Game 4: What The Hell Happened? Something is not the Same
Do it for the fans in the heat
I couldn’t even find the words to describe this game or what I saw on the ice. It looked like the Montreal Canadiens: skating hard and fast, shots on net a many, but nothing was going in, nothing was going right. These guys were making Michael Leighton, a 2nd rate goalie who had been Philly’s go to guy for barely a week, look like the best.
You can kind of gather that we lost and we’re on the verge of elimination…again.
Game 4: another afternoon game where everyone bracing the heat were running to air conditioned bars in relief, sipping cold beer and hoping for a heated match.
I ran from work in hopes of finding spots at the Bifteck, I thought my friend was going to be there early but a last minute job crisis got her there a little later in the game.
It felt like the Olympics all over again: a 3pm game, running to the Bifteck, a lucky shirt in my bag, nearly the same lineup of people from the final at the bar. I was hoping it would be a good omen. However, it wasn’t a really good game.
We all made it on time, YES! Strange to be sweltering during a hockey game as this is mainly how I feel watching football (soccer to you guys). Nevertheless, game on!
The Canadiens were looking good in the 1st, skating fast and hard. A goal within a few minutes seemed ideal, getting the 1st goal was a must.
Was surprised to find out that Philly’s Jeff Carter was back in the lineup, a top scorer who had missed the last couple of weeks with a broken foot. Another one of their guys is back from a concussion.
In the playoffs, mainly everyone plays wounded. Not so in the case of Andrei Markov, it was too much for him to come back in the series, let alone the beginning of next season.
I see that Ghetto Goldilocks is not making this easy on the squad. Scott Hartnell is this series’ sh*t disturber and boy you can see it out there with his natural curls and his rugged playoff beard. One hard hit after the next.
There was a moment in the game where you see Ryan O’Byrne emulating this against the boards, I knew he would have a use after all. Highlight for me was when Hall Gill was using his 6ft 7inch frame to block shots away from goalie Jaroslav Halak’s net.
Talk about taking one for the team.
Defense was making mistakes one after the next, worse when PK Subban’s pass was intercepted by Flyer bully Chris Pronger setting up Ville Leino for another Flyer goal. One goal that wasn’t scored by a francophone. The other mistake was opting for a bad pitcher of sangria instead of beer at the bar.
What the Hell was I thinking, beer is hockey. Sangria is something else.
A goal we needed and couldn’t get, I see that Andrei Kostitsyn had been close in each game, however comes up soft. He’s not that bad of a player but his scoreless droughts are. Quiet also were Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta.
Towards the 3rd, the Habs looked like they ran out of steam. PK Subban was the only one who still looked alive out there, clean long passes and sharp as a tack.
However while I’m sitting at the bar late in the afternoon, something didn’t feel right. These were not the same Montreal Canadiens I’ve been following these last few weeks. They knew that this game, every game, was important.
On paper, the Habs were outscoring, had the better guy in nets and we were the favorites. On the ice, it didn’t translate well. The Flyers were playing grittier, harder and wanted it more. They just threw in a big guy in pads to look threatening. Making Jaroslav Halak look 2nd rate, we can’t do this to the guy as murals of his stop signs are all over the city.
And now all distraught, we’re back in elimination mode again. However, the question lies: do we have enough for another performance? We’ve done this twice already, third time’s the charm?
Across from my table I see a fan drinking a pitcher to himself looking intensely at the game. The look on his face was like this was all he has going for himself. The hope that they would come back seemed optimistic early in the game. Coming back from the series seems idealistic and not too realistic.
Are we giving the illusion that the Flyers are better than us, YES! We have been in this situation twice and against better teams. Why are the Canadiens psyched out by a big man in pads and hardcore defense.
We’ve beaten guys much bigger than us. I know heart and guts is one way to win, we also need to score goals.
I know it’s weird, to be watching a game in the sweltering heat. An afternoon game where we rule the night. Choosing watery juice wine over beer.
For me, if we lose the series, I’ve gotten use to it. However seeing the distraught look across from me is heartbreaking. This run has shown a new appreciation for the team (in some cases in semi riot form) and it’s a welcoming experience.
When I became a fan, it was after we won the cup in 1993. I thought, “Hey, we can win this again.” They have been nowhere close since. I’ve even seen them miss the playoffs and in historical context, between 1995 and now have been the low points in the franchise. A younger generation not knowing what it would be like to win and win big. Until now.
I’m now seeing games with a new breed of fans, some that know what the Hell is going on. Not the “if it’s not a french guy scoring, then we suck” mentality, or the “we’re going to win the cup” after a year of missing the playoffs. Hell no, you white trash bastard from Hochelaga Maisonneuve with nothing going for yourself other than the team.
In the meantime, we have one more game (in theory). No mistakes, all or nothing. It’s been done before, we can do one more. I don’t want to see that heartbroken face again in the bar.
Let’s do this again, then again, then again.
