Proud to Love the CH!

As I write this, my heart is broken. I'm not sure why this year's exit from the playoffs hurts more than others. Maybe it's because I, like so many other Habs fans, truly felt like this was our year. Time and time again, the experts counted us out. But look at what we did. We swept Tampa. Who besides us Habs fans saw that coming? Heck, I don't think any of us saw that coming. And then there was Boston, who experts said we would not get past. And look what happened. Our boys battled hard, gave it their all, and prevailed. But then the unthinkable happened.

Chris Kreider, who I will now forever despise (yes despise), ran into Carey Price. Some will say it was accidental (which I do not buy for even a fraction of a millisecond), others that it was on purpose (which I fully believe), doesn't matter. The point of the matter is, that (looking for a nice word here but failing) whether Kreider was tripped or no, he ran into Price, reinjuring him and taking him out of the series. You have to believe he knew what he was doing. He could've stopped. People (read: Rangers fans) said his momentum carried him into Price. I call BS on that. Everyone knows that they teach you how to stop when you're learning to play hockey. Kreider has a history of running goaltenders. Ask Craig Anderson or Marc-Andre Fleury. The Rangers knew that the only way they'd advance would be to take out a hot goaltender like Price.

I'm not making excuses though. A team can simply not win when they're not scoring. And sadly that's what cost our beloved Habs their season and a chance at Lord Stanley. They were closer than they ever have been in years though, and gave their fans something to believe in. No cup this year, but I'm okay with that now, as hard and bitter a pill that is to swallow. Their time is coming. I know that in my heart. And look at Tokarski, that kid has a very bright future. There's no telling what the future holds, Habs fans, but I'm sure a Stanley Cup is not far away!

12 Years

Important events. Everyone remembers them. First date, first kiss, first intimate experience. Likewise engagements, weddings and birth of children. And while those are all important for obvious reasons, I'd like to take the time to tell you about an event that has stayed with my throughout my teenage and now adult years.

I was still in high school, Grade 11, when I saw the poster on the wall near the office. As was my normal, I'd walk up and down the halls before class. My morning stroll, if you will. If the janitor, a fellow Habs fan, wasn't busy, we'd often chat. But on the morning of the 20th or 21st of May, something else grabbed my attention. Or should I say, someone.

An Evening with Alan Doyle & his guitar

Alan Doyle. I knew the name. It was familiar. My mother had one or two of his band's CDs in the house. I liked it well enough at the time, but I wasn't really what you'd call a fan. Still and all though, I figured it was a great way to spend a Saturday evening. I told my mother about it when I got home from school that day, and she was interested too. At $10 a person, it was a small amount for what turned out to be a rather enjoyable evening.

From the first note, he had my attention. Instantly hooked. Double whammy when Séan took his turn at the mic. I wondered why I hadn't caught on before then, but I knew that it was a case of better late than never, and resolved to get myself a CD as soon as humanly possible (Sea of No Cares had just come out in February). But it was when I heard "Boston and St. John's", that I knew I was hooked for life. I don't know what it was about the song, but it just swept me off my feet, and made me look at guys differently for the first time in my life. Yes I'll fully admit it. I think Alan Doyle is an attractive man. And I always will.

Now, moving on...

2 weeks later, I had my first GBS CD. More would follow. By May of 2003 (the day before Alan's birthday), I finally got to speak to him one-on-one. I remember him introducing himself and shaking my hand, and while I was cognoscente enough to shake his hand, I was altogether too nervous to speak. Somehow I managed though, telling him about my upcoming high school grad. I still remember his words that day " good luck with that". Those words have stuck with me ever since.

Okay, total sap fest, I know. But it is what it is.

It's been 12 years now, and through all the ups and downs I've gone through, Great Big Sea has remained a constant in my life. I've gained friends because of them, and seen some of those friendships dissipate. Others have died. There have been family issues, loss of pets, and they've been there. Their kind words have gotten me through. I honestly dont know where I'd be without them today. Probably wouldn't be here right now, that much is certain.

Thank you to every friend I've made through the band. We share a bond that is made stronger by the music.

And to the band, in past and present form- Alan, Bob, Murray, Kris, Séan and Darrell, I owe the biggest thanks of all to you lads. Thank you for making the music and giving me something to help through my darkest of days. No matter where your careers take you, know that you'll always have at least one fan that will always have your backs.

Slainté mhath, boys! Here's hoping life treats you all well!

more than just a game

It's a hard thing to explain,
My love for the hockey game
Through all their ups and downs,
I love my Habs all the same

I cheer on their successes
Pull out hair at their mistakes
I jump up and down and celebrate
But the floor I will also pace

My heart beats oh so wildly
During the height of the action
And oh how big my smile
When they win, what satisfaction!

