Five years.

Five years ago today, on Tuesday, March 13th, 2007, I walked into the Bell Centre wearing a Canadiens T-shirt. For the first time.

My friend Caroline offered me her extra ticket to a Habs-Islanders game. We sat in the Club Desjardins section, thanks to her dad's corporate season tickets. I bought my Koivu shirt that day. Koivu was awarded the Molson Cup for the previous month. The Habs won.

I still don't think I know everything about hockey, but I definitely know more than I did before that game. Back then, Czechtacular and I were just friends-in-law: our mutual friends joked to me that she could teach me everything I needed to know about the Habs before I went to the game. I took them seriously. My Facebook message to her was answered with a series of messages that, when printed out, took up three pages. She answered everything from "Does Guy Carbonneau hate Russians?" to "Are there midfielders in hockey?" to "I know some of the guys' jersey numbers but who are the rest of them?"

Yeah. I wasn't kidding with this Rookie thing.

Here are a few excerpts from the cheat sheet that Czechtacular wrote up for me five long years ago:

#8, Michael Komisarek [...] basically he just freaking ROCKS. 


#20, Mike Johnson, right wing.


#26, Josh Gorges, defense. We just got him at the trade deadline in exchange for Craig Rivet so I don't know too much about him. He's just "the new guy."


#30, David Aebischer, goalie. [...] He tends to flop all around his crease... (I had no idea what any of those words meant.)

#32, Mark Streit, defense/winger. He's come into his own this year.


#35, Tomas Plekanec, centre. Uhm this paragraph may be long because he's my favourite player. (She wasn't joking, either. It's a hell of a paragraph. I learned so much about Tomas Plekanec that day.)

I read and re-read those pages throughout the day, and took them with me to the game. A lot has change in the last five years: New guy Josh Gorges is now one of the most important players on the team. Captain and Molson Cup winner Saku Koivu just played his 1000th NHL game. I've learned more than a few things about hockey. The team, the fans who have so graciously taught me everything I know about the game, and I have grown and changed a lot in these five years.

In an interesting twist of fate, I get to walk into the Bell Centre again tonight. Thank you, Black Keys, for scheduling a concert on Tuesday, March 13th. It'll feel like coming home.

I want a do-over

It looks as though the Leafs' idea to make their ice out of river water from everywhere in Canada (!) paid off. We're screwed, then, because the Leafs won and Toronto still thinks it's the center of the universe. Remember, everyone: Montreal has better bagels. And Arcade Fire. So yeah, OK, Toronto, you won this game, but whatever. Go listen to Down With Webster and eat your bagels that look like donuts.

Oh, and Toronto? You brought out Leafs legends from all ten provinces before the game, but Canada also has territories. And they hate you now.

"Remember us?"

Carey Price may have started the game in a not-ideal way, letting in 2 goals in the first ten minutes, but he quickly found his stride and made us all forget he was sick yesterday. Which is excellent news for Jaroslav Spacek, who wasn't exactly in top shape tonight. If I were Spacek, I'd thank Carey Price profusely.

Other than Carey Price, one person on the Canadiens payroll is probably smiling quite a bit: Pierre Gauthier. Our two goals came from new guys, to which I say good job, Boyd and Halpern. And shape up, Scott Gomez: an almost-goal is not the same thing as a goal.

I'm hoping that for the majority of the season, this team can stay healthy. If the Canadiens have a full roster for most of the season, they'll be ok, but powerplays just weren't as good as they needed to be because we were missing key players.

Also missing: fights. It took the Battle of Alberta like ten seconds to get fighty. This was just a little bit too tame for a Habs-Leafs game... unless you count the fight that broke out after the game ended. Ryan White could have fixed that. But I won't dwell on White being cut... as long as Mathieu Darche can stop taking stupid penalties. He knows better.

Okay, it wasn't a perfect game. That's okay, game 2 is in less than 48 hours, and the Habs know a thing or two about beating Pittsburgh.

Congratulations, Chicago Blackhawks

2010 Stanley Cup champions.

Here It Goes Again

Game 5 is upon us, and it's yet another elimination game. The Habs, the journalists, and the fans know this dance so well that we don't even need to hear the music anymore.

