Upon Further Review

I've been a Leafs fan basically from birth.I even had a set of 'Original Six' footie PJs when i was 2,one for each team of the Super 6,and my fav was the Leafs.Like the Habs one too,but I'd flip if I didn't get to wear the the Blue and White,you know.Knew even back then who was my team.In my teens,lived next to a guy we named Big John.The guy was all about Toronto teams,every sport broadcast that had a T.O team,he was into.The houses were like a duplex with a 5 foot thick concrete wall seperating us.You wouldn't know it during a Leafs game.The guy screamed,hollered and cursed so loud,i'd swear he was in the next room,not next-door.He got especially loud during Leafs/Habs games,and i can't say i blame him.
That man re-enforced my love of that team.i don't know jack about Stats or percentages or whatever,i just know THE TEAM,the history,the mystique,the legends.Hell,every time i hear 'Fifty Mission Cap' by the Tragically Hip,i get goose bumps because its the story of 'Bashin' Bill Barilko.
A comedia once said "When the Habs fail to make the Playoffs,the owners say 'Meh,kill the team and lets start over!'but if the Leafs just missed an oppourtunity to make the Play-offs,the owners and city tstill throw them a parade..."
And yes,Leafs/Habs games are special.go into a sports bar during a Saturday night they are facing off and you will see some amazing things.Comraderie between complete strangers the lieks of which we would never see in major League Baseball or the CFL.The games between the two cities are special because no matter how good or bad they are,the games,the players,the sounds and sights are whats memorable,not the score!Its never really about the score,is it?

I've been a Leafs fan basically from birth.I even had a set of 'Original Six' footie PJs when i was 2,one for each team of the Super 6,and my fav was the Leafs.Like the Habs one too,but I'd flip if I didn't get to wear the the Blue and White,you know.Knew even back then who was my team.In my teens,lived next to a guy we named Big John.The guy was all about Toronto teams,every sport broadcast that had a T.O team,he was into.The houses were like a duplex with a 5 foot thick concrete wall seperating us.You wouldn't know it during a Leafs game.The guy screamed,hollered and cursed so loud,i'd swear he was in the next room,not next-door.He got especially loud during Leafs/Habs games,and i can't say i blame him.
That man re-enforced my love of that team.i don't know jack about Stats or percentages or whatever,i just know THE TEAM,the history,the mystique,the legends.Hell,every time i hear 'Fifty Mission Cap' by the Tragically Hip,i get goose bumps because its the story of 'Bashin' Bill Barilko.
A comedia once said "When the Habs fail to make the Playoffs,the owners say 'Meh,kill the team and lets start over!'but if the Leafs just missed an oppourtunity to make the Play-offs,the owners and city tstill throw them a parade..."
And yes,Leafs/Habs games are special.go into a sports bar during a Saturday night they are facing off and you will see some amazing things.Comraderie between complete strangers the lieks of which we would never see in major League Baseball or the CFL.The games between the two cities are special because no matter how good or bad they are,the games,the players,the sounds and sights are whats memorable,not the score!Its never really about the score,is it?

Going back to that stupidity known as the last game of last season, the Canadiens have now lost three straight to a Toronto club that should, by all rights, be demoted to minor league status. Not that Montreal has been deserving of their status either: when we see what is possible in Ottawa with less of a budget, one has to wonder what sort of intellects are running the so-called richer clubs. Huet always seems as if he's doing his taxes in his head for all that he pays attention to opposing Toronto shooters: Koivu noted (without irony apparently) that Toronto seems able to raise their game a notch whenever they face Montreal. It begs the question: Just what does it take for Montreal to raise ITS game? Chocolate? Poutine? Something out there must light a fire because it certainly isn't evident anywhere else in the way the Canadiens approach the game.

There was a time when the Canadiens were giants among mere mortals: they were feared by all. Now they are poor cousins to a joke, and worst of all, the joke is the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is truly sickening to see the depths toward which a once great franchise can fall, but to lose consistently and without apparent malice or interest to such a pathetic Maple leafs organization is the first sign of the impending apocalypse. We are all doomed to a purgatory where all too soon the only thing we'll be able to see is a Saturday night of Canadiens / Leafs, and even when Toronto wins all the games it plays against this dispirited Montreal squad, will still fail to make the playoffs. What a joke.

I attended the game Saturday night at the Bell Centre, and it truly was magical. This was my first live NHL game, and I could not have asked for more. The atmosphere all over Montreal, as Jeff noted, was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Suprisingly, I left happy as my Leafs squeaked out a victory. This experience is something I'll never forget, and I wonder how I'm going to go back to watching Fog Devils QMJHL hockey at Mile One.

Laughable Habsbeen fans. You don't have exclusive rights over Quebec players anymore. The illusion is gone and with it the winning. Koivu hauled down and no call? Smelly? Can you say Kerry Fraser? Gretzky high-stick on Gilmour. Winning goal? 93? Habs luckily avoid getting trounced by Leafs juggernaut? The Leafs dominate the airways because of the demand and ratings. To Canadians it's like cheap beer. It may not taste as good but hey 'it's still beer'!