It isn't always easy,
Haters from all sides
But I will always defend my boys
With a deep and intense pride

For those who say "it's just a game",
I don't think you quite understand
It means so much more than that
To a dedicated fan.

For hockey is much more than that,
It's thoughts and hopes and dreams
And with every win that comes
The deeper you believe

That's why I'm proud to say it,
No matter where I go,
I will gladly declare it,
I'm a Habs fan, Go Habs Go!

Heaven (A poem for Aunt Bernice)

I've often dreamed of heaven
Those gates so pearly white
The streets of gold, treasures untold
It must be a beautiful sight

I've often dreamed of heaven
Of God's great heavenly choir
Where pain and sadness are no more
And no more tears are cried

I've often dreamed of heaven
The angels flying there
Where loved ones all are waiting
The ones we still hold so near

I often dream of heaven now,
Up in the skies so blue and vast
For heaven became more beautiful
When God called you home at last

When the pain is too much to handle
I know just what I'll do
I will dream of heaven,
Because then I'll dream of you

More birthday wishes

Hey Alan, Happy Birthday! I hope It's a great one eh! I hope your day Is full of fun and laughter! May God bless you and your family!  - Your Irish Canadian fan, Kim

Happy Birthday Alan Doyle

Here's some birthday wishes for our favourite rock/movie star! Happy Birthday, Alan!

Happy Birthday Alan! Here's hoping that this is your best year yet, and that it brings you all the happiness that you truly deserve. I'll never be able to thank you enough for your kindness throughout the years! Can't wait to see you on George Street in August! -Krista (aka @celticlassie85), Shoal Harbour, NL

Happy Half 90th, kind sir. Enjoy your day with your family and friends :) -Síle, Shoal Harbour, NL

Hope you have an awesome birthday Alan. My daughters are lucky little buggers, they get to spend the same day celebrating a birthday. Cheers!  -April aka Tripletmom, Hamilton, ON

Alan, want to say Happy Birthday all the way from Montreal. My 6 year old daughter Jessica loves your song Lukey.  -Jenny, Montreal, PQ

Alan, hope you have a great birthday cousin. You deserve all the happiness in the world. Be safe and take care. -Liam, Petty Harbour/St. John's, NL

Wishing you the best of birthdays this year.  Enjoy the relaxation time with your family this weekend. Here's hoping I get to see you perform here someday. -Christy, Saskatoon, SK

Hey Alan, Hope you have a great and memorable birthday! See you at George Street!  -Cheers, Matt Morgan (Oily Bastard), San Jose, Calif.

Dear Alan,  I hope your birthday is as awesome as you are!  Live it up and party hard! -Amy Nichols, Ludlow, MA (formerly NYC)

Happy Birthday,  Alan!! Have a wonderful day and a year filled with many blessings!! -Randy, Missoula, MT

Happy Birthday, Alan! Enjoy your new whirl around the sun! -Mary (who has seen you play 16 times in 4 different states, coast to coast and in between, and has always been filled with joy by your song. <3 )

No Laughing Matter

I've tried to bite my tongue, really I have. I have tried to give the Boston Bruins and their fans the benefit of the doubt in these 2013-2014 playoffs, but 5 games in, I can no longer hold in the thoughts that have been swirling around, lest they leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

Those of you who know me know of my distaste for anything Boston. But nothing makes my blood boil more than the actions of the Boston Bruins, both in the regular and post season. And what makes it even worse is that the majority of Bruins fans condone such behaviour, stating that the team is just gritty, and that it's okay to do what they did because it gets in the heads of their opponents.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't mind a good on-ice tussle. A bit of chirping, sure. It's as much a part of the game as scoring goals and winning face offs. We as hockey fans have come to expect it, whether watching from the comfort of our own homes or in the arena. But when gritty crosses the line into dirty and dangerous, that's where I cross the line. I'll also be the first to admit that my team isn't perfect. Have they gotten away with some things that they should've been penalized for? Definitely. But so has every other team in the league at some point. But nowhere is this more evident than with the Boston Bruins.

Case in point, Game 5 between the Boston Bruins and Montréal Canadiens last night, when with less than two minutes left to the game, and his team winning, Shawn Thornton took the opportunity to squirt water in the face of Habs defenseman P.K. Subban. Not once, but twice. In doing so, he impeded the vision of Subban, which could've (but luckily didn't) result in injury. P.K. was upset, and rightly so. Afterwards, in a post game interview, he stated that if it had been him who'd done it, it'd be talked about for days. I couldn't agree more.

