When thinking outside the box just isn't enough
A week after the game 7 elimination by Boston and Montreal still talks hockey. There have been many assessments and evaluations on how the team fared this year and what to look forward to next year. It’s still a little weird that the season ended last week. It was so heartbreaking that the Forget the Box site shut down when we posted the game 7 blog.
Ok, I wish that happened. It may forever be lost in cyberspace…
There was a feeling in the overcast air at the Bell Centre. It was elimination time for the Montreal Canadiens, if they lose then the season is done. A win would mean the final showdown the next day (today). This series has seen stats being thrown at these teams then thrown away when the opposite happens. The odds were against Montreal, could they beat them one more time?
As this doubt was looming…
We return to Saturday hockey, however things have changed in the last 7 days. The Montreal Canadiens are…
The Montreal Canadiens had a extra couple of days to regroup and return to the form they played in the first two games. Even Carey Price called out his peers for playing loose and unprepared. The Habs did look good for game four, it must have been the Fruit Loops they ate for breakfast (thank you Hal Gill). There was no room for more mistakes…
I returned to the beating pulse of the action downtown. I went to McLean’s pub, a packed house of fans pre-drinking and rocking out to Radio Radio before heading to the Bell Centre.
Welcome to Montreal, where the city bleeds Bleu Blanc et Rouge. I took a pre-game stroll in the heart of downtown where the pulse of hockey beats loud. Fire trucks hanging hockey flags on the back, people walking around in red jerseys and kids playing around Centennial Plaza excited about the idea of a “25th Cup this year.” It’s a great feeling, even “Joey” the scalper’s best ticket deal was $300 for a pair of upper seats. All is great, for now…
I predicted earlier that this series was going to go seven games because Boston looked like the favorite. Someone forgot to tell that to the Montreal Canadiens. Boston, down a game, was hoping to take their tough, hardhitting ways and attack the net for game 2. However, without defensemen Zdeno Chara, who was out of the lineup with dehydration, Boston looked…
The wait is over, all day long there were hints of red poking out of spring jackets and the same sentence repeated: “Where are you going to watch the game tonight?” The city of Montreal was ready for game one. The question was: were the Canadiens ready as well? Game one was the game to answer some questions. Can the Canadiens bounce back from the 7-0 blowout the last time they played the Bruins?…
After 82 games of practice, the real season starts. Welcome to the good old fashioned heart attack, blood and guts type of hockey. All teams have a clean slate, doesn’t matter if your team was the best all season or squeaked into the last playoff spot, it’s who can beat who for the Stanley Cup. The Montreal Canadiens play…
We finally made it to the last game of the season. We finally made it to the last game of the season. The Montreal Canadiens looked playoff-ready and were playing the Leafs for the sake of where we finish in the standings. It’s strange that we played this team as our first game of the season not realizing what was going to take shape during the next 81 games. I chose to go to a familiar haunt where I used to watch my hockey last season: Bar Bifteck…
The funny thing about trying to get a playoff spot, it can be done in a manner where it wrenches a fan’s heart, good or bad. Usually the Montreal Canadiens are known for clinching the spot on the last day. It becomes unbearable for me as I grow frustrated about how the season went and find them undeserving of the spot.
This year is different. Even when they have heartless streaks of games, they find a way to surprise everyone and go the extra mile…
Sometimes when the chips are down, it’s best to be in a safe warm place. I decided to stay home to watch the game against the Devils as the looming fear over the Montreal Canadiens recent play had me worried about the inevitable worst case scenario…missing the playoffs. I knew they weren’t going to do so in their up and down season, however ever since the Pacioretty hit a few weeks ago, they haven’t been…
A week ago, there was hope that the Montreal Canadiens looked confident on their road to the playoffs after an eight goal night. Three games later, the team and their fans were begging for a goal. With six games left in the season, confidence is the other thing we’re begging for, and of course a goal. I stayed in the confines of my home for the Washington Capitals game to avoid what happened when watching the Boston Bruins. Never again I want to watch a game like that, never again…
I now understand how long road trips can take a toll on teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, especially when there are a few weeks left in the schedule. I was covering the SXSW music festival in Austin Texas…
In light of what has happened in hockey with Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara, there still is a game and a bar to review. It casts a shadow on what was to be another meeting of the heated rivalry between the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. This was a hyped up game, the first meeting since February 9 when fights broke out. I wanted to go to Chez Serge, however it was packed an hour before game time. If a bar fills up earlier than usual, this has to be the game to watch…
Zdeno Chara’s hit on Max Pacioretty Tuesday night adds another player to the long list of players out of action to incidents (or “accidents”) that have become the norm in the NHL. Fans at the Bell Centre were in shock Tuesday night seeing the limp body of one of the Montreal Canadiens brightest and best scorers. The hit was so tragic some thought he looked as good as dead. Pacioretty was lucky that it wasn’t worse than it seemed…
Saturday nights in March in the hockey world
are different than in other months. Each Saturday
left in the season can either determine a spot in the playoffs or play the “what if” game after the last game is played. For the Montreal Canadiens, not to worry, there will be a playoffs (I guarantee it). Where we finish and who we play is what I still have yet to wonder…
