01/20 Road Music: @ Montreal Canadiens

Today's Road Music is brought to you by the letters D and P.

It is no secret that one of the more popular players on the roster is David Perron. His amazing puck-handling talent and nose for the net are just a couple of reasons why it's a joy to watch him play. He's a native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, so this is essentially his homecoming. The last time the Blues were in Montreal was in David's rookie year on 03/18/08. According to the press accounts, he and the other two rookies were on the hook for a $39,000 tab for the Rookie Team Dinner.

And now David returns home as a third-year player (is he a "veteran" yet?) and amongst the team's leaders in goals-scored. If we have much success this year at all, Perron is going to have to play a huge role in it. And there's no better time to showcase that, than in front of his home crowd.

For the music, I'm going off the beaten path a little bit. I'm not much of a metal head, but anytime I can fit this selection into a hockey context, it's gotta be attempted.

Welcome Home / King Diamond.

I have no confirmation that his Grandmother will actually be there at the game.

As for our hosts, the Habs are not having much success themselves. They are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, and have lost 2 in a row. Overall, they are 23-23-4.  There is a bit of a goaltending controversy hovering over the team (if the media there are to be believed), as Carey Price has struggled a little (11-16-3 record, .915/ 2.69, 0 SO), and Jaroslav Halak has played very well this year (12-7-1, .922/ 2.64 with 2 SO). That may be more hype than reality, but the numbers are compelling.

Since this is one of the smaller teams in the league, I would hope that we can physically dominate these guys, and force our play upon them. If we can accomplish this (and stay out of the box, for crying out loud!), we should be able to take these guys. Unfortunately, we play again the next night in Ottawa, or else the boys could celebrate with the other thing Montreal is famous for: world-class strip clubs.

Further Reading:

Blues vs Canadiens coverage

Habs Eyes On The Prize

This is also your GDT pre-party. Be sure to get home early; the puck drops at 6:30 St Louis time. The GDT should come shortly before. Until then, gather here, practice your French trash talk, break in your new tinted monitor cover, and enjoy this scene that introduced me to today's song:

LGB!

-CrossCheckRaise