AS REFRESHING AS A GLASS OF WATER

We all agree that this team is well balanced, and has no gaping holes in the line-up. This is a direct result of Bob Gainey’s understanding of the game and foresight given new “post-lockout” rules and limitations for the NHL. Wednesday night’s home opener was a pleasant reminder that this culture is also present behind the bench and around the locker room. As the staff members were being introduced prior to the skaters She who must be obeyed , being the new found hockey fan she is, was asking me who they were and if they were any good. As I went through the list of names I knew, and others I pretended to know, the words “he’s good”, “he’s great” and “he’s one of the best in the league” kept repeating them selves.

At this point I realized just how extensively Bob Gainey worked over the past year to ensure not only a well balanced line-up, but a well balanced staff to back them up. Most people will immediately and almost exclusively think of the head and assistant coach when we talk about staff members. However having solid core of associates with specialties in goal tending, special teams and defense is just as important (we excelled and/or were the best in many of these aspects last year). And so is having competent medical staff and strength training directors. These guys are key in helping minimizing injuries (something else we were great at last year). The scouting staff of course ensures continuity and I don’t have to mention too much about Trevor Timmins and his team (obviously they have done a stupendous job over the past few years, and continue to do so). Finally what about the guys whop are pegged at the bottom of the locker room staff member totem pole? Equipment managers are pivotal to a team and many of us tend to forget this. Let me repeat that…equipment managers are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to a team’s performance, especially on the road. Those of you who have competed professionally and traveled will agree that at home keeping your gear organised is fairly less complicated. Having all your gear present on the road in the same manor as your own locker room is a nightmare. Hockey players, like many other athletes, are extremely superstitious when it comes to getting ready for a game. Almost everyone has a routine, some more stringent than others, and NOTHING throws off a player like breaking the pre-game routine. With that in mind I have always believed that this team’s repetitive success on the road had more than some to do with Pierre Gervais and his team. They must be doing a great job in ensuring the players feel at home in any locker room they sit in.

So the next time we speak of a balanced team, let’s not forget all the staff members behind the bench, in the infirmary and around the locker room. They are the pit crew that fuels the team, recharges it, and ensures it’s running on the best gear and at its fullest potential. They deserve as much as the credit as any other team member on the ice and we should always remember that and be thankful we have such a competent team back there.

STUMBLING FORWARD WITH FLASHES OF GREATNESS

First off w00t! Notch two more off MN the good guys. A “W” is a “W” is a “W”. For the early going I’ll take them any way they come. Later on in the season however, I would not be too happy with such a performance (say around March). At that point we would all be looking for dominant wins from start to finish. The first half of the season however is when the team gets into high gear and past the All-Star game is when we can become as picky as a vegan in a Steak house. For now let us look at all the positives:

- Another win.
- A proverbial four point win against a Division rival.
- With a loss to the Rangers last night we have closed the gap to the Conference title.
- We remain unbeaten.
- Our transition game which was dismal against the Flyers was spectacular in the first 40 minutes.
- Our PP looks like it will be one of, it not the MOST productive in the league. It’s not moving and working as smooth as a lathered Scarlett Johanson, but the plays are there and the chances are there (Tanguay on the point is working really well). It’s only a matter of time before it goes on a tear.
- We dished out another loss to the Bruins, extending their loosing streak to infinity. This memory will burrow its self in that locker room’s collective noggin, and they will now begin each and every match against us with a doubt. The result of the series should and will be similar to last year.
- Watching Price is extremely confusing. I am hard pressed to believe this kid so well balanced, is so talented, has a great peanut between the shoulders, has a great work ethic, but he’s barely old enough to buy booze south of the boarder. Why we haven’t signed him for a billion year contract yet is something I would question as an armchair GM know-it-all, if it wasn’t in the hands of Gainey. I’m sure Gainey will ensure we have this kid for many many years to come.

Well that’s all I have to say for today. I’ll save some material for tomorrow; mainly the new team strategy (i.e. defensemen jumping up in the play) and the ceremonies from last night (spectacular).

