Calgary Off to Hot Start in '09-10 National Championships

Calgary Flames have started the 2009-2010 NHL Canadian Championships with three straight wins. The Flames defeated western rivals Vancouver and Edmonton to open the season, then got by Montreal.

The Montreal Canadiens began their season with 5 game road trip, including three games in Western Canada. Unfortunately, for the Habs they returned to Montreal without a single point. Their next match-up is versus the Toronto Maple Leafs on Halloween Night.

The Leafs head out to Vancouver for their first game of the Championships. The Ottawa Senators will begin in November, when Edmonton visits.

NHL Canadian Championships Wraps Up with Leafs Win

Toronto - Coach Mike Keenan said he shouldn't have started Miikka Kiprusoff in net. Defenseman Robyn Regehr said he could have provided more leadership. And captain Jarome Iginla said he might have had one more goal in him to force overtime.

It all added up to an 8-6 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Mikhail Grabovski scored two goals, and Jeff Finger, Nikolai Kulemin, Jason Blake, Jeff Hamilton, John Mitchell and Jamal Mayers also scored for Toronto in the Maple Leafs' highest-scoring game of the season.

The Maple Leafs had wrapped up 2nd place in the competition last week, shortly after the Calgary Flames had clinched their first Canadian Championships. The competition will resume next year, as each of the Canadian teams will continue a home and away series.

Calgary Flames are Canadian Champions

OTTAWA - Fresh from scoring his 400th goal, Jarome Iginla got to witness new milestones by a pair of his Calgary Flames teammates.

David Moss got his first career hat trick and Warren Peters added his first NHL goal in Calgary's 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

The victory clinched the NHL Canadian Championship for the Calgary Flames. The Flames have lost only once in 9 games, and move 5 points ahead of second place Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have only two games left, and can only finish with a maximum of 15 points. The Edmonton Oilers, who visit Toronto on Saturday, can still catch the Leafs for second place.

The Leafs Remain in the Hunt for Canadian Championship

OTTAWA -Pavel Kubina scored his second of the game 33 seconds into overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Kubina tied it with just over 5 minutes remaining with a power-play goal.

The win keeps the Leafs within striking distance of the Calgary Flames for the NHL Canadian Championships. The Flames have a 3 point advantage with both teams having two games remaining. If the Leafs can defeat the Edmonton Oilers on March 7th, and the Flames lose to the Senators on March 3rd, the final game of the Championship on March 14th between the Leafs and Flames will be a winner take all affair.

Hockey Day in Canada

CBC's Hockey Day in Canada saw all six Canadian Teams in action on February 21st. In Game 1, Alex Kovalev returned to the Montreal Canadiens' lineup, and had a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The victory puts Montreal 3 points clear of last place Ottawa.

Game 2, saw Mats Sundin score the shootout winner in his return to the city where he spent 13 memorable years, giving the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canucks came back in the 3rd to tie the game at 2-2, and won the game in the shoot-out with goals from Pavol Demitra and Sundin. The Canucks go up by a point in the battle for 2nd place in the Canadian Championships.

The late game saw the Battle of Alberta heat up once again. The Calgary Flames came back late to tie the game at 2-2, and also went on to win the shootout with a goal from Todd Bertuzzi. The Flames tighten their grip on to top spot in the Canadian Champonships, with only the Toronto Maple Leafs able to catch them.

The Calgary Flames have two games remaining, March 3rd in Ottawa and March 14th in Toronto. The Maple Leafs also visit Ottawa, before hosting Edmonton and Calgary. The March 14th match-up between the Leafs and Flames could end up being the Championship deciding match.

Canadiens End Disastrous Western Swing

VANCOUVER - This three-game road trip began as the Ambush in Alberta, Montreal whipped 6-2 by the Calgary Flames a week ago, and drubbed 7-2 by the Edmonton Oilers 48 hours later. Last night, the Canucks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, spotted the Canadiens one goal then nailed it down with a backbreaker in the final minute of the second period.

The loss, Montreal's fouth in a row in Canadian Championship action, didn't move the Canadiens in the standings. They remain in fifth place ahead of the Ottawa Senators, eight points behind the Calgary Flames and four points behind arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs.The Vancouver Canucks now move to within 6 points of top spot, but only have a 3-game Eastern trip remaining on their schedule.

The Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are the only teams with realistic chances at claiming the Canadian Championships. It may come down to the last game on the schedule when Calgary visits Toronto on March 14th.

Maple Leafs Outclass Canadiens

Luke Schenn will have something to smile about when he picks up his share of the tab after the Toronto Maple Leafs' rookie dinner Sunday night. Jason Blake scored twice in the third period, and Vesa Toskala stopped 31 shots to lead Toronto to a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night in NHL Canadian Championship action.

Toronto, who have won two Championship games in a row, improved to 4-2 and maintain 2nd place in the Championships.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu believes the team's upcoming three-game Western road trip will provide an opportunity to recover the form that has led them to a 2-2 record in Canadian Championship play.

"It's time to get some bonding time and spend some time together," Koivu said. "Sometimes it's easier to really be simple and do your things and get that focus back when you're on the road and away from all the distractions."

The Canadiens have played the fewest games in the championship, and will make up those game with a Western road trip this week. The Canadiens will visit the Calgary Flames on Feb. 9, then head north to Edmonton on Feb. 11 and wrap-up in Vancouver on Feb. 15. CBC Hockey Day in Canada will be held on Feb. 21 with all 6 Canadian teams seeing action.

Canadiens Win Battle for the Bottom

OTTAWA -The Montreal Canadiens built an insurmountable lead over the Ottawa Senators two rounds into the shootout after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period. Alex Kovalev and Maxim Lapierre scored on Montreal's first two attempts in the tiebreaker after Jaroslav Halak turned aside Ottawa's first two shots to give the Canadiens a 5-4 win over the Senators on Saturday night. The Canadiens now sit alone in 5th place with 4 points ahead of Ottawa who picked up 1 point in the game.

The Canadiens have played only 3 games in the championship, and will make up those game with a Western road trip in February. Before that trip, the Canadiens will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at home on February 7th.

Toronto Maple Leafs Move into 2nd Place

TORONTO - The Maple Leafs withstood an early pounding from the Ottawa Senators and then pulled out a late victory. Alexei Ponikarovsky's go-ahead goal midway through the third period lifted Toronto to a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

The Senators, desperately trying to get back into the NHL Canadian Championships, came out in a foul mood and went at every Maple Leafs player they could find. Toronto, backed by strong goaltending from Vesa Toskala, were able to stand up to the challenge, and eventually took control.

There is a two week break in the Championships, before the Montreal Canadiens visit the Ottawa Senators on January 17th. The Canadiens who have only played twice in the Championships, will host the Maple Leafs on Feburary 7th, before making their Western Road Trip.

Mid-February will see the Western Canadian Teams begin to make their way East.

Calgary Flames Take Control of Championships

The Calgary Flames have won both of their holiday season games to move into a solid position atop the Canadian Championship Standings. Calgary defeated Ottawa 6-2 on December 27th, and Edmonton 6-4 on New Year's Eve to improve their record to 5-1 in the 2008-2009 NHL Canadian Championships.

The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks have now played at least half of their 10 Championship games and sit on 4 points each, tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2nd place.

The Eastern Conference teams still have a few games in hand, and will be hard pressed to catch Calgary. The Montreal Canadiens, who have only played twice, will play the Senators in January and then head out west in February.

The Ottawa Senators returned from a 3-game Western Canada trip with only one victory. They will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, January 3rd (CBC, 7 pm).