Losses Don't Get Any Tougher Than The One That Lasted 11 Periods And Over 8 Hours

NationalPost- Joakim Jensen finally ended what is believed to be the longest game in hockey history, scoring in the eighth overtime in the Norwegian League playoffs.

More than 8 1/2 hours after the game started — and after 217 minutes, 14 seconds of play — Jensen broke through to give the Storhamar Dragons a 2-1 victory over the Sparta Warriors early Monday morning. The game ended at 2:32 a.m.

In the longest game in NHL, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 in a 1936 Staney Cup final game on Mud Bruneteau’s goal at 16:30 of the sixth overtime.

Storhamar leads the best-of-seven quarterfinal series 3-2.

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We can sit here and talk about how the Sparta Warriors should look on the bright side after becoming a part of hockey history. However, the time it would take to convince them that losing in the 8th overtime is a positive might be the only thing that could eclipse the 8 and half hours it took for them to get their hearts ripped out in Game 5. Honestly, they shouldn't even play Game 6. Not just because there's no way to bounce back from a defeat that excruciating, but because they would be better served scheduling the therapy necessary to get over devoting a full goddamn workday to impending disappointment. Somewhere out there resides a grad student that had their computer crash as they were finishing their unsaved thesis paper who completely sympathizes with some Norwegian hockey team's wasted effort and energy.

​You know the results of a game are devastating for the team that came out on the wrong side of it when the team that was on the right side of it was probably more relieved than they were ecstatic. I imagine the Storhamar Dragons' celebration turned into deep breaths and yawns by the time they reached the locker room, because even the adrenaline they were undoubtedly running on had to be merely fumes at that point. There are losses that make you instantly want to avenge them and then there are losses that make you want to pack your hockey shit in the garage closet and not acknowledge the existence of pucks for months on end. Judging by the lack of movement on the bench after that goal was scored, I think we know which category this one falls under.