Habs Playoff Picture Getting Clearer

At the end of Friday night's games, with two days left in the regular season, here is what is known about the Eastern Conference playoff teams.

Philadelphia, who beat New Jersey 3-0, has clinched a playoff spot. They sit eighth and play Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Boston beat Ottawa 2-1, and clinched a spot. They currently sit sixth and have a date with Buffalo Saturday night.

The Senators gain entry into the playoffs back door style thanks to Carolina losing to Florida 4-3. Believe it or not, the Hurricanes had 9 powerplays while the Panthers had none. They outshot Florida 46-17, chased Tomas Vokoun and still couldn't win. Ottawa sits in seventh place and have no games remaining.

Now because both Washington and Carolina currently have 92 points it is not possible for both teams to make the post season. You'll notice that the Capitals currently hold the 3rd seed in the conference and that is due to their game in hand over Carolina, who are bumped down to ninth with the loss.

Washington needs one point against the Florida Panthers to make the playoffs and eliminate the Hurricanes.

New York gained one point for a 4-3 OT loss the Islanders, and New Jersey remain in fourth with 97 points, one up on the fifth place Rangers.

Now here is what can happen in regards to who the Canadiens can meet in the first round.

Montreal and Pittsburgh are currently tied with 102 points, and the Habs fate is tied to the Penguins / Flyers game on Sunday. With Philadelphia now guaranteed a spot, they will surely be less hungry than they would have otherwise.

Montreal, of course can make that game matter win a win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Should the Habs lose, they finish second, simple as that.

Either way, the Canadiens will be playing teams that finish seventh or eighth, and there are only three possibilities - Boston, Ottawa, or Philadelphia.

The way it works out is that the Rangers can fall no lower than sixth with a loss to New Jersey. With a win, the Rangers gain home ice in round one against the Devils. If the Rangers end up with a overtime point, they will open in New Jersey.

Boston can catch New York should they win and the Rangers lose. Both teams would have 96 points and 42 wins, but the Bruins have the season record tiebreaker.

The Flyers can change their fate with a win in Pittsburgh on Sunday. They would pass the Bruins in the standings, should Boston lose.

If that scenario plays out, Boston would then drop to eighth place and the Senators would remain seventh.

A Philadelphia tie does nothing for their standing. They cannot move ahead of Boston if tied with them, as the Bruins has the season series 3 games to 1.

In regards to Ottawa, they can only fall into eighth spot should both Boston and Philadelphia win. A Flyer win and a Bruins loss leaves Ottawa in seventh, and Boston and Philadelphia would flip flop positions.

Ottawa can in fact move up to sixth, but it would take a Bruins loss and nothing more than a Flyers single OT point combined.

The Bruins might be motivated to win, simply to avoid the Canadiens and instead play the Southeastern Division champions, be it Washington or Carolina.

So for the Canadiens, this is how it all shakes down.

First, their fate can only be determined on Saturday night with a loss to the Leafs. If the Habs win it is wait and see what the Penguins do on Sunday.
















Now here are the scenarios of who the Canadiens could meet should they lose to Toronto.

A Bruins win or tie, eliminates the possibility of a matchup against the Canadiens. A Bruins loss, if Montreal also losses, throws it into Philadelphia's hands on Sunday.

A Bruins win or tie, combined with a Sunday Flyers loss, irregardless of what Montreal does Saturday, means the Canadiens will play the Senators in the first round.

If both the Flyers and Bruins lose on the weekend, the Canadiens would meet Boston in the first round.

There is only one way that the Canadiens could possibly meet up with the Flyers in the first round round. It would involve Montreal losing to Toronto and both the Flyers and Bruins winning their last games, which would place Ottawa in eighth and Philly in seventh.

If both the Habs and Flyers win their games on the weekend, OT for Philly or not, then they cannot meet in the first round.

Wow, now my brain hurts.

Yes, it's all clear as mud in someways, but it is getting clearer.

