An Outrage!

5 seconds is all it takes! Or is it 3? What the hell just happened last night is beyond me... all I can say is that it is an absolute outrage and totally scandalous. How this can happen at the top level of sports is simply not acceptable.

Lets start by telling you the basics. The play offs in the Swedish hockey league are in progress. Quarter finals are being played out - best of seven. Hockey is the number one sport in this country (close second would be soccer).

I am a huge fan of FBK, and they are currently battling it out with Frölunda for a semi-final spot. FBK lead the series 3-2, and went on the road to hopefully finish them off.

Game 6 was an absolute thriller - and a tremendous game to watch. At the start of the 3rd period, FBK seemed to have done enough, taking the lead 4-2. Then, with two men in the penalty box Frölunda get back in the game. 4-3 scores... they go crazy, playing hockey like mad. The equalizer and the go-ahead goal are scored in rapid succession, and FBK have completely lost control of the game.

This is when things start going crazy in this memorable hockey match.

Frustrated, an FBK player tackles a Frölunda player in the back - the supporters go berzerk. Security at their home stadium - which by the way is a secondary, much smaller stadium than their regular one, and certainly not equipped for play-off ice hockey - has failed and a glass bottle end up on the ice, shattering. Apparently it was thrown right at the player, but thankfully missed him.

Ok. So these things happen - and they are scandalous enough. This was just the beginning of the craziest night in sports I've ever witnessed.

They redo the ice, to make sure there is no glass left on it - so we have about a 10 minute break with five minutes on the clock. This actually gave FBK a chance to regroup and try to get back into the game.

When things really started going crazy is when there was 5 seconds to go on the clock. A face-off in Frölunda's defensive zone, and FBK still down by the one goal. Now, try to follow this crazy shit:

5 seconds left: The ref drops the puck. Frölunda wins the face-off, and the puck goes down in the corner behind their goal.

4 seconds left: Four players, two from each team, battle it out in the corner - trying to get possession of the puck.

3 seconds left: Still a jumble of players trying to get the puck out of the corner. It's a total brawl... AND THEN THE FUCKING BUZZER GOES OFF! The one that signals the end of the game!!!

2 seconds left: The puck comes loose. A pass out to FBK's Mikael Johansson in front of the goal. Frölunda's goalie is just standing there not understanding what the hell is going on... but the game is NOT over!

1 second left: Mikael Johansson shoots and scores, quite easily, and FBK players celebrate like mad for another second... all the while the buzzer is sounding.

Then, the ref signals something - FBK players point to the scoreboard where the clock reads 19:59... they scored the goal before time was up. Fighting among players behind the goal ensue. Others are hunting down the referee demanding to know what's going on.

Mind you, this is a very important game too.

Fifteen minutes later, it is decided there will be a face-off in the Frölunda defensive zone again - with (now hear this out) 3 seconds to go??? No goal!

How can it not be a goal? How can there only be 3 seconds to go if they want to replay the face-off because the Gawd damned buzzer went off too soon? How can that fucking buzzer go off before the time on the clock is up, unless someone manually pushes the son-of-a-bitchin' button?

I'm telling you... this is absolutely crazy.

A decisive 7th game will be played tomorrow, and I sure hope we kick their asses then. I was furious last night! How can something like this happen in professional sports? I've never seen anything like it!

If you want to see a clip of the craziness - click the picture below... unless you understand the Swedish language you won't understand what they're saying... but you'll see the crazyness in pictures.