Much Ado about Alex Lemieux

Remember just two blog posts ago...say ummmm way back in November, when I told Alex Lemieux there was nothing he could do to stop my love? Well I guess requesting a trade and not returning to the team was an extreme approach to stopping my love.

Now, as a paranoid Capricorn I would say not that Alex was upset about his lack of ice time but that he, also a paranoid Capricorn,  was afraid of me "getting him". This became particularly evident when they let me into the skate with the Moose event. Didn't Alex let the Mooseheads administration know that he had a restraining order out on me? Don't they care about his safety? Don't they know the chick with the "sexy toque" and the six year old timbit-hockey-playing child-friend (aka my timbits boyfriend) is a danger to all boys aged 16 to, ummmm, lets say 25?

Alas, no! So Alex is hiding at home and has possibly dyed his hair so that I don't recognize him
...and my new boyfriend Gabe Desjardins is also at home with a leg that needs kisses
...and goalie boyfriend Anthony Terenzio is trapped in AMERICA

To make matters worse half the team is in hiding at tournaments in other parts of the country...all because they found out the Mooseheads organization allowed a crazy lady on the ice with them.

At least Mathieu Corbeil and Charles Bety are not scared.

Forgiveness

Eventually I sobered up. Then I forgave my boys, the Mooseheads, for disappointing me thusfar on the current road trip. Maybe my expectations are too high because clearly the boys can answer trivia questions*...



...so I expected them to be able to win the occasional hockey game. Perhaps I should be happy with the fact that they try so hard.

Keys to the game probably involve staying the hell out of the box and turning up the defense AND the offense in the same game. Crazy, I know, but it is possible to play a good defensive game and a good offensive game at the same time.

Mathieu Corbeil is back in nets for today's game against Baie Comeau and let's hope he picks up where he left off with his good game in Quebec city.

If my drunken ranting has done anything maybe it can shame the boys into a win. Support, cookies and vast amounts of cooing at hard workers does not seem to work. Telling them they are pretty does not work. Maybe revenge can be a powerful motivator. Don't they want to show me up for putting them down in my last post-game post?

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Video from Sports and Moore. If you like Patrick Roy I recommend you visit because they have some new Roy interviews posted.

*why did it take so long to answer the Ozzy question?

I have no friends

I have started a facebook account for the sole purpose of networking and allowing you, the reader, to have even more access to my insanity.

I will be posting links to new blog posts, general thoughts of extreme skankitude, game videos, new game photos and when I get unlazy - vintage game photos, and any other stupid hockey stuff that stupid people like me find interesting.

I suspect that my first friends will be hockey bloggers. This will gradually be followed by perverts who like looking at pictures of young hockey players, then young girls who want Gabriel Desjardins to be the Edward to their Bella, and eventually some poor chump Moosehead who is trolling for a good facebook profile picture. They do not know that as soon as they dawn the ol' christmas colours of the Moose that they become instantly beautiful and any old picture will do.

For now, all I have posted are some pictures of Mathieu Corbeil in his finest game-time wardrobe and a bit of Garrett Clarke's fight.

What really bewilders me about this whole facebook thing is the fact that I have to have a last name. How silly. I could change my name if I were willing to give them my cell phone number - which I am not. As it is, the handle 'Q-girl' was just something I used when I posted comments on other people's blogs. I kept it for the purpose of having only one internet identity in the hockey bloggers world. I could have, and should have, been much more clever.

So there you have it - on Facebook I am Q-girl LaMoose. Stupid, I know. Friend me if you dare.

This is the face of our enemy.

...and DAMN is it UGLY. Imagine growing up in Cape Breton. Imagine your options on the dating circuit. Are you shuddering yet? Well take a look at this:

Desveaux, Horyl, Shaw, McCarron, MacNeil, and Haddad
(Images from the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles website)

Oh my one eye - it burns. Had I stayed in Cape Breton, and had I chosen to mate with one of my own kind (literally, probably a second cousin or something) I could give birth to something akin to one of these monstrosities, then set him loose for the next generation of unfortunate Cape Breton girls to mate with.

