Posts by Chris Aung-Thwin

The Detroit Red Wings may have been gained glory this past week by winning Lord Stanley’s Cup, but a much greater (albeit less tangible) accolade was seized by Taxman:

Habs Inside/Out Fantasy Pool Champion.

The Pittsburgh Penguins earned a much needed Game 3 victory and several fantasy teams earned some very valuable points. Robert L notched 8 points this week and caught up to 24 Cups – they now share the second spot. With 10 active players, habs1111 earned 9 points this week and has cracked the top 10. With 250 points and 13 active players, Taxman remains atop the pool standings.

There’s only one series left in these 2008 NHL playoffs, but it’s the most important one of the bunch. After this, there will be only one.

One winner.

One champion.

One Habs Inside/Out hockey god.

(Oh, and I think Pittsburgh and Detroit are sparring over who will raise the Stanley Cup too.)

There’s only
one series left in these 2008 NHL playoffs, but it’s the most important one of
the bunch. After this, there will be only one.

One winner.

One
champion.

One Habs
Inside/Out hockey god.

(Oh, and I
think Pittsburgh and Detroit are sparring over who will raise the Stanley Cup
too.)

Taxman and mrstewart61 are well in front of the pack, leading with 221 points apiece. Robert L (214 points), 24 Cups (213 points), and m00ks (215 points) are still in good shape, however, and could still make a push for that top spot.

A season that began deluged with questions, ended with a single, stark statement:
Les Glorieux are back.

A bit over a week has gone by since the 2007-08 season came to an end for the Montreal Canadiens, and there is now one week less to go until the start of next season. The team may have lost their final game and with it, their 2nd round series to the under-estimated and much maligned Flyers, but the Habs most definitely did not finish the year as losers.

Even though the 2008 NHL playoffs have only 4 teams remaining, the Habs Inside/Out playoff pool is still anyone’s game. The top 150 fantasy teams are separated by a mere 30 points – a gap that could be easily closed with one productive series.

Now or never. (THE GAZETTE/John Kenney)Carey “I’m Rested” Price is getting the nod.
Alex “Something to Prove” Kovalev is going to be reunited with linemates Andre Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec.
The Montreal “Must-Win” Canadiens return to the friendly confines of the boisterous Bell Centre for Game 5.

But maybe most importantly – Guy Carbonneau will sport “the tie”.

Sakic? Gone.
Forsberg? Gone.
Stastny? Gone.

With a crushing 8-2 victory, the completely dominant Detroit Red Wings eliminated the stricken Colorado Avalanche from the 2007-08 NHL playoffs. Dark-horse selections, like Jose Theodore and Ryan Smyth, will be applying band-aids to their bumps and bruises and heading to the beach for a longer summer than anticipated.

Speaking of dark-horses, can anyone say: Johan Franzen?

Led by Evengi Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jaromir Jagr, dysonsphere (16 active players) continues to set the pace in the Habs Inside/Out playoff pool with 137 points.

Dru (105 points; 16 active players) and Italia_rules (117 points; 20 active players) have been the most productive during the past week, earning 11 points apiece.

You’re down 2-1 in a series.
You’ve lost home-ice advantage.
Your starting goaltender was pulled from his last start.
Your team is playing well, but not winning games.

What do you do?

Bench Talk: No Silly Stuff. (THE GAZETTE/John Kenney)Round 2? Tied 1-1? Sucker punches? Knee-on-knees? Brisebois? Carbo's tie... again?

Habs fans right now have lots to talk about, criticize, praise, and wish for - and you can find it all here on Inside/Out.

In case you missed some of the great comments posted by Inside/Out members, here is a selection of a few of the best from the past 7 days.

Now that the first games of the 2nd round have been played, the Inside/Out playoff pool standings are starting to spread out. With most fantasy teams losing about 4 players from their 20-man roster, those with intact rosters have a great chance to take a commanding lead or, at the very least, catch up.

Today's leader: dysonsphere (126 points)

Phew!

How many times this season do you think we’ve heard, “this was a game the Canadiens shouldn’t have won…”?

It was a big night for the Habs and a big night for many Inside/Out fantasy teams. Andrew Sharpe, THE CHOSEN ONE, johnolerud9, and TommyB each earned a whopping 15 points from yesterday’s games. PPQB sits alone atop the standings with an impressive 103 points.

Tonight’s match-ups of Calgary vs. San Jose and Washington vs. Philadelphia will finalize the fantasy rosters for Round 2, when the real battle begins.

In case you haven't had the time to read all of the great comments on Inside/Out, here is a selection of some of the best from the past week.

Spezza? Gone.
Heatley? Gone.
Alfredsson? Gone.
Brodeur? Gone.

Scratch any Sens or Devils from your fantasy teams. With Washington, Minnesota, and Boston all behind the 8-ball today, the Inside/Out playoff pool is about to get a lot more interesting.

