Simply Disgusting!

4th line on the PP, back to back losses and a coach who is more a baffoon then our former captain. I will make it clear this time regardless of what the Optimist says. Remember I'm a freakin pessimist. If we don't fire this asshole known as Carbo, we are going straight to the damn shitter quicker then me on a bottle full of laxatives. The man has no accountability as he blames everyone for his own failures. This guy is a joke and he has made this team a joke too. The only happy people in Montreal these days are Carbo, Jarvis, and Breezer as they screw eachother on a daily basis like Harvey Milk and 12 year old boys. Peace out and God help the Habs who are being strangled from the anti-God. Flashes of my youth are reappearing which isn't good cause it took place during the Tremblay years. The Horror, the horror. I wish we were in a Biggie song and "it was all a dream."

Simply Perfection

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you your Montreal Canadiens. Where did that come from? I remember this summer when everyone was talking about how explosive this team would be with all thier weapons, speed, and skill. Well it took 25 games for the Habs to finally show their worth. I just never thought it would be Matt D'Agostini that would awaken this team from thier slumber. Usually I'm swearing and throwing crap and punching holes through the wall but last night I was reserve enough to be at a ladies tea party. What could have I been mad about? Simply perfection.Here is my Jack Todd style take on the game as I'm in a good mood:

-Zeros (not many folks): Scott Gomez, The refs in the 2nd (they tried to get the Rangers back into the game), Brisebois in the first 2 periods, SKoz (simmadown boy), 1 just 1 breakdown in the entire game that led to NY's 2nd goal, Penguin fans, Sarah Palin and for the hell of it, Jeffrey Loria, Bud Selig, Gary Bettman, Jacques Villeneuve, Rejean Houle (as GM), Mario Tremblay (always and forever), and anyone else who pissed off Jack Todd.

-Heroes (take a deep breath and go):AKost, Pleky, Tanguay, Kovi, Captain K, D'Agostini, Tom the Bomb and those awful hands, Maxime (who deserves to get laid after that Gordie Howe hat trick), Begin, BGL (not 1 but 2 points), Langer, Breezer in the 3rd, Markov, Gorges, Price and those great pads, Komi and his perfect record as a coach, those vintage jerseys, Gillete, anyone who had to do with the production prior to the game, anyone and everyone else that I may have missed and didn't make the zeros list, my mom, my dad, Uncle Joey, Matt Robins, Sesame Street, Jack Todd, Bogdan, Mrs. Tracy, Ben Cahoon... I can go on for another week. I'm sooooo happy I can kiss Carbo on the lips with a juicy wet one. Simply perfection baby.

-In conclusion I would like to say that I was 100% right (My mother tells me I'm humble).I believe that a high octane offence comes from a smart, structured defence. Anyone who watched the game could see how well we transitioned the puck out of our own zone and into the other and never let the Rangers off the hook for a second. We strangled the Rangers until they couldn't breath with an almost flawless game plan and execution. The result was a 6-2 victory where every line scored. Bring on the Devils baby cause the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge are back. Yippeeeeeee!

I'm Back

My last post wasn't too pleasant and I decided to take a somewhat long vacation from the Habs. If by vacation, I mean going to Montreal to watch the team live rather then just getting upset watching them on television, then , yes, that would constitute a vacation from the Habs. A lot has happened since my last win or fire Carbo rant so lets get started. I will not talk about O'Byrne as my head will explode if the name I will never mention is ever said again. The man is at Voldemort status when it comes to radioactive names and yes I'm a nerd cause I read Harry Potter. I will also not talk about the Wings game because my partner already did a fine job getting Maislin off (though that's not saying much). I was also on a plane that night so I missed our 3 goal 2nd period. Where was I heading? Montreal, home of such celebrities as William Shatner, Pierre McGuire, and myself. I caught 2 games, the first on the tele and the second at the Bell Centre. I got really drunk after both.

The Caps

-That game was so bad, I didn't even get upset. I didn't care. We, how do I say, played one of those games in which our players afterwards said things like "they wanted it more" and "we didn't come prepared." Starting to sound familiar, huh. 

-How the hell does every player sans the goalie play like dogsh#t? I get 1 or 2 or 3 or even a half dozen players slumping but an entire team. People, as much as Kovi is struggling so is everyone else.

-We're down 1 goal heading into the 3rd and the Caps show up. I mean after a decent 2nd, did the players just decide to mail it in? I'm asking a lot of rhetorical questions but I don't know what to say. EMBARRASSING!

-The PP. It Sucks. It Sucks. It Sucks. Carbo, the problem may be the structure that you haven't changed and EVERY team has studied and figured out. Placing 4th line players on a PP that sucks already won't do the trick. Oh Wait, they didn't score, figures.

-3-0, one sided, and Theodore can now sleep at night using Propecia or not. I was upset so I drank some and then went out to Gar Mange  (I think that's how you spell it) and drank some more. Highlight of the night: stopping a fight at 4 in the morning. Go Habs Go

The Sabres

- I sadly was not excited for this game even as much as I should of. I had great seats 12th row, section 124, next to my big bro. I don't  have much to say about the game except:

-We won. it was W so I was happy. I thought we deserved the win though it could have gone both ways. But it was 2 points baby.I know how to celebrate 1 measly win, I'm a Clipper fan.

-Carbo has gone nuts with those lines. The guy thinks the key to everything is juggling lines. I did like Lang with Kovalev but that was it. I mean the players have to reintroduce themselves on every shift. At least coach is starting to realize he has a time out to use every game.

