And that’s all she wrote: Habs summary and a great thanks

The morning after the last game, the last faceoff, the last glove save. The Bell Centre quiet, the fan jam gone. Bars will be quiet until Formula One racing in two weeks but grateful for the long playoff run. Beer taps in need of a refill. And that, my friend, was the best hockey I’ve seen in Montreal in a long time.

Game 5: The Journey was bound to end sometime

Well, good things were bound to end and in the case of the Montreal Canadiens, it lasted six weeks longer than anticipated. The one thing I can say about all of this: who knew? Who knew they had it in them to beat both the best team in the league and the defending champions. However, it was another scrapper of a team, The Philadelphia Flyers, that got us beat.

Game 4: What The Hell Happened? Something is not the Same

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.

Game 3: There’s No Place Like Home (Alone) Again

Sometimes, going home can be a good idea. It can be familiar, warm, safe and inviting. In Montreal, we invite you and the thousands of people to an event called the Conference Final. It was game 3, the Canadiens have returned from a scoreless rout in Philly and are hoping for some loving from the family.

Game 2: Even in NDG the Canadiens still can’t score

This isn’t looking good. Game 2 was no different than game 1. No goals. The Flyers in their home rink of Wachovia arena are fierce and dirty. So are the fans as they beat hard and holler on the Plexiglas. It’s getting really intimidating and I think for the first time, the Montreal Canadiens are playing like the 8th seed that they are.No amount of Jesus talk or sacrificial pleas can help. Not even a bar shift to NDG.

Part 3: Game 1: No amount of alcohol can Erase what the Habs did in Philly

And so the story continues…It’s the middle of May and we still have a team to cheer for. I barely have much clothes to wear in this heat and yet the Canadiens are still hitting the ice. So this is what hockey in places like California is like during the year.
Except Montreal is a real hockeytown and don’t you forget it.

Game 7: The Party Continues

We did it again! And we made Sidney Crosby cry a little. Seeing the footage of a defeated man in the locker room, not even a trace of a full beard (or even close enough) explaining to the media what happened, keeping composure. You can see the tears ready, the voice hesitant. Sidney Crosby is a mere moral, not the kid who scored the overtime goal for Canada.He is now the recent giant to fall by the hands of the Montreal Canadiens.

Game 6: Holy Crap! Game 7…AGAIN!

Score one for the small guys. They did it again. On the verge of elimination, all Montreal had to do is steal one from the home of 24 Stanley Cups. As of late, recent versions of the Canadiens have played like they were playing for 24 beers instead. But not this version. Could it be the team of destiny?

Game 5: Setting things up for The Moment

So here we go again. Immediately after the lost in game 5, we come back to the similar situation: on the verge of elimination. The Canadiens had done this two weeks ago VS Washington, winning the remaining two games. Question is: can it be done again against Pittsburgh?

Game 4: Even an Act of God can help out the Home Team

Game day this past Thursday had an uncertain feel in the air. The sky was clear and bright, the winds were slowly picking up. I went into the back room for a moment and returned to see an angry downpour. I watched as the rain poured violently and furious. It was game 4 alright, either do or die. The Canadiens were at home in Montreal and it will take anything to tie the series, even an act of God.

Game 3: Traditions are Bound to End, Continue and get Drunk for

In the last little while I’ve been wearing a grey and blue baseball shirt to games, actually it was the shirt I wore when Canada won gold at the Olympics. When the Canadiens were down 3-1 in the last series, I wore it for game 5 and they won. I then wore it each time they won.

Game 2: An Afternoon Delight

Game two would be the clean slate to figure out how to shut down the Penguins. However it was in a short amount of time as to encourage and showcase the NHL to the US market. They had to play a Sunday afternoon game on a US national network. Now how does that work exactly? An afternoon game?

Round 2, Game 1: Different Superstar, Same Lame Excuses

So yes, we’re in the 2nd round. Too bad you only get a day to sober up. Because Montreal was the last to finish the 1st round, they only get a day’s rest before trekking off to Pittsburgh for game one. So Jaroslav Halak gets another week of stopping 40+ shots again and again.

and again.

Game 7: Holy Crap! They Did It!

I guess you can beat a jerkface after all. All day long in Montreal you can feel the tension that was going to happen at precisely 7pm. As much as we try to go about our day we knew it was on our minds. It was everywhere: online, in the papers. Even one radio station kept reminding us what today was, every hour, every time they went to commercial: Go Habs go!

Game 6: Hockey Night in Hipster County

Who would have thunk it, the Canadiens exceeded all expectations, including my prediction when I started this blog. When I said Capitals in six, I was being nice thinking that the way they ended the last couple weeks of the season was what things were to come against the #1 team in the NHL. Glad I was wrong, best game ever! One for the ages!

Game 5: A Montreal Canadiens Fan in Toronto

We won but it was weird. Enough said. It wasn’t a weird win but in was a weird place to watch the win. Game 5 was on the road in both ways. The Habs were back in Washington to ease the pressures of hometown expectations. I, on the other hand, was at a conference in Toronto.

Yes, I was going to watch the game in possibly the worst playoff city of them all.