Oct 28, 2015
Thumbs up to Canucks, Habs; down to Leafs
TSN's Dave Hodge gives a thumbs up to the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens, while giving a thumbs down to what is shaping up to be a tedious season for Maple Leafs fans.
By Dave Hodge
It had to happen sometime, so "thumbs up" to the Vancouver Canucks for handing the Montreal Canadiens their first loss of the season. Even with the Alberta teams struggling, it figured that the Habs might not get out of western Canada with their unbeaten record intact. Well, never mind the upcoming games in Edmonton and Calgary, the Canadiens didn't get out of the first period in Vancouver with any real hope of a 10th straight win.
On the Canucks' side, special mention to 19-year-old rookie Jared McCann, whose two first period goals set the tone for the remaining 40 minutes.
In retrospect, however, let's say "thumbs up" one more time to the Canadiens for what they accomplished in their first nine games. The NHL's October has been filled with one slow start after another by teams like Columbus, Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado and Toronto. But thanks to Montreal, there was early-season excellence to be found somewhere.
Not every period or every game during the Canadiens' streak showed them at their best, but they were winning while so many others were losing badly. They were a reason to follow hockey between innings of baseball games. Okay, maybe the Blue Jays weren't quite the only game in Canadian towns, but it felt like that, especially when Montreal wasn't playing.
Long Cold Winter
"Thumbs down" to what is shaping up as a tedious season in Toronto. It is well advertised that the Maple Leafs hope to win as often as they can now but plan to win more often in the years ahead. That's the palatable way of saying they expect to lose now.
So what's in it for the fans?
Well, they got to see Carey Price when the Canadiens visited for the season opener at Air Canada Centre. They experienced a nice moment when Tie Domi's son Max scored the first goal in Arizona's 4-3 win on Monday night. They'll have fun welcoming back Phil Kessel when the Pittsburgh Penguins come to town on Saturday, and after that, the NHL's best 1-2 scoring punch - Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin - will be featured when the Leafs host the Dallas Stars.
The Leafs' biggest star stands behind the bench. Mike Babcock is the best reason to show interest in the Leafs, but he's in charge of a construction project that involves digging before anything is built. So the way to follow the Leafs is not necessarily to watch them, but to wait for them.
In the meantime, how interesting can they possibly be? As they agonize over their inability to prevent power-play goals by the opposition, is that an issue that grips Maple Leaf Nation? Three home games down, 38 to go.