GOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(thank you TSN for the picture)

The Americans built a team specifically to stop them. The Russians came within 5.4 seconds of beating them. And the Swedes boldly stated that they would be the ones to finally put an end to their winning ways.

But in the end, Team Canada came out on top to win their fifth straight gold medal in the World Junior Championship and fifteenth overall. Tying the same amount of gold medals that the Soviet Union, CIS and Russia have won together. Looking at it purely from only currently existing countries, none come close to Canada.

Now enough with that. On to the game itself.

Man oh man, the road to the finals were tough. There were a lot of questions coming into this game against the Swedes. How would Tokarski fair? How would Canada's defense hold up against four strong Swedish scoring lines? And could Tavares and co get the puck past Jacob Markstrom who put up the best goaltender numbers throughout the tournament with a below 2 goals against average?

The answer? Magnificent, amazing, and you bet! Canada took the game 5-1 tonight in Ottawa.

Right from the start they looked good. Within 22 seconds they had forced a penalty for the Swedes and it was PK Subban who got the first goal past the Swedish goalie and lit the entire stadium on fire. I honestly can't wait till this guy can play in the NHL because I think he's going to be fantastic (of course I would say that considering a certain team that starts with M drafted him...). I loved how Canada played in the first period. They played very well defensively (which was the huge question coming in here), they put the Swedes completely out of their comfort zone by taking away their strong defensively-minded play, and Tokarski... well, he was great in the first period and he was only going to get better.

The second period saw things get messy for the Canadians. Starting right off the bat things got ugly quickly. Markstrom came out of the net and tried to clear the puck but Esposito tripped him. Now, it looked like a complete accident because Esposito was going to fast he couldn't have not hit the goalie. Anyway, Markstrom freaks out completely but no penalty was given to Esposito or Markstrom who also got in on the whole spat (and none was given to Hedman for trying to take Esposito's head off). Well, Esposito didn't have to wait that long for revenge. At 24:04 of the game he a got a very nifty goal past the Swedish goaltender. And then the penalties started coming. Esposito was the first to take one with high sticking. Patrice Cormier was technically next but as the call was made, Markstrom left the net. And at this point Della Rovere decided to hit him. Markstrom really got upset this time and hit back, so all three of them took penalties. Team Canada and especially Tokarski were amazing on the penalty killing and they were going to need to be because no soooner had the penalties to Cormier and Della Rovere ended then Aulie and Subban were to take penalties at 37:20 and 39:06 of the game. So the Swedes had 5 on 3 opportunity but nothing happened as Canada was brilliant on the penalty killing. Of course the highlight to this was that Backlund was also given a penalty at the very end of the period which was to put Canada on the powerplay for two minutes in the third period.

As it turned out Canada only needed 33 seconds into the period and the powerplay to score. Hodgson got his 4th goal of the tournament today as he ripped a shot at Markstrom which rang off the post and into the net. Oh man, why can't that happen to Kovalev?! He would have a billion goals by now. But anyway, the mess of penalties continued later in the third period but again Tokarski saved the day. Unfortunately, his shutout bid was snuffed out at 48:30 into the game when Andersson put one over his left shoulder. It was a beauty of a goal and for a while it gave the Swedes some momentum. For a while. It wasn't enough to stop Canada and when Markstrom was pulled at 57:19 it was only a matter of time before someone scored on an empty net. Eberle did what Klopov didn't in the semis and skated up and put the puck into the net, effectively ending Sweden's gold medal hopes. A minute later, Markstrom again left the net and this time Hodgson put it in. 5-1 Canada.

It was a fantastic way to the end the tournament if slightly anti-climatic, given what this team had to do to get here. But honestly, the Swedes didn't bring their "A" game tonight. From the start they didn't look dangerous - starting with Markstrom - and not being able to capitilize on the multitude of powerplay chances offered them hurt them big time. The momentum was almost always with Team Canada even when they had the man disadvantage. They just looked awesome out there. Better than I've seen them all tournament. Tokarski smashed any question marks anyone had about him away. Esposito proved that he belonged in this tournament after being cut three years in a row. Tavares may not have scored today but he had a lot of quality chances and it didn't mean that he didn't work really hard out there either.

This is the closest thing to hockey success that Ottawa's going to see for a while so they may have well enjoyed it. The packed house of 20k fans made it one wild night. They took a serious disliking to Victor Hedman as well as Markstrom and booed Hedman every time he touched the puck (which made me wonder if he wasn't actually Briere in disguise and this was actually Montreal. But I digress). It was great to see these guys so happy with the win. They deserved it. They started off shaky against the Americans but they roared back and took it. They came within 5.4 seconds of being kicked out of the tournament but Eberle fought back and scored a goal to send it to OT and eventually shootouts where he, Tavares and Tokarski shone. It was a amazing and I"m happy for myself too because my hockey curse has finally been lifted *g* Habs lost in the playoffs, my second choice of the Pens also lost. And inbetween that Team Canada fell to Russia in overtime. Nikita Filatov said it was like god was on the side of Team Canada when they won in the semis. Well, maybe it was just the hockey gods, but it would definitely seem like they were shining down on Team Canada this tournament.

The great:

1. Tokarski. Tokarski. Tokarksi.
   

The good:

1. Well, most of the game for Team Canada. I loved how they played in the first and third period. They did everything that they needed to to win.
2. Penalty killing was stellar

The bad:

1. I thought Markstrom came off as immature tonight. He took stupid penalties, over played his (seemingly) non-existant injures when he was whack a few times, and lost his cool on mutiple occaisions. The thing is though, just because he plays in one of the best leagues in the world still doesn't take away that he's still just a teenager. I found I really had to step back and go "wait a sec... he's still just 18 years old for crying out loud. No wonder he hasn't got full control of his emotions." I think he'll mature more but it was sort of not very cool to see how he did tonight.
   
2. Victor Hedman has obviously not recovered from his shoulder injury. He looked like a shadow of the player he's supposed to be. This was too bad for him and everyone else who wanted to see him do well.
   

What I wish I could have seen:

1. Tavares get one more goal. He was close tonight!
   
2. Sweden put up more of an effort. They didn't look like the team that had dominated their half of the tournament. Or maybe Tokarski and the PK unit was just that good tonight?

