Get well soon!

I hope Markov and Schneider are better soon, because wow, this team needs them. Holy power play woes batman. That was not a pretty sight. The game itself was okay (sorta) but the powerplay is a mess. An absolute mess.

Okay, wait, so I'm a little behind on the news...just caught up now....Schneider out the rest of the season and Markov three weeks. Okay, so instead of get well soon, I say, fuck you Leafs, fuck you and your shitty hits. Damn. That sucks.

And sorry for the brief lack of posting. The Habs had gone on a bit of a winning streak after my last post, and as we know from Bull Durham, you don't mess with a streak.

Let's hope the damn Flyers can take care of the Panthers this week, but so far they haven't helped the Habs when I've asked them to, so why should they now?

Fuck.

Habs Centennial jerseys...jinxed!!!

Okay, so as a major sports jinx, I like to think about what else can be jinxing my teams. I know it can't always my fault.

I started thinking about those god awful centennial jerseys, and about how the Habs seem to lose when they wear them. I decided to see just how often the jerseys jinxed them:

11/15 Lose to Flyers 2-1
12/4 Win over Rangers 6-2
2/1 Lose to Bruins 3-1
3/14 Lose to Devils 3/1
3/21 Lose to Leafs 5-2
3/31 ??? Playing the blackhawks...

(This info is based on the Habs schedule and the jersey schedule here. I'm not saying I'm 100 percent right on this, because I did not in fact see the Rangers or Devils games listed above.)


Hmm, no offense, but if I'm Bob Gainey or a Montreal player, I'm asking if we can be let off the hook for wearing those jerseys on Tuesday. Maybe they can wear them after the game? Or maybe in the third period if they have a 12-3 lead? Just sayin....

Kovalev scores twice but keeps his helmet on. Habs lose. And oh yea, Flyers win.

I have to say I quite enjoyed last night's game. It was not painful to watch, other than the part where they lost. And the part where they sorta let up a bit in the third. Overall, a good effort from the boys and I'm happy they at least got a point.

I was bummed that Kovalev did not get a shootout goal, that would have made my night. Oh well, an entertaining game and the Habs hold onto 8th for at least another day...

Happy hugging Habs take care of business without help from Flyers...

The Habs are now 2-0 in this streak when Kovalev loses his helmet!!!

I gotta tell ya, being at a Flyers game while a Habs game is on is just torture for me. Especially when the Flyers are not cooperating by beating the stuffing out of the Panthers. Torture. It's hard to pay attention to the game while watching the scoreboard and checking NHL.com and twitter for updates. Somehow I made it through.

The Flyers seemed a little off last night. Yeah, there were a lot of positives, and Coach Stevens said he was happy with the effort, but still something was off. They were slow and sloppy and had silly breakdowns that cost them some goals. They looked like a team that had played the night before.

Danny Syvret was an emergency call up a few hours before the game, but it wasn't clear who he was meant to come in for. Turns out Kimmo was not feeling well, but decided to play anyhow. So maybe that was part of the lackluster play. Also, I think wig night may have been a bit of a distraction. Who knows? All I know is the Flyers better beat the Panthers next time for sure...

As for the Habs game, I fell asleep while watching it, but maybe I'll catch it today. Looks like a better effort from the boys. Let's just hope (still? again?) that it doesn't boost their confidence so much that they stop working hard!

Ooh, happy day for me...Habs I/O has Kovalev audio. I'll just be listening to this over and over for the next few hours.

Home sweet home!

Yay! Home at last! Montreal was fantastic, and I'm happy to hear that it's even better in the summer, since I will back there at the end of June for the NHL draft. Heh.

My Lord, there's a lot of hockey going on this week: Flyers Monday, Habs Tuesday, Habs and Flyers Thursday, Habs and Flyers Saturday, Flyers Sunday. Good thing I have the rest of the week off from work to keep up with everything. Thanks to the NHL scheduling gods, last night's Habs game is the only one I'll be able to see live, since I'll be at the Flyers games for the other ones. Next week looks a little busy too. Sheesh. This stretch run is going to kill me!