-Staying on Carbo, I am too young to remember 1993 so I don't care that Carbo was our captain. People feel loyal to the guy cause he was captain then but times change. Just because the guy was a great team player on the ice doesn't make him a good coach. Some guy at Cage aux Sports was telling me that Carbo deserves more leeway because of 1993. Screw that. I want to win now and I think Carbo hurts us now. 1993 is long gone (16 years folks). Lets stop holding on to the past in order to create a better present as well as future. 

-The PP. It Sucks. It Sucks. It Sucks. A 5 on 3 and we couldn't score. Thank goodness we won the game.

- After the game I celebrated like it was 1999 and Shayne Corson jerseys were in style. I went to this place called Coco on St. Laurence and had way to many JD shots. I got home at 4 after some delicious Pogos at La Belle Province and the woke up at 5 to catch my flight back to L.A.

What a flight. I think I spent more time in the bathroom then I did in my sit. Tomorrow is the Thrashers and we better thrash them. I predict 12-1 and Lapierre gets laid. 

UBIQUITY

A great geography professor once told my class, “geography is ubiquitous”. Tonight something new was learnt. Habs fans are ubiquitious. As Pierre McGuire noted this evening, “there are probably 8000 Canadiens fans here”. Feel proud Habs fans, you are fortunate to be part of something great.

The red, white and blue were awesome tonight. Hat tip to our coach, who battled a titan and outcoached a multiple Stanley Cup winner. Is it safe to say the boys are back? Sure we scored a couple of dirty goals, but that is because of the impervious presence we had on the ice. There was no doubt from the opening faceoff that this game was ours. The first period was a neutral zone game, both teams sitting on their heels waiting to capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes, but mistakes there were none.

The second period the Habs put on a show, one that will hopefully be stuck on repeat for the remainder of the season.

The third period we lost a bit of an edge, but we hung in there. I wish Carey took a shot at the empty net. O’Byrne blew Price’s shutout, but overall he played a solid bounce back game. Remember he’s only 51 games into his young career, he’ll be making many more mistakes, but as time passes he’ll mature and be a great number four defenseman.

Tonight the Canadiens brought something to the table which we haven’t seen in a long long time, HEART. We played with passion and an honest desire to win. We protected our goalie, sacrificed our bodies, played smart and with the vision of a W.

Great effort tonight.

Trois etoiles/Three stars

1. Carey Price

2. Tom Kostopoulos

3. Guy Carbonneau

BONEHEAD of the game: Ryan O’Byrne

The STEPHEN HARPER turning point: Lapierre opening the scoring in the 2^nd.

Band-aids: Tanguay, Latendresse, Laraque, Komisarek

 

GO HABS GO

 

Cheers,

 

The Optimist

 

Side note: The Pessimist is currently in Montreal from Los Angeles to attend the Habs game this Saturday. What a champion.

 

 

 

 

 

BREAKING NEWS

In the dressing room after tonight's horrible 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders, a reporter for the Team 990 discovered a Mise-O-Jeu ticket in O'Byrne's stall. Yes you heard me right! O'Byrne needed the Habs/Isles game to go to overtime in order to cash in big on his $5.00 ticket. He most likely glanced up at the out of town scoreboard and noticed that his other two picks, Florida over Carolina and Philly over Dallas were good. Congratulations O'Byrne on your $41.00 win tonight and for digging yourself an unescalpable hole in this town. Redeeming yourself will be near impossible. Good luck!

Josh Gorges = Hero

It looked like the game of unlikely heroes, but then came O'Byrne.

Go Habs Go

Cheers,

The Optimist

Screw the Habs

I will not post again until we freakin win a game or fire Carbonneau... or both. The Habs stink like a crap after eating entire bag of Humpty Dumpty Bar-B-Q chips. No, the Habs stink more. 

One word of advice: heart

The World is Ending

6-1? 6-1? I thought 6-3 was bad against Toronto but this? I don't know what is worse? Fool me once, shame on you but fool me twice, shame on me. I'm starting to really worry about this team and where they are heading. I have had a lot of emotions swirling tonight so I'd like to begin with a post I wrote on Habsinsedeout:

I'm 19 years old and don't remember 1993 or the 23 other cups before it. What I do remember is Rejean Houle, M. Tremblay, 3 straight years without the playoffs, a lockout and no stanley cup. That's my generations memory of our history. I've waited for this year for a long time. A time that my brother, father, and grandfather talk about but I can't really understand. This was supposed to be the year (and it still can be) that I get to feel what makes the Habs so great. So I will ridicule and boo when I think the team and coach aren't giving their best effort. I watched us lose for over a decade and i'm sill here. All I ask is that we atleast show up and be proud to where the red, white, and blue. So far that has not been the case and something must be done. It's not about "we lose some we win some", but how you win or lose. This last week has been most embarrassing week for me as a fan. In the past, we just didn't have the talent, but now there are no excuses. Hold yourself accountable for goodness sake.

 That was what I wrote after I went from being angry to comical to reflective. It was like I was quitting smoking or something.  After that post, my emotions went to angry again and to content in which I am at now. But for the purpose of this post, I will become reflective again but this time on the game itself (the horror). 

