I love hockey night in Canada

Christmas came early for Mop last night. I had the pleasure of watching Hockey Night in Canada's double header, starting with Washington vs Toronto, and ending with Calgary at San Jose. I couldn't have asked for a better duo of games.
The Caps/Leafs game reminded me how much a crowd can affect the viewing of a game. The Leafs' home crowd was just so intense throughout the game, cheering at every important faceoff, every big hit, every save, etc. Not like the typical US crowd, where we only cheer when the jumbotron tells us.
The Caps jumped out to a 3-0 lead on some great work down low. It's been a huge part of their game this year, and why they are doing so much better than last year. They've been known for their hard work for the past 2 seasons, but now that hard work is being cashed in for goals in front. Even down 3-o, the Leafs' fans were still willing the team on. Sundin caught a break after a great individual effort ended up with him getting dumped in front, and was awarded a penalty shot. The Caps had dodged a lot of bullets to that point, so you knew he was going to score. Sure enough, top shelf. The stadium erupted,and 14 seconds later Sundin scored again.
As a Caps fan, part of me wanted the game to end right there. But the crowd was too exciting, and I found myself pulling for the leafs to tie it. I couldn't help it. The Caps held on and won, 3-2.
The leafs are in trouble. They couldn't win important draws, the coverage in front of the net was horrible (see for example the Zubrus goal). That's what happens when Peca gets hurt, and your big defenseman is Hal "Please don't hurt me" Gil. Really? 2 mil a year? Everyone in Boston cheered when the leafs overpaid for him.
Due to my ADD, I didn't watch the whole Flames Sharks game, but I did manage to see an amazing span of 5 minutes of consecutive end to end rushes, culminating in Calgary hitting the post, and the Sharks going down the other end and scoring a goal. It was one of those situations that you knew it was going to happen.
But it also highlighted a fact that I have been citing for years. Western Conference hockey is so much faster and more entertaining than eastern conference hockey. Wide open, end to end, over and over again. Intense, exciting hockey.
The sharks overpowered the flames, winning 4-1. They may not have the defensive stars that Anaheim does, but they are so amazingly deep on offense.
A lot has been made about the 2 goalie situation and that a trade should be made. Honestly, I think they should keep them as long as they can afford it. They aren't going to get fair value back in any trade, and all they need is a quality #1 defenseman to make them (in my mind) a serious contender for the cup. No one is going to give up that kind of D, and Minnesota ran with 2 goalies very successfully for a few years. The only trade that makes sense on paper would be Nabokov to Phoenix for Jovo, (which was originally reported in TSN) but that trade has been all but killed with Phoenix's acquisition of Sauve, and Gretzky's adamant refusal to trade any of his D.
I will be closely watching this situation the closer we get to the deadline. If you hear of any good rumors that I miss, please pass them along.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a hockey night.