Heroes.......

Another heroic effort by the boys last night.  I'll admit I was getting cranky watching the Pens outplay us for most of the game but at the same time I kept reminding myself that Pittsburgh is icing a full roster, we're missing our two best defensemen and lost Hal Gill in the third period.  We STILL managed to stay with with the freakin' defending Stanley Cup champions and almost tied it late in the third!  That's an accomplishment in itself. The boys are fighting the good fight, but what's left of the defense is running on fumes. I wouldn't be surprised to see the return of Spacek and Markov for game six back in Montreal.  Desperate times require desperate measures, especially in the playoffs.

The biggest difference between the team this year and last comes down to this:

Last year after the Habs were swept four straight by the Boston Bruins in the first round, Georges Laraque was interviewed and had this to say, "You didn't honestly think we had a chance did you?"  Was it just Georges or was it the mindset of the whole team?  Judging by the way they played I have to go with the latter.

Before the first round started against the Washington Capitals Mike Cammalleri was asked if the team felt they had a chance of beating the Caps.  Without missing a beat he replied "If there's anyone in this room that doesn't think we can beat them then they shouldn't be here."

Heroes.......

Another heroic effort by the boys last night.  I'll admit I was getting cranky watching the Pens outplay us for most of the game but at the same time I kept reminding myself that Pittsburgh is icing a full roster, we're missing our two best defensemen and lost Hal Gill in the third period.  We STILL managed to stay with with the freakin' defending Stanley Cup champions and almost tied it late in the third!  That's an accomplishment in itself. The boys are fighting the good fight, but what's left of the defense is running on fumes. I wouldn't be surprised to see the return of Spacek and Markov for game six back in Montreal.  Desperate times require desperate measures, especially in the playoffs.

The biggest difference between the team this year and last comes down to this:

Last year after the Habs were swept four straight by the Boston Bruins in the first round, Georges Laraque was interviewed and had this to say, "You didn't honestly think we had a chance did you?"  Was it just Georges or was it the mindset of the whole team?  Judging by the way they played I have to go with the latter.

Before the first round started against the Washington Capitals Mike Cammalleri was asked if the team felt they had a chance of beating the Caps.  Without missing a beat he replied "If there's anyone in this room that doesn't think we can beat them then they shouldn't be here."

Superstitions and random observations....

I'll admit it, I'm superstitious when it comes to hockey.  If I do something differently and the Habs win, then I'll stick with it.  As I've metioned in a previous post, this year's winning formula is quite simple, no live blogging or tweeting during the game and reciting snippets of Herb Brook's famous speech once during each period.  I've only strayed from the rituals twice and both times we lost.  I'm starting to feel the weight of a championship on my shoulders.  Last Tuesday night I was invited out with the boys to watch the game at a local bar.  It was an enjoyable evening, albeit quiet, they were subdued and dignified Habs fans while Old Yeller here was ready to explode at every missed call and scoring opportunity. To top it off, we lost.  I'm chained to my sofa and my laptop is on the shelf during games until the Hab's magical run is over.

Geno reminds me of Lurch on the Adam's family, I guess Dan Bylsma finally figured out he had to tinkle the servant's bell to get his attention.  He's also dangerous when woken up, like a bear in hibernation.

The Sharks won't disappoint, they're living proof that it's never too late to choke.  (See last night's game against Detroit).

The Pens are tenacious little terriers, but the Habs are Chihuahuas on steroids.

Carey Price needs to take notes from Sid the kid on daycare etiquette, hissy fits are fine, just don't get caught and end up in the corner wearing a dunce cap.

Mad Max slept through the entire season but he hasn't wasted a minute of ice time in the playoffs.  Apparently because of his incessant chirping Sid the kid hates playing against him.  Max should start sending Sid annoying tweets between games, it might push the boy wonder right over the edge.

Sid the kid's boyhood idol growing up - our very own Kirk Muller.

It irks me that every day more and more Habs car flags are appearing, there's nothing more annoying to me than bandwagon fans.

I love the "history will be made" fan commercials on YouTube.  One day I might figure out how to use YouTube and enthrall everyone with homemade videos of my furkids.  Now that's something to look forward to!

Don Cherry was defending the Habs last night on HNIC, iron clad proof that he actually is going senile.

Does anybody think that Guy Carbonneau should still be behind the Hab's bench? 

As much as I still love and miss Saku Koivu, I've come to terms with the fact that it was time for him to move on.  I love this little team, especially  it's heart and character, after last year's centennial debacle they've managed to restore pride and a real sense of hope.  They really are a joy to watch.

Superstitions and random observations....

