2002-04-24 - 2:36

Call it a comeback

Booya, grandma! Game Three at the Molson Centre turned out to be well worth the trip to Montreal. I have to admit, I was somewhat less than optimistic when the Habs were down 3-1 going into the third; but they pulled off a fantastic 5-3 comeback. Of course, it was great to see Koivu leading the charge.

I can't complain too much about my seat. I was at the far end of the fourth row. If you looked two rows behind the Canadiens bench and seven seats down the row, towards the net, that was my spot.

As it turned out, seven of the eight goals were scored at the opposite end of the rink; but I still had a great view of the action. It's cool being close enough to really see the players. I didn't know that Gino Odjick always has an Odelein-esque half smile on his face. (Well, except when he's jumping a guy after the whistle and taking a stupid penalty . . . but I'll let that go.)

I realized quickly that out of all the cute Montreal girls who go to the games, none of them have seats in those rows. Except for the two kids to my right, everywhere around me, it was old guys in suits.

Well, there were three guys who tried to move up from the cheap seats--they looked like they had just crawled in from their shack in the mountains. However, they were chased away fairly quickly. (They'll only let the paying riff-raff into those seats.) The best part was that those guys tried three times to find seats in that area.

Keep in mind that it's pretty bad if I'm calling someone scruffy. With my bandana/sunglasses/beard combo going on lately, I'm looking like an emaciated Randy Savage. (Dig it!) I've recently decided that it's my playoff beard, though, so I'll keep it going at least as long as the Habs are still alive.

I also find it sketchy when I hear the guy in front of me ask, "Who's leading the series, anyway?" He didn't even know that it was Game Three that he was watching. I consider those tickets a little too pricey to waste on someone who isn't even going to arrive until the second period; but ah well.

At least the guys next to me were real fans. Actually, that fact made it an educational trip, since I got to brush up on my French profanity.

Oh yes, I should also mention the Bruins fan who was sitting two seats in on the other side of the aisle. Umm . . . I may have . . . jumped over and waved my Montreal towel in his face after Gilmour tied the game. But he had been rather theatrical in signalling to all around him that the Habs would-be goal in the second period was being disallowed; so I assume that he enjoyed the attention.

Even without the enjoyment of antagonizing the Bruins fans, I would have said that this was the most fun that I've had at a hockey game. The atmosphere was great, the crowd was awesome, and it was a big win for Montreal. As I said, it was definitely worth the trip and I'm looking forward to Thursday's game.

If nothing else, I'll be able to test my new theory. Tonight's bus ride back to Ottawa matched the bus ride back after the Slayer concert in that it also included one insanely beautiful girl. I'm not sure if that is a legal requirement or perhaps a part of Voyageur's policy. I'll see if the pattern holds for an increased sample space.

You know that a lot is on the go when I can write this long and not even mention tomorrow night's Fishbone concert; but rest assured that I'll be ready for that, as well.

J.