Happy Hockey Day!

HAPPY HOCKEY DAY!

After watching the emotional CBC ‘Hockey Day in Canada’ program (I love watching little kids meeting their hockey heroes), the games are on! This is a solo blog, but the nervoustime crew are together in spirit. Happy belated Birthday to our very own Sherri Berry!

First up: Montreal at Ottawa.

This should be a good game. BTW, we need to give a shout out to Martie Brodeur, Teppo Numminen and Keith Tkachuk. We love you all equally and in different ways (but Teppo is the best).

Ok, back to the game. Lots of back and forth. I feel like I’m watching tennis.

Fun fact: Jason Spezza has scored at least one goal in each of his last five games, tied for the longest active streak in the league.

18:15 The refs haven’t made a call all period. The pace is great.

Ottawa scores! 22:28 in the first period. Kovalev! Great pass from Puba. “He makes no mistake putting this into the back of the net”. I love announcer Bobby Cole. Kovalev’s 14^th of the season!

23:40 Kovalev gets 2 minutes for ‘receiving’. The refs say it’s for ‘roughing’. Bullshit call. O’Byrne takes off to the dressing room to pout. 2 minutes for you!

Ottawa is 5-0 on the 4-4. I actually know what this means. Do you?

Karlsson is awesome.

Period 1 over. 1:0 Ottawa.

Mental note: we need to watch the 1987 Canada Cup with Gretzky, Messier & Lemieux. I’ve never seen the game in its entirety. Shame on me.

Period 2 begins.

Nearing the 5:00 minute mark and nothing much to report.

Oh, except douche wad Stephen Harper is at the game with his kid (poor kid). I guess he's got some time on his hands now that he's prorogued parliament.

Best moment so far: Announcer Guy Carbonneau posts a photo of himself as a 16 year old hockey dude circa 1972.

9:26 What about Fisher, eh?!

Montreal gets a penalty.

Ottawa scores on a power play goal! Spezza with the tip in 13:35! His 9^th of the season. 2:0 Ottawa.

Anybody else know that Scott Oake’s kid is an illusionist? Darcy Oake is playing the Gas Station Theatre in Winnipeg soon – it’s like my worlds are colliding into an alternate universe of ILLUSION!

Canadiens are trying to recover, and there’s a penalty against Ottawa. Carkner 2:00.

15:30 Montreal scores! 2:1 now. Pouilot gets the toe of his stick on it. Great pass from Plakenek.

We've got ourselves a pretty damn good hockey game.

Period 2 over. Bring on the CBC hockey nostalgia clips.

Period 3 begins. Both teams are at full speed. Looks like a penalty coming up...yep, 2:00 Hamrlik for holding.

I get verklempt watching Sid Crosby's Timbits commercial. 'Hockey is in our driveways, it's in our dreams.'

16:02 Power play Ottawa! Excitement. Kovalev is a machine! Some awesome scoring chances, but Halak is proving his stuff today. Big saves.

11:55 It's really picked up. The announcers are really getting into it.

Montreal on the power play.

Montreal ties the game with 2:45 left in the 3rd! Gionta 2:45. We have a tie game, folks.

OVERTIME!

Spezza has been tripped! Shoulda been a penalty shot. They say if you don't get a chance to shoot the puck, then you should get a penalty shot. "We've seen penalty shots called for a lot less this year." 2:00 penalty to Montreal. 4 on 3 for Ottawa.

2:30 minutes left in OT. 2:2.

1 minute left in the penalty, 2 minutes left in OT.

PENALTY CALLED! Spezza sent to the bench for kicking the stick! Spezza is not happy.

Wowza. 3 on 3.

Fisher coming in...SCORES! 9 straight wins for Ottawa! Power goal!

3 stars: Halak, Elliott, Fisher.

Great game, great finish - those are my final thoughts on this one, folks! Holla to the nervoustime crew!