Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

My thoughts on this game are going to be a bit disjointed as I watched most of the first period at my place, about half of the second at my uncles and most of the third back at home.

Smyth responds to Toskala
I'll start off with the funniest one.

When Smyth got his garbage goaltender interference call, he was down on one knee arguing with the ref when Vesa Toskala turned and said something to him.

Smyth got a funny look on his face for a split second and promptly responded.

You couldn't hear what he said but I started laughing immediately.

My girlfriend asked "What? What did he say?"

So I rewound and let her follow his lips.

The first two words were hard to make out but the ending made it perfectly clear that his response to Toskala was "Shut the f@$k up"

The Duke gets shafted again
After Milan Hejduk read my blog* and found out that he was shafted from the Top 10 Czech list, he decided to prove my point.

And he would have netted a hat trick had it not been for the aforementioned garbage goaltender interference call on Smyth.

But even with just two goals, Hejduk showed why his exclusion from that list was an egregious oversight.

And that ought to fill up my quota of big words quite nicely.

Schenn is schenn-sational
See, I can play the cheesy headline card just as well as the MSM. But they probably pulled that one already meaning I ripped it off from them. Damnit.

I love Luke Schenn. When the Leafs drafted him, it made me sad.

He is going to be a staple of their blueline for years to come and the Leafs should be thankful they have him.

But his big hit on Ryan Smyth, causing Smyth to contort like Gumby? It was interference.

Finger lickin' good
Was it just me or did it seem like Jeff Finger was on the ice for every Toronto goal?

Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft might want to take notes on how to properly face off against your former team.

It's getting tiresome
Can they whine any flippin' more?

At some point you need to STFU and get on with your life.

Unless your life is just being a whiny bitch.

Are you there, Clark? It's me, Shane.
Geez, what the hell was Brett Clark doing last night?

How about that one goal where he took it from behind the net - albeit in a slightly bad spot set up by Raycroft - and then essentially handed it off to Jason Blake (I believe) so he could pot one past his old teammate?

I'm curious if he blacked out for a second there because that is not a play that an NHL player - let alone one making $3.5M - should be making.

Block all the damn shots you want, but don't hand out goals on a silver platter every other shift.

Spark the sizzle?
The Montreal Canadiens are in a bit of a slump.

It's been enough to cause soft-spoken Carey Price to softly drop the F-bomb during a post-game interview.

And he supposedly tossed his equipment bag across the room.

And then he kicked a bunny rabbit in the face.

Maybe not that last part.

AD mentioned a couple weeks back that he'd like to see some fire from Peter Budaj when things aren't going well.

He got taken to task because people thought he was asking for a Patrick Roy clone.

I think he was just asking for the Budaj - and the rest of the team - to look like they actually give a crap about losing and won't accept it.

Stop slumping your shoulders, stop bitching about injuries and quit complaining about bad breaks.

Stand up, grow a set and go play a brand of hockey that will make your fan base - and yourself - proud.

In other words, shut up and win.

*I have no knowledge of whether Hejduk did or did not read my blog. But I'm guessing he didn't.