I see many Boston fans saying today that P.K. is a p***y and should suck it up. I see others saying that it was just a joke, and that a bit of water never hurt anybody. I see terms like baby and whiny bitch being tossed about, but to be completely honest here, I'm failing to see where any of this is funny. Let's say the situation were reversed, and it had been P.K. who had squirted Thornton twice with water from the bench. Would Boston fans think it was funny then? Probably not. In reality, they would probably be irate, much like Habs fans are today. They would be calling for his suspension, and would want his head on a silver platter.

The truth of the matter is that what Shawn Thornton did was dangerous, no matter who he did it to. And I think what bothers a lot of hockey aficionados is that this happened during play. Not in a scrum or a stoppage in play, but during an actual play. In matters such as this, it feels dirty and dangerous for such an act to occur. Let's see how you'd feel if you were in that players shoes and couldn't see, Bruins fans. Because honestly, you and your whole fan base sicken me right now.

In my opinion, what Thornton did was reprehensible. He is a grown man (at least in size, if not in brains), and should be ashamed of what he did, because impeding another player's vision by squirting water in his face is childish, and has no place in the game. Geez, what's next? Whoopee cushions?

NHL, get your shit together. Because player safety is no laughing matter. The only thing that is are your so called punishments. Do you think this will change Thornton's goonish behaviour? Cause I've got news for you- it won't. He'll do it again and again and again, just like Marchand diving and Lucic's spearing dudes in the nuts.

But that's another rant for another time.

Greatest Habs Memory (so far)

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was my last day in an all too brief first visit to Toronto. I wanted to make the most of my day, so while two friends went to a house concert, my other friend, along with our nephew, decided to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It was 2009, the year of the Habs Centennial, and the Hall was filled with so many pieces of Habs memorabilia. Everywhere I looked, my eyes lit up. As I stepped into the replica of the dressing room, jerseys all hung up, equipment set up much in the way I imagine it would've been, I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to be one of those players, sitting in their stalls, preparing to do battle with their rivals on the ice.

Each display was more wonderful than the next. How my eyes lit up when I saw a picture of The Rocket, his eyes nearly smiling back at me. I wondered then he if felt the same pride in the C-H as I did, but in my mind, I already knew the answer. Of course he did. I felt just as proud to love the Habs as he did to play for them.

As I gazed at Andrei Markov's jersey, I was almost transported to that Bell Centre ice, could almost feel the roar of 21,000+ fans as his name was announced. I could only imagine the pride he felt that night, magnified by the magical night.

But I knew my trip to the Hall wouldn't be complete with one thing: seeing the Stanley Cup; the holy grail of hockey. So I followed the signs and made my way up the staircase to where it rested. When I entered the trophy hall, I was in pure awe. I marveled at all the trophies, thought of what skill and hard work it must've taken for each of those men to win that particular trophy; the sacrifice and dedication they had to their sport.

Never was that feeling stronger than when I finally laid eyes on the Stanley Cup. In my head I could see the greats of the past lifting it high above their heads in celebration, realizing a childhood dream. Knowing that you've reached the highest point of your hockey career; that for that moment in time, you were a champion.  My heart soared just being near it, so I can only imagine what it's like to actually lift it.

I may never be able to experience that, but at least seeing it has been my greatest Habs memory so far.

A love/hate relationship- Habs/Bruins rivalry

For almost as long as there has been professional hockey, there has been a rivalry between the Montréal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins, with the two teams facing off for the first time on December 8, 1924. And there's no bigger stage for such a heated rivalry than the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And with the two teams embroiled in yet another intense battle (their 34th playoff series), there's no better time to talk about what I think added fuel to the fire of this modern day rivalry.

The incident I'm referring to of course, is the one that is etched into the minds of many devoted Habs fans, the Chara hit on Max Pacioretty (look that up on YouTube) when at 19:40 of the 2nd period of a game played on March 8, 2011, Patch was drove into the stanchion near the end of the Boston Bruins bench. For several moments after, Pacioretty lay motionless on the ice, where he would be lifted off on a stretcher and brought to the hospital. Chara, for his part, was assessed a 5 minute major and game misconduct for his actions. Upon further review of said play, the league decided on no further action on him, deeming what happened to be a "hockey play". The next day, it was revealed that he (Pacioretty) had a fracture to the 4th cervical vertebra (C4), and a severe concussion.

When Annakin Slayd, in his 2011 Habs anthem " MTL Stand Up" (can also be found on YouTube)  said "if that's a hockey play, then hockey must change / Wanna be proud of our sport, not ashamed...", the words resonated with a lot of Habs fans. After nothing was done about the very obvious headshot to Max, many fans felt ashamed of the league. How could it be a "hockey play" when a young man almost had his career ended? What kind of message was being sent to the rest of the league about headshots? The league was (and still is) trying to eliminate headshots from the game, and a more severe punishment here (i.e: a suspension) would've sent the message that this was something that they were not going to tolerate. But instead, as we all know, nothing was done, and headshots continue to be an issue.

