It was one heck of a wild ride.
The Sudbury Wolves 2007 playoff charge to the OHL Championship
ignited a passion within the city I have never seen before.
This run showed what playoff hockey is all about in this
country.
Here's my Top 10 most memorable moments from the 2007 playoff
run, in no particular order.
n  The white towel tornado - Game 3 of the series was
exhilarating to watch  as  5,700 fans waved around
white towels. The looks on the faces of the Plymouth players
were priceless as they were in awe too.
n  Matt Dias' triple overtime goal in Game 6 against
Belleville - That goal won the Wolves the Eastern Conference
Championship and was easily the biggest goal in recent Wolves'
history.
n  Sebastian Dahm - This guy put forth one of the best
goaltending performances I have ever seen in any level of
hockey. Personally, I thought he was deserving of the MVP for
his work. Eight times in the playoffs, Dahm had to make at
least 40 saves in a game, including a high of 77 in Game 5
versus Plymouth.
n  Ten overtime games - Sudbury really gave the fans their
money's worth thanks to 10 overtime games. Overall, Sudbury
went 7-3 in extra play. Local fans were treated to five home
overtime games and the Wolves won four of them, but lost the
big one in Game 6. 
n  Justin Donati - This plucky winger was acquired at the
trade deadline and had only a few months to make an impression
on Wolves' fans given he is an overage player. Mission
accomplished though. Donati racked up 14 goals and 28 points in
19 games. He was also a clutch producer, scoring four
game-winning goals in the post season, including three overtime
tallies.
n  Captain Marc Staal - He just got better and better as
the playoffs wore on. His leadership became the stuff of
legends in the playoffs. Staal's end-to-end rushes against
teams such as Mississauga and Barrie are classic images from
the run. He was named the playoff MVP.
n  The sweep of Barrie - It was a huge surprise and was
totally unexpected by most people. Barrie finished 30 points
better than Sudbury and easily handled them in the regular
season. When brooms littered the ice near the end of Game 4
that's when everyone started to realize the Wolves were for
real.
n  Nick Foligno and his all-out efforts - Foligno was
another one of the main cogs driving the Wolves' machine. He
finished second in playoff scoring with 12 goals and 29 points
in 21 games.
n  Wolves fever - It was unreal to see the support from
the City of Greater Sudbury. Wolves fever hit an all-time high
after the Belleville series and gripped the city with a genuine
electricity.
n  The overtime heroes - Donati, with three and Dias,
Jared Staal, Devin DiDiomete and Zack McCullough with singles,
all scored playoff overtime goals and reached the status of
heroes in this city.