- I first and foremost put the blame on Carbo. He is our coach and is the first person who takes  the credit and the blame. His job is to best prepare us for each game. Alex Kovalev said after the game, the Habs were caught off guard and weren't prepared. If that's the case, then what is Carbo's job. He might as well not show up. This is also not the 1st time we have  been embarrassed this year. We got DESTROYED by the LEAFS FOUR days ago people. That's twice in the same week. Can someone take some accountability? Also, if he's not able to prepare us, at least attempt to do something during the game rather then do nothing. I know they say keep your composure behind the bench but come on. The guy seems like he has never heard of a timeout or a GOALIE CHANGE, or anything to that matter. It seems he wears those terrible ties to make up for his nothingness.

-GOALIE CHANGE! Price wasn't not himself tonight and needed to be pulled. It would have sent a wake up call to the rest of the team as well as not embarrassed the goalie of now and the future. ROY anyone. Carbo said he was trying to teach Price to learn from his mistakes. I could say the same thing for Carbo from Gainey's perspective.

- The KPK line has to do something. Koivu's line can't do everything. I believe the problem is that they are not keeping it simple. They play with the puck to much and never shoot. How hard is it to tell them to shoot the puck, Carbo? I mean if they don't listen, bench all three. You can't score if you don't shoot as the legendary Mr. Barrett used to say (He also said dump and change but I was the only one who would listen, Mr. Powers). 

- The Power Play is horrific. That gets me back to my last point. Put the Goddamn puck on the Goddamn net for heaven's sake. I'm putting a bounty on Doug Jarvis' head as he hasn't made that clear to the team after 5 weeks.

- Why does Laraque play? The Komi fight was embarrassing. He is now and forever Lucic's bitch. That contract money starting to dwindle.

- I hope they are all embarrassed and ashamed to put on that jersey right now in the 100th year. They have not deserved it so far. The boys need a spanking and lets hope they get it... from GAINEY and his menacing stare. Better show up against Philly but who knows with this team.

On Sean McCormick and Game Preview

Sean McCormick, reporter for Sportsnet, disgusts me. He has officially lost all of my respect. First of all, he works for Sportsnet, a sad excuse for a sports station. Secondly, he's married to Jennifer Hedger. Thirdly, he recently stated, "By entertaining the whimpering Habs, the league has set a dangerous precedent." Along with this moronic statement, McCormick sarcastically called Ruutu's hit on Lapierre an "elbow". There is a reason Ruutu was punished and it was not solely for his idiotic head hunting act on number 40, but because of his disgraceful attitude and improper conduct towards the integrity of the game. Jarkko Ruutu is not a Tom Kostopolous or a George Laraque. He's a Hollweg or McSorely. He's a classless pig of a hockey player. He's lucky the refs threw him out of the game, because I assure you if he returned to the ice he would have been flattened. The NHL got it RIGHT! A player was suspended for a hit that didn't result in an injury. It's about time.

BOSTON VS. MONTREAL

Original Six matchups are always entertaining. There is something special about watching two teams that have had the opportunity to develop a true rivalry. That hold a past and a history of hard fought games and all sorts of outcomes. For the last 12 games, excluding playoffs, Montreal remains undefeated against the Bruins. Can we extend this streak to 13? Yes, and we will. 

Our performance against Ottawa was extraordinary. We played on both ends of the ice. Our forwards were extremely responsible defensively, being aggressive in the defensive zone, enabling for the rapid transition game that led to much of our success last year. A good defense is a good offense. All we needed was one goal to beat the Sens, because of a spectacular display of effort by our Habs. Carbonneau did it right. He called a team meeting and stopped what could have been a devastating slew of losses for our team. Hats off to Higgins for scoring his first career trick and punishing Auld with his fantastic shooting ability. I have always been frusturated by Higgins' play as he suffers from the Jason Blake syndrome (1000 shots, 1 goal). Higgins had a spark the other night and hopefully he continues to find the back of the net. 

Gorges was awesome! We're lucky we have him. He's a wall defensively for a little guy and is superb at calculating when to hop up front for a pinch. Good job on your 2 assists Gorges.

I wouldn't be surprised to read the name Koivu next to leadership in the Thesaurus. Our captain showed what he's made of and how he could rally a team together after multiple embarassing games. Well done Saku. Oh and did anyone see that pass? Took a peak up the ice saw Higgins and sent a beautiful backhander right into Higgins' glove.

Price = generational talent. More valuable than Crosby?

Tonight I expect to see a physical game. The Bruins will not forget how close they came to toppling the Eastern Conference Champions in the first round of the 2008 playoffs. We have to stay out of the box and stick a man on the point. We can't let Chara move in on Carey.  Let's keep the puck away from the point and keep the Bruin sweaters away from the net. If we can keep them to the outside it will be an easy win.

I expect to see that aggressive defensive game we played against the Sens and another breakout night by the KPK line. Koivu is a Bruin killer. He's notorious for making fools out of their defense and goalies, as is Kovalev. Let's have fun with this one and bring Thomas' all-star performing ego down a little.

Carey won't have an easy time, but if we stick to the gameplan Carey will stop all that comes in his way. 

We will win this game. The question is by how much?

Habs fan prediction: 13-0 --> Julien gets the boot for throwing a water bottle at the refs and Chara goes through the glass on a hit from...KOVALEV.

TSN Analyst Prediction: Montreal wins 4-1 ---> Koivu scores twice, Kovalev and A. Kost and the others. Markov gets 3 helpers and Carey makes 26 saves.

Enjoy the game tonight.

Cheers,

The Optimist 

---DON'T FORGET TO VOTE---

http://fanballoting.nhl.com/leaders

Pre-Game

No time for a pre-game analysis today, but I will give a prediction.

