remember where this team came from. Somebody's gotta remind people of where we've been so that they can appreciate where the Hurricanes are now and where they're headed.

Might as well be me.

I know I'm not making a lot of sense--blame the mead. I'm sitting here watching the game on the DVR and crying for joy because in some strange way it's all just sort of coming together finally.

I raise my glass to the Oilers fans. Your team didn't give up, and they put fear into my heart. They're tenacious, MacT's a pretty good coach, and I think the Oilers will do well next season.

As always:

Go Canes.