PS Welcome to teh team BGL You have accepted your role with open arms, and served that Epsilon booin Thornton what he deserved. Next time however, make sure to break his face or at least collar bone :P

BOOIN’S MIGHT BE WHAT WE NEED

After Monday’s performance where the team didn’t feel like playing till the third period, with the exception of a hand full of solid performances in the offensive zone, perhaps the hated evil Booins is what this locker room needs to ignite the fires. On one hand one would think if the team that eliminated us in the playoffs isn’t enough to get the blood boiling, no team will. On the other hand, the Booins have been one of these teams that always got us going. We always show up for those games and this has been apparent by our post-season record of eliminating them three times in a row, and winning the regular season exchanges over the past few seasons hands down.

The Booins are out for revenge and are desperate for a win against the CH. This is our best weapon against this overzealous team that took a preseason game of playing vets against our Hamilton Bulldogs waaaaay to seriously and rejoiced over it for far too long. A little shallow and sad if you ask me, but all that matters now is racking up the “W”s. A win tonight would go along way in re-iterating our dominance over the Booins and will place a doubt in the back of their minds that will follow them for the rest of the season when the play the Bleu Blanc et Rouge.

Over and above the reasons stated above, this win is important for a few other reasons. Here are some I could think of:

1) It would be great to get the first home win under our belts and out of the way.
2) I like watching the HABS win
3) Buffalo is ahead of us in NL standings and with a loss to them it would be great to regain the Division title on the MN leaderboard and the points leaderboard.
4) It’s fun to watch the HABS win
5) We must stay in close range with the Rangers. We don’t want them going off to a 10-15 point lead on the rest of the Conference. With their current confidence level, they need someone biting on their heals and keeping them worried and down to earth and second guessing. The HABS are the most likely team to accomplish this right now.
6) I want to see the HABS win

I will be watching our PP very closely and will hope for a 50% success rate tonight to get things rolling again.

KEEP ROLLIN’ ROLLIN’ ROLLIN’ ROLLIN’

That was so far the best pathetic performance of the year. We’ll have more games where we fall far short of our capabilities, but will come away with the win based on raw talent. This is yet another encouraging sign that even on mediocre and poor nights we have a chance to win against most NHL teams. What will it mean when (if?) this team begins to fire on all proverbial cylinders?

Our power play was 0 for 7 and the PK allowed two goals. This was not a “gold medal” night for our special teams. However, with the hockey minds behind the bench who have provided the league with the top power play two year running, special teams are not a worry as of yet. It is more difficult to get a team to score 5 on 5 and we’ve fallen short on this category a few times in recent history. With that in mind, another encouraging news from this season so far is our scoring capabilities on even strength (five last night, albeit on was an empty netter).

That, however, is where the praise stops. The transition game was garbage, our neutral zone play was pathetic, and as a result we were seldom able to penetrate the offensive zone with speed. This lead to less scoring chances and less shots (we were of course out shot again 32-27).

Now I know this might seem a tad picky on my end to critisize our weaknesses after a win and obtaining 5/6 points on the road to begin the season, but just as we were realistic in not expecting too much in the past, I remain realistic in not settling for too little this year. With the roster we have and the hype that surrounds the Bell Center and this team, the HABS are poised to take a shot at the cup. Anything less than an appearance at the Stanley Cup finals will be a gross let down, and in the eyes of some not bringing the cup home will be a disappointment. I expected this team to obtain 5-6/6 on the road. Not hoped, but expected, so the given results are not great by our current standards.

This of course is my opinion and it stems from the fact that I truly believe this team is the real deal, as they say. We can see glimpses of greatness, when the three lines roll and create chances after chances, when the goalies perform spectacular saves to keep their teams in the game and/or ahead (2 highlight reel saves from Carey in two games) But we are yet to see this team’s full potential (yes, including the Maple turds game), and I will be eagerly waiting till we go on a tear of the NHL. For now, a “W” is a “W” and let’s keep bringin’ em’ home any way we can. But by the time this team is ready, we won’t even need to think about the two points…it will be a given.

OUR BEST STEAM ROLLER IMPRESSION

Toronto sucks…Yeah yeah I know. The Leafs game is behind us but there is a serening effect when on strings those words together. And what better way to start Thanksgiving Monday than with a big ol’ LEAFS SUCK.

