Time to stuff it. Candiens 3 Penguins 2

Can we all take a communal sigh of relief?
I know many of you turned off your TVs when the Canadiens were down 2-1 late in the third.
"0-2 start, should have never dealt Halak"
"Can't believe the Leafs are going to have 4 more poins than us"
"I didn't take my Cialis today, and that's why I'm unhappy"
All real reactions to the game, until the Canadiens decided to bite back.
Josh Gorges threw it on the net and it was tipped by the great Jewtalian, making his triumphant return from suspension and having a field day in Pittsburgh, where he tore up the Pens in the playoffs. Most of us would have been happy with us going into Overtime, but Scott Gomez or "G-Love" to his friends, snuck a puck through the wickets of Marc-Andre Fleury. You could see by MAF's reaction, it was a softie, but we will take it.
I know it is the second game in the season, but can the negativity end here?
Carey Price is a good goaltender, I cannot understand the people who argue that he shouldn't be starting. Have you SEEN the saves he made last night?
Be quiet, and thank Mr. Price for keeping us in the game last night.
Next up: The Canadiens open up their season at home against the Lightning, or should we say Montreal, Florida.
It will be interesting to see how former Habs like Dominic Moore, Guy Boucher and yes, even Dan Ellis do against us, along with Quebecois stars like Lecavalier, St. Louis and Gagne.
Oh, and they still have Stamkos.
Peace,
E

2nd Intermission Update

The Habs got out to a slower start in the 2nd, but Andrei Kostitsyn made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone, fed it to Jaro Spacek who threw it in front and BAM!
Attack of the Jewtalian!

Mike Cammalleri has been Conne Smythey. I can safely say it now.

Then killing a powerplay, Travis Moen, MY FAVORITE THIRD LINER, MY ORIGINAL SELECTION TO THE BAWS LIST, BURRIES ITTT!! 4-0. AAAAND

IN COMES BRENT JOHNSON!!!!

THEN GIONTA ALMOST MAKES IT 5.

I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M STILL IN CAPS LOCK. I'M WAY TOO HAPPY.

WHAT IF MARC ANDRE FLEURY DIDN'T SHIT THE BED???

HISTORY WILL BE MADE!!

Whew. So everyone reading this, I am writing as the game goes on. So think of this as a literary highlight reel.

Back to the game, Halak played well, but gave up a bad chance in fron to Chris Kunitz. He made no mistake and buried it.

4-1 Habs.

The Canadiens cannot get shaken by this, they have to keep doing what they're doing. Crap, I was so happy, now it almost feels like we're down. We fans in Montreal have confidence issues.

No shit, I know.

TSN brain farted majorly in their update, crediting Kris Letang with his first of the playoffs.

Two things wrong with that, Letang didn't score and he has 5 already this playoff.

Dom Moore is playing so well, he almost set up a goal with about 8 minutes left by making a great rush to the net. Habs are still sticking it to the Pens, good to see. Hamr takes a penalty, the Habs NEED to make it out of this period unscathed. Sergei Gonchar has been absolutely dreadful tonight.

Jordan Staal tips a shot past Halak. 4-2.

They need to hang on. They need to calm down. At least now we have a game on our hands.

I really thought I wouldn't have a heart attack tonight. Well I guess that was wishful thinking. Things starting to get chippy. If they Habs can once again finish the period with a two goal lead, I'm happy. Matt Cooke is a little bitch. Fuck Gorges, why couldn't you let him have the puck and THEN hit him. Period over, still up 4-2, but we have a Power Play to deal with next period.

Peace true believers,

We can still do this.

E

Game 6 Preview: City on the edge.

After the Canadiens dramatic come from behind win against the Penguins Thursday night, I got the call that I would have the chance to attend game 6 tonight. I had high hopes resting on Saturday;s game, knowing that a win in Game 5 would give me a chance to see the Canadiens eliminate the Pens in front of a raucous Bell Centre crowd. So of course we lose Game 5. You know what though, I still have hope for this team. This is a team that can get the job done, they have shown us their grit in the clutch from the Washington series. There is no reason why the Canadiens can't skate out with a win and force a game seven. All they need is the fan support so be loud as hell. I wanna be partially deaf in the ear by the time the first is done.

