No lead is safe.

Last night I was chatting online with a friend about the upcoming Canadiens game. The main concern was about Alexei Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec... and they're lack of doing anything this year. I personally blame the fact that Kovalev cut off his magical mullet.

We'll get back to that. First onto the game.

Quickly after my conversation about how I was worried about Kovalev, he scored 2 minutes into the game.

Annnnd then Mark Streit came back to haunt the Canadiens with a bullet from the point that deflected off of a Canadiens player and into the top corner. Oh Mark, we used to be friends... but something's changed. (Oh... it's the jersey. Right.)

Suddenly nearing the end of the second period and it's 4-1 Islanders. What the shhh... *click*

that was the sound of me changing the channel to the Pittsburgh game.

So the Penguins were playing the lowly Blues. The Penguins appeared to have quite a lot of jump in their step. But, whatever happened to Sidney Crosby did not look so good. He was expected to possibly miss last nights game due to an "undisclosed injury" but he took to the ice anyways. It looks like he has back spasms or something like that. Several times I saw him skate to the bench and I figured he wasn't going to come back on. Yet somehow he managed to get 2 assists.

This game started an hour later than the Montreal game so I was actually watching the first period of the game. Satan scored late in the first to make it 1-0 Penguins.

Ok. Ok. I feel bad... back to the Canadiens sinking ship, er, game.

*click*

Start of the Third period and the Canadiens are down 4-1. Oh boy. Smelling a comeback? It's the Islanders... it could be done.

The Canadiens actually do look very good in the third period. They're dominating the play, and buzzing around the Islanders net.

And then our dead man skating emerges. Tomas Plekanec scores two goals in two minutes. At this point, i've spilled chips all over the floor and i'm standing in front of the television clutching my last Propeller Pumpkin beer. The Islanders have already called their timeout after Plekanec scored his first goal, so that obviously worked really well.


Another four minutes and another goal. Chris Higgins puts one behind Yann Danis at 14:06 of the third period to tie the game 4-4.

You've got to be kidding me.

A little more than a minute later at 15:19, Kovelev returns from the dead. I mean sure he scored back in the first period. But midway through the game he took a high stick from noone other than former teammate Mark Streit. So he's got this bleeding gash on his cheek. This is just plain hilarious.

I kinda feel bad for Bill Guerin. He looks really depressed. I suppose I would be too, if I played on the Islanders.


The moral of this story. The Canadiens only have to play one period.



The other stuff.

The goalies are dropping like flies. Rick DiPietro is out 4-6 weeks because of knee surgery. And Martin Brodeur left the game last night with an elbow injury. Broduer was probably cursed since Hockey Night in Canada did a feature peice on him and how he's destined to break Patrick Roy's record.

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored five, COUNTEM, five third period goals to win 5-2 over the New York Rangers.

And Ottawa cannot seem to find it. They are sitting 12th in the standings after a shootout loss last night to the Tampa Bay Lightening. Good God, Tampa Bay??

And lastly i'd like to point out this craziness that is called weather in Halifax. Snow one day, 14 degrees the next:

Welcome to the 100th season, Montreal.

Jean Beliveau

Ooooh, they blew the 3-0 lead on purpose so that they could have a dramatic shootout victory at their first home game of their 100th season. I get it.

Canadiens legends Elmer Lach, 90, and Emile Bouchard, 88, two of the oldest surviving Canadiens alumni dropped the puck on the Canadiens season at the Bell Centre. They were joined by ten other Canadiens Hall of Famers: Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur, Bob Gainey, Guy Lapointe, Steve Shutt, Larry Robinson and Dick Duff. It's one of the truly nice things about Original Six teams like Montreal, they have this immense history and their former players are more than willing to come back and share.