Last night's win was good. It was great to see the boys actually scoring goals and holding on to a lead for once. But....well, okay, I won't start with the "buts" now. We can only hope that this boosts their confidence, but not so much that they decide they don't need to play anymore! Take it one game at a time, blah blah blah. Oh my god, this team is turning me into a basket case!

Over the next 10 games, the Flyers play the Panthers twice. So.....LET'S GO FLYERS!!!

Dear Habs,

I feel bad for you, I really do. Something is just not working, or everything is just not working, and it shows. You don't want to play anymore, and it shows. You're tired, you're bored, you're frustrated...and it shows. It's almost over. Only 10 more games and then you can get on with your lives.

You played a good five minutes tonight, and with a little luck you could have tied it up. You were really close to scoring....I know, because I was right there behind the goal and had a good look at some of those chances. It just wasn't meant to be.

I enjoyed being in your house tonight, and I feel bad that your super passionate fans had to boo you off the ice. But it had to be done. Being booed off the ice with 6 minutes left has to hurt. Sure, we boo the Flyers off the ice, but not usually until the last 90 seconds or so.

I don't know what else to say...I'm just sad for you...

Love, Kristin

P.S. Is it just me, or did Kovalev only have like 5 shifts tonight?

Mister Steer!

Ah, I finally made it to Montreal. After wandering around trying to find an ATM so I could get some moola so I could get some food, I wandered past Mister Steer! Wonderful service, and the best part was when my waitress asked if I wanted mayonnaise for my fries! YES! YES! YES I DO!!!! In Philly, I have to ask for mayonnaise and then they never bring it. I am in heaven!!! Plus, I was able to get a margarita! Mayo and Margaritas, does it get any better?

Oh yeah, it gets better tomorrow night when I sit in the fifth row to watch the Habs lose. Wait, is that better?

Seriously, this cold is kicking my ass and the Flyers and Habs aren't helping...

Ooof. Man oh man. I am seriously the wussiest sick person ever. All I can do is sleep. I'm trying to conserve energy so I will have enough ooomph for my visit to Montreal.

Anyhow, there were two games last night. Flyers lost after blowing a 2-0 lead. Habs kept giving me false hope by tying it up but ended up losing in the shootout. I didn't get to see the Habs game because the controller of the TV is a Flyers fan and both games were on at the same time. You do the math.

Today is my last day at work, and then VACATION! Wooo! Ten days off, 5 of them in Montreal. I'll be posting from my iPhone while on the road, so check here for what I'm sure will be very boring updates and pictures of upstate New York rest areas. Nice. Cutting edge over here.

On a Habs related note, I am looking for someone to be on standby for a Habs ticket for Saturday's game. My friend is driving up on Saturday, and on the off chance that she miscalculates how long it takes her to get to Montreal, I'd like the ticket not to go to waste. If you're interested and don't mind knowing until the last minute if you're going or not, hit me up in the comments or in the email in my profile. They're good seats. Not quite as good as the seat I had for the Habs game at the Wachovia Center, but close. You know me, I don't mess around when it comes to tickets.

Happy Birthday to me. You bitches better win.

I know, I know. I should just be happy with both teams winning on Tuesday night. But it's my birthday dammit, and they should both win again. Sadly, not much good ever happens on my birthday, so I am fully prepared for two losses.

Why the Flyers will lose tonight:
*Briere is back. Again. Wonder how long he'll last tonight. I say he's gone by the 10 minute mark of the first.
*Marty is in goal. Um, yeah he's been hot lately, but both our wins against the Caps this year have come with that Finnish dude in goal.
*Kmart is going to be there tonight. His last game was the Valentine's win over the Islanders. No way he goes 2 for 2 this season. Nobody has that kind of luck.

