Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
April 11, 2011, by Homme de Sept-Îles
Musings and In-Game Scribbles
My English is as good as yours, I just write these in a stream-of-consciousness mode that I insist excuses me from small things like rules of grammar or general etiquette. Let’s call it conversational English, hopped up on beans. You know what kind of beans (no, Carl Mellesmoen, not the magic ones).
Montreal Canadiens (43-30-8) visit Toronto Maple Leafs (37-33-11)
Saturday, April 9, 2011 – Delayed Musing
Game Eighty-Two (score posted following scribbles)
Missed it? Musings capture the game in writing. A written transcript typed during the game, posted and edited about thirty minutes afterward. Based on the RDS French telecast of the Montreal Canadiens game, Musings take about 20 minutes to read. More detailed than an article, fresher than a looping highlight and good with morning coffee. Or late-night chocolate. A unique way to re-experience the game.
click here to expand post (it looks prettier)
Alain informs us that Ron Wilson will be returning next season for the Leafs. Mario says he likes GM Brian Burke’s decision. Comments on Wilson’s organized approach. It’s a coach speaking for a fellow coach and it’s very rare you’ll hear an ex-coach throw another coach under the bus.
Should Wilson be staring at the fuselage of a Greyhound? It’s hard to say from here but I do like the way the current edition of your Leafs plays the game; clean, skilled, speedy and disciplined. If that’s the Wilson stamp then I agree with Mario and your buddy Burke.
This Musing has also been delayed and my regrets are owed to the seven of you who actually look forward to these goofy little (ok, long) missives. There was a personal issue that came up, family-related and it affected my availability.
So at this writing, I am aware of the final standings and so forth but I have little idea about what happened on Saturday night, the last game of the season and I will muse as such.
James Reimer and Carey Price are the goalies and Dave Jackson and Brian Pochmara are the refs.
No pause button.
First Period
Plekanec trio manage an early entry. My recording is smooth, a DV “Best” recording using Pinnacle Studio Nine. I can actually make out the puck on my tiny Acer Aspire while typing away on this (now monstrous in comparison) Dell. The same Dell I used for video capture with the Blues.
Kadri manages the first real shot. Offwing right-side entry. An easy save for Price.
Crowd is in wait and watch mode. What a difference from the Bell.
Eller. Corner. To White. Harmless shot. How did that go in.
Replay shows Eller’s good work on the boards; jammed his man, took the puck and found Ryan White on the circle. Not a lot of Habs fans here. Almost no cheering.
All the favours are called in on a Habs night and one would assume that all the hard-core Leafs who had the inclination and opportunity are here.
Montreal 1, Toronto 0
Kessel entry. Right side. Drop pass for Phaneuf. Shot hits something. Puck is moved to the perimeter.
Jeff Halpern, Hal Gill and Travis Moen are all out of the lineup tonight.
Quick shot of head coach Martin. He’s in his mission mode, jabbing at his notepad and looking up with purpose. And then down again.
Sixteen in the period.
Sopel is low and at the cage.
Weber is up on the right wing. Pouliot finds him but the bouncer allows Leafs to get back and the entry takes some time. Finally a puck appears in the high slot and Weber’s shot is high, lank and wide.
Reimer stops a puck behind his net. Fight.
Mike Brown and Ryan White. Brown is taken down and keeps punching. Brunet likes it. Both players were in agreement, there’s no problem. So he says. How can I be expected to take Benoit Brunet seriously.
I don’t.
I won’t.
Both players are ok but Brown showed us a bit of what he’s made of. Now didn’t he.
Brown is called for instigation.
Every player needs to have his goals-against while in the box stat made public.
Brown is going to cost his team a goal.
Gomez. At the hash. End line. To the blue. Darche and Gomez continue the work. From the corner. To Gionta. Shot and in.
Mike Brown. What a winner. Oh wait. What a loser.
One goal against.
Montreal 2, Toronto 0
This is Gionta’s 28th.
Low slot blackball special. The timing is good. Playoffs start on Thursday.
Joe Colborne is chased from the circle. He’s not listed on the Leaf site.
Leafs control. They have to reset first.
Gomez and Gionta are on the ice. Gionta chases deep. Much better purpose than in the last game.
Forechecking is a decision and a frame of mind. It’s rather thankless and doesn’t often result in direct turnovers. But it does affect breakout efficiency and overall passing percentage. It indirectly creates turnovers. I find myself reminiscing on Alonzo Mourning’s outstanding shot-altering abilities. His reach forced shooters to shoot over him, around him and sometimes through him. I’m talking NBA here.