Montreal wins 3-1.

Check back after the game for a post-game report.

The Aftermath

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I had to cleanse my mind while doing the opposite to my liver. After a couple days to reflect over the weekend I will attempt to offer a few points while not getting to angry. I will not focus on the Columbus game as I feel there is enough already on the Toronto game. All I will say about the former is that we lost to a team that plays in a city that doesn't know they have a team. Now lets move on to the Toronto game. Take a deep breath and go.

- The Tom the Bomb hit was the least of our worries. Hockey is dangerous and unfortunate things occur. I'm unhappy when any player goes down but Kosto wasn't trying to injure anyone, he was only finishing a check on a player who at last moment turned back away from the net. Kosto got his 3 games and will back. Hopefully Van Ryn will be back soon too.

- PASSION (or lack their of). We were blessed with the 8-2-2 record as we deserve a start more like 3-5-4. More nights then not, we have decided not to show up and luckily our superior talent has gotten us off the hook. Well after the Toronto game I have on thing to say...WAKE UP!!!! This was supposed to be the team that was a Stanley Cup contender. Well, come playoff time, it's not the talent that gets you by but the heart and determination. Does anyone want to be reminded of what happened last year. That 6-3 loss might have been the best thing to happen to us as we were embarrassed. I put this on Carbo now as the wake up call has been delivered. As coach, he has to hold his players accountable so I expect (hope) we come out hard tomorrow like we haven't seen this year. No more Mr. Nice Guy (which is also the ban Prop 8 motto for the protesters in Cali). 

-Wow, we need the Hammer. I know we need another defencemen but that was before his injury. This really scares me as our weakness is shown as lack of depth on the back end. I prey that we can stay healthy because if we don't, things can start not looking pretty. I hate Btisebois and prefer O'Byrne to be on the ice BUT I never asked for both to be playing in the same game. 41 shot by Toronto, TORONTO. We might as well bring back Patrick Traverse (oy givolt).

- Piece of crap Grabs is well a piece of crap. It's obvious he is that old type of Russian player that gave them a bad name for so many years (Don Cherry) as being girly men who play more like soccer then hockey (excuse the run on sentence as I am tired). The guy makes Kovalev look like Chris Nilan. But we let him dominate us. What Koivu and Lil Titz did was great but meaningless as he got the last laugh as well as the first star. This was a player who couldn't crack our lineup but now he's the next Pavel Bure? Give me a break (of that KitKat Bar... couldn't resist).

- Why play Laraque if he's not going to do anything? Three times, Toronto stormed Price and Laraque did what? If Carbo won't use him in a positive way, I'd rather have that 1.5 million back to help us get what we really seem to need, defence depth.

- 41-20!!! Doesn't matter who the goilie, we will lose every game that way.

- Finally, If we don't win tomorrow by at least 3 goals I will... (that's my Rules of Attraction ambiguous ending for y'all)

- Oh ya, We lost to COLUMBUS AS WELL!

Bring Back Александр Пережогин!!!

After fleeing Kazakhstan at a young age, Alexander Perezhgoin left the Montreal Canadiens for a substantially larger salary playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL. The once upon a time future Hab all-star seems to be heading in the right direction to an incredible career…in Russia. After a solid rookie campaign with 21 goals and 41 points in 50 games, Perezhogin is steamrolling through his second season with 17 goals and 23 points in 23 games. Those 17 goals are good for second in the league, behind none other than one of the all-time greats, Jaromir Jagr.

The Habs maintain Perezhogin’s rights as he is a restricted free agent, and I think it is time to lure him back to North America to compete with hockey’s most elite players. It would be interesting to see how Perezhogin does if he ever returns to the National Hockey League, and I believe that with the right coaching and a better attitude than his first kick at Canada, he will develop into an edge of the seat player, bringing us to our feet time and time again.

 

Go Habs Go

 The Optimist. 

Canadiens vs. Jackets - Preview

After a long week of waiting, the game is just hours away! The Columbus Blue Jackets are about to get dismantled by our Montreal Canadiens.

The Jackets are an interesting opponent. Lead by Rick Nash, a 24 year old playing in his SIXTH NHL season, Columbus has a bright future, but the future isn’t now. The organization has done a fantastic job at losing and for their efforts they have been rewarded with players such as Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov, Rick Nash, Steve Mason and their leading scorer, a rookie and Quebec native, Derick Brassard.

Rookie goaltender Steve Mason will attempt to outduel a goalie with much to prove, Jaroslav Halak. Mason has a solid future, having backstopped the Canadian World Junior team to the gold medal last year in the Czech Republic. Mason also cemented the MVP award of the tournament; much like a young kid named Carey Price did the year earlier. Where is Price now? Looks like he’s a Vezina contender just two seasons after graduating from the Junior Championships. Now by no means do I think Mason will have an immediate impact like our friend Price has, but look for big things from this kid in the future. Now that Leclaire is injured he has a shot a showing off his great talent.

It’s always fun to watch the only team never to make the playoffs play against a team with twenty-four cups. What I find fascinating about this matchup however is the many parallels that can be drawn between our current roster and theirs. The Blue Jackets remind me of our team a couple years back, when we began to see great promise, but were continually doubted by the media and critics. I believe that the Jackets will breakout in a big way next year and surprise a lot of gambling men. The pace of the game will be fast tonight, but the lack of experience on the home team’s side will chew them apart.