What I wish I didn't have to see:

1. all the penalties.
   
2. the guys singing "Oh Canada". Love the enthusiasm but man... the singing was terrible *g*
   

And finally:

1. Like the linguistically challeneged announcer said: "I don't think 'Whoo' was part of the lyrics of the national anthem but it is now."
2. CONGRATULATIONS YOU GUYS! That was one heck of a tournament!

I will return tomorrow with random thoughts on how I thought this tournament went. As if you didn't already know *G*

Canada vs Sweden and Russia vs Slovakia for bronze

Russia vs. Slovakia

Pre-game rant

Russia will be looking for some serious redemption today. I hate to keep bringing this back up, but they really did have the game in their control but a complete lack of finish in the last 30 seconds doomed them. You MUST play SIXTY minutes of hockey to win. Not 59 minutes and 30 seconds. I don't see Slovakia taking this one from the Russians. No one pegged Slovakia to even be here. I'm not saying that they're bad, they obviously have a lot of heart and they do have some great talent, but the Russians are a way more talented team. They simply have more talented players. Of course we did say that about the Americans when they played the Slovaks. I think this time though, the Russians will walk out with the win because quite frankly at this point it's a matter of pride - and right now they're pride is hurting a lot. Losing to Canada may have been one thing but to Slovakia? It's the Russians' game to lose but with their huge offense and really physical style of play they should win. If they give even a hint of the same effort that they did against the Canadians they will get it.

Post game musings

Well, it was Russia. 5-2 with one coming in on an empty net. Filatov was brilliant in getting two goals that just showcased why he's going to be the next great Russian player in the NHL. I didn't think the result was particularly nice for Slovak goalie Jaroslav Janus who was just incredible this tournament but the Slovaks have nothing to be ashamed of. And neither do the Russians. The Slovaks were pegged for possible relagation this year and yet they showed unbelievable will. I believe this was one of their best results in 10 years. Good for you guys. And Russia... it may have not been the colour that they wanted, but it happens. They have nothing to be ashamed of. I think it won't be too long before Filatov starts worrying about how the playoffs will go for his team (face it, the Blue Jackets are headed for their first playoff run sometime in the near future). Good job you guys!

Canada vs. Sweden pre-game rant

Well, I've been looking forward to this a lot more than any of the NHL games I've had to suffer through this last week - and believe me, I was doing a lot of suffering as both a Habs and a Pens fan. I'm sure no one will be giving much attention to the Pens vs Rangers game tonight and with good reason. Tonight it comes down to the wire with a gold medal on the line for two very talented teams.

These teams were pegged as being this years' finalists and they haven't disappointed. While Sweden showed some weakness early in the competition (they struggled against Finland at the start), they sailed right into the finals with a blanking of Russia in the round-robin part of the tournament and a well deserved win over upstart Slovakia in the semis. Canada meanwhile has had a bit more difficulties in the latter part of the tournament with tough wins over the USA and especially Russia.

So who's taking home the gold tonight in Ottawa? Good question. On paper the Swedes look to be the favorites tonight. They have a very good offense and a solid defense and a very solid goalie in Jacob Markstrom - which is a huge plus for them. There's a fair number of younger guys on this team which is quite interesting. Another interesting note is that the Swedes quite honestly thought that last year's game should have been theirs. They lost to Canada in OT and I think that will fuel them today. They will be looking to do to Canada this year what they did to Canada last year. Canada was denied a bye into the semis last year by the Swedes and they came back and beat them. Team Canada said that their loss showed them where they needed to be and helped them want to beat Sweden. Look for Sweden to do the same tonight.

Of course games are never played on paper. Just ask the Habs *coughs*

Canada has a good chance at taking this medal home if they can play better defense. Quite simply their defensive play has not been good and it nearly cost them this trip to the finals. They HAVE to put up a better defense if they want to get past Sweden. And Tokarski simply has to be better. There were too many softies in the last couple of games and that has to stop. I've seen him put up brilliant saves and he's going to have to do that all night tonight. If Canada can play a simple, defensively strong game the I think they will have a chance.

The one really good positive that I saw from that game against Russia was that though the Canadians were definitely frustrated, they didn't take very many penalties because they did something stupid (because they were frustrated). For the most part they kept things cool which allowed them to get back into the game with 5.4 seconds left. They'll need to find a way to play well and find their rhythm - create a new one if you have to! - no matter what the Swedes throw at them. Russia did their homework on Canada and threw off their powerplay big time. Fine. Canada still found a way to claw back into the game. You can bet that tonight there won't be as many powerplay goals from Canada either. Fine. Just stay focused and come up with a way to get the puck past Markstrom. It doesn't have to be pretty. We don't care how it goes in. Just make it go in.

Halfway there people!

Yup. It's the halfway mark - more or less - and I apparently have nothing better to do than to give random thoughts about the random teams in the Eastern Conference. Go me! Note i said the word "random".

Atlantic division - the closest division in the east so far because no one's taken the lead and run away with it. Yet. I'm betting on Philly finishing on top.

Philadelphia
The good news: Mike Richards has been solid for the team in the first half. Jeff Carter is taking a swat at being the top goal scorer of the year.
The bad news: Goaltending. Biron has been less than amazing after pretty much single-handedly knocking Montreal out of the playoffs last spring. Niittymaki hasn't exactly stepped up as the league's best goaltender either.
The great news if you're a Habs fan but really bad if you're a Flyers fan: It looks like Briere is about to be paid millions of dollars to play just a handful of games this season. Good news if you're looking to make a lot of money and not do a heck of a lot - and great if you're one of those people who doesn't want to see his face for a long time - but definitely bad news if you're the Flyers' GM.