Emile "Butch" Bouchard (#16) greets Elmer Lach (3)

The Canadiens built up a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period, with goals by Saku Koivu, Alexei Kovalev and Maxim Lapierre. But it slowly began to unravel, and silly old me thought that the Canadiens were going to blow it completely and lose. But all they wanted to do was have a thrilling finish. Ya gotta spot the other team some goals for fun, right? I mean really, what's the fun in destroying a team 6-1? (editors note: actually it's really fun, especially when it's Toronto on the wrong end of that score) Boston's David Krejci scored the first goal in the second period to get it rolling for Boston.

Carey Price had a bit of a bad bounce when he wandered behind the net. It was also extremely poor timing — there was 48 seconds remaining. As Price came to get the puck it took a strange bounce, hit the back of the net, squirted out front, and landed on the stick of Marc Savard. Price dove back at the net in a futile effort to make himself look like he tried. Savard also had the Bruins second goal of the night.



Price redeemed himself by stopping Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel and former teammate Michael Ryder in the shootout. And Alex Tanguay helped save the day by scoring the only goal for the Canadiens. Quebec boy does good.

Montreal has nine points of a possible ten this season. Boston continues its road to being not very good.

Alex Tanguay after scoring the shootout winner

Where do I start?

Guys I'm so rusty. I didn't realize how rusty I was. There are too many games to deal with!!!

Two of my favourite people. (Ron MacLean and Peter Mansbridge.)

Destruction.

Ok, starting with the Montreal-Toronto game. Montreal dominated, (understatement), the final was 6-1. There was one point when the game was close, I think it was the first five minutes of the game. Toronto had a couple good chances but Jaroslav Halak shut them down.

I was perplexed about Carbonneau's decision to start Halák instead of Price (mostly because it would've been a guaranteed win, and I have Price in my pool). But I figured they probably wanted to rest price after playing last night where the game went the full legnth to the shootout and Price handled 36 shots. A friend also pointed out that Montreal needs to "showcase their trade bait."

False Hopes.

I haven't spoken to any Leafs fans yet tonight. Most of them are huddled in their dark basements quietly sobbing, i'm sure. Anyway, judging by the reaction that is usually garnered by the result of the first game of the season, I can't help but think that Toronto fans were excited after the big win against Detroit. Oh well.

Tanguay.

Gave all proof in the world that the difference between a good player and a bad player can be the playing style of the team they're on. Tanguay looks like he's been playing in Montreal for five years — he fit right in. 4 points (a goal and three assists) says it all.

Cherry.

Geez Don. I was on your side when you called Sean Avery a jerk. But i'm not on your side with this one. Cherry complained after the game that Montreal had their "top powerplay line on the ice with a couple minutes left and the game was out of hand". Well Don, it's the beginning of the season and Carbonneau is going to take the in-game practice for the line when he can. Second, if you don't want to play against the top power play line. Stop taking penalties.

Palin.
The Alaska legislative panel released their report into Sarah Palin's abuse of power allegations yesterday. So in classic Palin style, she did something hockey mom related to brush it off. Sooooo she dropped the puck at the Philadelphia Flyers home opener accompanied by the winner of some ridiculous "ultimate hockey mom" contest. On top of it all they gave out lipstick to the hockey moms in attendance.

Oh there was something else I was suppose to mention... umm... what was it... Oh yes, Flyers owner Ed Snider gave donations to the Republican campaign. That's good. Using your NHL team as a political pawn.

Kippers self-destruction.

Calgary was leading 3-1. At home. Home opener. Lost 5-4 in overtime. Todd Bertuzzi was a disaster on skates, hitting from behind and elbowing in the head... I think the fans in Calgary probably wished they were in Toronto. (now that's really sad.)

It's like he reads my blog or something.

On Sunday I sent a pleading message to James Duthie to re-appear from summer hiatus. Two days later, he's back. Coincidence? Obviously not. Now what else should I ask for...

Right... blog... so...

In honour of the valiant return of James Duthie I post the first (couple of) Duthie-ism(s) of the new 2008-09 season,

"So let's see. What's changed since the last time we blogspoke? 