Who knows what's going on with the D, I would just look stupid to speculate. Spacek looks ready to go, and Gill will be a game time decision. Makov will not play, I am sure of that.

So get ready, because in just over two hours, it will be Hockey's version of judgement day.

If the Canadiens win tonight, there is mad hope that they can take this series on Wednesday.

Peace true believers,

E

Against all odds. Habs 3 Penguins 2. Series tied 2-2

The title of my blog is also a very inspiring Phil Collins song.

Just thought you should know.

Well once again the Canadiens seemed up against the ropes, up for dead and with no magic left. Then, they win.

Wait what?

This team is courageous, resilient and to borrow a term from the lovely Brian Burke, truculent!

Their third liners, or "pluggers" as the Montreal media have branded them, put in an inspired effort including 2 of our 3 goals.

What it all comes down to though, is leadership in the face of adversity. The players signed by Bob Gainey this summer, the Cammalleris, the Giontas and Gills of this world, know exactly what it takes to win, and are embracing their underdog roles.

Like James A. Baldwin once said, the most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose. Now, ask me who James A. Baldwin is. It doesn't matter, because the Canadiens are now dangerous, and men on a mission. If I were the Penguins right now, I would start to sweat a little.

Enjoy the weekend,

Peace true believers,

E

Game 4 preview. Do not panic.

Well I think it's safe to say we all have avoided talking about Tuesday night's game. The truth is, the Canadiens gave it all they had, they just ran into a very good goaltender. It is not time to freak out, this series is not over yet. The Canadiens need to put the same effort in tonight, but they must keep the momentum up with an early goal or two. The series is not over, far from it. The Canadiens MUST win tonight, the Penguins are more consistent than the Capitals and will have no problem closing out a 3-1 series.

Enjoy the game, hopefully the weather clears up.

Peace true believers,

E

Trying to grab the Bull by the Balls. Game 3 Preview.

Hear those loud obnoxious horns, you see that effigy of Sid Crosby being burned at stake? No the FLQ haven't taken over, it's Round Two in Montreal! The streets will be buzzing and the Bell Centre will be at a decibel level formerly not known to mankind. The average Blood Alcohol level on Ste. Catharines tonight should be able to put the entire population in Westmount in the drunk tank for the night.

But I digress...

The Pittsburgh Penguins are not the Washington Capitals, they actually do have more self confidence than a 14 year old with a zit on her forehead. They can get the job done if given the chance to execute. So the Canadiens need to keep up their defensive wizardry. Hal Gill, Josh Gorges and P.K. Subban have to be rocks on the blue line yet again. Mike Cammalleri needs to keep finding those dead spots in the zone, and Andrei Kostitsyn needs to be super glued to the bench.

Emphasis on the Super Glue.

If the Canadiens can pull a victory off tonight, they put themselves in the driver's seat of this Eastern Conference Semi Final, and a lead a series 2-1 for the first time since the Bruins series in 2008. Our third line center was Bryan Smolinski. Yeah, it's been a while.

Enjoy the game and anyone who boos the national anthem should have to make out with Evgeni Malkin

I know, I've already used this picture. But I feel now is a good time to bring it out of the Montreal Hypocrites archive.

Peace true believers,

E

Making it a best of five series, Habs win 3-1 in Game #3

Well another series starts, another loss where we seemed totally mismatched, and another scrappy win the re-instill hope.

It's not even surprising anymore guys.

Well the Canadiens showed that they could once again roll with the big dogs with an 3-1 win led by the scoring brilliance of our favorite Jewtalian, Mike Cammalleri. Both his goals were brilliant, the first one a testament to his probably Italian natural soccer abilities, and the other a clutch snipe to put away the Pens. Jaroslav Halak's 38 saves were not in any way godly, but held the fort and was a great bounce back from his shaky Game 1. Andrei Kostitsyn only played a minute and a half, and Sergei was scratched. I think it is safe to say that these boys might have played themselves out of this city.