A very important step in the playoff tango

This time a lot of people think that our team has reached the end of the road, and really only one thing has remained unsaid: It's not over til it's over, bitches!

Go Habs Go.

HABS WIN!

I watched the whole game. I watched the postgame interviews. I watched the recaps and the fans flooding the streets to celebrate (and let me tell you that I've never seen that many people, ever, on Ste. Catherine and Crescent, not even during Grand Prix weekend... so racecar drivers can now know for sure that they take a backseat to hockey in this town). The Canadiens have won another Game 7, this time against the Pittsburgh Penguins and their captain, the other best player in the NHL. (Or so they say.)

And they won. I'm having trouble believing that this is actually true. Yes, me, one of the most positive Habs fans on the planet.

The Canadiens will play the first game of the Eastern Conference Final (!!!!) on Sunday. Get ready to hear from us a lot from now until then... It might take me a while to actually believe this is happening.

Game 7 is upon us

... I'm nervous. I may have to pop some Rolaids before this game starts.

Mike Cammalleri: the reason why all of Pittsburgh is quiet

What's there to say? The Canadiens are the little team that could, somehow surpassing all expectations and living up to their century of legends at the same time. They made Washington nervous. They made Pittsburgh nervous. They may even have caused a couple of locker-room tears. (One can only hope... and laugh.)

Whatever happens, once this game is over thousands of crazy fans will pour out of both the Mellon Arena and the Bell Centre (completely sold out, by the way, there isn't a ticket to be had anywhere for tonight's screening) and some kind of insanity will probably go down. Hopefully not too much property damage will occur (and only to people that deserve it, like the retailers who badmouth the Canadiens while selling team merchandise).

This could be the game of the season. It will likely be the game that defines next season. And maybe, one can only hope, that it will be the game that ultimately proves that the Penguins can never, ever be sure of a win against the Habs.

I'm going to be sitting on pins and needles until this game is over.

Yes. Really.

Habs beat the Capitals. Bring on the Penguins.

I can't believe it either. I'm a little too giddy to blog, but after the entire team played such a fantastic game and WON the series, I think the accomplishment speaks for itself. At least until we're able to collect ourselves.

I'm going to quote "I'm On A Boat" here, because I just can't help it: Shut the fuck up. This shit is REAL:

2010 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
SERIES I		#4 vs. #8	Network
Friday, April 30		at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, RDS, VERSUS
Sunday, May 2		at Pittsburgh, 2:00 p.m.	NBC, CBC, RDS
Tuesday, May 4		at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, RDS, VERSUS
Thursday, May 6		at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, RDS, VERSUS
*Saturday, May 8		at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, RDS, VERSUS
*Monday, May 10		at Montreal, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, RDS, VERSUS
*Wednesday, May 12		at Pittsburgh, TBD	CBC, RDS, VERSUS

Seven is a lucky number. I'm a little superstitious.

This is it, kids. Game 7. What's there to say? Other than everything, of course...

I'm starting to believe more and more in this team, even more than I usually do (and that's quite a lot). I think the Habs can win it, and if they do, they'll just build momentum and keep going and as fans we'll just have to try and keep up. Like a lot of people, I've been daydreaming and getting a little carried away. But I believe in this team. No matter what happens, I believe in this team.

I'm pretty sure ~czechtacular is currently unavailable for real discussion, due to the Game 7 heartbreak that took place yesterday. I should have made her Coyotes cupcakes.

I'm sorry, Ilya

If there's anything we've learned from that game, though, it's that home-ice advantage doesn't always give the home team an edge. (Okay, yes, the fifth-place Detroit Red Wings, who are Cup Finals fixtures, beat the fourth-place Coyotes, so it's not excessively surprising, I know.)

Suddenly everyone believes in the Habs, both inside and outside the city. Crazy fans aren't the only ones who think the Canadiens can win it.

(Oh, and according to Twitter, Mike Cammalleri is reading The Art of War. That can't hurt, right?)

Washington. Wednesday. See you there.

(Note: I will not be at that game, but the Habs will.)

