I write this blog with a heavy heart.

As cathartic as I find writing, I wish I was sitting here writing another blog entirely.  I’ve been staring at a blank page for a few hours and I wish I had the words to describe just how awful I feel, or explain to those who don’t understand, why.

My heart is so heavy, in fact, that even now, I’m tearful and have a lump in my throat – yes, even though it’s been 24 hours since the game finished.

Phew.  Where to start?

I guess most of you have never been reduced to tears by a sports team, for what it’s worth, it’s not a common occurrence in my life either.  But last night reduced me to a sobbing mess – and what’s more, I’m not even a little embarrassed about it, in spite of the fact that most of you might find me quite ridiculous just now!

When we first moved here, I admit, I watched the Aeros sporadically, pretty much cause it was the only hockey I was going to get out here in 100-degree-heat-ville.  However, over the last two years of living in Houston, I’ve grown to love them as my home team.

Watching the Giants at home (in Northern Ireland), I tended to get pretty carried away at games (I’m sure you’re surprised!)  I’d shout, I’d scream, I’d spend hours (and a bucketload of cash) making banners, I volunteered for the team, I went to almost every home game and a bunch of away games too.

In essence, I love my team, with all my heart.

I don’t think I ever expected to love any other team, like I love my Giants…

And yet, here I am, still on the verge of tears that my Aeros got eliminated last night by the Binghamton Senators.

It hurts.  It hurts a lot.

I don’t think we deserved to lose last night.

However, that said, I think we lost it in Binghamton…*sigh*

Last night, my boys did themselves proud, they left it all on the ice and gave everything they had.  I guess it just wasn’t enough…

My Aero boys played 105 games this season. 105!! That’s just craziness!! The EIHL averages about a 60 game season (if I remember correctly), their playoffs are tied up within a weekend.  They don’t have the long grueling best of 7 series, it’s over and done within the space of a couple of days.  Until now, I thought that was a bad thing, I thought that the ‘best of 7’, a longer playoff series was a ‘better’ kind of system.  Boy, was I wrong! A best of 7 just means more games to get vested in! lol!

I really think that’s what ‘got’ me.  I may not work for the team, I may not ‘know’ the players, but this season has been one of the best I’ve seen and they got under my skin.

As an aside, next year, the regular-season playing schedule will be reduced to 76 games; the AHL playing calendar will be extended by one week; all sequences in which teams play four games in five nights will be eliminated; and the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs will be reduced to a best-of-five series.

Y’know what the worst of it is?

Watching another team lift the cup on your home ice…

It hurts like hell…

A l’autre main, if there’s a single, in any way positive thing to come from this crushing defeat, it’s that my husband has gone from this,

To this!

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to accurately describe just what this feels like, but one thing is for sure, my boys are the 2010-2011 are Western Conference Champions and I’m so effing proud of them!!

121 days and counting to the new season…and I for one, can’t wait!!!!