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Editor's Corner

Week 2: NHL Newbie’s eye turns to Canada

“Woah, you don’t have an NHL team?”

I chuckled at that comment, which I received after my first blog post went live last week.

A big thank you to everyone who has passed along their suggestions as to which NHL team I should follow.

Hockey fans were quick to jump on board with their recommendations, trying to convert me to their team. And thank you for giving me minimal grief about not having a team yet.

Representations for the Leafs, Blackhawks, Flames, Rangers, Canadiens, Canucks and Penguins were all made. I’ll be taking them all into consideration.

One particular post I received, from Shari Green, pictured below, was in support of the Montreal Canadiens. Coincidentally, my eye had already been drawn to the Habs before she posted it.

I jumped on Twitter and followed all the teams last Thursday – just before my first blog post went live – when the Habs were playing the Canucks. I didn’t watch the full game, but caught the highlights.

I was really impressed by both Canadian teams. I couldn’t separate the two – they both looked strong, classy and evenly matched. But, as I was to learn from Twitter conversation and a post-game article on habseyesontheprize.com, the Habs underperformed in that game.

Thanks for the input, Shari.

                                                      Thanks for the input, Shari.

The Canucks outshot the Habs 42 to 21. If it wasn’t for Carey Price, the Habs would have lost that game. I’d heard about Price previously. Seeing him in action I knew why I had heard his name before. What a goalie.

And, much to my delight, there was a bit of third period biff! Gotta love a little bit of biff.

You have to hand it to the Habs though. Even outshot in what was not their best performance, to get a 3-0 shutout win is pretty darn good.
As for the Canucks. They looked impressive. It surprised me to learn they have been on a bit of a losing streak.

The second Habs game that drew my eye was that mind boggling 10-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. How? How did things come undone so fast, Habs? (Twitter was on fire with the funnies about this loss).

Fun fact, that 10-0 loss was the fourth in Montreal’s 107-year history. The last time the Canadiens lost by 10 goals was in 1995 when they were beaten 11-1 by the Detroit Red Wings.

I have to make a confession at this point (because if anything, this blog journey needs to be honest), I’d never heard of the Blue Jackets before. And I think that name is ridiculous. Blue Jackets? It feels that when the moment came to name the team the owner, or whoever, looked at someone’s blue jacket and said “Oh, I know!”.

Credit to the Blue Jackets – the Blues, the Jackets, BJs, Blues? – though. Handing a 10-0 loss to the (then) leading NHL team is a big deal. I think by the sixth goal the Habs just gave up. Seriously, watch the highlights. Goals six through to 10 are just easy.

Al Montoya was in net for Montreal, to give Price a rest. You have to feel for the guy. Where was the rest of his team?

I’m glad Habs captain Max Pacioretty knew just how badly they let their goalie down. I read an article where Pacioretty said: “We pride ourselves on being such a close group and to leave our goalie out to dry like that is very frustrating.”

That kind of self-awareness is a little admirable. What impressed me was that the Habs really picked themselves up for their next game, against the Flyers.

It could have been a placebo effect just knowing Price was back in net, but the Habs looked like they remembered how to play hockey in that game.

The Flyers had a really good game. It is the second time I’ve watched them in action and I have to say they’re a pretty even team. They get on the ice and play good hockey, even if the result isn’t what they are after.

What I have found in the past week that it is really difficult to stay on top of all the games. There’s just so much going on. That’s where having a team (or two, as some do) to follow comes in handy!

But I am doing my best. I’ve always loved Twitter but it has really become my best friend these days. Now that I follow a majority of the teams and the NHL account I am aware of so much more that is going on.

Like many Aussie NHL fans I know, I’m starting to live off short game clips and highlights.

One of my favourite clips this week was the puck drop between Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames (on Monday). The Ducks had a military explosive detector dog named Corporal Nero – ummm, cute much? – drop the puck! For a dog and hockey lover like me, puck drops kind of don’t get much better than that.

So, I caught a couple of games last week. To summarise, I’ll break down my games into pros and cons.

Montreal Canadiens verse Vancouver Canucks, 3-0, November 3 (Aussie time)

Habs

Pros: Carey Price.

Cons: Fudging an empty net goal when they were right in the crease. That’s about it though.

Canucks

Pros: Speed. Not afraid to take a shot.

Cons: Seemed to lose momentum in the second and third period. Despite all their attempts on goal, they couldn’t find an answer for Price.

Who came out on top? The Habs. Mostly because of Price.

Montreal Canadiens verse Columbus Blue Jackets, 0-10, November 5

Habs

Pros: Well, they showed up. Physically. Their spirit however, not so much. There aren’t too many Habs positives to take away from this one.

Cons: It appears the Habs can’t function without Price in net. Ten goal horns in a row is just too much, especially if you’re watching the highlights.
Blue Jackets

Pros: It’s really cool (that was such a mum thing to say) that the BJs inspired their crowd for this game. The crowd started chanting for them to take it to 10, which they did. That’s something really special to deliver for your fans.

Cons: Being named after a coloured piece of clothing.

Who came out on top? The Blue Jackets, because defeating the league leaders 10-0 is an impressive feat.

Montreal Canadiens verse Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4, November 6

Habs

Pros: Relentless persistence in front of the net. Beautiful set ups for goals. Scoring celebrations. You could really hear the Habs’ home crowd when they scored. It was a roar, which was very nice to hear.

Cons: Defense lapses when the Flyers had the puck near their net.

Flyers

Pros: Less orange! I like the Flyers’ away jerseys much more. Determination to score their third goal after a spectacular miss. Flyers didn’t miss a beat, just kept playing hard hockey until they scored.

Cons: Defense lapses, too. Not clearing the puck well.

Who came out on top? Neither. Both. This one was an even split.

Help me find a NHL team. Send me a Tweet with your recommendations, or tag me in a video you think I should watch!

Ellie-Marie Watts is a journalist for Grassroots Sports, Newcastle Northstars (AIHL team) and Fairfax Media. She has a passion for sport, in particular grassroots sports such as ice hockey, gridiron and roller derby, and telling stories about athletes, overcoming adversity and triumph. Through Grassroots Sports Ellie hopes to help promote the emerging sports she loves into the forefront of the Australian public’s mind, chart their rise, take a few photos (another passion of hers) and tell the stories of the people who made it happen.

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