Here's the standings for right now, before any games are played Saturday.
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Playoff Tuned Habs Ready To Roll Over Any First Round Opponant

If you were tuned into the RDS Sports 30 sports news after last night's game, you might have heard from commentator Reneaud Lavoie, that according to a well informed source within the Canadiens organization that all players currently on the sidelines nursing injuries will be ready to go come the first game of the playoffs.

Yes, including captain Koivu, broken foot bone and all.

That would mean that Koivu, Komisarek, Bouillon and Ryder are all ready to go by the middle of next week.

Now that's freaking awesome news.

I'm sure we will hear more about it in the coming days, but it seems that an assessment on the captain's foot has determined that Koivu can play on it.


















As a mentioned earlier this morning in the Breakfast post, the elements are in place for the Canadiens to go deep this season.

I listed goaltending, team harmony and faith, and lineup depth as the reasons why I believe the Canadiens can achieve the final four, the conference final to be precise.

I did fail to mention health. Perhaps because the Canadiens have played like such a focused group since Mike Komisarek has gone down, winning six of their last seven, I totally failed to worry about health as a concern.

When these players return, it will make the team all the more stronger.

I like what I see in this group of players. There is a self confidence about them that is reassuring.
Carey Price is making Bob Gainey look brilliant, this despite Cristobal Huet's heroic play with the Washington Capitals. Price is in a zone, playing the like focused goaltender that the reputation that preceeded him foretold.


















Watching him and the Habs go, I sense a familiar story rewritting itself. There are the omnipresent Dryden and Roy comparisons that proliferate any talk of Price. Some say it is getting ahead of ourselves when we indulge in that kind thinking, and those wise voices are correct, as nothing is ever won in advance.

Then again, Dryden and Roy were not on first place teams when they won Cups in their rookie seasons.

Price is the backstopper of a division winning team, one that could well be a regular season conference champion by the end of the weekend.

Maybe we as fans are finally coming to the realization that this group is alot sounder that we give them credit for at times.

It is an extremely well built and thought out team, run by a coach and GM who don't give away what is inside their minds.

This morning, when I was driving my kids off to school and my wife to work, I was listening to the call in show on radio CKAC. Today's question had to do with which opponant would listeners most like to see the Canadiens face off against in the first round.

I was tuned in for a good 30 minutes, and not once did I hear somone speak my opinion.

I don't care who they meet in the first round! Habs will take it, game over - next!

Callers were choosing between the Bruins, Flyers, Capitals and Senators and listing why they favored one or feared another.

Reasons for either were quite split up.

The Capitals would present an exciting opposition, one said, with the always explosive Ovechkin ( Oven Chicken in Russian ) and Cristobal Huet.

Yeah that would be fun! The Capitals are not that deep - Habs in five and fun while it lasted.















One caller said he feared the Bruins, and the next caller said bring 'em on.

The opinion was that Boston were bigger and more physical than the Habs, and that wasn't a good thing.

Okay, well when was the last time they beat the Canadiens?

The show's host thought the same, and the caller named Zdeno Chara as a player that could wreak havoc on the Habs.

Guess he missed a pair of highlight reel goals by Kovalev a few weeks back where Chara looked about as mobile as a fire hydrant on them.

The Habs have keyed their games against the Bruins by overworking Chara, whereas other teams avoid him. They keep him busy, know the flaws in his game and expose them. They did it with success when the big defenseman was in Ottawa, and learned something they have applied to him since he farted off the Beantown.

Gimme Chara and the Bruins. Bring out your brooms!















The Flyers and their neanderthal brand of hockey?

One caller wished for it, just for the sake of making Daniel Briere eat his words!

Briere, if you recall and I'm sure you do, said he chose the Flyers over the Habs when he signed as a free agent because he felt they were a better team.

The show's host was licking his lips at this possible confrontation, just because he'd want to question Briere on that quote after all was said and done.

