When Husband and Wife disagree....

the source of such differences often coincide with the Washington Capitals facing the Montreal Canadiens. Last season was a great year for the husband (me!!!). We saw the Caps shutout the Habs 3-0 last year in the Verizon Center, and win 3 out of the 4 games played during the regular season. Last year, I took home the 'household' cup.

Fast forward to the 2009-10 NHL season, and we took in our second Capitals game of the season at the Verizon Center. Once again, it was the Caps and Habs, but this time I would suffer the humiliation of defeat, and hand bragging rights back to the Habs fan in the household. The Caps did not play to their potential. The Habs had little offense, but played great defensively and relied on the outstanding performance of goaltender Carey Price probably a little more than they should have. Both teams could have taken this game, but the Habs wanted it more and beat the home team by a score of 3-2.

With Jose Theodore taking time out for personal reasons, Hershey goaltender Michal Neuvirth would be given his first NHL start of the season. The game was also a first for Hershey defenseman John Carlson, who many believed should have stayed in DC right after training camp. Both call-ups had great performances (Neuvirth may have liked the second Habs goal back, but alas) and while neither could add a victory to their resume on this particular night, they both had a chance to shine at the highest level of pro hockey.

So for now, wifey has a 1-0 lead this season, but the Caps will be looking to tie that series when both teams square off this weekend at the Bell Center in Montreal.

An irrelevant side note: congratulations to the CFL's Montreal Alouettes for winning the Eastern Final, and having the opportunity to play once again in the Grey Cup this coming Sunday. Best wishes for Anthony Calvillo and the boys when they take on the Roughriders. Go Als.....

Domestic disagreement - 1-0 to Hubs

It happens four times a year for our household. When the Caps and the Habs cross paths, a hockey war ensues during each individual game and a truce is not called until the final horn sounds after 60 minutes of hockey. With my passion for Caps hockey, and wifey's patriotism to the Habs, we both sat at the Verizon Center on Friday evening in opposing jerseys and with different views on who was the stronger team and who would prevail.

With the Caps sending out their half and half mix of Caps and Bears, I was excited at the thought of getting to see Bourque et al from Hershey having a chance to mix it up with a Canadiens team stacked with talent. But for this night, while the talent made it to DC, another vital necessity called chemistry must have been officially declared to US customs and not admitted into the country. The Habs are a strong team, but while they continue to ride a fine line between team play and individual effort, they are not going to turn things around against a potent scoring machine like the Caps.

It was a bittersweet evening for Jose Theodore, who was clearly motivated to take it to a team whose jersey he donned for many seasons. Posting his first career shutout in a Caps jersey, Jose earned both the first star and the hard hat, and showed a sell-out crowd at the Verizon Center a flash of brilliance that the fans have been longing to see all season. If this version of Theodore can come out to play more often, the Capitals could be almost unstoppable. And once again, with the infusion of Hershey talent on the roster, it was a pleasure to see two Bears alumni light the lamp behind Halak. Fleischmann and Steckel both played well, and deserved their goals. Ovie rounded out the scoring with the second goal of the contest, and added to his points streak through November. The Caps may be in dire straits on the injury front right now, but can remain confident that with the depth of the talent pool in their farm system, they do not have to be overly worried for the short term while the big guns are nursing their injuries.

Hey Habs - There's No "I" in Team...

For the third time this week, I proudly donned my bleu/blanc/rouge to support the Habs, this time at the Phone Booth in Washington. Also for the third time this week, the Habs fell in a disappointing effort. The Caps season holder in me was totally pleased that they finally delivered 60 minutes of solid, near-perfect hockey and that José Theodore looked like a $4 million goalie for the first time this season; the Habs fan in me was utterly crushed.

The Habs' defense is holding steady and did an adequate job, by and large, last night; they blocked a number of shots and probably kept the game from being a total blowout. This is no slam on Jaroslav Halak, by the way; he made some excellent saves but, while defense may win championships, it can't win without some kind of offense, and that, my friends, is where the Habs are sorely lacking. To go 9 minutes into the game before registering the first shot on goal is scary, to say the least.

Since I saw them lose two games with Tanguay in the lineup, I'm not willing to attribute the complete lack of scoring last night to his absence. As I've written previously this week, Kovalev is there in body only (5 goals so far this year); neither of the Kostitsyns have done much yet this year (7 pts total for Andrei; 9 pts total for Sergei); and Chris Higgins doesn't seem to be fully back from his injury, just to cite a few problems. To me, though, the biggest worry by far is the power play, or absence thereof. I know others have said it before me, but I think that letting Mark Streit go was a big mistake on the part of the Canadiens; no one else has stepped up to take the kind of leadership role on the power play that he provided last year in particular.

