Overtime!

NHL Playoffs: Montreal And Boston Tied.

2011-04-22T07:53:00.004-04:00

An overtime period was necessary yesterday in Game Four of the first round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins.

Michael Ryder scored the game-winner and tied the series up at two games apiece.

The Canadiens had the advantage early on and struck first during the first period. Brent Sopel slapped one past goaltender Tim Thomas.

The Bruins tied the score early into the second period when Michael Ryder scored his first goal of the series. But the Canadiens replied with two quick goals. Michael Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn scored their goals less than a minute apart. At that point, Montreal led 3-1 and looked poised to take a 3-1 series lead.

But Boston came roaring back before the end of the second period. Andrew Ference and Patrice Bergeron tied the score at 3 heading to the third period.

P.K. Subban gave Montreal a third lead in the game when his perfect wrist shot found it's way in Boston's net. But Boston tied the game once more with a little more than six minutes to play. Chris Kelly found a loose puck in front of Carey Price and pushed it in the net to tie the game once more.

Michael Ryder with his second goal of the game made the difference during the first overtime period.

Final score: Boston Bruins 5 - Montreal Canadiens 4 (The series is tied 2-2.)

The series is going back to Boston on Saturday for game five.

NHL Playoffs: Boston In A Delicate Position.

2011-04-18T07:48:00.004-04:00

Tonight, Game Three of the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins will be played at the Bell centre in Montreal.

After winning the first two games of the series in Boston, the Canadiens will be looking to put their opponent in a huge hole. At the opposite, Boston will try to come back in this series before it's too late.

The Canadiens did not feel any pressure during the first two games of the series as they were the underdogs. But with a 2-0 series lead coming home, they are now in the driver seat and the pressure of winning should complicate things a bit.

As for Boston's defense men Zdeno Chara who missed Game Two, we have no clue if he will be in uniform tonight. The tall defense men did make the trip to Montreal but head coach Claude Julien refused to give any more details regarding his status.

The atmosphere should be electric inside the Bell centre tonight. Will the Bruins turn the tables tonight or will goaltender Carey Price manage to shut down Boston for a third time?

We will have our answer tonight. Should be a good one.

(Picture: Milan Lucic, Getty Images.)

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Montreal Takes Game One.

2011-04-15T07:32:00.006-04:00

Carey Price has won his duel with Tim Thomas yesterday and allowed the Canadiens to win Game One of this first round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins.

Price made the difference as he stopped a total of 31 shots on goal while his opponent, Tim Thomas, allowed a goal on the very first shot of the game.

With two goals, Brian Gionta was the offensive star in this one. The team captain scored his first goal of the game early in the contest after a turnover from defense men Tomas Kaberle. Scott Gomez brillantly threw the loose puck across the ice to Gionta for the goal.

Gionta scored his second goal with less than four minutes to play in the third period. His slapshot coming from the wing found a hole under Thomas' right arm to trickle in the net. A very bad goal to allow when your team is trying to tie the game.

Scott Gomez also printed his name twice on the score sheet with two assists. Before the start of the series, Gomez committed himself to a better offensive production and delivered during Game One.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 2 - Boston Bruins 0 (Montreal leads the series by 1-0.)

(Picture: Carey Price stops Brad Marchand, Getty Images.)

The Quest For Lord Stanley's Cup Is Open.

2011-04-14T07:18:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, five first round matches were presented as the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup has begun.

First, the Washington Capitals needed overtime to defeat the New-York Rangers by the score of 2-1. Alexander Semin scored the overtime winner in this one.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and their goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury, blanked the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-0.

The Detroit Red Wings disposed of the Phoenix Coyotes by the score of 4-2 while the Nashville Predators claimed a 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

The Vancouver Canucks did not made any mistake in front of the defending champions Chicago Blackhawks. The Canucks won the first game of the series by the score of 2-0. Goaltender Roberto Luongo looked great in this one.

Washington, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Nashville and Vancouver leads their respective best-of-seven series, 1-0.

Tonight, the old and bitter rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins will resume. There is no love lost between those two clubs and a heated series is expected, as usual. The Chara-Pacioretty incident is still fresh to our memories and should be used as motivation for Montreal.

Montreal managed to defeat Boston four times in six regular season games this season.

Another point of interest in this series resides in net as Carey Price and Tim Thomas face each other in an anticipated duel. Thomas has had problems with the Canadiens a number of times and will be looking forward to shut down the Habs fans.

Will Boston's physical game intimidate the Canadiens? We will have a part of the answer tonight in Boston during Game One.

(Picture: P.K. Subban, Milan Lucic and Carey Price, Getty Images.)

Montreal Canadiens Clinches Playoff Berth In Overtime.

2011-04-06T08:31:00.003-04:00

For the last regular season game of this 2010-2011 season at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks played a very disputed game, with an ending that pleased the crowd.

The only goals scored during regulation came during the second period. Michael Cammalleri scored for Montreal and Patrick Kane for the Hawks.

The scoring opportunities came at both ends of the ice but both goaltenders in this game made fantastic saves to keep the score tied. Carey Price was litterally in the zone. He saved the game for Montreal late in the third period during a Hawks' man-advantage. As the puck was about to float in the net, Price made a reflex left hand save while falling backwards.

At the end of regulation, the score was still tied at 1 apiece. P.K. Subban ended the contest during a man-advantage with a solid one-timer on a brillant pass from Andrei Kostitsyn.

Subban once again added another flashy goal celebration to his resume as he raced towards Carey Price and collided with him in mid air.

The extra point gained during the overtime insured the Canadiens' playoff spot. With only two games left to the regular season, a ton of pressure has dropped from the teams' shoulders.

Every year, I can't wait for the playoffs to begin. The intensity of every game only gets greater and greater. We saw a good example of it yesterday as both teams played a typical playoff game.

As for Carey Price, this 2010-2011 season will be remembered as one of his best in career. Yesterday, Price played his 71st game, breaking the single-season club record for a goalie. It was also his 37th win, the most by a Montreal goalie since Ken Dryden in 1977-78.

Congratulations to Montreal for clinching their berth and the best of luck for the rest of the way!

(Picture: Associated Press.)

NHL Says: No Problem Mr. Chara!

2011-03-10T07:46:00.006-05:00

The National Hockey League didn't punish the Boston Bruins' defense men Zdeno Chara for his hit on Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty.

Tuesday evening, with only a few seconds to go to the second period and with a 0-4 deficit in the game, the stage was set for such an incident. Approaching a dangerous part of the rink, Pacioretty and Chara went side by side.

A mild collision between the two players sent Pacioretty's head on the edge of the glass, resulting in a violent and spectacular collision.

Max Pacioretty has a fractured vertebrae (c-4) and a grade three concussion. His season is over while we are still waiting to see if he will ever fully recover from this violent collision.

The incident brought a ton of reactions from the fans who claimed a severe suspension. There was a lot of frustration yesterday when the league decided not to sanction Chara's actions. Another missed opportunity by the league to crack down on those dangerous hits.

Pacioretty said that he was disgusted by the league's inaction in this case. He affirms that Chara placed his hand on his head and directed it towards the edge of the glass.

I wish a speedy recovery to Max Pacioretty and I sincerely hope that the incident will not affect the rest of his career.

Here are the disturbing images of this incident:

Montreal Canadiens Pushes The Hurricanes Away.

2011-02-27T12:00:00.006-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens extended their lead in the standings over the Carolina Hurricanes to six points with a difficult 4-3 victory at the Bell centre.

The Canadiens sent their backup goaltender, Alex Auld, in action as Carey Price was unable to perform due to a virus. The backup goalie had a difficult time, allowing soft goals and sending dangerous rebounds in front of his own net all evening long.

Andrei Kostitsyn, late in the game, scored the winning goal on a world-class deflection that sailed away from goaltender Cam Ward. Kostitsyn was also the accomplice on Lars Eller's goal during the second period.

The club could use more contribution from AK-46 these days.

Brent Sopel (picture) was in uniform for his first game with Montreal yesterday after being acquired by the club earlier this week. The veteran defense men will greatly help the Canadiens' depleted defensive unit.

Here's the Eastern Conference standings at this date. A heated playoff race is brewing up and all the points are important at this stage.

1	Philadelphia	62	40	16	6	86
2	Tampa Bay	61	36	18	7	79
3	Boston	61	35	19	7	77
4	Pittsburgh	64	37	21	6	80
5	Washington	63	33	20	10	76
6	Montreal	63	33	23	7	73
7	NY Rangers	63	33	26	4	70
8	Carolina	63	29	25	9	67
9	Buffalo	61	29	25	7	65
10	Toronto	62	27	27	8	62
11	Atlanta	62	25	26	11	61
12	Florida	61	26	28	7	59
13	New Jersey	61	26	31	4	56
15	Ottawa	62	21	32	9	51

Hail To The Super Bowl XLV Champs!

2011-02-13T20:48:00.006-05:00

Last week, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers by the score of 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV presented in Irving, Texas.

The Packers took the lead on their first possession of the game and never gave it back. On the first possession, Aaron Rodgers hooked up with Jordy Nelson good for a 29-yard touchdown reception and a 7-0 lead.

The Pack doubled their lead when Nate Collins picked a Ben Roethlisberger pass and returned it to pay dirt. A spectacular play that gave Green Bay a 14-0 lead.

Both teams exchanged a touchdown during the second quarter after the Steelers kicked a field goal halfway in the quarter. The Packers led 21-10 at the half.

The Steelers scored the only points during the third quarter. Rashard Mendenhall punched a 8-yard touchdown run, bringing the Steelers within four points.

Greg Jennings scored his second touchdown of the game early into the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers completed a total of three touchdown passes, Green Bay was back on top, 28-17.

The Steelers replied immediatly with a touchdown of their own followed with a successful two point conversion. The Packers lead was down to three points, 28-25.

With their final possession, Green Bay added a field goal and defended the Steelers' ultimate attempt for the 31-25 final score.

Green Bay claims their fourth Super Bowl title in franchise history. Aaron Rodgers was named the game MVP.

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for their spectacular victory!

(Picture: Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews, Getty Images.)

P.K. Subban Puts A Lid On A Catastrophe.

2011-01-18T10:47:00.005-05:00

A potential catastrophe was brewing as the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Calgary Flames on Monday night at the Bell centre.

The Canadiens took a 4-0 lead during the second period with goals from Lars Eller, Michael Cammalleri, Jeff Halpern and Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn's goal chased Mikka Kiprusoff out of Calgary's net who was brilliantly replaced by Henrik Karlsson who held the fort from that point on.

The Flames started to compete a lot better after the goaltender change. Calgary reduced the score to 4-2 before the end of the second period with goals from Rene Bourque and Jarome Iginla.

Early in the third frame, Ales Kotalik and Alex Tanguay tied the game at 4 as they both scored on Alex Auld in only 1:19. P.K Subban made many defensive mistakes and was a factor in this Flames comeback.

Auld was replaced by Carey Price as both teams played a total of four goaltenders during that game.

The score settled until overtime, and P.K. Subban scored a brilliant goal on Henrik Karlsson with a prefect shot to the top shelf. Subban made another spectacular goal celebration, a signature that bothers quite a few around the league.

The Canadiens will travel and play the Buffalo Sabres tonight. Carey Price is expected to start this one. Montreal has already defeated the Sabres three times this season.

(Picture: P.K. Subban, Canadian Press.)

NFL Playoffs: Upsets And More.

2011-01-12T10:13:00.004-05:00

The Wildcard weekend was filled with very interesting matches and a couple of upsets. The two previous Super Bowl opponents are already out of the picture!

For the first time in NFL history, a team with a losing record was qualified for the playoffs. The 7-9 Seattle Seahawks were facing the defending champions New Orleans Saints. The match itself was well disputed and both offenses scored at will.

A spectacular 67-yard run from Marshawn Lynch who broke about a half dozen of tackles with only three minutes and a half to go made the difference in this 41-36 Seahawks victory.

The New York Jets faced the Indianapolis Colts in a classic matchup. The Jets finally edged the Colts by the score of 17-16. Jets' head coach Rex Ryan has won his match. Ryan took this match ''personnally'' as he promised a Jets win before the match.

The Philadelphia Eagles took the Green Bay Packers to the limit but fell short in a 21-16 loss. Green Bay was simply too talented for Michael Vick and the Eagles in tis one. Vick tried to upset the Packers in a last minute drive but his last pass attempt fell in the hands of the defense.

The Baltimore Ravens completely dominated the Kansas City Chiefs. The final score of 30-7 gives an accurate indication of the match. A one-sided match where the Ravens' defense completely shut down the Chiefs.

The playoffs will continue this weekend as four matches are scheduled.

The arch rivals Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will square off in Pittsburgh. I expect a very disputed match between those two exceptional defenses.

The New York Jets will travel to Foxboro as they will face the New England Patriots. New England has blown out the Jets earlier this season and should have an edge on them. I really expect New England to go out on top in this one.

The Seattle Seahawks will continue their unprobable run at the Soldier field in Chicago as they will now face the powerful Chicago Bears. Nobody expects a Seattle victory but who knows?

Finally, the Green Bay Packers will be in Atlanta to face the Atlanta Falcons. Both of these talented teams should give a great match. I have not seen the Falcons play this season but their impressive regular season record speaks by itself. I expect a close and exciting match.

Don't miss out on those four great matches this weekend!

(Picture: Steelers vs Ravens.)

World Junior Hockey Championships Final: Russia Shocks Canada.

2011-01-06T07:13:00.004-05:00

The Gold Medal match of the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship was disputed between Russia and Canada yesterday at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

After taking a 3-0 lead after two periods, team Canada looked to be in good shape to win the gold medal. But Russia came back from this deficit as they scored five unanswered goals during the third period to upset Canada by the score of 5-3.

Despite this horrible third period, team Canada disputed a very good tournament. Brayden Schenn led the way with a record-tying performance as he registered a total of 18 points.

Team USA defeated Team Switzerland and won the bronze medal on home ice.

(Picture: Canadian Press.)

Montreal Canadiens: In A Downward Spiral.

2010-12-29T10:31:00.004-05:00

After a very good start in the first two months of this 2010-2011 season, the Montreal Canadiens are experiencing a very difficult month of December.

The team went from fighting for the top spot in the Eastern conference to the eight position in a matter of four weeks. The Canadiens are having problems defensively while their offensive weapons aren't producing to an acceptable level.

The team's General Manager, Pierre Gauthier, has acquired defense men James Wisniewski this week in an attempt to stabilize his defense. Interestingly, the price tag wasn't too high; a couple of draft picks.

The Canadiens have lost once again yesterday. The Washington Capitals blanked the Habs by the score of 3-0. Despite playing fairly well, the team failed to finish around the opposing net on numerous occasions.

Montreal has won only once during the first five games of their seven-game road trip. The Habs will finish their trip in Florida to face the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers before heading back to Montreal.

A couple of wins could attenuate the tension in the locker room. There is always tension between the players during losing a streak and the Canadiens are right in the middle of one right now.

We already heard a couple of players complaining about some individuals this season. We even saw some pushing and stick jousting between Tomas Plekanec and P.K. Subban a couple of days ago during a team practice. One more sign that the tension is slowly boiling over.

