0 for 2

After playing two pre-season games against the Stars and the Sabres respectively, the Habs are still winless. Not to worry though, as it's been said before, these games don't count, and not to mention there was already a huge improvement made in the second game. The pre-season is a great transition into the game for players who aren't new to the NHL, and especially for those who are trying to ease their way back into the game after being sidelined for an injury of the sort.

     "It's perfect, I was hoping for that today. As crazy as it sounds, I needed to get hit. I needed to know that I could get burried like that and I didn't feel a thing," says Josh Gorges after taking a hard hit from Tyler Myers against the Sabres last night. Gorges' health was still a blur after undergoing a knee injury that was keeping him on the list of injured players for the remainder of last season since December 26^th. Having said that the he was disappointed the Canadiens only had a one-year contract to offer as opposed to a multi-year one, the defenceman is ready to prove himself to the team once more.

     On the other hand, the highly anticipated return of Max Pacioretty left a refreshing feeling in the spirit of the left winger's 22 year old soul. Welcomed with an ovation from the crowd, according to Pac, "I felt like it was the first time I put on skates in my life." Having played 23 minutes, Pacioretty seemed to be in great shape, recording a total of 6 shots on net, including some great scoring chances.

     Although for some, the next couple of weeks is useful for shaking off the summer rust , for others it's a new beginning and a once in a lifetime chance. Seeing some action from many youngsters within the last few games, all of these players are ready to impress. With Andreas Engqvist and Aaron Palushaj getting a second shot at it the second night, Nathan Beaulieu, the habs first round pick this summer could only speak positively about his experience. Revealing that he was indeed nervous and hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, the prospect has one nerve-wracking game of his young hockey career off his shoulders. Playing with Josh Gorges on the blue line, Beaulieu was able to shrug off the butterflies leaving Gorges absolutely in awe by the kid's performance. With 27 minutes of ice time, Beaulieu was able to set-up a great play that lead to the only Canadiens goal scored by P.K. Subban in the second period.

     Montreal will be visiting the country's Capital for the first of two back to back games against the Sens on Friday, being the only game out of 8 that will not be broadcasted on television. If you're a real die-hard fan, you'll crank up the radio tomorrow night and listen to the game like you would have if you were a habs fan living in the 40's. The good news: the second game against Ottawa will be shown on Saturday night and all the other games after that, facing opponents such as the Bruins and the Lightning. Welcome back, Pouliot.

 This should be fun.

Countdown: 6 Days

A little video to remind us of good times:

     With jerseys on our backs, beer in our hands and hockey in our hearts, Habs fans know how hockey is done. The screaming Olé Olé chants echoing from the Bell Centre bounding all over the city, cursing at the referee when he makes a pointless call, playing hooky at school or at work to make your way to the Complexe Sportif Bell to watch an ordinary team practice even with five metres of snow outside, sending a hand-written letter to the producers of RDS, thanking them a million times for airing Canadiens Express when you missed a game because your significant other took control of the remote and forced you to watch The Bachelorette marathon; this is what hockey’s all about.

  

     While making smores around a campfire and indulging in summer activities will be dearly missed by everyone, there's one thing Montrealers missed more than anything during the offseason:

Le Bleu, Blanc, Rouge. Hockey fans, our Montreal Canadiens are back.

It's official folks, only six long days remaining until the Habs' first pre-season game against the Dallas Stars, and I'm excited, to say the least. Okay, I may be highly anticipating what is only the pre-season, but it still means we're inching closer to the home opener on October 6^th in Leaf Nation.

Let's get one thing straight, when it's game day in Montreal, the city is on a completely different beat. While Pierre Houde practices his vocal exercises and drinks honey, warming himself up to yell “Et le but!” within hours, Montreal screams hockey, anxiously awaiting the evening puck drop.
   
     Although summer may be leaving us and the fall season is approaching ever so quickly, the real season begins now. September 20^th, here we come. Not to mention, seven of the Canadiens’ eight pre-season games will be broadcasted on RDS.

Drive for 25: Bring it on. 

Amen.