Pittsburgh
Good but definitely not wonderful news: Well, umm... they still have a chance to turn around their season?
The really bad bit: A very disappointing start to the season following their Stanley Cup finals run. They have struggled time and time again to find their rhythm - in particular, less than stellar performances from Sidney Crosby, Miroslav Satan and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (who did sit out a number of games due to injuries) and at times Evgeni Malkin. The top players haven't been producing and it's hurting the rest of the team. They're missing players like Ryan Malone and Hossa more than they care to admit.
Intriguing bit: Do you think Hossa predicted the Pens implosion? Everyone was pegging the Pens at having a fairly easy run to the playoffs in the offseason, but Hossa ditched them and said he wanted to play with a team that had a chance at winning the cup (read: Pens don't have a chance). At the time of his signing, it looked like Hossa was just being opportunistic. But now....? Well, I'm not saying the Wings are going to win it but I highly doubt it's going to be the Pens either...

New Jersey
Good news: They can survive without star goaltender Martin Brodeur, thank you very much. Yay for them!
The intriguing bit: What will happen to backup goalie Scott Clemmensen when Brodeur gets back? Will they go back to using Brodeur who hasn't played almost all season and will most likely take a while to get his rhythm back or will they continue to use Clemmensen? Also, the Devils have been quite an offensive type team without Brodeur. Will they ditch all this once he comes back?

NY Islanders
The good: I'm not sure what's good about the Islanders. They're sitting at the bottom of the league right now.
Really good if you're the Islanders: At this rate they'll be getting John Tavares. Poor Tavares.
The bad: Well, they're bottom of the league? Oh wait... maybe that's good. See above.

NY Rangers
Good: uh... I'm sure there's some good here. I don't watch the Rangers so I'm totally out of the loop on these guys but sitting near the top of the league during the first half of the season is pretty good.
Bad: The reason why they were sitting at the top was because they got off to a good start and played a lot more games than the rest of the people in the league. Where they will end up at the end of the season remains to be seen. Also, goalie Henrik Lundqvist hasn't exactly been top of the league a lot of the time.

Northeast - despite having Toronto (and now Ottawa) in it, this division is still the best in the east, in my very biased opinion. In my unbiased opinion, I still think this division is very good thanks to two teams. I mean, c'mon, how are we supposed to have the best division when two and a half teams play terribly?

Boston
Good: Sitting at the top of the league. Well, second now that San Jose won. But still. They barely squeaked into the playoffs last year and now they're top. Goalies Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez been key to this abrupt turn around as have players like Milan Lucic, Philip Kessel and Somethingrather Wheeler. And I guess Ryder has been too.
Will this translate into playoff success? (finally?): It should be interesting to see how the Bruins handle themselves in the playoffs which is a totally different beast. I'm personally hoping for some imploding but I think this team has what it takes to go all the way...where they will then lose in 6 games to Detroit or maybe even San Jose (I wish!).

Montreal (in my totally biased assessment)
The good: They're still fairly high up in the rankings. Rookies that have been called up have been good. Especially the earlier stint that D'Agostini has had here. Also, players like Lapierre and Kostopoulous have really stepped things up. Price has had stellar performances and has stolen the game for the Habs on more than one occasion.
The bad: INJURIES. And especially inconsistency that has kept the team from gaining valuable points. I won't get into whether Carbonnneau has done his job properly or not but as an entire team they have had issues this half of the season. Yes, expectations were high coming in here. Too high. But there were some games that a team should win but ends up losing because they can't play a full game of hockey. And this team has gone and lost those games. Also less than stellar performances on the powerplay and from players like Kovalev have hurt the team at times.
The bright spot: They can climb out of this right now and dominate the rest of their season. Will they catch Boston? Probably not. But they can close the gap if they focus on playing 60 full minutes of hockey.

Buffalo
Again not one of the teams I follow regularly but it seems that they've struggled quite a bit so far. Consistency from the players has been an issue at times. Oh and a complete lack of effort from Maxim Afinogenov has been a real downer.

Ottawa
The bad: Well, let's see... 11 straight years of making the playoffs could be going down the drain this year. The Sens are going through a major crisis right now and the over emphasis on the top line of Heatley/Alfredsson/Spezza has finally come crashing down on the team. Oh and goaltending has been another issue this year, though instead of it being the antics of the goalies, it's been the performance of the goalies that has been a problem.
The good: Maybe now Ottawa will do something about not relying 24/7 on "the big three" and get themselves some other good players. Or maybe they'll just grab Toskala when he either goes on the trade market or goes free agent when Toronto dumps him.

Toronto.
The good: Luke Schenn. The kid has been the closest thing to a god send for the Leafs. And winning six games in a row. And surprisingly Grabovski seems to be liking life in Toronto. Funny how all of Montreal's ex players do better when they join the Habs' major rivals...Must have something to do with a mutual dislike of the Habbies (don't tell me that Ryder and Grabovski left with smiles and hugs while promising to send a postcard every week).
What they think is good: Ron Wilson and Brian Burke. Never underestimate the power of the Leafs' management problems. Ever.
The bad: The fact that they are the Toronto Maple Leafs and they're run by a corporation that couldn't give a hoot over whether they actually win or not. Oh you mean with the actual team? Well, take a look for yourself. I'm placing bets on them missing another playoff run.

Southeast - and arguably the weakest division which is why the Caps have a runaway lead.

Washington
The good: They've solved their goalie issues and Ovechkin seems to have snapped out of his slump (can't blame him entirely if his grandfather's health was bad. Family first, yes?).
The bad: Earlier injuries and bad goaltending from their goalies have stalled the team. Semin's previous scoring outburst seems to have stalled.

Carolina
Bad: lack of depth has hurt the team who keeps getting injuries.
Good news is: Um... I guess Cam Ward has been doing some stuff lately. When he's there he's been good when he's not, well.... hehe... byebye Hurricanes!

Florida
Intriguing bit: Someone tell me how Anderson has a good save percentage and the team is still sitting in 18th place? The team obviously needs to learn how to score more goals. And no, the Panthers getting five goals against the Habs doesn't count because the Habs got five goals on Anderson as well.

Tampa Bay
The bad: The owners, the management, the coaches, and the team. And hyping up Stamkos as something way more than he is. That is unfair to anyone but especially to an 18 year kid. I feel extremely bad for Stamkos.
The good: Um... I'm not seeing one other than maybe they'll get themselves another top player.
Can someone tell me...How Mike Smith has two shutouts?!

Atlanta
Don't follow these guys at all but obviously something's very wrong here. Kovalchuk keeps threatening to break out at any time but someone should tell him that now would be a good time to do it.

