Go Habs Go!

Well my Vancouver Canucks have been officially eliminated from Stanley Cup contention. That's fine by me. From what I've seen of the team all season long, they are right where they belong - on the outside looking in.

Not having the Canucks in the playoffs is actually a good thing. While the Canucks have always been my team, I'm a hockey fan more so than a Canucks fan. I can now enjoy the 2008 playoffs without any real concern about who wins and who loses. I can just sit back and observe. And most importantly, appreciate the MANY great hockey players we have today.

Undoubtedly as the playoffs get rolling I will latch on to some team and hope they go all the way. I'm really hoping Washington can make it in. From what I've seen of them they could be a great sleeper pick. And I like Minnesota's chances out west.

But I think the historian in me will be cheering on the Montreal Canadiens.

The Habs have gone too long between Stanley Cups, let alone long playoff runs. Sure, the Habs have 24 Cups and more success than anybody. Let someone else win it you say. I say we need the Canadiens to be Stanley Cup contenders every year.

The Canadiens are hockey's most storied team. They are hockey's New York Yankees, or Los Angeles Lakes, or Manchester United. Fans either love them or love to hate them. And having those teams as strong as they always are is great for sports, and presently lacking in hockey.

There's some other good reasons to cheer from Montreal. Anahim Lake is close to absolutely nowhere, but I suspect being in Northern BC myself I'm closer to Carey Price's home "town" than most Habs fans. The Montreal power play is a real juggernaut, and that helps makes the team a fun team to watch.

So with that in mind - Go Habs Go! May the hockey gods smile upon you once more.