What a weekend. Brought my baby daughter home on Friday, HABS season opener Friday night, Stingers domination Saturday afternoon, HABS domination over Leafs Saturday night, family over on Sunday for Thanksgiving dinner and now here we are. I have a stomach full of the funky bird (so much so I must have morphed 10% Turkey overnight), shirt full of baby spit up (as gross as that sounds it’s my baby girls spit up so it’s liquid gold for me) and a day of sports to look forward to. The Als kick off at 1:00 p.m. against the Hamilton Tie-turds, who will undoubtedly get blown away by the good guys in a similar fashion to what Concordia and the HABS put forth on Saturday given the context (i.e. revenge match and redemption for a sloppy performance). Just to give an idea to those who may not be following the CFL (it’s OK, we all make mistakes) the Als lost to the Tie-Cats last week. This would have been the equivalent of Montreal loosing to the Maple Leafs on Saturday by a three goal margin, then having a rematch in Montreal the following weekend. Yeah…that’s how pumped up the locals will be.

Following this game, we’ll have the pleasure of watching another CFL game (Calgary vs Saskatchewan). Calgary is most probably the team we will be facing in the final so watching them is always interesting and fun (kind of like the Red Wings in the NHL). Then comes the main event.

Between the three sporting events I’ll barely have time to run up and replenish the beer supply and chips…what am I talking about. Father of two here….let me rephrase. Between the two games I’ll barely have enough time to replenish baby bottles, drop off soiled kids with the murses for a diaper upgrade, feed, burp play with and put to sleep one of or both of the kids, while hanging on to any shred of sanity, patience and all in all will to live I may have left. Thank the Holy Sponge Bob some Star Trek Treky nerd had the good grace to invent a magical device that can pause and re-play live TV. Mental not: Warn all humanity of the perils ensuing from having multiple offspring.

So one way or another I will watch all the events, with my highest expectations held for the game tonight. After the game in Toronto it will be interesting to see how the team reacts to playing the team that eliminated them in last year’s play offs. There are a multitude of possibilities here, however if this team is the team of destiny and wants to prove this firmly to themselves and the rest of the league, we must continue to play at a high level, never slow down, never think “revenge” and always think about the big “W”. Pulling off another win against the Flyers would not only continue our streak of obtaining 5/6 points on the road to open the season, but would also re-emphasize the strength and power of this team. Opponents must fear us and should always feel like the underdogs. The way to accomplish this of course is to continue steam rolling over anyone and everyone we face, regardless of their skill and level. Whether it’s the last place TML or power house of Detroit, this locker room has to prove to the hockey world that the paradigm shift we all claim the team has is real and is here. So tonight, no stupid penalties in trying to “get back” at Philly (which I think is a safe bet) and score score score. All three lines must perform (especially Kovalev’s line …I’m getting killed in my pool!) and the power play.

It’s seems fitting that we’re playing the Flyers on Thanksgiving Monday…let’s go out and carve some birds tonight.

A GLIMPSE OF THE 08/09 HABS

Toronto sucks…what’s new. Joycing over the blow-out win last night makes as much sense as praising Oscar De La Hoya for winning a match via knockout after three seconds if he were paired against yours truly in the ring. Comparing the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Montreal Canadiens is no different than comparing an Enzo Ferrari to a Toyota Prius. They both have their supporters and devoted fans, but at the end the Enzo has the Prius on every category hands down.

With that said, I am of course a devoted Leafs hating HABS fan and can’t let a blow-out of our arch nemesis go by without saying: NEENER NEENER NEENER….WE KICKED THEIR BUTS…AND HOW! biggrin.gif

To give some credit to the Maple Leafs, they came out strong, but just couldn’t hold on and match the HABS horsepower (kind of reminded me of the HABS two years ago). Halak is of course directly responsible for fending off the early onslaught. Had TML potted on early, this would not have been a blow-out. We still would have won mind you, but not as comfortably.

As for the HABS, some overzealous fans might already be staking their spots on the parade route after this game. I have two things to say to that:

1) The best seat is already taken. I chained my lawn chair to the best spot back in May 2008.