Now admittedly I cut Cully out of here because he was just a little too shiny and he would offset the point that I am trying to make... the point being we are a fug, fug, fug people. That being said, I would probably be cooing at Nick MacNeil were he a Moosehead... but he is not.

Do ya wanna know what might make them look better? Plastic surgery. They probably can't afford it but if you hurt them enough so that it becomes a medical necessity then they can get it for free. Consider it a gift from the mainland. No, thank you Capers!


News links concerning Yesterday's game:
Willy Palov - Big win for Moose

"We feel like it’s playoffs (already)," said Mooseheads forward Gabriel Desjardins. "It feels like we should be (growing) moustaches or something like that that you do in playoffs. But we’re all playing together right now and there’s really good (chemistry) on the team."

I can see Gabe now, scavenging the floor for stray hairs and affixing them to his upper lip with crazy glue.

Matthew Wuest - Crucial Victory keeps Mooseheads in the race

“That’s what we need,” said winger Eric Louis-Seize. “We need to have the kill-or-be-killed mentality right now.”

Yes...please kill Cape Breton.

No naked Mudwrestling here

The Moncton Wildcats defeated the Mooseheads by a score of 6-4.

Moose:

• Yetman was excellent - until he wasn't
• Ladies beside me - please understand that a goalie playing the puck is an acceptable risk, and a totally worthwhile endeavor most of the time. I am tired of you bitching every time Yetman leaves his net. Everybody makes unfortunate life choices, even goalies. This was one of those times.
  
• The defence was excellent except when it wasn't (1st period - hooray, second and third periods - neigh)
• The Euro line are impregnating ladies with a single wink
• Moose dominated the faceoff
  
• I am not denying the enjoyability of the game... it was very enjoyable

Wildcats:

• Zach Sill was clearly vying for the job of my top Moncton boyfriend, with his two goals (both unassisted) and an assist. He is trying to show me that he is not just a grindey 3rd line guy, but he can also score, like Tomy Joly. However, I love grindey 3rd line guys...third line is good enough for me. I will still be inviting Tomy Joly over for a snog when Sill is off visiting his parents (I can't help myself).
• WTF was with your faceoff skills (or lack thereof) Mr Sill?
  
• Riopel looked sloppy, maybe he was sad because his dog died.

Speaking of which...my dog died. Way to make a long post short. I have to go wallow now. This has been a very shitty weekend.

RIP Big Guy... my one true love (1993-2009)

Matthew Wuest- Lineup: Wildcats vs Mooseheads
*edit - Matthew Wuest - Euro line shines in loss to Wildcats
*edit2- Willy Palov - Wildcats top Moose
*edit3- Matthew Wuest - Belated Weekend Notes

Gerrad Grant has "a body like a model"/ I feel shame.

This post has little to do with hockey and more to do with hockey players. As such I will get the nitty gritty out of the way and let the world know that the Mooseheads lost to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan by a score of 6-4. Mooseheads had the lead three times (2-1, 3-2, 4-3)...and just kept losing it.

For a guy who takes pride in his butterfly stylin' Mark Yetman has a very slutty 5 hole. As I was saying to a friend, Yetman only played well in Moncton because the Wildcats provided him with appropriate pre-game meal of kittey food. That is what cats eat. When he came home and got some of that homemade Mac and Cheese he so likes, it fucked him up, because kittey's should be eating kittey food.

Everything you need to know about the game you can learn by checking out the QMJHL game summary, or Matthew Wuest's lineups (Linden Bahm out HEALTHY, why I NEVER!!!) and game notes.


But this post is not about hockey. This post is about the arrogance of some boys who play hockey. I am going to use curse words. Children - go away NOW. This post is not for you.

Are you gone yet? Good!!!