And the Flyers against the Habs would be done in no more than 5 games.

Why? Simply because they play dumber than dumb. They have a thug coach and mentality that steers their game plan away from the skilled elements of their lineup. They have but one way to win, and it hasn't had any success against the Habs. Plus they have siv goaltending.




















Ottawa? Oh would I cherish that!

Now that the Canadiens have learned a poised method of handling them, I do not fear them like I once would have. Neither do the Canadiens either. This Senators team has become so dysfunctional, that it wouldn't surprise me to hear that they are about to hire Anthony Robbins to give their team psyche a boost.

Being that I live an hour away from both Montreal and Ottawa, this is the matchup I would prefer in order to win some bucks and settle scores. It would also provide the Canadiens with more confidence than a win over the others teams. It would give them an edge, mentaly, I think.

Bring it on!























One first round opponant that would have concerned me if the teams could have met, is the New York Rangers, who cannot finish lower than sixth.

The Blueshirts are extremely well coached, have many offensive weapons despite what seems to appears to be a shortcoming production wise, have one of the best, if not unheralded goalies in the league, and have been well versed in playing shutdown hockey for most of the season. They have playoff experience spread across the lineup. Plus they have the ultimate shitster in Sean Avery.

They are not unlike the New Jersey Devils, where a defensive mode of thinking reigns supreme.

I don't put a lot of stock in the fact that the Habs had their come from behind win of the century against the Rangers. That would be more ammo for the Rangers state of mind in a playoff meeting than it would be a confidence thing for Montreal.

I'd see that matchup going six or seven games, in the crystal ball for round two. They will beat whoever they face to start with, including the Devils.























Carolina facing the Canadiens is a complicated mathematical option. If they win their next game, they take the Southeast Conference. Barring that, they would still be tops if Washington fails to beat Tampa in their final game. If the Hurricanes lose to Florida in their final game and Washington wins theirs, they'd need both Philadelphia and Boston to go pointless in their last two respective games each to make the playoffs. The complications increase should Carolina only tie their last opponant. It is possible, thought unlikely they would lose to Florida and slip to seventh or eighth place.

I'd rather not think of the Hurricanes and Canadiens meeting for a third time. There's an odd voodoo kind of thing which makes turning points jump out of the blue when these teams have met. Things like bench minors from Kerry Fraser and unpenalized sticks to the captains eye.

Beyond those possible opponants first round matchups, I see the Canadiens stretching their post season all the way to a conference final battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and possibly more.

The Habs and Penguins match up well. Montreal has depth that Pittsburgh do not, and they have top line offense that the Canadiens can counter. It would be a long series.




For now, it's "come on Sunday night", when we'll know exactly where everybody sits.

As for who I hope they play, still, I don't care!

Happiness and fullfillment from a hockey team will do that for you!
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Habs Spank Sens, Clinch Playoff Berth

Take that Ottawa! Where's that smirk now?

If there is a different look to that Senators smirk today, it might just be from the spanking the Habs administered to them last night.

The Canadiens have clinched a playoff spot, but that is anticlimactic to what is still at stake.

The Habs are first overall in the Eastern Conference, and at the present time, no team can surpass them by winning their games in hand.

Seven points up on Ottawa. Three ahead of Pittsburgh. Five ahead of New Jersey.

Montreal, with the big win tonight, has grasped the ability to control its own destiny and finish first overall in the Conference. An unimaginable scenario at the start of the season.

Best of all, is that if the Habs were to win only two of their remaining five games, it would then force the Senators to win five of their final six games in order to take first place back from the Canadiens.

I don't see that happening.
















Now some might think to look at last night's 7-5 win as being a close game, but I see it otherwise.

The game was on the line for 40 minutes, and after those two frames were done the Canadiens were up 7-1. This young Canadiens team may have been guilty of knowing what each and every one of us fans knew at that point - that this game was essentially in the books with 20 minutes to go.