Let's see if the Canadiens can win a couple of games before this year 2010 is over.

Canadiens-Bruins: Montreal Snaps Three-Game Losing Streak.

2010-12-17T07:54:00.004-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens bounced back from their deceiving 3-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers with a solid performance at the Bell centre yesterday.

The Canadiens played well enough to collect a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins, a solid rival who was only two points behind Mntreal in the standings before the game.

Michael Cammalleri opened the score early into the game when the referee awarded him a penalty shot. A first goal into these conditions for Cammalleri in career.

Still into the first period, Maxim Lapierre scored his fifth goal of the season when his shot went off the post before hitting goaltender Tim Thomas in the back to finally trickle into the net. Blake Wheeler pulled the Bruins within a goal but Max Pacioretty answered right back with his first goal of the season, making it 3-1 in favor of Montreal.

Boston refused to let go and during the second period, Marc Savard put one past goaltender Carey Price to make it once again a one goal game. But Brian Gionta added another goal for Montreal when he tipped Pacioretty's shot, beating Tim Thomas for a fourth time.

The Bruins did score once more, this time during the third frame, but it was too little, too late. The goal from Milan Lucic added some suspense but the Canadiens held on to win it by the score of 4-3.

It was a night of ''first timers'' for Michael Cammalleri. Aside from his successful penalty shot early into the game, he was involved in a fight with David Krejci during the second period.

P.K. Subban also made his presence felt in this game with a highlight reel of a body check on Brad Marchant. Marchant was skating hard towards the Canadiens territory when Subban checked him in an unusual way.

Montreal will play the next seven games on the road to finish 2010. An important sequence for the Habs who tries to stay with the top teams in the conference. The Colorado Avalanche will be their next opponent Sunday.

(Picture: Michael Cammalleri.)

Favre's Streak Ends At 297.

2010-12-15T10:06:00.005-05:00

This weekend, Minnesota Vikings' quarterback Brett Favre did not play against the New York Giants. The right shoulder injury that he suffered a week ago against the Buffalo Bills was too much for the veteran player.

For the first time in 297 games, Favre was unable to start.

But this wasn't the only news out of Minnesota this weekend. Sunday morning, the roof of the Metrodome collapsed under the weight of the snow. Fortunatly enough, nobody was inside the stadium at the time of the collapse and no injuries were reported.

The match scheduled between the Vikings and the Giants was played on Monday night in Detroit. The Giants won the contest rather easily and took away the last playoff spot available for the Vikings.

Brett Favre could return to action before the end of the regular season and it will be the last chance to see Favre in uniform. The Vikings' quarterback is more than likely into his very last moments in the NFL.

I will not miss Favre's final moments in the NFL for nothing in the world. The last twenty years have been wonderful and it was a pleasure to follow him. I will always remember his competitiveness and his toughness through adversity.

The Minnesota Vikings will play the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend.

(picture: The Metrodome.)

Sweet December.

2010-12-07T18:20:00.005-05:00

This month of December is giving us great stories to discuss about.

Tiger Woods have dropped a four stroke lead in the final round this weekend, and, for the first time has gone an entire season without a single victory. Tough times for Tiger in 2010.

The Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre are litterally suffering this season. After a rocky start, the Vikings have managed to pull themselves to a 5-7 record and are still sitting in the last wagon towards the playoffs.

Brett Favre have left this weekend's game after the third play from scrimmage with a shoulder injury. His 297th consecutive start was one of his shortest ever and Tavaris Jackson did well in relief. The defense also stood up as they ripped the ball away from the Buffalo Bills a number of times in this one.

The Montreal Canadiens are still ranked among the top teams in the NHL Eastern conference despite the loss of defense men Andrei Markov for the remainder of the season. Markov is about to go through another reconstructive surgery. The Canadiens will have a difficult decision to make as Markov's contract expires this summer.

The World Junior Hockey championships are only weeks ahead and promises another great competition. The bright future from all around the globe will show their potential to the whole world. This competition is always fun to watch during the Holidays. Team Canada will defend their Gold Medal.

I also have to mention that Overtime! has reached 22 000 readers this month. Thank you all for visiting and taking the time to read and comment my articles. It's always a pleasure to interact with you.

Happy holidays to every reader! And once again, 22 000 times thank you!

Pat Burns: 1952-2010

2010-11-23T09:16:00.005-05:00

The world of hockey mourned the loss of one of their great ambassador this weekend when Pat Burns passed away after a long fight with cancer.

Pat Burns was a man of heart and passion. While his impressive stature was intimidating, those who got to know him a little more found a respectful and fair man. Burns also had a tasteful sense of humor outside the rink.

The color in Burns comments during press conferences will also be remembered for a long time among some members of the press who had the pleasure -or in some cases displeasure- of working with him.

I was lucky enough to have personally met Pat Burns once when I have been picked in a contest to skate along with some players and coaches. I remember that this afternoon, Pat was in a good mood as he signed autographs and joined us for a group photo. He was very nice with us and even gave some tips to a couple of them during the practice. A true professionnal.

Pat Burns had an illustrious NHL coaching career with the Montreal Canadiens, the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils.

When hired in 1989 by the Canadiens, his mandate was to bring back the team to a competitive level. He did just that as the Canadiens went to the Stanley Cup final that very same year!

His 1993 playoff run with the Toronto Maple Leafs is also very fresh to my memory. The Leafs eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in classic fashion during game seven of the first round of the playoffs. The Leafs went on to the Western conference final that year.

Burns won the Stanley Cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils. A deserved championship for him. Burns was named coach of the year three times with three different clubs during his career. An accomplishment that was never done by any other NHL coach in history.

Unfortunatly, the NHL Hall of Fame didn't open it's doors to Burns while he was still alive. I do not understand the reasons of this decision and I am a little upset with the NHL for this.

I think that Burns deserves proper recognition from the league and I think that Pat Burns has what it takes to be in the HHOF.

My sincere wishes goes to the family. Rest in peace Pat.

(Picture: Pat Burns.)

Sebastian Vettel: The Youngest F1 World Champion.

2010-11-16T09:47:00.005-05:00

The final race of this 2010 Formula One season was disputed at Abu Dhabi this weekend as four drivers were still mathematically able to claim the championship.

The points leader, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Red Bull's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were more logical avenues than McLaren's Lewis Hamilton who was trailing Alonso by 24 points.

After a difficult start, Sebastian Vettel kept his first place in front of Hamilton and cruised ahead until the end.

An important part of the race was played during the second lap when Michael Schumacher spun and caused a crash that completely changed the running order until the very end of the race. Alonso and Webber lost many vital positions and weren't able to come back, leaving the door wide open for Vettel.

Sebastian Vettel was crowned World Champion, the youngest ever at 23 years and four months old. The previous record was held by Fernando Alonso.

This exciting season is now behind us and we are looking forward to 2011. A total of 20 races will be run with some interesting new tracks like India are scheduled.

Congratulations to Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel for their respective championships.

Drivers Championship. (final)

1	S. VETTEL	256
2	F. ALONSO	252
3	M. WEBBER	242
4	L. HAMILTON	240
5	J. BUTTON	214
6	F. MASSA	144
7	N. ROSBERG	142
8	R. KUBICA	136
9	M. SCHUMACHER	72
10	R. BARRICHELLO	47
11	A. SUTIL	47
12	K. KOBAYASHI	32
13	V. PETROV	27
14	N. HULKENBERG	22
15	V. LUIZZI	21
16	S. BUEMI	8
17	P. DE LA ROSA	6
18	N. HEIDFELD	6
19	J. ALGUERSUARI	5
20	H. KOVALAINEN	0
21	J. TRULLI	0
22	K. CHANDHOK	0
23	B. SENNA	0
24	L. DI GRASSI	0
25	T. GLOCK	0
26	S. YAMAMOTO	0
27	C. KLIEN	0
28	F. FAUZY	0

Constructors Championship. (final)

Team	Points
1	Red Bull-Renault	498
2	McLaren-Mercedes	454
3	Ferrari	396
4	Mercedes GP	214
5	Renault	163
6	Williams-Cosworth	69
7	Force India-Mercedes	68
8	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	44
9	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	13
10	Lotus-Cosworth	0
11	Virgin-Cosworth	0
12	Hispania-Cosworth	0

(Picture: Sebastian Vettel, Getty Images.)

Jonathan Duhamel Wins The 2010 WSOP Main Event!

2010-11-09T08:56:00.005-05:00

For the first time in WSOP history, a Canadian has won the main event!

To clinch the championship, Jonathan Duhamel eliminated the American John Racener, the last opponent to face him in head-to-head action. The winning hand, an Ace and a Jack beat Racener's King and Eight.

Many fans that came to support Duhamel were wearing the Montreal Canadiens' jersey. The 2010 WSOP champion promised to donate $100,000 to the Montreal Canadiens' childrens foundation.

Duhamel pockets $8,944,310 for his victory. At 22 years old, his poker career has been launched to superstar status.

Canadians all over the country are proud of Duhamel's incredible accomplishment today. The news of his victory is spreading all over from every news source in Canada. There are a lot of interviews coming up for him here in Quebec as he should go around a list of televised shows.

Once again, congratulations to Jonathan Duhamel for his great and inspiring victory.

(Picture: Jonathan Duhamel, WSOP.)

Fourth Line Halts Montreal's Losing Streak.

2010-11-06T00:03:00.005-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens edged the Buffalo Sabres yesterday by a single goal margin, all thanks to the Habs' fourth line.

The unbelievable performance from the members of the fourth line combined with a solid performance from goaltender Carey Price avoided the club from suffering a third consecutive loss.

Buffalo opened the score during the first period when Mike Grier broke in front of the goalie and went around Price.

The Canadiens answered quickly to that first goal of the game. Jeff Halpern completed a great pass from Mathieu Darche behind the net. Halpern's shot left goaltender Patrick Lalime clueless.

The Sabres took the lead once again, this time halfway into the second period. Jordan Leopold pounced on a loose puck at the side of Price's net.

Montreal replied even quicker to that goal. Only 46 seconds later, Benoit Pouliot tied the game up at 2 when Mathieu Darche, again, fed Pouliot with a great pass in front of the net.

Then a few minutes later, Pouliot beat Lalime with a powerful slapshot from the top of the circles. With two goals including the game-winner, Benoit Pouliot -now a part of the fourth line- really shines for the first time of the season.

The welcomed output from the Pouliot-Darche-Halpern line prevents the team from sinking quickly in the standings for now. But the weak production from Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Michael Cammalleri will send the club in a freefall sooner or later should those players fail to find a solution.

Will the Canadiens' top players snap out of their slump in November? Or will the team sink gradually?

We will have a part of the answer when the Vancouver Canucks will be the visitors at the Bell centre next Tuesday.

San Francisco Giants Wins World Series.

2010-11-02T08:52:00.000-04:00

After a 56-year drought, the San Francisco Giants have defeated the Texas Rangers in five games and won the 2010 World Series.

In this fifth game of the series, the Giants defeated the Rangers by the score of 3-1. The Giants starting pitcher, Tim Lincecum, offered a solid performance as he only allowed three hits in eight innings while harvesting ten strikeouts.

Closing pitcher Brian Wilson finished the Rangers in the ninth inning with two strikeouts and sealed this 2010 season for good.

This improbable victory for the Giants came after the team qualified itself to the post-season dance at the very last game of the regular season!

Edgar Renteria was named the World Series MVP. Renteria has won the World Series with the Florida Marlins a decade earlier.

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for this great accomplishment. The beautiful San Fran area now has another reason to celebrate.

(Picture: San Francisco Giants.)

Andrei Kostitsyn Leads Habs To Victory.

2010-10-26T09:29:00.005-04:00

Yesterday at the Bell centre, the Montreal Canadiens edged the Phoenix Coyotes during the overtime period by the score of 3-2. Andrei Kostitsyn pounced on a loose puck in front of the net to seal the deal.

Kyle Turris early in the second period and Derek Morris at the first minute mark of the third period managed to score on goaltender Carey Price. Morris' goal tied the game up at two apiece until the overtime period.

Carey Price was solid in net for Montreal, especially after the Coyotes tied the score. Price saved Montreal from falling behind on a couple of occasions with spectacular saves. The ''Carey Carey'' chants at the Bell centre extinguished the ''boos'' and let's hope it's for good.

Halfway in the second period, Montreal scored two quick goals. Tomas Plekanec opened the score for the Habs while two minutes later, Michael Cammalleri ended Montreal's power play drought halfway into the second frame with a very precise wrist shot.

Andrei Kostitsyn was named the game's first star with his OT game-winning goal. AK has already five goals this season including two game winners. He leads the team with eight points after eight games.

But beyond those good stats, we can now notice his implication into the play. Andrei makes better passes to his teammates, places himself in better position without the puck, keeps himself in motion all the time and goes towards the front of the net on many more occasions.

I have never doubted his talent and those eight games shows that Kostitsyn can play at a high level. Let's see if he keeps the pace and give the Canadiens a 70+ points season.

(Picture: Andrei Kostitsyn, La Presse.)

A Good Start For The Canadiens.

2010-10-19T08:26:00.002-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens managed to gather seven points out of a possible ten after five games. If we compare with last season, the team had only four points. Overall, the team is in better shape after five games.

Despite the anemic power play this season, the team managed to win games playing five on five. With only one goal in 17 attempts, there is room for more.

At the other end of the rink, Montreal did manage to keep their opponents away from the scoresheet during man advantages. Their 90% success rate with a man in the box makes up for the weak power play.

With defense men Andrei Markov scheduled to return to action very soon, the team's defense will be in better shape than last year. At the same point last season, Markov was already seriously injuried and missed the majority of the regular season.

As for goaltender Carey Price, he seems to have found his groove early into this season. His excellent performances allowed the Canadiens to have a chance to win on a regular basis thus far.

Some newcomers have already made their mark this season. Jeff Halpern have already scored two goals while Dustin Boyd and Alex Picard has lit the lamp once. Lars Eller however is still looking for his first goal as a Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens will continue their season as they will host the New Jersey Devils Thursday. We will keep an eye on Andrei Markov as he could make a return as early as this week.

(Picture: Andrei Markov, Canadian Press.)

Brett Favre Achieves Another Milestone.

2010-10-12T08:49:00.005-04:00

The New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings were facing each other in the Monday Night classic this week. Despite Favre's three touchdown passes, the Jets edged the Vikings by the score of 29-20.

Yesterday, Brett Favre became the first NFL quarterback to register 500 TD passes or more in career. During the third quarter, Favre registered his 500th TD pass when he threw a long ball that WR Randy Moss caught in the end zone.

The newest acquisition for the Vikings had a positive impact on Minnesota who was trailing 12-0 before Moss' TD.

Up 12-7, the Jets registered their fifth field goal of the match after a fantastic kickoff return and took an eight point lead, 15-7.

Despite a nagging tendonitis to his right elbow, Favre orchestrated another successful drive. Percy Harvin's 37-yard TD reception brought the Vikings within two points. But the two point conversion failed, the Jets still up 15-13.

