Monday, May 03, 2010

That Answers a Few Questions: Habs 3, Pens 1


A Squid frightening a Penguin? Now there's something you don't see everyday.

Maybe its a lawyer thing, but I admit I'm kinda bipolar, sometimes optimistic but mostly skeptical by nature. I hate being disappointed, so I didn't get my hopes up too much last round even when the Habs got on a roll. And I was pretty close to writing them off after last game, but there were a couple of nagging questions at the back of my lawyer-brain:

1. Was it possible the whole team, and specifically Halak, were just tired and emotionally drained, not completely overmatched?

2. If they were 'just' tired and drained, could they bounce back against the defending Champs?

3. Can the D-corps survive the loss of Markov (again)?

(3a. Is PK for real?)

It's all coming up Milhouse after Game 2. So much so that right now the optimist usually stuffed in my mind's trunk (aka HFF33) is screaming about Game One being an aberration, a case of a good Pens team talking advantage of a tired Habs club coming off an emotional comeback. There's also something about the Habs being real contenders, losing 20 pounds and quitting meth, but I'm already tuning him out again.

Anyway, even cynical me (aka Panger) admits its hard not to get seduced by this team. Obviously there is the goaltending and shot blocking and Squid's clutch goals. But teh atraction is more about the team chemistry and effort from pretty much all over the lineup - even guys who aren't producing offensively like they should (hi there CHicken and Gomer).

Most shocking of all, PK probably lived up to all the hype. Three assists in four games and a plus 1. And a national interview on NBC. Well, "national" except for all those NBC affiliates who cut to Seinfeld reruns when then heard the game of the week involved at team from Europe (French Canada is the same thing, right?).

And full credit to the Pens, they weren't sleepwalking through this game. Crosby's "compete level" (I can't believe that's part of my vocabulary - damn you McSplooge!) is way higher than Ovie, although Gino resembles Semin so far.

Still too early to really buckle into a seat on the bandwagon, but I'm not hanging with one foot off anymore, either - keeping in mind that to advance, this team has to win as many 2nd round games as the last 16 editions combined, all against the defending champs lead by arguably most talented and accomplished player at his age in history. Not that I'm skeptical.

Comments. We crave them like our antipsycotics and meth. Do you really want to endanger us by not leaving any? Do you want that on your conscience?

47 comments:

Mike said...

Lucky moi in New Orleans missed the last five minutes thanks to some oil thing in the Gulf, a brief (five minute) Presidential press conference about another something in NYC (not the Rangers because that would have been on NBC) and more about whatever is in the water. Do these people not realize the Habs are playing tremendous hockey (Friday was an aberration)? Thank goodness for CJAD's feed and Murray Wilson's excitement and snide comments (Penguins fans waddle out of the Igloo). I don't want to get too crazy, but can you imagine the mass suicides in Boston if we win? BWAHAHAHA

GYFH

moeman said...

Hang onto to your Red and White and Blue Pants!

Christopher Sama said...

can you fucking believe it? tied 1-1 with the chumpions and now we get to play 2 at the nuclear reactor that is the bell centre.


PFK is just so exciting to watch. i was teary eyed thinking about him this morning. i hope he becomes the best player ever.

We beat the Caps in Round 1. We beat the Pens yesterday. We can take this series.

Leave that fucking skepticism in the trunk.

habsss said...

I was working Sunday so I missed the game.

So far the Habs are 3-0 in the playoffs when I miss the game. Just sayin'

Anonymous said...

My shoes are soaked but my cuffs are bone dry!

matt - ftc said...

Anyone know if Spacek has any chance of playing next game? Usually I wouldn't mind if he was out, but I would rather have him on a regualr shift than MAB.

Christopher Sama said...

@matt
Nothing confirmed re: Spacek, but he's pretty doubtful for the next game.

moeman said...

cooke's comments about PFK

WV = cookeisadirtbag, as in cooke is a fucking dirtbag

kevincrumbs said...

I think I am scared to post here, especially with anything positive about the team, in case I jinx anything. You know, because my actions have been controlling this team for the past twenty years...

bea.habs.fan said...

@ Moe JUST READ THE ARTICLE
talk about the kettle and the pot.
perhaps he wants Subban to NOT sharpen his skate? or is accusing him of sharpening them too much?
how can he say hit was not intentional after saying that it happens twice is suspicious?

douche thy name is cooke

Public Domain said...

series still tied - anything possible.

Is anyone else having increasing work/home/hygeine problems as the playoffs unfold?

@kevincrumbs - yes, please be careful man.

non-Habs thought: I heard there is a new NHL award for GM. Even though it's obviously the Sam Pollack Award, Bettman wont allow it and it remains unnamed.
I nominate Lou Lamoriello for inaugual Mr Burns Award.

Kankwan said...