 Emery went to Russia. Redden went to New York. Hossa went to Detroit. And Sundin went 'Uhhhhh, Ummmm, Uhhhhh...'"

...

"That leaves it wide open for....take your pick...Montreal, Philadelphia, the Rangers, Washington...

...Ottawa?

Errr...probably not. Then again, the Bills are 4-0. Nothing makes sense anymore."


I would also like to point out that I am currently enjoying a pre-season game between Detroit and Montreal. The reasons why this is much more enjoyable than the game I took in in Halifax are endless.

First of all, there are actual players out there (as opposed to the pylons that played the game last Monday) and they started a skinnier Carey Price.

Second, Pierre McGuire is back. And he hasn't missed a beat.

Third, it's actually in Montreal. There will probably be some sort of riot after the game regardless of the outcome.

Just kidding... sortof.

It appears TSN forgot how to work... stuff. Because they have the mics inside the glass turned up WAYYYYY too loud. When you can hear the players dropping f-bombs louder than the muffled sounds of Gord and Pierre, there's a problem.

I can also hear some drunk fan in row 249 better than the commentary. I'm almost tempted to watch it on mute but I fear missing some ridiculous comment from our friend Pierre. It hasn't happened yet, but I have faith. The odds are with me.

CCCP.

Russia is having war of words in politics and now in Hockey as well. The KHL (Kontenintal Hockey League... they can't even spell Continental right...) is claiming that the NHL is stealing its players. And the NHL is claiming the same about the KHL. Can you feel the love?

"NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in the Radulov case, the IIHF, “lacked the courage and conviction to do what’s right,” by not ordering Radulov to fulfill the final year of his contract with the Nashville Predators. Despite still being under contract to the Predators, Radulov signed a three-year deal worth $13 million with Salavat Ufa of the KHL and has already appeared in several games."

For those of you who thought that the Russians starting their own league wasn't going to be a problem. Case and point. I think the NHL is in for it, especially when the KHL starts expanding into hockey-mad countries like Czech Republic, Sweden, etc. It's also going to be interesting to see what the KHL does to the Elite leagues in such countries.

I'm always down for a good Russian soap opera... especially the kinds that don't involve the demolition of humanity.

Hockey Canada named Pat Quinn the new head coach of the Canadian Junior hockey team. I like it. He's got Olympic experience. If anyone can whip those long haired hippies into shape, it's the curmudgeonly Patt Quinn. What do you call a 5-peat anyway? Oh yeah... Awesome.

Carey Price has dropped 25 pounds, the impressive thing is he still weighs 200. Apparently he managed the feat by giving up chocolate bars...

all pennsylvania final.

The Penguins took their fans on a ride yesterday afternoon, needing overtime to win the series. The Penguins will face cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Looks like throwing the final game of the season to avoid playing the Flyers was to no avail. Jordan Staal triumphed over brother Marc for the second time, as the two faced off in Junior hockey as well.

The Dallas Stars placed the San Jose Sharks on the golf course and it only took them four extra periods to do it. Brendan Morrow scored the series-winning goal. Dallas moves on to face the Johan Franzen and the Detroit Red Wings in the next round (Franzen has 11 goals so far this playoffs, which is ridiculous).

And the Habs reflected on their playoff exit, but the team shouldn't dwell too long. The team really will not be losing any key players to free agency like some teams we know *cough cough Pittsburgh* and the playoff experience can only help going into next year. Of course you can't help but feel bad for Carey Price as he looked pretty tired after the loss,

"It's probably the worst moment of my career," Price said as he fought back tears. "I hate to lose."

Point form.

It's Saturday, that bright shiny orb in the sky finally returned and... I'm at work. It's a bit busy here today (seems like a few people have the rum and coke flu) but a lot happened that just needs to be talked about, so we're going to do a quick run down.

