2016 Championship Reunion: Round 2 Lookback

Ahead of the 2016 Championship Reunion on Jan. 31, we are taking a look back at each round with a player who had a big impact on the series. Today, Nick Bonino talks the Eastern Conference Second Round against Washington. To join us for the reunion, click here.

What do you remember in terms of how the HBK Line came together?

Just injuries, yeah. Geno (Evgeni Malkin) went down and just got put with (Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel). Kind of meshed from the get-go.

Tough loss in Game 1, but HBK was a driving force. How were you guys feeling coming out of it?

I think we came into the series with a lot of confidence, beating the Rangers 4-1. I think in general, the team had confidence from the whole last half of the year after we weren’t in a good spot around Christmas. There wasn't much, I think, that knocked us off our game. Like, there seemed to be a confidence that no matter what happened, even if we lost a game and had a bad period, we would respond.

That's a perfect segway into when things got weird in Game 6. Do you remember what was going through your mind when you put the puck over the glass?

Yeah. ‘Oh, sh*t.’ I kind of fell to the ice. Because it was in the air, I was just whacking it out of the zone. That just didn’t feel good. It was 3-1 at that point, then they made it 3-2, and then John Carlson scored later. It wasn't a great feeling.

It was you and Ian Cole in the box. Chris Kunitz had just gotten out. How stressful was it sitting in there, just stuck watching?

There’s nothing worse. Especially as a penalty killer. You feel double guilty because you're one of the guys out there for the kills, so, when you can't do that... and then you put the team down 5-on-3. It's a real bad feeling. Really bad feeling. Just got to trust your teammates to do it.

Did you buy anyone dinner after that?

Not after overtime. Are you kidding me? [Laughs] That’s a good quote.

What was the feeling going into that overtime?

Well, one of the reasons I felt like I had pretty good performances in the playoffs was I never got too emotional with my game. It’s very even keel, not too high, not too low. I could screw up pretty bad, like taking that penalty, and I would try not to let it affect me. I knew I just had to do what I do. And I think when the game got tight, that always helped me, because I wasn't changing much. So, going into overtime, for me, it’s just being the same. Just valuing the little stuff, and trying to score. Sometimes.

Obviously, we asked you right after the goal was scored to put it into words, and you had a good quote ... How would you put it into words now, 10 years later, and just knowing what it ended up leading to?

I think it was what you dream of doing. Was fortunate to score three overtime goals. Two of them were to win a series. I would say those were two of the biggest goals I’ve ever scored. The best part is the on-ice hugs afterwards, like the pile. The pile’s always great. It's great when you're not the one who scores. It’s great when you are the one. So, I don't think you can have better memories. Playoff overtime goals are right up there for me.

There were two great calls, like Doc Emrick saying Lucky Number 13, and the Bonino Bonino Bonino... like, what's it like to be on highlight reels forever, with a goal that big and calls like that?

That means a lot. I love it now because I show my kids, especially my youngest. Right now, he’s just obsessed with hockey. He wants to watch YouTubes, so when I’m gone, my wife will throw it on for him. But it's obviously really cool. Doc Emrick’s a legend. And then obviously, the Bonino Bonino Bonino call with Harnarayan Singh, I think he made me a lot more popular than I would have been without that call. I got guys saying it all the time, it's a very common response when somebody hears my name and they may not recognize my face. So yeah, it’s really cool, and he's got a really good story. It’s been great getting to know him.

What made HBK so special, from your perspective? You guys were so good in that series.

I mean, it was just crazy how it took off. Like, somebody came up with the moniker, and then all of a sudden, there’s Primanti Brothers sandwiches, Shawn Michaels was at the game. It just took on a mind of its own, and all we did was just go out and play hockey and had some success. I think it was so successful because we had so much depth on that team. Every line scored, not just three lines. (Matt Cullen)’s line scored, G was back, he scored, Sid’s line scored. It just added one more level of offense to the team. Those are the dangerous teams in the playoffs.

Are there any other moments from that series that you'll always remember that really stand out in your mind when you look back?

During that series, I remember saying to Lauren in the kitchen, we are going to win the Cup. I just remember it. It was just like, a feeling. I don't know what game it was after, but we just were rolling. It's cool that it happened. Now, I can say that. I guess that's the mentality you should have as a player. But it was just a really fun series. They were a great team. Obviously, they won it a couple years later. So, yeah, always had good battles.