I think the lack of punishment is what added fuel to an already very heated fire. Many fans were outraged that the league could let someone get away with what he'd done. Many wanted blood, and rightly so, but the cries of fans were all for naught. 5 minutes and a game misconduct, which to many seemed too light a punishment, a slap on the wrist, if you will for a hit that caused such a serious injury. And then Mark Recchi saying the injury wasn't as serious as everyone thought, and that Max had been embellishing?  You're kidding me right? What does he know about spinal injuries? When did he get his degree?

What a joke.

I think what bothers me the most in all of this is that I see some Bruins fans saying "I wish he'd hit him harder." What would make a person say that? Is your hatred so intense that you would wish harm upon another human being? I understand the Habs/Bruins rivalry is a much heated one, but there is something wrong if you want another human being to be hurt.

I won't say I hate the Bruins, but my dislike is a strong one, only for their style of play. There's an intent to injure there, and all I can do is hope and pray that there's never another repeat of that very frightening incident back in March of 2011.

Go Habs Go! 

Going With Your Gut

Did any of you ever have this great opportunity fall into your lap? One so great that you couldn't believe it was happening, like it was almost too good to be true? Well I have, and it's been a wild roller coaster of emotions for me.

When a former Facebook friend suggested it, it seemed like a great opportunity. I love sports, and I love my Habs, so a job that combined the two couldn't possibly be wrong. So, with contact information in hand, I gave it a shot.

As this person and I e-mailed back and forth, my excitement started to build. It was looking more and more like they wanted me to work with them, and they were impressed by my work. That felt good, I won't lie.

I even got as far as a little simple quiz I had to take. Guess I did alright, because I was offered the position. I finally had what I wanted, all I had to do was sign on the dotted line. But I just couldn't pull the trigger.

Something didn't feel right. I looked over the contract a couple times, thought it over. Actually doubted my abilities. But in the end, I did what I felt was right. Emailed the guy back, thanked him for the opportunity, but said that I couldn't bring myself to sign the contract.

Fear of commitment, who knows. But when in doubt, you've got to go with your gut.

Not So Black & White

Imagine this- you're a hockey player and you've just scored an important goal, saving your team from the jaws of defeat. For a moment, you are on top of the world, and what do you do? You celebrate it of course. Sadly though, people get on you for it, say you're showboating, and all for one simple reason- the colour of your skin.

Showboating

Such is the case for former Norris Trophy winner, P.K. Subban. He's known for his joyous celebration of key goals, and has admitted that in the heat of the moment he doesn't think anything of said celebrations. And while there is no doubt that sometimes he might be a bit over the top, there is no need to bring race into the picture. If he were not a man of colour, would we even be having this discussion? Probably not. In fact, one of his team mates, Alex Galchenyuk did something similar at an earlier point of the season. While it was indeed enthusiastic, nobody dared say that he was showboating.

Yet time and time again, whenever Subban celebrates an important goal, I see people say that celebratory antics such as his don't belong in the NHL. But, and I have to ask this question: why is it okay for the Alex Ovechkins and Sidney Crosbys of the league to celebrate when they score, and not P.K. Subban? It just makes no sense. There's a huge double standard there. Why tell one player that its wrong when you allow others to do it?

It's not okay, and that's something that needs to change. We should be ashamed that this is still an issue in 2014. Is a player any less talented because he's not Caucasian? No. If we the fans don't stand up and say we oppose others using such vulgar language, then nothing is ever going to change. Future generations of hockey players shouldn't have to face the stigma that today's players face. Heck, the players of today shouldn't have to deal with it either.

F****** N*****

Who cares about the colour of a man's skin? Not me. I say let them play, and let's stop judging them on how they look and focus more on what really counts: whether or not he has the skills to play the game. P.K. Subban is one of the most talented and skilled players to ever put on the CH of the Montreal Canadiens.

Yet after last night, after he scored the game winning goal in double OT against Boston, Bruins fans pelted the ice with trash and beer cans, among other things. And on Twitter, there were roughly some 17,000 racist comments made towards him. Um excuse me, are they blind or something? Their top line features a mixed race player in Jarome Iginla. And within their system is a very talented young goalie, Malcolm Subban, the younger brother of the very guy you level racial slurs towards.

Even if you didn't have these players, how is this even remotely okay? What voice in your head told you this was okay? I understand not liking a guy, hey that's natural. But there is absolutely no need to call him what you did. If I were a part of your fan base (and I thank God I'm not), I would be ashamed that anybody could say that shit! Makes me wonder if you were ever taught "treat others how you want to be treated" or "if you can't say anything nice, dont say anything at all".

Because if you were, it's a lesson you need to relearn!