The clock was ticking to the end of Wednesday's stunning 7-2 Canadiens victory over the Detroit Red Wings, and out of the sky it came.

The airborne octopus, splattering the ice near the boards deep in the Montreal end of the rink.

Fans at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena are legendary for hurling a mollusc (or several) onto the ice to celebrate their team or heckle the visitor.

So roughly 135 minutes after Wednesday's opening faceoff, here came the octopus. And you wondered: did some fan have this slimy thing at his/her feet for more than two hours, or did they rush out to a seafood store between periods with an inspiration?

This much is certain: octopi aren't sold by arena concessions.

The disgusting gesture was probably fitting, for the Canadiens had just served the Red Wings their lunch, unfathomably deep-frying the No. 1-ranked club in the National Hockey League.

And now both clubs will catch their breath over the four-day all-star break. The Canadiens will return to practice next Monday hoping to build on a two-game win streak and continue their improbable bid to claw into playoff contention; the Wings will resume their work in the thin air of the standings, all 29 other clubs giving chase.

Of course, Wednesday's game was telecast coastto-coast throughout North America, the only NHL match on the schedule. So some fans actually think that what they saw was an accurate picture of the two clubs.

These poor, deluded souls.

"It's unfortunate that some people came to watch the Red Wings play and never got to see 'em," Detroit head coach Mike Babcock said in an empty dressing room.

"You go into the all-star break feeling pretty good about your team, but you can't leave here feeling very good."

There would be no critical analysis of this game for Babcock, no detailed study of what had just gone down.

"I'm not going to look at video on this at all," the coach said. "I'm going to go have a drink, actually. We were awful, I don't know what else to tell you. We were that bad. The night's over with, thank God, the clock couldn't run fast enough. Let's move on.

"It just reminds you why you should never get feeling too good about yourself because as soon as you do, you get brought down to Earth and get a little humble pie, to say the least."

Babcock will be in Montreal through Saturday with his wife, Maureen, enjoying the city where he played four years of mid-1980s university hockey with the McGill Redmen. He might try to avoid the newspapers and talk shows on Thursday.

The coach wore a special McGill pin on his lapel Wednesday, a gift presented to him the night before at an alumni function. It is one of only 27 such pins ever given by the university, bestowed upon graduates who have significantly impacted the institution.

Powering up: The Canadiens' power play, which ranks last in the NHL, went 1-for-3 with Desharnais connecting at 4: 18 of the second period for his second goal of the night. He also had an assist. Meanwhile, the topranked Montreal penaltykilling had its usual superb night. The Red Wings had four power plays and managed only two shots on goal.

Subban saga continues: ?Head coach Randy Cunneyworth wasn't amused when defenceman P.K. Subban took an unnecessary penalty for elbowing at 16: 30 of the first period while the Canadiens were on the power play. At the time, Subban was the Canadiens' leader in ice time with 7: 33, but he spent the entire second period with his butt nailed to the bench before resuming a regular shift in the third period. He finished with a season-low 14: 44.

Unsung hero: Lars Eller picked up an assist on Cole's goal, but his major contribution was on defence, where he and linemates Andrei Kostitsyn and Mike Blunden put the wraps on Pavel Datsyuk and his linemates. Datsyuk had no shots on goal and had three shots blocked.

What's next: With the exception of goaltender Carey Price and defenceman Raphael Diaz, the Canadiens will enjoy four days off. They'll return to Brossard for a practice Monday and then resume the playoff hunt on Tuesday when the Buffalo Sabres visit the Bell Centre.