Commercial
I’m proud to say I couldn’t tell you who brings you the Canadiens’ power-play.
The world and commerce aren’t dependent on advertisers. Commerce would occur without it. So would hockey. And so would broadcasting. There are different models.
Eleven.
Eller goes to the end boards and the young forward engages in the bump first and the result is becoming familiar; the defender falls, not expecting the kid-like forward to have the balance and intent needed to win a bodycheck. Eller is, more and more, showing great ability.
One shot. A second. Reimer has to be sharp and he holds onto the second.
Leafs are out. MacArthur and Grabovski combine for an entry. But they are rebuffed.
Darche on the right side. Gionta with him and one defender. Darche keeps and elects to shoot, a mid-high slapper. And the rebound is right to Gionta. How did he miss.
Reseau is squeezing in three commercials rather than the usual two. What hogwash.
Gionta is shown on the bench. And Brunet tells us what I already know; Cory Clouston and his staff were let go “this afternoon”. In fact, two of the coaches were retained. Three, including Clouston, were fired.
I’m disappointed, sure. Clouston is one of my favourite coaches. Blackboard guy, not given to emoting and very intense. Hey. So? Well, Wayne Scanlan’s article covered it rather well. And it’s the same complaint as for Carbonneau. Doesn’t communicate well with the players.
I’m sick of players throwing coaches under buses. Jason Spezza hasn’t shown up for most of Clouston’s tenure and he gets to stay. It’s not impressive.
Respected Earl McRae also had something to say.
Kessel. Right side. Offwing. Shot and a goal. Short side. Shouldn’t have happened. But it’s Kessel. So I look for some magic on the replay.
No. No magic. Between the pads.
Maybe there was a feint? A look to one corner, a shot to another point. It’s Kessel’s 32nd.
Brunet says “it might change the tenor of the game”. Great analysis. Cactus. Fire Benoit Brunet.
Look, I tried to retire, I tried to be cool.
Montreal 2, Toronto 1
Now a useless penalty, says Houde. And the replay confirms it. Tripping. Brunet spends several seconds defending the home-boy.
Go home, Benoit.
How much inanity must we endure from this manager’s son?
Toronto power-play.
Plekanec escapes. Left side. Alone for a moment. Five-hole. And it’s stopped and retained.
Five minutes. Under one minute in the penalty. Toronto is struggling to set up.
Cammalleri is not working hard enough on the penalty-kill. Now he recovers somewhat and helps keep the puck in Toronto ice.
Yes, in Toronto ice.
Pouliot. Escapes. Now he loses the puck on a two on two and Houde says this kid has lost his confidence. When you talk about leaders … when you talk about kids who’ve lost their confidence… and so on. And he has.
Pouliot’s escape saw a hop, a skip and a puck loss. Brunet reiterates the lack of confidence. He adds that Pouliot hasn’t scored in 23 games.
If he ever gets it going boy. No comma needed.
Stoppage. Faceoff to Price’s left. Puck is out with Gionta chasing. Mike Komisarek turns and sends it long from under his blue.
Under three. Leafs have withered again. What is wrong with these guys. Then again, it’s all over in Leave Land.
Ce n’est pas facile.
Stoppage again. Leafs’ tepid play continues as they mail in the final two minutes of this period.
Pyatt and Eller combine for an entry and quick turnover down the middle. In the corner to Price’s right. Bumbling at the blue line. Lupul and Phaneuf. Puck escapes.
Cammalleri has it a swirl and a second later. A bit of room. Reimer has the angle. Shot. Save.
Our Man from Richmond Hill. This is a hometown game for number thirteen.
Fifty seconds.
Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and Matt Frattin combine for some nice horizontal and diagonal passing. Frattin nearly pots it in the crease but Price blankets it.
Faceoff.
Thirty seconds.
Montreal ice. Gomez and Gionta on the wings. Darche up high in the middle.
Again, this line spends too much time in their own zone.
Finally the Leafs turn it over and a long puck blast accompanies the period-closing siren.
Or whatever that pathetic sound is.
Montreal led on shots 13-10.
First Intermission
Montreal 2, Toronto 1
Alain, Mario and Joel at the big desk.
Clouston talk. Next year’s coach? Tremblay says that they didn’t have a goalie, Leclaire was injured. So on.
Crete suggests Keenan and gets a lot of rolled eyes and head tilts. Tremblay and Bouchard mention Michel Therrien and Bob Hartley. Alain takes the responsible route and mentions some English names, as well.
