What do you say?

ESPN's Bill Simmons has written about the grace period before, but for those of you who don't read the greatest columnist on the planet on a twice-daily basis like Just South of North's Brandon Hansen and myself, the theory is simple: If your team has won a championship within the last five years, you can't complain about, be bitter toward or question that team. They delivered when it counted during a time you followed that team day in and day out, so no matter what happens, they gain exemption from any ridicule or hate you might send their way.

But no grace period can spare a fan from disappointment and heartbreak.

As I've written about a time or two on this site, the Spokane Chiefs improbably captured the 2008 WHL and Memorial Cup Championships even though the team was built for 2009. And if it wasn't for a mid-season injury to top defenseman Jared Cowen, who knows what might have happened. No, I'm not making excuses, but it would have been nice to have had him.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting the series between the Chiefs and the Vancouver Giants to go seven games. I predicted six and even that was the optimist in me making that guess. Spokane got stomped twice during the regular season against the Giants, so when they won Game 3 of the series, I was incredibly excited that the series was heading back to Vancouver ... I honestly didn't expect it. Then when the Chiefs captured a 1-0 win in Game 4, thanks to a 41-save shutout by the unofficial WHL Goaltender of the Year Dustin Tokarski, my hopes were up, even though they had to still come up with a way to win on the road.

Well, on Friday night and Saturday morning, the Chiefs spent over six full periods of hockey trying desperately to take a 3-2 series lead and sure enough, in the fourth overtime, Blake Gal/Mike Berube beat Tyson Sexsmith and, with Game 6 coming in the States, Spokane was just 60 minutes of hockey away from improbably advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

By 8:00 on Sunday, the Chiefs were 40 minutes away, leading 1-0 after one. By 8:45, they were 20 minutes away, holding that same lead entering the third. And even when Vancouver responded with two goals in the final stanza's first 11 minutes, Spokane found a way to prolong the contest, thanks to Stefan Ulmer's tally with just under 90 seconds left in regulation and they were one goal away from sending the West's best team home for the year.

Sure, they came out with a loss in double OT when the Giants executed a beautiful 2-on-1 break, but there was always Game 7. They were still just 60 minutes away. Then 40. Then 20. They didn't enter the third with a lead this time, but knotted at zero, they were just as close as they had been Sunday night.

Like in Games 5 and 6, three periods weren't enough to decide a winner. But the suspense didn't last long. Less than two minutes in, a Giants rush paid off when a shot from the top of the slot took a Vancouver bounce and eluded Tokarski. Vancouver- 1, Spokane- 0. Final.

The loss, for lack of a better term, sucked, considering that they were so close. The Chiefs had their chances in Game 6 and 7 and, to an extent, blew some of those. But the finish to the series could have happened to either team. Sure, it was more likely to happen to Spokane, considering the shot total, but it didn't have to.

I'm not mad or bitter. I wouldn't be even if I didn't have the grace period to fall back on. Spokane played an amazing series and put on a show which rivaled last year's tussle with Tri-City in terms of entertainment and excitement. Unfortunately, the grace period doesn't make the loss feel any better.

At least camp is only four months away though, eh?