The week that was...

Four games on tap this week, we’ll need at least two wins to avoid mass hysteria and bodies floating under the Champlain Bridge.

Habs vs. Bolts

Good first period, Habs look energized; Higgins and Saks being back in the lineup are giving them a little boost. Energizer bunnies are hopping. Price is looking solid in nets. Classic Kovy “you won’t like me when I’m mad” goal. I dozed off at the beginning of the second; (a serious lack of sleep) apparently so did the Habs, 4-2 Tampa, ugghh…what a mess. Maybe I’m just having a bad dream and the Habs are in it, or it’s a Hercule Poirot mystery, “The case of the missing D”. This one’s over. Always the consummate cheerleader, my bank of excuses is in overdraft. I’m starting to get pissed off with this team, my patience is running out. Forty two games into the season and we haven’t managed to come up with one consistent scoring line aside from the energizer bunnies. Markov has the most points, what does that tell you? Our offense sucks, that’s what. Three losses in a row, we’re in a mini slump folks, this could be a turning point; but in what direction? Your guess is as good as mine.

Habs vs. Panthers

C’mon boys, restore my faith, please don’t drop a big steamy load in the Panthers’ litter box.

TSN says the Habs haven’t been playing well since the Lecavalier trade rumors, I hope it’s just a coincidence, if there’s any truth to that forget about contending for the cup, these guys don’t have the mental toughness to win games. We’re down 2-0 at the end of the first, this one’s getting away. Wait a minute, they’re starting to show some signs of life, maybe Carbo has a taser hidden behind the bench. They’re starting the second with a 5 on 3, hope springs eternal. Not. 3-1 Panthers. I don’t like where this is headed, we never lost 4 in a row last season. Maybe it’s the re-integration of injured players, and we expected Price would be a little rusty. Climb down from the bridge people, it’s still too early to panic, the next four games will be telling. One comforting thought, the Canucks have lost 8 straight at home, so much for signing that big impact player that half of Montreal were gagging for; Sundin’s been lousy, a classic example of “be careful what you wish for”.

Habs vs. Kings

Habs come out killing dead things for the first two minutes. Not a bad game, but the boys are driving me nuts; they blow a 5 minute scoring opportunity, typical. I’m dropping F bombs at the TV, the cats are getting nervous. Heelllooooo, earth to Habs, can’t you people get it out of your own zone? Do you want to borrow my copy of Hockey for Dummies? Price is looking better; he’s made a couple of good saves. So Pleks was freaked out hearing his name in a trade rumor, here’s a rule of thumb Pleky, if you suspect there’s going to be a layoff at work, putting your feet up on the desk isn’t highly recommended. Here we go again, 3-2 Kings heading into the third, all is not lost, we have another PP, don’t waste it kids. AW, IS THERE ANY FU@KING CHANCE……..the cats just ran for cover. Six minutes left and we have another PP, I’m going to fetch the laundry, it worked for the first goal. YEESSSS!!!! Now I have a new ritual, leave the room on the PP, we win it, thank you thank you thank you God. And please God, let Gorges be okay, that was really swell of his line mates to help him off the ice….where the hell is BGL? The best laid plans of mice and men…….never mind, bring on the Bruins tomorrow, I’m making my annual pilgrimage downtown, the cats will be ecstatic. Habs hear this, I WANT A WIN. It takes a lot for me to haul my rear end off the sofa and into the Bell Center, especially in the dead of winter.

Habs vs. Bruins

Just back from the Bell Center, call me crazy but I’d rather watch the game on TV, it looks faster and more skilled than seeing it live. The atmosphere really doesn’t do anything for me, but then again I’m not a jersey wearing, face painting “rah-rah” type of fan. For the record I don’t even own a jersey, I’ve never felt the need to advertise my love for the Habs, it just is. I didn’t think Boston looked like a powerhouse, we kept up to them, put in a decent effort and this could easily have gone either way. We had some good scoring chances but couldn’t capitalize on them. Those striped shirts were hard on the eye; it was difficult to see who was who until I could see their number. Once thing for certain, Kovy and Price are the face of the Habs, the crowd just loves them. The Lang injury looked serious, he wasn’t putting any weight on his foot. Latendresse was in a lot of pain after he went into the boards, the last thing we need is more injuries. Pittsburgh on Tuesday and if it’s any consolation, last years’ Stanley Cup finalists are in deeper dog poop than we are and I for one will be as happy as a clam at high tide watching it from the comfort of my family room.

Last note….

I was watching CBC’s “The Hour” last week; Eckhart Tolle, the author of “A New Earth” was being interviewed. Eckhart is a spiritual teacher and writer with a basic philosophy of live in the “now”. His light bulb moment happened in his late twenties, feeling depressed and suicidal his mindset was “I can no longer live with myself”. This belief let him to the realization that “I” and “myself” were actually two people. It makes sense to me, we believe we are our thoughts, when in fact we and our thoughts are two separate entities, they’re only thoughts and they don’t define who we are. He cited Tiger Woods as a person who lives in the now, only focused in the moment and not on the thoughts of winning or losing. I wonder if that would work for a team sport, if every member of the team focuses on doing their best at that moment instead of winning the game, would that be a better strategy? It certainly would address the non confidence issues caused by scoring droughts coupled with the unsettling rumors of possible trades, we’ve seen with our own eyes the negative effects these thoughts have had on our team. If you haven’t already done so, pick up a copy, it’s a worthwhile read.