Both teams exchanged another touchdown, as Favre registered his 502nd career TD pass when Harvin caught his 2nd TD pass of the night. Jets still up 22-20.

In a last attempt to win the game, the Vikings were unable to move the ball. Dwight Lowery iced the game when he picked Favre's pass and ran into the endzone.

Final score: New York Jets 29- Minnesota Vikings 20.

The Vikings are now 1-3, not a very good start but they will face another 1-3 team in the Dallas Cowboys next week. Both teams will be desperate for a win.

(Picture: Brett Favre.)

Montreal And Pittsburgh Collides Again Tonight.

2010-10-09T07:53:00.004-04:00

After a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens will play for the first time in the new Pittsburgh Penguins' arena.

The players on Pittsburgh's side really wants to win this one. Christopher Letang even pronounced the word ''revenge''. The Canadiens eliminated the Penguins and closed down the Mellon arena on Game Seven of the Eastern conference semifinal last spring.

Many players in the Penguins dressing room genuinely hate the Montreal Canadiens for that and are seeking revenge starting with tonight's game.

On Montreal's side, Michael Cammalleri cannot wait to begin his season after serving his one-game suspension. Cammalleri was one of the main reasons of the playoff successes last season with 13 goals in 19 games.

This should be a good one.

(Picture: Sidney Crosby.)

Montreal Canadiens Opens Regular Season Tonight.

2010-10-07T08:04:00.004-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs will both open their regular season tonight at the Air Canada centre in Toronto.

Many veteran players will be out of the lineup on Montreal's side. Michael Cammalleri will serve his one-game suspension, defense mens Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik are recovering from injuries. Goaltender Carey Price could be sidelined by the flu and is a game-time decision.

With Price unavailable, Alex Auld should see action in front of Montreal's net tonight.

The Maple Leafs will turn the page tonight as they had an horrible season last year. A place in the playoffs is of course the ultimate objective but it won't be easy. The Eastern conference playoff race should be very disputed this season.

So let's all enjoy the return of ice hockey tonight.

Cheers!

Fishing Ramblings At Backyard Angler.

2010-10-05T10:07:00.002-04:00

For those of you who are into fishing and outdoors sports like hiking and hunting, I suggest that you visit Backyard Angler today.

The overall look of the site is neat and is updated frequently. The Backyard Angler is approaching it's 2nd anniversary and contains neat pictures that accompany the author's ramblings. A nice read overall.

Take a few minutes to see what's inside the Backyard Angler today.

This post was sponsored by the Backyard Angler.

Michael Cammalleri Suspended.

2010-10-05T08:37:00.007-04:00

Montreal Canadiens' Michael Cammalleri was suspended for one game by the NHL and will miss the season opener Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada center.

Cammalleri received a game misconduct penalty during the second period of the game between the Canadiens and the New York Islanders last Saturday when he brutally hit Nino Niederreiter behind a leg with his stick.

The one game suspension is a fair penalty in my opinion as Cammalleri clearly intended to hurt his rival. This is a first suspension in career for the Canadiens' forward.

Cammalleri was an important part of the team during the latest playoffs as he registered 13 goals and 19 points in 19 playoff games.

I hope that the NHL will start to increase the number and the duration of suspensions this season. The number of serious injuries is on the rise and a number of them are avoidable. We saw too many free shots from behind in the last few years and it would be a shame to witness a serious or tragic event before the league reacts.

(Picture: Michael Cammalleri.)

Montreal Canadiens' Brian Gionta Named Team Captain.

2010-09-30T08:03:00.003-04:00

Fourteen months after the departure of Saku Koivu, the Montreal Canadiens chose Brian Gionta to be their new team captain. Gionta becomes the 28th captain in the club's history.

The choice of Gionta as team captain did not caught anyone by surprise. The subject was covered by the media a couple of days ago as it was treated as a rumor at the time. The whole process probably allowed the team to evaluate the fans' reaction to the rumor.

The majority of the players interviewed yesterday seemed to be pleased with Gionta's nomination. At 31 years old, Gionta has the experience to bear the responsability and represents solid leadership in the dressing room.

When asked about his first impressions, Gionta said that he was honored to wear the ''C'' and is proud to be a part of the rich history of the team.

Defense mens Andrei Markov and Hal Gill will both wear the ''A'' and will assist Gionta. Both Markov and Gill were serious candidates to become team captain.

(Picture: Brian Gionta, Getty Images.)

Montreal Canadiens Cut 18 Players From Camp.

2010-09-28T08:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens made their first training camp cuts. The club sent eighteen players. Two of them (Louis Leblanc and Jared Tinordi) will go back with their respective junior squad while the sixteen others will join the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Canadiens evaluated their young talent during the last week of camp and pre-season matches and were ready to make their first cuts. Some of the players removed from the camp will likely have a chance to play with the team later should the team experience a string of injuries during the regular season.

Among those who were cut, we find the names of Louis Leblanc, Jared Tinordi, Alexander Avtsin, Andrew Conboy and Aaron Palushaj. Those players received good comments about their overall potential and fitness level. We could see one or two of those players back with the club during the regular season.

Here are the names of the 18 cut players:

Goaltender:
Robert Mayer

Defensemens:
Kyle Klubertanz
Frédéric St-Denis
David Urquhart
Sébastien Bisaillon
Marc-Antoine Desnoyers
Brendon Nash
Neil Petruic
Jared Tinordi

Forwards:
Alexander Avtsin
Jimmy Bonneau
Andrew Conboy
Dany Massé
Ian Schultz
Aaron Palushaj
James T. Wyman
Olivier Fortier
Louis Leblanc

Another cut is scheduled later this week to once again reduce the roster.

A couple of players are still looking to begin the regular season with the club. Among those we find: Lars Eller, David Desharnais, Ryan White, Ben Maxwell, Max Pacioretty, Gabriel Dumont, Yannick Weber, Alexandre Picard and Mathieu Carle.

(Picture: Louis Leblanc, RDS.)

Pre-Season Opener For The Canadiens.

2010-09-22T10:26:00.004-04:00

Tonight, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens will entertain the hockey fans at the Bell centre in Montreal for the first time of this new upcoming season.

Both teams will line up an interesting mix of prospects and veterans in this game.

On Montreal's side, Andrew Conboy, Louis Leblanc, Gabriel Dumont, Ben Maxwell and Aaron Palushaj will be playing with veteran forwards Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri and Jeff Halpern.

Jared Tinordi, Yannick Weber and Frederic St-Denis will try to proove their potential on defense. Veterans like Hal Gill, Josh Gorges and Jaroslav Spacek will complete the defensive lineup.

Some of the new players mentioned earlier will not make the team this year but it will be interesting to see how they can handle real game situations on both ends of the rink.

I will enjoy my first hockey game of this new season.

A happy 2010-2011 season to every hockey fan!

Do You Reboost?

2010-09-21T20:49:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Thank you for your time.

Minnesota Vikings: More Offense Needed.

2010-09-21T08:24:00.003-04:00

The Minnesota Vikings have lost their home opener to the Miami Dolphins this Sunday. Minnesota had many glorious chances to take the lead late in the game but failed miserably each and every time.

The Vikes have dropped their first two games of the season and the main reason for those two losses is the lack of cohesion on offense.

And as much as I love QB Brett Favre, I have to admit that he didn't help at all. Favre threw three picks last Sunday, two of those could have been easily avoided with just a little more discipline from the veteran. He was also stripped of the ball in his own end zone, resulting in the winning touchdown for the Dolphins.

If the first game of the season wasn't convincing enough about the Vikings' lack of offense, the loss at the hands of the Dolphins is. On at least three different occasions, the Dolphins stopped the Vikings on fourth down and short. Two of those were fourth down and goal to go.

Final score: Miami Dolphins 14 - Minnesota Vikings 10.

I know that once the game is over, it is easy to criticize the coaches' decisions to go for it on fourth down. But the Vikings should've gone for a couple of field goals instead of trying to go for a touchdown with their last two possessions of the fourth quarter.

With two FGs, the Vikings would have won this game and be in a lot less trouble. Minnesota will host the Detroit Lions in week three and desperatly need to win this one.

(Picture: Brett Favre, Canadian Press.)

Montreal Canadiens Rookie Camp Opens.

2010-09-14T10:39:00.005-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens' rookie training camp began yesterday, a sign that the next regular season is just around the corner. In this year's edition, a couple of young players attract the fans and media attention.

Defensemen P.K. Subban is one of them. After an interesting overall performance in April and May during the late stages of the regular season and the playoffs, Subban is looking to be a part of the Canadiens' defensive unit.

Some attention will be also directed towards Louis Leblanc, the team's 1st round draft pick in 2009, and towards defensemen Jared Tinordi, the latest first round pick for the Habs.

Max Pacioretty, already a pick from the 2007 draft, will have to show more than what he did during the last season if he hopes to stay in Montreal.

Lars Eller, acquired in the Jaroslav Halak trade, will also be on the spotlight. Eller did not skate during the first day of the rookie camp, the remnants of an abdominal injury kept him off the ice yesterday.

(Picture: Jared Tinordi.)

Favre: Difficult 20th Season Debut.

2010-09-10T19:08:00.004-04:00

Brett Favre was at the helm for the Minnesota Vikings who faced the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints in yesterday's NFL season kickoff.

Favre disputes a 20th season in the NFL this year, and it should be his last. The most amazing fact is that he was able to play this week after going through an important surgery only a couple of months ago.

The lack of pre-season practice with the new faces in the offensive squad costed Favre and the Vikings in this opening game. The Minnesota defense did it's part in order to win but the Vikes offense never got into high gear.

Final score: New Orleans Saints 14 - Minnesota Vikings 9.

With just a little more cohesion, the Vikings could have won this opening game. But let's see if Minnesota will bounce back in the coming weeks.

As for the Saints, a win at home in front of a loud crowd means back to business. The title defense could be tested in just a couple of weeks.

I cannot wait for my first NFL Sunday of the season.

A Happy season to all the football fans out there!

Back At Home.

2010-09-06T09:08:00.005-04:00

I did not wrote anything on this blog in the last two weeks because of my trip to Florida.

I did not want any internet in my life during my vacations. That way I could really enjoy my time out there.

We made an enjoyable trip, after early bounces. First, the landing was made during a storm, not a pleasant ride. Then it went on for four days of 3-11PM showers and thunderstorms.

But after the rain, came the sun. A steamy, sticky and satisfying streak of ten days. I had to use Coppertone's FPS 70 during my second week. It really saved me from burning up. My weaklish FPS 30 spray I brought was no match for the sun.

So, I am back after a refreshing two weeks. Business as usual will resume here.

Enjoy your visit!

(Picture: Universal's Island of Adventure, Harry Potter's Dragon Challenge.)

Andrew Ranger: Third Victory In A Row At The GP3R.

2010-08-16T18:56:00.006-04:00

The crowd favorite, Andrew Ranger, was sitting on pole before the start of the NASCAR Canadian Tire series at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.

Everything seemed to be perfect for the driver from Roxton Pond but a contact with J.R. Fitzpatrick during the third lap relagated Ranger to the ninth place.

After the minor incident, the crowd was concerned about Ranger's chances and thought that this third win in a row would never materialize. But Andrew fought back and started his comeback towards the front of the field.

Then, after the second caution flag of the event, Ranger dove inside his opponents in turn 1 and took back the first place for good. The crowd saluted Ranger's combativity in loud fashion all around the circuit until the end of the race.

Andrew Ranger crossed the finish line in first place, his third consecutive victory in Trois-Rivieres. J.R. Fitzpatrick and D.J. Kennington completed this 2010 GP3R podium.

Once again we had perfect weather all weekend long. The festivities were memorable all weekend long and the event organization can claim a huge success once again this year.

Congratulations Andrew and see you in 2011 in Trois-Rivieres!

(Picture: Andrew Ranger.)

The Chance Of A Lifetime For Jonathan Duhamel.

2010-08-05T07:56:00.004-04:00

We now know who will take part of the final table at the 2010 World Series Of Poker. The fierce competition lasted a total of eight days, a grueling test of stamina.

Jonathan Duhamel, a 22-year old Canadian from Boucherville, Quebec, is the current chip leader with an impressive 65,975,000 chips. His nearest rival is John Dolan, who trails Duhamel by nearly 20 million chips.

Any poker player would kill to be in Duhamel's position at this stage of the competition. The young poker pro is aware of his glorious opportunity and will try to keep his streak going.

Duhamel could become the first Canadian to win the WSOP and the news of his final table appearance made headlines all over the country. The incredible amount of support shown towards our newest poker star thus far has been impressive and will help promote the game in the province of Quebec.

The nine finalists received just over $811 000 for making it to the final table. The $8.9 Million first prize and the coveted WSOP bracelet will be disputed in early November.

The best of luck to all the players who remains in the competition:

1 Jonathan Duhamel 65,975,000
2 John Dolan 46,250,000
3 Joseph Cheong 23,525,000
4 John Racener 19,050,000
5 Matthew Jarvis 16,700,000
6 Filippo Candio 16,400,000
7 Michael Mizrachi 14,450,000
8 Soi Nguyen 9,650,000
9 Jason Senti 7,625,000

(Picture: Jonathan Duhamel.)

Serious Hardware Problems.

2010-07-23T08:01:00.003-04:00

I have good news.

The hardware related problems on my personal computer are now history and I can resume my normal online activities!

I have experienced serious problems connecting on the internet over the course of the last month and those problems affected this blog greatly. I managed to post a couple of stories during the course of the last four weeks and barely kept this blog alive.

But now I am glad to announce that those problems are solved. I apologize if those problems affected your reading pleasure in any way.

I am always open to new ideas. Feel free to post comments or suggestions in the ''suggestion box''.

Thank you for your time.

Montreal Canadiens: Jacques Martin Promises A Captain.

2010-07-17T07:41:00.003-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens' head coach, Jacques Martin, met the press only minutes before his annual golf tournament and promised that a team captain would be in place before the start of the season.

The Canadiens have played the entire 2009-2010 season without a team captain. Nobody wore the C since the departure of Saku Koivu. The speculations on who could be the next captain are going since a year already.

Yesterday's announcement from Jacques Martin revived the rumors. Yesterdy was also a big day for defense men Andrei Markov who officially became a Canadian citizen. Markov's love for Canada and the city of Montreal was officialized during a short ceremony held in Montreal.

Is there a link between Jacques Martin's declaration and Markov's new citizenship? We should have an answer in a couple of months.

2010 FIFA World Cup: Semifinals.

2010-07-04T14:59:00.003-04:00

We are approaching the conclusion of the 2010 FIFA World Cup as we now know which teams will engage for the final battle for the title.

Before I begin, I have to admit that I am not a hardcore soccer fan. But I have to say that I have followed each and every World Cup with growing interest since 1990.

Each edition of the World Cup that I watched brought something special to remember and this year will be no different. Except that this time it will not be for the good aspects of the whole event.

If I could resume this 2010 World Cup in five words, those words would be: deception, awful refereeing and noise pollution.

I use the word ''deception'' because of the large number of teams that miserably underachieved. For example, France and Italy are two recent past champions that did not manage to do anything on the field. France was not only bad during the competition, they made headlines because of internal disputes that boiled outside the locker room. The players even refused to be part of a public training.