Why the Habs will lose tonight:
*Because I really want them to win and they really need to win with all the other games going on tonight. A loss could mean two other teams potentially leap frogging past them!

I did watch both games (at the same time) on Tuesday. Which means I didn't really pay much attention to either one. To me, it looked like the Habs played better, and seemed to play as a team. I saw better defense and better transitions out of the zone. I was surprised the next day see that fans were pretty split on their reaction to the game. Some said they played just as bad, some said they were much improved. I guess tonight will be a better test of Bob's skills...

Carbo-no and double game day preview

Oh sign making fan, you are wise beyond your years...

Well wow, that was shocking. I was on my way home from work yesterday and listening to Jeff Marek on HNIC Radio when I heard the news. I'm sad for Guy, but this move gives me hope that perhaps all is not lost. I'm hoping Bob has his pulse on the finger of the team and can get all of them to live up to their potential. We'll see. I particularly like this piece on Gainey's press conference yesterday. Robert always has quality stuff over there.

Two games for me tonight, one at the Wachovia Center and one on Tivo. I was trying to get out of going to the Flyers game, but I can't talk Rod out of it. Plus, I hear Soph and Jess might be there, so that's always something to look forward to! Here's hoping we can continue our non-jinxing being at the game at the same time streak.

I was surprised to see that the Flyers have won both meetings with the Sabres this year. I'm not sure why I'm surprised, but I am. Looks like Briere is out for tonight, which can only be good for the Flyers considering their record in the 12 games he's played in this season.

As for the Habs game...ugh. I don't know what to expect. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. (I'll even take a loss, as long as the boys show a little jump and consistency...)

(Also, thanks to everyone for leaving me Montreal restaurant recommendations. Much appreciated!)

Habs get ready to kiss 5th goodbye...

Last night's game was brutal to watch. It's not so much that the Habs were bad (they were) but that they were boring. It didn't help that the "play by play" guy on the NHL network was boring and didn't really understand the meaning of the phrase play by play. Here's a summary of his calls:

"5:24 remaining here in the first period"
(silence. the players skate into the zone and he has nothing to say)
(bill clement makes some random comment about how someone is "dialed in" tonight)
"well, with 4 minutes remaining in the period, it looks like the Thrashers are finally putting some pressure on."

I'm serious. I don't think he called an actual play. There were huge lapses in conversation. At one point, when he did call a play, he was about 20 seconds behind the play. It was weird.

The other part that was strange was Kovalev's intermission interview.

Gary Green: "You had really good jump in the first 10 minutes of this hockey game, but since that time the Altanta thrashers have really had the edge."

Kovalev: "Well I uh, I wouldn't say that. I mean we still played a pretty good game uh I think the difference be that we had to play a lot shorthanded, a lot of penalties that cost us. But we still uh...5 on 5 it's a different game, we played pretty well."

Wow, he thinks they are playing well. I guess they were playing better than the game at Buffalo, but playing well? Not so sure about that. Perhaps I am crazy though.

Price was better. You could see his confidence growing with each great save he made, even though he still seemed to be out of position a lot.

Today could (will?) be the last time the Habs are in 5th place. With wins today, Florida could pass the Habs, and Carolina and Buffalo could pull even. FLORIDA?!?!?! THE FREAKING PANTHERS?!? Are you kidding me?

A tale of two games....sort of

Just a quick post before I head out to work. Yeah even though it's snowing. Grrrr. At least there's nobody on the roads!

Saturday night, I got to watch the Habs play the Sharks. It was great. I got to watch it on the big screen...not on my computer, not on tivo delay, not just the first period or just the third period. It was great. I haven't experienced highs and lows like that since the playoffs last year. As the Habs clung to their lead, my hockey superstitions kicked in again:

"Okay, I was on the couch so I have to stay on the couch. Okay, I've been laying in this position for the entire third period, so I can't move. Okay, don't look when San Jose carries it in. OMG, the Habs might win this. NO! Don't think that! Why did you just think that?!? TAKE IT BACK! Okay, I take it back. I didn't even say it or think it."