Finally! I repeat FINALLY! We will witness the lineup that many of us expected to see starting the season. It will be fun to watch, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. I think Halak will come out solid, but if he gets cracked early it will be a definite blow to his confidence. How much time left does he have in Montreal? This is another fascinating topic. We have an all-star starter and TWO, yes that’s right, TWO strong back up goalies. Marc Denis has put up a wall in Hamilton (7 wins, 1 Loss, 2 Shutouts, 1.84 GAA and 0.945 SV%) and will see time with an NHL team this season. I think Halak has more trade value, so if either of them go, it will be Jaro.

I have never been a fan of long breaks between games and this break has been absolutely moronic and ridiculous! We are SIX games behind the league leading New York Rangers. Now due to a lack of action the Canadiens will participate in 13 games in 23 nights. The NHL scheduling committee has set us up for injuries. I am also a believer that too much time practicing and watching other teams play leaves a team frozen. If it were any other team I’d probably say they’d come out flat, but we’re the Montreal Canadiens and we’re not any other team.

I have always loved Ken Hitchcock as a coach and I think he’s got a great challenge with the Jackets and has been doing a fabulous job. If Carbonneau wants to prove himself, tonight’s the night! He’s facing a titan in the realm of coaching, a coach who can coach a team to victory. Let’s see of Carbonneau can deal a knockout punch and silence his critics.

I hate making predictions. My friends usually ask me to make my Habs fan prediction and my TSN analyst prediction. So from now on I will do just that.

Habs Fan Prediction: 82-0. The Habs will score as many times as we have made the playoffs and the same goes for Columbus.

TSN Analyst Prediction: A big win 4-1. With Higgins scoring a beauty and Price taking a stab at the empty net.

dedicated to a friend and true competitor - MICHAEL DAVID MCCONNELL

Have a beer for your team.

Yours Truly,

 

The Optimist

POST YOUR PREDICTIONS

OMG!!!

Believe or not, I just bumped into hockey's most wanted man. Like Ecklund would say, a source close to the subject has told him the man who's name I'm not willing to say in order to create suspense (though most of you probably know who this man is already) is close to making a decision, might be a decision on what to wear today or should he eat that last pancake. Today, however, the source is I, Ecklund is you and the subject is none other then, yes, MATS SUNDIN.

Here's the scoop. So last night I'm waiting for my father who is running 10 minutes late for dinner at The Petit Four Restaurent on Sunset Boul. (I live in L.A., hence the Coast to Coast tittle) I'm standing on the sidewalk about 10 feet away from Armani Exchange at 7:27 PM pacific time when a well dressed bald headed man walked out carrying one bag and on the phone. I looked at him thinking how familiar he looked. I took step close and realized that it was Mats Sundin. What are the odds that this would happen, I could not do nothing so I decided to make a move and this our conversation.

Pessimist: Are you Mats Sundin?

Sundin: (Gave me a strange look)

Pessimist: Are you Mats Sundin?

Sundin: Yes?

Pessimist: OMG, I'm so sorry but I'm from Montreal and a big hockey fan.

Sundin: (Realizing how someone in L.A. would recognize him, he nods and puts his hand out to shake)

Pessimist: I just want to know if you were ever close to coming to Montreal? (as I shake his hand)

Sundin: No

Pessimist: So there was never a CHANCE you were coming?

Sundin: No

Pessimist: Thank you so much, sorry for being an inconvenience.

Then I walked 15 feet away back to the front of the restaurant. Sundin waited 2 more minutes until his gorgeous Swedish wife came out holding two Armani bags and they walked by me (Sundin giving me a final smile and nod) and off into the distance. I can finally rest in peace after suffering the entire summer. That's my story, you can believe or not (I say believe it as it actually happened).

-The reason I was able to meet Mats in L.A. is because he's guest starring on the T.V show Desperate Housewives. They shoot at the Universal Studios back-lot in Universal City, California. I for one would rather hang out with Koivu and Kovalev then Longoria and Sheridan (maybe not).

A Brief History Lesson

At the corner of St. Catherine and Wood avenue, buried beneath the concrete and steel, lies an unsung grave. On December 31, 1898, one of the finest indoor arenas was constructed to play home for many of Montreal’s hockey clubs. The Shamrock, Victoria’s, and Wanderers all skated in one of Canada’s most prestigious towns, in one of the world’s most magnificent arena’s, which at capacity held 10 000 hollering fans.

Most importantly, the rink played home to Montreal’s first Stanley Cup champion team. The journey of the greatest hockey team began on this site. Player/Coach Newsy Lalonde and goaltender Georges Vezina led the Canadiens to a 3-2 series victory over the Portland Rosebuds capturing the 1915-1916 Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, the original Westmount Arena burned down on January 2, 1918. However, since then les tricolores have hoisted the silver 23 more times.

As we head into the centennial season, we remember the great history, but after struggling through the past decade we can finally look to the future with excitement and belief that the Cup will return home.

In the same year that the Canadiens celebrate their 100^th year, Westmount has decided to put together plans to construct a new arena. 

An Awesome Tribute to Lord Stanley's Cup

After spending hours of searching, I have finally found it. I remember reading this a while back and getting the chills. It's a must read. ENJOY!

