CHRISTINNE MUSCHI
Not to get all metaphysical and Eastern mystic-y so early in the New Year, but sometimes what appears to be a loss is actually a win.
NHL players will tell you there's no such thing as a moral victory, but when French Immersion crossed the threshold in the Habs' inner sanctum today - in lieu of other sports news around here, we decided to saunter down to Brossard, we're sure you're slack-jawed in admiration at our dedication - it sure didn't feel like a loser's dressing room.
Maybe it's the consequence of a 6-1 road trip to close out 2009, but dropping a 1-0 to Buffalo on Sunday seems to have done little to dampen the mood.
Why, there was even jocular talk of some friendly wagering between the U.S. and Canucklehead factions over the outcome of Tuesday's World Junior Championship gold medal tilt.
Team Canada vet Mike Cammalleri (who won a silver and a bronze in his two participations) joshed with seat mate, former U.S.A. player Brian Gionta (whose squad finished, um, eighth in 1999), egging him on with taunts of "so how much do you want to bet?"
To which Gionta replied something very like "not in front of the reporters" while smiling and laughing.
Oh, such giggles we have in the Habs locker room!
Gionta did suggest that "we'll probably get something going on the plane ride down (to Washington)."
We, of course, would never condone such morally hazardous behaviour, besides, it's not like they're betting on the Kahnawake-based online casino that French Immersion may or may not have a stake in.
The jocularity also extended to the ice, where Carey Price jousted good-naturedly with Glen Metropolit and Hal Gill, and Max Lapierre and Scott Gomez mussed each other's hair and jokingly re-created the Killer Carlson/Dr. Hook McCracken scene from Slapshot.
Even the legendarily work-obsessed Jaro Halak horsed around, trying to knock down slap shots using only his stick (he wasn't especially successful).
To which we say, why not. A little levity goes a long way, as our put-upon staffers would doubtless tell you.
The Habs were able to stay with the Sabres for most of the game, and had Benoit Pouliot, Max Pacioretty or Mike Cammalleri been able to benefit from their glorious scoring chances, would have knocked them off.
Yeah, yeah, the Sabres have been ordinary-ish lately, surrendering leads and riding their luck, but no matter.
After getting hammered 6-2 by the Sabres on Dec. 3, the Canadiens lost 4-3 on Dec. 14, and 1-0 yesterday; as Jacques Martin likes to say, and repeat, and repeat, it's important to show constant improvement.
The Habs survived their 17-game month 'o hell, going 9-7-1. That's no screaming hell, but they've managed to stay with the playoff pack, and with Andrei Markov and Gionta back, this is looking a lot more like the hockey team Bob Gainey assembled in the summer.
"We're starting to come around finally . . . since getting all our players back I think it does feel like a new season," Price said.
And will our Carey, who was the WJC MVP in 2007 take a punt on the gold medal game?
"Uh, Josh Gorges is usually the ringleader for that kind of stuff, go ask him," he said.