It's really not a pretty sight in my head. The Habs ended up stealing another one, thanks to Jaro, and I spent all Saturday night dreaming of the Habs (figuratively, of course).

Sunday afternoon, I got to watch the Flyers play the Devils. As a rule, I try not to watch when the Flyers play the Devils. There is really no point. Brodeur always owns us, and this game was no exception. It was a hard game to get into, since I was getting ready for work at the time. My thoughts on the game were "meh."

So there you have it. A pretty clear indication of where my hockey heart stands these days.

More later, if I make it back from driving in the snow.

Big game this week: Thursday the Flyers play Calgary....look for Andre Roy to avenge his ass beating on Riley Cote. Biggest match of the year!

Happy Kovalev Day!!!

Fuck it. I was trying to be all neutral so the Flyers faithful wouldn't hate on me, but screw that. I've been looking forward to this game for two months now, and damn it, I'm gonna stop acting like I'm not excited.

Go Habs Go!

So I guess there is a game today or something...

This picture pretty much depicts my torn alligence.

If you don't know by now where to go for Habs and Flyers updates, then you are beyond help. Check out the usual suspects.

I will be at the game tonight, front row right behind Halak 2x. Look for me. I'll be the one in the Habs shirt. I'll send some pictures and maybe an update from the game. Just ya know, to prove I'm still alive.

Apparently, there are other things going on in the hockey world besides the Habs coming to town today:

• Don't look now, but the Panthers are right behind us in the standings. What?! Also, Jay Bo to Philly may be in the works. But what will we have to give up? I'm sorta okay with losing Lupul, but not with losing Coburn. Let's hope if Homer is going to do this, he does it soon so we can sleep at night.

• Ah, all is right in the world. Brodeur returns, my hatred for the Devils is reignited. Actually, it's more like fear. Stupid donut eating goalie. And man, I know the Avs looked bad, but the Devils looked good. I actually slept through the second period and most of the third, but honestly, do we have to play them on Sunday? Let's just give em the two points and call it a day. That way, we can focus on prepping for the two remaining Panthers games we have this season. Until we meet them again in the playoffs.

Um, let's see, what else is going on? Oh yeah, Habs vs. Flyers...tonight at 7pm. Wish me luck!

I'm really trying not to be excited.

Game? What game? Oh is there a game this week?

Four more days!!! I'm trying to contain my excitement, but it's pretty difficult. I'm trying to play it cool, all nonchalant, like..."Oh, yeah, I guess there is a game or something this week."

First up is tomorrow night...I may get to watch part of the game. It's on at the same time as the Flyers game (of course), and so I may have to watch it on the little non-HD tv. Probably the person who pays the Comcast bill should get dibs on the TV for the Flyers game. One game starts at 7 and the other at 7:30, so that will help with the watching conflict.

Other than that, I don't have much to say, because if I really started saying anything, it would sound like this "kovyhabsfridayOMGkovalevkovalevkovaliciouskovelovekovyhabshabshabsfour moredaysOMG" or some such nonesense.

Programming note...

Kovalev suits up for the big week ahead...

Yeah, so....this week will probably be heavier than usual on Habs/Kovalev stuff. Habs are in town on Friday night, and I will be counting down the days.

I will be going to the game, and have a grrrrreat front row seat to see all the hot Kovy action. I will also be wearing my Kovalev shirt to the game. Yes, I know that for some of you this means I am a traitor. I'm okay with that, sort of. I never really planned on liking the Habs as much as I do, but I do and there's not much I can do about it.

Frankly, I'm happy that the Habs have renewed my passion for hockey, because for some reason the Flyers just weren't doing it for me this year. I'm sure that could change at any moment, but for now I'm on a bit of a Habs kick and we'll just have to work with that.

