Plus/Minus: Cool as ice

Somehow this Plus/Minus is longer than the two games the Canadiens played this week. And considering how long that Devils game felt, that's saying something. I took a break from it to watch The Office and I doubt I missed a single thing.

PLUS

+ Andrei Kostitsyn: holy crap. I wish Statistics Canada could give us stats on how many people got rid of their #46 shirts before this season and now regret it.
+ I almost want to give Carey Price two pluses: One for playing so well, even though one of this week's shutouts didn't belong to him, and the other for giving me the kind of happiness that only comes from giving Carey Price a plus every week.
+ Steve Bégin has a job!! Proud of him.
+ Did you guys see Marc Denis on TSN? He was much more focused and articulate than I've ever seen him on French TV. He gets a plus for keeping it together in a language that isn't his first, on a network that has slightly higher standards than RDS.
+ Building another rink for kids to skate on. Canadiens > municipal government.
+ Elsewhere in the league: hat tricks! Daniel Alfredsson (scoring his 1000th NHL point), Brad Richardson led the LA Kings to a win (matching the #GoKings' win in the Twitter hashtag battle for charity) and John Tavares and Lee Stempniak scored their first NHL hat tricks. (It's OK, Stemps isn't a Leaf anymore.)

GONE

+ If you're a Flyers fan, savour this moment for all it's worth. I may never give a Plus to a Flyer ever again. But Scott Hartnell has truly earned this Plus for donating his hair to Locks of Love. There's a sick little kid somewhere who's going to love his or her new wig, no matter whose hair it contains. And anyone who's cut their long hair really short knows that you notice when it's gone.

MINUS

- We had to wait 5 (FIVE!) days between Canadiens games.
- And then not a single goal against the Devils.
- Did I mention that I didn't see last Saturday's game, so I actually went six days between games?
- Now that Dave Morissette, giant teddy bear and BFF of PJ Stock, has left RDS, all the network has going for it is, um, Pierre Houde. And ok, Guy Carbonneau too. What are the odds that they'll hire someone else I like, or fire pretty much anyone not mentioned here?

Is there anyone left in this picture worth watching?

- Speaking of RDS: Alain Crete. The jacket. Again.- Does Mike Boone think that the Four Habs Fans are holding auditions for a #5? In the last week alone, he ripped off their "capitalize the CH wherever possible" thing, imitated the style of their Morning Skate posts, and talked about hoochies ice girls. It's not funny when Boone does it. Do what you're paid to do, guy.
- You know what? It's not even worth writing about all this "Rick Rypien attacks a fan" business. If you didn't already know that you should accept the consequences of your actions, now you do. The "fan" got a little shaken up (literally) after getting out of his seat to shout at an already angry hockey player. Rick Rypien let out his frustrations on someone other than an opponent. Whatever. And, by the way, it seems a little strange to me that the "victim" gave his statement to the NHL, then went crying to the press, and THEN went looking for legal representation after that. Then again, I am neither a lawyer nor a lawsuit-happy opportunist, so what do I know?
- Edmonton: good job getting cheerleaders. You know, because having three of the most talked-about rookies in the league isn't going to help you sell tickets. Taylor who? People go to hockey games for the skanks, right?

Not sure if this is a plus or minus
Did anyone else notice, in his pre-Senators game interview, Tom Pyatt's hair made him look a little bit like Vanilla Ice?

HDIC post-mortem

Yesterday was my first Hockey Day In Canada, since I missed it last year, and I only missed part of it this year, but I'm pretty sure that I don't actually like it as much as I thought I did.

I couldn't bring myself to post a picture of ailing Cammy, but luckily I found this one picture from yesterday before the injury

By now you know what happened to Mike Cammalleri, who has not missed a single game yet this season, and that it sucks. We'll know exactly how much it sucks when his MRI results come out. We'll stay tuned for post-practice interviews and announcements tomorrow. That's probably when the bomb drops.

And the Habs lost. And Hockey Day In Canada was rife with Tim Hortons commercials starring a guy who doesn't play for any of the six Canadian NHL teams and never will.