Michel Therrien. Hilarious. Forget him.
Hartley, I still don’t know. Some good things can be said, particularly his time with Atlanta.
Alain asks an interesting question; who would benefit most from a Stanley Cup win … Joe Thornton, Alex Ovechkin or Roberto Luongo. He explains that each of these guys have been dogged for “not winning the big one”.
It’s never a fair way to evaluate a player. But it’s a good question. Tremblay says Joe Thornton. He was blamed the most for San Jose not winning. Bouchard agrees. He adds that Luongo has never been on a team that was expected to win it all. He adds that Ovechkin hasn’t been in the league long enough to need such a break.
Second Period
Montreal 2, Toronto 1
Lot of empty seats; people must still be at concessions.
Air Canada Centre is a dreary place to watch a hockey game. Slow-moving, bland and quiet, it’s not a lot of fun. It’s so different when the Raptors are playing. Crowd is younger and the energy is much better.
Plekanec loses the draw.
Puck is sent long where Price retrieves. Two, three passes and the shot from the end line is Plekanec’. Just off the goalie.
One more rush. Cammalleri enters on the right. To Kostitsyn in a strange decision. And the puck movement ends.
Gomez line hops on. They force the puck into the end boards where Gomez stops play for a few moments.
But it’s out and Kessel is shooting over the blue. Like a star. Always dangerous, he brakes and searches for the open spaces. He finds a receiver. But the shot isn’t convincing.
Eller line.
Action has slowed to nearly complacent levels.
Long Leaf puck is called for icing.
Desharnais. Pouliot wit him. No offensive possession. Poor David Desharnais, still earning his ice time, still earning a decent linemate. Next fall, expect Gomez to go and Desharnais to get the promotion. He can do it.
Eller is another budding centre.
Cammalleri cuts to the hash and his screened shot goes high.
Brunet expresses a liking for James Reimer. He’s good. He’s big. Good acquisition by Brian Burke. So he says.
Reimer is six-two, 208.
Habs are having trouble with this pace, they’re being lulled.
Subban pushes a puck out and goes past the end line.
Three Habs. Subban has to hustle back to the blue line.
And now a Toronto rush sees Darche sliding on his stomach into the net. No passes or shots follow.
Lines change.
Grabovski finds a puck, crosses and shoots. High shot. Developed from a turnover.
Weber has a chance. Struggles free. Down the column. Shoots and is hooked. Save but the whistle follows. Leafs are called.
Matt Lashoff. Hooking.
Lashoff hooked. Then hooked again. And when that didn’t work, he whacked Weber’s right arm. I shake my head. Lashoff bears watching.
Subban with the first shot. Off-balance blast off a one-timer.
Canadien reset.
Plekanec to Wisniewski for a shot that blams wide.
Under thirteen. One in the penalty. Gomez and Gionta. Darche. This offensive unit doesn’t scintillate.
They are forced out following a turnover and on re-entry are offside.
In many other cities, Gionta’s season would be lauded. Here, it’s a major disappointment. Here, uh, on this couch. In Toronto.
But Montreal fans are certainly, as a group, expecting much more. It isn’t just goal totals that count. It’s puck possession, turnovers, work without the puck and leadership.
Brian Gionta is learning what many players never do; playing in Montreal is a different beast.
Penalty has ended. Cammalleri on the offwing. A blast.
No.
Puck stays in. To the blue. Sopel. To Cammalleri at the end line. A shot again. Blaster but there is no real angle and the rebound can’t be had.
Two minutes go by and the two teams share an interest in basic and terror-free hockey.
Wisniewski has trouble to close a shift and Price is forced to make a save. He bumped with Crabb and then gave him a punch in the face after Crabb did something dastardly of his own. Ref let it go. Then Wisniewski got into his jam. Resulted in a longer Leaf stay than usual.
Ramps up. A near shot by Montreal. Pouliot found White. Then a Hab falls and Kessel gets free. Alone. Hamrlik fell. Kessel from Lupul. Breakaway chance. Kessel held, held, shot. And Price was out and in the way.
Stoppage.
Six minutes.
Leafs feel some hope. Bozak carries over the blue.
Kadri from Bozak and a loud patink. Post.
Habs respond with a great chance of their own. Cammalleri in the low slot. One-timer low. And Reimer has the save.
Reimer’s save was outstanding. Point-blank. Three feet away. Cammalleri had time to adjust the puck and shoot. Maybe that time is what saved Reimer, sure.
