Pye in the Sky

As I'm still really new to this arena of blogging, I'm learning and noticing new things every day. Readers notice every mistake (yesterday I accidentally referred to Islanders Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov as Ilya Bryzgalov - oops). Readers come from lots of different places, as there really are hockey fans worldwide. I take ALOT of notes on a game (4-6 pages handwritten generally) and much of the notes doesn't end up in the game story. Watching a game live at the area is hugely different than watching it on TV.

Last night, I had the privilege of  visiting the Bell Centre for the 5th time this season. (For those of you who are superstitious, they are 3-1-1 when I visit). Watching a game from on high makes it much simpler to see how the team is working as a unit, what's the exact structure? Where are the breakdowns?

I tend to notice from the rafter seats really how especially with this Canadiens team scoring chances for and against really do come off of mistakes. Most interestingly, I can see how much of a "team game" it is as opposed to seeing individual performances. Sitting so far away makes it much more difficult to focus on "little things" in specific players performances - unless they really stand out.



Erik Cole was once again the best forward on the ice. Andrei Kostitsyn was still the best player on his line. Lars Eller is going to be something really special when he blossoms. The Canadiens are built to play 7 defensemen regularly - and based on play of late Yannik Weber isn't one of them. Why was Louie Leblanc's ice time drastically cut after Moen left the game? Whatever happened to Mike Cammalleri? Can we stop ragging on Pierre Gauthier? - Every move he has made this season has turned out well to date. (Kaberle, Cole, Emelin, Diaz, Nokelainen, Campoli). Matt Moulson can really play! Al Montoya would love to have at least 2 Habs goals back.


Those are the things I noticed last night. This evening, I will be watching the broadcast of last nights game and taking my usual detailed notes. Expect a full breakdown later tonight, or tomorrow morning. In the meantime, thank you for reading and feel free to leave comments.