Plus/Minus skipped the St. Patrick's Day Parade

...I already did some day-drinking on Trade Deadline Day. It wasn't as fun as I'd hoped. So, no parade for me. This week was eventful enough as it is.
This is my first Plus/Minus post since my promise to cut down on my own anger and negativity. Let's see how I manage.

PLUS

So young!! (yoinked from thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com)

+ That last round of the shootout against Tampa Bay was punctuated by a wicked save by Carey Price, who caught the puck so easily you'd think someone had tossed it to him from two feet away.
+ MaxPac's biggest concern, at least for now, appears to be his vertebra. He hasn't shown major concussion symptoms (nausea, vomiting, etc) so it appears he might only have one major ailment to deal with. Which is awesome. (And while it may seem like great news that he'd be back during the playoffs, I'm hoping he decides to sit it out.)
+ Congrats to Roman Hamrlik for 1300 NHL games! And to another Czechtacular favourite, Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Adrian Aucoin, for playing in his 1000th game today.
+ The first period of Friday's game against the Rangers was brutal. Still, the team could've easily stopped trying and didn't. They kept pushing along and even though they didn't win, by the end of the game the loss didn't hurt so much.
+ Superpopular Habs prospect Danny Kristo wasted no time in his return to hockey after that nasty frostbite scare. He scored a goal in his first shift in his first game back, and picked up another two points the following game.

+ Congratulations to Jennifer Heil, closing out her skiing career with a silver medal in the last competition of the season. I'll miss watching her at the Olympics but I hope to see her again in another capacity. Maybe she'll join the man in her life and start coaching, or maybe CBC or CTV will be smart enough to hire her when they need someone in the broadcast booth.
+ This, part of the newest crop of NHL playoff commercials. So simple. I can't believe the playoffs start in three weeks.


MINUS

There's no context for this picture. I just like Halpern's disappointy angry face.

- Our friend Steve found an article in the Metro newspaper where some wiseguys decided it would be funny to draw comparisons between Muammar Gaddafi and the Canadiens' strategy for the rest of the season. Poor taste.
- Curtis Sanford underwent a successful surgery. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs will still be without him for the rest of the season.
- What do you mean, there are more injured Habs?
- I don't understand how anyone can simply assume a professional athlete would "fake" a concussion. Does anyone know if someone's written a very basic medical guide to the most common NHL injuries? It's the kind of thing I think we'd all benefit from reading.
- I'm giving myself a Minus, for forgetting to write Ryan White an awesome Happy Birthday post. Now we know for next year: Ryan White's birthday is March 17. (White born on St. Patrick's Day, Pyatt born on Valentine's... is there an NHL team with more holiday babies than the Habs?)
- MORE cut funding for women's hockey, this time at St. Mary's University in Halifax. Some of the country's elite female hockey players are upset about this. Last year I blogged about the importance of funding for young girls' hockey teams, and now it turns out that our universities are doing the same thing. Unfortunately, I don't know much about what went into making this decision, and I know that university budgets can be tricky, but cutting women's hockey, their third-most-popular sports program, doesn't seem like the best solution.

And, finally, everyone's had their say about the upcoming GQ article that lists "the worst fans in America." It's just a push to sell more magazines, and it's causing bad blood between sports fans. Don't give GQ the publicity it's so desperately asking for.

C'est à ton tour...

Kirk Christopher Muller is 45 years young today. And most likely wearing a smile as big as this one (though tomorrow's game will be telling, but let's not ruin this with that just yet).

Strange to think that it's already been eight and a half years since he last played in the NHL. Our favourite Kingstonite is also already verging on his fifth year as assistant coach for our beloved Tricolore. How the time flies! Here's to many more years of health, happiness, and most of all, in-game interview harassment by BFF Joel Bouchard :)

This day only comes once a year

I said it on time on Twitter, but I'm a little late here. It's a big week for my boys from BC. Saturday was Josh Gorges' birthday (26 turned 26!), and today is Carey Price's birthday, which is almost over, but if he's still on the West Coast then I've got quite a while left to send him good birthday vibes.

I didn't make any cupcakes for the occasion, and now I'm too intimidated.

I'm not sure what it means, though, to have your August birthday come and go without a new contract and watching a Hamilton goalie get traded for another support-staff goalie. I don't think there'll be any Carey/Karri hate going on, but it's kind of like your parents talking about your brother while you blow out your candles. Should we be paying attention to other goalies when there's a pretty big one who needs to be taken care of? (Most people are saying yes. So this is where I remind you all that I go by "Rookie".)

Saturday was also the birth day - literally - of my cousin's son. Little Jacob is cute, healthy, and 18 years away from being draft eligible. Tell your scouts about him!