Habs take revenge on Panthers for Pens in SO

First off, let me say this: I hate afternoon games. Unless they're tennis or football, I hate games that take place in the afternoon. Believe it or not, I actually like to do things in the afternoon that don't involve sports and it just feels wrong to be sitting in front of the TV when it's still light out. Yes, I could choose not to watch the game at all but like I'm really going to go for that option....

Second, yes, I"m still griping about that 6-1 defeat that the Pens had. And YES I would have preferred if the Habs had won a different way but I'm getting to that point in a second.

In a nutshell here's how the game went: First half: Habs played well. Habs died. Second period: Habs lived. Third period: Habs died. OT: Habs half played well. SO: Markov lived. Panthers died.

Anyway, I actually liked how the Habs came out in the first half of the first period. They looked well, perky and awake. They had some quality shots on goal that were stopped by Anderson and just looked like it was only a matter of time before a goal went in. Well, time past and guess who scored not once but twice? Yeah, the Panthers.

I'm killing Crosby in my mind for not doing more damage to Brett McLean yesterday because he was the one who got the first goal. I mean c'mon, Sid. You get into your second NHL fight, take 19 minutes worth of penalties for that fight and you don't even injure the guy?! Thanks for nothing!!! Before anyone starts dissing me, I'm not really being that serious...

But anyway... Hadn't we seen this movie before? I'm sure Crosby would say so if he had seen that first period instead of trying to figure out just what the heck is happening to his team.

[mini rant]

I'm going to get this out right now. The team does NOT play well when Halak is in nets. I don't know if it's because they don't have the same confidence in him as they do when Price is in nets or what, but things were definitely shaky throughout the first period for Halak. Again. I wish I could defend him because I honestly feel bad for him and I know he's been very capable of stepping in for Price, but tonight - this afternoon, pardon - he wasn't as good again. The way I see it - and I'm not saying I'm right - but if a team doesn't have confidence in their goalie then they can't perform well up front because at the back of their minds is always going to be the thought "if I let the other guys get the puck and they go to the net, will there be a goal"? It also works the other way around I think too. If the goalie doesn't feel like his team can trust him to do his job then he won't do his best either. It's a circle that definitely sucks.

Someone at Habs Inside/Out wrote that for every flukey goal that Price lets in - and let's be honest, he lets in at least one a game - he always comes up with at least five or six very big saves. He knows he can make those saves and his team knows he can make those saves. They have confidence in him. Halak on the other hand, lets in one flukey or a soft goal and everyone else wonders if he will let in another one or two and cost them the game (never mind that the offense often doesn't work when Halak is in nets but that's related). I can't speak for what goes on in Halak's mind but I have to wonder just how much confidence he has in himself at some points in the game. Maybe it's just me but I could have sworn that there's been moments in the last two games where Halak looks downright lost at times. What Halak needs is 60 minutes of solid play and a solid win. He can play better than this. We've seen it. We know it. Everyone else should know it too.

[end of mini rant]

But enough about the goaltending. Back to the game.

In first break Carbo must have said something about not wanting to turn out a performance like the Pens did against the Panthers because the Habs exploded. Not the Crosby type of explode. The goal scoring type of explode (which is a lot better than the Crosby type of explode). 19 shots on goal provided 4 unanswered goals by Boullion, Andrei Kostsitsyn, Kostopoulos and Lang. Boullion's goal from the blue line was fantastic as it went right past Anderson's left hand. I think it may have taken a bounce off of one of the defenseman or else Anderson completely misjudged the puck. But I particularly loved Kostitsyn's goal 28 seconds later because it was a direct result of Anderson making a huge error. He came out - not behind the net, up front - of the net to clear the puck and promptly lost it to Lang, who passed it to Sergei who then passed it to his brother, who then scored on a half open net. Pure beauty. And the ickle Kostitsyn got an assist. Finally. Kostopoulous' goal looked like it might not have counted because he was right in front of Anderson and I think he might have knocked him over before he put the puck past him but it was counted. Being the biased person that I am, I won't complain that Kostopoulous should have been called for obstruction. And then Lang made things really nice by getting a breakaway and scoring on Anderson too.

Of course after that I had to wonder if the Habs were going to go back to sleep on me in the third and they sort of did. Radek Dvorak scored a short handed goal when the Habs messed up on a line change but Andrei Kostsitsyn put things right again soon after by getting a drop dead gorgeous goal on Anderson. See the replay. But then things went downhill again and the Panthers took two more goals including one that Halak really couldn't have saved. He was half way in the net with Gorges sprawled out in front of him. He couldn't have moved at all and Dvorak put the puck past him.

The fans definitely were not happy with that and I really wasn't happy either. The team had that game in regulation time and they lost it. The TEAM lost it. Not Halak. The TEAM. Everyone was to blame. Dvorak should not have had that goal. Halak should have stopped that one on Cullimore and the whole team should have cleared the puck for that third one instead of letting Halak get peppered with shots.

I'm too tired to list all the chances the Habs had of taking the game in regulation time and in OT but in the end the game had to be settled by shootouts.

And what a mess that was. Tavares and Eberle made everyone today look downright awful.

Stillamn missed Halak completely as he lost control of the puck. Kovalev hit the post. Horton shot it right at Halak. Andrei Kostitsyn lost control of the puck as well, though at least his shot made it to the goalie. Frolik hit either hit Halak on the arm or he hit the post - I couldn't see properly - and Halak had no idea where the puck was (hint: if no one is booing, it's not in). And finally it was Markov who rescued the Habs with a backhand past Anderson...

I think everyone knew that they should have taken that game in regulation time. And I agree completely. I honestly can't wait till Price gets back because the situation right now is not very nice at all. I like Halak but this whole confidence lacking thing needs to change right now. I'm hoping that the Habs learned that they need to play 60 minutes of hockey to win. Not thirty minutes. Not Twenty minutes. SIXTY!

At the end of the day though, a win is still a win. Be happy about it and stop the griping.

The good:

1. they won
2. Halak got his first shootout win this season. 'bout time.
   