The second part of my resume, ''awful refereeing'' is an obvious choice for me. A couple of results during the pool round and a couple of 1/8 final matches were directly influenced by the work of referees. The 1/8 final match between England and Germany itself could be named ''the pinnacle of awful refereeing'' resulting in a blown second half.

After the Germans took a 2-0 lead, England struck twice before the end of the first half. But the ball on the second goal came out of the goal before the referees could see it. From that point on, the match was tainted.

I chose ''noise pollution'' for my third part of my resume because of the noise produced by the horns used by the fans gathered in the crowd. The ''vuvuzela'', when used without interruption creates an annoying vibrating buzz that a pack of flies would produce.

Now that my resume is over, I will try to pick a winner between the four remaining teams in the competition.

Semifinal No. 1: Uruguay-Netherlands.

While Uruguay needed the penalty kicks to evict Ghana in their quarterfinal match, the Netherlands defeated the powerful Brazil in regular time, an impressive result for the oranjes.

I will favor the Netherlands for this semifinal.

Semifinal No.2: Germany-Spain.

The German scoring machine has not seen any sign of slowing down. The loss of Michael Ballack has not been a factor yet as the German team managed to produce goals in quantity. Spain's defense will give a strong opposition but will it be enough to win?

I favor Germany to win this second semifinal.

Be there Tuesday and Thursday to see who fill be the finalists of this 2010 World Cup.

John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut: Match Of The Century?

2010-06-26T18:05:00.005-04:00

This 2010 edition of the Wimbledon Championships has given us a match for the ages.

The first round match opposing the American John Isner to the Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut has broken many records in the big book of professionnal tennis.

Isner and Mahut disputed an intense match on court No. 18 that lasted a grand total of 11h05! The match went for so long that it required three days to be completed. A large crowd gathered around the court cheered loudly for both players during the second and third day of the memorable duel.

John Isner finally managed to end the match during day three of the marathon, winning by the score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6 and 70-68! The fifth and final set alone required a total of 8h11 of play! An amazing record itself.

But the lenght of the match was not the only record for both players. For example, Isner registered 112 aces while Mahut recorded 103 himself. A total of at least twelve records, including Guinness records, were broken, a very rare accomplishment for any single sporting event.

As we already are as far as a tenth of this ''brand new'' 21st Century, I have a feeling that this historical matchup will receive a fair share of votes in the ''Match Of The Century'' vote come year 2100.

A fair comparison to the Isner-Mahut match in the longevity department alone with a different sport could go as far as, for example, a 50 inning baseball game, a Superbowl victory during the 10th overtime quarter, a 40 rounds boxing match or an Indy 1000.

Unless a brand new sport involving cyborgs pops out and steals the popular vote, the Isner-Mahut clash will remain a classic of this 21st Century.

Alright, be sure to be there to register your vote for the ''Match Of The 21st Century'' in a little bit less than 90 years from now. :)

(Picture: John Isner, Getty Images.)

Montreal Canadiens Trade Jaroslav Halak To St-Louis.

2010-06-18T07:43:00.004-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens' General Manager Pierre Gauthier announced this Thursday that he concluded a trade with the St-Louis Blues. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak has been traded to the Blues for young prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.

With his late season and playoff performances, Halak's value has gone up. But it seems to me that Jaroslav Halak was worth more than the two players the Canadiens acquired. Many Canadiens fans agree with me and think that Gauthier did not get enough for his goaltender.

So after saving the 2009-2010 season for his team and after he brought them against all odds to the Eastern conference final, Jaroslav Halak was shipped away for two prospects.

Goaltender Carey Price will now have to make the fans forget about Halak and his performances during the course of the next season. The Montreal Canadiens fans will expect a lot from Price and will not miss a chance to boo him should the goaltender experience some problems next season. All the pressure will be on Price.

We all knew that the Halak trade was inevitable with the salary situation in Montreal. The contract negociations with players like Tomas Plekanec and a couple of others forced Gauthier to free some space under his salary cap in order to be able to negociate.

But was it the best that Gauthier could get?

(Picture: Jaroslav Halak, Canadian Press.)

2010 Canadian Grand Prix: Complete Success!

2010-06-14T20:15:00.004-04:00

The return of Formula One racing on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit after a year of absence was highly welcomed by racing fans who felt like it happened a decade ago.

Starting from the pole for the third time in three appearances in Canada, Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes has led the major part of the event and tagged his second victory in a row this season.

Incidently, this was a second victory in career for Hamilton at Ile Notre-Dame. With this string of good results, the British driver also took the lead in the drivers' championship.

The race itself was disputed at a wild pace as the safety car stayed parked in the pit lane for the whole lenght of the event. The track temperature reached 40 degrees and even the medium tyres suffered, forcing all the teams to add a pit stop to their plan very early in the race.

A lot of action all over the field and many overtakings ponctuated the race to the pleasure of the fans in attendance. Jenson Button placed his McLaren Mercedes in second place: a perfect weekend for the silver arrows. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso completed the podium as he fought well during the whole race.

A bit of a deception for both Red Bull cars as they were pushed outside the podium for a rare time this season. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber respectively finished in fourth and fifth place.

Also in the notable section, both Force India cars driven by Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil placed in the points just in front of the great Michael Schumacher who fought with his car all weekend long to finish in 11th place.

The stands were packed to capacity and all the tickets available were sold. The event was a clear success. Perfect weather and a lot of festivities insures the success of this event in Montreal for years to come...

But is there any future for the Canadian Grand Prix beyond 2012?

As some of you might already know, the Formula One circus has scheduled a comeback in the United States for the 2012 season. With a brand new circuit in Arizona dedicated to Formula One, the calendar could eventually evict the Montreal event from the calendar and still be in contact with the American market.

I am really wondering this possibility and am praying that I am only hallucinating.

For the moment, let us celebrate the great event we just witnessed in Montreal and follow the continuation of this exciting season.

(Picture: Lewis Hamilton, Canadian Press.)

Stanley Cup Final: Chicago Blackhawks Crowned In Overtime.

2010-06-10T08:31:00.004-04:00

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers disputed an exciting and classic Game Six Wednesday at the Wachovia centre in Philadelphia.

Patrick Kane broke the 3-3 tie during the overtime period for Chicago when he beat goaltender Michael Leighton with a very precise shot from a sharp angle.

The Blackhawks' captain, Jonathan Toews, was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as he was voted the most valuable player of these 2010 playoffs. Toews lifted the Stanley Cup for Chicago for the first time since 1961.

But this Game Six was a lot more than just an overtime goal.

The Hawks opened the score during a man-advantage in the second half of the opening frame. Dustin Byfuglien put the puck past Leighton as he was standing alone right in front of the goal.

The Flyers replied during a man-advantage of their own, just before the end of the first period. Scott Hartnell tied the game at 1 with a savvy backhand shot on a rebound allowed by goaltender Antti Niemi.

In the second period, Daniel Briere gave the lead to the Flyers. A brillant passing play that was concluded by a real warrior for Philadelphia. Briere received a nasty high stick during Game Five of the final last Sunday and an immense scar that required 10 stitches could be clearly seen under his right eye.

The Hawks tied the game and even took the lead during this second frame. Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd with a tip-in gave the Hawks a one goal lead going into the third period.

Philadelphia applied a ton of pressure on Chicago's net and the hard work finally paid off. Scott Hartnell scored a second goal in this game, and with only 3:59 to play, both teams were in a 3-3 deadlock once again.

Patrick Kane ended Philadelphia's exceptionnal playoff run with a heart breaker of a goal. I have to salute the efforts of Daniel Briere, Simon Gagné, Ville Leino, Scott Hartnell and Ian Laperriere who played like champions during those 2010 playoffs but fell just a bit short.

Final score: Chicago Blackhawks 4 - Philadelphia Flyers 3 (overtime) (Chicago wins the series by 4-2.)

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for their fantastic victory.

(Picture: Jonathan Toews, Canadian Press.)

Stanley Cup Final: Philadelphia Gets On The Board.

2010-06-03T19:10:00.003-04:00

Game Three of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final was presented Wednesday at the Wachovia centre in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flyers could not afford to drop a third game in a row and gave their best effort in order to pull a victory from the Chicago Blackhawks.

This third game was without a doubt the most exciting of the series. Both teams took the lead at some point in the game and the suspense kept building on and on.

The Flyers opened the score during the first period when Daniel Briere beat goaltender Antti Niemi during a man advantage. Briere scored after receiving an awesome pass across the goal mouth from Scott Hartnell.

The Blackhawks tied the game at 1 early into the second period. Duncan Keith's shot from the blue line was deflected in front of Michael Leighton who did not have a clue on the play. Halfway into the second frame, Scott Hartnell deflected a shot from the blue line that barely came across the goal line. The video review was needed to award Philadelphia's second goal.

The Hawks tied the game once again only a couple of minutes before the end of the second period. Brent Sopel's powerful shot got past Leighton after a face off won by John Madden.

The third period was intense and this time the Hawks took the lead when Patrick Kane went alone on Leighton. A chance that Kane did not miss. But the Flyers tied the game at 3 only thirty seconds later. Ville Leino pounced on a rebound allowed by Niemi and tied the game up once again.

The game carried over in overtime and the Flyers needed to score twice to finally claim their first victory of the series.

After a deflected shot hitted the Hawks' goal post, a mad scramble in front of the Hawks net screened referee Bill McCreary momentarily. McCreary lost sight of the puck and blew his whistle. At the same time, a Philadelphia forward pushed the puck in the net but the referee disallowed the goal, disgusting most of the home team fans.

But the injustice was repaired only a couple of minutes later by Claude Giroux who deflected a shot in front of Antti Niemi to finally seal the Flyers' first win of the series.

Final score: Philadelphia Flyers 4 - Chicago Blackhawks 3 (overtime) (Chicago leads the series by 2-1.)

Game Four will be disputed tomorrow at the Wachovia centre in Philadelphia.

(Picture: Canadian Press.)

2010 Stanley Cup Final: Chicago Takes The First Two Games.

2010-06-01T10:17:00.006-04:00

The Chicago Blackhawks have taken a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers with two consecutive victories at home.

Game One will go in the books as a furious offensive game that the Blackhawks managed to reel in. An ugly outing for both goaltenders, Antti Niemi and Michael Leighton.

Five goals in the first and five other goals during the second period and both teams were tied up at 5-5 after 40 minutes. The Blackhawks scored the lone third period goal to take the 6-5 victory and 1-0 series lead.

Monday for Game Two, the defensive adjustments from both head coaches paid off.

A lot more physical game and heavy bodychecks brought the scoring down a bit. The Hawks managed to score two goals in a 28 second span during the second period. Marian Hossa and Ben Eager beat Leighton while the Flyers could only score a single goal, from Simon Gagné, during the third period despite a flurry of shots and pressure on Antti Niemi.

A 2-1 victory for the Chicago Blackhawks who now leads the series by 2-0.

Games Three and Four will be disputed in Philadelphia and the Flyers desperatly needs to win games now or this final will end very soon.

(Picture: Ben Eager, canadian Press.)

Eric Lucas Retires.

2010-05-29T07:39:00.005-04:00

Yesterday at the Pepsi centre in Quebec city, former world champion Eric Lucas was facing a tough opponent in Librado Andrade. Coming back to pro boxing after four years of inactivity, many thought that Andrade was too much for Lucas.

Both fighters gave a good show as they started to mix it up very early in the fight. Eric Lucas seemed to have the early advantage with his efficient counter attacks. Andrade was tested in round 3 as Lucas registered his best shots of the fight during that round.

But a nasty cut to Lucas' left eye slowed him down and Librado Andrade gradually picked up the pace. During round 8, Lucas started to bleed heavily and the fight was stopped by the ring doctor. Eric Lucas did not complain and accepted the verdict.

Both fighters congratulated each other after the bout and Eric Lucas confirmed the fact that he will not fight again during the press conference that followed the event. Eric Lucas fought with courage, at the exact image of the rest of his career.

Lucas' pro record shows 39 wins, 8 losses and 3 draws, a WBC title reign, and numerous exciting fights. This very respectable athlete went way beyond the expectations during his career.

Thank you Eric Lucas for the memories and good luck in your future projects.

(Picture: Canadian Press.)

Win Your Own Dolce Gusto Machine!

2010-05-25T22:22:00.002-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Nestle Nescafe Dolce Gusto. All opinions are 100% mine.

Many of you participated earlier this year and hoped to win one of those great machines.

We are all glad that Nescafe repeats with another win a NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machine contest.

Many of you already know about the new and cool coffee machines from Nescafe. They are very easy to handle and their exclusive system reinvents the way you prepare coffee every time.

With this effective coffee machine, you can make a number of different varieties of coffee in no time and without hassle. From cappucinos to expressos, hot chocolate and cafe latte, the Dolce Gusto machine makes a great coffee, every time.

Think about a new way to start your day. Put an end to your the routine and the same old coffee every day. The different conbinations that the Dolce Gusto machine offers, added to the simplicity of the whole system is really an interesting alternative to your old water heater.

Instant coffee is no match for the Dolce Gusto.

So, you can win 1 of 10 NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machines by entering the contest online at Divine.ca. The contest runs from April 26, 2010 to June 20, 2010 and the contest is reserved for Canada residents only. Hurry up as the deadline approaches quickly.

All you have to do is register at Divine.ca for your chance to win 1 of those 10 coffee machines.

Eastern Conference Final: Philadelphia Advances To The Stanley Cup Final.

2010-05-24T21:38:00.005-04:00

This Monday, Game Five of the Eastern conference final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers was disputed with a high level of intensity.

This 4-2 victory for the Flyers in this Game Five was without a doubt the most entertaining game of the series.

The Canadiens opened the score quickly and for once, beat Michael Leighton in this series. Brian Gionta scored during the very first minute of the game on a low shot that was misplayed by the goaltender. A ninth goal in those 2010 playoffs for the smallest forward of the league.

Philadelphia replied to this opening goal quickly. Only a couple of minutes later, Mike Richards beat Jaroslav Halak on a race to the puck. After Richards, Halak and defense men Roman Hamrlik collided in an bizarre wreck, the loose puck went on with his funny race towards the goal and Richards dumped the puck in the empty net.

The Flyers clinched their Stanley Cup final berth during the second period when they scored two quick unanswered goals. Aaron Asham from close range gave the Flyers the deifnitive lead. A minute and a half later, Jeff Carter doubled the Flyers lead.

The Canadiens played with desperation in the third period and had glorious chances to turn the game, and the whole series around. The Flyers played on their heels and allowed a photo finish type of ending. Scott Gomez collected a lose puck in front of Leighton and shot it over the goalie's shoulder to reduce Philadelphia's lead to a single goal.

Then a four minute penalty to Chris Pronger for a high stick on defense men P.K. Subban was the perfect opportunity for Montreal. But the Flyers' defense and goaltender hung on.

The Canadiens removed Halak for a sixth attacker in the dying minutes of the game but without any success. Jeff Carter added an empty net goal to seal the deal.

