HOCKEY LAST NIGHT... HAB FAITH, MONTREAL, THERE'S NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP

Well, how did you get that motorcycle up on the high dive anyways?

Canucks 4 Canadiens 0: Hey, Montreal, emphasis the positive: The Canadiens made sure that St-Leonard's Roberto Luongo (pictured) didn't have any stress at all during a rare visit to his hometown (the Canucks won't be back until 2009-10). Not one bit of stress for the Canucks goalie. Meantime, veteran Montreal defenceman Craig Rivet was scratched and Sergei Samsonov is all but being told, "Sorry, we don't allow visitors in the dressing room."

Penguins 5 Islanders 2: Jason Blake's probably going to be little lighter in the wallet for his attempt to make a Sidney Crosby shiskabob. Crosby expressed his displeasure in most colourful language.

(We would add, "Sidney, you kiss Trina with that mouth?" but that joke is predicated on you knowing that Crosby's mom and Out of Left Field's Official Sister and Goaltending Expert share a first name. And if you actually read Out of Left Field closely enough to know that, Neil and myself wish we had 10,000 readers sort of like you... exactly like you would be too much.)

Team Mud 5 Capitals 2: Very few nits to pick with Ottawa, especially Daniel Alfredsson (a new Right To Play athlete ambassador), who could teach a course in how to conduct yourself with class to certain employees of the organization. That short-handed goal Ray Emery allowed at the end of the first period was a tad disturbing.

Leafs 4 Lightning 2: Not much to add to what Neil Acharya already posted.

Oilers 2 Wild 1: Welcome back, Dwayne Roloson.

Thrashers 6 Kings 2 / Blues 6 Ducks 2: Get your goaltending gear together and grab the next flight to LAX -- you might have a chance to try out in net for either Southern California team over the all-star break. Yutaka Fukufuji is now the first Japanese goaltender to get pulled from a NHL game.

Headlines: Interesting story out of the Team Canada selection camp for the upcoming IIHF women's world championship (Apr. 3-10, Winnipeg) is Sommer West's comeback; at the relatively advanced age of 28 the one-time Olympic softball player (a starting infielder for Canada at the 2000 Olympics) is trying to make her first women's national hockey team. She played a handful of exhibition games several years ago, but none since 2001.

If memory serves, West (originally from Bowmanville, Ont., hometown of good friend and regular reader Dan Rowe) played some of her minor hockey in Kingston on teams with national team veteran Jayna Hefford.

Other headlines: An ex-goalie makes the case for bigger nets; Another national team aspirant with an Eastern Ontario tie is Trenton's Laura Perks, who's coming back from concussion problems; nominations are out for the Black Ice Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame; European superleague eyed for '08-09.

NHL Scoreboard

Today's better games: Sabres-Bruins, 7; Predators-Red Wings, 7:30; Flames-Stars, 8:30.

HOMETOWN BREAKDOWN

Quick CIS note: Ex-Halifax Moosehead Dany Dallaire stopped all 32 shots that the U of O Gee-Gees threw at him last night in the Trois-Rivieres Patriotes' 2-0 win. The Gee-Gees, who tied No. 7 UQTR last weekend, are five games below .500 (5-10-3-2) but have a better goal differential than one team who has a winning record. Strange.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.