Every home game we get a game program; the program includes an interview with a player. Today's player was Gerrad Grant (#22). I know I have gone here before but let me continue. One of the questions is "Finish this sentence: I'd be a billionaire if I had a dollar every time some one said..." Gerrad Grant answered "I have the body of a model".

Dude. Fuck Off.

You are an athlete. If you don't have a good body you are fucked. I automatically assume most boys who play hockey have a body that is better than the norm, but to brag about it is just arrogant. Have it ...be humble. What your mother tells you and the puck bunnies tell you DOES NOT COUNT.

Assholes are not hot. Much like how boys will fuck girls and think those girls are twits, there are girls who will fuck boys and then laugh with their friends about what an idiot that guy was. All the girls know. All the girls laugh. DUDES...GIRLS TALK A LOT. Also, girls USE guys. Then we call you stupid and laugh at you. Heterosexual females like male bodies, but to tell you the truth that is all there is to most of you. Bodies. Especially young selfish guys like junior hockey players.

Being an arrogant asshole is not hot

You think you are attractive when you are not. You think you are good in bed because lots of girls will let you fuck them. Just because puck bunnies are chasing after you or using you for your body it does not mean you are hot, nice, worth any girl's actual time and effort, intelligent, a good conversationalist, nor does it mean you are particularly good in bed. One problem is your choice of female companion. Seventeen year old hos from Cole Harbour don't know what "good in bed" means. Nor do you. Just because she made sounds it does not mean she is satisfied. It does not mean you are king of the bedroom. Fuck, most of the time you barely qualify to be court jester on the ice.


Ahhhhh

So because Mark Yetman and Gerrad Grant exhaused themselves before the game with their jerking off - Mark to his "good looking" face, Gerrad to his "model's body", they gave the Titan a chance to win. Brav-a-muther-fuckin-O.

May I just say, as a spokesperson for the vast majority of the female population: shut up. You are behaving like idiots. You may be cool now but junior hockey will end for you sooner than you think. Real life is not at all like "keys to the VIP".

PS. You know who actually is hot. Tomy Joly (to your right): Strong chin, good smile, pleasant eyes, delectable eyebrows. But just because I think he is good looking he shouldn't let it go to his head...especially since he is practically a midget. Hey, we all have faults.

Same old problem, same old whining bitch, brand new heartbreak.

If you do not like blog posts based on rants and speculation then it is probably not in your best interest to read this.

Am I still traumatized about the loss of Andrew White? Damn straight I am. Women, we are an unusual type of hockey fan in that some of us take it all very personally. I grab on and hold on very tight to my favorite players, and Andrew was my favorite returning Moosehead. I adored him. There are not enough words to express how much I adored him. Maybe the 21 posts labelled Andrew White can help make my point. Perhaps my tribute to Andrew's 20th goal of 2007-2008 can highlight my insanity.

When it comes to the stages of grief - I am still stuck in denial. Once I get to a few games and I still do not see Andrew I will probably get stuck on extreme anger. There will be no resolution for me. I will not 'get over it'.

Yes there are theoretical kisses for my poor Whitey, my fluffy mechano-puppy. If I see him on the streets I will have to resist the urge give him reassuring hugs. When bad things happen to my favorite players I just want to hug them and then hug them some more. I would give Andrew hot chocolate, and let him cry in my lap...you know, if young men (apart from Bernier, Brodeur and Giroux) did stuff like cry.

Last night the Mooseheads "offensive depth" allowed them to get 26 shots on net against the Moncton Wildcats in pre-season action. Only 5 of those were dangerous. We lost 2-1. Tonight we lost 5-2; 24 shots on net, 10 dangerous, when playing against Moncton's non-finalized rookie filled roster. Our defence allowed 25 dangerous shots on net. These are the quality players we kept. We had 9 penalties - the Moose are not playing smart.

I will NEVER fold and say that my team made a good decision in attempting to trade White over Bona or Pender (or even Yetman- sorry my sweet netti-yeti). Crazy lady emotions aside, he was the best player of any of these four. So while that likely means that he had a highest trade value, in the end the team got nothing for him. Then they disguised their decision by saying that they did what was best for the team this year, not because of the potential high draft pick (3rd round) they would have gotten in return. Are they lying to me? I get the feeling that they lie to me. I like honesty.