Final score: Philadelphia Flyers 4 - Montreal Canadiens 2 (Philadelphia wins the series by 4-1.)

The wonderful playoff run of the Montreal Canadiens satisfied a number of fans who waited way too long. To eliminate the No1 seeded team and the defending champions back-to-back is a wonderful achievement and will be an excellent building block for next season.

There are many big decisions to be made towards free agency and contract renewal this summer for the Canadiens' General Manager Pierre Gauthier.

To conclude, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks will face-off in this 2010 Stanley Cup final. The best-of-seven series will open Saturday in Chicago.

(Picture: Getty Images.)

It's Barbecue Time!

2010-05-21T21:31:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of henderson bas. All opinions are 100% mine.

Here we are!

Our favorite season is now open. I missed my barbecue this winter and the delightful taste of barbecued meat. I already installed mine in my backyard this spring. I am pretty sure that many of you have done just like me and already used your grill this season. Yep, the unique taste of barbecue cannot be matched.

So, what is the secret of a tender, juicy steak?

Find out on the website with the helpful tips from Chef Michael Cloutier and really start grilling to perfection! You and your family will enjoy the incredible difference. It's easy and best of all, it's all delicious!

Chef Cloutier really brings it to you in a simple way, especially for those of you not familiar with the entire grilling process. Yes, those of you that still makes the same mistakes when comes the time to grill. Everyone knows that grilling is an art and every little detail counts. From the hardware and tools we use, the cooking time and temperature, to the final touch of spice.

Today I invite every Canadian resident to register to La Serious Griller Contest!

A contest for every barbecue maniac with a $300 package from Canadian Tire to be won. Just in time for your own barbecue season.

I wish the best of luck to all of you and a long, wonderful, delicious barbecue season!

Eastern Conference Final: Montreal Halfway Out Of The Self-Dug Hole.

2010-05-20T21:51:00.006-04:00

Game 1: Philadelphia Flyers 6 - Montreal Canadiens 0
Game 2: Philadelphia Flyers 3 - Montreal Canadiens 0

(Philadelphia leads the series by 2-0)

There is no team that can dig a hole as deep as the Montreal Canadiens can.

For some reason, the Habs' offense was nowhere around Michael Leighton's net during the first two games of the series and could not score a single time on him.

The series moved to the Bell centre Thursday night and a totally different Montreal team shown up for that game. The forwards were charging the net defended by Leighton and a lot more shots were directed.

Combined with a poor defensive outing by the whole Flyers defensive unit, the Canadiens buzzed around for most of the night. Michael Cammalleri once again opened the score with his league leading 13th goal of the playoffs. Tom Pyatt doubled Montreal's advantage as he charged in a loose puck.

The bleu-blanc-rouge tonado went on during the second period but only produced a single goal. Dominic Moore beat Leighton late in the second frame with a wrist shot that trickled between the goaltender's legs.

In the third frame, Brian Gionta scored a fourth unanswered goal for Montreal before Simon Gagné beat Jaroslav Halak for the only time during the game. The Canadiens lifted the crowd once more when Marc-Andre Bergeron scored with his patented one-timer during a man advantage. Incidently the first power play goal of the series for the Canadiens.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 5 - Philadelphia Flyers 1 (Philadelphia leads the series by 2-1.)

The Canadiens are halfway out of the hole and really needs to tie this series a two games apiece Saturday. I expect a lot more opposition from the Flyers in Game Four and it should be a great game.

(Picture: Michael Cammalleri, Getty Images.)

Do You Take Vitamins?

2010-05-14T19:23:00.002-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of VitaDigest. All opinions are 100% mine.

Outside the classic ''Flintstones'' vitamins and other brands that my mom used to give me during breakfast when I was a kid, I have not been myself a regular customer in the food supplement aisle. Until today, my health status and general form did not require immediate help from supplement.

But the market doesn't revolve around myself and I know that a large portion of the population uses vitamins and other supplements on a regular basis.

So if you are looking for brand names and a vast choice, there are over 13,000 vitamins, supplements, and other health products available to you over here at VitaDigest.

Vitadigest.com is growing fast and serves a large number of customers as they were awarded the INC5000 for 2009 as top 5000 Fastest growing company.

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And that's not all, with such a vast number of available products, some interesting sections on the site offers, for example, some personal care products and even some cool intimacy products, gifts and games. You have to check it out for yourself to really have an idea.

I really liked the Wedding cake bride & groom for sale. :)

Thank you to all for your time and have a healthy summer!

Go Habs Go!

2010-05-13T00:28:00.001-04:00

Here is a popular rally song from Loco Locass and some neat images of Montreal's Cup fever.

Canadiens-Penguins: Priceless Victory.

2010-05-12T21:25:00.005-04:00

As the old saying goes, to become a champion, you have to defeat the champion. The Montreal Canadiens won the seventh and final encounter with the defending champions Pittsburgh Penguins this Wednesday evening at the Mellon arena.

The Cinderella Canadiens struck early in this match when Brian Gionta deflected P.K. Subban's shot in behind Marc-Andre Fleury who had a very difficult outing. Fleury allowed four goals on 14 shots. Dominic Moore doubled the Canadiens' lead before the end of the first frame.

The Canadiens extended their lead to four goals early into the second period. Michael Cammalleri -with his 12th goal of the playoffs- and Travis Moen -shorthanded- chased goaltender Fleury out of the series.

The Penguins did try to creep back into this game but it was too little too short. Jaroslav Halak allowed two goals before the end of the second period but stood tall in the eye of the tornado. Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal lifted the champions hopes for a moment, bringing the Penguins within 2.

The story of those 2010 Stanley cup playoffs, Jaroslav Halak, pulled some more tricks out of his hat in the third period. The Slovak goaltender was stellar during the successive man advantages awarded to Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will probably experience nightmares this summer courtesy of Jaroslav Halak.

Brian Gionta with his second goal of the night relieved some pressure on Halak. With that goal, the Canadiens broke the champions' spirits and sailed on to this fantastic victory.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 5 - Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (Montreal wins the series by 4-3.)

The Canadiens reaches the Eastern conference final for the first time since 1993. They will face the winner of the Boston-Philadelphia series.

The elimination of the Penguins also marks the end of the Mellon arena era. A number of fantastic moments, players and memories took part in that building. The Canadiens' fans can now brag about opening and closing the Mellon arena with a victory.

I cannot wait to follow the continuation of this fantastic journey of my favorite hockey club. The way that the team eliminated both the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins is not going unnoticed and the story is only getting bigger and bigger.

Halfway towards the Grail, the pause will not last long until round No. 3 opens.

(Picture: Michael Cammalleri, Getty Images.)

Canadiens-Penguins: David Brings Goliath To The Limit.

2010-05-11T08:11:00.003-04:00

Monday at the Bell centre, one of the most intense and entertaining game of these 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs was disputed between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins were looking to finish off the Canadiens in six games but their plans were cut short by a determined team who refused to lose.

Michael Cammalleri opened the score early into the contest with a blistering shot that did not gave a chance to goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. But the defending champions tied the game up at 1 before the end of the first frame when Sidney Crosby batted a rebound behind Jaroslav Halak. It was Crosby's first goal of the series.

The Penguins took the lead during the second period when Halak dropped Kristopher Letang's shot. Already a fifth goal in the series for Letang who always seems to find the right time to score.

But this very exciting second period was far from over. Michael Cammalleri injected some more energy to the crowd with his second goal of the evening, tying the score at 2. Then Jaroslav Spacek gave the lead to Montreal with a shot from the blue line. The defensemen could not find a better time to end his 51-game scoreless streak.

In the third period, Maxim Lapierre gave some breathing room to the home team on a brillant individual effort. Lapierre controlled the puck at will and skated towards the front of the net unchallenged and did not miss such a glorious chance.

Bill Guerin brought Pittsburgh within one goal with less than two minutes to play when he deflected a shot from the blue line. But it was too little, too late for the defending champions who will now have to face this Cinderella team once more Thursday evening.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 4 - Pittsburgh Penguins 3 (The series is tied at 3-3.)

With a victory in this ultimate face-off on Thursday, the Canadiens would not only eliminate the champions, they would also write the last page of the Mellon arena's history book. After winning the very first game disputed at the Mellon, the Canadiens can now win the very last game played in the old Igloo.

Can David defeat Goliath Thursday?

(Picture: Maxim Lapierre, Canadian Press.)

Canadiens-Penguins: Knocking At The Champions' Door.

2010-05-07T07:43:00.003-04:00

Thrusday at the Bell centre, Chapter Four of the series opposing the Montreal Canadiens to the Pittsburgh Penguins was presented. Down 1-2 in the series, the Canadiens fought for their playoff life with desperation, knowing that a loss would virtually mean the end.

The Canadiens opened the score early into the first period when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury misplayed a routine sharp angle shot. An unexpected gift for Tom Pyatt who registered his first career playoff goal.

But the celebrations were short. Maxime Talbot tied the score only 53 seconds later. Talbot skated alone towards goaltender Jaroslav Halak and scored with a nifty backhand between Halak's pads after P.K. Subban missed the puck at the offensive blue line and was blatently tripped when he attepted to skate back towards his territory.

Only moments later, Chris Kunitz gave a one goal lead to the Penguins during a man advantage with a pinball style goal. The puck was deflected twice before finding it's way in the net behind Halak.

After two periods, the Canadiens was dominated in the shots department and had to rely on Halak's brillant play during the second period.

In a brillant third period effort, the Canadiens came back from that one goal deficit to finally edge the defending champions. Maxim Lapierre tied the score at 2 when he scored on a wrap around then only a minute and a half later, Brian Gionta's pass attempt deflected on a defender and slid in Fleury's net.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 3 - Pittsburgh Penguins 2 (The series is tied 2-2.)

My final word on this memorable game goes to the referees and their one sided work. Dave Jackson and Eric Furlatt really worked in favor of the champions in this one. The Canadiens received their share of ''BS'' especially when came the time to deliver penalties to the Penguins.

More particulary on P.K. Subban on the play that led to Pittsburgh's first goal in the first period and on Brian Gionta during the third period who was wrapped in the defender's arms and pinned into the boards while pursuing the puck deep into the Penguins territory. Both referees were heavily booed by the crowd during a major part of the game.

I will not miss my chance to talk to referee Eric Furlatt about this game next Monday as I have the opportunity to talk to him every Monday morning. Furlatt happens to live in Trois-Rivieres, just like yours truly.

(Picture: Canadian Press.)

Penguins-Canadiens: Montreal Misses An Opportunity.

2010-05-05T07:40:00.005-04:00

After splitting the first two games in Pittsburgh, the Montreal Canadiens had the Pittsburgh Penguins where they wanted before Game Three of this exciting series.

A glorious chance to take the lead in the series was wasted Tuesday evening at the Bell centre by the Canadiens.

Backed by an electrifying crowd, the Canadiens stormed out of the gates but were unable to solve goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury who was spectacular on a couple of occasions. Fleury stopped everything, kept his best save of the game for Scott Gomez halfway into the third period, and even received a little help from his best friends, the goal posts. Pittsburgh's goaltender was awarded the first star of the game.

The Penguins registered only three shots on Jaroslav Halak's goal during the entire first period but adjusted their game plan before the start of the second frame. Their collective play worked a lot better from that point on as they held Montreal to a handful of shots during the last two periods.

Evgeni Malkin broke the scoreless tie early into the third period during a man advantage. His powerful and precise shot from the top of the circles squeezed it's way in the net an inch under Halak's glove hand.

Pascal Dupuis sealed the deal for the Penguins with an empty net goal.

Final score: Pittsburgh Penguins 2 - Montreal Canadiens 0 (Pittsburgh leads the series by 2-1.)

The Canadiens will desperatly try to even up the series Thursday evening at the Bell centre. The team will have to find a way to beat Fleury and register more shots as Pittsburgh elevated their play in the shots blocked department during Game Three.

(Picture: Canadian Press.)

2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: David vs Goliath II.

2010-04-30T07:36:00.004-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens and Jaroslav Halak had another fantastic game in store Wednesday as they defeated the Washington Capitals by the score of 2-1 to win this Eastern conference first round best of seven series by four games to three.

Once again this year, Alexander Ovechkin with all his ''hype'' and individual efforts failed miserably during the playoffs.

The Canadiens had very little time to celebrate. Tonight, they open their second round with the defending champions Pittsburgh Penguins. Another impossible task at first glance.

The Penguins are more stable defensively and plays a better collective game. They represent a difficult challenge for the Canadiens who only managed to win once in four regular season games this season. Jaroslav Halak will have to bring a few more miracle saves in his suitcases to keep his team in the hunt.

Once again, I will be very impressed should the Canadiens wins more than one game in this series. I think that Pittsburgh has the tools to eliminate the Habs quickly and should win this one in five games.

Besides Halak, the only good news for Montreal is the fact that they feel like they have nothing to lose. A ton of unnecessary pressure should be off their backs, a good thing with such a difficult series ahead.

David vs Goliath II opens tonight in Pittsburgh.

(Picture: Sidney Crosby, Getty Images.)

Capitals-Canadiens: A Seventh Game Will Be Necessary.

2010-04-27T00:41:00.004-04:00

For Game Six Monday evening at the Bell centre, the Montreal Canadiens' goaltender Jaroslav Halak elevated his game to the likes of Patrick Roy, Jose Theodore and Ken Dryden as he made a total of 53 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Those 53 saves constitute nothing less than the 3rd best performance by a goaltender in any playoff game in the club's history. Halak was sensational from start to finish, frustrating the Capitals forwards on many occasions. His only flaw came with merely five minutes to play.

On the offensive side, the Canadiens struck early once again as Michael Cammalleri scored two quick goals inside a two minute span halfway into the first period. The score remained unchanged until Maxim Lapierre gave the Habs a 3-0 lead halfway into the third frame. Tomas Plekanec completed the score for the home team in an empty net.

The series is now tied at 3 games apiece and a seventh game is required.

The Canadiens will feel like they have nothing to lose while the Capitals will probably feel a ton of pressure come game time. The Canadiens should try to lit the lamp early on the Capitals once again. The confidence level of the Capitals could drop dramatically should this scenario repeats once again.

Game Seven is scheduled for Wednesday and it should be a good one. Be there or be square!

(Picture: Jaroslav Halak and Hal Gill. Canadian Press.)

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Montreal Is Still Alive.

2010-04-25T10:01:00.004-04:00

Before the start of the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals, I said that I would be impressed should the Canadiens wins more than a single game. Now I have to admit that I am impressed by the team's resilience.

Friday, the Canadiens and Jaroslav Halak have won Game Five of the series by the score of 2-1. Michael Cammalleri scored only 1:30 into the first frame and Travis Moen doubled the Habs' lead five minutes later. Alex Ovechkin was the lone scorer for Washington in this one.

The intensity deployed by the Canadiens players during the entirety of this Game Five was the most surprising fact in my opinion. I thought that a majority of players in this dressing room would quit in front of the task at hand. But I was obviously wrong on this one.

As for goaltender Jaroslav Halak, he once again proved that this whole season -and the No 1 spot- belongs to him. Head coach Jacques Martin did gave a shot at Carey Price earlier in the series, but without positive results.

