We Want Patches! We Want Chips! Weber takes the point!

So Pacioretty, Chipchura, and Weber are still with the team, now hanging around Mont Tremblant for some practice and some team building/relaxing. Don't think they'll get to golfing though. It's supposed to snow up there.

I don't know whether to plan the parade, or call for the collapse.
Grapes has done an aboutface turn and proclaimed the Habs will contend for the East. Other than his bizarre dress sense, the only thing he ever cared about on the team was Price (which is fine by me, and I only watch Coach's Corner to see what he's wearing anyway). But more praise other than our goalie from old Grapes? The man who walked into Roberval with a Bruins banner? Has climate change affected Hell that the fires burn less brightly? Not even a snarky comment about the Leafs top line centering ex-Habski Grabovski or how Ryder will burn the lamp out at the Bell Center for the Pooh Bears? Hmm...

Tricolore 2, Santa Claus Men 1
If you missed this game, you have missed the game of the (pre)season with the save of the (pre)season as the Habs beat the Robots 2-1 in a shootout, again. Patches scored the only goal in regulation off a lovely play between him and Kovy, while Leino the Shootout God of Finland did it for the Wings. Both also repeated in the shootout, but while Price stoned Hossa and Count Filppula, Lang mirrored Patches for the win. That's twice the Habkins have been able to spare with the Wings, where even their FOURTH line is a terror to behold.

And speaking about the Berenstain Bears...
On my way home from floor hockey I managed to catch the middle-to-the-end of the 3-1 bear hunt, tuned in right after Gui! scored a goal after he learned a few things watching Holmstrom and worked a bit with Marc Denis. Halak was solid, further solidifying Montreal's golden goalie tandem that ranked #1 on the Hockey News’ Goalie Confidence Index, only allowing Lurch to score in the 3rd on a powerplay, but even then it was 1 out of 34 launched his way, and we all know how Lurch can launch it. Actually all goals were powerplay goals, so looks like things are going well. Tiny Tim wasn't in nets for the bears, instead it was Fernandez. Captain K also returned tonight! And a classy move by him at the end, shaking hands with Ryder and Lurch at center ice.

Ryder got nothing on that lamp.


And I got my first two pairs of free tickets, FedEx Overnight Express-ed to my door last night! So I'll be taking in the final preseason game against the Wild this weekend, and the Coyotes (JETS!) on the 18th. Maybe I'll sport my Jets' t-shirt under my Habs shirt.

The Great Montreal Hat Trick

In all of Sunday's excitement, I forgot to mention that on Sunday, September 28th 2008, not only did the Canadiens-Bulldogs get that preseason game, but both the Impact and the Alouettes won their respective home games that day as well. For the Als, they clinched a playoff spot for the Grey Cup after destroying Saskatchewan 37 to 12 and are currently positioned in 1st place (tied with Calgary for 18 points). The Impact won against Seattle (apparently the previous champions) in a 3-1 game which qualifies them for the USL First Division semifinals. I don't think I ever heard of the Impact scoring more than 0-0 ties... But the Als! The Als really want to be in the Grey Cup, eh? It takes place in November, right here in Montreal.

Tonight, those hockey robots from Detroit are in town. Yannick Weber is still around. Carey Price is in nets. Defence will proceed to take 5 and call it a night. Good luck young man, the rink is yours. May the Schwartz be with you.

Habs 3, Cats 2 (SO), 1 Misconduct, 10 Spin-o-Ramas, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

I need to ask but are all exhibition games usually this crazy? Do fans always take them in like they're watching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Championships? Against the Flordia Panthers? Wait, do I need to ask? I love this city.

If we like you, you will know
Gotta feel bad for Dandenault. He's an ok forward, has the speed, surprised me a few times with some puck-stealing ability and out-skating guys 10 years his junior...however, he's listed as a defenseman and hasn't really played a lick of defense, and when he does, he's rather...bad at it. All in all, when his reel shows up on the jumbotron, no one cheers. Then again, it didn't help him that much that last year, he was outspoken and whiny about not playing. I don't blame him though, he's a veteran with a few Cup rings and therefore kind of has the right to wonder why he's making that much cash to sit in the pressbox when he wants to play (unlike Grabs, who had maybe 20 games before going all petulant child). It's kind of mean though. I gave him some applause, but I felt like I was the only one. I though Kovy had the longest reel, but Price does. And the loudest applause too.

