Price/By S. Bradley
The Bruins were already in New Jersey resting up for today’s season finale by the time their first-round match-up with Montreal was set up last night by the Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers both winning their final games of the regular season.
So after the Habs downed Toronto, they got the chance to fire the first verbal shots across the bow. And they basically punted.
Goaltender Carey Price was as dry as he could be, as quoted by the Montreal Gazette:
“It’s going to a good series. Obviously, there’s a history between us and it’s probably going to be pretty good watching.”
Gee Carey, don’t get too excited.
Captain Brian Gionta also tried to tamp down the notion that this series is going to be any more electric than any other playoff series. Also from The Gazette:
“It’s not going to be any more intense than any other playoff series. In the playoffs, everything gets real intense. The regular season gets thrown out. We’ll spend the next few days looking at the match-ups and getting ready.”
Well, hopefully the chatter and the hockey will far exceed the initial predictions and rhetoric of two of Montreal’s best players because I think at this point we’re expecting fireworks on and off the ice.
Playoff hockey is awesome. One of the reasons is the refs swallow the whistles.
LET THEM PLAY!!
If they penalize the Bs for being too physical, then they need to penalize the Habs for theatrical emphasis if/when either happen.
The Habs know better than to poke or provoke the Bear.
They’ll let their diving do the talking.
and btw, you almost seem to be complaining that the habs have taken a somewhat mature approach to the media leading up to the series. Would you prefer the opposite?
Though the classy response would be to not boo the anthem, I wouldn’t hold your breath on the subject. Montreal fans are still livid over the chara hit.
It’s a 2 way street though. Habs fans will boo the anthem despite having 8 Americans in their lineup (more than the Bruins btw) and Bruins fans will endlessly mock French Canadians while conveniently forgetting where Savard, Bergeron, Bourque, Lemelin, Claude Julien or Pat Burns come from…
Talk about reading alot into innocent comments. How does the comments made by Price or Gionta classify as rhetoric. I thought they were both being pretty classy and respectful.
Don’t know if Max was improvising, a broken neck does have a way of keeping you on the ice. It would be nice to see the 3rd Referee in Montreal get their orange stripe taken back by the league. Hopefully they are also more respectful than last year, and decide to not boo the National Anthem.
I also expect the league to pay special attention to this series and I think they will likely have the ref call it tight because of the history of the two teams this season.
good point, mark. luckily bill mccreary has been shown the door.
chara’s hit on miracle max wasn’t a penalty until the turtles crowd and miracle max’s improv intimidated old billy.
Hopefully the best refs will be officiating the playoffs.
If there are times the refs are tipping the scales towards the Habs’ favor, just whistle the puck shoulder high against the boards towards them and maybe they’ll think twice for calling bad penalties.
like i said before gonna be another long summer for us b fans.Montreal will have the refs on their side like they always do .Last night against the leafs in a 2to1 game the leafs get nailed with a penalty when really there should have been matching penalities and no power but the ref calls as always for montreal they score on power play 3to 1 game over don’t believe me go back and have a look.
Somebody call 911!