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| GG11 is coming back from her Passover-induced purgatory in Leafland, so she's unavailable for Photoshop today... so you get whatever I can find with my Google-fu search of "Habs" and "good luck" |
Yesterday's loss was all my fault.
Much like the team, I had gotten cocky and loose. We had collectively lost the underdog edge that seems to be the source of this team's power. I thought this thing was in the bag. I thought we were in the Bs' heads, and that they wouldn't be able to win a game at the Bell Centre. Not with this cool, calm, collected, "all business" Habs team that said all the right things after game 2.
And so, I let go of all of the pregame superstitions. Not only did I let go of my innate pessimism and dared to dream about not only a series win but a friggin' sweep, I didn't wear my lucky jeans, jewelry, Koivu t-shirt, I didn't listen to the song stylings of Michel Como in the car on the way to work, I didn't switch seats with Mr. LG77, but, worst of all, I didn't pick up a towel on my way into the Bell Centre to wave like a born-again zealot... and I didn't turn around to go back and get one when I realized my mistake.
I failed you, Habs fans.
The good news is that we all seemed to have made similar mistakes in our cockiness. The response to my question on twitter and in the TMS comment thread was seriously overwhelming, but I have to post them all because they're hilarious. So here, for your pleasure, are the responses I got (in order of when I got them):
From twitter:
@alour: Forgot to put our flags up in our Habs room; wrong clothing (Both goals scored after changes); My Leafs fan fiance started rooting for Habs this game. Definitely altering world axis and pissing off hockey gods.
@kylemlambert: Started actually thinking sweep. I should have known better with this bunch - they lack the "let's make this easy" gene
@metricjulie: "It's my fault... I didn't drink... I was sober... only water... I'M SO SORRY!"
@doogie2k: My only break from routine was watching the game at 6 instead of 8 or later as I had Games 1 and 2. In my defence, I did this because I am now at the asscrack of dawn (5:30!) for an exam
@mbouf: I totally wore my jersey and hat again like first 2 games... But put the ensemble on much closer to puck drop than last 2.
@RiRi2514: Well, let's see... Oh, yeah, I wasn't wearing my hair the same was as Saturday/Thursday. Yup, that's gotta be it :(
@touteparpillee: I kept myself away from twitter. All day.
@number31: Habs started scoring when I turned on my Restaurant City and couldn't shut it down. Could say Bruins got served? *cassé*
@theactivestick sent me a list. 'Cause that's what she does:
1. My jersey has a good regular season record, but a terrible playoff record (0-fer). I wore it anyway, because...
2-My Markov shirt, which is so far almost undefeated, was washed but not dried when I left the house this morning.
3-I have seen the Habs win playoff games on the road, but never at home. 3 years in a row, I go to game 3 at the Bell and they lost.
4-It was Monday (let's just throw that in there, I'm sure it's a reason).
5-I saw dudes show up to the game with brooms.
My friend Alan: I think I pissed off the real God last night by checking the score on the iPhone hidden in my pocket while in the bathroom during seder.
My friend Fred (y'all know him as Jemmer): I didn't get to watch the game because I WAS A GOOD PERSON AND WENT TO REHEARSAL UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE I KNOW. (*cough* What?)
And last, but certainly not least, from the commentariat and fellow bloggers in this morning's TMS:
moeman: I didn't drink enough (Me neither, my friend, but I wasn't going to add insult to injury and put a second mortgage on my house in order to afford a Bell Centre beverage)
soperman: I did not wear my Patrick Roy jersey or have my lucky Habs poker chip in my pocket. Plus, I was trying the watch the game on the computer and make sure my Broon-fan students weren't trying to cheat off my hard-working Habs-fan students.
Kmaxx: For Games 1 & 2 I was on a family break in, as you guys like to call it - "The Land of 54mbs" (or something like that) so I had only a very limited amout of time in which I could join in on the discussions. I followed the results through the comments by commenting on the Open Thread before each game. I asked only for a compentent performance and added GYMFCHG! Then I left it. And both times the Habs won!
Last night I put my obligatory request for competence but then added to it with several follow up comments. I should have just STFU and left well enough alone. I watched the first period on the RDS
stream (which was excellent btw!) and then called it a night as I knew that I had jinxed the whole fuckin' thing. It was my fault - I'm sorry - it won't happen again! (I hope!) Forgive me please!
Alexandra: When the camera was on Muller, I did not put the game on pause, strip off my clothing and dance for him. This, LG, is why we lost. (This one cracked me up - you and me both, Alexandra...)
Mr. natural: Couple of things, first I drank too much. Second changed my wardrobe for the third period so you know I'm sticking with that get up on Thursday.
Steve: did not select an official Club de Montreal puck bunny. I did not wear my new official Club de Montreal TITS T shirt. I wondered why the kid with the torch wore a helmet and cage, was it really a kid or just a little man?
I lost faith after the first goal, and did not have the strength to comment. I did not celebrate TITS fantastic goal enough. I did not believe they could come back.
MaxPac is Wolverine: It's my fault. As soon as Jean Beliveau stepped out carrying the torch, although I was thrilled to see him, I said outloud that Habs' brass was setting the team up for failure by hyping the game up so much. It should've been ALL BUSINESS.
The Hockey Gods' reaction was immediate.
Moey: Was soooo tempted to put on my Chara sucks tee but just couldn't be arsed. So the loss is totally my fault. *sigh*
Hadulf: I wore my red canadiens pyjama t-shirt full of holes, that I never wear on game days...guilty...and I apologize.
Mr. West Island: I played Annakin Slayd's new song and then 'Feels like '93' just before the game in order to teach her a little about Canadiens histpry and explained to her the Habs were a family tradition. My bad.
Not Geoff Molson: I was at work and checked the score on The Score too early. I checked it in the first, compared to Thursday when I didn't check it until the late second. Sorry folks.
Bill 10-4: posted GYFHG!! twice instead of once. Did not enjoy my morning cup of java from my habs Jocelyn Thibeault chipped coffee mug. so sorry, please forgive
Grrrreg: I didn't want to start wearing my habs shirts just yet, because I thought times were not desperate enough for this. I wanted to save them for more delicate situations. I'm rocking my Dryden shirt on thursday for sure.
LeDouze: Mea culpa - I made fun of a sunny LG77 post. (Hell no - that one's on me for writing that shit to begin with)
orangeman: I shaved off my beard. It was never meant to be a playoff beard, but apparently I screwed over the Habs with my selfish shaving. I apologize and it won't happen again.
And, finally, HF29: I only did five hits of meth instead of my usual six. I'll correct for Thursday.
There really is only one conclusion from all of this. To quote Hadulf: "We are a weird bunch sometimes..." Word, my friend. But, it's the playoffs. How else do you explain the conspicuous absence of help from the goal posts and, frankly, cashing in on lucky bounces that was absent for Game 3 but that saved our team's bacon repeatedly during Game 1 and 2?
The inescapable conclusion is that the weird is the only thing that placates the hockey gods.
Clearly, we all failed last night, at least for the first 30 minutes. Let this be a lesson to us all for Thursday night. I will attempt to regain my foothold on the path of the righteous by saying the following...
... I told you on the Pantscast it would be Boston in 6.** ;)
(** note, am only saying this in order to keep superstitions alive. If the Habs build on their most excellent 3rd period last night, I think game 4 is ours. But, I may nor may not mean it. Maybe. Possibly. Gah, I don't know anymore. *drink*)
