2001-10-05 - 1:06

Et le but!

I had forgotten how enjoyable an NHL game can be. I definitely had a blast watching my Habs triumph over the Sens tonight, 6-4. Apparently, it was their first win here since April '98, which was the first NHL game I ever saw. Considering that Montreal had more goals at the end of the first period (2) than their total output of the previous two games that I saw them play live, it's no wonder that I was a bit happier than usual.

The seats were excellent: fifth row, two sections from centre, at the Senators end. So, three rows back from where Liam and I saw the Capitals play at the end of the 1999-2000 season. (Man, I didn't realize it was that long ago. I forget that I've been here for almost two years now.)

The best part of having seats like that is being able to appreciate the size and speed of the players. You just don't have the right perspective from far away or from TV. Tonight's highlight in that regard was seeing Zdeno Chara, who at 6'9", is easily the biggest man I've ever seen on skates. When you see someone towering over the other players, you have to remind yourself that they are all around 6'2".

The game itself was great. It probably ranks as one of the top two games that I've seen live. The other would be that Washington game, which ended up 4-3, with Bondra netting the winner on a breakaway.

Tonight's play was a little sloppy at times, which was most evident in the numerous penalties. It is the start of the season, so that can be excused. Overall, though, the teams looked very good and hustled well. I wish that there would have been more even strength play, so I could get a feel for the new lines. The Bulis-Zednik-Rucinsky line was really working early in the game. I have high hopes for them this year.

Actually, I can walk away feeling more optimistic about the Canadiens. They didn't play the third period the way that a team with the lead should--you tried that dumb cross-ice pass on the power play why?--but they put in a solid effort.

Of course, a lot of the fun for me is seeing a game in enemy territory. I had fun arguing with the guys in the two seats to my right. They were good-natured.

I also got a kick out of the old guy in the front row with the Canadiens jacket and an evident thirst for beer. He was hamming it up when the Habs scored, pumping his fists and saluting the crowd. Receiving a salute from him was one of the high points of the night.

There's no Habs fan like a cranky old man. That's what I'm looking forward to in my future. I want to be the guy who talks about the old days and screams "Shoot!" every time that the team makes two passes on a power play. That'll always be the dream.

At least the old guy stuck around until the end. A lot of people bailed early and missed one of the most chaotic, penalty-filled finishes I've ever seen to a game. It's not so unusual to see a team start something physical when they're losing late in the game; but it's odd to see so many power plays exchanged.

I really enjoyed the fact that Greg obviously had a good time tonight. I think that if you're any kind of hockey fan at all and you end up in an NHL city, you owe it to yourself to see at least one game live. Of course, growing up a rabid hockey fan in a hick town that's two provinces away from the nearest team, I have an appreciation for the opportunity. At any rate, it was very cool to catch the game with Greg.

Wow, I'm surprised that I have so much to say about the game. I didn't realize that I still had that much enthusiasm. I guess that even though I know very little about the current players, I still appreciate how the game should be played, and a good game still makes me happy.

Okay, I think that I should have alienated all of my usual readers by now. Either you're here for concert reviews or you hate the Habs (you know who you are). (Or you could have come here after a strange Google search, like my new favourite, "evil woman look out," in which case I really can't help.)

In any case, tomorrow I'll try to return to form by writing about the upcoming Bj�rk concert, making some attempts at self-deprecating humour, and finding a reason to be dark and moody (heh).

Go, Habs, go!

J.