The Stanley Cupcakes worked. Game 6 was brilliant and I'm bouncing off the walls. Too much sugar will do that to you. Years from now, we'll look back at this year as The Postseason Where Czechtacular And Rookie Got Fat. I'm so hyper right now that I'm picturing myself eating cupcakes for weeks to come, letting the pounds and calories accumulate as our team gets closer and closer to Cup #25.

I definitely need to ingest less sugar during games.

Nonetheless, a fantastic win. Jaroslav Halak has etched his name into the record books with 53 saves, being alternately solid and mind-blowingly good tonight. Mike Cammalleri scored two fantastic goals, and proved just how good he is overall. Josh Gorges left it all on the ice tonight - I'd be surprised if he had any energy left to drive out of the Bell Centre. Hal Gill stepped it up and proved he could be as much of an asset to his team on the ice as he is off it. Maxim Lapierre played a tremendous game, diving penalties and all. (Seriously? "Diving" is a penalty? What is this, soccer?) "Suddenly Subban" did extremely well in his first NHL playoff game. I'm quite sure the Bulldogs will be able to manage without him.

I was hoping the Canadiens would play well in this series, but I never expected this. They've been amazing. Anything beyond this would be icing on the cake.

Yes, I chose a cake analogy on purpose.

It's not over....

...but it's now or never.

I don't know of any other less cataclysmic method of summarizing what tonight is supposed to mean to Habs' fans. Frankly, I'm almost all out of words, period. The same gaggle of enthusiasm that overpowered a whole city (and thensome) after Tomas Plekanec's overtime winner in Game One that prompted the creation of Stanley Cup commercial parodies of "What if Theodore was as good as Miller or Brodeur?" has been replaced with a cloud of devastation and disappointment, all signs pointing to the 3-1 deficit that now seems impossible to surmount.

eep! (habsinsideout.com)

Impossible because of the missed opportunities on one side and the capitalized opportunities on the other. Impossible because of the lack of consistency in officiating. Impossible because number 1 in the playoffs is facing number 16. Impossible because there were only 6 seconds left in that period.

But is it impossible to show them what we're made of, on their ice, just one more time?

Or two?

It's been done. We know it's been done. There are some elements of the last decade that haven't been complete aberrations (much to the contrary of what it may seem like now). We remember those, and we remember it was 3-1 then, too.

We'll see.

Jaroslav Halak gets the call. Habs' fans take their seats. Some get out their keyboards (shameless promotion: the live blog on The Checking Line that will take place throughout the game, featuring your comments and writers' insight. I might pop by for a bit myself) and all eyes will be on Game Five, underway at 7 tonight.

What to expect

Two games in two days on this Easter weekend. And they're not going to be easy games (not that we can predict "easy" games at this point in the season... right, Mr. Staal?).

We've reached a point in the season that we saw last year as well, and I didn't like it then. No, I don't like it now either. The playoffs are approaching faster than your unwanted Easter guests, and we're not sure the Habs are ready. Winning is crucial at this point in the season, but the team is weary and there are more than enough fans who've reached the point of um, let's be tactful and say irrational armchair coaching.

So, to those people, here's what's going to happen this weekend, and I can't believe you need someone like me to spell it out for you:

Yes we can

Tonight, Montreal plays Philadelphia. Now, if you don't already know that the Flyers like to punch people, and that the Habs are on their favourites list, then you don't have much time to catch up. Both teams need these two points, badly, and the Flyers will probably fight very hard to get what they want, which is excellent news since this is the time of year where everyone's injured and no one's telling. It's very possible that the Canadiens will crank out an awesome win, but keep in mind what usually happens when a team plays dirty.

Tomorrow, the Habs come home to the Bell Centre, where fans will likely be enjoying their Saturday night up in the cheap seats, and where yes, Carey Price may or may not be our starting goalie. You'll probably complain about this, but if you haven't considered the fact that Jaro might be a little tired from a busy season and the Olympics and oh, right, having played the night before, then you need to spend a little more time thinking about it. Especially you, Adam.
(Yes, I just called out a hater by name. He's probably not reading this but if he is, maybe he's learning something.)
Oh yeah, and the Habs will be playing the Sabres, boosted by Ryan Miller, who's been pretty tough to get around this season. It's not going to be easy. The team wants to win just as much as we want them to win, but two games in two nights with all the pain and pressure won't necessarily mean four points.

