You may recall that a handful of our bloggers were selected by our winning pool entrants, Matthew and Duncan, to submit lovey-dovey posts about the Flames and Habs. Like the good sports that they are, our chosen few have responded...sort of.
Read Sherry's love letter to the Habs...then check out Bleu, Blanc et Rouge's response for an extra little giggle. Witness the unbelievable, a Detroit fan praising the Flames, as Steph pays up over at No Pun Intended.
Now JORDI on the other hand has been commanded to redo her post, which was hysterically funny but not exactly nice. I don't think she's taking it all that well (poor Duncan), and now she's just delaying the inevitable.
That just leaves...hmmm. Oh right, me!
This shouldn't be too hard, because as most of you know, my Habs-love is second only to the pure love I hold for the Caps.
I didn't go to Montreal searching for another team to root for. I had my hands full with the Caps and the last thing I needed was a second group of guys who would steal my heart, then break it repeatedly. Habs fandom was something I kind of fell into, led by the forces of fate, la forza del destino if you will.
When I first arrived in Montreal the Canadiens were pretty far off my radar. I knew of them, recognized a few names, but that was it. Instead I listened to as many Caps games as I could on my computer, Steve Kolbe's soothing voice providing the background noise for many a study session. I would see the headlines in the daily newspapers about the Habs but largely ignored them in favor of my hometown team. My only connection to the team was in my proximity to the Montreal Forum, on its way to being converted from a historic hockey landmark to an entertainment complex swathed in red white and blue.
Fast-forward a few months to the 2001 trade deadline, a day spent glued to TSN's all-day coverage in the faint hope that no one would be departing DC. I was watching in horror as the announcement came across the bottom of the screen: 'Washington trades Richard Zednik and Jan Bulis...' I couldn't believe it. My Zed, my Buli, were gone! Then I read the rest '...to Montreal for Dainius Zubrus and Trevor Linden'. My disbelief turned to joy - two of my favorite players were now in the same city as me. Coincidence? I'd like to think not.
And so it began. My loyalty to these two players, as foolish as it may seem, was my entry into the crazy world of Montreal hockey. I started reading about the Habs a bit more, scanning the articles for their names and silently cheering them on. I would get excited when I saw that Montreal had won a game, and sad when they lost. It was a very confusing time, to be sure.
Finally I decided it was time to go see the Habs in person. It was, quite frankly, among the most amazing hockey experiences of my life. If you've never been to a game in Montreal, I urge you to do so immediately. It's like nothing else - the atmosphere is pure saturated hockey. I loved every minute of it. I loved the goal song (which has since been replaced by a U2 song, an absolute disgrace). I loved the little truck that shot t-shirts during intermission. I loved the Canadian anthem sung in French and English. It was so exciting, so electric, and there was a roar in the stands from the moment the puck dropped to the final buzzer.
As a Caps fan, it was a truly eye-opening experience; as a hockey fan, I was home. Over the next few years I immersed myself in Canadiens hockey. I went to as many games as possible, learned the names of the players, cheered them on in the playoffs, and developed a deep hatred of the Maple Leafs. I would put it all on hold only for those times when my two teams met in battle, those brief moments where the Habs t-shirt would proudly be replaced by a Caps jersey. As soon as the game ended, my dual loyalties returned unaffected by the previous 60 minutes.
I've tried many times to distance myself from the Habs since returning to DC. But for whatever reason I can't seem to shake them, almost three years later. They've got a scrappy demeanor about them that I love and an endless cast of characters led by a feisty little Finn that just keeps me hanging on. Huet, Komisarek, Higgins, Ryder - all entertaining in their own way. Even Kovalev, a bastion of evil for so many years, became lovable once he pulled on that Habs sweater (although not so much anymore...).
Anyone will tell you that it's nearly impossible to root for two teams with the same fervor, especially when they're in the same conference, and its true. I could never fully support the Habs with the same passion I reserve for the Capitals; one team always has to win out, and that team will always be the Caps. Still, I stand by my Habs and hope that, like the Caps, next year will bring better fortunes and greener pastures.
I just hope they never meet in the playoffs. I don't think I could take it.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Paying the French-Canadian Piper
Saturday, March 24, 2007
I'll Never Tell
My Caps, who have won three of their last nineteen games, against my Habs, who are in a dogfight for 8th place.
Rather than incriminate myself, I choose to plead the fifth.
Enjoy the game.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
A Fan Divided
These games against Montreal are always a little rough for me, because they feature my two favorite teams going up against each other. And while my loyalty will always fall in the Caps' favor in these matchups, it's still hard to root against my adopted team.
When I was choosing universities during my senior year, I opted to leave the potentially exciting world of Virginia state schools for the far away city of Montreal. Of course, part of the draw of Montreal and Canada in general was their love of hockey, but I also fell in love with the city itself. Montreal has a European charm mixed with Canadian hospitality - the city is clean, the people are friendly, and it's still one of my favorite places.
But back to hockey...
I think if the Canadiens had been a different kind of team, I would have found it difficult to root for them - had I moved to New York or Philly, for example, I don't think I could have in good conscience been a fan of the local team. But the Habs were at the time very similar to the Caps in that they were somewhat underrated and maybe not loaded with star power but had a determination and a hard working attitude that made them fun to watch.
Two games stick out in my mind from that first year in Montreal. One would have to be the first and only time I was able to get tickets to a Montreal-Toronto game. It was the last meeting of the season between the two teams and the Maple Leafs had already beaten Montreal twice at the Bell Centre. The energy was amazing - people were cheering and screaming from the moment the puck dropped, and the noise level only escalated as the game went on. Montreal ended up with the win, and the noise was so deafening it was as if they had won the Stanley Cup.
The second was a game that featured an appearance in the crowd by Saku Koivu, who was completing chemotherapy at the time. When his face was shown on the screen, the ovation was enormous and lasted almost 10 minutes. After the game, my sister and I were at a bar when who should walk in but Koivu himself. I must have stalked him for about 2 hours before I was prodded into finally going up to him. I don't remember what I said and I never got an autograph, but I remember that he couldn't have been nicer to me...despite the fact that I probably sounded like a babbling moron.
My last year in Montreal was when the Canadiens met the Bruins in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. Down 3-1 in the series, the Habs rallied back to win two games in Boston and complete a dramatic comeback. I remember the entire city emptied into the streets as soon as the game ended, kicking off an impromptu parade of cars and people down the main streets of Montreal. It was so exciting to be a part of it and really cemented the team as part of my hockey life.
And so I find myself a fan of two teams - I have a signed Caps jersey but I also have a Canadiens t-shirt. I hate the Penguins and the Maple Leafs with almost the same passion. I'll attend a Caps game yet watch the scoreboard anxiously to monitor the Habs' progress.
Tonight I'll be in attendance, as I will be next week as well. I'll watch warm-ups, excitedly searching out my favorites on both sides of the ice - Ovie, Clark, Clymer; Koivu, Rivet, Ryder. But rest assured, once that game is underway the Habs become just another team the Caps need to beat, another team I hate...if only momentarily.
God help me if they ever meet in the playoffs.
