Congratulations, Canadiens!

[auntiemeesh]

The Montreal Canadiens just eliminated the Washington Capitals from the playoffs in a huge first round upset. The Capitals were the #1 seed in the eastern conference, and the #1 team in the league. The Canadiens were the #8 seed in the conference, but were the worst team making it into the playoffs this year, based on regular season play. No one was giving them a shot in hell of winning, which made me really, really hope they would (secretly, I was hoping for a Montreal/Phoenix Cup Final, but only if the Pens didn't make it - sadly, Phoenix failed to come through in the end and let Detroit walk all over them in game seven.)

I just watched the post game press conference with the Caps' coach. He pretty much flat out admitted that he had just been assuming/expecting that the Caps would win the Cup this year, and that he would have bet his house on beating the Canadiens in this series. I think he's a bit of a whiny schmuck, but even so, I felt sorry for him. He was just so perplexed at how this had happened.

I also watched the post game presser with Alex Ovechkin. Man, that boy looked utterly and completely dejected. He couldn't even form complete sentences (his English had degenerated to a Malkinesque level of horribleness). Now, I'll admit, I wanted the Capitals to lose, and I wanted it badly, for a variety of reasons. I love rooting for the underdog, I didn't want the Pens to have to face the Capitals in the playoffs, and I wanted Ovechkin to continue his habit of choking in the crunch. I still felt bad for him. He looked like a kicked puppy. This does not mean, however, that I'm not celebrating the Canadiens' accomplishment and the Capitals' loss.

Of course, this means that the Pens now have to face the Canadiens and their red-hot goalie. And since it seems that even mediocre goalies have a way of becoming a brick wall when the Pens are on the ice, that could spell trouble for Pittsburgh. Still, it should be a great series, and if we do get taken out of the playoffs, at least we'll know it was by the same team that took out the #1 team in the league. And if we win, we'll know that we beat the team that took out the #1 team in the league. That would give me great satisfaction because I am just that petty.

Comments

[eve11]

I felt bad for Ovie. Man, the last thing I would want to see then is a sea of reporters asking me how it felt to lose in the first round after being up 3 games to 1. How do you think it feels? Then I would probably cry.

I think that Pittsburgh has an advantage over the caps against the Canadiens because they have deeper range in center; hopefully that will let them keep up a balanced unrelenting attack. Fleury hasn't been great so far though; he's going to need to step it up. most times if the opponent scores 4 goals, it's a good chance they've beaten you.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I did feel bad for Ovie. Regardless of anything else, it was pretty obvious how devastating the loss was, and then to have all those reporters in his face asking how he felt about blowing the playoffs just had to suck. Media people ask the stupidest, most insensitive questions sometimes.

[antbee362.livejournal.com]

I heard this morning that it is the first time ever that the last seed beat the first seed so it was history making.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

It was the first time an 8 seed came back from a 3-1 deficit in a best of seven series to win the series. And because they were really the 16 seed in the playoffs it was even more of a huge upset.