Just warning you. You know, in case you decide to be one of those Twitter monsters that ~czechtacular mentioned earlier this week, or one of the drunken Bell Centre superstars that Dave Stubbs called out, or one of the people who complains about a certain goalie all the time but wants PK Subban to wear the CH right now at any cost.

Okay, I feel better now that I've let all this out.

...and so czechtacular gains psychic powers, apparently

I feel like that last post was pre-emptive of the ... events that transpired at the Bell Centre this evening. It's times like these where being right actually doesn't make me happy, and by that I mean all the boos and the tweets and Facebook statuses (statii?) dealing with Carey Price tonight.

Despite the recurrence of this scenario, some will still argue it. The recipe for disaster was actually not the man between the pipes this evening, but rather the inefficiency to capitalize at the right moments. Where's that Any Given Sunday speech? You know, the game of inches, and so on. You can fight all you want for that inch, but you still might not get it in the end. It can be flukey, it can be the bitterest pill to swallow, it may not make sense no matter how you look at it, but blame does not and should not rest on the shoulders of any one man in that room.

Unlike my references to poor JF in the previous entry, this season is one that's not over. Roman Hamrlik's misguided block accident has not yet come at a terminal cost. I don't know about you, but I'm looking at Friday night, whose implications have much bigger fish to fry than one bad goal and a case of the Cam Ward-led Spoiler Crew. Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love? Not anymore.

Original Six, Original Hunger: Game Preview 3-16-10

(Hmm. Taken by yours truly last week)

Concistency, certainly win streaks, are difficult to come by when you're these two teams. There's almost a giddiness you can attach to the feeling when you're in one, in addition to the obvious need to keep it going for the sake of post-season action. The Habs haven't lost since San Jose 5 games ago and the Rangers are in search of a third straight addition to the W column.

The Habs are instilling confidence in their fans in their push for the playoffs (it seems the more I try to be a cynic, the more it works in their favour, so there's a new approach. How about this sentence now:) However, Tomas Plekanec despite his practicing this morning remains doubtful for tonight's game.

Our starting goaltender for the evening, Jaroslav Halak, maintains one thing : “It’s a team game.” AKA no matter who is or isn't playing, let's have at it, shall we? It's brought us good things so far.

"I am a Ranger" sounds a bit too much like "Nous sommes Canadiens," I realized upon my visit to MSG

• King Henrik Lundqvist is King against the Canadiens, apparently. Interesting fact pulled from Yahoo!Sports: "[he] went 6-1-0 with a 1.86 GAA and a shutout in his last seven home starts versus Montreal." Uh. Those are some numbers.


• Sean Avery, wouldn't you know it, is +10 in 13 games against Montreal. When he's on the ice, you know stuff happens.


• Marian Gaborik, Olli Jokinen, Vaclav Prospal (and all that jazz), you know, the petulent goal scorers that seem to wait for me to be watching a game before lighting up the lamp and celebrating in the most annoying fashion.


• Brandon Dubinsky too, with his 8 points in 11 games against the Habs.


• Another Brandon (Prust, you knew it was coming) is reaching all-time highs in ice time and not fighting so much. "So what?" you say. There's a reason Calgary's repatriated him every chance they got (and it wouldn't surprise me if they tried again after this season). In addition to his team toughness (and the Rangers already have a lot of that, I didn't mention Jody Shelley yet but there he is) he's got undervalued hockey smarts.

So we meet again: Game Preview 3-13-10

Because player-specific bullet points get redundant when you play teams more than 4 times a year, I'm cheaping out on you tonight and giving you a skinny:

Boston has played three games less than Montreal and are only two points away from tying them at 7th place, but have just learned the severity of Marc Savard's injury (he's out for the rest of the season). However, they have only brought one win out of the rest of the season's matchups between the two teams and you have to imagine that something's gotta give in that situation. Montreal barely squeaked out a W against Edmonton the other night and by no means want to make this as close (or as freaky-deaky) a game as that. Rask faces Halak in goal, Maxim Lapierre returns from suspension, Zdeno Chara is the NHL's version of Lurch, and insert other game fact here.