Finally, I cannot go without a word about Caps' head coach Bruce Boudreau.

In the final moments of Game Five and down 1-2, the Capitals went all-in and called goaltender Simeon Varlamov to the bench in favor of a sixth player. As Varlamov was skating towards the bench, a loose puck was dangerously gliding towards the empty net. The goaltender decided to skate back towards his net to block the loose puck, unaware that the extra attacker was already skating on the ice. A mistake that did not went unnoticed and costed a minor penalty.

The goaltender's decision angered the Caps' head coach. Behind the players' bench, Bruce Boudreau exploded and clearly shouted: ''Stupid f**k!''.

This is simply another case of lack of class shown by the Capitals. We all remember Ovechkin's ice shower on a six year old kid wearing a Canadiens uniform moments before Game Four. Right after this game, I restrained myself from writing an article intitled: ''Ovechkin, talented but classless.'' But I held it to myself and wanted for the series to end before writing about the incident.

Does Bruce Boudreau really thinks that Simeon Varlamov is a stupid f**k? Was he keeping this for himself all this time?

Hmmm. Bruce, who exactly is the stupid f**k now?

Game Six will be played at the Bell centre on Monday. The Canadiens will try to break a six-game losing streak at home and force a seventh game.

(Picture: Bruce Boudreau and Alex Ovechkin, Canadian Press.)

2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Montreal Trips Once More.

2010-04-22T08:18:00.004-04:00

Wednesday, Game Four of the Eastern conference quarterfinal between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals was disputed at the Bell centre.

Down 1-2 in the series, the Canadiens desperatly needed a victory and head coach Jacques Martin sent Carey Price in net. But the goalie change did not hold off the Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin.

The Canadiens dominated the second period but faced very good opposition from goaltender Simeon Varlamov who was sensational. Instead of being up by a couple of goals, the Canadiens allowed a shorthanded goal with only a couple of seconds to go to the second period. A goal that seemed to stun the Canadiens' skaters. Both teams were tied at 2 after two periods of play.

Alexander Ovechkin broke the tie with a brillant wrist shot and the Capitals never looked back. Ovechkin finished the game with two goals and an assist.

The series' fifth game will be disputed in Washington. The Canadiens now have their backs against the wall. One more loss and their 2009-2010 season will be history.

Final score: Washington Capitals 6 - Montreal Canadiens 3 (Washington leads the series by 3-1.)

(Picture: Alexander Ovechkin, Canadian Press.)

Two Painful Losses For The Canadiens.

2010-04-20T08:27:00.003-04:00

The series between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens is a very entertaining one this far.

After winning the first game of the series, the Canadiens saw the Capitals come back from a 1-4 deficit during game two to eventually win by the score of 6-5 during extra time. A pivotal game in this series tied then at one game apiece.

The third game of the series was a continuation of game two as the Capitals struck four times during the second period alone to run away with a 5-1 victory at the Bell centre. After being held in check during game one, Alexander Ovechkin elevated his game and scored two big goals that seemed to completely stun the Canadiens.

Capitals' head coach, Bruce Boudreau, also made a timely goaltender change during game two. That substitution marked a pivotal point in the series. Jose Theodore was pulled by his coach and replaced by Simeon Varlamov after allowing two quick goals to the Canadiens.

On Montreal's side, Jaroslav Halak was unable to hold off the Capitals during game two and three and was eventually replaced by Carey Price after allowing three goals in game three. But unlike Saturday evening, the Canadiens did not rally back after the goalie change.

A question remains: Who will start in net for Montreal in game four?

The Canadiens desperatly needs to win game four to stay in pace with the Capitals.

Game 2: Washington Capitals 6 - Montreal Canadiens 5 (overtime)
Game 3: Washington Capitals 5 - Montreal Canadiens 1 (Washington leads the series by 2-1.)

(Picture: Alexander Ovechkin, Canadian Press.)

Dramatic Overtime Victory For The Montreal Canadiens.

2010-04-16T08:04:00.003-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens could not ask for a better result during game one of the series opposing them to the Washington Capitals. Tomas Plekanec closed the deal in overtime with a precise shot that goaltender Jose Theodore could not handle.

The Capitals did dominate the play early on as they outshot Montreal 19-7 during the first period. But goaltender Jaroslav Halak stood tall and allowed his team to go back to the locker room with a 1-1 tie. During that first period, Michael Cammalleri opened the score during a man advantage while Joe Corvo tied the game at 1 apiece late in the first frame.

The game momentum shifted during the second period as Montreal applied more pressure on Washington's defense with an effective fore checking. But without any tangible result, both teams went back to their rooms after two periods in a 1-1 tie.

The Capitals took advantage of a Canadiens' defensive collapse to take the lead by a goal during the first minute of the third period. Nicklas Backstrom did not miss his chance and scored his first goal of the series. But Scott Gomez tied the game at 2 when he completed a great passing play from Brian Gionta and Benoit Pouliot.

The Canadiens continued to apply pressure on their opponents in overtime until Tomas Plekanec scored the ultimate goal.

It was a different story for Alexander Ovechkin. The star forward was held in check by the Canadiens defense, blocking every shot from the russian star. Ovechkin finished the game without registering any shot on goal during game one.

The Canadiens' head coach Jacques Martin has to be very satisfied with the effort given by his players. The whole team pushed in the same direction, something we haven't seen very often this season.

Both teams will face again Saturday in Washington. The pressure of winning is on the Capitals' shoulders for game two of the series.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 3 - Washington Capitals 2 (overtime) (Montreal leads the series by 1-0.)

(Picture: Tomas Plekanec, Canadian Press.)

Montreal Canadiens: Qualified for the playoffs.

2010-04-12T20:00:00.005-04:00

Yes, the Montreal Canadiens will be a part of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. The club barely managed to finish in eight place and clinch the last available spot.

The Canadiens earned a point during the last game of the regular season. That lone point officially clinched their berth in the spring dance. In a press conference given two days ago, head coach Jacques Martin seemed satisfied of the fact that he managed to pull his team in the playoffs.

For the Montreal Canadiens fans in general and for myself, the way that the team performed during the last four games of the regular season is just another case of history repeating. We have seen this movie too many times in the last fifteen years and we are sick of it. This year, even the hardcore Canadiens fans look depressed and I bet that none of them won't bet 2$ on the bleu-blanc-rouge to win the cup.

The players in this club are relying on the brillance of their goaltender while giving the strict minimum in the effort department. Players are waiting until their backs are against the wall to give a respectable effort on the ice. That kind of behaviour is simply sickening me.

Now, the Montreal Canadiens will face-off with the Washington Capitals in the first round. With such a powerful attack, we cannot hope for any happy ending for the Canadiens. Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and company should have no problem with the Canadiens' defense in this one. And to top it all, former Canadiens' goalie Jose Theodore won't want to miss the oppotunity to humiliate his former team.

I predict an easy victory in five games for the Capitals in this series. I will be impressed if the Canadiens wins more than a single game.

(Picture: Jaroslav Halak and Jose Theodore.)

Jaroslav Halak: Two Consecutive Blanks Pulls Habs Up.

2010-04-04T11:13:00.002-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens have to thank Jaroslav Halak for their sixth place in the standings. The goaltender has registered two consecutive shutouts this week.

The first one, Friday in a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, it was everything but pretty. Halak saved the day for his team on numerous occasions, making the right move and taking the right decision each and every time.

Yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres were unable to generate any serious threat and the Canadiens were able to close the deal this time, good for a 3-0 victory.

Since the return of the Olympic break, it became easy for head coach Jacques Martin on who to put in net for an important game. Jaroslav Halak is winning on a regular basis while Carey Price has all kinds of problems winning a single game.

The better example of this came last week when the Buffalo Sabres came back from a 0-2 deficit with under two minutes to go. Carey Price was perfect until that point but somehow, he could not close the deal.

With just a handful of games to this regular season, the Canadiens stand are in sixth place, courtesy of Jaroslav Halak.

(Picture: Canadian Press.)

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2010-04-01T08:16:00.002-04:00

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Montreal Canadiens In A Triple Tie.

2010-03-31T16:07:00.004-04:00

Before today's games, the Eastern conference standings shows a triple tie for the last three playoff spots. The Philadelphia Flyers, the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins occupy the sixth, seventh and eight place at 82 points each after 76 games played.

The Atlanta Trashers at 80 points and the New York Rangers at 78 are the only outsiders with a shot at a playoff berth in the East.

The Canadiens will play the Carolina Hurricanes tonight and the two points at stake are far more important for Montreal. There should be no reason for anyone to experience a lack of motivation on Montreal's side.

The return of Michael Cammalleri and Marc-Andre Bergeron in the lineup did not show on the score sheet yet and a goal from those two in tonight's game would be welcomed by the fans.

I will watch this game at home on TV tonight, hoping for a victory.

(Picture: Cam Ward.)

Can LASIK Enhance Your Vision?

2010-03-24T09:04:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of usaeyes.org . All opinions are 100% mine.

The state of my own eyes and general vision would be much better after a surgery. I have been looking forward for a LASIK surgery for quite some time and I will give it a try as soon as I have enough funds to clear the costs of the intervention.

LASIK has proven it's effectiveness over the last decade. The surgery is now virtually painless and the recovery is quite fast. The costs have also decreased significally.

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Once again, there is a ton of information about LASIK surgery and about the Stahl Eye Centers doctors over there.

Montreal-Quebec Series: Quebec Wins The Decisive Match.

2010-03-22T21:01:00.004-04:00

The series opposing Montreal and Quebec City came to a close yesterday with the presentation of the 8th and final match of the series. A match that was won by Quebec city by the score of 7-4.

As the series went along, the focus shifted towards goaltending. Quebec's netminder, Julien Walsh, kept his team in the hunt with some fantastic performances early on. Walsh ended up being named Quebec's star player of the series and only needs the public vote to earn the grand prize.

But at the other side of the rink, things went wrong for Montreal. Goaltending problems sank the team as they lost the last three games of the series. The worse came during game six as Montreal was ahead by a couple of goals with under eight minutes to play. The weakest link of the team allowed Quebec to turn back the series to their advantage.

All in all, the series was interesting to watch. There was plenty of genuine emotion for both the spectators and the participants. But my only bad mark that will be sticking to this series will go towards the caliber of both teams. With over 10 000 registrations at the beginning of the adventure, it was deceiving to see such thin lineups on both sides.

There was of course some good hockey players in there, but unfortunatly that was not the case for everyone when we looked more closely.

Final score: Quebec 7 - Montreal 4 (Quebec City wins the series by 5-3.)

Gold: There Is No Substitute.

2010-03-18T07:52:00.003-04:00

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Green Light For The Head Hunters.

2010-03-15T22:47:00.003-04:00

We can almost smell the playoffs. And what does this time of the year means? In the NHL, it usually means less penalties from the officials and tiyn suspensions from the league for dangerous -and life threatning- assaults.

The course of the events in the NHL since the end of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are just a sample of what's brewing for the next few weeks.

As if it wasn't enough, simply during the last few hours, we saw a very dangerous check in the back at full speed from Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin delivered to Brian Campbell of the Chicago Blackhawks. That potential serious injury was sanctionned for only two games by the league, mainly because Ovechkin did not decapitate his target in the process.

And because Ovechkin is a fifty goal scorer, the NHL chooses the tickets and ratings to their product's own life and well being.

During those same last few hours, we also saw a MMA-type leg hold on Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby. There should be a minor suspension awarded by the league -of course- in this case.

With the type of hits, and with the amount of games of penalty awarded by the NHL to the aggressors, the temptation is huge for the head hunters. There is no serious sanction until next season.

The green light is on.

(Picture: Marc Savard.)

Ice Hockey's Newest Black Eye.

2010-03-11T08:11:00.003-05:00

During a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins, Matt Cooke blindsided Marc Savard and sneaked a violent shoulder check directly to the side of his head. Savard went to the ground, seriously hurt.

Marc Savard suffers from a ''grade two'' concussion and could miss the remainder of the regular season. All eyes were on Colin Campbell in hope of an exemplary suspension for Matt Cooke. Many fans want those type of hits banned or seriously punished.

After a couple of days, the league took a decision. The NHL will not suspend Matt Cooke for his disgusting hit to Marc Savard's head. And the worse came in the explanation of the decision. Cooke wasn't suspended because another player committed a similar infraction earlier this season and wasn't punished either. The kind of illogical thinking that kept the NHL where it is right now: in the gutter.

The decision took many by surprise and angered Montreal Canadiens' Maxim Lapierre. Lapierre was suspended 4 games a few days ago by the league for a minor push in the back without serious consequences. Once again, where is the logic?

In the past, the consequences and the type of player committing the infraction influenced the board's decisions. In the past, we often saw an average player receive a more severe suspension than a star player did for similar actions.

Today we roll the dices and add a new twist. It's not who hits, but who's hitted.

Matt Cooke is known for being capable of the worse but at the same time we know that Marc Savard has some temper and likes to trash talk with his opponents.

Did Savard's reputation caught up with him in this incident? If it did, it is a shame.

(Picture: Marc Savard.)

Important Weekend For The Montreal Canadiens.

2010-03-06T08:04:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens will play two games in two nights this weekend as the hunt for a playoff spot resumes in the NHL.

Montreal needs points to stay in the hunt and that is why this weekend is important. The team cannot afford to lose both games this weekend. The Los Angeles Kings will be Montreal's first opponent this Saturday followed by the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.

The Canadiens will miss their best goal scorer this season, Michael Cammalleri, who is still recovering from his left knee injury. Maxim Lapierre will also miss the weekend as he was suspended for four games by the league for his hit from behind on Scott Nichol of the San Jose Sharks earlier this week.

Head coach Jacques Martin will have to pick a goaltender between Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak for the final stretch of the season. While Price looked to be shaky lately, Halak was fantastic in net for Team Slovakia during the Vancouver Olympics.

If I had the task to choose between those two goalies, I would pick Halak because of his recent successes with Team Slovakia and for his contribution with the Canadiens this season.

(Picture: Maxim Lapierre, Getty Images.)

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games: A Great Success For Canada.

2010-03-02T08:56:00.003-05:00

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games held in Vancouver are now part of the history books and Canadians all over the country can feel the sense of pride and accomplishment.

The Canadian athletes won a total of 26 medals, 14 of them in Gold, a new record for the Winter Games. The quality and the depth of the Canadian team was so impressive.

In a perfect scenario, the Canadian athletes would have brought home at least another 3 or 4 Gold Medals. For example, the Canadian womens' curling team dropped their Gold Medal to Sweden's profit while acrobatic skier Jennifer Heil was edged by the very last competitor and settled for Silver.

But I am not saying this to undermine Canada's performance in any way. To the opposite, I am very proud of what our team accomplished. Joannie Rochette's Bronze Medal in the women's figure skating competition was inspiring and was quite a story. To perform at this level after the tragic death of her mother only a few days before the competition is a great example of courage and inner strenght.

I also have to mention Canada's victory in the ice hockey tournament. Both the mens and womens conquered the Gold Medal in classic fashion. While the womens cruised towards victory without losing a single game, the mens had to face adversity.

