Howdy.

I have kind of given up on doing blogs after each and every game, I just want to address something I found humorous.
About a month ago, the Habs were doing okay, but it was our rivals in hogtown that were on top of the hockey world. Around the blogosphere we were hearing it from every angle how the Leafs had finally made the step to become contenders, and that superstars like Tim Brent and Clarke MacArthur were going to have huge seasons. I didn't mind it at all, good for Toronto, they were excited about a hockey team that had gone through some very crappy times, and everyone is entitled to some happiness, but then I saw something that went a little farther. A blog had made an animation that in a bright and shiny font kept a live count of how many days, hours and seconds since Carey Price had last won at home. I thought it was funny, he had struggled, but I felt that I should be able to make a comment, I mean these guys had a good sense of humor, they should be able to take it if they can dish it out right?
Meh.
My comment "Guess what's a funnier stat line? It's been (Insert ridiculously longer time frame) since the Leafs have won a home game in the Playoffs???"
Instead of saying "Yeah, you're right, a quick start should not be indicative of any real success since this franchise has struggled since the lockout" I was assaulted with such intelligent rebuttals like "Well you're a troll and probably torched a car last spring!" or "Well we kicked your ass this season!" or "You shouldn't talk! You're the one who boo'ed Carey Price in the preseason!"
I don't expect the neanderthals blogging away on the shores of Lake Ontario to know my stance on the Price issue, but I don't think generalizing every Hab fan as a loud, drunk and hypocritical rioter is a very nice thing to do. I mean, I don't assume that every Leaf fan is a sweater vest wearing, luxury box owning yuppie who spends the entire game on his blackberry only to leave halfway through the third. That would constitute that the majority of Leaf fans are actually successful! I kid, I kid. To be honest, I don't mind fans of any team, good on you if you stick with a organization that has had that much frustration, but can I suggest something? Don't dish out cold hard insults to someone who watches a full season of Hockey when it's only September, because guess what, things change. You know that coach that everyone loved at the beginning of the year when you guys were 4-0-1? Well regardless of the fact that he's won of the winningest coaches in history and led team USA to the gold medal game in the Olympics, you are still calling for his head! You know that super sniper who you traded Tyler Seguin and another first rounder for? You know, that guy Mike Brophy was nominating for the Hart before he had played 20 games? Well he hasn't gotten a point in the last 7 games, and I know the comebacks that'll come my way, "Oh, he doesn't have a Center!!" or "Well Gionta and Gomez suck a lot worse, and they're getting paid more." Very true, but if they play well, we don't say "They have 7 goals??? Someone nominate them for the Ted Lindsay trophy!!!" Listen Leaf fans, don't be like the idiots in Montreal who pretend to be Hab fans only to boo our starting Goalie who happens to have FOUR! FOUR AH AH AH! wins at home. What's that you say? That's one more win at home than Jean-Sebastien Giguere? Well whaddya kow??? Listen, I'm not looking for a fight, it's very early in the season and the Canadiens have been known to go on awful losing streaks, but for all fans out there, don't count your chickens before they hatch, because you never know, one might be born with a hilarious birth defect...
That's all for now, Go Habs Go great win last night.
Peace,
E

A double header weekend.

Saturday morning after the Canadiens squeaked out a had fought win against Buffalo, I went to Habsinsideout and was greeted by a link to a Leafs blog, where they had an animation celebrating the longevity of Carey Price not having a home win. I brought up the simple point that the Maple Leafs had not won a playoff game on home ice in almost 6 times as long a wait, but I was refuted with "Blah Blah YOU booed Carey Price so don't defend him blah blah YOU burned a car after the Canadiens won a series and YOU booed the national anthem blah blah no actual refutation of the fact the Leafs haven't made the Playoffs since before Hurricane Katrina" I can deal with that to an extent, but now that Carey beat the Senators last night I can sleep easy without even worrying about those clowns. I am not against all Leaf fans, any fan who sticks by their team through crappy times deserve to be happy about a winning streak, but to those who Troll for the sake of trolling, then defend their trolling by shifting the focus to something else without any actual intelligent reasoning for it should have to drink a cup of Preston Lacy's sweat. (Jackass 3D reference sorry for the Spoiler).
The Canadiens are winning games, and their goaltender is keeping them in the ones they aren't. Tomas Plekanec is not letting the money get to his head, Andrei Kostitsyn is actually playing well albeit it is a contract year for him and Lars Eller is showing that Pierre Gauthier wasn't actually stoned on Pain killers when he traded for him.
To the real fans, this team can play.
To the trollers of the Hockey world, stop huffing house paint and get a life.
Bring on the Devils.
Peace,
E