Dueling Goaltenders
The game's 1st and 1st star should have been a tie between Price and Vokoun. I realize the Cats have come off a long week of meaningless games, bounced from Alberta to PEI, and Vokoun entered with a 5.93GAA but he was a wall. Then again, the kids didn't really give him too many troublesome shots. One would hope a 15-year veteran could stop those, however he robbed Kovy and Kostitsyn plenty. On Price's side, well, the team has spent most of the week figuring who's going to be his back up, so he only got to play 2 periods in Detroit (and was fantastic). Sunday, defense took a walk and the forwards fell asleep, leaving a rusty goalie looking for his comfort zone and mostly all alone. Thankfully a dangerous 5-on-3 penalty kill went without incident. The first goal allowed took a weird bounce off his pad and over his glove (the laws of physics were extremely out of whack on that one) and the second was after making a flurry of close-ranged saves with no one helping to clear it out. But then it was good old Price, growing back to form, poking and proding Panthers blocking his view, generally pissing them off, and stoning Nathan Horton on a penalty shot. These two goalies made the game: Vokoun trying to rebound from a bad game, and Price trying to regain his regular season form. The evidence are in the shots, which remained equal after every period. The game ended in a shootout, with Price taking the prize.

The best official is the one you don't notice
I've heard this from people who have experience in refereeing hockey games, but those guys out Sunday night were either the biggest douchebags ever, or one of the Habs must have run over their puppy. Questionable calls from a guy leaning into Kovy's stick is interpreted as "holding" by Kovalev, to O'Byrne trying to avoid a collision on an abandoned bodycheck after realizing his teammate was going to do it became "charging", to letting the mid-3rd and overtime go to the crapper until it came down to one Panthers player practically shoving his stick down Beauregard's shorts to make a hesitant call. (I'll give them the 2nd and early 3rd as fair calls, even Fruit Punch's fight). Markov? Hooking and unsportsmanlike misconduct for bitching at the ref? Markov doesn't even SPEAK, and the hooking was his stick on the ice making a pokecheck and the tired Cat not being able to skate properly (I'll get to that). How about tripping Price twice who was trying to get up and go back to his net after making a cross-crease save and gets an armfull of Panthers? Thought I was watching the women's hockey game in Salt Lake City for a minute. It's not much of a big deal because it's an exhibition game, but it was troublesome as to how many trippings, slashings, and holdings one can ignore before someone gets injured while every minuscule motion is called on the other team. (And lets not forget who's on the roster here, 4 juniors and a stew of Bulldogs). A man sitting in the row below me yelled "This is the fucking NHL! Let them play already!" When a ref dictates the play, it's not a game anymore.

Maxim Lapierre's best punch is, according to him, "fruit punch"
Ok, he had a fight. Are people happy now? I think he did ok in it. Looked more like a wrestling match with Fruit Punch tugging the guy's sweater over, old school style. Bouillon's was weird. He did a clean check (and the guy didn't even fall down) and then another guy twice his height chased him down a minute later. What's with O'Byrne and Panthers, too?

Legs don't bend that way
These Panthers started out strong, but their fatigue got the better of them when one skater going for the puck suddenly found his left skate going one way while his right skate went the other as he crashed into the boards, hard. Price gave the ref his stick after the guy managed to drag himself to the bench. Moments later two more Panthers nearly did the same (plus the fumbled play around Markov that looked like "hooking"). I think the NHL needs to rethink their preseason schedule next year. Too many people are getting hurt, it seems...

Paging Serge Savard
P.K. Subban did about 5 Spin-o-ramas with one nearly going to the net. Markov tried some too that didn't work too well. The kids are rubbing off on the vets. But Subban won more fans tonight with his superman save, puck possesion puck moving skills, and afterburners. And Weber further solidifying his Stret 2.0 status. This could be the powerplay of 2010.