They should have had some idea that White would not be willing to accept a trade before they decided to go for it. Does management not discuss this stuff with the players first in order to get an idea about their plans for the future? I, for one, am spitefully happy that my team got screwed, got no draft pics, and that Andrew has moved on from the league after refusing to report to Drummondville.

No, Andrew don't turn your back on me

Hopefully he gets a shot playing university hockey this season. There still remains the problem of finding a place to live seeing as the team was done with him after September 1st. I would let him live with me but then he would have to deal with my creepily smelling his hair while he slept. I also don't think my boyfriend would be very happy with such a set up.


The problem on defence:
One reason suggested for the White trade was because of the recent injuries to both Greer (groin) and MacAskill (shoulder) Yet, had we kept White and traded either Pender or Bona, we would still have had 6 blueliners including one over-ager to play for the start of the season. Greer and MacAskill will eventually return to the lineup giving us 9 guys on D. Even when Greer returns it is not like he will be seeing a lot of ice time anyway. How silly it all is if the Mooseheads made a long term decision and gave up their best overage player to solve the short term problem of injured defencemen.

To top it off our team is once again running with 9 Ds. Once again this year our issue is that our defence is not well developed, even though we have five returning defencemen (ages 20, 20, 19, 18 and 17...our 17 year old did not receive enough ice time last year and is still considered a rookie). We are the ones who failed to develop them...the fault lies with the Mooseheads alone. There are 18 year old defencemen who may make it into the NHL this year. We cannot blame age and say that 16, 17 or 18 is too young to play significant time on defence. Claiming this is just makes you lame.

We have a history of keeping more defencemen than necessary and not letting many of them play; playing the top two oldest defencemen incessantly and rotating the rest through the lineup. This year we will likely play 4 (Bona, Pender, MacAskill and O'Connor) and rotate the other 5 players in two positions. How is this supposed to help us develop defencemen for the future? What makes it all that much worse is that our team is coached by a former NHL defenceman...someone who should know better.

Furthermore, defence is not just the job of the blueliners, every player on the team must be defensively responsible. Not only did we give up an offensive threat by giving up White (22 goals in 2007-2008, 19 even strength goals, 1 short-handed goal, 2 power-play goals, mostly with 3rd line ice time) but we also gave up an excellent two way forward...we gave up his assistance on the back end. Had we kept White we would still have an excellent player for the penalty kill, we would be rotating less defencemen, and allowing rookie Ds (and hopefully youngin's like Greer) to play more and maybe develop for the future.

We would have had a leader, an unselfish player who did everything for his team, whom everybody wanted to play on a line with, and who accepted any role he was given seemingly without hesitation, just for a chance to play. This is the kind of role model we should have kept around to guide our rookies and help them develop the right attitude. While it may seem that not accepting a trade to the Voltigeurs (a non-contending team) is a selfish move, maybe it was best that Andrew did something for himself, and thinking about his education right now is probably his best decision when he likely does not have a future in professional hockey. I am also being selfish...I want to continue to see him play.


In other news: Former Quebec Remparts goaltender Kevin Desfosses has signed with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, an affiliate of the Ottawa Senators. Desfosses attended to Sens development camp this summer and will soon be at Senators training camp.

Useless crap no one needs to know: I just noticed that Yeti is taller and lighter than last year at 6'2" and 190lbs (last years Mooseheads website profile has him at 6'1", 197lbs), while the QMJHL website is now reporting Mathieu Corbeil-Theriault to be 6'6", not 6'4". That is soooo not relevant, but my goalie obsession makes me notice stupid things.

Picking a new Q boyfriend: Now with pictures

I am clarifying my previous post - picking a new Q boyfriend, by adding the requested player pictures. I hope this makes all of our lives much easier.

