Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers

April 2, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Flyers in amber. There’s only so much skating they can do.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes

March 31, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

One of the benefits of not watching English-announced Canadian hockey telecasts is that, as viewers, we are more free to decide for ourselves who the heroes and villains are; who the skilled and unskilled are; the English-Canadian networks are far too influenced by the star-makers culture that has slowly poisoned Canadian sports television.

Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils

March 27, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Parise is skates and shark over the blue line. And quickly. His efforts are cornered and squared as the Montreal defenders take up the appropriate angles.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers

March 25, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

McCabe, uh, is prone to turnovers. Bad ones. Planet of the japes.

Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres

March 24, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Long passing is a fantasy best forgotten against Buffalo.

Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators

March 22, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Men from Quebec aren’t afraid to shop. Or admit it. Real men don’t give a hoot.

Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs

March 20, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

It’s ugly but. But what. What a terrible, disrespectful effort from Montreal tonight.

Montreal Canadiens vs New York Rangers

March 16, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Rangers are finally awake. Popcorn finished, they look up from their programs and start asking about relevant players. Hey, is that Jack Lemaire? Is that King Dryden?

Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins

March 13, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

I agree. Keep the shootout. Unskilled players oppose the shootout. Or traditionalists. What is more reflective of hockey than skills? In Quebec, growing up, there was nothing else to consider.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Edmonton Oilers

March 11, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

What a winner. Oh, did I spell that right?

Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning

March 9, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Downie hacks Moen right in the mid-section. Replay shows how deliberate and iron-hawk it was. Man. Sticks are like email. They make people brave.

Montreal Canadiens vs Anaheim Ducks

March 8, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Carlyle is hiding his disappointment behind his ferocity.

Montreal Canadiens vs Los Angeles Kings

March 7, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

We see a shot of the King bench and I don’t see a lot of silver glitter. The days of grainy gay and grey gretzky are done. It’s all matte and mute now. The uniforms look fat letter and thick font. They’re not bad but they’re not compelling.

Montreal Canadiens vs San Jose Sharks

March 5, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Heatley is in. Uses the screen. One-on-two. Leans left. Shoots. High. Glove. The glove. The Pricey, dicey, smiling red gant glove. We loves it.

Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins

March 2, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Canadiens win the faceoff on the glistening ice. Boston’s logo at centre ice, as I’ve said often, is compelling and tonight it is nearly majestic. I’m glad to return to a traditional rivalry with the usual suspects on a Tuesday night when only those who care about and understand the teams involved are watching. More or less.

Your Burning Toupée

February 21, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Hockey poem. Failed Athlete Decepticon. Pigmaker Suite.

Nobody’s Looking

February 21, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Hockey poem. Distractions. Pigmaker Suite.

Finland vs Germany

February 20, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Faceoff. Finns win it. Puck moves around the perimeter briefly. Shot from the blue. Puck sits like a mouse inside the post and on the line. The Finns are fastest. They poke it in.

Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers

February 13, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Briere has a “my business here is done” look on his face as he settles onto the bench. It was done here a long time ago, bud. Now you’re just wasting everyone’s time. Must be nice. Four-gamer.

Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers

February 12, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Stick to Price’s mask as he lies on the ice. And the Flyers jam at it like witch-hunters. And it goes in. Hartnell’s pitchfork was sharpest.

Montreal Mystique Interviews Jean Béliveau

February 11, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Montreal Mystique Interviews Jean Béliveau (Dec 30, 2009). Béliveau may be the greatest captain the game has seen. He was offered the Governor Generalship of the country in the mid-nineties and remains an active Montreal Canadiens ambassador.

Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals

February 11, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Demers talks about Neuvirth a bit. Then he references the NFL. He wants to know what the details are on injuries. Renaud Lavoie adds that in a serious league, we are told what is going on. Oh, get over it. In a league run by gambling interests, we are told what is going on. Be glad that this league, your NHL, doesn’t have the same type of transparency.

End of an Era

February 9, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

to suggest that there are such figures amongst us is to invite, from some,derision, denial, dismissal

Twenty-Three

February 8, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Canadiens poem. End of an era.

Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins

February 7, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

I think Steve Begin is going to coach in the NHL one day.

Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins

February 6, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

We get a brief shot of the Pittsburgh bench. The grey ash of the crowd is behind the players' winking white helmets. And a balding dude who resembles Rick Tocchet is behind the Penguin players. I wonder how bad it all smells. Hockey is one of the most unpleasant-smelling of the sports.

Trump at the Table

February 5, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Hockey poem.

Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins

February 4, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Bruins move it out. They are bent raster and dusty spider; confused offensive.

Montreal Canadiens versus Vancouver Canucks

February 2, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

Canucks set it up. Pass goes to the slot. Sedin. For Sedin. I watch the back of the net. Old, haunted child reflex. It stays white. Whistle. Someone falls on Halak. Nothing else.

Montreal Canadiens versus Ottawa Senators

January 30, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles

More Olympics-flavoured commercials. The experiment is a grand disaster already and threatens to be one of the great white elephants in Canadian history. It will be a worse economic blunder than the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Felicitations.