Hal Gill continues to be Hal Skill, and P.K. Subban is way too sick. The future is bright with the Subbinator in it.

On to Game 3, the Bell Centre will be rocking harder than Roman Polanski's trailer outside a middle school.
Low blow? I don't care this is a hockey blog.

Peace true believers,

E

Game time. Round Two: Canadiens vs. Penguins

Well, now that the after party of our stunning game seven victory is nearing it's end, it's time to face a sobering reality. Tonight the Canadiens take on the Pittsburgh Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup champions led by Sidney Crosby who had 14 points in only six games against the Senators.

Buzz kill,

I know.

So how can we take this team down? They are more disciplined than the Capitals, have proven goaltending and their best players have been their best players. If this team wants to hold up against the Penguins they need to keep doing what they are doing, but improve greatly in other areas. For example, the shut down tandem of Gill and Gorges will need to continue to frustrate the opponent's top lines by getting their sticks in traffic and muscling them off the puck. Although, only 15 shots are not going to be enough to outscore this team. Marc Andre Fleury is a far more mature, consistent and talented Goalie than Semyon Varlamov. He wasn't the first overall pick in 2003 for nothing. One player for the Canadiens who has to step it up is another 2003 draftee, the 10th overall pick Andrei Kostitsyn. Since scoring a hat-trick in game two, he has looked incredibly flakey and has trouble hitting the nets on his shots. Something that goes without saying is that Jaroslav Halak needs to be Jaroslav Halak. His first round performance will go down as one of the best series performance by a goalie of all time, if he does not put the same effort into this series, it will not be remembered for long.

As we've seen from the Capitals series, the Canadiens can play with the NHL's elite, the team needs to continue to be inspired and the fans need to keep supporting this club. Because, who knows? This could be a team of destiny.

Enjoy the game.

Peace true believers,

E

I want you to imagine this for a moment.

I want you to assume that Marian Hossa's last minute poke check ended up in Detroit's net.

I want you to assume the 6th Game of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals went to OT.

I want you to assume Sid Crosby shoved in a rebound in the second overtime. Pens win.

I want you to assume that Jarkko Ruutu, Ryan Malone, Georges Laraque, Adam Hall, Gary Roberts and Ryan Whitney missed the Pens charter to Detroit.

I want you to assume that Miro Satan, Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, Craig Adams, Ruslan Fedotenko and Matt Cooke took their place.

I want you to assume that Dallas Drake felt too tired to play, and retired on the spot.

I want you to assume right before the game, Marian Hossa had a revelation and walked over to Detroit's dressing room, thinking he had a better shot with the Wings. Coincedentally, the Red Wings had a #81 Hossa jersey lying around.

Funny huh, we could've played the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals game Seven 365 days ago.

Enjoy these next two days.

Friday is the last Hoceky game of the season.

Wow.

Peace,

E

The game that nobody cares about... Habs Pens Preview

As Eric Engels of Hockey Buzz so eloquently stated, Thursday's 5-4 Overtime loss was "The most celebrated loss in the history of the Montreal Canadiens".
I know...
Tonight's season finale versus Sid the Kid and the Pittsburgh Penguins seems incredibly anti-climactic.

There's been a lot of debate lately over whether the Habs should go all out tonight for a higher spot at 7th or if we should rest our players and expect to play our rivals the Boston Bruins.
It seems that Bob is leaning twoards the 2nd option, as reportedly Alex Tanguay will sit, Kaptain K will play on the 4th line and Kovy will wing a line with Glen Metropolit and Chris Higgins.

Oh Yeah, they're definitley going all out tonight.....
Duuuuhhhuuuurrrr!!!
So anyway, enjoy this game, I don't think it will be as intense as our last match, and get ready for one hell of a regular season finale interview with Coach Obrand.
Peace True Believers,
E