Series restored, and game #3 Preview RANT ALERT

Remember when I said don't panic? Well all I can say is it feels damn good to be right.
Last night was a covincing victory that seemed to really get under the skin of the Flyers. Oh, we're dicks because we put our top PP line on when we were already up 4-1? I'm sorry, I thought this was the stanley cup playoffs. It was a three goal load, not like we were embarassing you like you guys did in game one. If you guys want to jack a score up 6-0, don't start talking about bad karma when we repay the favor you cream cheese eating ingrates.
What else is on my mind? Oh yeah, tonight when asked about the chipiness of BOTH teams by Brent Wallace, Darren Dreger decided to instead go on a tagent talking 1) Gorges high sticking Claude Giroux but it being okay because he "apologized", 2) Scott Gomez tapping Dan Carcillo on the head after Carcillo cheapshotted him in order to get a retaliation penalty and 3) Mike Cammalleri pushing off a defender to score the first goal of the game, Dregs then HAD to add that "Many people think that shouldn't have been a goal".
You know what, I know that you and the rest of your Leaf groupies cannot wait for the Canadiens to be bounced so you could instead talk about Brian Burke's new five year plan that starts with the brilliant "trade Tyler Seguin/Taylor Hall and another first round pick" move, but we're still in this, and we're not going away so easy. We are the last Canadian team in the playoffs, I'm sure if the Canucks were in our place all the focus would be on the quetionable play of our opponents. We Montrealers who actually want to watch in English turn to TSN for it's intelligent insight from both sides, you really think you are going to lure viewers in when they have to watch their team get dissed for 3 minutes? Instead of ignoring the fact that FLYER Scott Hartnell instigated a fight in the last 5 minutes and how in the regular season that would be a suspension, why don't you actually focus on the fact that this is a chippy affair on both sides and stop portraying the Canadiens as a team that does not deserve to be at this point.
I think I needed to get that out of my system.
Anyways it should be a physical and emotional game tomorrow and let's hope the Habs show what they can do and expose Leighton early and often.
Peace true believers,
E

Closing in on the playoffs.

So naysayers, let's look at all the terrible moves made by the Canadiens that got them to this point.

1. Trade Chris Higgins, Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko for Scott Gomez and Tom Pyatt.

So what if Gomez has 3 times as many points as Higgy. He has been so valuable that he's had the chance to shine for two teams this year! As for Pavel Valentenko, no goals in two years in the KHL? No problem! And Ryan McDonagh will soon join the ranks of the great Ranger prospects of all time, right with Hugh Jessiman and Stefan Cherneski.

2. Do not sign Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Mathieu Schneider or Mike Komisarek.

Awful call by the management here. Koivu and Tanguay's 22 combined goals are missed dearly. As for Kovalev, we never gave him the chance to give him a leadership role, and now he's making us pay as his Senators terrorize the league with a 1-5-1 record since the Olympic Break. Mathieu Schneider's booming shot on the point really payed dividends for the Manitoba Moose and Mike Komisarek is still bruising and intimidating, on his couch as he rehabilitates from a season ending shoulder injury.

3. Sign guys like Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Travis Moen, Hal Gill and Jaroslav Spacek, Marc-Andre Bergeron.