Yesterday's big stars were probably the Canucks' Sedin line, who lit up in the third period for one hell of a comeback, and the Calgary Flames, who flattened the Oilers and made their C of red very, very happy.

Looks like postgame celebrations were cut short.

I guess they'll start calling him "the CN Tower"

Dion Phaneuf used to be huge and awesome (no, male readers, I'm NOT in love with him, I just have had mad respect for him) before he became a Toronto Maple Leaf, which he now is.

No, I don't believe it either, and I don't like it very much, but it looks like the Leafs are suiting up to fight their way out of last place by trading away some of their bigger names and trying to solve their goalie problem by taking Jean-Sébastien Giguère out of Anaheim.

This is great news for whoever covers Leafs games in French. Personally, I've never really had any reason to like Giguère, and I'm not looking forward to seeing him more often.

I've been learning a few new things lately. My latest lesson? The post-Hockey Day hangover is disgusting. I'm betting poor Dion is in bed right now with one hell of a headache that won't go away until his contract ends.

Hockey Day In Canada: like Canada Day but colder

It's Hockey Day In Canada time again... all the Canadianness of Roll Up The Rim, plus all of the hockey you could hope for, stuffed into ten hours of Ron McLean. (It all sounds wonderful to me except maybe that last part.) It's much more kickass, and much briefer, than a Hockey Day In America would be.

So in honour of this great day, I'm going to try and make this post as Canadian as possible. What's in store for this, the national holiday that isn't Canada Day or Victoria Day or those other ones?

(Randomly selected Canadian-born player) Travis Moen and our Montreal Canadiens will start the day off playing against Mike Fisher and the Ottawa Senators. The Habs will win because because I'll be at work for half the game and I want them to come home and watch them win.

The primetime slot this year goes to Nolan Baumgartner* and the Vancouver Canucks, who unfortunately have to hang out with the Leafs and Luke Schenn. But hey, they'll get as much attention from CBC as they could ever possibly want!!

Late-night honours go to the Battle of Alberta, which I'm guessing will be the game with the most punching. If any is allowed during Hockey Day In Canada. Brandon Prust** and the Flames are going to engage in some punching with Taylor Chorney's Oilers.
Yes, if Stephen Harper shows up in a Flames jersey (or at all), you are allowed a tantrum.

But what to eat?

It's a long day, and you're going to get hungry, and maybe you'll get bored of all the little kids' teams they interview during the day, or maybe I'll need to leave the room if anyone brings up Crosby, who does not play in Canada (again, no Hockey Day In America). So here are some snack suggestions if you're not out someplace:

Only Canadian beer. You can have a Stella or a Heineken another day.

Maple baked beans, or other cabane a sucre treats. If you feel like curing a ham in beer and brown sugar, be my guest. No, literally. Some homemade ham sounds pretty delicious right now.

Actually, anything maple. Especially those extra-sweet gooey candies or anything you can put maple syrup on.

Tim Hortons. But that kind of goes without saying.

Poutine. Oh, the cheese... (Be warned, if you're ordering in, make sure it's not one of those places that gives you barbecue sauce instead of gravy.)

Snack cakes. You know you want the bad fats. I know Kate Moss thinks that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, but all my pants are too big for me and I know what a Jos Louis tastes like.

Alberta beef, anyone? Raised by the best cowboys on earth!

Happy Hockey Day, everyone! (Especially those cowboys. I'm trying to get in good with them in the hopes of getting a free hat.)



* Seriously you guys, for all I know I took the metro with Nolan Baumgartner today and I'd have been completely oblivious. He's my randomly selected player because a few of the other guys seemed too obvious.


** You know I came thisclose to writing "Jarome Iginla" in giant letters right there. Instead I gave a Brandon Prust to ~czechtacular as a reward for blogging this week.

Superman returns: Game Preview 12-28-09

He defies gravity. I'm not making this up.
Perhaps my title is jumping the gun a little, as there is (edit: was) a chance Brian Gionta may not lace up tonight as planned, but his optimism is a good sign. Roman Hamrlik, for his part, probably won't be ready until the Habs hit Florida. He and Paul Mara were kept on the ice the longest today, according to the report on CJAD this afternoon. Back in the nation's capital, where many traveling Habs' fans are bound to make the trip to tonight's matchup, the Sens are without captain Daniel Alfredsson, Nick Foligno, and (Rookie's "best friend") Jason Spezza, and are 5-5-0 in their last ten games.