3. The second period was wonderful
4. Again the Kostopoulos/Lapierre/Latendresse line worked really hard out there. I'm liking this line a lot right now.
5. obviously the Kostitsyn brothers are capable of playing well together. I've heard that that's not always the case and sometimes they get too competitive with each other but today they were good together with Lang (*gasp* I liked Lang today!).
6. I think the Hammies are proving that they can be here. Would I like to see Koivu and co back? Yeah. But right now the energy that these guys are providing is positive and that's good.
   

The bad:

1. POWERPLAY. They do WORSE on the powerplay than when it's 5 on 5. I'm almost afraid when the other team takes a penalty.
   
2. sloppy playing in the first and third period
3. Halak being shaky again
   
4. everyone's shootout attempts but Markov's. We love you Markov!
5. the defense was just downright awful in the first period. I don't know what the deal is because it's not like they've lost any players right now. They're all healthy.
   

The intriguing:

1. The post saved both goalies a lot of grief today. Kovalev has gone back to his post hitting ways again (I could write a book on how frustrating this is right now) and Halak was spared an embarrassing OT defeat when some guy who's name again eludes me hit the post and the puck went zooming along the line behind him and out the other side.

The question of the hour:

1. WHY ISN'T YANNICK WEBER PLAYING?! YOU CALLED UP HIM UP AND HE'S STILL SITTING IN THE FREAKING PRESS BOX. HE COULD BE DOING SOMETHING A LOT MORE USEFUL IN HAMILTON (or here but you haven't given him a chance). BUT NO! HE'S WASTING EVERYONE'S TIME BY SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING. DO SOMETHING WITH HIM OR SEND HIM BACK.
   

IN OTHER NEWS!

Whoever said that Crosby's fight was borderline embarrassing....you ain't seen nothing. Which is why I present to you what's got to be the most hilarious and embarrassing "fight" from "the other Alex" of the Washington Capitals. At least you can't accuse Crosby of looking totally weird in front of a full crowd and on national television. He just went insane.



Nice gesture, I guess, but maaan........ that as just... hilarious.... which is not quite the effect I think he was going for....

Eberle saves Canada's hopes for 5th straight gold!

When I said that I believed Canada could win, I didn't think that it would be this way. Only a few days after producing what was touted as the best World Junior game ever against the United States, Team Canada provided another epic game to top all epic games. I haven't been this freaked out during any game that I've watched since July 6th (for the records, that was the Wimbledon final).

I said that the Russians could win this if they played a physical game and took advantage of the lapses that were going to come from Canada. And they came within 5.4 seconds of doing it. Yes, people, Canada was 5.4 seconds away from being knocked out of the competition. But thanks to a last ditched effort by Tavares and Eberle, Canada is now back to the finals for a 8th straight time.

In all honesty, Canada did not play as sharp as we've grown used to seeing them. They gave up turnover after turnover after turnover to the Russians who seized on every chance. It was supposed to be a do or die effort from both team but it looked like the only ones doing the doing was the Russians. Every time Canada got a goal the Russians responded within minutes - or seconds at some point - with a goal of their own. Credit goes to the Russians for sure for coming up with answers to Canada's killer powerplay. Credit also goes to the Russians for playing a very physical game and generating a lot of offense. And maybe credit should go to the Russians for rattling the Canadians as well? I can't say how much the Russians affected the Canadians's mental game. I think they came in here mentally faitgued from the game against the Americans which was a real show stopper. I think they also came in here thinking that the Russians wouldn't be as good as they were. This proved to be a very dangerous mix and the Russians seized on it completely.

Evander Kane put a goal past Vadim Zhelobnyuk just over two minutes into the game. This was followed by bad pass and a turnover and goal by Goncharov for Russia. This was to be a theme that we would see all night.

7:04 of the first saw Patrice Cormier get another goal by the Russian goalie. This time the lead lasted just 16 seconds as another turnover by the Canadians lead to yet another goal. This time from Dmitri Klopov who was set up by Klyukin.

A rash of penalties then followed. 1 for Canada and 3 for the Russians. Canada's so far amazing powerplay was shut down beautifully by the Russians and there was no more scoring in the first period.

The second period was a mess penalty-wise. The Russians took four straight penalties. With Chudinov off for high sticking, Canada now had a 5 on 3 chance to grab a goal. Eberle was finally able to get a goal past Zhelobnyuk just one second after the first penalty had been called. So it would now be 5 on 5.

Canada's lead lasted all of 51 seconds into the third period as Grachev again took advantage of bad playing by the Canadians and put one past Tokarski.

Would Canada ever have the lead? As it would turn out, no. Not until the shootouts.

While Angelo Esposito got an amazing shorthanded goal, it again, wasn't enough for Canada to stay ahead. Less than a minute later PK Subban was sent off for tripping and the Russians again took a goal.

And the scary bit was yet to come. With less than three minutes to go, the Russians somehow managed to get a goal past Tokarski. This one was a little weird as a loose puck floated near Tokarski. Suddenly there's a lot of action around the right side of the net and someone manages to squeeze the puck past Tokarski and into the back of the net.

I seriously thought that it could be over here. I knew of course that it was only over once the last second died away but this was not good now. The Russians had clearly come up with almost all the answers to Canada's game and now, surely, they could hold on to the lead?

With time running out, the Canadians pulled Tokarski for the extra player. Obviously the danger of this is that you've got an open net now. And with the amount of turnovers that they had been making, surely the Russians would score? Klyukin (or was it Klopov?) must be killing himself right now because with literally seconds left in the game, his stick found the puck and he had the space to skate down the rink and put the game away for the Russians. But he didn't. He stayed in the Russian zone and took a shot. And he missed the net. A goal would have sent the Russians to the finals for sure. But no. His missed shot kept hope alive and with less than 10 seconds left, Tavares battled for the puck and took a shot on goal. It was blocked a Russian defensman who's name escapes me but Jordan Eberle took it and put it past Zhelobnyuk with just 5.4 seconds left. Oh man, I know I wasn't the only one sitting there, setting myself up for disappointment tonight. The 19,000+ fans went berserk when Eberle got that goal in. Simply beautiful.

