Where we stand, 16 years after the black hole.

Basically we are one year (this year) away from fully recovering for the black hole that hit us when we fired Serge Savard, for the same stupid reason that led the entire city to agree that Casseau had to go.

In order to stop consuming myself with pure frustration I try to focus on the fact that we are now basically back to where we started rather than on the pain that it was to achieve that.

Because where we started is with Patrick Roy in nets and a team built with warriors with, not the scariest offence, but one where the goals could come from everywhere and also a solid defense. The right mix of veterans and rookies with a few shipers and a few bigger, uglier mugs. A backup whose job is not be thought of, and we're good. That combination can win the Cup on any given year if the stars align right in the playoffs (as in : after you beat washington and pittsburgh there souldn't be two more rounds of hockey to play, to quote an example chosen at random).

I hope this clears things up.

An end to the distraction

Do you think that any team in the NHL could possibly play Carey Price for six games at any point in the season and get zero point out of those six games?  Say the Islanders? The Panthers? Edmonton? I say Price plays six games in a row for these guys there's no chance that they won't get at least a point or two. And that's all the Habs need.

So relax. They were all turned in one instant from one of the sassiest in the league to the by far most completely depressed team.

The noise, the violence of the hit, the fear that he was dead for all that time, that's a real turnoff, man. It turned most of us off of watching or caring about hockey. So imagine them, on the ice from shift to shift, it's just...awful. Obviously they suck.

My first thought, when they said the goalless streak was a record from 65 years ago was "shit, was that the time that guy died, or something?"

I think this week is going to be good. Two weeks to go. Two clean sheets (the weeks). I think they'll be good.

One way or another, we're clinching this week, so everybody is finally going to feel allowed to talk about the playoffs, which I remind everyone, begin two weeks from now. Fortunately, the Habs know that more than a lot of Habs fans.

Go Habs Go! (GYFCHG, in the vernacular)