So stay tuned, even if you hate me and the Habs. At the very least, you'll get a first hand account of a Habs fan/Flyers season ticket holder getting beaten up by Flyers fans!

Every day is like Christmas!

Careful kid, someday he'll crush your dreams!

First off, let me start by saying thanks Flyers for beating the Buffaslugs. It was a good game for Mike Richards fans, with his 2 goals and 3 assists. I hadn't realized we had such a hatred of Buffalo fans, but I was quickly reminded by the Flyers fans in our section every time a Buffalo jersey entered. Also, when Buffalo scored, it sounded like we were in Buffalo.

Sadly (for the Flyers fans who read this), I spent most of the game watching the out of town scoreboard. Pens 1, Habs 0. 1-1. 2-1. 2-2. 3-2. 3-3. Okay, you get the point. I was excited to see the Habs keep tying it up. Unfortunately, once it got to 5-4, they never tied it up again.

Gonchar. Gonchar, Gonchar, Gonchar. The past few years, you have been a Flyer killer, always putting up a goal when we least wanted you to. Now we meet again as you take down the Habs. I love having you on my fantasy team, but please stop killing my real teams.

I came home after the game to catch up on any Kovalev news, and lo and behold, more drama out of Montreal. Big news story today with criminal charges! I woke up early like a kid on Christmas to see what all the buzz was about. So far, all I can say is meh. Who hasn't hung out with the local drug kingpin. That's your big news? We'll see.

Anyhow, I do agree with this article that bringing Kovalev back now is a bit early. I think another game or two would have been better. Just as long as he plays next Friday!

Oh, and thanks to my upstairs tivo for sucking and not properly changing the channel to record the Habs game. I'll never see the look on Gonchar's face as he crushes the Habs dreams of a win!

Habs start winning streak!!!

Well, not really, but in my mind they won that game. They appeared to play really well and hold their own against an outta control Ovechkin and the Caps.

Is it my imagination or were all three Montreal goals on the powerplay? Nice to see someone besides the oppotion score on the Habs powerplay.

Is it my imagination, or are the Caps really good? They seem so fast!

Is it my imagination, or is Ovechkin and the hype surrounding him getting to be a bit much? Was his goal last night really that fantastic? Wow, crashing the net and the puck went in...groundbreaking stuff really. Seems like a lot of hype for the goal, but that's all anyone's talking about today. Goal of the year? Really? *barf*

Is it my imagination, or are Caps bloggers saying Theodore played like crap and that is the only reason Montreal scored at all?

Is it my imagination, or does last night's 60 minute team effort signal the death knell for Kovalev in Montreal?

Is it my imagination, or am I in love with the Habs? I feel queasy and want to punch someone after reading all these Caps bloggers recaps. I think that more than anything is a sign of true love.

Is it my imagination, or am I totally ripping off Number31's rants? Yeah, I better stop now.

I will be at the Flyers game tonight rooting for the Flyers to beat Buffalo....but only so Buffalo stays below the Habs in the standings. I'm one messed up fan.

Oh, and here is my favorite Ovie clip. The one where he dives like he's been shot, draws the penalty, then comes out to play on the powerplay. Tool.

AK gets a vacay...rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic...

Wow. I go to work for a few hours and all hell breaks loose on the Habs front.

Alex Kovalev gets a few days off. Little Tits gets sent down to Hamilton. Nice to see that management is making moves but let's hope the guys get the picture, or it's all for naught.

Maybe this picture of a puppy will cheer you up?

Dear Habs,

I kinda don't even really know what to say any more. My hopes were high with Jaro in net, and jeez he made a lot of great stops, but with 41 shots on goal, you can't really blame him for the loss.

Y'all seem to have some issues going on right now, among them that once you fall behind you can't get anything going and then you sorta give up. I hear ya. I had a crap day at work today too and just kinda skated around waiting for it all to be over.

I hope things get better for you soon, because slogging around like that for the next two months is gonna suck...

Love, Kristin