Given how it ended, I can’t say I’m too sorry that I missed the Flyers game to see Big Dipper and Great Plains (above) at Maxwell’s – seeing updates on my phone was pain enough. Certainly couldn’t tell that I was 10 minutes from two different NHL arenas – I’ve had an easier time finding sports bars that subscribe to Center Ice in Texas.
But never mind the Flyers – their AHL affiliate was where the action was tonight.
Ryan Potulny’s goal brought the longest game in American Hockey League history to an end early this morning, with the Phantoms beating the Albany River Rats, 3-2, in five overtimes.
It was the first AHL game ever to reach a fifth overtime, and Potulny scored 2 minutes, 56 seconds into the eighth period to bring the marathon to a close.
The Phantoms also took 101 shots, smashing the previous club record of 64.
The previous AHL record for the longest game was 114 minutes, 56 seconds (74:56 of overtime) on May 30, 2003, when Hamilton beat Houston, 2-1.
Albany goaltender Michael Leighton made 98 saves. And lost.
Goalie Scott Munroe played the entire 142:56 and made 65 saves.
What’s more, the start time for Game 6 on Saturday has been moved *up* to 1pm, so Philly fans can also watch the Flyers on TV.
I saw the Great Plains open up for Beat Happening once and they were brutally heckled by future members of Velocity Girl and it was really, uncharacteristically rough heckling. Finally they were kind of half-heartedly like, “Ok, this is the one you guys came out for… SIGH!” and broke into “Letter to a Fanzine” and I (now I was maybe 19 at the oldest and really didn’t have total knowledge of bands at the time) was like, “OH! THOSE Great Plains.” Poor guys. I felt pretty bad for how they were treated by the audience, but we’re too citified for Americana down here.
“we’re too citified for Americana down here”
Yeah, that’s one way of looking at it.
Let’s just say Ron & the Wyatt Brothers’ recorded works have aged just a shade better than those of the hecklers in question.
I actually could have lived without the “hit” last night, given how much else they might have played instead.
I’m also perplexed by the fact that there is yet another band (following the gentlemen above and then the country combo) using the name, from Nova Scotia. I seem to recall hearing that the country band paid (very little) for the privilage. So I suggest a lawsuit forcing these guys to become “The Maritime Great Plains.”