Finally, in the great old Habs tradition many people have been throwing Guy Carbonneau under the bus for the current slump. Perhaps he has some responsibility; perhaps not. Not being in the locker room, I'm not willing to venture a guess one way or the other. I will say, however, that the Canadiens I saw this week against the Bruins, Islanders, and Capitals were not playing as a team. I recognize that slumps happen, but unless these guys come together as a team and start playing consistently (say, like they did on Wednesday against the Red Wings), the Habs might be in for a disappointment at the end of this 100th season.

BTW, from the Caps part of me, snaps to the Hershey guys once again, particularly Sami Lepisto for his second assist in two games, Karl Alzner for some great defense, and Chris Bourque for some fiery play. This is the great thing about being a season ticket holder for both the Caps and the Hershey Bears - we don't miss out on these great guys regardless of where they play. :-)

And a final note to the Habs - go out tonight, play like you did Wednesday, and show the Sabres how it's done, please.

Caught some hockey up north of the border....

As previously posted by wifey, we ventured to the great city of Montreal for two games at the Bell Centre. We had purchased our tickets several months ago, and it was pure luck that our vacation plans coincided with the retiring of the #33 jersey that belonged to the legendary Patrick Roy.

The ceremony itself was phenomenal! Patrick Roy entered the building through the main entrance, and was followed by a camera crew as he marched through the concourse (much to the shock and delight of fans grabbing their hot dogs and beers), before entering the arena to the cheers of 20000+ fans. Stopping to chat briefly with Jean Beliveau, Roy made his way onto the ice and acknowledged those who made him welcome (and given the history, he probably did not know what the overall reaction would be). After the obligatory speeches, the banner raising took place and #33 was forever enshrined amongst the other legends that represented the bleu blanc et rouge.

The Canadiens were unable to put the icing on Roy's cake, however, as they fell to the Boston Bruins in a shootout. To really rub salt in the wound, one of the Bruins goals came from Milan Lucic, who was booed consistently for his actions in the previous meeting between these two original six rivals. The anticipated on-ice attack for Lucic never materialized, and many left the game feeling the effects of both a loss and unfinished business with Boston's agitator.

It All Started in 1985...

Nearly twenty-four years ago, I fell in love with a game called hockey and especially a team called the Montréal Canadiens courtesy of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, which I was able to watch via a huge satellite dish in our Kansas backyard. My parents thought I was absolutely insane but gave up a lot of Saturday night television for my addiction, even buying me a Habs jersey as a Christmas present.

This past weekend, I finally saw my beloved Habs play at home in the Bell Centre and was able to scream "Go Habs Go!" along with 21,000+ similarly addicted people. Even better, the weekend we chose for our hockey excursion was the one during which Patrick Roy's jersey was retired, in an emotional (and beautifully done) pre-game ceremony. The fact that this was a player that I had actually watched and followed made it especially meaningful for me, and I was grateful that Patrick read the French portions of his speech slowly enough that I could pick up quite a bit of what he was saying. :-)

The game itself, an Original Six matchup against the Bruins, was a bit of a disappointment in that the Habs simply did not look sharp. Granted, the Bruins have been on a streak of late, but the sheer numbers of missed passes and botched defensive matchups cannot be attributed solely to the Bruins' skill. As much as I enjoyed the play of Alex Kovalev last year, his play so far this year leaves much to be desired. It's as if he is simply a shell of himself, or simply marking time, I'm not sure which.

We also attended Monday's game against the Islanders, and since so many have already harped on poor Ryan O'Byrne, I won't follow suit. The fact is that the Habs had plenty of chances to win that game and failed to capitalize on the majority of them. As big a mistake as O'Byrne made, it's equally foolish to pin the loss on him.

On our way out of Montréal Tuesday, we caught some of the morning discussion on the Team 990, and I have to agree with the commentators, most of whom agree that the Habs are not playing as a team but as a group of individuals. What is the reason for this? Ego? Poor guidance from their coach? Believing too much of their own press?

Since we were at the Capitals/Thrashers game last night (and I'll let Hubs tell you about that one - it was a goody), we didn't catch most of the Habs' win over the Red Wings last night, but I'm very pleased that they were able to take that kind of a win on the road. Tomorrow night we will be a divided household as I represent Habs Nation at the Phone Booth and Hubs supports the Caps - hopefully it will be a happy ending for le Canadien!

From the Girl's Point of View...