All in all, crazy game. (And another free pair of tickets for me)! The corporate Reds looked a bit empty, but we normals in the Greys and Blues were packed and cheering. The FUCKING wave went around the bowl 3 times, and we all shouted for CAREY! CAREY! CAREY! Seriously, including the shootout, that's about 40 saves there, a little less for Vokoun. Guys were robbed that star. Kovalev got the shootout win because he wanted to go home and see himself on some TV show. Ahhh...we love him.

Habs 5, Sens lose, I get a free game

Best preseason game ever? And I thought listening to Les Boys beat the Wings with a shootout and a greenhorn in nets was exciting! Of course it's extra special for me because this was my first live game ever. I have never seen the Canadiens play except on tv. I can't really count that Old Timers game either. All I remember about that: it's was boring, I saw Lafleur, it was in the Forum. Of course I've been inside the Bell Center, when it was called the Molson Center. Had my graduation on the ice. Saw the Tragically Hip and the Rheostatics play live. For a hockey game? Let's just say you don't know live hockey games until you've gone to the Bell Center.

How do we start off? Warm up skate, the crowd's cheering, the music is rocking. Start of the game, a full house is signing the anthem loud and proud. (Suck on that, Bloc). Then the boys warmup in the first, and proceed to slaughter the competition with a 5-0 shutout. As mentioned before, I have my tickets in the Grey section, which is actually a bit higher than the banners. I'm literally in the rafters. However the view is just phenomenal. Here I was thinking I'd need a radio to understand what was going on, or would need altitude pills. But no, players are a good visible size and I can ever see their numbers and almost read their names. Even though it's a preseason game, the whole place was electric. To Montreal, every game counts.

Here are some of my impressions of tonight's performance:
- Halak really needs to work on his puck handling... Oh my god, it got to the point where every time he wandered out I was cringing, hoping nothing bad would happen. (Usually missed the pucks anyway). Other than that, looked better in nets, didn't go down too early in the butterfly this time, though the few shots he faced were mostly pretty easy to save anyway.
- Desharnais won a lot of faceoffs from what I could see. (63% according to the stats, highest on the Canadiens side, who are usually pretty bad at faceoffs anyway). I like this little guy! He buzzes round, gets to the net, gets into the play. And he's 5'5".
- D'agostini, equally impressed, NHL ready and will probably get called up more.
- Pacioretty was also impressive. Will definitely need to be seriously considered next year should his AHL experience go well.
- Weber is Streit 2.0
- Stewart almost had another fight in the same place he pummeled McCabe. He was good too. If he's not on the team by opening night, definitly one of the first to come up, should definitely be on the roster permanently next year (unless something happens).
- Kovy was playing but look strained, hopefully he can work that minor injury out. But he still pulled the moves! Denfensive ones too!
- Alex Henry doesn't really play, he just fights. Would be happy in Philly.
- P.K Subban played a pretty good game until he got into a big fight (and whoever was the loser that started a fight with Subban, congratulations, you just got OWNED by an OHLer), and then was off the rest of the night. It was weird, but I saw he knew it. He looked pretty frustrated with himself everytime he gave the puck away. But he's young, he'll only benefit from the experience.
- Tom Kostopoulos rocks.
- O'Byrne was good tonight too. More diciplined. No penalties from what I can remember.
- Josh Gorges is great! Wow. Seriously, thank you Rivet!
- The Kostitsyns were on fire, Plekanec too.
- I will continue to call Spezza "Sputza". Reverse midos touch on this guy. It's an observation that has continued from last year's playoffs and IIHF games.
- Heatley was also playing, but I didn't really notice.
- SENS SUCK 5~~~O~~~ (That's what the guys behind me were yelling).

There's a new goal song too. No more U2 "Vertigo". I don't like Simple Plan, but hey, at least it's a Montreal band so the stupid press can shut up about it. Thank god it's not Arcade Fire (zzzzzzzzzz). I couldn't really hear the lyrics, just the music, but it's apparently specially written for the team. It works well with everyone screaming. Very rocking .

And the new scoreboard is lovely.