Mark Yetman is our default choice, only because he is the Mooseheads starting goaltender for next year. Mark and I have some interpersonal issues we have to work out (we will never work them out), those issues being secret. For now let's just say that I am not very fond of Mark and leave it at that.



Edit - The candidates for backup goaltender
People visit but no one votes. I suspect it is because they are holding out to meet our candidates for backup-goaltender: Mathieu Corbeil-Thériault, Jeremie Forbes-Brisebois, Kody Blois, Brandon Decker and Stefan Dumaresque. Forbes-Brisebois is the tallest at 6'6, with Corbeil-Thériault just a touch smaller at 6'4. The front runner is believed to be Corbeil-Thériault since he lasted the longest at training camp last year. Finding pictures of baby goalies is difficult.




Bobby Nadeau played for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, but was traded to the PEI Rocket to finish off his QMJHL career. Last season Bobby won the Jacques-Plante Trophy for best Goals Against Average in the league with a 2.63 in 46 games. He also had a respectable 0.899 save %. We like him not only because he is a good goalie but also because he is a lover (we don't talk about THAT anymore). He also gets write in points for the fact that I just discovered that his former teammate Francis Pare wears glasses - who knew Pare was so mutherfuckin hot? Yes- glasses do make you hot.



Timo Pielmeier is the only NHL drafted goalie on my list, and he is the property of the San Jose sharks, just like his German counterpart Dimitri Patzold. What about Germany isn't awesome? I'll tell you what - nothing! During the 2007-2008 regular season Timo had the league's best save % at 0.911 and the 11th best GAA = 2.94 despite playing for a mid pack team with more losses to his name than wins. He may possibly be made of Marzipan and he apparently likes to strike sexy poses while wearing goalie gear. He has clearly been invading my dreams to find out how he can win my love - sexy poses in goalie gear - dear god boy - that's my fetish you are taking advantage of.



Louis Domingue is just a baby. I have never seen him play live, but this season he was the highest ranked goaltender drafted into the Q. You can however watch some video of him in play at my previous post entitled ohhhhhhh baby.


If pictures are not enough for you his draft day video is tres squee. Our love would involve bedtime stories and cookies...nothing more, I promise.




Olivier Roy is the best rookie goalie our league has ever seen. Following in the footsteps of all great Cape Breton goaltenders (Ondrej Pavelec, Martin Houle, Marc-Andre Fleury), Olivier has already shown everybody that he has what it takes to be a very high NHL draft pick and future star. This summer he has been invited to Hockey Canada's 2008 program of excellence goaltender training camp and the IIHF team Canada Under 18 Development Camp. He also has a very pouty bottom lip and good skin - you know, for a kid who turns 17 today. Happy birthday Olivier.




Andrew White is clearly not a goalie. He is a hard-working role-player from Newfoundland. Everybody likes Andrew, this is why he is the Moosehead's version of the 'playa's playa' - meaning he is the guy who won the best sportsmanship award. Andrew has shifty eyes and looks like he wants to kill people. I like him, I like him ALOT. For more peepin' at Andrew in a suit check out this facebook image.

Sometimes when my boyfriends piss me off, then we break up, I proceed to fuck around with either their best friend or their worst enemy (because I am a bitch, but only because he was a bitch first). Andrew and Yeti are road roomies and BFFs - so if I wanted to piss Yeti off, Andrew would be the obvious target. Also, of the two, I like Andrew a lot more than I like Yeti - I always have, despite the fact that Yeti is a goaltender.




Charles Lavigne gives people heart attacks when he plays. He spends about 50 % of the time out of the net and the other 50% of the time poke-checkin'. He poke-checks so much they even managed to capture a picture of him poke-checkin' (he was pokin' at Keven Charland's puck). I fuckin' love Charles. I don't know why - maybe because the way he plays is so scary it will make your heart race, just like new love. Last year there was a rumor floating around that we were going to trade Yeti for Charles over the Christmas trade period - that rumor gave me a femmeboner.