First of all, I agree with everyone Hubs said below - I think Hershey played a fabulous game last night and coming away with a 7-1 win was a terrific feeling. I think, though, what most impressed me was the grit, perseverance, and quickness the Bears displayed - all qualities that were only occasionally present last year. I've written before of how frustrated I occasionally got last year when the Bears would play 1-1/2 to 2 great periods of hockey and be mediocre the rest of the game. Not so last night. We saw 60 minutes of intense, high-energy, never-say-die hockey from the Bears, even when they had a significant lead and could have slacked off a bit. That is what I've been waiting to see from them, and I think this year is going to be a fabulous year.

On a side note, here's hoping Andrei Kostitsyn of the Habs doesn't miss significant ice time following his injuries last night against Phoenix. I haven't yet watched the recording of the game but from the picture in the Montreal Gazette, he looked pretty shaken up. Still, I was pleased to see the Habs win again. Latendresse continues to surprise, earning another assist last night, and if he keeps this up I may have to eat my words about his place on the line with Koivu and Tanguay...

Relegated to Online Radio...

While Hubs was basking in the glory of banner-raising in the Phone Booth, I was languishing in a hotel room, listening to the Caps game in its entirety and watching NHL's gametracker for the Habs game whilst simultaneously keeping an eye on the Hershey/Norfolk game. Some random thoughts from my scanning of the web today:

* I found this article interesting: http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2008/10/12/7060026-sun.html - the question I have is, when did Toronto ever have a bubble? Nearly everyone has picked them to finish low, low, low in the East... they get one win against Detroit and things suddenly look different?

* This blog posting from The Hockey News about the AHL and the current economic spiral: http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/18510-Dave-Andrews-Blog-The-AHL-and-the-spiraling-economy.html - maybe it's just that I'm tired, but is Dave really answering the question here? True, the AHL provides a great product at a very reasonable price, and true, marketing needs to continue, but if the economy continues to worsen and fans need to start making hard financial choices, what then? I'm not sure that the Pollyanna approach is what we're looking for - yes, we all hope things improve soon, but if they don't, how will the AHL and NHL prepare and sustain themselves?

* http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/18570-THNcom-Blog-Hockey-shouldnt-be-used-as-a-political-backdrop.html - yet another reason to dislike the Flyers. As if I needed one. :-)

Habs Need to Step It Up Against the Leafs

Now that the Habs have their first-game jitters out of their system, they need to step it up against the Leafs, who have already played spoiler once this week by defeating the Red Wings on opening night. I listened to the first two periods and was more than a little disappointed in their performance against the Sabres, but I'm going to wait to make any substantive comments until I can actually watch a game (hopefully online tonight - I'm writing from Bruin-land today).

I was also bummed by Theodore's performance for the Caps on Friday night - I've never been sold on him and his performance in the preseason game against the Bruins was fairly abysmal, with one or two exceptions. Martin will be at the game tonight so he should have some thoughts to share tomorrow about the game.

On the bright side, a great start for Hershey! It was pure pleasure listening to them walk all over Wilkes-Barre - the roster is pretty stacked and I'm excited about their potential.

SOOOO glad it's hockey season again!

It's Only Been Forever Since We Posted...

Hey, it's the off-season for us as well! However, when Hubs brought home the master list of the games we'll be attending this year (Caps, Bears, and Royals), it became abundantly clear that hockey season approacheth. So, with that in mind, some random thoughts to kick off the 2008-2009 season:

* I remain unconvinced that Jose Theodore is the answer to the Caps' goaltending questions, even short term while the Caps' prospects are developing. Granted, the market was such that there weren't really any better choices available (I would have loved to keep Huet, but his manager screwed that up; and Ray Emery certainly was not a good choice), but I'm in the 'I'll believe it when I see it' line for liking Theodore.

* Come on, Caps/Bears, sign Josef Boumedienne already!!! We need a skilled, experienced defenseman on the Bears, and he's already proven 1) leadership skills and 2) a great chemistry on the ice with Sami Lepisto. Had Josef not been injured in 2007/2008, his numbers would have been exceptional, particularly in the assists category.

* I think Georges Laraque was a great pickup for Montréal... I've thought for a while that where the Habs were sorely lacking was in the muscled, strong, intimidating player department. Sure, Komisarek is fabulous, but we needed more muscle - and Laraque provides that.

* I'm disappointed to see Shawn Collymore leave the area... Shawn, if you're out there, we'll miss you here in central Pennsylvania!

* Is it October yet? :-)

Sore Loser

Even with a crazy schedule this week, it's been difficult to motivate myself to blog about hockey, with the Capitals losing at every turn and the Habs being blown out on Thursday night by the Bruins, not to mention the Hershey Bears losing to Wilkes-Barre in overtime on Wednesday night. BAD hockey week.

The Capitals are in a must-win situation now; if they come out flat today against the Flyers, they are done. They need to come out with physical and aggressive play and shoot the puck - stick to basic hockey and focus on shooting rather than attempts at fancy passes.

