In any other year, the fact that Carey Price's save percentage is higher than Luongo or Halak would be reason to celebrate - not so when these last have had equally pitiful starts in the 2011-12 season. In my season preview, I mentioned two factors that would decide the efficacy of the Canadiens: Carey Price and Scott Gomez. If these two players could get out of their lull and play to their potential, we would have a Stanley Cup-worthy team. Guess what: they've both had terrible starts.

Something was different this morning. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, what with my heavy eyelids and foggy morning consciousness. I remember stumbling out of the incubating warmth of my room into the sub-zero temperatures of my hallway with a lingering memory. What's today? Why do I feel like I need to be somewhere? The first thing to wake in my body were my nerves. I turned on the kettle and watched it boil. As the saying goes, it lasted an eternity. Enough time for me to rub the sleep from my eyes, and clear my mind. The kettle clicked at about the time my wife got up, yawning and walking zombie-like down the wintry pass towards me. Doubling back in an unconscious desire to return to bed, I noticed the bright red shirt she wore. Blazoned in block white letters on the back: GOMEZ. Any feeling of nervousness disappeared in a flash, and instead excitement set in. It dawned on me what lingering memory had pervaded my sleeping self: tonight's hockey night!

The forecast for tomorrow is uncertain: 40-60% chance of scattered thundershowers. Don't let this uncertainty stop you from enjoying some of the tail-end summer activities in the city. Located just near the tam-tams at Jeanne-Mance park, on the East side of Parc Avenue, are the city's public volleyball courts. For its sixth year, Head & Hands has organized SERVE, a volleyball tournament in which about 15 bars/bistros are competing to raise funds for The Sense Project.

Your eyes do not deceive you. You read the headline right. The rodeo has come to town. We have proof, in pictures. This past weekend, Parc Jarry was transformed for the Rock'n'Bull Rodeo, complete with a "western" village. Lucky for us, recent Concordia political science grad David Vilder was there, camera in hand. David claims he's self-taught behind the lens and that he's only been at it for the last 2 years. But judging by the shots (and his other photo-journalistic work), we think he's being a bit modest. Get out your cowboy hat and a bag of ice, and enjoy David's photos.

The Canadiens are in the playoffs.* Tonight's 2-1 win against last year's Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, ensures the red-white-and-blue will play in the first round. Who they will play is now up to the next two games. If the standings remain as they are, they face their arch-rivals, the Boston Bruins. Such a meeting in the first round would surely be filled with drama: amplified by the Chara/Pacioretty affair earlier this year.

The caption here could likely read 'When Goalies Attack!'. That's exactly what happened last Saturday in a game versus the New York Rangers. In fact, if you watched any of the last three Canadiens games, you've been privy to some rather odd and rare occurrences - rabid leaping goalies included. In the last four days, the Habs played three games and are up another 5 points. Not bad considering the last two were back-to-back and clearly exhausting games for the team.