The Last Defense By Nethugger
In silent tremors of the night to come
He waits and watches his partner, his one
The one he counts on to be there and block
The stillness is deadening, they don't need talk
They each know the other and know of the plan
They know without saying, just man to man
They lace up their skates and prepare for the night
And think of the hits and checking that's tight
They each seek out solace and each seek out peace
And think of how each will guard in the crease
And each is his own man but when on the ice
They constitute strength and sacrifice
They skate onto the ice and begin their first shift
The crowd cheering loud enough, spirits will lift
They're hard in the boards and a player goes down
They wait as the trainers all gather round
They know this is standard to suffer some pain
As really it's all just part of the game
So they pray to the Gods that their friend will be fine
And contemplate next moves to hold the blue line
And as play resumes and they skate to the sides
One is hit with a stick and he turns round with pride
And a fight breaks out there is pushing and punching
And the pace picks up and the hits are bone crunching
Then they crash the goaltender and it's all out war
And the referees show them the penalty door
And the partner still mouthing is knocking on wood
That this won't cost his team and they'll kill it off good
So they sit and they watch knowing when time is done
They will rush on the oddman and wind back and gun
And as the door opens the plan is in place
And they shoot the puck right past the goaltenders face
The team has the lead and they now must defend it
And maybe an offensive break to extend it
The slashes and hip checks have now picked up stride
And they make sure they take what is left of their pride
They're swinging their sticks and they're poking away
Any chance that the enemy scores on a play
As they skate to the bench at the end of a shift
One is rushed from behind and he feels his skates lift
And his head hits a wall and his vision is foggy
He lays there a moment and shakes off the groggy
He sits down on the bench and waits for his turn
Cos he knows there's a punk that he has to go burn
His mark in his sights he is focused on that
And he pours it on hard and the guy goes down flat
By the end of the second his team is up two
And his muscles are aching but still more to do
More punishment he still must dispense
For he knows he and his partner are the last defense
And if they hang on and defend that lead
They will fulfill a dream, a wish and a need
As the third begins there are bone crunching blows
The opponent is feverish to get in some goals
They fight and they punch and nothing is sane
It's all just a part of a Stanley Cup game
But the clock is on their side and they just hold the line
And know it is all just a matter of time.
When the final buzzer sounds they have won
And they celebrate wildly over what they have done
And they skate by the men who are broken, defeated
And shake each ones hand and with each it is greeted
They know how the enemies all still are friends
And they fought this one out till the bitter end
There will be parties, rallies and yes a parade
And days with the Cup and plans to be made
And they know that this season nothing else mattered
But they go home to heal now, broken and battered
And they know that next season they'll do it again
And they'll be the ones that have to defend
A Cup that is honored all the world round
And the last defense will lay the law down
And they'll do it with dignity, courage and pride
And know that the feeling that they feel inside
Can be felt once more but they must pay the price
For the decision is made on a cold sheet of ice