More later...

Afraid to Come to the Party

Yesterday the Caps delivered a thoroughly disappointing performance in their second playoff game... as the game progressed, I think everyone in our section (excluding, of course, the significant contingent of Flyers fans) grew increasingly frustrated with the missed passes, failed attempts at fancy plays, and most of all the seeming reluctance to shoot the puck at the net. It was as if a completely different team showed up, one intimidated and cowed by the big, bad Flyers. Where Friday's team came out hitting and playing assertively, Sunday's team looked afraid.

Props to the Flyers and especially Martin Biron for great play Sunday, of course; but the Caps also failed to play the way everyone there knew they could, and that was perhaps the biggest disappointment. I wouldn't have minded the loss nearly as much if the team had been on their game, but that wasn't the case. (This is why I'm disappointed in the Canadiens' loss to the Bruins, but not disheartened. A streak can only last so long, for one thing, and I thought the Habs looked fairly sharp. The Bruins were motivated by the lengthy string of losses to the Habs and they really wanted the monkey off their backs.)

The Caps statistically come back with a solid performance after a poor one, so I'm hopeful that Tuesday's game will be a much better showing. They will have to come out firing and hitting like they did Friday night, though, in order to regain the momentum, and they need to stick to basic hockey rather than trying to make the flashy plays. I'd rather have pucks hit plainly into the net than swishy moves that result in a turnover to the Flyers.

One Down, Three to Go

I watched the Habs for the first time in several weeks (between Caps and Bears games, it's been hard to get home to watch TV lately!) and they looked thoroughly solid and in control last night against the Bruins... I was pleased to see them playing so physically and checking Boston regularly and willingly; I think that's going to be crucial as they proceed through the playoffs. Now that Carey Price has worked through some playoff jitters, I think he'll be solid between the pipes. The Kostitsyns certainly didn't look nervous either! Hopefully the Habs can put together another game like this on Saturday night - they certainly didn't seem to have that playing-at-home hex on their back that they've had so often over the season.

(Oh, and Guy - love the tie!)

And About My Neglected Habs...

From reading this blog, you wouldn't know that the Habs have first place in my hockey heart, but the Capitals have just been so exciting, you know? At any rate, the Canadiens begin their playoff series with Boston tonight, and while I haven't seen anyone who expects Boston to win, I worry that they'll make it a tougher, more physical series than we're anticipating. I can see them coming out with that season sweep by the Habs functioning as a big chip on their shoulders and a major motivation to prove everyone wrong. The Habs also desperately need to keep a lid on Chara, which is one reason I hope Komisarek returns to the lineup quickly.

A lot has been said already about Price and his lack of NHL playoff experience. However, having seen him in a Calder Cup final game last year against Hershey, I think he'll be just fine, especially with the confidence he's had since becoming the #1 between the pipes.

How to Almost Lose a 7-1 Game

Montréal has done a superb job of trying to lose a game in which they were leading 7-1 at the beginning of the third period... after a fabulous 40 minutes of hockey in which some of the unusual suspects scored (e.g., Bouillon with his second, Kostopoulos with his sixth), the Habs came out in the third period absolutely flat both offensively and defensively. Whatever we can say positively about the offensive output, however happy we are that the Habs have clinched a playoff berth, the Habs need to take a close look at how they completely fell apart 20 minutes from the end, so we don't repeat this experience.

Trades and More Trades

I was tempted to post on Tuesday, after the first blush of thoughts regarding all the trades, but I decided to wait and process things for a bit...

Although I understand the reasoning behind Montréal trading Huet away (not wanting to lose out completely when he becomes a free agent this summer, Gainey deciding to go with the young guns between the pipes), I'm still not sure I'm entirely comfortable with no NHL playoff experience in goal, no matter how talented. However, in both games since the trade, Carey Price has looked sharp and definitely more mature than he did last November/December. Snaps to Cristobal Huet as well, as he shut out the Devils last night in his first start with the Caps. (If Huet had to be traded, at least he's gone to a team that I follow and can actually see in person on a more or less regular basis.) There was one glove save made by Huet that was absolutely a thing of beauty...

The trade that pleased me the most, though, was the trade of Joe Motzko away from the Hershey Bears. Despite his goal production, Motzko's habit of hogging the puck and trying to make all the plays himself has cost the Bears time and again, and frustrated those of us watching beyond belief. Hubs probably said it best; he commented earlier this week that Bob Woods had implicitly warned Motzko (and others) that their selfish play wouldn't be tolerated. Motzko didn't change, so off he goes. It's great to have Giroux back and I feel much better about our chances for postseason success.