Statistical analysis

After having posted so many angry rants about the officiating in Habs-Leafs games, I decided to engage in a little investigative journalism to see if my accusations had any basis, and to rule out "Intense Fan Syndrome."

What I found was quite astonishing: When the Canadiens play a regular opponent, they are penalized, on average, two more minutes per game than their opponents, and receive 0.6 less power plays per game. However, when the Habs play the Leafs and both referees are Ontarian (which has been the case four times this season), the Canadiens are penalized an average of 7 more minutes per game than Toronto and are awarded 2.5 less power plays than the Leafs. So I'm not just a crazy fan...

If you'd like more details about my statistical analysis, post a message here with your contact info and I'll be glad to provide some more details.

In other news, the Leafs, who are hot up the Canadiens' tail thanks to their unfair win over the Habs Tuesday night, have acquired veteran defenseman Luke Richardson from the Blue Jackets. I mentioned recently how Bob Gainey has to keep an eye on the moves that are made by teams behind his in the standings, and this would be a good place to start. The Leafs are gearing up for a run at 8th place, and the Canadiens should look to improve their defence before 3 PM tomorrow.

In other trade news, rumours have circulated that the Canadiens are interested in Sharks forward Alyn McCauley. McCauley only has 21 points this year and is a -4, but the important thing is that, at 6', 198 lbs., he adds size up front. The Canadiens have been lacking size in the forward department, although I'm still of the opinion that their top trading priority should be an upgrade on defence.