This is Hockeyville

So Hockeyville Roberval, QC, is hosting Nos Canadiens versus the Buffalo Sabres...and not a PEEP from CBC nor HNIC. Is it just me or is this not their own contest? (Well, partially Kraft's, but it's all over the damned website). Do mine eyes deceive me that all over center ice and the boards are the logos of HNIC and CBC? Am I missing something here? Why is Coronation Street playing when the puck drops? Do Cherry and MacLean not blab endlessly about the wonders of smalltown hockey? I bet if this were a Leafs game, we'd have a Day in Hockeyville from practice to the final seconds, filled with tours of the village and interviews! So much for their "more Canadiens" creedo this year. Happy 100th Habs, no love from our national television channel or HNIC.

But on to the game.
Well Les Boys are playing better today than yesterday's 8-3 shellacking between the Bruins and the Hamilton kids (outshot 42-19). Currently 1-0 Habs, first period. Super Pleky scored by bouncing it off a Sabres leg.

The glass already needed repair (not broken, just jolted off).

The penalty box is so small, Mathieu Aubin needed to climb on the bench to close the door.

The ice must be bad 'cause everyone's falling. Sergei K flubbed a good shot as he fell on his arse.

Marc Denis looks completely focused. Yesterday he stepped on the ice and gave up like 3 goals right away. Today's a different story. Even made a cross-ice pass to start a rush and is playing more aggresively.

I'm totally calling David Desharnais "Roadrunner 2" 'cause man the guy is BUILT like Cournoyer and has just this inkling of the great little captain. With a bit of polish, he'll definitely be solid. Sabres also have a mini-forward but I forgot his name.

First period ended with a net scrum. The Irish Connection jumped in (O'Byrne--who's controlling the D, Flinn--who's the enforcer, as usual, but pulled a stupid hooking/tripping penalty that thankfully didn't hurt the team).

So far so good! I'm happy to see my Habs on TV. The 1, 237 are singing a terrible Olé-Olé, but good on that... that song is a jinx most of the time. Lets see if they can pull this one off.

Second period has ended.
I missed most of this because I was eating supper. (Yes, we tend to eat at 8). Good penalty killing by the team and it's 3-0 Habs. Belomullet Andrei Kostitsyn got a shorthanded goal. Super Pleky pots a beauty of a deke that sent a Sabres D sprawling and their captain totally lost. Marc Denis will proceed to pinch himself at a possible shutout in a game that doesn't count.

The game isn't completely one-sided either, as shots on goal are almost equal with Habs ahead by 1. I'm heading for the 3rd! Now the final test to see if the team can keep this together for THREE WHOLE PERIODS! (And if you know the Habs, when they get two good ones, chances are the third is...winded).

Third period, that's one for the books.
It's 3-2 Habs and things have gotten a little chaotic. Attempts at being a shutdown team sort of didn't work and Sabres put their own Denis in nets. (Well, Dennis). Pleky switch himself to defense half way through the game since the defenders apparently took a walk. Habs powerplay needs Kovy, but penalty killing is good. It was a Sabres powerplay and the Habs were all over their zone. And 7 seconds to the end a Sabres player throws a hissy 'cause O'Byrne touches him while actually playing hockey as they battle along the boards in the corner. Not that it mattered. No one took the faceoff on their side, so Lapierre shot the puck across the rink.

So there it is. Second game of the pre-season, first win for Team A, and Marc Denis is probably the happiest man in the world right now. (He got to play the whole game too, but only because Halak hurt himself in the warm-ups). Tomorrow, Team B goes to Detroit but I got hockey of my own to play. Overall, a much better game and a solid effort by the kids. I think I have this team on Sunday when I catch them versus the Panthers.

Training Camp Scrimmage

Had a lot of fun watching the training camp scrimmage in Rink 2 at the Sportsplexe 4 Glaces in Pierrefonds. My brother and I took our bikes over. Nice day for a ride anyway! I didn't get to see Price or Halak play though, as they started in Rink 1. My goalies were Denis and tryout Mayer for the Red team, Desjardins and Lacasse for the White team. White team won the shootout after a 4-4 tie with an effortless goal by D'agostini and a bizarre goal from Stewart (Beauregard also scored) while Lacasse made some good saves (particularily a glove on Pacioretty's shot).