2) The HABS have certainly showed some fire power in rolling three scoring lines. Some are already gelling, others are not, but having three lines that can score gives some relief to say, Kovalev’s line, that is not firing on all cylinders yet. They don’t have the added pressure of not performing at 100% and not getting goals since, well, the other lines are winning games while they work out the kinks.

And then we have our fourth line with so much competition for three spots, you can bet your last buck that anyone having the privilege of receiving ice time there will be giving 2,309,787,438 %. This was apparent in our first two games of the season, where the fourth line had a bushel of self created chances by grinding and fighting hard in the corners.

Even though this team is being picked by many to win the East, it is still grossly under valued and estimated. The balance, skill level and depth we have makes this team so potent, that this blind fool has had them as a Stanley Cup favourite since May. Not to take anything away from Detroit (they are one heck of a superb team), but they will undoubtedly suffer the Stanely Cup hangover, at least for this season, before returning to the finals next year. This is the year for the HABS team.

Now with that said, our team is no where near its potential yet. Last night the TML were generous in giving us chances and not making our errors look too obvious. By the time this team is firing on all cylinders, no team, no matter how defensive will be able to stop us from dominating start to finish.

SO to summarise Toronto sucks (what’s new), we rule, and last night we had an average game (relative to our capabilities). Just wait and se what happens when Kovalev’s line gets back to potting a few a game, the defence locks the neutral zone down and our transition game gets back to a smooth flowing play.

On to the STINGERS. Well in comparison to the blow-out win last night in Toronto, the Stingers’ game yesterday afternoon was much tighter. I know some will quote me from yesterday saying “it will be an annihilation”, and I’ll admit that maybe I underestimated our opponents a tad. The Mount Allison Mounties put up a good fight, and it was a nail biter till the end. However after a long hard fought battle in the trenches the Concordia Stingers came away with the win 66-13 tongue.gif It was 45-8 at the half…final result could have been much higher if we kept the foot on the gas pedal, but what can I say, we’re a bunch of class acts biggrin.gif

ONE TOO MANY HLD’S FOR THIS WORLD

Some might have known that wee HLD was due to arrive in this realm we call earth just in time for the season. The delivery was booked for this past Wednesday, which would have made our return home for today at noon. We now have proof that the HABS Lovin’ gene exists, for wee HLD was born prematurely just enough to ensure a return home for Friday afternoon…just in time to watch the HABS season opener.

As you can imagine my relationship with my daughter is starting off on the right foot and I couldn’t be prouder of her for the initiative she took in mommy’s womb to ensure the HLD’s were watching the glorious HABS open the 2008/2009 on a 50” HD feed, rather than a murky, snowy 10” hospital TV where you’re never sure if you’re following the puck or a rabid squirrel who’s run on to the ice.

As I sit here with blood shot eyes, working on an average of 2 hours of sound sleep over the past five days, barely able to string together words let alone keep my eyes open, I peak over my laptop screen and watch my boy discovering the lump of crying blanky on mommy’s lap I realise how luck I am. A great family, a cup of non-hospital coffee (oh it’s soooooo good) and a team on it’s way to the Stanley Cup we can all be proud of.

Last night’s game neither impressed me, nor unimpressed me. I didn’t see any major faults in the team. There were many instances where it was apparent this team is just starting the season, however once they start gelling and the timing is down this team will be perennial winner. Early indications (and it is very early) this team has depth, no weak links, and plenty of potential. We’re already good, but as the youngsters grow throughout the season, we will be even better. Tis’ a season we will all remember I’m sure.

On that note I must be on my way as the murses is giving me a look of desperation. It’s time to delve back into the reality of feedings, diapers, constant craving for attention and never ending chores. The best and worse words I ever heard from my wife: ”Let’s have a family”


Final notes: As I am a Concordia Alumnus, I watch and support our Stingers teams…especially when we pound the RedMen. The football game will be webcast today at 1:00 p.m. on stingers.ca if any are interested (it is against Mount Allison and should be a run away exciting win for the Stingers…JOIN THE SWARM!