As the third period was about to begin I had an uncomfortable feeling. It was not a premonition of a Senators comeback or anything of the like, it was discomfort from knowing the Habs were in unfamiliar territory. Seeing as they had absolutely dominated Ottawa for two periods, I wondered how the Canadiens would approach the third.

Would they continue on the assault and go for more goals and pad some stats?

Would they tighten up the neutral zone and just shut the Senators down quietly?

What would Carbonneau's instruction be, and would each player follow it?

Well, what resulted was quite messy, but inconsequencial in the end.

This young team played like a team that had never been in this position against this opponant before. They backed off some and did more gliding than striding and learned real fast that they were in fact still playing the Ottawa Senators and not the 1974 Washington Capitals.

They left their goalie to himself and took penalties that attentive effort usually eliminates - a dangerous move considering that the officials on this night were as out of it as the Senators were earlier. Upon opening the door for an against all odds Ottawa comeback, the Habs were caught spinning, and it would have been costly and extremely detrimental to its self esteem had they not built up a six goal lead over two periods.

Lessons such as this are precious as pearls when they do not cost a team two points.

But the third period of this game is only a sideline to the story. I'm certain that Ottawa takes no solace in it's missed comeback attempt, and Montreal should focus on what it did over most of the game rather than on how it ended.
















What occured over 40 minutes was that the Canadiens decided to enforce their game, speed and grit, on the Senators.

There was much talk before the contest of the Habs having too much respect for their opponant and I like when I hear such comments coming from the lips of players and coaches.

The "too much respect" notion equals fear in my eyes and ears. It is what a team has to collectively get over, first, before understanding that not only can they match the Senators in overall assets, they also have the ability, skill, and work ethic to defeat them.

When that mindset is put into action and subscribed to by all participants, results like last night's game occur.

The Habs need not have an inferiority complex when it comes to the Senators.

Not before, and not anymore.

Of course Ottawa can, and will continue to be, explosive at times with the likes of Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza, but the Canadiens counter well with an envious amount of offensive depth spread out across the whole lineup.

Testament to that fact are the 14 players on the Habs who found the scoresheet in this win.
As we have watched these young Canadiens build into a contender over the last few seasons, the most inspiring part of the ride has been to take note of the progression of the team as it learns to overcome obstacles.

Once the talent and skill are in place, the remaining pieces of the foundation become an unfaltering work ethic combined with a confidence that is unshakable.





















There have been four wins this season that measure the Canadiens growth:

The first early season win against Daniel Briere and the Flyers, a 5-2 win on November 1, when Philly were perched atop of the standings. Briere had said that he chose to sign in Philly because he felt they were a better team. Not only was he way off on that quote, but the Canadiens learned they didn't need him either.

The next was a third period comeback 4-3 win against the Devils in New Jersey on January 24. The Habs vanquished a decade's worth of private hell that game. I'd guess that when it was over, they sat in the dressing room for a spell, looked around at each other, and started seeing themselves differently.

Then there was the infamous comeback of all time game against the Rangers on February 19, when they erased a five goal defecit to win 6-5 in a shootout. Only 16 days earlier, the Rangers had undone the Habs in stitchlike fashion coming back from three goals to win 5-3. The erosion of confidence was restored with this win and the Habs learned what they were capable of when focused.

The fourth measure of the Habs growth occured last night, when they put all their faith in playing their game against an opponant that they previously feared. Seeing that such confidence, again combined with the proper focus and work ethic, has paid dividends, they should not look back.

Not even to that messy and unfocussed third period.

"Let Ottawa worry about us for a change, instead of us worrying about them", is likely how they approached this game, and it worked.

That makes four demons exorcised in one season - inspiring stuff!

This group began the season as a most dubious pretender in many eyes. Though they surely did not believe what so called hockey experts were saying about them, but it had to be cause for reflection and self evaluation.

Stung pride has its virtues.

