NHL's return will bring us one of sports' greatest experiences: overtime playoff hockey

Sure, some sports are back. But "sports" as we know them are largely still on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. Today is Day 77 without sports.

Palms are slick with sweat and the heart rate is elevated. Breaths are sharp and hurried. Expletives are verbally hurled at the television, quite often.

This is the heightened life experience otherwise known as watching playoff hockey. It's a feeling sports fans haven't experienced over the last few weeks, when the NHL playoffs provide nightly, dizzying entertainment.

Watching one's team battle in playoff overtime is one of the more anxious scenarios for a fan. It's still a feeling anyone who is passionate about sports would rather feel than the nearly barren sports landscape currently.

Back and forth, up and down. Each tilt of the ice feels like a death knell to the defending team.

The rise and fall of the crowd's groan with each barrage of shots on net, goaltender's standing on their heads, Doc Emrick maintaining a masterful handle on both the English language and diction amid the "chaos" — all elements of playoff overtime hockey, all things we might have the privilege of experiencing again soon.

Wednesday marks the 26th anniversary of one of the most famous playoff OT goals. Stéphane Matteau's double overtime game-winner to lift the New York Rangers past the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. It was his second double OT goal of the series.

Prior to Game 6, Hall of Famer Mark Messier and Rangers captain guaranteed a win to the media. He was right, Matteau played hero in Game 7, and the Rangers went on to win their first Stanley Cup in 54 years (and haven't won since).