When the fight was finally over, Craig Anderson fell forward to both knees, both arms in exasperation, and lowered his head.
And then, he got back up on one knee, and the chin was right back up.
The man knows something about a fight, but he clearly also doesn't know about giving up.
That, of course, is because he's been by the side of his wife, Nicholle, through her treatment for a rare form of cancer, a battle that's captured the attention of the hockey world well beyond Canada and its capital. He had to leave the Senators for two months to spend time with Nicholle and family and, by the time he returned, in what couldn't have been a coincidence, he'd visibly found more determination than ever.
It's probably safe to say he never showed that side more than in this Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, when his 39 saves weren't enough to keep the Penguins from prevailing, 3-2, in double-overtime.
Just listen to Sidney Crosby when I asked about Anderson or, better yet, watch his expressions:
“At the end of the day, we lost to a better team,” Erik Karlsson said. “We did everything in our power, and it could have gone either way. They did it for a little bit longer than we did and a little bit better. We played the best team in the league and we gave them a good match. We’re very disappointed in the loss and getting so close, and it’s going to be an experience we’re going to have to learn from.”
A year you would think I would want to forget, but I couldn't be prouder of our team! Great year and memories that will last a lifetime!
— Nicholle Anderson (@xonichollexo) May 26, 2017
