LET THE IMPLOSION BEGIN

I think last night’s game will really get the demolition ball rolling, beyond anything a potential win tomorrow night can fix. I haven’t had the guts to venture around the forum, but by some of the comments on TSN.ca, I can tell the usual parade of brain dead comments have begun.

The team last night was spectacular. Spectacularly poor. But this is still a team which is one attitude change away from a power house. It will come, I know that much. What it will take to make it happen, well I can speculate, as can the rest of us, but no one can really be sure. We have to have faith and trust in the staff to get the team through the rough patch. There are enough hockey minds within the organisation who will know better than any one of us wana be GM in here can claim to know. Furthermore, for once we have staff in place who has proven on several occasions that they are not worried, nor will they act different because of, the media and fan frenzy and all the politics that go along with it. They will do what is best for the team, and they will do it better than anyone in here, writing for Le Journal or expressing themselves as having the cure all bogus remedy this team needs. We can trust Bob, Carb and the gang to be more objective than any one of us would like to believe and will base their judgement on professionalism, and decades of Stanley Cup winning, but kicking, hockey playing experience.

So to all you certifiable arm chari GMs ready to blow the team and coaching staff up, grow up, get a life, grow a brain cell or two and shut the flanelle up.

LETS NOT FORGET DEFENCE

All the hype about a talented team, offensive super-powers, finishing with the highest number of goals for last year, and definitely due (at least on paper) to break that record this year, it appears that the team has forgotten the second half of the ice. All the attention is getting the puck up ice to create offensive chances, when what seem to be killing us are goals against. We had a pretty good, simple, and effective system last year and I don’t see why the coaching staff has not reinforced this same play. Perhaps they were liooing to try something new, which might offer a better transition game and more scoring chances. But the fact of the matter is, it’s not working, the transition is not working, players are getting frustrated and evidently NOTHING is working.

We’re all familiar with the adage of KISS: “Keep It Simple Stupid” This works for me in my daily ventures and adventures both at work and at home, it worked for the HABS last year in their defensive play, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work this year. As soon as one touches the puck in the defensive zone, just get it out into the neutral zone and let our speedy forwards fight for it. Best case they get it and create a scoring chance. Likely case the opposing blue liners will get it and dump it in, creating a delayed offside and allowing our “D” to make a better and easier play. Worse case they get the puck and come charging back in and we’re back where we started.

Maybe I’m over simplifying (who am I kidding, I am), but it seems that at a time when nothing is working and everyone is nervous, it’s the simple plays that are the way to go and get everyone back on track. Even Zorro the Beagle is with me on this one, and we usually disagree on everything unless we’re deciding on re-fried beans as the key ingredient to turn a boring taco night to an flatulently entertaining burrito night.

SOMETHING POSITIVE TO WORK WITH

Well things have gotten ugly…very ugly. Relatively speaking, ugly still ain’t that bad. Ugly three years ago would have meant last place in the East, so we should still feel fortunate that a horrible horrible Canadiens team is still fifth in the East and 7th in the league with less games played than everyone in front (except Detroit who has also played 16). Now there’s an eye opener.

Regardless of the standings, we know things are no where near as good as they can be. The team seems to have lost its identity. We went through a similar patch last year (even worse than this if we can all recall) and guess who emerged as the leader and brought this team in to heights no analyst across the league believed to be possible: Kovalev.

Some have argued that Kovy is not the same man this year, not the same locker room, etc, etc… And it’s true that things have changed in his surroundings. But Kovy hasn’t changed. He’s still a fierce competitor, and a role model to all the youngsters. He still feels the joy of playing hockey, and more importantly WINNING. A la Patrick Roy, Kovalev’s whole demeanour changes when they win, and I’m not talking about the generic happy feelings one gets for being on a winning team. He WANTS to win…he NEEDS to win, and he knows with this team, he CAN win…over and over and over again.

I may be naïve and a blind fool as a direct result of my unhealthy obsession with the Tricolore, but I think last night’s shootout scenario with Alex Kovalev scoring the game winner in true Kovale style (i.e. sending the goalie to collect his jock strap on the other side of the net) is just the type of clincher he needs to kick him self in the butt and get into gear. Once Kovalev is on the proper wavelength, the rest of the team will follow.

This of course is my belu blanc et rouge two cents that are not worth very much, unless of course you’re as blind, wishful, hopeful and obsessively loyal as I am.