Somewhere there's a grave I should visit. The headstone probably is powder by now; certainly the person buried under it is. I owe this person millions - a debt of thanks for crafting, in all its spectacularly simple splendor, the gleaming silver bucket that became Lord Stanley's Cup. In the absence of a bouquet (can there be enough roses to offer gratitude this profound?), in the absence of a factual sense of whether this artisan lived as a man or a woman, in the absence of a clue where this important soul lived, laughed, learned, ate, drank, slept, wept, worried, suffered, and died, these humble words of appreciation are, at once, the least I can do and the best I can do. Good Sir or Madam, wherever you are, wherever you were, thank you for the Cup that makes hockey better than any other sport. Men will work all their lives for the privilege of crying over the Cup. They will cry because they won it, they will cry because they didn't. They will spend ten days or two weeks clubbing each other silly, will break each other's bones, will rend each other's flesh, will shed each other's blood (or their own; it couldn't matter less). And still they will shake hands when the series is over because over that period of time they shared, on a frozen field of combat, the gallant honor of striving for the Cup. The winners will bring it to their parents' homes and say, with words or with smiles, the same words just typed here: Thank you. Thanks, Mom and Dad. Thanks for driving me to the rink. Thanks for the skates at Christmas. Thanks for the goal net in the driveway. Thanks for shivering through all those practices. Thanks for everything. Mom, Dad, when this Cup goes to the engraver, your hands will hold the chisel and the hammer as the name you gave me-YOUR name-is immortalized. Others will speak to parents now gone, to brothers or sisters or friends who didn't live to see the day the dream came true. They will close their eyes and speak with their hearts. From their floats on parade day, they will search the skies for a cloud that looks like someone in Heaven who truly would have loved to have been there. Our Cup is for Howe and Richard and Beliveau and Gretzky. And it is for Holik or Lehtinen or Zubov or Leetch. Canadians can win it. Americans can win it. Or Czech Republicans or Russians or Slovaks or Finns or Swedes. It isn't merely a Cup; it is a wondrous melting pot. And the democracy is a marvel. Everybody who helped win it gets to touch it, to carry it above his head, even hold it in the lap of his wheelchair. The scorers who checked, the checkers who scored, the muckers who passed, the passers who mucked, the fighters who held their tempers and skated away from trouble, they touch sweaty fingers to the cold sterling silver and suddenly all the pain leaves them - flies upward with the spirits of the fans who buy the tickets and the T-shirts and the banners and the posters, the ones who paint their faces and wear their jerseys to the rink for the games in May that matter and the games in September that don't. It is incredible what they put themselves through-the players, the fans, the coaches who would sign any deal with any devil if it guaranteed the last line change, the best match-up, another skate save in overtime of Game 7. And then again, it is not incredible at all. You stand in a rink and you see the faithful wave their towels or their shakers, you hear the choir of their voices in a temple of all that is pure about our game, and you know there is no place else to be. You know there are sixteen teams, then eight, then four, then two, then one, and when that one team is yours, all the energy in the universe channels through Stanley into your cells, your molecules, your atoms. And forgive me, if the bowl was a little smaller or a little taller or a little wider, it wouldn't be the Cup of our fathers and our forefathers, the Cup Bower won at forty-two, the Cup Baun won on a broken ankle, the one Pocket Rocket raised eleven times in twenty seasons. It might be some soaped up candy dish, but it wouldn't be Stanley, which some nameless, long-dead silversmith crafted into hockey perfection just over one hundred years ago. Our gratitude is beyond measure.

By Frank Brown

The Hockey Sweater

For your enjoyment while we anxiously await Friday's game.

Every Habs fan's favourite book:

THE HOCKEY SWEATER 

by Roch Carrier

Once Again...

...America fails to make the right choice...

Hopefully you Americans will in 2012.

Hockey news to come tomorrow.

Go Habs Go

image courtesy of: http://art.cafepress.com/item/sarah-palin-2012-mini-poster-print/302461367

Election 08 - The True Identity of the Habs - McCain

When you think of the Montreal Canadiens, do you think of an expansion franchise that fails to bring in revenue and draw an attendance? Do you think of a short history of inexperience and failure? Do you think of a disgusting looking uniform worn without pride?

NO

You think of 100 years of incredible history. A profitable organization with years of consecutive sellouts.  You think of fans with passion and desire for the history of Le Grand Club. Fans that believe in the experience and the unparallelled classiness of how the organization has retained the roots of its past and carried them forward. WE wear our jerseys with pride and continue believing when all seems lost.

The Canadiens are the perfect metaphor for the career and future of President John McCain.

McCain has experience. He knows what it takes to lead and to fight in any circumstances. He has seen the economy fail in the past and witnessed the country rise from failure to triumph. He has held a passion for his nation close to his heart, so close he risked his life serving his nation in war. He has grown with the country and the country has grown with him. 

Like the Canadiens, McCain has a glorious history. He fights like WE fight. He wears his uniform with the same pride we wear ours. He has carried his roots with him and adapted the same way the Canadiens have. 

In a time of crises who do you call on? The Columbus Blue Jackets or the Montreal Canadiens?

The answer is easy and so is the answer to who should be leading our friends across the border.

When you think about the Canadiens do you really dwell on the cap and the spread of wealth amongst players? You think about how wealth has carried on over the years and how it continues to be carried forward. This is not a monetary wealth. This is a wealth of history and passion, a wealth of 24 Stanley Cups, and a wealth of belief (not hope) in Stanley Cups to come.

John McCain's wealth of passion, history and a strong belief for a stronger America is what America NEEDS. 

And who would you rather, Palin (a babe that digs hockey) or Biden. 

