Grown men will do childish things at sporting events.
I was an adult occupying an aisle seat at a professional tennis match when, after a rather easy mid-tournament victory, an in-his-prime Roger Federer snapped his game-worn wristband a dozen rows deep into the stands.
The springy piece of cloth landed splat in the aisle beside me. Instinctively, I grabbed at it, jabbing two fingers inside the elastic. Hey! Free momento from the greatest player ever! Problem was, the aisle-seat guy in the opposite section grabbed it too.
We both pulled tug-o-war-style on the wristband. The embroidered swoosh flatlined and an astonishing amount of Sweat by Roger wrung out and splashed the pavement. Gross.
I locked eyes with my opponent and instantly realized dude wanted this stinky wristband way more than me. It occurred to me that I would have to fight another man in public if I wanted this rather icky keepsake. I let go. The entire episode lasted two seconds.
Relenting was not on the agenda Tuesday in New York, however, when a similarly godly modern sports figure, Henrik Lundqvist, launched his shutout-fresh stick into the crowd. (Watch the hilarious scene above.)
https://twitter.com/NYRainjerz/status/664266724603207680
Yes, the Montreal Canadiens (and their silly-good plus-30 goal differential) retain their grasp on the No. 1 power spot this week, but Rangers fever is a real, dangerous thing, kids adults.
New York is 11-2-2 and flying high on an NHL-best six-game winning streak. Just wait til they get Patrick Marleau!
For our NHL Power Rankings: Tweet Per Team Edition, we’ve combed our timeline for one 140-characters-or-less message that sums up each club’s week.
| Rank | Team | Previous | |
| 1 |  |
“So Carey Price is out for another week. #canadiens” —@renlavoietva |
1 |
| 2 |  |
” ‘It comes down to will & how badly you want to win the game.’ Lundqvist has fans fighting over stick & #NYR rolling” —@PLeonardNYDN |
4 |
| 3 |  |
“166 minutes |
5 |
| 4 |  |
“Tyler Seguin is on a tear. With an assist tonight, he extends his pt streak to 7 gms, and passes teammate Jamie Benn for scoring lead w/21.” —@JamieHersch |
2 |
| 5 |  |
“Clearly, Fedorov had a little word with the hockey gods, said ‘I want Ovi to break my record where I can see it.’ The hockey gods complied.” —@ATPinDC |
7 |
| 6 |  |
“RT this if Marc Andre Fleury bailed you out this season.” —@EvgeniMalkinEgo |
6 |
| 7 |  |
“Line from Paul Wiecek of Winnipeg Free Press: Vanek undressed Paul Postma so badly that Postma could have been cited for public indecency.” —thoen88 |
11 |
| 8 |  |
“Doug Armstrong says four Canadian players have worked their way into the World Cup conversation: Toffoli, Muzzin, Gallagher, Stone.” —@reporterchris |
3 |
| 9 |  |
“The Predators have put up a touchdown on the Senators.” —@emptynetters |
8 |
| 10 |  |
“Coach Joel Quenneville says he has ‘fingers crossed’ hoping Duncan Keith can return for Saturday’s game vs. Blues.” —#ChrisKuc |
14 |
| 11 |  |
“If Jack Capuano coached half as well as Ryan Strome plays while in a slump, the Islanders would be in a much better position right now.” —@DFriedmanOnNYI |
10 |
| 12 |  |
“Thank you to the @BuffaloSabres and the fans for welcoming me back! It was nice to see old friends and remember some good times.” —@RyanMiller3039 |
9 |
| 13 |  |
“#Habs captain Max Pacioretty has 12 goals and 11 assists and is +18 in 27 lifetime regular-season games vs #Bruins” —@DaveStubbs |
15 |
| 14 |  |
“#NHLJets Bryan Little is now tied for the NHL lead with 7 multi-point games this season.” —@SNStats |
12 |
| 15 |  |
“Source: #SJSharks forward Patrick Marleau would accept a trade to one of three teams” —@KKurzCSN |
19 |
| 16 |  |
“Domi and Duclair have a combined 7 goals against the Ducks this year…Crosby & Malkin together have 6 against the entire NHL” —@QSyrydiuk52 |
21 |
| 17 |  |
“Cory Schneider won’t face the #Canucks today, so it’s smiles all around.” —@VanCanucks |
20 |
| 18 |  |
“I am thinking the #FlaPanthers need a magic pill – one that instantly cures Barkov’s busted hand. They’re a very different team without him.” —@BarryARothman |
13 |
| 19 |  |
” ‘Puck Luck’ teams (overperforming based on possession stats): #Habs #RedWings #FlaPanthers” —@CLG_Sports |
16 |
| 20 |  |
“Senators: League leading 3rd shootout win of the season.” —@MikeKellyNHL |
17 |
| 21 |  |
“Cooper: ‘Can’t hang your head. Lots of season left. Let’s keep plugging away.’ ” —@TBLightning |
18 |
| 22 |  |
“Eichel on #Sabres win in Tampa: ‘It’s huge for us. We’ve been right on the cusp of beating them a few times.’ ” —@BNHarrington |
25 |
| 23 |  |
“Horrible error by Getzlaf to lose game for ANA last night one of biggest mistakes you’ll ever see from a great player. My goodness.” —@DamoSpin |
24 |
| 24 |  |
“Coach’s Corner: Did the Flyers injure Connor McDavid on purpose?”—@Sportsnet |
22 |
| 25 |  |
“Jarome Iginla scored his first goals vs. Calgary & has now scored against all 30 NHL teams.” —@Avalanche |
23 |
| 26 |  |
“Why can’t the Hurricanes score?” —@NHLonNBCSports |
26 |
| 27 |  |
“James Reimer’s 5v5 Adjusted SV% is the same as Carey Price’s (.936)” —@SteveBurtch |
28 |
| 28 |  |
” ‘It’s getting ridiculous. I’m a professional. I’ve just got to find a way to produce.’ -Jake Voracek” —@NHLFlyers |
29 |
| 29 |  |
“Who has Bob Hartley’s number? I will stand in front of pucks for a few games in exchange for NHL money.” —@thescottlewis |
30 |
| 30 |  |
“John Tortorella critical of captain Nick Foligno after loss: ‘He needs to make a big play’ ” —@CBSSportsNHL |
27 |