St. Isidore-raised Benoit Pouliot plays his first career game in Ottawa tonight while Jaroslav Halak merits his fifth start in a row, looking to be five for five (but preferably not to be pelted with shots as he has been as of late. He's made a grand total of 180 saves over that stretch).

Insert Fancy Bullet Points Header Here

• My own "best friend" Alex Kovalev has been responsive to his Team Russia "snub" as of late, winning the game in the shootout for the Sens in Buffalo, 3-2.
• Recently-engaged Mike Fisher had the other goal in said shootout, and isn't just your regular everyday pretty-faced scoring threat. His two-way ability has one big highlight: physicality. He knows how to hit, when to hit, and who.
• Chris Neil brings the reverse argument to the table, providing his brand of intimidation with a scoring touch. Coming off a knee injury that kept him out 14 games, he scored in his second game back. One of his other four goals this season was in the last game against Montreal.
• Jarkko Ruutu is also an underestimated offensive threat, particularly in the shootout.
• You thought I'd forget him, didn't you? Milan Michalek leads the team with 16 goals, two of them shorthanded.

Post-Ottawa victory: So many questions...

The Canadiens beat the Senators 4-1 in a game that showed how well this team has come together. (They'd make Viggo proud!)

yoinked from Habs Inside/Out

But I've still got a couple of questions after this game:

Was anyone actually surprised that Jaro Halak was in nets tonight? Because I wasn't, really, and I'm glad that his morale wasn't affected by that messy loss in Buffalo.

Haven't we hit our quota of injuries for the season? Jaroslav Spacek was hit by a puck late in the first period, possibly aggravating an existing injury. Isn't it bad enough that the Habs played without Paul Mara tonight?

What on earth is this Ryan White deal all about? Did the League really ask for him to be removed from the lineup during the game because of a call-up technicality? (I knew such a quick comeback was too good to be true.) Couldn't they have done their research like half an hour earlier? And if White had completed Sergei Kostitsyn's play and scored a goal, would it have been disallowed, as the RDS analysts said it might?

How happy are you that our special teams have finally turned into something special?

Is it just me or are Mike Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec the ultimate dynamic duo? They have better chemistry than any other pair of guys on the team. (Do we at Hab It Her Way need to stop talking about Cammy and Pleks? Because we really can't help it.)

Speaking of duos, how awesome is it for Josh Gorges that Hal Gill is back? They not only play well together, but they're very good at intimidating other players together as well. Who'd have thought that two of the nicest guys off the ice would be bullying other guys so well at game time?

Did I start thinking about Friday Night Lights as soon as I found out that Hal Gill was quarterback of his high school football team? Yes.

yoinked from tvfanatic.com, which seems to have some pretty awesome FNL coverage. by the way, rent this show during the offseason. honestly. you'll thank me.

How much does Winchester hate his life right now after a puck bounced off his stick on its way into Ottawa's net?

Why is Scott Gomez's empty-net goal only his fourth of the season, especially after such a strong outing tonight?

Is this a new (or old) improved Sergei? He had a big game, with some intelligent plays, a few thrilling almost-goals, a quicker reaction to Spacek's injury than anyone else on the ice (team player!), and he only missed a few minutes of play after his own injury.


And finally... I feel bad completely bashing the other team, so... how much would you love Mike Fisher if he was a Hab? He was Ottawa's best player tonight and he's hella good. If I knew he'd play like that, maybe I wouldn't have made fun of his girlfriend's Christmas special on Fox. (It was out of love, I swear! I actually like Carrie Underwood.)

If you've read this whole thing before Wednesday morning, hats off to you (and thank you!). You're in for a Christmas surprise tomorrow.

Pick up some Red Lobster on your way home: Game Preview 12-08

Czechtacular's a little on the busy side these days (send her good academic vibes!) so if she doesn't have time to write you a proper game preview, like the one you deserve to be reading right now, my tidbits about tonight's game at Scotiabank Place will have to do.