During the scrimmage, Subban had a mean shot from the blueline that went right in. Thing of beauty! (Even if it wasn't as hard as his shots are usually). As one of my favourite prospects, I'm counting the days he makes the jump to the big team. For now, I'll just watching him if the Bulls make the memorial cup playoffs again (or if he plays for Team Canada). The guys were playing a bit rough, with the checkers checking pretty hard, which worried me a bit since this was only a simulation game. At one point there was a collision into the corner on a scramble and a skate came an inch from Chip's face. Kovy also knocked over Breezer in a net scramble, but said he was sorry after. Gave him a pat on the back. Denis looked like his confidence was coming back, so looks like the Habs have done him good. He's no Price though (who didn't get scored on during the time he played) but he wouldn't be too bad as a backup. Lacasse has improved a lot since I last saw him too, which is good to know. The elder Bulldogs boys looked great and I wouldn't be shocked to see them here next year. If anything, like last season, injury replacements aren't worrisome as all the guys could easily fill a void.

The best thing I saw though were the HUGE smiles on all the players' faces. Good to be back, boys? I think so!

Adventures in Montreal: Or How I Got Completely Lost Behind the Bell Centre

Today was a grand lesson in Montreal having a shitty infrastructure. Though it shouldn't come to any surprise to me, considering I was born here, it never ceases to amaze me. With Hurricane-Now-Depressed-Tropical-Storm Ike swinging through, our metro system got bogged down by the humidity that somehow got stuck in the tunnels--proof that ventilation is terrible down there. Luckily for me, I was stuck for two hours in my car so I missed out on the annoying waiting. Or is that unlucky? I don't know. Every road is under construction, and one of the weird things I passed was a truck stopped on the passing lane of the highway as two construction workers wrestle with construction signs on the shoulder that were blown over by the wind. Why they felt they had to block an important lane in rush hour to wiggle a sign over that wasn't in the way in the first place (and held down firmly by the weight on the bottom) is beyond my comprehension. But this was just the morning. Somehow I even managed to get into work at my usual 10am time anyway. (Flex time is awesome).

On the way home was a whole different story. The metro, again, was closed on my line for an unknown quantity of time so instead of waiting around in smelly Bonaventure station, I thought I'd just keep walking straight up through the Bell Centre tunnel 'cause there's gotta be a door close by so I could walk up to the Green Line and get to Lionel Groulx where I can get back on my line (because it was running from there up). Now, I'm usually good with directions, even when I have no clue where I am, but I really had no clue where I was. The tunnel walkways kept leading me towards the Phone Booth but nothing familiar popped up. I found myself walking around a hallway that was a mix of new drywall, fresh paint, and the ancient stone fortress-like walls from Windsor Station. This hallway had a photo by photo history of the building of the Bell Centre (then "The Keg" Molson Centre) over the tracks of old Windsor Station (which was moved over to the Lucien-L'allier metro next door). Finally I saw the insides of the Bell, which was closed obviously but a glass wall pointed up towards the train station. On the stairs, all alone, I passed a creepy drunken guy yelling at the wall who looked like Robert Lang if he were homeless and schizophrenic and thankfully I wasn't spontaneously stabbed or pushed down the stairs or something 'cause I would so be dead as I'd most likely be found the next morning. And yay, the courtyard of Windsor Station, home free, sort off... the glass tunnel had no door here so I had to take the long way out. But I finally got home at 8pm.

All in all, it probably wasn't a very fascinating story. And there's a full moon out right now. And the metro still wasn't working properly that evening (Orange and Green). But I wasn't killed by Schizo-Lang so I'll go to bed now. Hopefully this won't happen tomorrow. If you plan on walking the tunnels between Bonaventure and the Bell Centre, alone, bring a map.

On that note, Lang sounds like a really nice guy.

You Snooze, You Lose

Welcome to the Montreal family, Robert Lang! Sucks to be you, Mats Sundin. Essentially, Habs traded Grabs for Lang and Greg Pateryn. I'd say that's a fairly good upgrade. BONUS: He was also rather excited to be playing here, is going to be 38, is able to decide he wants to play still, and knows a few Habs members already. (Kovy and Lang were pretty hot together as Penguinos).