Oh right, and the "any excuse to show my German side" tag gets its use here:

:D BON MATCH, M'DAMES & MESSIEURS.

(Making an "overuse of caffeine" tag, stat)

Blood in the water: Game Preview 3-4-10

It's no secret that the Sharks have been true to to their name this season. Well. Pretty close to it, anyway. Sitting at 89 points in 63 games, they reign over the sea of the Western Conference with only the Chicago Blackhawks in their way of top seed (same amount of points, but Chicago has two more wins). Not to mention they have about half of Team Canada's gold-medal winning roster in their ranks. The Canadiens, in addition to their usual western roadtrip habits, have not been able to win at the hp pavilion this decade (may I just take this opportunity to point out that a 21 year old Marco Sturm was in that November 23rd, 1999 game).

I had to.

However, both teams are 5-4-1 in their last ten games and there are no wild cards at play since neither team made changes (aside from Matt D'Agostini's departure, good luck, Dags) at yesterday's trade deadline. If there was a time for our beloved Tricolore to pull out a surprise win, tonight's matchup would be it.

The two teams last met a year ago, and Jaroslav Halak stood on his head as the Canadiens took the Bell Centre meeting 3-2. No word on a starting goaltender as of yet, but indicators might point to Carey Price making a second straight appearance as he wasn't too shabby in the 4-1 win against Boston on Tuesday and Halak is still recovering from his Olympics.

Bigger leads are better against the Sharks, as they nearly pulled out a win (or at least a point) against New Jersey after being down 4-0, a.k.a. defensive hockey won't cut it here tonight.

Some Jaws-related pun that I can't think of at the moment

• Ottawa native Dan Boyle is a sneaky little playmaking defenseman, responsible for 12 points, mostly assists (but you know he can score), against the Canadiens over the course of his career.
• Russian backstop Evgeni Nabokov is looking to rebound from the last two weeks he spent in Vancouver. Sharks' coach Todd McLellan was recently quoted as saying the team's confidence in their goaltender hasn't faltered, and you can bet he'll be ready to prove them right.
• Devin Setoguchi manned the near-comeback against New Jersey with two goals.
• In the "predicting who will score for Team Canada" mission I inadvertently gave myself, Dany Heatley was always the one who kept me from being right 100% of the time (I had a ridiculous accuracy rate going for the round robin).
• Of course there's also Jumbo Joe Thornton, but don't forget little Joe Pavelski either.
• At this rate, there should probably be a bullet point for the entire team.

And we're back! Game Preview 3-2-10

This is the situation I will hereby refer to as The Clump: the ugly, unwanted stress that comes with six teams jostling for three spots in the playoffs. The Canadiens currently have 64 points, and tonight's opposition, 65. Boston has a handful of Olympic returnees, as do the Habs.

Tonight's matchup question: which team has the bigger Olympic hangover?

As mentioned on the Team 990 this morning, a major issue for the Habs is the fact that they will seemingly never have games in hand from here on out, and any losing streak will mark their playoff chances pretty negatively. Basically, this is a less-than-agreeable time for a roadtrip, much less one to California after this game. Los Angeles is no longer a freebie with their remarkable season, and despite Anaheim's struggles, they have quite a bit of fight left in them. San Jose, uh, well. No need to elaborate. Yet the Habs seem to play better against teams with better positions in the standings, so they have the power to surprise as well.

Bruins and stuff

• David Krejci's wakeup call has been the Olympics, where he played brilliantly before the Czechs' elimination. He should be en route to continue that pace, barring a complete meltdown.


• Mark Recchi seems to be Mr. Clutch for the Bruins as of late, and there's the ex-Hab factor in here as well.


• Marc Savard. Usual pain-in-the-butt scoring qualities that I may have eluded to previously.


• Marco Sturm was the thorn in the Habs' side the last time the two teams faced off.

On beating the Capitals

Every now and then, a team will play a game that says a lot about them as a team, and as a franchise.