The Russian coach would later say that that goal simply crushed the Russians and I believe it. A 10 minute over time saw some very high quality chances for Canada but though they dominated, they couldn't capitilize and it was to shootouts we went. Now, I hate shootouts. I think they're a cheap way of determining a winner. I could make a convincing case for both teams going through. But in the end, someone had to win. And before midnight too.

Eberle and Tavares both put the puck past Zhelobnyuk. They made it look easy. On the other end, the guy who I thought would be the weaker of the two goalies in shootouts stopped both shots by the Russians. Tokarski did get lucky on Dmitri Kugryshev's shot which actually hit the post but he takes full credit for stoning Pavel Chernov.

It was a dramatic way to end a very dramatic game and I kind of wish that this was the finals. Canada won't be able to top the drama of their last two games against Sweden on Monday, or at least, I'm hoping for a fairly easy win. No more dramatic games, please. I can't take any more!

Now, if you excuse me, I have to fix my thermostat thing becuase my sister broke it while freaking out over the shootouts. For a person who hates the Habs and doesn't really like hockey all that much, she was very into this game.

I'm going to steal a quote that was posted on the Habs Inside/Out site. Technically I'm actually stealing it from Seneca but whatever. It goes: "Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men."

You wanted adversity. There it was. Well, actually, I didn't want adversity at all but who said that life was easy? Team Canada faced their toughest test of the entire tournament. And they came through it. I hope the Hammies filled Habbies team were watching that game. Because that was one amazing effort.

Now they just have to do it one more time.

The Saturday morning ramble.

It's Saturday morning and I have nothing to say right now. So I'm going to ramble about nothing.

Jean Beliveau is going to announce the lineups in the All Star thing. Shouldn't really be a surprise unless random people got a gazillion votes randomly in about five minutes. Crosby, Malkin, Kovalev should be the forwards with Komisarek and Markov getting in for defense and unless Fleury got a flurry of votes at the last second, it should be Price in nets.It's kind of fun. Obviously they should stop calling it the "All Star" thing because I truly believe that none of those forwards are the best in the East. Take a look at the Pens right now and honestly tell me that Crosby and Malkin deserve to be there. They don't. I would've actually liked to have seen Ovechkin in instead of Malkin or Crosby but hey, not my fault that his fans didn't vote 24/7 for him (like I was going to vote for him? C'mon...).

I'm not going to get into the whole debate on whether this thing is just an entire embarrassement to the whole league and the "real" fans or not. I feel that it's a kind of fun event and that they really ought to change the name of the thing. I think "The event in which the NHL lets fans vote for random people to participate in a game that really serves no purpose other than to promote the NHL itself" is a much more appropriate name.

Whatever it is, just let everyone enjoy it. I haven't heard any players gripe about not wanting to participate in it - I've heard mainly the opposite, actually. So what does it matter as long as everyone's enjoying themselves (and stays healthy!)?

Crosby explodes as Pens fall to Panthers. After seeing how the Pens showed what they could do in the playoffs, I never thought that they would come out and implode during this year. Yeah, I know the supposed "runners up curse" thing. Up until now I could have defended the Pens and talked about how expectations were maybe too high for them and they were definitely a different team than they were last year. But honestly, I'm not about to defend the 6-1 mauling that they suffered against the Panthers today. I didn't see a single minute of the game because... well, no one cares about the Pens here and the only games I get to see are the Habs and maybe the odd late night game that features... well, whoever happens to be playing in the West. But the scoring and penalty summary, I think says something about what happened today.

First off, when I checked the score after the first period it was 2-0 for the Panthers. Kind of acceptable until I noticed that it they got those goals on five shots. FIVE SHOTS? The Pens, for the records, had twice the amount of shots and nothing to show for their efforts. The second period seems to have been a mess too as four goals were scored (three by the Panthers) and 13 penalties were dished out.

Like the title says, it was explosion time for the usually self contained Crosby. With the Pens down 4-1, Crosby went well, for lack of a better word, berserk and got into only his second NHL fight with Brett McLean off the faceoff. The Pens captain earned himself 19 minutes worth of penalties for that one - 10 for misconduct, 5 for fighting and two each for unsportmanlike conduct and instigating a fight. Apparently the refs thought that Crosby randomly attack McLean out of the blue. The Pens captain later said that he asked McLean to go and the latter said yes, but apparently didn't take him seriously. I can't blame McLean that much. I mean, it's Crosby, not Milan Lucic for crying out loud. For the records, McLean said he missed Crosby's "invitation". Whatever. The point is: Crosby went insane.



Florida further embarrassed the Pens by adding one more goal early in the third period.

Want to know the really embarrassing bit though? The Pens outshot the Panthers 30 to 24. So that's basically one in every four shots on goal went into the back of the Pens' net (it was actually worse than that).

Fleury got dumped after a pathetic first period for Sabourin who didn't do any better and allowed a further three goals on twelve shots. He was promptly yanked for Fleury again in the third, who obviously didn't do a lot better this time around. For the records, both goalies allowed 3 goals in 12 shots. Still think Halak was awful in Newark last night? Watch the replays of this game. Panthers made mince meat out of both Pens goalies.

I think it's time for another Penguin meeting.... in a language that everyone can understand...

Sabres down Bruins

At last! Someone beat the Bruins! Finally! And at home too. Yay....I don't want to be the Bruins next opponent though...That would be the Wild, right? Oh man, they're doomed....

Senators are going to take on the Leafs tonight. I almost want to see that.... Almost.... I will be watching Canada vs Russia though. Much more important. You know... if they keep up these wonderful displays of hockey then the next time they play each other they could be battling it for last play in the division, the conference and the league. Then again, I think the Islanders/Thrashers/Tampa Bay might actually beat them out for bottom of the league... too bad...

Later: Sens fall 3-1. Toskala gets rewarded by Toronto press with first star. Proof that the host team's press shouldn't be dishing out the stars.

Canada vs. Russia Part 250 pre-game rant

The Canadians fended off one rival, now it's time to face another. I actually have very little to "rant" about today so I'll just leave a few notes.

Russia

Pros: Offense. Physical style of play.
Cons: Goaltending, goaltending, goaltending....Where's the under 20 version of Evgeni Nabakov when you need him?
Can win if: stay out of the penalty box. Take advantage of the defensive lapses by Canada. Take advantage of their own strong offense.