Oh yea, and Breezer's back for a year which is ok I guess. Next year he'll either be on the coaching staff or racing cars.

Anyway, the rookie camp and regular camp roster has been released with the usual suspects and a few try-outs. Don't think I'll be able to see the rookie one but I might be able to watch the main camp in Pierrefonds. Hell I could bike over, it's not that far. If not just to see our regulars, but those guys picked up over the summer interest me. In particular Shawn Bell, Yanick Lehoux, and Gui!'s older smaller brother Olivier, as well as a few draftees (Wyman and White sound good).

This Wednesday is my 28th birthday and I may be joining some guys at work for some floor hockey. It's starting~!

"I'm going to Disneyland!"

So there it goes. November 22, 2008, versus the Pooh Bears, Number 33 will be hoisted to the ceiling so Price can now check out Plante, Dryden, and Roy all at once while swating pucks away from his net. (Though I wonder if Halak will play that night, since he was known to idolize St-Pat and even had him on his mask for a bit). The family is back together, the kids are happy, the curse is broken (we hope), and they didn't even need to stage a musical to decide. Everything is good with Gainey in charge.

Which leads to another interesting tidbit... Some say Roy may become the Canadiens coach one day. (Though I'm pretty confident Carbo will be there for a while). I wasn't honestly so sure about that, but I hear he's doing pretty good in the Q. (Crazy son fighting other goalies and or otherwise). Even found some news on that. Sure it's over 2 years ago, but it's still an interesting read.

How to Make a Decision

Rodin's Thinker could probably decide this quicker
Decisions are tough to make, but sometimes a little outside influence can give a helping hand. These things are like "signs"; an other-worldy power that seems to turn a decision in a direction too coincidental to not follow through. Let's see some examples:

1- Faced with the decision of what program I wanted to pursue in University, I applied to Design and to Animation. After the applications, portfolios, and interviews, I felt I could be equally happy doing a career in either and therefore had no idea which I would take. Animation called me first and that was good enough for me. Now I'm making more money than my mother, with full benefits and flex hours, creating cellphone games (and this is also my 2nd job in the field, after switching to a rival company for the same pay but better working environment).

2- My love for hockey has always been there, but my desire to play was always roadblocked. Since I'm moving out, I decided what better way than to start skating and playing. Even though I'm short, I've always played goalie. After buying some used skates, the parents still complained about my new choice of sport to the point where I was thinking it was really futile. Next week I got a phone call saying I won a goalie stick. The day after, I cracked open a fortune cookie saying "Get your mind set... Confidence will lead you on." Good enough for me!

3- At lunch I was planning on getting my usual spicy udon soup from Momoyama, except while walking to the store I felt hungrier than usual and decided I'd get the fried pork instead. When I placed my order, the lady said they had no more rice. Spicy udon soup for me!

If Bob Gainey is the NHL's wise Confucius, able to take a long walk with Kovy and chat about things which leads him to holding an awesome year last season, then Mats should listen and make his choice already: Play or Retire.

Yes, sorry, I'm really bored. Two more weeks until I see my first live game at the Phone Booth! And rookie camps is in...4 days!

Same Old Garbage, Move Along...

My view of Koivu, up JS Aubin's arse
You know, I didn't even want to mention the so-called controversy of Mon Capitain Koivu not showing up at the Habs Annual Golf Tournament because he was still training back home like a few of our other European players were, but I'll say this: the french press always find conspiracies and controversies around every corner, even to the point of going out and fabricating their own. They should be ashamed of themselves. The fact that no one even thought twice about it until they opened their big mouths speaks for itself. As my cooking teacher in high school would say in her heavy British accent: "You're making mountains out of molehills!"

Also, I always thought that when the captain is unavailable, the alternates take over. Since Kovy and Higgins where doing just that, I'd say case closed. Though I didn't hear any soundblips out of Master Higgins, but maybe that was because Koivu-admirer/Future Captain (unless taken by TK or Chips) Komisaurus was eating all the microphones and flashing that charming smile.