This team is so small! What is this? A franchise for ants? Ignore the fact that Hal Gill is 6'7. And that during the Penguins playoff run, he lined up on the blue line against Richards, Carter, Ovechkin, Semin, Staal, Zetterberg and Datsyuk. How did they do again? Cammalleri's almost 30 goals in 55 games? Bush league, I don't care if his leg basically did a full 360 when we has taken down against the Senators, I can't believe we gave that guy 4 Mil. All the other guys are just downgrades from stars like Stephane Quintal, Darren Langdon and the great Pierre Dagenais.

4. Trade for players like Benoit Pouliot and Dominic Moore.

I mean, come on how can you like these deals. Pouliot's not even a real Quebeccer?

And Dominic Moore? I mean how can anyone who went to Harvard play tough gritty hockey? Give me Steve Begin, who went to Ecole Polyvalente de Trois Rivieres, now that's an Alma Mater to be proud of!

So.

Everyone who gave the Canadiens shit, it's nice to prove dumb people wrong.

How you like dem apples.

Peace.

Bring on the Leafs tomorrow night.

A game that got away.

I'm going to be honest, I fell asleep before the start of the third period last night. Let's face it, it was was damn late and I had a headache. Before I went to bed, the Canadiens had played a hard fought game and through some amazing goaltending by Carey Price, we had a 2-1 lead on the San Jose Sharks, one of the NHL's elite teams. When I woke up, we had lost, and Max Lapierre was Public Enemy #1 on TSN. Now the outcome of the game was disappointing, but it was nice to see the Habs skate with a great team, and have Price put on a show in nets. The one thing I am shocked about, is that Maxim Lapierre is still on this team. I know many of you love Mad Max, either because he is scrappy, or because he is a home town boy. If you evaluate his year, you will see that he has not produced and has been pestering some of the NHL's best fighters, only to run away when it came time to drop the gloves. This last stunt he pulled, pushing Shark forward Scott Nichol into the boards when he no longer had the puck and was skating full speed, was cowardly at best. Now, don't get mad at me, because I am calling out a Canadien fan favorite, I am not a blind homer. To all of you who say that it wasn't so bad, just look out how one of the Greatest Canadiens of all time, Howie Morenz ended his career and life. He was pushed into the boards by Babe Seibert, broke his leg, and then proceeded to drink himself to death in the hospital. Am I being dramatic? Absolutely, but when you figure that a collision into the boards like that could break your leg, putting you out of commission for at least 6 months, you understand that what Lapierre did was spineless. Hopefully once Mike Cammalleri returns from injury, it will be Lapierre and not Tom Pyatt who has been playing exceptionally since his call up, who we be sent down to Hamilton.

Peace True Believers,

E

A send off for Bob.

