Every time I think I'm out they pull me back in (February 2003)
Now I know how Silvio from "The Sopranos" feels. Or maybe it was Michael Corleone in "The Godfather III." Regardless, once the Montreal Canadiens grab your heart and soul, they never let go.
I was ready to throw in the towel (my authentic 1974 Yvan Cournoyer towel at that!) after Saturday night's hideous affair with the Maple Leafs. It was the 4th loss in a row, each one uglier than the last. In the 3-1 loss to the Islanders just before the All-Star break, they allowed a mediocre New York team to leapfrog over them into the last playoff spot. Last Tuesday, Mike Ribeiro took a late penalty that allowed the Atlanta Thrashers to win in the last minute or so of the game. How often have we heard that story? Then the Habs went to Boston to face old pal Jeff Hackett. While they peppered their former goalie with 31 shots, they also let the Bruins clobber Theodore with 41. Montreal lost 6-3.
The game against the Leafs did me in. How many ways can you spell "lackluster"? Let me see, P-e-t-r-o-v, or how about R-i-v-e-t; don't forget "H-o-s-s-a and M-c-K-a-y. And then there's Patrick Traverse. Will someone explain to me why he's still in a Montreal uniform?
I was watching the game with a Bruins fan who hadn't seen much of the Canadiens this year. He wondered why I was so down on the team as he'd heard some good things about the Habs under Claude Julien He thought I was being too harsh on them, that I was a jaded critic who runs out of good things to say. Well, those feelings didn't last long. Even he was embarrassed as he watched the pitiful performance put on by his least favourite team. It was like he was pitying me, a Bruins fan, for goodness sake saying: "Poor Trish, she has to watch this crap all season and write about it."
I was going to skip the Washington game on Sunday. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding seemed a better alternative to the hot Capitals and goal-happy Jaromir Jagr feasting on the hopeless Habs. But Julien put Mathieu Garon in net and I thought I'd like to see how he does. It was his first appearance this season and he'd put on such a show for me when I saw him in Hamilton a few weeks ago. I'd give them my attention until the first goal.
The Caps swarmed a couple of times early on but the kid -- well, at 25 he's hardly a kid -- kept everything out. Jagr exploded on him with 2 quick shots and though Garon's rebounds were a bit dodgy, the first period ended in a scoreless tie.
After 2 periods Montreal was up 1-0 and I hadn't touched my dinner yet. Then in true fairytale fashion, Garon shut out the hottest offence in the league in the third period as well, winning the game and notching his third shutout of his career.
You see? Every time I think I'm out they pull me back in. Garon has a lot to do with it this time, but not just for the way he played. It was how the team played in front of him. Think about it. How is it that one night they let Jyrki Lumme, a 3rd string defenceman at best, come off the point untouched and score a big goal, yet 24 hours later, they deny Jagr, the scoring machine of the month?
It must make Jose Theodore crazy. Too often this year the Canadiens have relied too much on their goaltender to steal a couple of points. Now think about all those one-goal games the Habs lost because the team in front of Jose didn't give him the extra help. They could be fighting with the Bruins for first in the Northeast rather than fighting Tampa Bay and the Islanders for the last spot in the playoffs.
If you're tired of me saying how inconsistent the Canadiens are, you can only imagine how sick I am of saying it. I see Traverse out of position 10 times a game (didn't he look stupid behind the Montreal net as Lumme scored the Leaf's 3rd goal?) and I want to throw something at the television. I see the forwards like Ribeiro and even Richard Zednik floating at their own blue line rather than back checking and I want to scream. I watch the Habs lose all the little battles all night long and I want to take up knitting as a hobby.
But then Captain Koivu scores with a quick shot, and Jan Bulis (you know how I love him) beats a hot goalie with a smart backhand, and at the end of the game I watch Theodore embracing Garon in celebration and brotherhood. And then I know, they've sucked me right back in again.