Sidenote: Biden just referred to Philadelphia as a state. Is that what you want? Ignorance?

Stephen Harper loves hockey so let's have hockey represented in the White House with Palin.

enough said.

Your Truly,

The Optimist

Election 08

Obama or McCain?

Who to choose? and why talk about it on a hockey blog?

Simple, Canadiens don't play another game for four more days and I'll probably be the only person to read this article anyways as still not one person has commented to my both informative and hilarious posts. Huh, I crack myself up sometimes ( as I type alone in a dark room). Mr. Optimist has already declared his love for McCain which is not that optimistic unless someone does not understand the meaning of CHANGE and HOPE as I do. Obama 08. This site, however, is a hockey blog so I'll incorporate the Habs as an analogy to Barack Obama.

The Canadiens have "spread the wealth around" not committing the bank to any one player. Andrei Markov is the highest paid player at 5.75 million but isn't one of the ten highest paid defensemen in the league. By having great depth rather then 2 or 3 superstars, the Habs are a more balanced team that is better prepared for a payoff run. If one top player goes down, the team is better suited to prevent any bleeding.  The team itself has become more unified and stronger as everyone is expected to pull some slack to lift us to a 25th championship. Yes We Can! Can you see the comparison with the Habs and Obama? It's pretty obvious.

A team like the Penguins, however, decided to pay for a select few like Sidney Crosby and Malkin breaking the bank on both for 8+ million a year. This has created a problem of retaining "middle class" players such as Ryan Malone. They are forced to settle on Matt Cooke's of the world creating a greater discrepancy between the top and the bottom that the lockout tried to stop. Seems like more of the same to me. The hope is that the talent of stars "trickle" down to the lesser players to help make the team more balanced. This may work, however, if one star goes down, kind of like Lehman Brothers did, the whole ship goes down with it as does the hopes for a championship. I think you can guess which candidate this reminds you of. Does this seem like change you can believe in?

In the end, what is important is the Montreal Canadiens and their quest for a championship, not this election even if it effects our lives more... not. If someone told me the Habs would win if McCain won as well, I'd cheer for McCain and that hockey mom from Alaska. My priorities are set Mr. Dino Sisto, like it or not. I just thought it would be fun to write an article sort of on politics the day before the most important day until our next game. Go Habs Go

Bleu, Blanc, Orange

WHAT A FINISH! After writing about being constantly outperformed by the leagues worst, the Habs managed to be outplayed, while also demonstrating the attitude of champions. Never quit! I don't know what was said in between the 2nd and 3rd period, but I figure it was something along the lines of --

Koivu to team: *silence*

Carbonneau stands speechless fixing his tie and looking in the mirror to remind himself to pick up some Just for Men grey hair remover after the game.

Kovalev to team: mumbles something in Russian 

Plekanec to Kovalev and Kostitsyn: I think it's time.

Kostitsyn and Kovalev casually nod

The Habs recognized poor hockey and were led by a line of studs just waiting to breakout. It was a thrill to watch and a tease of what is to come.

However, while the Canadiens eased their way to a 3rd period victory, so did the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring FIVE goals in the final frame to beat the league leading Rangers. Poor teams show up against the best.

Price didn't look comfortable. He made me feel uncomfortable. In the end he made some key stops and didn't lose his cool, unlike the Flyers series. I think he's maturing and as Brodeur gets the all-time wins and shutouts record this year Price begins his crawl to the top.

Koivu and Tanguay - they compliment each other. We are witnessing a renewed, confident captain, prepared to lift the Cup come June. SIX shots on net. SIX. Koivu is starting to shoot the puck and a big part of that is Tanguay relieving Koivu's burden as being the set up man. Now we have two guys who can put the puck in the net and two guys who can make the plays. Career seasons for Koivu and Tanguay. Enjoy!

Latendresse - for all those haters: he will be a thirty goal scorer in this league. He's 21. Few power forwards develop until their mid-20s give the kid a break. He's playing the best hockey of his career. He can skate, pass and hit. He will find the back of the net.

Higgins - he reminds me of Jason Blake, he'll shoot the puck 1000 times and score twice. He needs confidence and hopefully that goal gave it to him. I know it's only one goal but it had great importance and value.

Markov - Norris.

Gorges - Is anyone regretting losing Rivet for this kid? Gorges is a great defender and is awesome at calculating when to join a rush. He will put up points some day. He's that good.

Bleu, Blanc, Rouge

Go Habs Go

THREE STARS

1. Plekanec

2. Kovalev

3. Koivu

BONEHEAD of the game: Laraque

The Stephen Harper Turning Point: Plekanec's first goal of the game, in the first period he decided to show up this season.

Remember - Vote McCAIN

Last Night Against the Isles

We came, we won (though unconventionally), I got hammered. The Habs went into Long Island and put up a stinker for 40 minutes trailing the Isles 4-1. But a hockey game is not 40 minutes long and we decided to show up for the remainder of the game and play the best period of the season. Final Score: 5 Habs-4 Isles. One thing is for certain, the team does like to make us fans go bipolar on a nightly basis. I personally was at one moment (2nd intermission) pulling my hair out to another (MSG+ post game show) getting drunk chanting Ole Ole Ole. I hope the Habs will figure out how to play a whole game as I would like to keep my remaining brown hairs. Here are a few points I got from the game:

- We were were terrible, appalling, atrocious, dreadful, revolting, abhorrent in the first 2 periods. You'd think the game was being played on Halloween but every time I checked to make sure, It was Saturday. The 7-1-1 Habs were being demolished by the 2-6-1 Islanders. Not one line was playing well and our defense made Richard Park look like Sidney Crosby. This was the 2nd time in 2 nights I have thrown up in my mouth, the 1st being when I saw Mario Trembaly on the tele Thursday.

