ANYWAY. back to what has become the talk of the town. I have to say that I cannot remember the last time the habs pulled off this kind of an upset. we're not talking the 2nd place bruins (when we were 7th) in 2002. That was a comeback to remember. This is the comeback for the record books. The 8th place Habs came into this series as the "weakest" team to squeak in under the wire. The feat of playing the caps seemingly insurmountable. 190 blocked shots, a 0.973 save percentage by Halak, and the rest, you have all read in the papers.
All experts that I followed all predicted the Caps would send us to the links in 4 or 5 games. 6 tops. Most Hab haters were predicting a sweep, then in 5, then 6, and finally Caps in 7. I can feel every Leafs fan still cringing from last night. But I'm not one to care about what the haters think. I am simply content in being a part of something that is SO MUCH BIGGER than most imagine.
Playoffs change teams. A whole new beast? or a withering flower? Rise to the occasion, or sink deep into the abyss. Habs showed heart, perseverance, and determination. They threw themselves in front of pucks, played incredible D, got rough in the corners... Fine, they don't have the same fire power as the Caps, but we all saw that firepower alone isn't enough.
I honestly thought the series was most likely out of reach the night we blew that 3 goal lead. No way we'd come back. This team has had the issue of playing amazing hockey for 50min, but the 10 minutes they disappear, disaster strikes. One bad goal, two bad goals, bad penalties... this team's momentum changed at the drop of a dime. In a few minutes they could go from amazing forecheck and offensive composure to a total meltdown. I thought this would be a similar thing. Not to mention we were playing the big bad caps... Goliath. No way we could come back, right? then it was 3-1. the once insurmountable feat seemed to grow exponentially at this point. Throw in the towel, take the flag off the car, and buy a lot of kleenex. Be ready.
Every game they'd come out and fight like dogs to stay alive. they wanted this more. I can compare the montreal canadiens and washington capitals to the Halak vs. Price debate that *HAD* gone on throughout the season. On one hand, you have a goaltender that was given a chance to achieve a dream, but who had to work day in day out to prove that he even belonged in the NHL. One good game, they'd keep him in. At the first sign of weakness, they went back to their "golden boy". Price. I have always compared him to theodore. Either incredible or horrible--no in between. Which ever way you see it, this is a kid that has been given everything on a silver platter. Sure he's got the talent, but he's got a horrible work ethic and an even worse attitude and sportsmanship. The Capitals thought they'd just waltz into this series and dance away with a 2nd round invite--leaving the habs in a heap. They have the power, proven in the regular season. they have the talent. But they seem to ride that much more than look deeper and DIG for that passion that makes any good team great, and any great team untouchable.
and i'll say it: BAD JUJU.
Ovy skating up to the habs kid waving the flag at the opening ceremony in game 4 and doing a hockey stop to spray this poor child head to toe in snow... WHO DOES THAT!? NO CLASS. karma's a BITCH isn't it?
either way. I also have to apologize to Hal Gill. My friend Gen could attest to the fact that he may not be the best at pickup lines, but he sure has go-go gadget arms... and has proven that he can be a force to be reckoned with on D. Him and Georges. Incredible shutdown every game, night in, night out. I have called him "pylon" all year long because, well, lets face it. This guy made the highlight reel for all the wrong reasons more times than I can count. Hal, you've got my vote, you've shown grit and guts.
PK Subban pleasantly surprised me. He meshed in incredibly well with the lines, and his vision is refreshing. Very happy for the decision to call him up.
Finally, I have to admit that as much as I love this city and the pandemonium that breaks loose every spring when the Habs do well... I hate bandwagoners. The ones that kinda follow the habs and are cheering them on more now are fine with me. But don't come into a bar or call the radio station or post stupid comments online bashing players or commending them on plays when you have absolutely NO IDEA what went on all season. It's annoying, and i HATE it.
Ok ok, one last thing: THANK YOU BOB GAINEY. all you bob haters... this team was engineered by a man whose head most people wanted throughout the season (until he stepped down). I know i know... had the habs lost i would be singing a different tune... not really. Sure I wouldn't be here saying the same tone of THANK YOU. but it would be close. Not many teams can clean house, no way, have an EF5 tear through the house, and then not only qualify for the playoffs but compete with the best team in the league. Toronto has attempted to go through reconstruction for... uhhhhhh a long time.
It takes GREAT MINDS to engineer a team that will run smoothly and in sync. No loose parts, no squeaks or rust. A well oiled machine. It also takes GREAT HEART to comeback from a 3-1 deficit and beat the powerhouse of the league, a team that ran away with the presidents trophy. finally, it gives me GREAT PLEASURE to say:
SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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