All season long they have had to answer questions regarding being the surprise team in the NHL this season. Hearing the question repeatedly in their faces while glancing at the standings must cause the occasional moment of disbelief amongst themselves.

Along the way, players have admitted to being surprised themselves at how well things have gone. Most reassuring of all, is that there is no one single thing that they can point to that represents the turnaround.

There are as many reason for their showing as there are players on the team, and that has to reinforce a united confidence greatly.

Pretty soon they will stop acting as though they are surprised.
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Some Habs Team Stats You Might Not Know

After this afternoon's win over the Islanders, and knowing that the Canadiens had moved into third place overall in the NHL for the moment, I headed over to NHL.com to look over some statistical evidence that would explain their high standing.

I went into the team statistic category and looked at 30 different sets of numbers that involve goal scoring in every manner, shots on goal, power play proficiency, and performance by period.
Knowing full well the Canadiens are near the top in goals scored and have the league's second best power play, I want to see it broken down some.

One of my reasons, or curiosities, for doing so was to compare the Canadiens against the Red Wings and Senators, the two teams ahead of them in the standings, and see how they measured up.

In each category, I've listed the rankings and stats for all three teams, plus the leaders.
Montreal scored very well across the 30 categories, with four first place rankings, 11 in the top 5, and 15 in the top 10. Only once are they ranking in the bottom third in the league for a particular category, that being the 24th for total shots against since the beginning of the season. Their average ranking is 8th.

Detroit are simply stunning with 9 first place rankings, 21 in the top 5, and 25 in the top 10. There are not in the bottom third of the league in any of these categories, and their worst place was for short handed goals scored at 19th. Their overall average ranking is 5th.

Ottawa's ranking defies their first place in the East standing some. They have 4 first place rankings, along with 13 in the top 5, and 16 in the top 10. They are in the bottom third of the league in 7 categories and their average ranking is 11th.

Here are the stats I chose to look at. Click on the hyperlink and it will bring you to the NHL.com stats page in question and you can see the results in order for all 30 teams. Have fun, rejoice a bit, and keep an ice pack ready for your head!



















163 goals for, 4th behind only Ottawa (178) Detroit (174) and Philadelphia (163) who have two games in hand.

137 goals against, 11th behind Detroit (108), San Jose (119), and Jersey (121). Ottawa is 20th with 148 goals against.

58 PPG's, 2nd only to Philadelphia with 61, Detroit is 3rd with 50, Ottawa is 18th with 38

37 PPG's against, good for 11th, San Jose is 1st with 27, Detroit is 9th with 36, and Ottawa is 17th with 41

7 SHG's for, good for 7th, Chicago is 1st with 12, Ottawa is 2nd with 11, Detroit is 19th with 4

1 SHG against, tops tied with Ottawa, five teams ( DAL, CBJ, COL, TBL, FLA ) are tied with 3, Detroit is 23rd with 7

76 goals scored on home ice, good for 16th, Ottawa is 1st with 93, LAK is 2nd with 91, Detroit is 3rd with 89

60 goals against on home ice, good for 9th, Boston is 1st with 50, Jersey is 2nd with 55, Detroit 3rd with 56, Ottawa is 24th with 81

26 PPG's for at home, good for 4th, LAK is 1st with 35, Philadelphia is 2nd with 33, Detroit is 3rd with 27, Ottawa is 10th with 22

18 PPG's against at home, good for 11th, Dallas is 1st with 11 allowed, Buffalo is 2nd with 12, Detroit is 6th with 15, Ottawa is 25th with 24

4 SHG's at home, good for a five way tie for 4th (MON, LAK, TBL, PHI, DAL), Ottawa and Atlanta are tied for 1st with 8, Detroit is 10th with 2

1 SHG against at home, good for 2nd, Ottawa is 1st with 0, Dallas, Buffalo and Florida also have allowed only 1, Detroit is 14th with 3 allowed