Canadien en 5.

b said...

Let me get this straight. Cooke is complaining about something that happened when he was hitting somebody from behind? "They just won't stand still so I can run 'em. Mr. Campbell it's just not fair! I have to finish my check or I don't get my check."

Cooke is the kind of guy who we need the ghost of John Ferguson to deal with, and maybe the Rocket's stick, too, for good measure.

iRiRi said...

10 out of 10 Subbans for that pic, GG!!
Attack of the Squid!

@101- re: productivity during the playoffs. I don't know what's gotten over me but I haven't accomplished ANYTHING over the past two weeks. I am however capable of reciting PFK's TOI for every game along with every single stat ever imaginable. Try me.

moeman said...

I have a nice playoff beard.

Dave Cunningham said...

Please, enough with the Gomer trash. Watch the games, look at his stats. He's the one center we have who controls the play, and he's been the first assist on some of the most important goals of the series (pass to MAB for the goal in Game 7, pass to the Giant for the goal, Game 2 - Pens.) He's got 8 points in 9 games, and he does EVERYTHING.

Public Domain said...

ok then RiRi:

The internet needs to know just exactly HOW sharp (on a scale of 0-100 Gilletes) are PFK skates? hmm?

GoldenGirl11 said...

Updated pic. Fell asleep after all of the celebrating. Between the win and Lag Ba'Omer I was wiped! (google it).

@Moe
Is she cute?

moeman said...

@GG, She's GorGeous.

Her name is Badam Pish.

moeman said...

Mirtle tweets; Cammalleri said his nickname for Subban is "primetime" and compared him to Deon Saunders on ice. "He's smooth."

Um, Squid, stick to scoring goals, WE can come up with the fucking nicknames.

iRiRi said...

@101 - Hmmm... you got me. Maybe we should ask Matt Cooke.

Speaking of that douchebag, I can't believe he said that "suspicious" bullshit. The only suspicious thing from yesterday's game is Sid not getting an unsportmanliike for scaring the iTunas out of Halak.


Also, "primetime"? *yawn* Reminds of when PFK was first called up to play the Flyers.I read somewhere that as he was doing some interviews, a bunch of players walked down the hall yelling "HOLLYWODD". Apparently, PFK got all shy!

moeman said...

Another PKwote;

“In these moments, you can either do two things; just freeze up or grasp the moment and play for your teammates and it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the guys if I go out there and put my tail between my legs and not compete.”

He's like a loveable puppy.

Christopher Sama said...

Hey Matt Cooke - are you an expert? did you see the reply? are you calling yourself an expert?


shut the fuck up.

Chester said...

Was over at a friends house for the Phriday game and they like to watch in Hinglish, I just loved the way The National Embarassment called our goalie Havlak. He did it over and over, while Ron McLean just nodded. What a bunch of no mind fucktards. Away Pierre Houde.

L Dude said...

So over at Pensblog, they're calling PK "Slash". Whatever. I vote for The Tendonizer . Seriously, I would normally not wish harm on another human, but if those razor blades on PK's feet were to accidentilly slice the tongue out of Cooke's face, I'd not be upset. It's just good to know that one young buck can get under the skin of so many hapless pens fans and their douchey players.
These (Pensblog) ARE the same guys who said the Pens have to go up to Antarctica for game 7...

Here's my vision: Game 7 in the 'Burgh. Triple OT. 12:01 AM, May 13th. PK Subban with a blast from the point scores the winner as he turns 21.

iRiRi said...

@ L Dude - Pensblog also called him PK Stupidan. Pot, meet kettle. Also, May 13 just so happens to be Jaro's biirthday too!

Coincidence? I think not.

Public Domain said...

I'm shocked that you are both self-confident enough to admit you've been there (Pblog)

Work goes well (ahem), so I went for a lurk too. I feel dirty now. Do we look that moronic to other people?!?

LDude, I raise my koolaid cup and salute your excellent vision

wv: Pblog is up to its ears ingunes

Number31 said...

Pensblog is always a fun place to go even when the Habs aren't playing the Pens. Besides, they control the internets.

Matt Cooke has pretty much reached Darcy Tucker levels of hate, as in one of the only players in the League I advocate to be elbowed repeatedly in the head. Too bad Paul Bunyan Mara can't play...

lawyergirl77 said...

Dear God, no, no, NO game 7, por favor!!! My heart can't take another one!!!

Young HF29 said...

just wanted to stop in in the middle of my vacation drunkenness to say fuck matt cooke

and i like Panger's review. barely even answered his own questions, there was so much hedging. that's good lawyerin'

bea.habs.fan said...

