This can't be happening, but it is.
"This is like a storybook," said Ed Snider, the man who brought hockey to Philadelphia. "How can you go down, 3-0, in their barn and come back and beat them, 4-3? How can you come back from 0-3 in games and beat them 4-3? These guys are unbelievable. They just won't quit. They're incredible."
It happened because Simon Gagne chose team over caution, returning for Game 4 despite a surgically repaired toe. All Gagne did was score the overtime game-winner to avert a sweep in Game 4, net a pair of goals in Game 5, and then fire the series-winner past Boston's Tuukka Rask in Game 7.
"I was so happy at the end," Gagne said. "We just put everything on the line. There is no better feeling."
It happened because Brian Boucher and then Michael Leighton, two men who have experienced more disappointment than ice hockey in their careers, turned in improbably sound goaltending. Leighton looked wobbly in allowing three quick goals Friday night, then shut down Boston the rest of the game.
His third-period save on Marc Savard, firing from between the face-off circles, belongs on the list with anything Bernie Parent or Ron Hextall ever did to save a playoff game.
"To his credit," defenseman Chris Pronger said, "that shows how strong-willed and strong-minded [Leighton] is. He doesn't have a quit button."
That goes for this whole team. After whittling the three-game deficit down by focusing on each game as it came along, the Flyers were reduced to focusing on just scoring a goal. Just one goal.
It happened because, down 3-0, coach Peter Laviolette called a time-out and settled his players down.
"After the time-out," Leighton said, "he said to me, 'Leights, settle down. Shut the door. We're going to score some goals.' "
"Lavy called a time-out and said, 'Let's just focus on one goal at a time,' " Gagne said. " 'Let's try to get one goal in the first and then try to tie the game. Then they might start to get nervous.' "