Lesson in Futility? Part 3: The First Round Pick

The first number picked by Youppi was 1245. Yes, that's right. Almost ten numbers before mine. I was ushered into the first round with a few other happy Habs fan. And what a day! The traffic was nice, the Metro worked, the weather was...ok (hot, humid, grey...my hair was not happy so I shoved them into braids). So, pessimism aside, I got my two tickets in the Victory Pack which will be split between myself and a family member (mostly my younger brother Ben, who's birthday falls on the home opener). This will also be the first time I have ever seen the Habs live. I mean the last time I went to a game was an Old Timers, and that was at the Forum! I felt so lucky I went and bought a 649 lotto ticket! Let's go 04-19-20-26-29-42! I even high-fived Youppi I was so happy. So if the Habs win a game while I'm there I get a free ticket of their choice. The pack itself included two pre-season games (Senators and Panthers) and three regular ones (home opener with the Pooh Bears, and then the Islanders and Sabres). The last ticket is the day after I get my condo too so I might have to miss the Bulldogs game.

Soon I will be able to present a "View from the Greys", which I assume will be a lovely sight of the 24 Stanley Cup banners and retired numbers. Section 316 here I come!

Lesson in Futility? Part 2: Fuck you, Metro

Murphy's Law states that things move slower when you want to get somewhere on time, right? That's the way the Montreal Metro rolls. I managed to hop on the metro at 7am after the train on the opposite track sat there for a good 5 long minutes. Of course, the service had apparently slowed on the Orange Line. Bottom line, public transportation sucks. Technically, I hate when I needed to depend on someone else to get somewhere... Unfortunately, there's no other way for me to get to work.

Despite being thwarted by the STCUM (as usual), I did manage to enter work at 7:30 and made up for the lost time by "working" over lunch. (I put that in quotes because there's nothing to do right now, since we're pretty much finished the project). So I did get to the Bell Center at 4. And wow, people love sitting out in the hot hot sun all day. Thank god there was a strong wind around the corner. Never the less, I'm bracelet number 1256 out of 1500. Mission accomplished.

Will N31 get a good place in the lottery to get those tickets she's hoping for? Or will this debacle end in tears? Stay tuned...

Lesson in Futility? Part 1: Flex Time

Flex time is a wonderful perk. It's what allows me to (attempt to) wake up a quarter to 6, bypass all traffic, hopefully sail smoothly through the metro (minus suicides and fires), enter work at 7ish, and then leave at 4ish (especially if I work through lunch). Yes, this is my plan to park myself in line at the Phone Booth and hope I'm one of 1500 people who will receive the numbered bracelet so I can (hopefully) return Saturday morning with the intent on purchasing two package tickets.

This is all very hypothetical since a) the bracelet doesn't guarantee anything and b) Habs tickets have been sold out until the end of time itself BUT there may be a chance and I figured what the hey, let's try it. Ben's birthday is October 15th, the home opener. So let's see how this turns out. Stay tuned!

How do you solve a problem like Patrick Roy?

Wink.
There's speculation about raising #33 to the rafters. While no one has really confirmed it, the media is treating it like it's a done deal. Personally, though I grew up with the man in nets talking to his goalposts, I don't know if he belongs up there. On one hand I say yes. He really pushed and popularized the butterfly style which is the mainstay norm of goalies today (even though he wasn't the first to use it). He racked in the Jennings (with Hayward) and Vezinas, the Conn Smythes and brought the team to win ye olde Adams Divisions a few times. He was also the first real star of a goalie the Habs had since Dryden retired, bringing two stanley cups and bringing the team close to a few more. There are other reasons involving a rookie goalie saving the franchise, stats, playoffs elevation, etc. Of course there's also his charity work, and you can say what happens off ice really should hold no ground...right? He's only human, right? But on the other hand I say no.

Whether the blame should fall on Mario Tremblay/Ronald Corey/Rejean Houle or not, unfortunately most fans remember his "last game" in Montreal before storming off to the Nordalanche. As a goalie, yes, it's hard to get shellacked in a 12-1 loss. Goaltending is the most unique and often embarrassing position to play. But instead of breaking down, he should have held his head high and shoved it back in Tremblay's face. (Afterall Tremblay never liked the guy. Ever). And where was the team in that terrible game? Of course, ask anyone and his character will come up. He's no Carey Price or Cristobal Huet, who would suck up a 6-1 loss together and just continue on to try and do better the next game. Roy was indeed a hot head with a rather large ego, but you could probably say that for most athletes in such a competitive sport. This is, after all, the guy who led Team Canada to a bronze medal loss while refusing to let backup Martin Brodeur play.