After losing a game in the prelims, the Canadians pulled off a glorious 7-3 victory over Russia in the quarterfinals to then defeat Slovakia by the score of 3-2 in the semis and to finally edge Team USA by the score of 3-2 on an overtime goal by Sidney Crosby.

Yes, Canada fulfilled their promise of performance at these Games but more importantly, no major incident and no major controversy was reported. The focus was on the competitions and on the athletes' performances, as it should be.

Thank you Vancouver 2010 for the great memories.

(Picture: Closing ceremonies.)

Canada Mourns With Joannie Rochette.

2010-02-22T20:37:00.006-05:00

The Olympic dream of Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette took a dramatic turn this weekend when Joannie's mother, Therese, passed away in a Vancouver hospital after suffering of heart related problems.

This awful news was delivered to Joannie Rochette early Sunday morning, only three days before the short program, scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Many thought that Rochette could forfeit, but the 24 year-old skater from Ile-Dupas, Quebec, decided to stick with the plan and practice to prepare herself to compete Tuesday. A lesson and a source of inspiration for all of us.

Joannie's biggest supporter during the whole lenght of her career happened to be her own mother. The athlete is also convinced that to compete no matter the circumstances and the barriers is what was tought to her by her own mother during all those years.

Joannie is convinced that to compete is the best thing to do right now. She has to live her life-long dream knowing that somewhere, her mother Therese is quietly watching, proud of her beautiful and strong daughter.

We will be glued to our television screens Tuesday evening all across Canada in support of our strong, proud and talented athlete. We will all skate with her, twirl with her and push her higher, spin her faster, that she ever did in her career.

(Picture: Joannie and Therese Rochette, Sun Media.)

Alexandre Bilodeau: Canadian Pride.

2010-02-16T09:58:00.003-05:00

Alexandre Bilodeau received his Olympic Gold Medal Monday as the Men's Moguls medal ceremony was presented in front of an electrified crowd inside Vancouver's GM Place.

Bilodeau became this weekend the first Canadian to win an Olympic Gold Medal on home ground. After the deceptions of Montreal (1976) and Calgary (1988), where the Canadian athletes fell short, the whole country can now celebrate their new Olympic champion.

Canada has a competitive team this year in those winter games and I expect at least a half a dozen more Gold medals before the end of the competition.

But let's go back to the fantastic Men's Moguls final won by Alexandre Bilodeau for a second. The level of competition was impressive as a couple of athletes were able to win it all. Other Canadians in this final, Vincent Marquis and P.A. Rousseau, finished respectively in fourth and fifth place.

But in the end, Bilodeau's jumps were simply out of this world. The first jump up there contained two full body rotations while the second jump, a backflip, seemed to never end due to the extreme amplitude.

The reaction of the crowd and the state of joy in yesterday's official medal ceremony testified of the pride of the nation for Bilodeau who's life has already taken a new spin. He came in those Olympics as a hope and will go out as a hero.

Congratulations Alexandre for your fantastic Gold Medal, you made every single Canadian proud with your inspiring victory.

(Picture: Alexandre Bilodeau, Chris Helgren, Reuters.)

Montreal-Quebec Series: Do We Have A Series?

2010-02-15T19:31:00.006-05:00

Game three of this eight-game challenge was disputed yesterday in Quebec city. Quebec was in a must-win situation as they could not afford being down 0-3.

After winning the first two games of the series rather easily, the players from Montreal did not show the same intensity and lost by the score of 6-2.

There is no explanation other than the lack of intensity to describe the poor performance from team Montreal. With the first two games in their back pocket, many players took the third game off, hoping that a teammate will pick up the slack. Unfortunatly, nobody did picked up their game.

For Quebec city, the next game will be a glorious chance to tie up the series at two games apiece. Yes, Quebec has an inferior team but we all know that nobody can win an ice hockey game without spilling their guts on the ice.

The players from Montreal will have to look themselves in the mirror and commit themselves before game four of the series in order to keep control of the series. Game four will be played next Sunday in Montreal.

Game 3: Quebec city 6 - Montreal 2 (Montreal leads the series by 2-1.)

Montreal Canadiens' General Manager Bob Gainey Resigns.

2010-02-08T22:04:00.004-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens' General Manager, Bob Gainey, invited the press today to announce his departure.

A sigh of relief could almost be heard among the team's followers as Gainey announced his intention to leave the organization.

Many of us, followers and fans, have waited for a long time for this to happen and many thought that Mr Gainey and his daily thoughts were away from the game since the tragic death of his daughter Laura a few years ago.

The club's direction is now assumed by Gainey's assistant, Pierre Gauthier until a new General Manager is hired. The club has important decisions to make before and also after the trade deadline. Also, many important contracts are to be negociated this summer.

The club is now at the crossroads once again. Which direction will be taken by the Molson administration?

(Picture: Bob Gainey.)

Montreal-Quebec Series: Birthday Boy Hurts Quebec city.

2010-02-08T21:51:00.005-05:00

The second game of this eight-game series has been played Sunday at the Verdun Auditorium and Montreal's Francis Leblanc celebrated his 31st birthday in great fashion as he netted two goals in this 2-1 victory.

Once again, the only notable player on Quebec's side was the goaltender, Julien Walsh, who saved his team from a second massacre in a row. Quebec city has not the firepower of their opponents and plays poorly. With just a bit of opportunism, this series could be tied at one game apiece.

But once the horn sounded after the third period, Montreal found themselves up two games to nothing in the series without having to face their opponent's swagger, if there's some in this room.

Game three of the series will be hosted by Quebec city this next Sunday. Quebec is now in a must-win situation. If there is to be any series, head coach Michel Bergeron has to do something to jump start his team.

Game 2: Montreal 2 - Quebec city 1. (Montreal leads the series by 2-0.)

Montreal-Quebec Series: Montreal Wins Game One.

2010-02-02T07:33:00.003-05:00

A new reality TV show is making heads turn this winter. The legendary ice hockey rivalry between Montreal and Quebec city that once made headlines all over the province has been revived for the lenght of this reality TV show.

Over 10 000 participants has registered and only 32 of them were selected by both teams. None of them has ever signed a professional contract and it is the only condition to be eligible in this competition.

The head coaches, Guy Carbonneau for Montreal and Michel Bergeron for Quebec city, are now engaged in a fierce battle for the next eight weeks. Both of these coaches are immensly popular in the province of Quebec and add to the credibility of the series.

The format is pretty simple: Both teams will play each other eight times, once every Sunday. The winners will earn the bragging rights.

Last Sunday was the first game of the series and it was disputed in a sold out Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec city. The atmosphere was electric and hockey fans had a fairly good opening game.

Quebec city opened the score early into the first period when Bruno Richard pounced on a rebound given by Montreal's goaltender. Montreal took the initiative after this early goal by Quebec city but had to deal with goaltender Julien Walsh who was excellent in net for Quebec city.

Montreal managed to tie the score during the second period when Franco Subrani finally put one behind Walsh.

Guillaume Rochon sent Montreal ahead for good during the third period. Then Sabrina Harbec, the revelation of this first game for Montreal, doubled Montreal's lead halfway into the last frame. Philippe Gauvin reduced Montreal's lead back to a single goal but Franco Subrani scored his second goal of the match late in the game to confirm Montreal's first victory.

Quebec's head coach, Michel Bergeron, exploded during the late stages of the game. Unsatisfied of referee Ron Fournier, Bergeron stirred things up and accused the referee of running the show.

Final score: Montreal 4 - Quebec 2. (Montreal leads the serie by 1-0.)

Game 2 will be played in Montreal at the Verdun auditorium next Sunday.

Montreal Canadiens: More Whipsaw Performances.

2010-01-28T17:59:00.006-05:00

After the Canadiens' General Manager Bob Gainey settled the case of Georges Laraque, many observators said that an important part of the team's distractions went away with Georges.

The team responded well immediatly afterwards. The Canadiens defeated the Eastern conference leaders, the New Jersey Devils before shutting down the New York Rangers by the impressive score of 6-0.

But the good performances were equally matched by bad ones once again as the team suffered two humiliating losses. One to the hands of the Florida Panthers and then, to the Tampa Bay Lightning by the score of 3-0.

Even worse, there was some friction between Andrei Markov and Carey Price going on since a few days already. Nothing to help the team right now. But this morning after the team practice, both players hugged each other in a faint attempt to make us believe that everything is alright.

This is a very bad time for this to happen to the Canadiens. The team is currently struggling to keep up the pace with the 8th place team and would greatly benefit of some stability and team chemistry right now. With less than 30 games to go in this 2009-2010 regular season, a winning streak would be much appreciated by the club's fans.

The team will travel to play the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

(Picture: Canadian Press.)

Brett Favre: Like A Warrior, Until The End.

2010-01-25T22:51:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, the NFL's NFC and AFC championships were played and once again the football fans had a great show.

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings were at the Superdome to face the New Orleans Saints for a spot in Super Bowl XLIV. The Indianapolis Colts, with their 30-17 victory over the New York Jets a little earlier, were waiting to see who they will face in two weeks.

A fierce battle between the Vikings and the Saints raged during more than an hour of play. Both teams exchanged touchdowns, hard hits and crucial turnovers. For one, Brett Favre had his dose of hard hitting. One of the worse of them, from behind, sent Favre on the ground in obvious pain.

The Vikings down 21-28 at that moment were desperate to see their quarterback back on the field. And once again, the 40-year old phenom laced his shoe back on and returned to the field, limping.

After a couple of difficult series, the Vikings orchestrated an ultimate drive, ended by a Adrian Peterson touchdown. 28-28.

This was Peterson's third TD of the night despite dropping the pigskin four times. The Vikings even had an last chance to win the game during the final minute of the game but Favre tried to force a ball down the field and was picked by the defense.

This suspensful game needed extra time and the Saints won the cointoss. They did not allow Favre to creep back in this one. A well designed drive allowed their kicker to win it from 40 yards out.

I have to congratulate both the Colts and the Saints for reaching the Super Bowl this year. Both of these teams deserve to be there.

As for my favorite NFL player, he once again played like a warrior. Determined, tough and charismatic, he once again made me believe that everything is possible in this world. But the ultimate goal just slipped between his fingers once again. Will he find the inner strenght to come back next year? I truly hope so because he once again gave us all a hell of a show.

Congratulations Brett for your accomplishments.

(Picture: Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, Canadian Press.)

Patrice Cormier: Done For The Season And Playoffs.

2010-01-25T22:33:00.003-05:00

The Quebec Junior Hockey League has decided to punish severely Patrice Cormier of the Rouyn Noranda Huskies for his vicious hit on Mikael Tam of the Quebec Remparts. Cormier is suspended by the league and will miss the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs.

The decision of the league is fair in my opinion. Such disgusting actions on the ice deserve a severe punishment. In this particular case, justice prevailed for the good of all hockey players in this league. We just have to hope that the lenght of the suspension will make a good example to anyone who wishes to hit someone to the head.

(Picture: Patrice Cormier, RDS.)

Patrice Cormier Hits Mikael Tam: Disturbing Images Moves Press.

2010-01-19T22:25:00.005-05:00

This last Sunday, during the overtime period of a regular season game in the Quebec's Junior Hockey League opposing the Quebec Remparts to the Rouyn Noranda Huskies, Patrice Cormier of the Huskies viciously blindsided defense men Mikael Tam with an elbow shot to the head.

Tam fell on the ice face first, unconcious and convulsing. Disturbing images that went all around the world and that will take long to be forgotten. It took me two full days and positive news about Mikael Tam's health condition to lower my level of outrage.

In my humble opinion, and should I have the opportunity to take that kind of a decision, I would ban Cormier from any organized ice hockey competition and send him to an anger management therapy. This kind of behaviour endangers every other player's health while sending a disgusting image of ice hockey. Those actions deserve this kind of punishment.

In that same line of thought, could it be possible for a professional player to ask a judge for a restraining order against Cormier stating that with Patrice Cormier's past actions, he is endangering his Million dollar career?

That would in the end result to the same point: Ban Cormier before he kills someone during a hockey game.

(Picture: Mikael Tam, Canadian Press.)

Montreal Canadiens: Difficult weekend.

2010-01-18T20:56:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens had two important games this last weekend as both the Ottawa Senators and the New York Rangers were within the Canadiens' range in the standings.

After taking a short 2-1 lead in Ottawa, the team collapsed to finally lose by the score of 4-2. Then in New York, Montreal took a 2-0 lead in the first period but completely collapsed once again and lost 6-2. The Canadiens cannot continue to drop points in the standings for very long before their playoff berth races away from them.

Of course there are some positive points here and there. For example, Benoit Pouliot has adjusted his marks and is now having a blast along with Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez. But somewhere, the good points just don't weight enough in the balance.

We have seen an immediate effect on Tomas Plekanec's production since Andrei Kostitsyn's injury. The club's depth isn't good enough to provide immediate offensive support to Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri.

The major problem of the club is still their defensive coverage. I have not seen any improvement since day one in this department. The opponents skate in Montreal's zone with ease and can easily send 40 shots on net. There is virtually no stick checking (and I don't mean cross checking here) and no bodyckecking.

With the Olympic tournament scheduled in less than a month and the trade deadline coming only two days after the Games' closing ceremony, some General Managers, including Bob Gainey, will have many propositions on the table.

(Picture: Benoit Pouliot, Canadian Press.)

Ristorante Adventure Romantica Contest.

2010-01-13T16:06:00.004-05:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dr Oetker. All opinions are 100% mine.

A new contest named the Dr Oetker Adventure Romantica Contest has been launched by Dr Oetker and is for Canadian residents only.

This time, the delicious ''Ristorante pizzas'' could win yourself a tour for two to a winery or vineyard near your location!

All you have to do is collect and register your PIN online. PINs appear in specially marked boxes of Dr Oetker ristorante pizzas. You can register as many PIN as you wish until June 30th 2010.

A total of 100 008 prizes are to be won.

-100 000 Free pizza coupons.
-5 ''Ristorante for a year'' prize packs.
-3 Vineward tours.

I think that this contest is interesting because of the amount of winning boxes and also the grand prize that is up for grabs. In fact, there is a winning box among every twenty boxes or so...

I find the grand prize very interesting. especially for a couple. To tell the truth, I have not visited a local vineyard in a couple of years and would love it.

I bet that so few of us has ever visited a winery or a wineyard in our respective locations. This is a great way to discover who makes the finest products in our own regions. I envy the winners already because this would make a perfect gift to my girlfriend...

Cheers to Dr Oetker once again for another great contest. And good luck to all of you.

Montreal Canadiens: First Win In 2010.

2010-01-07T22:34:00.003-05:00

The Florida Panthers constituted the first victims of the Montreal Canadiens in 2010. A 2-0 victory acquired at the Bell centre.

Jaroslav Halak was in net for Montreal and stopped the 38 shots from the Panthers. A second shutout victory this season for him. Benoit Pouliot, with a late first period goal and Brian Gionta in an empty net constituted the only offense of this game.

The depth of the Canadiens without Andrei Kostitsyn was put to the test as head coach Jacques Martin juggled with his lines trying to find more sustained offense. More often than not, the goaltenders' margin of error is very slim.