On the Habs side of things:

• Jaroslav Halak will be in nets tonight, and I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of him soon with December's packed schedule. His last outing didn't go so well, and he's backing up a team that may be tired from last night, but they're also riding high from two wicked wins.
• Back in White: (oh, boo yourself... my pun-writing skills just need some sharpening) #53 is back in Montreal after having been a Bulldog again for like, three days.
• The upper-body injury that Paul Mara sustained yesterday has him out of the lineup tonight, so Jacques Martin has put Marc-André Bergeron back on the blue line and returned Tom Pyatt to the lineup.
• Good show yesterday!

On the Sens side of things:

• The Senators are coming back from their sunny California road trip (and we're assuming that all, except maybe Mr. Carrie Underwood, Mike Fisher, avoided the glare of TMZ's flashbulbs). They might be a little worse for wear, with only one win in four games (including a loss against Dany Heatley's new friends the Sharks). They'll probably be hungry for a win, buoyed from their only win in Cali on Sunday against the Ducks.
• While they may have lost on the road, the Sens have won their last five home games.
• Ottawa still can't seem to work out its goalie issues, as #1 netminder Pascal Leclaire is still out with his accidentally broken cheek. (Quite the FML moment, if you ask us.)
• Montreal's sweetheart Alex Kovalev, whom I expected to have an awesome season this year, isn't quite playing up to his own standards, with only four goals and ten assists this season.
• Oh and also, Milan Michalek is Czech. (That's the only bullet point that I'm sure would have been in a game preview no matter which of us wrote it!)

An attempt at live-blogging

...so that Rookie doesn't beat me to posting.

Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens, October 17th, 2009....

I'm a little late as the first period is about to end, but a few thoughts to begin:
-I have to say I'm a little impressed with the Senators' record thus far. It's early yet, but really? This was the team that was supposed to be down and out with the "loss" of Heatley? Hmm.
-I think the hat trick from two nights ago (including 2 SHG) was proof enough that Milan Michalek should NOT be left alone just because we have a power play.
-Tomas Plekanec expressed how he thought Kovalev would be the first ex-Hab to be cheered by the Bell Centre crowd. Much to my chagrin he's partially right. But I still hear the boo birds!
-Guy Carbonneau makes his debut as commentator on HNIC tonight. I can't help but smile at this. Good on him.
-"Oh, I hate that guy." My mother feels strongly about Chris Neil, apparently. First I hear of it.
-That 5 on 3 was a little nuts, but for once you can't accuse the Habs of not shooting.
-Cammalleri! (See, I can spell it. His own teammates can't.)
-Score: 1-1 going into the intermission.
-Another power play, another bunch of chances in close. Now the PK unit comes out.
-Nice tumbling there, Alfredsson. Not. 5 on 3 for the Sens, Kovalev on the point. Mr. Gymnastics (Alfie) scores to reclaim the lead for Ottawa. Kovalev gets an assist.
-Yet ANOTHER 5 on 3 for Ottawa, the only highlight of which was the kerfuffle involving the referee.
-"Michalek ... knocked off stride!" more like hatched by Paul Mara. Interesting.
-Jarkko Ruutu doing what he does best: raising some hell. Which better not reel in the Habs because they've had enough penalty trouble lately.
-Do my eyes fail me or did Andrei Kostitsyn finally shoot?
-Third period begins, Ottawa 2, Montreal 1.
-My friend and I concur that D'Agostini needs to do some more of that to-the-net action.
-Props to the guy in the front row who's brave enough to get footage of Kovalev's nostrils by recording the skirmish with Mara on his phone.
-Two minutes for holding the shirt? ...no?
-Halfway mark of the 3rd. Something, anything, needs to get going here.
-Something happened all right, but for the wrong team. Kovalev makes it 3-1. (You knew it had to be him, seriously. Surprised it took this long.)
-The cheers at the 1:00 mark are only for the fact that this game will be over soon.
-"Who are these people?" My brother hasn't watched a full Habs' game since the massive influx of newbies, but tonight I ask the same question. Hopefully the real Montreal Canadiens will show themselves soon, because you know what everyone will be saying between now and Tuesday.