Montreal at Long Island

Turn Me On Hab Man….

Way back in the 1960’s (a decade in which the Habs won 4 Stanley Cups), A rumor had run rampant that Paul McCartney, in the prime of his and his band’s life has suddenly passed away in a tragic car accident and was replaced by an incredible look and sound alike whose artistic output from 1966-1970 was among the most influential in the last century.

After watching last night’s Hab 4-2 defeat of the Islanders, I’m left wondering what they did with my beloved misfits of the past few weeks. Consider the following clues as per why “The Habs Is Dead”.

1. Cristobal Huet returned in net after being shelled by the Bruins earlier in the week faced less than 30 shots for the first time this year! He was solid all night despite a relatively easy night for him with the exception of the last two minutes of the game.

2. I could swear that Saku Koivu wears number 11 for the Canadiens but that was either Kirk Muller coming off the bench or Mark Messier coming back to haunt his cross town rivals one more time. Special K was dominant. The effort has always been there with him but this time he came up with a road effort that included 2 big goals, a multitude of chances for his line mate Michael Ryder and lots of space for his other line mate Guillaume Latendresse to cash in on a two footer in traffic. Ryder should have easily had a hat trick and NO, I don’t mean it like when a Toronto Make-Belief fan says “We should have won that game 8-4” after losing it 4-1. Ryder had at least 7 or 8 quality chances. It has gotten to the point where I’m willing to dress up as Santa Claus on a street corner, ring a bell and collect funds for the HELP MICHAEL RYDER BUY A GOAL foundation.

3. Guy Carbonneau made in-game line changes! In the third period, you actually saw Kovalev playing with Koivu at even strength while Latendresse moved down to play with Plekanek and Samsonov.

4. They scored 5 on 5! THEY SCORED 5 ON 5!

5. Mark Streit actually looked good as a fore checking forward. He brought speed, defensive savvy and dare I say it without losing my passport, grit!

6. Janne Ninimaa was not totally useless! The man I had dubbed the Nininightmare left it all out on the ice last night…literally. The Habs defenseman lost some blood when struck near the eye with puck and returned later in the game. Way to go Blood and Guts Janne!

7. The Habs turned in a full 60-minute performance in the second game in as many nights! What am I saying? I mean a full 60 minutes anytime, anywhere!

Whoever has kidnapped my old Habs team? You can keep them. I’m not paying the ransom. This one suits me fine.

The Fine Print

Defenseman Mike Komisarek delivered some great hits in front his family and friends who probably accounted for half of the announced 9551 in attendance at the vastly outdated Nausea Coliseum. It is pitiful that the two teams that shared 8 cups between 1976-84 can’t muster up more than a post-pillaged Jeffrey Loria era Montreal Expos. The game itself was quite entertaining. Ted Nolan has done quite a job turning a team that has missed the playoffs in the past few years into a gritty and speedy team despite the loss of Captain and team leading point producer Alexei Yashin to injury. Compare to the previous overtime loss in New Jersey, this was like 2 A.M after having an expresso coffee at midnight. Both goals scorers for the Isles were former Hab Aaron Asham and Mike “around the league with 30 teams” Sillinger on deflections.

LATE BREAKING TRADE RUMOUR: Islander backstopper Rick Dipietro has only 14 more years before he becomes a UFA. Look for him to go at the trade deadline if the Islanders are out of contention in 2020. Montreal’s next big test is the mighty Buffalo Sabres on Saturday December 9at the Bell Centre.

The Newby Lexicon:

Word Or Phrase: “Bench Minor for Too Many Men” Definition: a two-minute penalty assessed to the team that places more than allotted amount of skaters allowed during the course of a game. A player on the ice at the time of infraction serves the penalty at the coach’s discretion. Akin to trying to score separately with twin sisters and telling both of them your actual birthday is coming up. In both cases, know whom you’re going with or it will catch up to you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch a tape of the game backwards for any hidden clues or messages….

See You At The Game,