It's almost January 1st, so I am jumping on the Top 10 bandwagon!! This will be a welcome distraction from the language debate that has once again gripped our city. I will try not to be 100% Habs-Centric, but don't be surprised if 5 of the 10 focus on the Habs.
Been a long time since I've written a post...an awkward amount of time actually. My excuses are feeble and few. In the summer I focus on tennis and softball and not on writing a blog. Then before I knew it training camp was over and the Habs are playing their first game tomorrow! What will my first post be? How about some season predictions, if only because I like to look back at the end of the year and see how many I got wrong. First though, a little side-blog plug. This season I'll also be writing for a new Habs blog called the Montreal Bias. I'll try and not be repetitive in my posts on this blog and that blog.
The GM meeting is happening in sunny Boca Raton – if ever there was a location that stereotyped the NHL leadership, it's a golfing resort in southern Florida. Did no one think to suggest that maybe the location of the Golden Girls would only reinforce the idea that the NHL executive is past it's expiration date? Geography aside, the big news today is Bettman's 5-point plan otherwise known as, reactionary reactionism. Too little, too late Bettman, no amount of Office Space jargon, or powerpoint presentation lingo is going to change public opinion of you or your Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations who you affectionately call "Colie". I know I am nitpicking here, but I don't call my co-workers "Newty" or "Nady" or any other amalgamation of their last name with the letter "Y". It again just plays into the thought that Bettman is running an old...
Tonight the Habs are in St-Louis. Who didn't have this circled on their calendar? The story line was supposed to be "Halak vs Price", but we all know that G-rated hook has been horribly replaced by Pacioretty/Chara.
I read an interesting article in Sports Illustrated a couple months ago. It was a second by second breakdown of Crosby's OT gold medal goal. I want to try and do the same thing with the Pacioretty hit. I'm a Habs fan, and it is very hard for me to not be unbiased when I see a young and promising talent out cold on the ice after he went neck first into a steel pole. Nevertheless, I will try and be unbiased and try and dissect what was probably the worst hockey incident I've even witnessed.
The NHL released a video to all 30 clubs today outlining the new head shot rule, as well as clarifying rules for other forms of contact. I love that they did this, and I love that the NHL made the video public so the entire fan base can inform themselves on these rules.