Standings updated Saturday, April 19, prior to the Washington vs Philadelphia match-up. 

Where do you cheer on the Habs? (THE GAZETTE/ Pierre ObendraufWhere do you watch Habs games?

Do you have a sweet HD set-up that keeps you glued to your couch? Or do you have a local good luck watering hole where you catch all of the games?

Personally, I love watching from home. I can sit on my couch, put my
feet up, stockpile a couple cold ones in the fridge, and flip between
channels to keep an eye on the other games. I’ve got a good view of the screen, the sound is adjusted perfectly, and everything I need is at
arm’s length.

So do I watch that many games from home? No, not really.

With Anaheim’s victory last night, the standings were turned upside down in the Habs Inside/Out playoff pool. Taxman, mrstewart61, and m00ks all dropped considerably in the standings while others, like PPQB and luxie, made significant gains.

The standings are from before tonight's games.

Propelled by strong performances by Scott Gomez, Jaromir Jagr, Evengi Malkin, and Sidney Crosby, mOOks has seized sole possession of first place in the Habs Inside/Out playoff pool.

To:

Scott Moore, Executive Director of CBC Sports
Sherali Najak, Executive Producer of Hockey Night in Canada

Subject: Hockey Night in Canada

As a longtime viewer of Hockey Night in Canada, a fan of the NHL, and a proud Canadian, I am writing to profess my complete disappointment with CBC-TV for continuing to air a show that alienates viewers, does damage to its reputation, and also tarnishes the respectability of all Canadian broadcasters.

With the 2008 NHL playoffs only a few days old, Taxman and mrstewart61 have jumped out ahead of the pack to take an early lead in the Habs Inside/Out playoff pool.

With the 2008 NHL playoffs set to start in less than an hour, the pool is now closed. Thanks to everyone who submitted picks. Keep an eye out for the standings, which will be updated regularly.

Good luck!

The 2008 Inside/Out Playoff Pool is gearing up to be quite the competition. There have been an amazing amount of entries and most of the picks look pretty sizzling… at least on paper. If you haven’t already entered – don’t panic – there’s still time.

The deadline is today, Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 6:00PM EST.

The Habs Inside/Out 2008 playoff pool is here. Match your hockey knowledge with the rest of the Inside/Out community by choosing the players that you think are the most likely to lead their teams to Stanley Cup glory. Line up Kovalev with Crosby and Ovechkin and see how far they’ll take you.

Only registered users can enter.

This city is about to explode.

You can feel it when walking down the street. You can smell it in the air. You can hear it in bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. The city is hockey.

Conversations drift from the magic of Kovalev to the destiny of Carey Price. Canadiens flags are replacing the Fleur-de-Lys. The CH is stitched into every free inch of fabric across the island. People are believing.

In case you missed some of the great conversation on Habs Inside/Out this week, here is a selection of a few of the best of your comments.

Playoff bound.
John Mahoney, The Gazette

As always, it was a big week for Habs fans with much to discuss:

• Montreal clinched a playoff spot
• Toronto clinched an early summer
• Patrick Roy (et fils) clinched a suspension
• Guy Carbonneau clinched the 'Worst Tie Award' (my apologies to Mrs. Carbonneau)

Here is a selection of some of the best user posts from the past 7 days.

Tom Kostopolous earns some PIM. REUTERS/CJ Gunther (UNITED STATES)There has been much debate about how the Habs have managed to clinch a playoff spot and set the pace in the Eastern Conference. Some say it’s all because of Kovalev; others give credit to the powerplay (which is, as of this writing, still first in the NHL at 24.2%); some think that the young guns, like the Kostitsyns, are the driving force behind the Habs unexpected success this year.

Personally, I think it’s because the planets are aligning.

Here's looking at you, kid.
Elsa/ Getty ImagesWith Montreal back in first place, it could be 40C outside and nobody would be talking about the weather. Well, maybe. With it feeling like -20C this morning, it seems that the only thing keeping us warm right now is the idea of locking up a playoff spot.

Below is this week's selection of the best posts from Habs Inside/Out users.

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Read a comment that you really liked? hated? laughed at?

Then send me a message to nominate a post for next week's Bench Talk. Make sure to include the original message in its entirety (you can use copy and paste), the username of the person who posted it, and the title of the thread under which it was posted.

To send me an e-mail, go to my profile, and then click "Contact". Thanks to everyone who sent me nominations for this week's edition of B.T.

On Thursday, March 13, I had - for the first time - the good fortune of watching a game from the Reds. My brother-in-law offered me a ticket and I jumped at the opportunity. The seats were at center ice, just a few rows back from the penalty boxes and the RDS cameras. With the Canadiens fighting for first place with the visiting Senators, I prepared myself for an exciting night.