I can't believe I'm goign to miss the rest of this series not to mnetion the fine commentators of FHF.
Leaving tomorrow night, according to my calculation, when the Habs beat the Pens in regulation time, I should just have enough time to get to my plane seat after enjoying the game in an overpriced airport bar (shades of last year, playoff qualifications)

WV: the forses of fan support in the Bell centre will deafen pblog and all other fucktards (as bonus points, the decibels could make Cooke's head explode!)

Unknown said...

I'm with LG. Can't we just take them out in 6? Game 7 vs the Caps almost put me in the ER.

L Dude said...

Tyg/LG: I'd prefer Habs in 5. That would be quite fucking awesome. 6 would be good. But I think it's another 7 gamer. I'm with you Tyg. My health would be in serious jeopardy with a triple OT game 7. It took a couple of hours for my heart rate to return to normal last time.

For anybody unsure of Matt Cooke's doucheness, if you can handle a different douchity in the form of Don Cherry, here again is his video of Cooke's priors: FF to the 3:00 mark.

L Dude said...

Hey, head over to NHL.com to see the latest 'History Will be Made" video featuring SQUID!

What if Cammalleri didn't hit a homerun?

While there, be sure to tune into Halak's video too.

I'm...starting...to....believe.

Don't crush my dreams.

lawyergirl77 said...

I'm starting to believe too, in spite of my better judgment. *whimper* hold me...

By the way - I noticed that the HF29 in the banner isn't wearing pants. This likely happened over the weekend when I was too swamped/stuck in rehearsals to see game 2 (I know, I know) let alone go to the interwebs.

So allow me to say, belatedly, that you owe me a new keyboard GG!!!

Young HF29 said...

@LG - FINALLY someone notices my lack of pants. you just made GG very happy

btw, 25 hours til puck drop, im not wearing pants

GoldenGirl11 said...

Mazel tov! Took that legal eye to find 29's pantslessness.

moeman said...

heh, no Pants! but OvenMitt!!

Unknown said...

The called PK "Slash"? Huh.

We should start calling Cooke "Potentially Irreversible Brain Trauma".

moeman said...

Wanna really insult cooke, start calling him axel rose.

Unknown said...

So Little Tits is still skating with the rejects today. Why bother dude? The only ice you're going to see will be chilling your wodka until JM can trade your ass.

I hate JM, just in case I didn't make that clear. Fucking IDIOT! Yeah, cause Maxwell (fucking MAXWELL?) is soooooo much better.

bea.habs.fan said...

@LDude wow the 2nd Habs related what if from the NHL!!! I guess it just so amazes then that the Habs are not the basement team they expected.
that's kind of an insult isn't it?

@LG77 would you believe it that I've been looking at the banner daily for new changes and completely missed the no pants????
guess my mind is elsewhere.

orangeman said...

Oh, I noticed the pantsless 29, but I did what any guy noticing another pantsless guy does. I kept drinking my beer in silence.

orangeman said...

I also want to say that I think Crosby is an amazing player and I cheered for him in the Olympics (and will continue to do so for many years). But his whining was a bit over the top yesterday. When he broke his stick and threw it recklessly behind him I was surprised that someone who has been in so many high-stakes games would act that way. It makes it look like (true or otherwise) that he an entitled child that can't handle not getting his way. At the same time, he's 22. I didn't like what he did yesterday, but at least he didn't snow a 6 year old and then blame the kid. There are levels of class. And I say all this after being the Ovie camp up until a few weeks ago.

oangeman said...

I don't think this has been brought up yet, but Roy made an appearance on OTR on TSN. My work computer is wonky so I can't link, but if you just go to TSN you'll see it on the right. Talks about Halak, OT victories and Price among other things.

Baruch said...

Mutt Crook: Get some Kevlar ya shit and quit crabbing!

PFK better wear some too, and hopefully the extra time in Hamilton helped him prepare for the physcho-babble coming his way.

kind of like Primetime though needs the italics...

Love the no-pants!! Well done!

@O-man I agree about Kiddie tantrum, what does he think? He's supposed to win every game? If Squid or Plex did that they might get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

I thought it was wild how we played only 3 lines last night. It's so good to have 9 forwards who give 100% instead of 12 of which a few don't quite. SO I'm looking at the 4th line, and I'm thinking : Darche Metro Maxwell
I know Maxwell hasn't shined, but he is highly rated on Hockey's Future.


pressbox AK SK. liked AK's beard though, but that's about it, is he on drugs? (again?)

WV podfustr . tomorrow night's going to be another podfustr...

soperman said...

Panger -

If you can take part of you personality (multiple personalities - that sounds like a lawyer thing too) and just let it be like you probably were as a young Panger (maybe six) and let it fill up with optimism about the Habs. No that they won't win as often as they did (at least when I was six) but you can always say wait til next year - and really believe it. Let your inner six year old live.

WV - "flamit". What the Calgary fans said when their team didn't make the playoffs.