Only a Leafs' pet broadcaster like Marek would put this year's habs team within 10 miles of the sad-sack Leafs. There is no risk of the Habs not making the playoffs. This team is better and MUCH deeper than last year's.

As a Habs fan and season ticket holder, there is nothing more enjoyable than walking in the Bell Center amidst the excitment and anticipation of a Habs/Leafs Saturday Night showdown.

Regardless of standings, these games are always marked on the calendar and are the reason for many disputes between friends trying to squeeze into my extra seat.

If only the Leafs played us all year, they may turn into a competitive team...for some reason they always find a way to garbage-goal their way to victory!!!

anyways...after every disappointing loss, Habs fans everywhere can always find consolation in 2 words: SIXTY-SEVEN!!!

Well, the city was indeed alive and the excitement that I felt as we departed the Via Train was amazing to say the least. I had a group of 30 business people on the train and we were joined by 2 former NHL greats - Wendel Clark representing the Leafs and Yvan Cournoyer the Habs. Add the element of a Canadiens Legend to the mix as you walk down the street to the Bell Centre and you feel a heightened awareness of just how much it means to be a hockey fan on this night. The difference between the fans alliance was acutely prominent as most fans that were excited about seeing Wendel Clark were non too shy to voice their fondness for the former captain with shout of "We Love you Wendel" and "Go Leafs Go!" I think that many of them may have been over-served on their trip East from Toronto!
In my opinion, and I have been around the game of hockey for a long time, the game itself was not all that terrible. The different in the outcome was because the Leafs got outstanding goaltending and Montreal did not.
Until the next visit on December 15,
Andrew

My Comment is to Paul St.Amand, I don't think the Leafs are as bad as most make them out to be. They definitely have a problem with playing 60 full minutes of hockey. The are among the top 5 in scoreing, but also unfortunately have allowed the most goals as well! Look for a great match up tonight in Ottawa.
Leaf Fan

i miss Jeff Marek on AM 640. that dude knows hockey and he had some great one liners. kelly has no idea what she's (he's???) talking about.

Unless you're a Leafs fan line me, or a Habs fan like my wife (how the heck did that happen), it is difficult to feel the rivalry between these two teams. Even a slow game is a great game when the Leafs meet the Habs.

I must say that while the game between was a lacklustre performance between the two clubs, at least the Leafs were able to pull off the win after playing their second game in as many days.
On another note, I must say that AM640 in T.O. has never sounded better since Jeff Marek left to join HNIC online. I was tired of hearing his "Robin-esque" terminology of the game, and his lame oneliners.
The Bill Watters Show is now more about the meat of the topics instead of the fill.

Ah, to be at the Montreal Forum for a Habs/Leafs game... Ok Ok I know the forums is gone, but please, grant me at least that vision. Hockey hasn't been the same since, well, since almost forever. I know change is unstoppable but as long as there are the original six, at least in name, I could just possibly catch up with a small piece of my past. Shut everything else out, have a hotdog and watch those colours in front of me. Sheer Bliss. To the naysayers I just say, "relax, you may just enjoy it".

Nothing better than watching these two teams play. Watching it on the Maple Leafs very own channel CBC is always great. Even when the Leafs falter it is deemed as a great play by the has been H. Neale. We were lucky not to have B. Cole grace us by leaving the confines of Toronto.
If Lindsay from Calgary means "regional" interest as home to half the Canadian population she'd be right. She would be crazy to believe that Ottawa would be broadcasts over the "Favorite" team of Canada, the Leafs.

I see HNIC's Leafs bias extends to satellite radio and the net. The Buds needed their A-game to narrowly defeat a listless Canadiens team playing to its lowest potential. To suggest these teams are of similar mettle ("...two teams who didn’t even make the playoffs last season…and might not again this year...") is ridiculous.

It's tough to watch my beloved Canadiens donate two points to their Hogtown rivals. But I am comforted knowing the other 28 NHL clubs fear the speedy and skilled Habs, while the Leafs remain pathetic also-rans. You can look forward to more visits to Old Montreal come springtime; the Habs are a lock for the playoffs.

Having moved from Montreal to Toronto 3 years back - Habs vs the Laffs have become alot more fun mainly because of the controversy i can create when i sport my Habs jersey at the local watering hole. Unfortunately I see better hockey in the CHL most nights.
In reality its a lot of hype created by the leafs nation which is as much corporate than anything else..

Koivu was hauled down, NO CALL, the same guy goes and scores the winner. Now let's see here, Toronto has been losing all year, yet they have enough points to still be in the top 8... something smells here methinks, like bogus ref smell.

The city completely revolves around the game and with good reason: in Montreal a Habs/Leafs game is an event. It’s not just another game on the schedule.

Would you mind telling this to Mssrs Carbonneau + Gainey? You would think they know but based on their team's lacklustre play you would never know.

Maybe Montreal and Toronto should play each
other 20 times a season if it's all so great.
It is more of a "regional" interest and I
personally would have liked to see the best
team in the east ( Ottawa ) playing Boston.