Last night's 6-5 OT win against the Washington Capitals was that kind of game.

The Canadiens proved that there's a lot to be proud of. Our prospect development might be seeing a turnaround, as Tom Pyatt and David Desharnais recorded their first NHL points. Our small forwards (that ever-popular joke material) played big. Even Scott Gomez got in on the game. You know it's a special night when Gomez scores a goal. The team proved that when they really get things going, they can overcome pretty much any challenge.

It was also the proof, once and for all, that some idiots will never be happy with this team. They didn't seem to notice that the Canadiens ended the Capitals' 14-game winning streak, a feat that not even the reigning Stanley Cup champions were able to accomplish. I'm not even sure these people even know the Habs won. Hell, some of them (I won't name names, but they're people who should know better) couldn't even stop player-hating long enough to acknowledge that their home team won. Two points, hello? Isn't that a good thing? They couldn't even set aside the so-called "goalie controversy" long enough to realize that Jaroslav Halak might need some rest, and that it's maybe not a good idea to have him start every game before our Philadelphia aller-retour, tire himself out, then jump on a plane to Vancouver, be Slovakia's go-to guy for the Olympics, and come back and play some more. Even if this was the case, there'd be more bellyaching no matter where the Canadiens wind up in the standings come season's end.

People like this are exactly the reason why we haven't won the Stanley Cup in over a decade. There, I said it. You know what else I'm going to say? Congratulations, Habs, on an exciting win despite a slew of injuries and a really tough opponent.

Washington @ Montreal 2-10-10

This is a shirt I wanted, but will have to hold off on buying, at least for tonight. The good thing is that it can apply to more than one Tomas, and that I can deal with.
Since I had a pre-game responsibility of another nature all day and missed out on the game preview, I come to you now with a live blog. Quick bullet points before puck-drop:

• Carey Price finally gets some ice time in goal, facing Michal Neuvirth, who has 4 wins in his last 4 starts. Washington's got a ridiculous win-streak going if you haven't heard about it by now (14). Also the same number of points separating them from the 2nd place Devils last I checked.


• Alexander Semin has five game-winning goals, and he and his buddy Tomas Fleischmann (see shirt design) were a lethal double-team last time they faced the Habs, which I missed, which is good, as both of them happen to be part of my extracurricular Enjoyable Hockey Players and I'm not allowed to enjoy them in such a context.


• Mike Green is back after nearly decapitating Kladno native Michael Frolik, so you can bet I'll be one of the ones looking on pretty skeptically.

First period notes:

• Holy quick start, Batman. Gomez allows Tom Pyatt to get his first NHL point. Penalty upcoming, though.
• This game is happening faster than I can type it. 1-1, Brooks Laich with the goal from the infamous two extracurriculars.
• I've lost track of which Hamiltonians are here and which aren't.
• First time I actually see the "C" on Ovechkin. I feel like there should have been more fanfare around that.
• Maxwell to the box for hooking. The only thing fun about that is his caption which says "Benjamin."
• I just realized the ridiculous amount of hockey I have to follow tonight.
• Gionta and Pleks shorthanded 2 on 1 ruined by my favourite Kladno-killer.
• Hope Tom Pyatt can provide some energy in this game (not that it's currently lacking.)
• RT (yes, in a blog) @All_Habs: Bell Centre seats seem to filled, but sounds like game is in Atlanta.
• Semin in the box. Capitalizing on the Capitals? ...We'll never know. Gionta goes off with a penalty of his own.
• ....Josh? Yikes.
• The place seems to have gone completely dead. Kudos goes to the Capitals for their response to that injury. End 1st.

(Intermission: all I seemed to notice was the "Krispy Kernels" ad behind Jacques Demers' head.)

