The view from the press box at the Bell Centre on a Saturday afternoon, with two Original Six teams, separated by one point in the Eastern Conference standings, battling it out on the ice.
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Original Six.
Two of the best words in hockey.
It's been 44 years since the Original Six existed (also the time it's been since the Maple Leafs last won the Cup) and yet there's still something special about a game when two teams that have been playing each other for 84 years get together in the Mecca of hockey.
One of the Montreal papers had a picture Saturday morning of members of the New York Rangers at the Forum back in 1930. A TV station showed footage of games between the two teams when sticks were straight and helmets were for football players.
You simply can't beat that kind of tradition and it doesn't hurt that when the Habs and Rangers played Saturday, both were in playoff position and fighting hard for sixth place in the East.
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Something that strikes you immediately about the Bell Centre is it's equal parts tourist attraction and hockey arena.
Two hours before game time the streets around the rink were filled with camera-toting, red and white-wearing fans, milling about and soaking up the atmosphere, checking out the homages to Habs greats, waiting near the players' entrance to catch a glimpse of their favourites heading into the building.
Wonder how often you see that in Phoenix?
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The size of the rink is impressive, especially compared to MTS Centre. It holds 21,273 for hockey. It makes it hard to believe Winnipeg could get an NHL team and get by with only 15,000 seats but Gary Bettman and Bill Daly have repeatedly said the MTS Centre is satisfactory, so that's good enough for us.
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Great headline in the Vancouver Sun Saturday after those two twins put on a show Friday night, combining for five points in a big win over the Chicago Blackhawks: "Sit back and enjoy the Sedinery."… With Daniel Sedin taking over the NHL scoring lead Friday night, is it becoming conceivable that the brother act could go back to back with Hart Trophies? I'd say yes, especially with Sidney Crosby not back yet and his sidekick Evgeni Malkin likely gone for the season. Crosby was a shoo-in before his injury but there's no telling what the rest of his season will be like. There is still that Stamkos guy for the Sedins to contend with as well though … With Andy Fantuz and possibly Brendon LaBatte going to the NFL, is it time to worry about The League's interest in our Canadian stars … By the way, the Habs beat the Rangers 2-0 backed by 35 saves from Carey Price. And the atmosphere outside the rink is pretty good after the game, too.