- We were amazing, awesome, incredible, marvelous, stunning, unbelievable in the 3rd period. I was reminded of why I had thought this game was going to be a pushover. If we had played half that well the first 2 periods, the score would have been 8-1 (The 1 comes from the softy Price let in in the 1st). 

- Pleky is out of the slump. Hooray!!! Forget about Kovy's 4 point effort as great as it was, what was more important was Plek's equally amazing performance. Kovalev is Kovalev and as much as people were hating on him, I was never worried. But Thomas is young and was pressing. He needed an ugly goal to regain his confidence which he got in the 3rd period on the rebound. Did you see his reaction after, he spread his arms so wide in the air, I thought he was going to part the Red Sea. I fully expect the KPK  line to start going Red Army on everyone from this day forward.

- Higgins baby! As much as Pleky was pressing, Higgins was as well. Carbo finally did what was going to happen eventually (sooner rather then later) by placing Higgins on the Koivu, Tanguay line. I now expect Mr. 84 to drop further into nothingness and end up being the star player in January... for the Hamilton Bulldogs. Lentendresse never belonged on that line and I'm thrilled to have Higgins back. He was playing inspired hockey after his goal. Best line I heard was that he played like his beard was on fire.

- I'm so happy that Koivu is our captain. That man just never quits. The Higgins goal was created due to the great effort behind the net by Koivu. I hope he makes the all-star team this year as he deserves to represent our team in Montreal. I also hope, however, that Kovalev, Tanguay, Markov, and Price make the team too (not that unreasonable to ask for).

- How great were the Isles retro jerseys last night. I thought before the game, it was going to be the only positive from the Islanders perspective. I was wrong.

- As bad as O'byrne was, I still prefer him over Brisebois. I just hate Brisebois so much.

- Laraque got owned last night by a rookie. Why are paying this guy 1.5 million again?

- I rather have played 2 terrible periods to only win it in the 3rd then the opposite way around. So I will happily take this victory and the two points in stride. Just try to imagine what it must feel like to be a Islanders fan right now. Oh wait, must kind feel like it did when the Habs missed the playoffs 3 straight seasons. Those were the days when Brisebois was our highest paid player and Patrick Poulin was an offensive threat (I just almost threw up in my mouth again). I'm just happy to know we have a team that one can never give up on as shown last night.

Go Habs Go

Isles to Test Carbo

Expecting a blowout? There is something to be said about top teams playing the bottom feeders of the league. Coaches tend to coach down to their level and Carbonneau is one of those coaches. When playing a pathetic team like the Islanders, it opens an opportunity for a coach to show his colours. To unload on the team and make sure that a statement is sent out around the league that the only way to beat the Habs is to out coach them. When playing a draft lottery team, there is no better opportunity for linemates to experiment and gain their form. Tonight I expect to see Kovy, AK46 and Plex remind us of why they were one of the most feared lines in the 07-08 season. Carbonneau should not take this game lightly, he should press for 60 minutes and embarrass Snow's club. It appears as though whenever Quebec goaltenders face les tricolores they put up a fence and fill the holes with cement. Tonight Danis will be tested, shelled and pulled. Unless our coach decides to play the Islanders game. For once let's dictate the pace and play against a struggling team. Carbonneau don't embarrass us or yourself. 

Go Habs Go

Prediction: W6-1

enough said.

Last Night Against the Wild

I don't know how we did it but we won 2-1 and got the hell out St. Paul. That was one of the wierdest games I've ever seen but Minnesota is a wierd place(They elected Jesse "the body" Ventura governor for christ sake) Don't worry, we don't have to go back again this season. After watching what could of been a good game if the officials had done their job right, here are some points I got of out it.

- The Price is right! Enough said. Anyone who thinks Halak is better should watch yesterday's game.

- Craig Lee should not be an NHL official. In the real world, he would be fired for being a dope as Bob Ryan would say. I've seen Pee Wee games in Montreal-West reffed better then that laugher. Where's Chris Simon's stick when you need it (that was a joke not to be taken seriously)

- Is it just me or does Jacques Lemaires piss everyone off? I know he won 8 cups with us but Mario Tremblay won cups here too and I justifiably threw up in my mouth when the camera showed him for a second.

- I hate Brisebois. Just want to make it known.

- Gorges was gorgeous last night. He's the only player in the world who can play 21 minutes and go completely invisible. That's a good thing unlike when Brisebois became quite visible when Price had to bail him out on a breakaway.

-Didn't it feel like Koivu's mom was cheering for Mikku? Talk about picking favorites.

- Lucky to get away with 2 points. Hope the Isles will not give us that much trouble tomorrow as we face a familiar face, Yan Danis. Good luck Yan, I hope we bury you.

1st Post!!!

Welcome to Coast to Coast Habs where any hab fan can get and give insight on the team they love. The posts will be provided by my colleague, the Optimist, and myself, the Pessimist. We will be following the team on a daily basis as they attempt to succeed in the Drive for 25. Though my colleague and I may disagree on many things, we will always agree on the fact that their is no better sports fanchise then the bleu blanc rouge. Hope you all enjoy and Go Habs Go!!!