Raffaele D'orso of the Val d'Or Foreurs is the chronically forgotten about one. Sure he made it into the 2007 QMJHL portion of the Canada Russia challenge, but I think he is oft overlooked. Raf is from the land of goalies - St Leonard, Quebec. You get skillz just by breathing the air in St. Leonard. Raf is tiny- 5'10 but he doesn't play so tiny. He models his game after Marty Turco, and isn't he lucky that I just happen to love Marty Turco. Also, he has unilateral control over his crazy big ol' eyebrows and he wiggles them a lot - which we also like.




Ultimately, I need a new boyfriend to make up for the loss of the following hotness: Bernier, Pelletier, Mior, and Fullerton.
Mior and Fullerton make me think naughty things. They totally look like the kinda boys who could effectively deal with all of my crazy requests without suffering from fear or trauma. Damn, these boys make me want to solve all my goalie related woes 'Sean Avery style'.

However, if I dare touched P-O Pelletier (in a bad way) I would get cooties on him, and he is far too special for my cooties. My shaking his hand was enough to make him blush and giggle. He is soooo pretty-pretty, delicate and special, he should be kept in a glass box like Snow White. As for Bernier, I am afraid I would traumatize him and he would never be able to play again; he would just sit in the corner rocking back and forth muttering "so unclean" and weeping because he is sensitive like that.

So I can wait. Yes, I can wait - I promise. In September I will announce my new QMJHL boyfriend.

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Nadeau images from cyberpresse and le bulletin regional
Pielmeier images from http://www.hockeyweb.de/
Domingue image from the Times and Transcript
Roy images from http://www.capebretoneagles.com/ and Canoe. ca
White image # 1 from http://www.halifaxmooseheads.ca/
Lavigne images from http://www.moncton-wildcats.com/
D'Orso images from Francis Vachon's gallery at Photoshelter and Progres St-Leonard

Bernier image is from Getty images, Pelletier from Viewimages, Mior from www.canada.com and Fullerton from David Connell's Sea Dogs Gallery

Picking a New Q Boyfriend

I need a new QMJHL boyfriend for the 2008-09 season. Someone to love for all the wrong reasons, someone for whom my love is driven by tra-la-la-feelingbits and not tra-la-la-statbits*.

Yeah, I know, by default it should be Mark Yetman. He is, after all, the Mooseheads starting goaltender for next season, and slightly more age appropriate than many other boys in the Q given that this will be his 20 year old season. As I have said many times before "That's what I love about these Q-boys. I get older, they stay the same age." But what if, just what if, a jr hockey blogger discovers, for various reasons, both game related and personal, that she does not like her starting goaltender. That she may, in fact, believe her starting goaltender to be a complete and utter asshat. What then?

Of course, I will continue to treat him with the same level of civility I treat all players that grow appropriate non-douchy facial hair. I will continue to praise him for good games, I will still proclaim him mildly adorable -like a 5 year old elf with stumpy fingers. I will just have to trade in my customized 'fear the Yeti' shirt for something more appropriate like an 'I do not believe in abominable netminders' or perhaps even a '17 YO newbie> Yetman' t-shirt.

This puts me in a delicate situation - who shall be my # 1 QMJHL boyfriend? Is it time to go outside of the Moose, or do I just stick with the Moose and, heaven forbid, choose a hockey boyfriend who is not a goalie?

We already know I have proclaimed Bobby Nadeau of the PEI rocket, my new #1 non-Mooseheads goalie boyfriend. So should I stick with Nadeau? He is, afterall, making the move East to be with me. What about some of my old goalie lovers that have moved West like Timo Pielmeier (Shawinigan) or Charles Lavigne (Quebec)? Do I dare venture into the realms of the age-inappropriate love by choosing a youngin' like Louis Domingue, Maxime Clermont or Olivier Roy?

Ist es Liebe, Timo?

