AGRI Biz

As we await tonight's third game in the Montreal-Washington first round playoff matchup, most of the conversation is focused on the goaltending in this series.As my colleague from HockeyBuzz.com, Steve Hindle, astutely pointed out before the series started, we have seen three goaltenders so far.Steve is also reporting this morning that it looks like Theo will be in the net tonight. If this turns out to be true, I think ...

Oh man, was that ever close! In losing 6-5 in overtime to the Washington Capitals last night, the Montreal Canadiens came within one goal of taking a 2-0 series lead. Despite having a 4-1 lead nearing the end of the second period—albeit for approximately 40 seconds—the Canadiens could not hold on as the Caps stormed back in the third. With third period goals by Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and John Carlson—with 1:21 to ...

The nervous excitement in the city of Montreal is palpable this morning.  The surprise of the Montreal Canadiens' 3-2 overtime win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday has morphed into cautious optimism. And why not? The Habs were supposed to be swept in four games, right?  And, despite playing a horrible first 20 minutes last game the Habs finished strong and pulled out the victory in OT. The focus since Thursday has clearly ...

With all the talk the past few days and all of the supposed controversies between Plekanec and Theodore, all of the question marks surrounding goaltending and all of the pundits—this one included—giving the Habs no chance in this series, the Canadiens decided to shake things up a bit by winning Game One versus the Capitals. The Caps came out flying in the first period and shelled Jaroslav Halak for 19 shots.   ...

As we sit waiting for the playoffs to get going tonight, there are a couple of things going on in the league that bear discussing.   Montreal-Washington: The War of Words has Begun Among a sea of predictions that generally point to the Washington Capitals wiping the floor with the Montreal Canadiens—starting tomorrow night in Washington—a few interesting sound bites have started to emerge. Here's a link to the TSN article on the topic:  http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=317881Or ...

You hear that sound? That annoying beeping sound? That's the sound of Montreal Canadiens backing into the playoffs.Beep, beep, beep...And just like a delivery truck slowly backing up, steering by, looking in the rear view mirror and trying not to hit the delivery door too hard behind them, the Habs finally and tenuously qualified for the postseason in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Leafs. Their reward? A first round playoff ...

Deep breath now, Habs addicts.  Inhale.  Exhale. Yes, the Habs need one measly point to clinch a playoff spot, and yes they have blown two opportunities to get that point. But this is not over yet.  And not only is it not over yet, but the Habs, despite their worst efforts, might still qualify for the playoffs. The problem is that there is a big difference between charging, head high, into the playoffs ...

After two back-to-back weekend wins, the Habs were in a good spot to clinch a playoff spot last night. The golden opportunity to clinch presented itself when the Buffalo Sabres beat the New York Rangers, meaning that a win by the Habs would have booked their postseason ticket.  Despite leading the game by a goal on two separate occasions, the Habs ultimately let the Isles tie the game with less than ...

As I took my dog, Chanel—a cute as a button, 23-pound Cocker Spaniel—for a walk yesterday, everything seemed like it has always been. The weather was nice, the dog was happy and my back—which up until recently has been giving me tremendous problems due to a herniated disc—was feeling great. The last few months of physiotherapy have done wonders! So, as the dog started becoming excited, I decided to try out my ...

Like racehorses rounding the final corner of the Kentucky Derby, the NHL today enters the final week of regular season competition. And just like the homestretch in the holy grail of horse racing, things are far from decided in the world of NHL hockey. With so many teams still jockeying for position and/or fighting for the last few playoffs spots in each conference, this is looking more and more ...