Before I even saw the final score, I knew things couldn’t go well. But overall, the game was one of the most dramatic I have ever seen. I was into the game, more than… most.
I will be clear here. The penalty call and resulting powerplay goal that was the eventual game winner was bullshit (interference against Clark). I hate saying that about the refs, or about the calls, but it was bullshit (why? I’m going to go into that in the next few days). Theodore played bad, as did Abby, as did Skrastins, as did almost everyone. Stars of the game could have been defined as who didn’t suck. Hats off to Paul Stastny who scored his first NHL goal tonight, and to Ian Laperriere, who let go of scoring his 100th goal to get the assists when it counted. But if anyone feels good in Montreal about this win, your storm is coming. This was not a win to feel good about, not a loss to feel too bad about.
I will say this: It’s hard to remember that two points is only two points when you write about it. When you watch with this kind of… whatever it is that drives you to write about your team, it’s hard to remember that there is another game around the corner. It’s going to be OK.
Note to Reality Check from Eyes On The Prize: Gloat now. But… There is no shame in this loss. Tonight was beyond a game. It was unbridled emotion for everyone. Until I see the Habs in the Stanley Cup Finals, it’s still a road trip in the east with 4 out of 6 points earned. Oh, yeah. One of us has played the Bell Centre. It wasn’t you. (HA!!!)
4 responses to “I Call Shenanigans”
What, me gloat? Not sure I read that right.I have these 24 Stanley Cups in my eyes.
The refs were brutal in equal portions to both sides and I now know why Colorado are called Divalanche. Theo fell on the Begin non hit (Begin lifted his left leg so he could skate by on one blade) and Aebischer lost his balance sort of and held himself up by leaning trapper first into McLean’s (not sure) stomach, and McLean falls not backwards but forward into the direction he was not pushed.
Don’t insinuate the refs had anything to do with Colorado getting blasted like they did. It had more to do with a pumped opposition and playing a 4th game in six nights.
Not too many Habs had a brutal game. Rivet comes to mind, but then he scored the first go ahead goal for Montreal coming out of the box.
Some credit for coming back three zip is due.
Dude, come on.
You are right, begin lifted his left leg. But two things happened for Begin while 1 happened with Theo. Begin did not lift his leg enough, and with that turn, he couldn’t lift his leg enought. Got Theo in the leg. Then, Begin clipped Theo in the skate with his right skate as he made the turn. I am not saying that the intention was to trip him, but to say it was a dive is just being a homer. Sorry, but if you have it on tape or TIVO, slow it down and see what really happened. I did, because I didn’t want to respond with a bunch of crap I didn’t believe.
The Theo part. If you watch, Theo has his weight on his right foot. Oh, what happened, he got clipped on his right foot. Wow, how bizarre. Right foot has weight and gets hit, person falls down. This happens on ground and on ice.
So far, I have watched the play from 2 angles provided about 5 times each. This was for one reason only. I have a lot of respect for you,and for your team. But for now, you know nothing about this play. You have to go back, turn off the sound so you aren’t listening to the biased call, and watch what happens. Dude, come on.
No matter how much Abby lost his balance and recovered makes no difference on this play. Abby’s play was then, and Theo’s play was another.
As for the refs: I claim one call was bullshit. Perhaps the Canadian school system doesn’t teach you that one is not all, but here you go. The Interference call on Clark was a bad call. Plain and simple. This happened to be the game winning call, and also a momentium shift. No one touched the puck after it was dumped in the corner, so possession never changed. Like it or not, those are the rules. Clark made a legal play, and the call was not according to the rulebook. That makes it a bad call.
If you like, I can send you the tape. I may be biased as anyone, but I do have evidence. I would argue any of it with anyone. I hate to be taken out of context, since I did not say reffing killed the game. I said that penalty, which was the game winner, was wrong.
No credit due. Two points maybe, but sorry, no credit.
(that was almost a post in itself)
“I have these 24 Stanley Cups in my eyes.”
Haha! What a dick!
But as well placed as when Patrick said it.
If Koivu said something like that it would read..”I can’t hear you, I have too much medical tape wrapped around my forehead!”
You’ll hold on preciously to those Cup wins as long as it takes the Habs to win another one..which is probably never!
Yeah, gotta love the Patrick Roy line. Too bad it wasn’t when he was with the Canadiens. Cups are always the fallback of the weak.