World Championships

- Canada and Slovenia: score 5-1. Dany Heatley was back in fine form after a less than par playoffs with a hattrick and player of the game. But the real star of the game was Slovenia's goaltender Robert Kristan who faced 65 goals and let in just 5 goals, Kristan recieved a resounding standing ovation from the Metro Centre crowd in appreciation of his efforts.

- Latvia USA: score 4-0. Latvia played just like their fans cheered. Balls out. They lost, but it was exciting... mostly because of the loud, drunken fans, who cheered and banged giant drums throughout the game. I cannot wait until Latvia scores, I want to see what happens.

- Games today: Finland VERSUS Germany (4:30 AST) and Slovakia VERSUS Norway (8:15 AST)


NHL


- Carey Price will be back in nets for game five tonight. Tonight will be a huge test for the young goaltender, as he faces the pressure of coming back from being benched last game and facing elimination. It will be a goaltender's battle as Martin Biron has been playing extremely well and is one of the main reasons the Flyers are in the position to knock off the number one seed Canadiens.

- expect to see Guy Carbonneau's lucky, shiny, colourful, silk tie tonight.

- only 1 broom out for Round 2. The San Jose Sharks overcame a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in overtime and live another day. Game six is in Dallas.


MEMORIAL CUP
The Memorial Cup is just two weeks away and there are a few teams that have already secured a spot.
- Belleville Bulls
- Kitchener Rangers(host team)
Two series are still yet to be determined the Western Hockey League finals (Lethbridge or Spokane)and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League finals (Rouyn Noranda Huskies or Gatineau Olympiques)

karma is a bitch.

Pesty pest Sean Avery was "rushed" to hospital last night after the game three loss to the Penguins with a lacerated spleen. Rushed is in quotations because he apparently took a leisurely limo ride to the hospital, converse to early reports that the forward was in grave danger. Anyway, the "unfortunate" news today is that he is done for the playoffs (which, really, will probably consist of just one more game for the Rangers). Well Sean, no offense, but you're a jerk and this is probably the Hockey Gods telling you something.


Price will sit tonight.

Apparently Guy Carbonneau made his decision last night however he only told the other coaches, GM Bob Gainey and the two goaltenders. It was released at around 5 p.m. EST that Price would sit out for the game. Much was made of the point that Price is very young.

"He's 20 years old, we can't forget that," Carbonneau said. "We're trying to ask this kid to be a saviour for our club. But again, we had a 5-on-3 for two minutes. We had five of our best players on the ice. Maybe we should blame them also.

"I'm 20-years-old," Price told the media. "And i am finding out the hard way that the playoffs aren't easy."

My concern is, can you really really really blame the goaltender in this situation. Sure he's been a bit shaky on some plays and seems a bit "off". But what about the Montreal forwards? They had a ton of chances last game and failed to put it in the net.


Crosby and Clan took a huge 3-0 lead in their series when they visited MSG for game three last night. They're the only undefeated team in the playoffs right now, and by the way last game went they'll probably stay that way after game four against the Rangers. As Dan O'Toole would say, "the only battle the Penguins are losing is the facial hair one."



Brooms?
Since when do the brooms come out in the second round? All series except the Canadiens-Flyers series are currently sitting at three games to none.

Carey Price story

Stumbled across this story that CTV's W-Five did on Carey Price. It aired shortly after the 2007 World Junior Championship in Leksand, Sweden where Carey Price partook in that marathon shootout and won a gold medal. (Have I pointed out that I WAS THERE, right behind the net during that shootout?) Two things from this video: Carey Price is calmer than a jedi, and I want his hat.

Thanks Elliot.

CBC's Elliot Friedman's article on Carey Price's game last night.

Price won't unravel after tough loss
Friday, April 18, 2008 | 10:08 AM ET

I was standing next to the Boston Bruins dressing room when Vladimir Sobotka scored that weak fifth goal last night.

The first comment was: "We got him!" Followed by: "He’s rattled!"

