Wham, bam, thank you ma'am

My NHL playoff dream scenario is getting closer to being a reality. After last night's hard-fought, playoff-style game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the five "other" Canadian teams are now sitting in a playoff spot, while the Leafs are toiling in 12th place, well out of contention for this year's playoffs. For the first time since Pat Quinn took over in Toronto in 1998-'99, the Leafs likely won't be making a run at the Stanley Cup. And it happened in front of 21,273 screaming Bell Centre fans, many of them clad in the blue and white of the Canadiens' archrivals. More satisfying than that, though, was that this game, the most important of the season for both teams, took place on a Saturday night, on Hockey Night in Canada, leaving all the Leafs cheerleaders that work for the "public" broadcaster with nothing but the sweet sound of dejection in their voices.

Admittedly, the Canadiens' game started off slightly shakily, and it looked like they were reverting back to their submissive selves against the Leafs when they allowed the first goal, but they came back with a fire we haven't seen since the 'Cardiac' Canadiens flatlined sometime in November. The affair was fight-filled, and showed how frustrated the Leafs were with losing so one-sidedly for the second straight game in Montreal. Their frustration over the loss is the one thing I like about the Leafs and think the Habs need more of. No professional hockey player should be content or at ease with losing, and the Canadiens have gotten far too used to it in recent years.

My favourite part of the night came from my favourite Hab, Alex Kovalev, who gave Darcy Tucker a taste of his own medicine with an elbow to the head and a slam to the ice. Last night, Kovalev answered any critics accusing him of apathy. This guy has character and intensity when it counts, and boy did it come out tonight. Expect his hit and that of Tucker's to get a look at from the NHL. I'd be surprised if only one of the players gets a suspension, but there's a chance that both will since they were handed misconducts in the last 5 minutes of the game.

In any case, folks, this game was one for the books. The passion and pride that has too often been lacking was back in full force tonight, and, most importantly, the Canadiens got stellar performances from pretty much all their players tonight. Looking right down the roster, from Radek Bonk to Kovalev to Garth Murray to Andrei Markov, the Habs were on their game tonight. If they don't end up making the playoffs, we can all still take some comfort in the fact that they won this one wholeheartedly. Against the Leafs. It couldn't be better.