87 goals for on the road, good for 1st, Ottawa and Detroit are second with 85

77 goals against on the road, good for 19th, Detroit are 1st with 52, San Jose 2nd with 53, Ottawa is 4th with 67

32 PPG's for on the road, good for 1st, Philadelphia is 2nd with 28, Detroit is 4th with 23, Ottawa is 20th with 16

19 PPG's against on the road, good for 6th, San Jose is 1st with 10, Nashville and Colorado are 2nd with 14, Ottawa is 5th with 17, Detroit is 16th with 21

3 SHG's for on the road, good for 11th, Phoenix is 1st with 8, Chicago is 2nd with 7, Ottawa is tied with Montreal with 3, Detroit is 17th with 2

0 SHG's against on the road, good for 1st, seven teams including Ottawa have allowed 1, Detroit is 24th having allowed 4
























1524 shots on goal, good for 13th place, Detroit is 1st with 1836, Ottawa is 6th with 1602

1612 shots against, good for 24th, Detroit is 1st with 1253, San Jose is 2nd with 1265, Ottawa is 18th with 1535

3.1 goals per game, good for 4th, Ottawa is 1st at 3.4, Detroit and Philadelphia are 2nd at 3.3

2,6 goals against per game, good for 10th, Detroit is 1st at 2.0, San Jose 2nd at 2.3, Ottawa is 22nd at 2.8

51 first period goals, good for 2nd, Detroit is first with 57, Ottawa is 3rd with 49

54 second period goals, good for 12th, Philadelphia is 1st with 68, Detroit is 2nd with 63, Ottawa is 5th with 60

51 third period goals, good for 13th, Carolina is 1st with 68, Ottawa is 2nd with 67, Detroit is 5th with 54

33 first period goals against, good for 7th, San Jose is 1st with 27, Detroit is 4th with 31, Ottawa is 21st with 45

52 second period goals against, good for 19th, Dallas is 1st with 37, Ottawa is 7th with 44, Detroit is 12th with 49

47 third period goals against, good for 12th, Detroit is 1st with 29, Philadelphia is 2nd with 33, Ottawa is 23rd with 58

88 goals 5 on 5, good for 13th, Ottawa is 1st with 119, Detroit is 2nd with 111

50 goals 5 on 4, good for 2nd, Philadelphia is 1st with 54, Detroit is 6th with 39, Ottawa is 13th with 35

Some other interesting notes:

The Canadiens are 1st in powerplay opportunities on the road with 131, but only 20th on home ice with 109. So much for referee favoratism at the Bell.

They have scored 32 power play goals on the road and 26 at home.

They have given up the 10th most powerplay opportunities with 240 so far.

The Canadiens home record of 10-8-5 which is near the worst in the league, but it is interesting to note that they have only played 23 or 52 games so far on Bell Centre ice, They are 6-2-2 in their last 10 at home.

Best of all, the Canadien are second in regulation time losses with 15, and third in combined losses with 23.

These stats, all told and totalled, add up to the Canadiens being the third best team in the league, and nipping at the Senators.

And damnit if that isn't something to brag about!

Habs Versus The Habs Wannabees

Imagine the Stanley Cupless ( since 1926-27 ) Ottawa Senators being compared to the 1976-77 Habs!

A stretch, you say! No (reference to excrement deleted)!

In the Wednesday, November 7, 2007 (circle that date!) edition of the Ottawa Sun, that is exactly how the papers sportswriters, three of them in unison, decided to tag this years Senators.

All this based on an excellent start, a whole 14 games into the new season!

First there was a opinion poll asking local fans to compare the editions of each team. Then there was a cartoon in the letters section of a Stanley Cup puzzle coloured in red, white, and black, with the names of each Senators player on a puzzle piece. Finally, there was an article that dared to compare a team that's never won a Cup ( or a city with an 80 year drought!) to one one hockey's greatest dynasties.

Talk about a WHOA!

If horses had been near me when I reacted to this, the straps tied to their bridles would have caused them to backflip!