Second period notes:

• PYATTTTTTTTTT!! First point and now first goal in the NHL. Assists to O'Byrne and Gomez.
• ...And Washington's use of the classic tic-tac-toe ensures their ridiculously-quick response to THAT.
• Desharnais' turn. Soon, please? Or I'll need more wine.
• Maybe Pleks' line could stop being offside sometime soon?
• Since when is Ovie anti-McGill?
• Goalie change, just as my mother (the one who keeps reminding us Jose Theodore exists) comes downstairs. Coincidence? I think not. Also nice timing for the fans to wake up in this game.
• Habs to the powerplay! It's about time. Don't ruin it now.
• First half looks like a powerfail. Second half has some nice passes but no finish.
• "OMG. omg. OMG! omg. (pause) whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" - the most coherent translatable reaction to the Pyatt line's barrage, all stopped by Theodore.
• Brendan Morrison to the box on that play. Hopefully less of a powerfail will result...
• Pleks hits the side of the net, aaaaaaaaaand DESHARNAIS' 1ST NHL POINT. Unless Toronto decides otherwise.
• Not so. Glen Metropolit does indeed record his 12th goal of the year. How long before the Caps respond to this one?
• Sergei Kostitsyn and Maxim Lapierre team up and give the Caps more of a challenge. 4-2 Habs. Good on them!
• HALA--err. The Price is Right!
• Kinda wish the Habs would save their best for every team, not just the throne-holders of the league.
• Well. That goal was a ball-buster. Everybody into the net?....Waved off. Wow.
• Ryan O'Byrne was rude and will have a two-minute time-out.
• Pleks looked like he wanted to have a little rest on Ovie's shoulder listening to that explanation.
• PING.
• Update on Gorges via Twitter (might also have been from the TV but my parents have been conversing loudly as part of their own liveblog): RT @All_Habs: Gorges with scalp laceration, lost fair amount of blood but will be ok.
• PLEKS! Sweet pass from Sergei and ladies and gentlemen, we have chicken wings! End 2nd.

Third period notes:

• 13 seconds. And 3 seconds after that, it's 5-3 on Mike Green (him again)'s 14th of the year. Numerical irony there if you can spot it.
• "There goes Pyatt's GWG," - Rookie. Good point, sadly made :(
• PING.
• Sergei K has been silently kickass this game. Right there, he was loudly kickass.
• "Potty?" - my brother on Washington's #3. I haven't been paying attention to see if RDS still calls him that.
• "MAKE SOME NOISE!" Yeah. Maybe something other than chanting poor Theo's name. (I was a fan, okay)
• ...damnit. On second thought, maybe you can resume that taunting.
• Uh oh. 5-4. And now RDS is all over O'Byrne.
• Boyd Gordon sounds like a cheesy superhero name from one of those shows you'd find on Teletoon Retro.
• Ovechkin. Go away.
• Youppi sitting where he does in the third period irritates me. If you know me well this isn't the first time you've read this. (To quote Christian Bale, the words "it's fucking distracting!" come to mind)
• Another powerplay (or powerfail?) ... answered by one Hal Gill.
• I reinterate the point I made three bullet points ago.
• My mom just said a bad word. In French.
• Fleischmann, how dare you even try.
• My dad just said a bad word. In French. (But seriously, was that really a non-call? Poor Gionta.)
• .......
• From a score that was 5-2, RDS shouldn't be tipping their hat to the Habs getting a point. They also gave one away.

Overtime (...) notes:

• My dad's "affection" for Ovechkin can be resumed in the word "hotdog."
• Someone be my hero. Someone whose jersey isn't dominantly white. Please.
• The Halakisms are on their way back in the fans' vocabulary already. Where's the justice in that? I don't see any.
• !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY HERO WAS MY HEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. (My poor dog has run for the hills.)
• I can't formulate any other comment, other than my joy at my post picture being ironically relevant. So I leave it up to you. Habs win! 6-5 in OT!

Canada's juniors win silver medal

Team Canada ended a great tournament by playing a good game, and an especially good third period, but fate decided that silver looked better on this year's jerseys.

I'm an eternal optimist, so while some people are having fun bellyaching, I'm trying to look on the bright side (I hate stomachaches). Great players have won silver, bronze, or not even made it to medals. And the only reason why losing the gold-medal game is disappointing is because has Canada played so well in every game. While they may not have won this game, these players are going to make a huge impact when we see them in the NHL.

And Habs' prospect Danny Kristo gets to end his tournament on a high note.