Canada

Pros: Offense, particularly on powerplay. Also, Dustin Tokarski has shown that when things get tough he doesn't roll over and die. Good news.
Cons: Defensive play has to be better. 5 on 5 has to be better.
Can win if: they shut down the Russian offense. Generate good 5 on 5 offense too. And don't get knocked around by the big Russians. Filatov is only a danger when he attempts to score. He's not going to knock too many people around, I don't think *g*

I think Canada can do this. Especially if Russia's goaltenders are as shaky as they've been over the tournament. I'm thinking that Russia will get the first goal tonight and it will take a bit of time for Canada to settle into the game. They will win though.

Sweden edges past Slovakia 5-3 to make finals

That score is completely misleading in terms of how Slovakia did. Up until the third period they were leading Sweden 2-1 and it was a series of three goals in a row that put Sweden past them. Slovakia had an amazing run here and I hope that unless they're playing Canada, they end up with a metal because they deserve one. By the way, that fifth goal was on an empty net. The Slovaks gambled a lot by taking out Janus quite a bit, including at the 4 minute mark. That gamble paid off with a goal but the second (or third?) time didn't pay off and the Swedes got a goal. Janus was simply put brilliant throughout the tournament. He's definitely a big reason why this team made it this far. In the end, the Swedes showed why they were the favorites, but man oh man, it wasn't easy for them at all. Great job Slovakia. You have a lot to be proud of.

You need adversity? Take this!

But first, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family of Don Sanderson.

Don Sanderson died today, three week after suffering a concussion when his head - without a helmet on - struck the ice following a fight. Sanderson, a York University undergrad, was just 21 years old and played for the OHL Whitby Dunlops team. I was just talking today about NHL players and how you never know when your career can suddenly end. I was referring mainly to concussions that while they were potentially life altering and definitely career ending were certainly not life ending. I never thought that I would come home to read about someone actually losing his life after suffering a concussion during a game. This is very sad and tragic accident that could and maybe even should have been avoided or prevented. My thoughts and those around the hockey world are definitely with Don Sanderons' family in this difficult time.

Pre-Game Rant

Simply put, we all know that the Habs perform better when they play good teams. It's just something weird in their brains that they feel like they can only put a solid effort out against good teams - okay, okay, so they look like they may have changed that now. We're getting off topic now. Moving on. Even though the Devils are ranked behind the Habbies, they're still a very good team who only needs three points to catch up to them. The Habs lack of a finish last time these two teams met doomed them and it was the Devils who took away the win.

Tonight I want to see the Habs working really hard. We need this win. And I think it can be pulled off provided everyone puts in a solid effort. Everyone includes you guys on the top line! I really don't like the fact that this time is filled with Hammies but said Hammies have been doing well so it's just a matter of them not freezing up tonight. We also need a solid effort from Halak which I know he is capable of giving provided he gets enough help up front. The Habs have already proven that they can put up a wonderful effort in front of Halak (against the Flyers and the Flames).

The lineup for tonight seems to be thus:

A. Kostitsyn - Plekanec - Kovalev
S. Kostitsyn - Lang - D'Agostini
Latendresse - Lapierre - Kostopoulos
Begin - Chipchura - Pacioretty

Markov - Komisarek
Hamrlik - Gorges
Boullion - Brisebois

Halak
With Denis acting as the back up back up goalie

So no Weber tonight. Let's hope Brisebois is up to not getting knocked around tonight...

Post Game. That was pathetic.

Oh man.. where do I begin with this one? I had hope tonight but I guess I was putting too much hope into a team that is barely holding together at this point. In all fairness, the Hammies didn't even get to practice with the rest of them until what.. this morning? Yeah, you're really going to get stuff working in a few hours. Yes, it's sarcastic hour again. And the Devils are obviously coping without Brodeur just fine, thank you very much. I'm too tired to do something that looks like a proper write up so I'll just list random notes.

• On the outcome: Habs fall 4-1 in Newark. Isn't that also the name of a city in England?
  
• What happened to my plea for the rest of the team pulling their weight? I really didn't like what I saw out there tonight. I'm probably exaggerating slightly here but to me it seemed like the only guys I saw really making an effort were the usual Lapierre/Latendresse/Kostopoulos line and the fourth line of Begin/Chipchura/Pacioretty.
  
• Proof that only a few people were working: In fact it was the Hammies who scored. Pacioretty got his first goal in the NHL on his first game and it was the Habbies who screwed up and allowed those Devils' goals. Markov is usually very good but that lame attempt at clearing the puck lead directly to the third or whatever number it was- goal by the Devils. We can thank Josh Gorges for the fact that it wasn't 5-1 when he saved the puck from being pushed in by Denis.
  
• Why the Devils scored so much: There were just too many two on one/three on one/god knows what else rushes towards the net by the Devils. It was getting to the point where I was freaking out every single time they came near the net.
• On goaltending: Clemmensen was being Clemmensen and did well. I can't say spectacular because he wasn't given the opportunity to be spectacular. I don't understand was Halak was pulled for the third period when it was only 3-1. Yes, he should have stopped a couple of those goals but then again there shouldn't have been any odd man rushes by the Devils. I have no idea why Carbo put in Denis. He was clearly floundering a lot more than Halak was. Also, how wonderful can you expect the guy to be when he doesn't get to play that much?! Of course he's going to be rusty. And yes, Carbo, I know, should have been better but honestly....How were those lame passes up front, the lack of any real attempt at a shot on goal and all the odd man rushes, Halak's fault? Halak takes the blame for the soft goals but everyone else takes their share of the blame for the lack of effort up front. And Marc Denis is clearly in the AHL for a reason. I want Price back *sniffles* GET BETTER SOON CAREY! Your team obviously can't handle your absense (you realize that we're like the Devils were supposed to be without Brodeur tonight?? The irony of the situation is killing me).
  