The New Jersey Devils, the Dallas Stars and the Ottawa Senators will, in succession, be the Canadiens' next three opponents at the Bell centre.

(Picture: Jaroslav Halak and Paul Mara, Canadian Press.)

2010 World Junior Hockey Championships: Team USA Wins Gold.

2010-01-06T09:17:00.004-05:00

These 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships will be remembered for the classic gold medal match, which was simply spectacular.

The overtime period was necessary to declare a winner and John Carlson scored the winning goal taking away Team Canada's 6th straight gold medal with that 6-5 victory.

I have to tip my hat to Team Canada's determination in this one. Down 3-5 with under three minutes to play in regulation, Jordan Eberle scored twice and tied the game in dramatic fashion. But the ultimate goal never came for Canada during overtime.

The game was difficult for the starting goaltenders in this game. Both Jake Allen and Mike Lee finished the game on the players' bench, replaced after giving soft goals.

Here is the 2010 World Juniors podium:

Gold Medal: Team USA
Silver Medal: Team Canada
Bronze Medal: Team Sweden

A mention for Team Switzerland who finished fourth after defeating Team Russia in the quarterfinals.

Congratulations to Team USA for their great victory.

(Picture: Team USA, Getty Images.)

Montreal Canadiens Ends Longest Road Trip Of The Season.

2009-12-31T13:08:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens will end a seven-game road trip tonight when they will face the Florida Panthers. Montreal is on an interesting streak as they won five of the first six games of this important road trip.

Before the beginning of the sequence, I thought that the Canadiens needed to win at least five of those seven games to stay in the playoff hunt in the Eastern conference. The objective was met yesterday when the Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning during the overtime period by the score of 2-1.

The return from injury of defense men Andrei Markov and forward Brian Gionta combined with the addition of Benoit Pouliot and the extraordinary work of goaltender Jaroslav Halak are the main reasons of those late 2009 success. As a result, the team started to bunch up wins while Jaroslav Halak was named NHL's first star last week.

Montreal has also found their mark on the special teams. The penalty killing has shown great efficiency during the second part of December after a difficult start. Let's not forget the power play unit who now ranks in first place.

Let's kick start those new year celebrations with a victory over the Florida Panthers tonight.

Happy 2010 everyone!

(Picture: Jaroslav Halak, Canadian Press.)

2010 World Junior Hockey Championships: Canada Ends Prelim Round.

2009-12-31T12:48:00.004-05:00

The preliminary round of the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships will end today for Team Canada as they will face Team USA this afternoon.

Canada did not encounter any problem during their first three matches. First, they defeated Team Latvia by the score of 16-0 before shutting down Team Switzerland by 6-0. Team Slovakia did manage to score a couple of goals but fell by the score of 8-2.

With three wins in three games for Team Canada and Team USA, the first place of the prelim round will be at stake. A first place means a spot in the semifinal round. We can expect a very disputed match between those two teams.

(Picture: Jordan Eberle and Tyler Hall, Canadian Press.)

Montreal Canadiens Breaks The December 23rd Drought.

2009-12-23T21:33:00.003-05:00

With a decisive 5-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Montreal Canadiens has won a hockey game on December 23rd for the first time since 1945!

The Canadiens took control of the game very early into the first period. Andrei Markov opened the score after only 1:29 of play. Markov has scored three goals in three games since his return. Andrei Kostitsyn doubled the score a minute later. His brother, Sergei, scored the third goal for the Canadiens before the tenth minute mark.

Goaltender Cam Ward was pulled after the third goal. Manny Legace went in but couldn't stop the Canadiens. Glen Metropolit added a fourth goal for the Canadiens before the end of the first period. Only Brandon Sutter scored on Jaroslav Halak during the first.

Benoit Pouliot who was acquired a few weeks ago in return of Guillaume Latendresse played a first game in his new uniform.

Glen Metropolit scored a second goal for the final score of 5-1.

With that third victory in a row, the team will fly back to Montreal in a good mood for Christmas. Jaroslav Halak and Marc-Andre Bergeron deserves a pad in the back from their team mates as both were stellar two days ago to steal an overtime victory to the Atlanta Trashers.

The seven game road trip will resume in a couple of days.

(Picture: Sergei Kostitsyn, Getty Images.)

Montreal Canadiens' Andrei Markov Returns To Action.

2009-12-19T07:42:00.006-05:00

After being injured during the very first game of the season, Andrei Markov should be in uniform this evening as the Montreal Canadiens will begin a very important seven game stretch on the road.

The outcome of this seven game road trip for the Canadiens will greatly impact their position in the standings. The club is currently 12th in the Eastern conference and is on a five-game losing streak.

Why is this road trip so important?

When we look at the teams that the Montreal Canadiens will face in those seven games, we can honestly think that those games are within their reach.

The New York Islanders, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Atlanta Trashers and the Florida Panthers are not exactly powerhouses in the NHL. The Canadiens needs to win at least five of those seven games to stay in the playoff hunt.

There is also another question worth my attention today: Is the return of Andrei Markov premature? Initially, a return during the month of January or even February was optimistic. Is Andrei Markov at 100%?

The Canadiens plays the New York Islanders tonight and some of our questions will be answered during that game. The Canadiens needs to end the losing streak against the Islanders.

Happy Holidays.

(Picture: Andrei Markov, Getty Images.)

The Lack Of Discipline Sinks The Montreal Canadiens.

2009-12-15T08:40:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens lost their last three games. One of the factors that costed the team in those last three games is the lack of discipline.

Yesterday's 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres came after coming back twice from a one goal deficit during the third period. The Canadiens' Ryan O'Byrne and Glen Metropolit were both called for a penalty in a span of 37 seconds and gave the decisive 5-on-3 advantage to the Sabres. Clarke MacArthur pushed the puck behind goaltender Jaroslav Halak during the double man advantage, sending the Sabres ahead for good.

The Montreal Canadiens cannot afford to take that much penalties and hope to win the majority of it's games. The lesson must sink in.

On a brighter side, Andrei Kostitsyn looks to have found his groove during this month of December. With two goals and an assist in a losing cause, he was named the first star of the game yesterday, despite the loss.

Head coach Jacques Martin sent Andrei Kostitsyn on the first offensive line with Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri a couple of games ago and the results are interesting for the team. The chemistry between Kostitsyn and Cammalleri on the ice is refreshing and gives a decent offensive output to the team.

The Canadiens' are still in eight place in the Eastern conference while their top defensemen, Andrei Markov, is recovering from his injury and is now skating with the team during practice sessions. Markov could be back in the lineup before the end of the month of December, a lot earlier than initially expected.

Until then, the Canadiens will play the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday and the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

(Picture: The Buffalo Sabres, Canadian Press.)

The Montreal Canadiens Wins The Centennial Match.

2009-12-04T23:31:00.003-05:00

Inspired by the pre game festivities, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins by the score of 5-1.

The fans gathered at the Bell centre saw a larger than nature Habs team effort. A very disputed first period gave the tone in this match. Montreal's goaltender, Carey Price, made a couple of good saves to keep the score tied before Jaroslav Spacek opened the score with a good shot from the blue line that beat goaltender Tim Thomas.

The Canadiens and more especially Carey Price shut the door on the Bruins later on in this first frame during a double man advantage.

The highlight of the match came from Mike Cammalleri who scored three goals during the second period alone. His 15th goal of the season completed his hat trick to the delight of the crowd. The Canadiens went to the dressing room up 5-0 after two periods.

Vladimir Sobotka avoided the shut out early in the third period when he tipped a shot past Carey Price.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 5 - Boston Bruins 1

The fans of the Montreal Canadiens will remember this evening for long time as those celebrations ended with a dream performance on the ice.

Happy 100th anniversary.

(Picture: Michael Cammalleri, Getty Images.)

The 100th Anniversary Of The Montreal Canadiens.

2009-12-04T19:08:00.007-05:00

On this December 4th 2009, the Montreal Canadiens officially celebrated the 100th anniversary of the franchise. The centennial match features the Boston Bruins, a great rival team in the history.

Before the game, a prestigious ceremony covering the entire century was presented at the Bell centre for the fans packed in the arena.

To begin, a touching movie presented to the fans the deceased players, managers and past owners, and then, a presentation of all of those that worked and contributed to the success of the club during those 100 years. A fair number of them were unknown to the average Montreal Canadiens fan.

That movie was followed by a short five minute warm up session with past superstars. Stephane Richer, Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur, Patrick Roy, Vincent Damphousse, Patrice Brisebois, Ken Dryden, Serge Savard and many many others exchanged a few passes and skated together. This little activity was really appreciated by the cheering crowd.

Just a few minutes later, all those greats of the past gathered to the center of the ice for a moving celebration of two ex-players that deserved their place with the other great players of the club. The jerseys of Emile ''Butch'' Bouchard (number 3) and Elmer Lach (number 16) were then raised to the ceiling of the building to immortalize, honor and salute their passage and their contribution.

The pre-game celebrations ended with yet another amazing number of ex-players that were presented to the crowd. Many of those brought us back memories while some of them were less popular and almost forgotten. All of them concluded with a huge ''family'' portrait that literally covered the entire neutral zone of the ice. The history of the Montreal Canadiens is a rich one and we had another example of it.

Happy anniversary and cheers to another 100 years for the Montreal Canadiens.

(Picture: Maurice Richard, Hector ''Toe'' Blake and Jacques Plante, Canadian Press.)

Win A Trip To Vegas With Bistro Crustini.

2009-12-02T21:04:00.003-05:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of henderson bas. All opinions are 100% mine.

Before I begin to explain the details of the Bistro Crustini contest, I want to take these lines to thank Bistro Crustini for their great choice and their great taste. Really.

I rarely enjoy frozen meals or snacks but today I have to admit that those Crustinis are really great. I do buy a couple of boxes every time they are on sale at my local grocery store. Perfect and crisp each and every time. They make a quick evening snack. My personal favorites are the Philly cheese steak and the Barbecued chicken.

And now for the trip to Las Vegas, it is in fact very simple.

Bistro Crustini is giving away a trip to Las Vegas on Game Day for the Big Game.

This contest is reserved to Canadian residents only. All you need to do is register on the website and type your valid Bistro Crustini UPC to enter the contest. You can enter as many UPC as you wish.

The Grand Prize includes:
- Airfare tickets for two.
- Five days, four nights at a deluxe hotel.
- Chauffeured limousine service.
- Two tickets to a show.
- $1,500 spending money.

There are also second prizes:

1 of 3 Home Theatre Systems and a weekly prize of a digital camera.

To win, grab yourself a Bistro Crustini and enjoy their great taste. Then go online and enter your UPC for a chance to win YOUR trip to Vegas. I have entered four UPC myself already.

Good luck to everyone and thanks again Bistro Crustini!

Dramatic Victory For The Montreal Alouettes.

2009-11-30T22:32:00.004-05:00

The Montreal Alouettes won the 97th edition of the Grey Cup by the score of 28-27 in dramatic fashion during the last play of the game.

A penalty for too many players on the field during a field goal attempt by the Alouettes costed the Saskatchewan Roughriders the title. Kicker Damon Duval didn't miss his ultimate chance and made a 34-yard field goal on the following play to complete the dramatic comeback.

Trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, the Montreal Alouettes held on and scored two touchdowns to get within two points with under two minutes to play. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo threw his best passes of the game at this crucial point of the game.

Also, on the last Riders punt of the game during the final minute of the game, Etienne Boulay saved the Alouettes from a disaster when he recovered the fumble by the kick returner. Without Boulay's intervention, Saskatchewan would have taken the ball and would have been crowned Grey Cup champions.

The action and suspense of this great championship game will be remembered as one of the most dramatic ending in CFL history.

Congratulations to the Montreal Alouettes for their great comeback.

(Picture: Anthony Calvillo, team mates and the Grey Cup at the airport, Canadian Press.)

Montreal Canadiens' Last Five Games: Seven Out Of Ten.

2009-11-26T07:29:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens did a little better than expected during the last five games. When we look at the opposition the team faced, (Carolina, Washington, Detroit, Columbus and Pittsburgh) seven points out of a possible ten is a great harvest.

A couple of players have played very well during this successful string: goaltender Carey Price, Tomas Plekanec, Marc-Andre Bergeron and Matt D'Agostini. With the important number of injured players, those players took the extra work load and delivered. I am giving them all a 7 out of 10.

Only Mike Cammalleri deserves a higher note. The Canadiens' fans are discovering Mike's explosive and accurate shot. After a slow start, he now has 12 goals, leading the team in this department. I am giving him a 9 out of 10.

After spending the whole month of November under the .500 mark, the Habs are currently at 12-12-1. The team should be in a lot more trouble but have found a way to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.

Also, General Manager Bob Gainey have traded Guillaume Latendresse to the Minnesota Wild for Benoit Pouliot earlier this week. Latendresse's work ethic and on-ice production did not please the organization and are the main reasons for his departure.

The Canadiens has thrown the towel on yet another 22 year-old player. Latendresse saw his ice-time drop dramatically this season and was aware that his time with the club was counted. We can only be concerned about the team's ability to fully develop their young talent.

Now Is Your Chance To Win $5000!

2009-11-20T18:52:00.002-05:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Incendia Health. All opinions are 100% mine.

Here is a cool contest for you. All you need to participate is a video camera, creativity and humor. I am convinced that some of you should really consider participating in this cool contest. I have seen some videos that a couple of regular readers posted online and it was just great.

Abbott Medical Optics inc. (AMO), a leader in laser vision correction wants to see what does an improved vision can change in your lives.

AMO has recently launched the ''You Gotta See This'' video contest, in which the participants are invited to make a video showing the impact of an improved vision in someone's life.

Many contestants have already submitted great videos but yours is still missing. I am serious: AMO is waiting for your videos. Your video could be worth $5000 cash!

Well, what exactly are the prizes of this video contest?

The Grand Prize is $5000
First Prize is a HDTV package worth $2500 (one in each category)
Second Prize is a Flip UltraHD™ camcorder, a $199 value. (one in each category)

The contest contains three different categories.
• “My contacts are getting in the way of my good time”
• “My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision”
• “You should see life after the iLASIK® Procedure”

You can submit only one video and choose only one category, unfortunatly.

This iLASIK Video Contest will not last forever so hurry up and start taping now!

Montreal Canadiens Wins In Overtime Once Again.

2009-11-18T10:01:00.004-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens are still undefeated during extra time this season as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by the score of 3-2, after a long shootout session Tuesday evening.

Both teams sent six skaters each to finally end the contest. Maxim Lapierre's shot made the difference. As for goaltender Carey Price at the other end, he was perfect during the shootout and made a highlight reel save on Matt Cullen at the end to confirm the victory.

Max Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn both scored for Montreal during regulation. Kostitsyn's goal came with under three minutes to play in the third period, forcing overtime.

Brandon Sutter and Jussi Jokinen scored their goals in a 2:52 span during the second period, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead until the late stages of the game.

The Canadiens has won eight straight games during the overtime/shootout session without any loss this season, tying a NHL regular season record.

(Picture: Carey Price, Canadian Press.)