About last night ...

I'd like to see the allstar format vs the stanley cup winner....

I was pretty happy with the warm welcome given to Mark Streit. But I could've done without the booing- however good-natured- of the Broons guys. I mean come ON, are you telling me we wouldn't want a guy like Savard putting lightning-quick surgical passes onto Kovy's stick?

Anyone have the video of Ovie checking out the hot Montreal chicks?

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/james_duthie/?id=264691 james duthie, excellent satirical column on the ASG. "ONE CUP, ONE PRICE."

This is a freakishly long post. It's the All-Star game and traffic is modest, so please forgive me. Was at home early yesterday afternoon pondering a likely stack of chicken wings and sitting around the tube to watch the All-Star game with the two of my three kids who are major Habs fans when, all of a sudden, the phone rings. It's my bro. His girlfriend works for the NHL. They are worn out by the previous days' events. Two tickets in the reds need to be redeployed. I'm just the man for the job. Two hours later, I'm parking in my favourite Bell Centre spot; i.e., St-Jacques facing east, just before Peel. Parking meter L203. A three-minute walk after the game and the vehicle is aimed to head away from the eye of the hurricane. It was my elder daughter's turn to see a game. My son was jiggy with it because, as he said, he'd prefer to watch a Habs game. Worked out well because the whole event was really more suited to my daughter's personality. Have to say: My relatively modest expectations for a good time were blown right out of the water. What a freakin' good time. The game's kinda goofy 'n' all that, but that's hardly the point. We see more than enough gritty hockey during the season – tons, really – why not have one big party? Truth is, it makes a huge difference if you're there to soak it all in. I only realized that yesterday. Checked out the All-Star Jamboree across the street from the Bell Centre, if only to kill a couple of hours. Other than taking pictures of my daughter with all the trophies, it was relatively low key. It did, however, afford us the opportunity to rub shoulders with two of Montreal's sports television titans and legends in their own Tip Top suits: Renaud and Luc. Well, more like rubbing my elbows. Like Sylvester Stallone, Renaud and Luc are more St-Louis than Lecavalier. I would have given my kingdom for a towel to drape on Lavoie's head. Once tickets were in hand, and with limited time to eat, we headed to the Windsor Station St-Hubert. Not being a big fan of St-Hubert – a poor cousin to Cote-St-Luc BBQ – I was surprised by the quality of the food. I wanted something different and the fajita was actually pretty good. The service was, as is to be expected given the location, slower than Derian Hatcher playing with a hangover. That is until I pulled my waiter aside, banged the table twice with my fist while saying, “Let's go, let's go”, followed by two claps of the hand as I said, “Chop, chop.” Suddenly, staff were thrown at us. Awesome. What a party at the Bell Centre: > Although hosting an NHL platform, the Bell Centre just oozed Hab. Legends were everywhere and treated with the all the respect that was their due. > The crowd was electric. Before things got underway, everybody was suddenly falling over themselves one section to our right; at the epicentre, there appeared to be a fluorescent pink jacket. You know who. After Don left, poor Ron stuck around in the stands talking into his earpiece, as if silently pleading to the dissipating crowd, “Hey! I'm effin' Ron McLean! Get a load of me!” Sorry Ron: It's all about Don. > Suddenly, there they all were; the NHL's raw talent. Biggest ovations for Ovy, Kovy, Vinny, and Price, Donner, Blixen, Miami Vice. > The Russian oligarchy is alive and well. It starts with Ovy, Kovy, and Evy at the top. They face each other when they talk on the ice. The rest of the Russians, including Markov, only get the slightly turned head during any discussion with the league's Russian royalty. Interesting, if not totally unexpected. > The Cirque de Soleil knockoff? Bah. The anthems? Yah. Trevor Payne and the Montreal Jubilation Choir's rendition of Canada's national anthem was stirring and a credit to the decision-maker who had the good sense to highlight one of Montreal's true musical gems. These guys are tighter than Bettman's pursed lips when Ron McLean craps on him for adding a second ref to the game. > If anything, the Russians came to play. They ate up the ice. Ovy is the strongest and fastest, Evy the showiest, Kovy the most talented. It really showed. Nobody has his in-game moves. Vinny tried, at one point, to dipsy-doodle like Kovy; although obviously good, he just wasn't as sharp or instinctive as Kovy, who, like fellow countryman Gary Kasparov, seems to be multiple moves ahead of anyone during the game. After his first goal, which followed an assist, I turned to my daughter and said that Kovy is playing like he wants the MVP. At one point, it looked like he was quintuple-shifting; what's Julien going to do? Bench him? If only he had Ovy's hunger and passion when it really counts. > Any wonder you take the letters in “Evgeni Malkin” and yield “Magik, Enliven”? What about “Alexander Ovechkin” anagramming into “Colander Hake Vixen”? Yeah, that one does make me wonder, but that's neither here nor there. > Given no slapshots from the point, or any form of grit, the passing was something to behold. There haven't been that many great passes since Ovechkin – hopped up on goofballs – worked the crowd at Buona Notte. Speaking of ladies, and in all sincerity, the Bell Centre was a real hottie-fest last night. Hooboy. I think my daughter whacked me back-o'-the-head at least a half-dozen times. > One of the biggest thrills, in particular for my daughter, was the presence of all the team mascots. They were all over the place. At first, we just took their pictures as they came down the aisle. Then, we started hunting them down. The Bell Centre staff had obviously been instructed to play it easy, so it was a free-for-all. Got a dozen pictures of my daughter being embraced by different mascots. Those guys worked like dogs the whole night. Most ebullient? Phoenix. Least? Nashville. Best costume? Pittsburgh. Worst? Minnesota; whazzat? > Great ending to a fun game and a great party. Look forward to the next time Montreal is fortunate enough to host the All-Star Game. Back to regularly scheduled programming. JD