Five minutes.
Some scrumming under the end line. Some unhappiness from the Leafs. Brown and Schenn are there. Sopel, Gionta and Gomez. Mara, too. Gunnarsson.
Boyce started it. Darche helped corral a man. It’s all cleared up.
Boyce is the one who goes. He sits in the box, reminding me of Carbonneau for a moment and I wonder if Gomez earned this attention on that play or earlier in the game.
Or is Boyce just from Summerside, PEI. Huh? Well? Is he? Is he?
God, Don Cherry has really ruined the perception of this game. And helped create a few ice-zillas.
Montreal power.
First minute is spent outside the Toronto zone or puck dithering at the Toronto blue.
Second wave. Hamrlik. Across. Shot. Rebound. In.
Gionta.
The captain.
Montreal 3, Toronto 1
His twenty-ninth. Houde wonders if the marvel will pot his thirtieth.
Eller takes a bad penalty. Hooking.
Martin writes something on his long ticket-looking magic bookmark and puts it back in the inside pocket.
Toronto power-play.
Reimer stops a long Plekanec clearing disc.
Leafs enter.
On the boards. To the blue for Phaneuf. On the other side. And it’s out.
Leafs aren’t able to set up again. Snarled inside the blue.
Kessel finds a man. To the blue. Leaned and lurched and then lasered. Here’s Phaneuf’s shot. Wild and undisciplined.
Cammalleri. Through and alone. Enters backhanded. Tries the slip-under. Fails.
The rest of the penalty goes by with little else.
One minute.
MacArthur’s shot goes up and out of play.
Luke Schenn gave up on the Cammalleri breakaway. Maybe he didn’t want to take a penalty. But I’m being generous. He should have kept skating and bodied the smaller forward. Schenn is six two 229. Cammalleri is about three foot three and eighty-six pounds.
The great Luke Schenn. Another overrated Canadian defenceman.
Period drains away.
Montreal led on shots 11-9 for a total of 24-19.
Second Intermission
Montreal 3, Toronto 1
Not much to say. The end and the beginning. The best and the denouement. Thursday means the playoffs start. And the number four looms over me. Not Bobby. The feared sweep I imagine every post-season. Please let this be a long post-season. Please, please, please and so forth.
Third Period
Montreal 3, Toronto 1
Again the front seats are largely empty to begin the period. Concessions? Or weak fans? Or just wine and cheesers gone home after a long night of wasting some eight-year old’s deserved chance.
This town needs Willy Wonka. And John Rambo.
This is the last game that doesn’t matter. It’s such a difference from the playoffs and not the right way to prepare for the heat of the tournament.
But.
Montreal is eighteen percent on faceoffs tonight. Gionta has his eighth two-goal game in his Montreal career. And his third this season.
Muller stands so much more straight than Martin.
Eighteen. Minutes.
Subban works around and about with a Leaf on his tail. It’s dangerous work but he keeps the disc. This time.
I find myself idly recalling Markov’s fine stickwork. It’s not easy but Markov made it look that way. Nobody can handle the puck as he can. At least not amongst the Montreal blue liners.
Action increases in tenor. Montreal is pressing. Gionta. Gionta through all and down the middle. Has it. And the shot. Reimer gets the pad across.
Gionta slipped the puck under a stick, two defenders, hopped and shoved over, got the puck, cradled and shot. He’s nifty. Where has he been?
Pyatt is called for holding the stick.
Plekanec wins the draw to Price’s right. Subban grabs it. It’s out. Now the Leafs kafuffle about. Turnovers and a long puck. Gomez chases.
Now he takes the puck from Lashoff. Right off him. Beautiful work.
Finally the Leafs get it in. For three seconds. Two on one, Montreal. Coverage is there. Gionta sends it across the crease. No sticks reply.
Plekanec. Sends Gionta. Racing. Schenn. Gionta has some room. Schenn mangles the stick and the shot ends up being weak.
Cammalleri now. Still short-handed. Off the post. Cammalleri is able to smile about this one.
Fourteen.
Penalty ends.
Price is forced to rumble-tumble and then back up, he’s across. Big hole. But the coverage was sound.
Twelve minutes. Gionta chats with Desharnais on the bench. Removes his mouthguard to answer a Desharnais comment or question.
On the ice the puck is on the boards. Cammalleri can’t win this board battle.
Lines change. Gomez. Gionta.