We’ll see.
Price wasn’t impressive on the ice in Game 5, but he was extremely impressive off of it. When the thick silver doors to the Canadiens dressing room opened, there he was, waiting. That’s the sign of accountability. He stood up for his mistakes, didn’t duck any questions.

Price accepted responsibility, shrugged off any major concerns and pointed out that he’s entitled to a bad start once in a while. The best goaltenders have short memories. It appears he’s blessed with that gift.

"I won't think about it again after I leave this dressing room," he said.

I may be proven horribly wrong, but I can’t see Price unravelling. Everything on his resume indicates he won’t fall apart like a cheap G.H. Johnson bed. Had a long conversation yesterday with Bob Tory, general manager of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, who took him seventh overall in the 2002 Bantam Draft.

Most Canadian (or Canadiens) hockey fans are well aware of Price’s successes at the World Juniors and in the American Hockey League. But Tory explained to me that it goes back even further. As a bantam, he led his rural team to great results against those from B.C.’s lower mainland. Apparently, that’s a rare occurrence in Lotusland.

As a 16-year-old WHL rookie, Price beat out Tyler Weiman – who had already been drafted by the Colorado Avalanche – for the team’s top job by the start of the playoffs. The next season, he set a franchise record for best goals against average, recording eight shutouts on a team that was eight games under .500.

(Tory’s pretty good when it comes to goalies. He grabbed Dan Blackburn early in the 1998 draft for Kootenay, and won a league title two years later because of it. He would intentionally downplay comparisons between them because he didn’t want anyone to realize how much he wanted Price in 2002.)

Obviously, Game 6 will be a huge challenge for Don Cherry’s Rookie of the Year. Win or lose, I think Price will be great. This is not a man with a history of failure

puzzle.

game five. still. Canadiens started playing like a bunch of schoolboys after Kovalev scored. They looked terrible. Game is 4-1, probably should've been worse.


*edit* 2:59 a.m. -- it was worse. it was 5-1. Price will rebound... right?

E.R.

Scary Carey. Cardiac Canadiens. 1-0 win over the Bruins.

Giddy like a schoolgirl.

The first thing I did when I got home today was check the NHL.com. Last night the major networks and league officials sat down with some arena schedules and a map of some time zones and after i'm sure what was a frustrating night... out came this:






And with some Habs news, goaltender Carey Price was named first star in the NHL 3 Stars of the Week.

FIRST STAR – CAREY PRICE, G, MONTREAL CANADIENS

Price posted a 3-0-0 record with a 0.67 goals-against average, .977 save percentage and one shutout as the Canadiens (47-25-10, 104 points) finished first overall in the Eastern Conference. He stopped all 32 shots in posting his third shutout of the season, a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators Apr. 1. On Apr. 3, he stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres and closed the week with a 26-save effort in a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Apr. 5. Price has posted a record of 24-12-3 with a 2.56 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and three shutouts in 41 appearances this season.

The NHL Draft lottery is also held tonight. You can catch it at 9pm Atlantic Time (8pm EST)

Is today real?

am i really writing this blog right now? This is a test. Maybe i'm just asleep... and when i wake up tomorrow this post won't exist because what I experienced as March 29 wasn't March 29 at all. I was just dreaming about what March 29 would be like, if March 29 was a really gawd-awful, terrible day.

The day was going pretty good, I was hanging out this afternoon watching Jennifer Jones play Japan after losing to China yesterday and having to play an extra game to go to the finals of the World Championships. Jones came back from 3 points back, to steal a point in the extra end which sent them to the final to face China for a third time... third time's a charm?

Anyway, everything started going downhill shortly after that. I was enjoying a few brewskis at the Midtown Tavern in Halifax when suddenly i found myself sulking into those brewskis.... the Toronto Maple Leafs... yes that team that is neither going to make the playoffs, but isn't terrible enough to qualify for the top draft pick in the lottery... beat the Montreal Canadiens.... the team sitting atop the Conference.... 4-2. 4-2!??! are you serious?