• I have run out of things to say about the powerplay. You know... after seeing the Bruins run over the Pens, I couldn't help but notice how they just pepper the net with the puck when they have the powerplay. They don't waste time passing it around and trying to get that one good shot like a certain other team I could name right now. Sure, that type of play can be dangerous and it can lead to an attempt at a short handed goal but more often than not it leads to an inevitable goal. In theory the more shots you take the higher your chances are of scoring. We all know how theories work but in this case the Bruins are proving it right. I find it very ironic that the whole idea of the penalty expiring for one side once the other side scores was brought in because the Habs supposedly had too good of a powerplay in the '50s. The irony kills so much right now.......Oh wait, I'm already dead from the previous incredibly ironic incident. Right... *dies again anyway*
  
• So now what? We freaking regroup and smash the Panthers and restore our winning ways. They can regroup from this. They can come out with the guys they've got now and beat almost anyone out there.
  
  Wow, there I go being the incredible optimist now. Something is clearly very wrong.
  

SLOVAKIA BEATS THE USA

I only caught the end and I nearly fell off my chair in shock when I saw the score. I can't believe this at all. I was pegging the US to run over Slovakia and even give the Swedes a run for their money in the semis. Well that really makes things interesting now. It will be Canada vs Czech Republic or Russia (I'm still going with Russia) and Sweden vs Slovakia in the semis. Wow...

Looking forward to the semis. As long as I survive tonight *g*

Canda gets Russia tomorrow

Russia 5 Czech Republic 1. I saw some of it and it was boring as the Habs power play. Russia did not dominate the game at all until the end. There was a lot of hitting in the game and lame attempts at goals. Particularly from Russia earlier on. It really looked early on like it would be pretty close. The Russian goalie is quite frankly awful and you have to give full credit to the Czechs poor offense for the fact that it wasn't closer earlier. But then of course the Russians turned it up and it was byebye. Canada's going to have to do some work in trying to shut down the offense of the Russians. I think once they get to the net whoever, things shouldn't be too bad. If the Russian goalie plays like he did tonight against the Canadians then Russia could very well be doomed. But we shall see.

I think I may just have to see how Slovakia holds up against Sweden tomorrow.

Day of random info. Plus Hammies get called up

Future Habbies participate in Canada/US showdown

Anyone else completely die watching that Canada/US game last night? I was freaking out completely. And I missed most of the really painful bit. Throughout most of this competition we haven't really seen any really hard playing games from any of the teams. Both Canada and the US have completely run over every team that they've come across so far. So how would the two teams fair when they met up last night? Well, judging from the beginning of the game, it looked like the US would flatten team Canada as they got three goals past Dustin Tokarski without the Canadians doing too much. It was at this point that I had to go eat dinner so I missed Tavares and co tying the game. By the time I came back to the game it was 4-3 for Canada with the US promptly scoring. Oopsies. I really liked how the two teams played though. With a couple of exceptions. I didn't like Canada's defensive play too much. There were too many times when the Americans just came and stood in front of Tokarski. Take for example Tokarski's amazingly good save. In theory, he shouldn't have had to make that save. Someone should have done something about the guy who was just standing in front of the goalie. Not cool. But apart from that, the game was great.

Anyway....

My idea of a nice relaxing afternoon is watching a game that doesn't feature the Habs (I said relaxing, remember) - in this case it's the Winter Classic thingy - while not listening to Don Cherry by voting in the All Star thing... Yeah, I know, I know... but... I can't help myself...and as much as I like Fleury... I dont think that he should be there.... *sniffles* Oh and I've myself a nice bag of chips that have been lying around for I dunno how long...Hehe... they still taste okay =p gotta enjoy the last bit of the holidays, right? Right.

*yawns*

Well, Detroit just had to go and make the game really boring today, didn't they? First they didn't show up in the game and it was all Chicago all the time. I was wondering if maybe the Blackhawks would actually win it - you know, they got blanked before...and were playing at home (sorta) this time. Guess Pavel Datsyuk had another idea. He gets a really nifty goal which completely showcases why we should stop remembering him as the guy who can't speak English at that awards thing but instead why he's a really good hockey player. Go look at the highlights. And make sure you get a view from above. And then it was all Detroit all the time. And then I got bored and went to sleep.

I'm clearly not a die hard Red Wings or Blackhawks fan.

Price out, Hammies in for tomorrow's game against the Devils

Yes. Price is out for tomorrow. He could be back for the game against the Panthers but Halak might as well be playing in that one too anyway - even if Carbo has a thing for putting Price in when they play at home. But I won't get into that one right now. Anyway, no idea exactly what's wrong with him but apparently Mr. No. 1 Goalie didn't tell Carbo that he had a problem when they were playing against Tampa Bay. And now look what we've got. Oh and to top that off Sergei Kostitsyn didn't practice today in the new place in Brossard. There's no news right now on whether he can slug it out tomorrow against the Devils or not, so I'll asume for now that he's in Newark or wherever the Devils play right now with everyone else.

As expected, Hammies got called up. Chipchura and Pacioretty are back again and I'm pretty sure that Chipchura at least will be in the lineup. Marc Denis is back to backup Halak though I'm just praying that Halak and co do well and they won't have to use Denis. Yannick Weber - you know, the Swiss guy that everyone liked in the exhibition games - came as well. There are some
indications that he will get some time on the powerplay. Could be interesting.

So there we have it. The team's looking like it's got more wholes than the non-existant Swiss cheese in my fridge. But we all know that what's on paper doesn't always translate to what happens. I just hope the Devils come out snoring tomorrow. I'll will say just one more thing on this whole topic:

CAN THE INJURIES PLEASE STOP NOW?!!! This is getting ridiculous!

Bruins squash Pens again

While we're on the topic of things being ridiculous. What the heck in going on in the brains of the Penguins? Something is obviously going on in the scoring department and it's not cool. Okay, okay, so I didn't see the whole game and it's unfair to judge how the Pens did when they're playing the Bruins. Or is it? With the win tonight, the Bruins are now sitting on top of the league. ON TOP. Yeah. Ahead of San Jose. Ahead of Detroit. Ahead of everyone. The Pens are now sitting twenty points behind the Bruins, which makes the Habs twelve point trailing of said Bruins look good. What is the deal here....??? At least they can hopefully look forward to beating the Panthers and the Thrashers. If they can't win those then they've got serious issues. I'll let someone else figure that out while I go and worry about the Hammie filled Habbies team.