I'll admit it, I'm superstitious when it comes to hockey.  If I do something differently and the Habs win, then I'll stick with it.  As I've metioned in a previous post, this year's winning formula is quite simple, no live blogging or tweeting during the game and reciting snippets of Herb Brook's famous speech once during each period.  I've only strayed from the rituals twice and both times we lost.  I'm starting to feel the weight of a championship on my shoulders.  Last Tuesday night I was invited out with the boys to watch the game at a local bar.  It was an enjoyable evening, albeit quiet, they were subdued and dignified Habs fans while Old Yeller here was ready to explode at every missed call and scoring opportunity. To top it off, we lost.  I'm chained to my sofa and my laptop is on the shelf during games until the Hab's magical run is over.

Geno reminds me of Lurch on the Adam's family, I guess Dan Bylsma finally figured out he had to tinkle the servant's bell to get his attention.  He's also dangerous when woken up, like a bear in hibernation.

The Sharks won't disappoint, they're living proof that it's never too late to choke.  (See last night's game against Detroit).

The Pens are tenacious little terriers, but the Habs are Chihuahuas on steroids.

Carey Price needs to take notes from Sid the kid on daycare etiquette, hissy fits are fine, just don't get caught and end up in the corner wearing a dunce cap.

Mad Max slept through the entire season but he hasn't wasted a minute of ice time in the playoffs.  Apparently because of his incessant chirping Sid the kid hates playing against him.  Max should start sending Sid annoying tweets between games, it might push the boy wonder right over the edge.

Sid the kid's boyhood idol growing up - our very own Kirk Muller.

It irks me that every day more and more Habs car flags are appearing, there's nothing more annoying to me than bandwagon fans.

I love the "history will be made" fan commercials on YouTube.  One day I might figure out how to use YouTube and enthrall everyone with homemade videos of my furkids.  Now that's something to look forward to!

Don Cherry was defending the Habs last night on HNIC, iron clad proof that he actually is going senile.

Does anybody think that Guy Carbonneau should still be behind the Hab's bench? 

As much as I still love and miss Saku Koivu, I've come to terms with the fact that it was time for him to move on.  I love this little team, especially  it's heart and character, after last year's centennial debacle they've managed to restore pride and a real sense of hope.  They really are a joy to watch.

Am I dreaming?

I was watching the game on Sunday afternoon and I've come to the realization that it really hasn't sunk in that the Habs are in the second round playing the Penguins.  *pinches arm*  Pretty cool, now we have a split and it's back to Montreal, the Bell Center will be rocking.  Long may it last, I plan to enjoy every minute of it.  Nobody, including myself could have predicted this.

Am I dreaming?

I was watching the game on Sunday afternoon and I've come to the realization that it really hasn't sunk in that the Habs are in the second round playing the Penguins.  *pinches arm*  Pretty cool, now we have a split and it's back to Montreal, the Bell Center will be rocking.  Long may it last, I plan to enjoy every minute of it.  Nobody, including myself could have predicted this.

Habs are hot! Las Vegas is not......

My cousins and I get ready for a (nippy) night out on the town

Brrrrr!!! It's freaking cold here today, the predicted high is 65 degrees.  Global warming my ass.  But hey, we're basking in the warm afterglow of the Habs nail biting edge of your seat win over the Caps in game seven.  Be still my beating heart, that was probably the longest three minutes of my life, we begged and pleaded with our parents, who have all passed on to throw their blessings down.  They're secretly smiling now.

My cousins and I went to the sports bar in the Paris casino to watch the game, Mr. Moey joined us for the third period.  Nice comfy chairs with our own TV, it was just like being at home.  At the beginning we were the only three watching but midway through the third people started to slowly gather around us and were rooting for our boys.  Of course I had to ask if they were Habs' fans, and surprisingly the answer was no, there were a few Pens' fans mixed in with a sprinkling of Ovechkin haters.  My cousins had placed $20.00 each on the Habs to win, they were the underdogs so they both collected $66.00 after the game, not bad but they'd wished they bet more.  In any case, I was so proud of our boys, what an achievement (especially Halak) and there was nothing I enjoyed more than knocking Ovechkin out in the first round.  It's no secret that I'm firmly entrenched in camp Crosby.

I stuck to my new ritual, no live blogging during the game and reciting snippets of Herb Brooks' famous speech to the 1980 U.S. Olympic team in each period.  Three's a  charm now, I will be doing a repeat performance tonight.

The weather has not been good, we've had 50 mile an hour winds for the past couple of days, it's actually warmer in Montreal today.  *sigh*  The last time I was in  Las Vegas was in 2001 but there are always new hotel/casinos in the works, the notable newer ones since my last visit are the Bellagio, Wynn and Aria.  It's really getting congested and it's starting to look like downtown Manhattan, but it's still a fun place to visit for a few days, an adult Disneyland is probably the best way to describe it.

Back on the subject of hockey, I'm anxiously awaiting tonight's game, I'll be jumping off my boy Sid's bandwagon for now, but ready to leap back on depending on the outcome of this series.  Can we surprise the hockey world again? 

GO HABS GO!