I am going to post a poll and let all y'all decide. My poll will be posted to the right. It was hard to whittle it down to 8, but my choices are:

1) Give Yeti one more chance
2) Go with our as of yet undecided backup
3) Bobby Nadeau came all this way for what?
3) Timo Pielmeier looks like a boy you might want to smell
4) Nuts to ageism - Louis Domingue is tall, pouty, toothy and Quebecois
5) Olivier Roy has the skillz to pay the billz
6) Andrew White - forward shmorward. Love the one you're with.
7) Charles Lavigne gives good poke-check.
8) Raffaele D'Orso deserves to be drafted - into your harem.

I need a boyfriend before the start of the next season.

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* Tralala feeling-bits brought to you by Pookie and Schnookie at IPB

Someone really was screwed

Halifax fans have been waiting for answers about why our team imploded in the QMJHL semifinals and we have been waiting for someone to 'finally' step up and be accountable for this team. The team held its press conference on Wednesday, unfortunately neither the owner nor coach could attend, thus leaving GM Marcel Patenaude to field all questions. His answers didn't help to clarify who was responsible for the team's situation and ultimate downfall, but it did clarify that this bunch of grown-ups could not control a bunch of kids (even though that is their job). They figure that better utilization of a sports psychologist for future seasons is something the organization should consider.

But here is the kicker for me. I have read quotes from Patenaude in the Metro. When I ask "who was screwed?" I expect a goalie to raise his hand. I shouldn't have expected more from this team; the goaltending situation has been mismanaged for the greater part of a year. Apparently they were going to play P-O (the boy who should have been the starter for the playoffs) for game 4, but owner Bobby Smith made them change their minds. They did not want Yeti to feel like the blame for losing game three was solely on him (we lost 6-1, Yeti had a 0.83 save %). At what point during that 4th game did they decide that loyalty was still more important than winning, was it after Yeti let in one goal at 15 seconds, how about after allowing two goals on 6 shots in 4 minutes, what about 3 goals on 12 shots in 14 minutes. How hard-headed can these coaches, owners and GM be? I thought that once the game started, all decisions were in the hands of coach Russell, so if he originally wanted to run with P-O, why did he leave Yeti in nets? This is especially perplexing considering that P-O looked so slick when he took over between the pipes at the end of game 3.

I am just going to pull a chunk from the Metro and post it here:

**** On the decision to start Pier-Olivier Pelletier in goal in Game 4, before reversing the decision and going back to Mark Yetman.

“That decision was made by Bobby.”

Follow-up: Can you explain that?

“We felt that maybe a goalie change would be the appropriate move and Bobby felt the night before Mike Keenan took off (Miikka) Kiprusoff (in the NHL and in Calgary) and he felt no we’re not going with that. Mark Yetman brought us to the end of the season and he should be the goalie who finishes the season and he should be the goalie that finishes the season.”

Follow-up: “So you and Cam told Pelletier he was in the next day?”

“Yes.”

Follow-up: “And then Bobby stepped in?”

“Yes. When I mentioned it to Bobby, I’ll take part of the blame (for) not informing Bobby of the situation. Pelletier was very upset but we made him understand that maybe we were wrong and that Yetman deserved to play because he brought us there.”

Follow-up: So you and Cam were 100 per cent that Pelletier was going in?

“One hundred per cent. For us, it was more a situation of respect for Pelletier, to give him a chance to finish his career, and it happened, unfortunately, Bobby felt, and I think, he felt that Yetman should finish the season. He started (the playoffs), he was the key guy, and he felt it wasn’t appropriate to take him off and put the blame on him that we lost Game 3.”

Follow-up: How did Pelletier react?

“Pelletier was upset and we talked with him and we discussed it with him.”

So when Patenaude says "Mark Yetman brought us to the end of the season and he should be the goalie who finishes the season", does this mean that it wasn't only the team that quit, but that management also gave up on this team before game 4. Who was to say that game 4 was the end of the series before the game even started? I do not think the problem lies solely with the self motivation of the players when the management clearly has an attitude problem themselves.