To make it fair... the Canadiens were without a slew of important players. Defensive specialist Mike Komisarek is still out, captain Saku Koivu is out with a "foot injury" (Alexei Kovalev was wearing the "C") As well unsung hero Mark Streit who can play either D or forward was also out with a "foot injury. To make matters worse, Francis Bouillion took a nasty slap shot to the inside of the knee. He didn't leave the game but it didn't look like it tickled. Not to mention that Halak started in net instead of Price and let in some questionable goals.

Ok wait, let's talk about the fact that Halak started in nets instead of Price. When the Christobal Huet trade was executed, it was said that this solidified Price's spot as the top goaltender. If this is the case, why are the Canadiens starting Halak down the stretch to the playoffs? It is understandable that Price played last night and faced a lot of shots, but generally you want your goaltender on a roll and hot going into the playoffs. Besides, Price needs to get used to playing a lot... it's not exactly something that he's had a lot of practice at this season, since he and Huet basically alternated up until the trade deadline.

To make matters worse, i just got home and i'm really craving a flatbread pizza, which i can't make because i forgot to buy cheese this afternoon at the grocery store.

Carey Price

TSN has a video profiling Carey Price. Check it out!

Montreal's third period was akin to the Ottawa Senator's second half of the season——meltdown. Each team managed to score a goal early in the game and it stayed that way until the colossal meltdown in the third period. The icing on the ugly ducklings cake was a short handed goal right after they had just scored the go-ahead goal... yes, the ducks scored shorthanded on montreal's powerplay.

The game was full of shots as Carey Price faced 35 shots which for he most part handled very well, with lots of them very good chances from in close.
But lets go back to that first goal that Todd Marchant scored for the Ducks 21 seconds in. First of all, i'm pretty damn sure that Doug Weight touched the puck before it crossed the line. And Doug Weight was standing behind the net and reached over the crossbar... hmm...

"An apparent goal scored by an attacking player when any part of his stick makes contact with the puck above the height of the crossbar of the goal frame shall not be allowed. The determining factor is where the puck makes contact with the stick. If the puck makes contact with the stick below the level of the crossbar and enters the goal, this goal shall be allowed."

Anyway, regardless, the Habs lost the game 3-1 and didn't bother to try and pull Carey Price as they were shorthanded near the end of the game. Speaking of, this game was penalty city. And unfortunately for the Canadiens it was them killing them off.

The team is expected to try and head back to Montreal right after they finish up with this game, ETA in Trudeau airport is 4am! Next game is Tuesday against the Devils, which is a HUGE game as the two teams are battling amongst the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Habs in the Desert

There was a glimmer of worry near the beginning of the third, that the Coyotes would actually somehow manage to win this game. But luckily normalcy prevailed and the boys were just being good sports, letting the Coyotes have a few goals. Good ol' Gretz must have some coaching ability because his team was been very disciplined... in the first two periods, giving up only 1 powerplay to the Canadiens. But that memo got lost in the third as the Coyotes gave up a couple powerplay chances and it cost them. Koivu popped one in off a scramble and then Markov got one from the point.

Can we mention the most ridiculous 2 on absolutely NOBODY breakaway ever? Sergei Kostitsyn to Higgins and back to Kostitsyn, Mikael Tellqvist lain out on the ice like a drunk passed out in a ditch... it looked so easy I almost felt bad for the Coyotes. Almost.
Final Score 4-2.

Also i would like the mention that enduring the AZ-TV feed on Centre Ice, was pretty close to unbearable... in fact i had the game on mute for most of the third. Yes boys, we get it, the Canadiens are from Quebec, and they speak french in Quebec...and isn't that cute, you guys figured out a few hockey terms en francais. But seriously, arreté, s'il vous plaît!!! They also managed to mention no less than 300 times, that Carey Price went fishing with Shane Doan.