Now I get that this season's Sens have gotten off on a record pace. (Incidently, the Sens lost the next night!)

I also remember that after 14 years of crying and trying, they finally reached the Stanley Cup finals last season.

I also recall that two seasons back, the same Ottawa scribes were likening the team to the 1980's Oilers.

I'm not kidding, when I suggest - without having won a Cup - why the upgrade?

Get real Ottawa fans! There's just no basis for comparison until Daniel Alfredsson hoists that Holy Grail - understood!

Now I will do my best so that what I am about to say concerning the Senators, in comparison to Habs, does not come off as some trite and uneducated putdown by a 2 year old blogger about to make his first $100 in Google ad money.

The teams, simply ain't in the same class. I'm talking about today's Sens versus yesteryear's Habs, as well as how the current team's regimes stack up against each other.



The Sens have shown a complete lack of class when it comes to the Habs in the last two seasons. Last year's pitching of a Habs fan off the Sens boat video, just days after Bob Gainey's daughter drowned, was one such stain. Pumping their chests after beating down an injury decimated Canadiens team two seasons back was another classless example of pomposity.

It's not that I dislike the Senators - I do, kinda. This is a well built team that has been structured to go all the way, and I'd bet on them to win the Cup. It's just that the atmosphere that the team (not so much the players) and it's unapologetic press corps reeks of, goes off like a mustard infested skunk spraying up my nostrils.

I've tried to help that, by putting aside the amateur and juvenile takes by the press covering the team, but in time I have become unable to disassociate the two. Let's just say that when it comes to maturity, Habs fans have PHD's and the Sens neophytes are learning how to use pullups.

What puts me off most has all do with arrogance and their stench of superiority, without a history to refer to, or having won something worth bragging about before it has been won. Underlining the juvenile notions in the paper, are the constant swipes at the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team they have barely showed a superiority to, in loads of differing ways.

For two years now, the letters to the sports editor, have contained a daily swipe at the Leafs, whether it be from a pro Leafs or pro Sens camp POV. Of course, it has been that length since Toronto has hurried the Sens post season, but they never allow that to cloud their reality.

Another reality they back away from, is the cold hard fact that the city of Ottawa probably contains double the Habs fans to those of a Senators stripe. A team doesn't win a batch of Stanley Cups, all carved deep into recent memory, without stirring the passions and allegiances of a bilingual populace entreched in the game's history who live but one hour away from the home of 24 Cup wins.




Heck, 14 years ago, when Canada last won a Stanley Cup, Ottawa felt such a part of it, that the Habs Cup parade could have dovetailed from St. Catherine's onto Bank St. without a break in atmosphere.

But things have apparently changed, only in the media, since the Scotia Bank Corel Palladium was dropped into a cow patch in Kanata a decade ago. Picking juvenile ( I say, creatively ghost written by Sens media ) fights with Leafs fans is a smartly camouflaged distraction to cover the fact that Ottawa remains Hab fan dominated.

The Ottawa media is triffle afraid to confront this reality.

Chris Stevenson, the only writer in the Ottawa Sun with an ounce of credibility, is a closet Habs fan. Other Sun scribes such as Bruce "Boo Boo" Garrioch and Don Brennan write about the Sens like they are on the team payroll - rarely an unkind word is uttered on the team.

I cannot wait until these teams finally meet in a playoff round, considering the amount of tickets Habs fans snap up in Ottawa for regular season games. A post season matchup would likely see the Montreal faithful eat up those 2000 seats that never seem to sell in the capital until gametime. Add in that the Hab faithful will outbid the Sens shrinking violet voices on scalper's row, and there will be a hefty Blue Blanc Rouge contingent come game time.

Now everybody knows the effect thousands of Leafs fans in an Ottawa arena has had on the Senators playoff success. Maybe this spring Daniel Alfredsson will look into the masses and wonder who all the red wearing is for.

Maybe the media should try a comparison with the 1967 Leafs first!