All the anticipation, the excitement and so perfectly it went right down to the wire, a tremendous competition decided by the narrowest margin.
So did the hockey game.
"That was terrific, I had the 2 horse," Boston Bruins legend Gerry Cheevers said Sunday from his home in Florida.
Of course, it was the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby to which Cheevers was referring, not the thrilling Game 7 overtime a few hours later Saturday that pushed the Bruins past the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 and into the Eastern Conference Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers. Game 1 is at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
Cheevers wasn't awake at 11:20 p.m. ET for David Pastrnak's series-clinching goal, scored 1:54 into sudden death. He'd turned in while the game was still 0-0, learning the result when he went online Sunday morning.
"It started late, after 8 o'clock, but it's always nice to win Game 7 in overtime," Cheevers said.
A lifelong horseman, the legendary Bruins goalie was tuned Saturday afternoon to the Kentucky Derby to see his choice, Sierra Leone, finish second to Mystik Dan in a three-horse photo finish with Forever Young in third.
No, he said, he didn't have a $2 wager on his preferred colt.
"Much deeper than that," Cheevers joked. "A great race, a great finish. The difference was the winner almost never left the rail. The jockey's got scuff marks on his left boot."