Price falls and gloves a puck out of the net. Houde thinks it’s a goal. Hamrlik failed to clear and struggled afterward.
Got the glove on it and pulled it back. Three views and the puck can’t be seen. Bent backward, reached. It crossed. But the replays aren’t conclusive. Houde thinks it crossed.
Oh those canny, innocent goalies.
Carey Price is one of them.
We wait for them to analyse the replays.
One angle does seem to show the puck crossed.
Top down, no. But from the side, a camera near the hash, it seems to cross. Crowd cheers when they see the angle.
Martin sees it and expresses a coach’s pain.
Price knows it’s across. Price says to Wisniewski “it’s a goal”.
They call it no goal. Whooah, says Houde.
Price looks again.
Wilson can’t believe it.
Shakes his head. Mouth slightly open and his “I’ve been cheated before” expression on his face, he shakes his head slightly and keeps from imploding. The season is over, after all.
Price makes a mild save. And they go to commercial.
More golf talk. Some McIlroy guy is really filling his lungs, apparently.
If it ain’t cardio, it ain’t sport.
Ten minutes.
Fuck golf.
Hey, I’m not on the hustings. Now am I.
What are the hustings anyway. Are they like the hoodoos? Or more like tar pits.
They should have dumped tar all over Make Believe Gardens. Loblaws owns that building now. What a sham.
Price now ends all mug talk and Houde and I both marvel. Gomez shares an open mouth and a smile. His laughter is a bit, uh, well. How do I say this.
He’s not as valuable to the team as Carey Price. Shall we say. And I wonder how that has tipped the room.
Beer creep voice. That gravelly, I’ve just swallowed fire voice. To sell the worst, most American, most urinal, most nasty beer. Yeah. Most nasty. Beer creep voice.
Eight and a half.
I finally settle into the game. It’s a bit different when it’s recorded. There seem to be more options.
Eight.
Phaneuf. For Aulie. Offside entry.
The Price save is shown.
They chase one another across the rink. Benoit Pouliot. Hooking. And then Brunet offers this gem: It’s because Dion Phaneuf went on the attack. The molasses man. On the attack.
Short-handed. Plekanec. Over. Alone. High shot. Scores.
Been a while since Plekanec scored short-handed.
Montreal 4, Toronto 1
Toronto power continues. Cleared.
Toronto’s season is over. Montreal’s segment one is also over.
Hope remains the motif in Toronto. And there is reason to believe that the team’s past few weeks aren’t just part of the recent Leaf habit of late-season charges. Keeping the coach, if he’s the right one, is also a good sign.
Reimer’s mask falls off revealing a very young fella who could easily be an extra in a Harry Potter film.
Subban’s side of the net attack, back turned to Reimer, resulted in the mask bump.
Eller turns and shoots. Reimer falls like a doll on a bed and, akimbo, makes the same.
These Quebec industrial safety ads are graphic. This one shows a man dying in the jaw of some machine, half out and half in, eaten away. It’s graphic but I imagine it’s effective. Gets me thinking about the machines around our house. Half in, half out of a dishwasher. You know. Game over.
Three minutes.
Leafs joue pour la forme.
Montreal rush. Kostitsyn. One shot. Off an ankle. Puck bounces in the slot. Cammalleri fires it. Reimer, solid all night, has this one as well.
Two and a half.
Plekanec line.
Subban leads a slower rush, three on two. Winds up. Pauses. Now shoots. Up and out of play.
Wilson has his job. He chews on something, possibly his tongue, and then looks around. He’s not a defeated man. And these aren’t defeated Leafs. They have a chance.
They should move buddy, though. Phaneuf.
Some discussion. Some frustration. Kadri goes. Wisniewski didn’t like Kadri’s hit on him.
And he’s in the box. Wisniewski, only.
Toronto man advantage.
Plekanec. Carries it all the way around the Toronto net. Looks for Subban. And no. A slow, sliding play. Eventuality play.
Subban tries another rush and Houde chuckles as he says that the defenceman has very little fuel.
Game ends.
Martin is pleased. Blows the air out of his mouth. Brunet reminds us that he is a humble man.
Final Score
Montreal 4
Toronto 1
HDS Stars: Brian Gionta, Carey Price, James Reimer
RDS Stars: Brian Gionta, Carey Price, Michael Cammalleri
Toronto salutes their crowd. It isn’t much of a reaction. No standing ovation. Not much sound. Some clapping. No booing. Demand more. You’re allowed.
Next game is on Thursday. Game One. Boston Series.
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