NEWARK, NJIn case you were wondering, losing in the playoffs does feel different after youve won the Stanley Cup.
Andrew Ference was at the Prudential Center for Game 1 as a player representative for the NHL, and spoke with CSNNE.com for a few minutes about what life has been like for the sudden stay-at-home dad since the Bruins were eliminated by the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.
Ference has been shuttling his children to school in Boston over the last month, and even manned the tattoo booth at his daughters schools Spring Fest last week.
Dont worry, though, it was temporary tattoos for the kiddies rather than the ink work adorning much of Ferences body.
Im doing everything that I havent been able to do with my kids over the last few years, said a laughing Ference. Volunteering is cool. So that was good. My wife does a lot with the school, so she has me doing a lot of stuff. Weve been going to a lot of birthday parties. Its been very domestic stuff, which is great for a family standpoint.
The family time has been welcomed, of course, and Game 1 of this years Cup Finals was the first time Ference has attended an NHL playoff game as a fan rather than a participating player.
But thats also the thing bugging the Bruins defenseman after his teams first round dismissal.
Boston Bruins
Ference knows what its like to hoist that Cup over his head now, and losing is a much different emotion post-Cup than before he knew how the other half lived.
I havent watched much hockey at all. Its worse after you win. You know what youre missing now. It sucks, said Ference. Its more of an empty feeling. Before you would always feel angry when you lose, but now its more that I just kind of feel left out. I know how good that party is and I want to be there.
If youve never done it you could dream about it, but when its reality then it really hurts. You get over the loss. You move on because you just do, but its a different feeling. Before last year you think you could have won it with that team, but once you go through the process and know what it takes to winthen its different. I know that we had the potential to win again.
The 33-year-old defenseman certainly didnt sound like he was relishing the abrupt feeling of loss after the Bruins went from Stanley Cup champs to first round victims.
But there should be plenty of motivated Boston players come September if everybody else is feeling the same way as Ference with the Cup Finals started this week without them.