The Brooklyn Gooner

-- The Canadiens limped into the playoffs with a 3-2 overtime loss at Boston tonight. It was looking real good for a while...Jason Ward got his 4th of the year on a penalty shot about 30 seconds in, and then Stephane Quintal got a rare goal to put us up 2-0. But, the Bruins kept chipping away, and after something like 124 straight stupid penalties, the Bruins got one back. That's fine. You can't expect to shut out a team like Boston on their own ice, but the tying goal came because (I believe) the Habs came out flat for the 3rd period. That said, I think the entire team did a great job of hanging onto the regulation tie, as that's really all we needed. However, heading into the playoffs (and playing a team now the most likely to face us in the 1st round), I really could have lived without them conceding a goal in overtime. I'm even less thrilled about the fact that they couldn't capitalize on a 3:30 power play (the first 1:30 was 4-on-4 thanks to Yet Another Stupid Penalty) after that hack artist Joe Thornton tried to injure Steve Begin with a horrible check from behind. He actually should have gone right before that when Yanic Perrault got his double-minor, but of course, the brilliant officiating crew (one of whom was none other than Kerry "who needs a helmet when I use this much hairspray" Fraser) let it go. Great work, gentlemen. Oh well. The Canadiens are in the playoffs once again, and the last time we were there, we sent the B's home very, very early. I think everyone on the team, associated with them, or a supporter of them is looking forward to doing it again.

-- I find it disturbing that you can watch pool and bowling and poker (which isn't even a bloody sport) on ESPN2, but they can't find space for indoor lacrosse. My Wings need 2 straight wins against Rochester to make the playoffs...actually, in the first one, they're honoring the 1994 MILL champions, so hopefully something from that group will rub off on the current lot (the '94 edition won by demolishing Buffalo 26-15 in the final).

-- I'm looking at the SPL standings today, and I've noticed that Glasgow Celtic's goal differential is +78. No, that's not a typo...that's 93 goals scored and 15 conceded. That's just bloody ridiculous, although I suppose it has to be expected when our nearest and dearest rivals are as far behind as they are.

-- Watched some boxing tonight...Dominick Guinn vs. Monte Barrett and Jermain Taylor vs. Alex Bunema. The first fight was kind of strange...the hometown guy (Guinn) came out firing on all cylinders, but it seemed to my (very untrained) eye that Barrett kind of let him get it out of his system, then went to work himself. It seemed like he had a gameplan, while I can believe the announcers when they said that Guinn was trying to box in a style that he's not used to. It wasn't a bad fight (won by Barrett in split decision -- it's very obvious the hometown judge had filled out his card before the fight even started), but the second of the evening was much more entertaining for me, the casual fan. Jermain Taylor is the kind of guy that would turn people onto boxing again, I think. Personally, this was the first card I've watched since some horrible fight featuring a guy named Ruiz...that was a section of my life I can never get back. However, Taylor was just phenomenal...from what the announcers were saying the Congoese guy he was fighting was pretty good in his own right, but he just couldn't touch this Taylor guy (also the hometown favorite). Taylor was extremely aggressive, and he did an awesome job of wearing the other guy down, so he could let loose with more power punches (scintillating analysis, I know, but I've never claimed to be a boxing expert). Taylor won around...err...round 7 or 8, I think, when the ref stopped the fight. Bunema made quite a stink about it, but it was apparent even to me that he was simply saved from yet more pummelling.