Ever felt like you shot yourself in the foot...

Penguins GM Ray Shero probably does. When i saw Hossa leave the ice I had two thoughts... The first, was a flashbacks to his days in Ottawa where he was "fragile" at best, constantly missing games for various injuries. I also thought, geez, the gamble was supposed to be 'will the pens lose Hossa to UFA in July'.

If you're behind on the news Hossa sprained his MCL (knee) in the game against the Bruins last night. (His first game as a Penguin.) Reports of how long the Hossa will be out ranges from a few games to the ominous sounding "weeks", but that report came from The Score sports channel, so i wouldn't put too much into that.
The penguins are finally coming near the end of a few long-spanned injuries that have plagued the team. Marc-André Fleury returned to NHL ice for the first time last night, it didn't necessarily go as well as planned, but he's back. Also Gary Roberts (broken leg) and Sidney Crosby (sprained high ankle) are reportedly very close to returning.


In other much more lighter news, a saskatchewan sawmill worker is now a millionaire, after he managed to get 15 goals, from the far blueline, in 24 seconds!! and he had a few seconds to spare. I remember a few months back when they opened up the random draw to have the chance to do this... Is that even possible? A big Don Cherry thumbs up to Darwin Head.


Carey Price, the newly crowned no. 1 goaltender in Montreal has strengthened my position that he indeed is not human. That kid is as cool as a cucumber. Ridiculously long shootout? No problem. AHL playoff run? whatever. Expected to now carry the team into the playoffs with the lofty hopes of Montreal fans riding on his shoulders?
"It just means I'm going to be playing more," Price said. "You can't overburden yourself with the pressure. I thought it was going to happen eventually and it just happened sooner than I expected."
Somebody remind this kid that he's only 20-years-old! Price is expected to be in action against the Sabres tonight, 7:30 EST.


The Senators fired coach John Paddock. Now i'm just going out on a limb here, but last time I checked Brian Murray didn't fix the goaltending situation in Ottawa at the trade deadline. And now Murray, who has taken over the coaching position (again) besides his General Manager duties can now expect to inherit the goaltending problems. Actually now that i think about it, i wasn't really going out on a limb. The Sens still have a playoff performer in Emery, who is not a team player. And a team player in Gerber, who seems to panic in the playoffs.

I spilled coffee all over my keyboard...

That is literally what happened when i saw the Huet trade pop up on the TSN realtime trade tracker. Yesterday was spent in an aura of disbelief. I had wanted my first ever post to my brand new blog to be reaction to TRADE DEADLINE 2008, but i couldn't bring myself to do it. I needed to sleep on it, mostly to make sure that this was really happening. Now i could be wrong. Perhaps Carey Price will rise to the occasion like a young Ken Dryden, or Patrick Roy... or maybe not. Considering Huet is for the most part the goaltender that has gotten the Canadiens into a position where they are challenging for first place in the Eastern Conference, trading him away for a simple second round pick just doesn't add up. The one redeeming thing is that the habs managed a 5-1 drubbing over the Hossa-less Atlanta Thrashers last night... mildly brightening my mood. Let's just hope that the Price we get for the playoffs is the Price that we saw for the World Juniors in 2007.

Speaking of Hossa! Can you believe how much the Penguins gave away for him? un-bel-iev-able. I'm certain it could most certainly pay off huge... My only concern is the departure of Colby Armstrong. Armstrong is a character player who had a lot of chemistry... not only on the team, but most importantly... SIDNEY CROSBY! I hope this works out for the best for them... and let's hope Hossa doesn't go packing to Free Agency at the end of the season.

And for the first time since the beginning of time a Toronto Maple Leafs game looks interesting. They are in Fort Lauderdale tonight to play the Panthers, where they will suit up against a couple former teammates, Chad Kilger and Wade Belak... fingers crossed that Belak drops the gloves.