But then there's the middle ground. Should the Canadiens let bygones be bygones and raise the number, it would be the definite olive branch to mend those past wounds held not only over the organization but the fans. Yes his actions brought shame to the Tricolore, and the recent events involving his son don't really help...but ask any kid growing up from the 80s and they'll tell you Patrick Roy was the best there was, and not just as a player. Besides, no one appears to dare to wear his number since he left, as if it were retired behind the scenes. (Yea yea, the Avs already retired it). May as well make it official.

So what do you do? If anyone can solve this, it could be mr. reasonable Bob Gainey (though I've no idea who decides what number to retire). But with the ghosts of historical greats like Bill Durnan or Toe Blake seeking a number raise, particularily in the Centennial year, does Roy warrant it this year? Maybe CBC could one-up the BBC and make a new reality show on it. Oh, right, they only worry about the Leafs.

Wii Would Like to Hockey

That's what you get, Mats. A standard chair that snaps together with a few simple instructions and an allen key to sit yourself down and ponder your future. Honestly, I'd be happy with him on the roster. I think he'd have fun up here. The Toronto rivalry thing is more like a sideshow now anyway where Boston has been the main course for a while now. And it wouldn't be the first ex-Leafs captain to see the light. Though there's talk about him going to the Rangers, otherwise known as the Shady Acres of the NHL; where good players go, get overpaid, and either make a flash in the pan or a dunk in the suck-bucket. (Of course to play for the Rags, they'd either have to dump someone they really need, like Rozsival, or some other controversial moves which includes other very important players, or bump off some kids...which sounds pretty much like business as usual over there). And suddenly the Flyers appear interested despite being over the cap. I don't really see how he would fit on the resident goon squad... One thing hockey fans do know about Mats is that he appears to have a thing for BLUE. So following that logic: New York, Toronto, Vancouver, and well Montreal only has a very little tiny dash of blue to compliment the glorious red/white. Habs got blue helmets though! News about Sunbeam is boring though...

I'm more excited about this! Sure it's not as shiny as EA's and doesn't appear to have any super-duper awesome Habs legend team... But you get to drive the Zamboni as bad as the guy in the ACC! As an avid wii-lover, I have to say, smack-talk is so much more satisfying after a wagglebout.

2 minutes for awesome

Seriously? I work at EA and didn't even know about the Centennial Team Special, where you get to play as a collective all-star of Habs Legends, including Dryden in nets who will lean on his stick when he's got nothing to do! I also find it funny (or depressing?) that he comments on how surprised they were to find out how many people were playing goalie online instead of being on offense...

The big question is: when's the Wii version coming out? Come on, guys! Is 2K the only one who will give us full-motion fighting, hooking, Flyers-goon hockey?

Regardless, colour me impressed. I've got points left in my account so I'll definitely nab a copy. (Little brother has the 360). Also like how there's a full AHL license in there. Let's go Bulldogs!

A Clockwork Orange

Ya, I have no idea either. But I've been sitting here fiddling with this blogger thinger all while the sounds of Beethovan's 9th waft into my room. No one in this house would willingly listen to that music, regardless of the many years of piano instructions. Anyway, this is just a test. A test out of boredom. It's Summer and I hate Summer. It was nice today though, until the Jekyll-Hyde weather returned. Rain, thunder, lightning, sun with rain, figaro. I think this Summer has multiple personality disorder.

Know what I want? I'd like the hockey season to start. The (Summer) Olympics are boring. I know all about training for a run straight down a mountain at top speed while keeping in control and actually making some turns but I don't know much about training 4 years just to jump into a pool or bounce on a trampoline. Sorry guys, I only like the mascots. Call me when the puck drops.

I'll get a banner or something up there one day. Keep it default for now.