Whoa, on a completely unrelated note, can someone explain to me where Jonathan Toews learned to speak fluent french? I just saw an interview on RDS and his french is flawless. Is it a Manitoba thing?

I also think this was something to show what a great hockey city Montreal is, and how great it actually is to play here. The players loved it, the city and Bell Centre put on a great show. I agree with James Duthie of TSN: The game should be here every year! A suggestion to get the competitive juices flowing: The same as the MLB, the winning conference should also win home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final.

I know it wasn't a hockey game really, but it was a fun game to watch for me, probably because it was in my favourite city, and some of my favourite players were playing. That was, by far, the BEST OT period I have ever seen. If they'd played the whole game with something close to that kind of intensity, that would've been something to rival any other all-star game; the best hockey game ever played is still the Canadiens vs Red Army.

Interesting stat: The player with the most ice time was Komisarek. http://habsbros.blogspot.com/

Best line (Farber); Like a museum that will send a prized collection of Impressionist art on a global tour, the Cup is always expected to return home. I thoroughly enjoyed All Star Weekend, simply for what it was. The Bell Centre staff and G. Gillet did themselves proud. And yes, Bouwmeester was an eye opener... hmmm? Could look pretty good in a Habs uni.

This is his kind of town, Moscow-on-the-St. Lawrence. Just as cold as the Russian capital – but we have more Marxists. Lol. So true :)

Congrats to the City, Le Club de Hockey Canadiens, and the Fans for hosting a great All Star Game weekend! If any players, and I doubt there isnt many, had any thoughts that playing in Montreal wasnt the BEST place to be a hockey player sure were proved wrong. Great job done in a very classy atmosphere. Even Bruin players seemed cool today :) Now to all the trolls and idiots I know I'm suppossed to ignore, stating that "Kovy has no grit" and asking "why can't he do that for the Habs?" give your heads a shake. Are you really THAT stupid about about the game of hockey??? I think its time you all stick to other interests. Great display of talent, skill, and entertainment in the BEST hockey market in the world!

Excellent opportunity for other players to see what it's like playing in Montreal. Lets face it - some of the guys on the Eastern All Star Team had never heard cheers so loud for them - even in their home town.

the ASG was the most entertaining i've seen in awhile. perhaps it had to do with it being played in montreal and/or that there were a few Habs on the roster. My take on the game: first period started out tentative with players not really knowing how to read each other. i'm proud that Price let in only 2 goals, but i think he had it easy. second period the boys started to jive together and clicking on passes while gaining confidence in their own prowess. lots more goals with the score high and close, i believe the third period actually brought out some spirited play with players wanting to win it for their conference. the teams played more zone coverage defense and, hate to admit it, but as floppy as he is Tim Thomas made some outstanding saves OT... OT???? five minutes without a goal. nobody wants to lose now SO... Kovy magic to ice the cake and the home crowd leaves with big smiles and swelled hearts (Gillett looked like a kid in a candy store watching Kovy) Overall, this was a display of talent and offensive skill (poor goalies), unlike the skills competition... I loved Luongo mic'd during the third. He was even chatting it up with the CBC boys while simultaneously making saves! Ovechkin loves to ham it up. Kovy was in his glory. Malkin has some sick moves. The Russians made this one a show to watch. Mostly Invisibles? LeCavalier, Iginla, Thornton, Kovalchuk. I thought these guys would really tear up the ice and rack up the score, but they didn't shine as one would've expected. While there weren't many standouts on defense (thanks for the penalty Komi...), the two players that shone brightly on D for me were Markov and Bouwmeester. Go get him, Bob. He doesn't want to play in Florida anymore... but I'd be happy with Preissing as a second choice. On Don Cherry: nice tie, but the moment he opened his mouth i wanted to choke him with it On Bettman: a talking bobblehead oozing with overconfidence and arrogance On the atmosphere: passionate and proud and mostly classy (booing players at the ASG is not cool) On to real hockey! PS - Boone, on the game being a joke - were you expecting something more? It's a showcase game. Period.

What a zoo! ;)

But everyone had fun, and I'm all for anything that showcases Montreal as the best place in the world to play hockey. Amen to that Mr. Boone! .......... "To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high." I STILL BELIEVE. I WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE.