Edmonton Musings, In-Game Scribbles
March 10, 2009, by Homme De Sept-Iles
Edmonton 3 at Montreal 4 (OT)
First Period
Carbonneau’s absence is miserably felt. By this writer. Right or wrong.
Price starts. Is it a case, of my goalie or let’s not touch anything from last game or go with the hot hand?
They show Gainey and it’s the first time I see his coach’s game face in three years. It’s similar to some of his on-ice expressions as a player.
Souray is here, too.
The crowd is very loud.
This is a Koivu-type of situation. His great character. His integrity. His work ethic are enormous in situations like this.
I imagine that either Jarvis or Muller will handle the line changes.
I read earlier today that Muller is being considered to run the Bulldogs for next season.
Dandenault is here tonight.
This game has nothing to do with Edmonton and everything to do with how we respond.
It is odd to see Gainey standing behind Kovalev. It is upsetting and intriguing simultaneously. Is Guy watching?
O’Byrne is on the ice with Hamrlik.
Gainey’s expectation of quick exits from the own-zone is being followed. Real hustle from the team. All around, it seems. So far. About 13:59 left and each line has had about two shifts.
Metropolit sells a lot of it on this shift. Great sacrifice on the boards.
Tanguay scores and my throat will hurt for a few minutes, I think. I didn’t realise my throat was a volcano. Nor on the verge of. It’s been tough for some of les partisans.
Now a bout. Stewart versus Stortini. Stortini hits his head on the ice hard on the way down after a short bout. He is wearing his plastic so his egg is ok.
Get it out.
No penalty-minute imbalance and they both take a bad-boy time-out.
More Tanguay magic in the corner. No clear shot. But moments later, still deep in Edmonton territory, Smid punches Metropolit at the boards and goes for two.
First Montreal power-play.
If Carbo is watching, is he watching as an analyst or an interested gut-wrenched viewer? Or something else?
Or maybe he’s just having a nice meal with his family.
Montreal looks lively. No danger for Edmonton, though. Yet.
Kostitsyn comes in like a large, menacing golfer. A monster with a swing. Reminds me of some of the slow but sudden above-the-slot appearances of Mario Lemieux. No goal. Good shot, though. He has a heavy shot.
Now Kovalev takes a penalty for too much busculage on the boards (it’s one of my personal and unaligned words). Accidental high stick. Kovalev apologizes to the Oiler. Two minutes.
Sure goal hops off Horcoff’s stick. Higgins clears. And then Metropolitt has some nice outcomes in killing fifteen seconds or so. Now back in Montreal territory. And not much.
Price is beaten but Markov clears. It was a good stop for the most part. Bad trickle.
How much baby-sitting is needed? I mean, in general. Generation X. Generation Y. The Millennials. It’s not a blame-game but neither is it a function of age. It’s a complex answer, set of answers. And it applies to hockey. And the so-called “today’s player”. People like Phil Jackson have adjusted. There are others. Barry Trotz comes to mind. So does Babcock. Is Hartley one of those guys?
Now Kirk Muller has to answer questions during the game. What an inappropriate intrusion. The media need to get out of the battle-zones. Do we really need to hear Muller talk right now? I’d rather see him concentrate on helping my team win.
Can you imagine interviewing a surgeon while he operates? Or if that bothers you too much, how about if someone was interviewing the Canadian Tire guy while he fixes your brakes? Is that how you want it all to go down?
Think about it.
The team is playing without their coach. Some guys were happy to see Gruden and later, Gannon leave the Oakland Raiders. They couldn’t handle the pressure of accountability and hard work. The eggheads, of course. Jerry Porter, Charlie Garner and company. Who are the inmates in this asylum-cum-cathedral, I wonder? Well, we all have our lists, I suppose, eh?
It’s still 1-0, Montreal. And Montreal is still working hard. And smart. Higgins and Kostopoulos walk away from a goal-mouth post-whistle shoving-match invitation.
Can the passengers play like this for the rest of the season?
I have so much to learn about hockey.
And the period ends. What. Was that a fifteener? It went by faster than normal. Or seemingly so.
Muller, Gainey and Jarvis seem all-business as they leave the bench area. Or unimpressed about some on-ice occurrence (or non-occurrence).
It’s all guessing now (just another helpless fan).
What a ridiculous problem. To have to worry about language in making a hire. Sorry. It’s ridiculous to me. Guess I’ve been away from Quebec for far too long. Yes, it’s important to have a guy that can speak French. I get it. I was born and raised in Sept-Iles, after all.
They are suggesting Bob Gainey himself, Bob Hartley and Mario Tremblay. Tremblay is too hot-headed to be a head coach. And too 1975. Nobody is suggesting Jacques Demers. I guess he is opting out. Why ruin a good thing? Or perhaps it’s just ridiculous in all the wrong quarters to suggest such a thing. It makes me wonder what serious hockey people say about his legacy.
Second Period
Higgins has the kind of numbers that get you traded from Montreal. Seventeen points in 41 games. At least if you are expected to be a scorer.
Montreal does not seem as sharp in the second. Seems like the same old Zamboni tracks.
Oilers have a seven-zero lead in shots so far. Mostly harmless. Until I start typing. Then Kostopolous saves Price and the members from a sure goal against.
Suddenly Edmonton spills into our zone. Gorges pirouettes like a skate-less combine-repairman, Price lets in an oblique-angled shot and it’s 1-1.
They don’t boo Souray in this building but he gets a few hoots for his earlier hit on Tanguay. A cross-check that drew blood. In the ‘mouth. And the mouth.
Here comes a goal. Dandenault steps from the side and Metropolit puts it past Roloson.
It’s 2-2.
Kostopolous can’t save us this time. Edmonton wins a goal-mouth scrum. The puck sidles into the darker region of the net. It’s 3-2 Edmonton.
What kind of person can’t take an honest body-check? What kind of person gets angry when an honest body-check is delivered? A person like Marc Pouliot.
Today’s player wants ergonomic keyboards and asks how much vacation time he’ll get.
Period ends.
Joel Bouchard is defending the players. If Guy Carbonneau, the fans, the media, Bob Gainey, bowling outings, hard skates, the pride of the jersey and regular paycheques all fail in motivating players to play hard in the second period, then at some point, it’s the players’ fault. Not all of them. But enough that Edmonton outshoots Montreal 17-2.
That stat is not always a very revealing one. But this time it is. The team slowed down in the second and it’s been a regular occurrence for months.
I wonder how interesting Carbonneau would be on Anti-Chambre?
Do people really talk like that? Or do they get the Cherry-approved hockey-voice only when they go on air? They interview Metropolit prior to the third. He is handed a puck, his first point as a Hab.
Is saying merci enough? No, I am not trying to start a war.
Third Period
Kovalev gives some magic and hits a post. Ooog. Next time.
Montreal is fired up again. Where were they in the second?
I begin suspecting that telling these guys that they are doing a good job is an automatic mistake.
The back and forth reveals that Tanguay’s game brings about an offensive assertiveness in his on-ice teammates. Komisarek moves up from the blue-line for a feed from Tanguay, for example.
Montreal’s speed is not evident.
Kovalev takes a penalty going to the boards against Liam Reddoxx. Hauls him down. Deserved penalty. Kovalev has taken far more penalties this season than last. Like Koivu did last year.
Higgins gets his first short-handed shot in some weeks. What a hamburger-man.
Price makes a very good save. Going left to right and a lot sharper than the goal he gave up in Atlanta where he failed in doing the same. Much better technique.
Tanguay sets up AK46. No goal. Great set-up.
Still 3-2, Edmonton. Montreal has killed the penalty. And looked good doing it.
The team is doing exactly what the coaches are telling them (fourth man in). Perhaps Carbo was too hands-off. Respectful. But some of the younger guys may need more direct communication. (No, I’m not talking about yelling. Just directed tactical conversation from behind the bench).
Higgins shakes off the hamburger and gets a shot on goal while splitting two defenders.
Montreal is sustaining possession in Edmonton territory for longer and longer periods of time. Team is playing for each other. They are playing better hockey than Edmonton right now and for most of this period. Six minutes left.
Koivu gets a backhand goal. It’s disputable as it goes off his arm. It’s a sudden goal from a quick three-man entry into the Oiler zone. They review the goal.
Why are people in Toronto determining the fate of a game involving Montreal? Does anyone see anything wrong in this? Why should I trust the NHL’s system? Is the answer in their media guide? Do they have any transparency to their system?
It’s a goal.
Fine, their system is great.
Koivu is a fine little leader. Tough and fair. Sneaky and fluid. Fairly underappreciated. His ppg is very close to Henri Richard’s. That’s average points per game. Not total.
Montreal is flowering. Chances. Good ones. This time Plekanec notices a puck going the opposite way. Stops, turns, shoots. Roloson is getting frustrated with his teammates. He’s an old man (39) and gets mad like an old man. Glaring and pointing people out without apology.
Gannon style.
Price makes a small error and then corrects it like Glen Hall.
Man, they shouldn’t have written that article (the globe and mail one last year that compared him to George Hainsworth). What does that do to a kid?
Gets him fat and lazy, maybe.
Montreal goes to the PK. All a result of the Glen Hall save skirmish. No goals. And the period ends with more Montreal madness. We control the play.
Overtime
Koivu gets his second of the night. He’s on with Kovalev for the four-on-three that puts it away. Oilers got nailed for breaking Markov’s stick on an Edmonton give-away in their zone. Schneider’s blast from the point is tipped in by the captain and the anti-anglo rants are on!
Anti-Chambre. Why do I watch this stuff? Well, I just want to get a sense of what it’s all about before I write it off for good. Literally. Ok, partially literally.
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