Sporting Observations: Halak & Habs Hijack Penguin Plans
You gotta hand it to the Habs: They’re getting pretty damn good at crushing dreams.
In the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens dispatched the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in seven games. For their next act, which concluded in a lopsided 5-2 victory last night, the Habs took out the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins, again in 7. Both times, underdog Montreal has had to silence rowdy hometown crowds in the deciding game. Both times, they’ve had to shut down the league’s best offensive talent. But against this miracle Montreal team, Ovechkin and Crosby – not to mention Backstrom, Green, Malkin, Staal, and all the rest – have each fallen to this season’s scrappy, Samson-esque giant killers, the Canadiens.
Did I mention this was the last game that’ll ever be played in Mellon Arena? Bummer.
While Pittsburghers drowned their sorrows in Iron City beers, crazed Canadians were rioting in Montreal near the Bell Centre last night. Can you blame ‘em? It’s not often one is lucky enough to be a fan of a #8 seed that knocks off not one, but two heavyweights, let alone in consecutive Game Sevens. And with the Flyers and Bruins hacking the shit out of each in the East’s other series, which will also go the full seven games, the happy, hungover Habs faithful may get to see le bleu-blanc-et-rouge in their first Finals appearance since 1993, when the storied franchise seized its 24th Cup. In other words, it’s a good time to be my man Tony Tanti, the biggest Habs fan I know. He wrote me late last night:
AGAIN!!!! The whole city is going fucking nuts, had to leave Bell center area early, people were getting a bit out of hand, even with hundreds of cops out. Can’t wait to see who the Habs play against… Flyers are on their way for one of the best comebacks of all-time!!!
May 13th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
I heard that Crosby was playing injured. Yeah he had diaper rash!
Booyaa!
GO HABS GO!
May 13th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
I bet Bettman is pretty unhappy about this! With my tam out it’s always been my tendency to root for the underdog, but part of me also really wanted the NHL to try and capitalize on all of the strides they had been making in trying to recapture the heights of their early 90s fame.
Yeah Montreal and Boston are original 6 teams, and Phili has a good market but neither have a marquee star like Crosby. I’m sure the best case scenario for the NHL would have been Crosby (or Ovechkin) vs. a hot, young original six team with a larger market like Chicago in the finals.
At least Montreal is ridiculously entertaining, and come next round they’ll no longer be the underdogs.
May 13th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Don’t know if I made a big enough deal of the Flyers comeback:
“The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders are the only NHL teams to overcome 3-0 deficits to win a best-of-seven series. The Flyers are the first team to trail, 3-0, and force a deciding games since the ’75 Isles.”
Also – and maybe Crook can relate – watching MTL, BOS, PHI do their thing right now fucking kills me. Normally I am calmer about watching playoff hockey after the Sabres are out but something about how fun this tournament has been so far is making this excruciating. I enjoy everything until the games end, then I am gripped by frustration that it’s not my team. I find myself already wishing it was October, which is just fucking stupid.
May 13th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
It’s a good thing that Montreal is my second favorite team behind my rattled Canucks. Last nights dominating win by Montreal looked quite similar to the Canucks, Hawks game the night before. But Montreal’s story is so rad! #8 knocking off the big guns after being down 3-1 in each series, WHAT? And if Phili can come back from a 3-0 deficit, that’ll be insane. I’ve never seen that before!
Did anyone see the interview with Bettman and Scott Oake from the CBC on Tuesday night? He was trying to avoid questions like the plague regarding a team back in Winnipig. It was so unprofessional, he looked like such a goof.
And Caps, I share your excitement. You can’t mess around with the NHL playoffs. The BEST sporting tournament in the world. At least for me it is.
May 13th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Montreal never trailed Pittsburgh 3-1 in the series.
May 13th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
So true, what am I thinking they did keep up. I think I was stuck in that mindset because of the Canucks predicament.
May 13th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Thanks for mentionning my name again as the biggest habs fan…lol
I really take pride in that!
Now, I’m really wondering what team i wanna see take the win tomorrow.
As much as i’d love to see the Flyers complete the comeback, which would be phenomenal. Nothing beats a good ol’ rivalry like Montreal-Boston.
For sure i’ll be watching that game carefully.