Well I was thinking about just leaving that beautiful piece of literature I contributed this afternoon as my final thought on the Gainey resignation. But I realized I would be just like those fake fans that I despise the most if I did not leave a final tribute to one of the classiest guys this organization has ever seen. Bob Gainey was never the best guy on the ice, but he was the smartest. I think this was the case for his Managerial work as well. Even though flashy GM's like Brian Burke had more success with all out styles of negotiating and blockbuster trades, I respected Bob's tentative style. Many people hounded him for his reluctance to give up a lot for a trade, but I promise you, 95% of the deals he passed on would have hurt us in the long run. If it was up to the majority of idiot Hab-nots, we would have Vinny Lecavalier, 15 goals and all, without Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec, maybe even PK Subban who has become one of the premier Defenseman in the AHL in his first year. Everything he did was thought out and thorough although the players he acquired almost never performed the way he expected they would. Lost opportunities in the names "Kovalev, Lang, Tanguay, Latendresse, Samsonov, Higgins, Ryder, McDonagh, David Fischer" might soon be joined by "Pacioretty, Lapierre, D'Agostini and Price", and ultimately this could be a core reason for our failures during the Bob era. Or maybe it's the guys who we let go, year after year, only to watch them have success elsewhere. "Well maybe we can let Souray go, at least we have Streit. Oh, you say they're both All Stars now? And they both do not play for the Canadiens?" Personally, I just never had that much of a problem with it. I felt each year Bob tried to put us in a position to compete, and in the early spring of 2008, it seemed everyone had forgotten why they hated Gainey so much. No one seemed to care about the "Niinimaa for Ribeiro" deal anymore, they all pretended to love Bob, only to turn their backs on him once again, after a team he did not play for, a team whose fortunes he could not change on the ice himself, started to slide. Maybe that's pro sports for you, a thankless and cruel world where the most repeated mantra is not "Play as a team!" or "For the love of the game!". It's more like "What have you done for me lately?". Maybe that's just Montreal, where the best/worst fans in the world scrutinize every deal, every signing every fart you let out, just because they happened to be privileged enough to grow up in an age of dynasties that no longer exists and need some happiness that they obviously cannot generate for themselves.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, as happy as you morons are who parade Montreal today, finally "ridding our glorious team of that boring and passive shlub", I warn you. I'm watching you cowards. And when things get bad in the new and improved Pierre Gauthier era, and I promise you, it will sooner than later, I dare you to go on the Team 990 where Tony and friends pleasure themselves to the doom and gloom of our 8th place team, and say out loud "Gauthier is garbage, I wish Gainey was back".

You take this team as it is, or don't take it at all.

Don't be a fucking hypocrite.

Peace True Believers,

And thanks for everything Bob, hope you find some happiness.

E

Nothing really bad to say. Habs 0 Sabres 1.

Well I'm annoyed.

Not angry or disappointed. Just annoyed that Ryan Miller decided to save everything.

I'm not mad at our Power Play, because they generated opportunities. I'm not mad at Carey Price because other than a wonky rebound, he played a perfect game.

I guess I'm mad at Ryan Miller because he happened to be good, but as a Hockey fan I have to give him props for a good game.

So who the hell should I be mad at?

I don't know. Maybe Fugliester, that Swiss douche that knocked Travis Hamonic out of the WJHC.

I cheered for the Swiss last night, but now I'm just hoping that whoever loses the Sweden USA game absolutely shmices those pacifist alps bastards.

But Habs, if Nido Niderrieter is still on the board at this years draft, we should definitely take a chance on this guy. From what I've seen this tournament, he is a monster.

Talk to you guys later, we'll get 'em next time.

Peace True Believers,

E

The most infuriating losing streak ever.

I could possibly deal with the Canadiens losing by hefty margins every game. At least I would know that we would have a shot at a lottery pick, but the last four games have (to paraphrase Peter Griffin) "Ground the fuck out of my gears".

All one goal games, all a product of the Canadiens inability to stay out of the Penalty box.

How much proof do we need that this is the reason we are losing games, seriously.

I truly believe this team has the talent to be a top 5 seed in this conference even without Markov and Gionta. If we would have won these four games and not gotten retarded penalties late, we would be looking at a team with 41 points, and tah dah! 5th seed in the East.

The Canadiens have immense potential to do something special this year, they have a 1st line that is producing and hard working checkers who do not quit on plays. Add that to a yeoman effort by Roman Hamrlik, the return of Andrei Markov one of the league's best D-Men and put it all in front of an inspired Carey Price who gives us a chance to win each game he starts, and we got a hell of a team. Right now the Canadiens Team is a Mercedes that was given by a Father to his stoner son who stains the leather seats with Wendy's wrappers when he gets the munchies for a Spicy Chicken Sandwich and fills it wit terrible low end gas.

Shit, I got to get myself to Wendy's one of these days. Love that sandwich.

Add this to Louis Leblanc getting cut from Team Canada, and it adds up to a pretty crappy week for Habs fans.

Oh by the way does anyone else find it funny that TSN is calling TSN 2 "the deuce"?

Stay positive.

Peace True Believers,

E