BIRON: 'Where's Cheese?'

I showed up at the rink the day after our Game 6 victory for practice and prepared as if I was going to start the next night. Even though I knew there was no way I was starting Game 7 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals, I just felt this energy that makes you move mountains.

Not everybody went on the ice that day as it was an optional skate with most of our regulars exercising their options. There was no sign of Jay McKee at the arena that day, but Lindy Ruff told us Jay was going to meet us directly at the airport to get on the plane heading down to Raleigh, North Carolina.

When it's springtime in Buffalo, everybody seems to be a whole lot happier. You don't have to wear your heavy coat to the plane because the air is warm and the sun is shining.

I was so excited to get on the plane and to get our regular card game going with Jay, Danny Briere and J-P Dumont. Usually, our flights in the northeast are maybe 45 minutes to an hour at tops. Going down to North Carolina meant that we had an extra half an hour to play cards which was great.

J-P, Danny and I were all set to start dealing. We were just waiting for Cheese. The pilot came on the speaker to announce the flight time and basically said that the door was closed and we were taxiing over to the runway. But Jay was still not on the plane.

We were then told that Jay would most likely meet us in Carolina the next day. Some of the guys knew something was up, but I was pretty naïve and just figured we would have him ready to go for Game 7 and everything was going to be fine.

By the time we got to Raleigh, we knew Jay had some sort of infection but that with antibiotics, maybe he was going to be ready for a possible return in the Stanley Cup Final. We now know how severe Jay's infection was. There was a chance he would've had to have his leg amputated.

It was yet another blow to our defense which would have to play with only three players with any NHL action that season.

If you're reading this you probably know what happened, but this basically sums it up. Down 1-0 after one period, we had this big push late in the second. Doug Janik scored our first goal and Jochen Hecht scored with just a few seconds left. We were up 2-1 headed into the third. I was certain we were going to win.

In Carolina, the backup goalie doesn't sit on the bench. I sat across the bench in the corner where the hallway to our locker room was. I don't know how the guys were feeling on the bench at the start of the third period, but I knew we were going to win. Heck, my buddy Mo Mentum was on our side right.

Not for too long, Mo went and sat on the Hurricanes' bench a minute into the third and brought his whole family along when Soupy sent a clearing attempt in the crowd.

It was the first year of the puck over the glass penalty. Where was that when Darius Kasparaitis actually threw the puck over the glass in Game 7 of the second round of the 2001 playoffs? Anyway, Rod Brind'Amour scored on the power play.

Justin Williams, who was yet to be known as "Mr. Game 7," scored late and we were done.

Just like that, it was over. I sat in my locker after the game and looked around at a group of devastated individuals. I kept asking myself the same question: What if we had just one of our injured defensemen in the lineup tonight?

I guess it's not fair because everyone gave everything they had. Our defense did a great job. Janik scores a goal - there's no way I would have thought he would score in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

But what if Jay had been healthy? What if Teppo Numminen's groin had healed? What if we had Dmitri Kalinin back? What if Henrik Tallinder hadn't broken his arm?

Absolutely no answers and obviously no tomorrow. Our dream season was over.