WILL THE STREAK GO ON?....FORGET THE STREAK…WE GOT BIGGER PROBLEMS

OK…so far this season I have (as well as many of us in here) given the HABS the benefit of the doubt. It is a long season, bad games will happen, que sera sera…But now this is starting to reek more of a team that is caught up in their own, non-proven, greatness. And this reek is worse than Zorro the beagle’s bowel movements after taco night. The players (except the fourth line) are gliding up and down the ice, EXPECTING for plays to happen. There is no fight, no fire, and the Ottawa game on Tuesday was only the fourth game I can remember us playing like real athletes.

Now let me clarify: I’m not saying all is lost and this team is over rated. I think this team is poised to represent the East in the Stanley Cup finals, and has a good shot at it as well. However that is step 12 of the 82 + games season, and we’re still stuck on step 1. Play hockey. Get in to the game. Get emotional. Talent DOES NOT win games. Hard work wins games.

I would have hoped with the way the team responded to the Toronto game against Ottawa was solid proof enough that the locker room was getting cleared up with this incessive self glorifying fog and the “better than thou” attitude we bring on the ice. Last night was proof positive it was not. What can the coaching staff do to get them on track? I don’t know what more they can do. It’s time for the veterans to speak up in the room and hold each other accountable (not finger point and make excuses, but hold the entire locker room accountable). This nonchalant attitude has to stop

WILL THE STREAK GO ON?....YES

The Booins are on a roll…woopty doo. They won again last night….big woop. They face the HABS tonight yipeeeeee!!!

With the HABS gelling once again, we can expect them to go on a tear…the first real tear of the season, and the Booins will be our second victims. The Brruins have notoriously have had psychological issues playing against the HABS. They have however come out a few games with a positive frame of mind, guns blazing, Charas playing like they should, and the offense forechecking. Unfortunatelly for them, on each such occasion, the HABS scored the first goal thanks to acrobatic saves from our goalies and an odd man rush for us against an aggressive team. With the first goal in the Booins fell apart like papier mache in a rain storm.

Moral of the story is the Bruins are feeling good and the team is working on all cylinders. They will be facing off against a team who they have not beaten in (what is it now…12?) regular season games, so you can bet they will be very aggressive and confident that given their team this year and current streak, this is where it ends. It will be up to us to start the game strong and get that first goal in to mess with their minds, before they can even get into the game. One of our weaknesses have been the slow starts, but this is one of the many things we remedies on Tuesday’s game. I can only hope (and I do believe) that tonight’s game will be no different in that sense. Tonight, the Bruins will be just another victim for the Bleu Blanc et Rouge.

TOUGHT PILL TO SWALLOW

After a long week of waiting for hockey, we were disappointed with the Friday/Saturday tandem of poor performances. Friday’s game would have been grudgingly acceptable had we blown the Leafs away on Saturday, but alas…the team’s laziness finally overcame it’s raw talent. Hard work will always beat talent and talent won’t get you anywhere without hard work, and I suppose this will be the coaching staff’s greatest challenge this year going into, and through the playoffs.

On one hand I would like to sit here and vent and trash the HABS for a lazy effort, but on the other hand I know the season is long and bad patches are inevitable for any team. However, we have all been aware since the beginning of the year that out of 12 games played we can ONLY easily name two where the team played hard. Otherwise we always got away with talent. So do we worry? Do we fire the coach and bring in someone else? Is it time to trade Kovalev while his stock is high and get some new blood? Is it time break into each other’s skulls and feast on the sweet sweet goo inside? No…not yet…not ever. All the arm chair GMs (and La Presse) who are more than eager to jump on any opportunity to rip an extremely talented team full of potential apart can go suck a lemon. All that the team needs is to play more games, get the chemistry going, and have some team building activities. Paintball is always a popular choice ;)

AN OK FAILIURE

To the intense competitor, the above statement may seem paradoxical; however a team that plays 82 games in a season is bound to make blunders, and I’m willing to accept gaffes as long as they are less ghastly than the previous error.

In our case, following our last long break we came out playing at the intensity level of the girls scout district 36 pink (a.k.a. the unicorns) hockey team. We dropped our first loss in regulation to Anaheim and hung our heads in shame.

Last night we were faced with a similar challenge to that game and I thought we played a lot better in that we were sharper….still as dull as a pair of fisher price set of play-dough scissors, but sharper. We played better than the Anaheim game and we got 1 more point than we did in our previous “long break” test. So I’ll grudgingly take it and stick it in the bank (my investment statement is above showing a sweet 135…about as many dollars left in my investment portfolio. But jokes on the MN, my portfolio value is dropping faster than it is so I’ll definitely win the race to 0 first.)