Remember Jacques Martin, the coach the Canadiens fired Dec. 17, when they were two points out of eighth place?
If Martin were still around, he would attribute the loss in Philadelphia to special teams. The Flyers scored three of their goals on the power play – the first time this season the Canadiens penaty-kill has surrendered more than two.
And the Canadiens fired blanks on their five power plays, including a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:21. Philadelphia’s penalty-killers had four shots on Peter Budaj, matching the total all those PPs directed at Ilya Bryzgalov.
It was grim. After an emotional win over Ottawa in a physical battle at the Bell Centre Friday night, the Canadiens were devoid of fire and spirit in Philadelphia.
After beginning the season series with a 5-1 romp at the Bell Centre Oct. 26, the Canadiens lost 3-1, 4-3 and 4-1. The Flyers seem headed for an intriguing Battle of Pennsylvania in the first round of the playoffs.
The Canadiens are headed for a long period of golf and reflection. The loss eliminated them from playoff contention.
They’ve been Dead Team Skating for a while.
In January, we were talking about the chances of the Canadiens playing .660 hockey and punching their postseason ticket with 90 points or so. But the less delusional among us knew it wouldn’t happen.
The playoffs couldn’t happen, not with this lineup.
And they shouldn’t happen, because sneaking into eighth place or getting nipped at the wire and ending up ninth or 10th would only serve to create false hopes and inhibit the hard work that has to be done to improve this team.
It won’t be easy.
The Canadiens have the third worst record in the NHL.
The Hamilton Bulldogs have the third worst record in the AHL.
In lifting themselves back into the playoff picture, the Ottawa Senators promoted talent from an Binghamton team that won the Calder Cup last year.
No such bumper crop of young, NHL-ready talent will be showing up at the Canadiens’ training camp in September.
On L’Antichambre Saturday night, the panelists – Michel Therrien, Denis Gauthier and François Gagnon – sized up the Canadiens in terms of core assets.
Start with the goaltender – and it was a relief to hear Carey Price express optimism about his contract negotiations during a pre-game chat with Pierre Houde on RDS.
On defence, the Canadiens’ core includes P.K. Subban, Josh Gorges, Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin. The Antichambre guys weren’t sure about Emelin’s potential to become a Top Four Dman, but I’m more sanguine than they.
Up front, there’s David Desharnais and his linemates, Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty; Tomas Plekanec and Lars Eller. Again, the Antichambre guys aren’t sold on Eller. They project him as a third-line centre and would include him a trade package.
After that, it’s Brian Gionta, a year older and coming off an injury-plagued season, and …
Well, is there a Top Six forward in the house?
Since being acquired in mid-January, Rene Bourque has three goals – none in his last 13 games. The snapshot of where Bourque is at was the 2-0n-1 break against the Flyers, when Plekanec NEVER EVEN THOUGHT about passing to his linemate.
Bourque doesn’t hit. He doesn’t fight.
A player who had two 27-goal seasons in Calgary is sleepwalking in Montreal. And Bourque has four years left on his contract.
Blake Geoffrion hasn’t scored 27 goals in the NHL. Impeccable bloodlines notwithstanding, the grandson of Bernard Geoffrion and great-grandson of Howie Morenz has been a healthy scratch for five games.
Geoffrion is a half-step slow and doesn’t play physical. At 24, he is at the crossroads of his career.
Louis Leblanc is only 21, and the jury is still out on the 2009 first-rounder. I like Leblanc’s work ethic, but he has to get stronger. And perhaps this is a player who will top out as a third-line winger.
The Canadiens seem headed toward a lottery draft pick – Go Leafs, go! – and perhaps they can pluck an impact player who will show up at camp and dazzle everyone.
But can they pull a Philadelphia?
In 2006-’07, the Flyers finished last in the Eastern Conference. But Paul Holmgren, who had replaced Bobby Clarke as general manager, was sowing the seeds of a revival.
A complex trade that sent Peter Forsberg to Nashville brought Scottie Upshall, Kimmo Timonen and, crucially, Scott Hartnell to Philadelphia.
The Flyers have not missed the playoffs since that last-place finish, and Holmgren has wheeled and dealed to keep them competitive. He is not afraid to make bold moves, like losing Joffrey Lupul to acquire Chris Pronger and, more recently, trading away Jeff Carter and the Flyers’ captain, Mike Richards … who, a couple years ago, was an untouchable touted as the 21st century Bobby Clarke.
The team that beat the Canadiens handily – without Pronger – includes 19-year-old Sean Couturier, 20-year-old Brayden Schenn, 22-year-old Jakub Voracek and 23-year-old Wayne Simmonds.
James Van Riemsdyk, who’s injured, is 22.
On D, Coburn, Matt Carle and Nicklas Grossmann are 27.
And Claude Giroux, the best francophone player in the league, is 24.
This team is going to be good for a while.
We’ll know, as the playoffs progress, whether the expensive signing of Bryzgalov will exorcise the Flyers’ Achilles heel.
But the Philadelphia GM has a pair of brass ones. He’s been creative, proactive and bold – three adjectives we don’t often use to describe Bob Gainey or Pierre Gauthier.
Can the last-place Canadiens retool on the fly, like Philadelphia has?
We can only hope.
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I won
“Never give up control. Live life on your own terms. Every life comes with a death sentence.”
Rocket Richard’s 1950 – 1951 Montreal Canadiens:
Jean Beliveau
Butch Bouchard
Fred Burchell
Hugh Currie
Floyd Curry
Bob Dawes
Lulu Denis
Gerard Desaulniers
Norm Dussault
Dick Gamble
Bernie Geoffrion
Leo Gravelle
Glen Harmon
Doug Harvey
Bert Hirschfeld
Tom Johnson
Vern Kaiser
Frank King
Elmer Lach
Hal Laycoe
Calum MacKay
Bud MacPherson
Tom Manastersky
Paul Masnick
Gerry McNeil
Paul Meger
Ken Mosdell
Bert Olmstead
Gerry Plamondon
Billy Reay
Maurice Richard
Claude Robert
Richard R
Lots of familiar names: Billy Reay, Dick Gamble, Hal Laycoe & Bert Olmstead played with a number of teams. Did the Habs win the Cup that season or maybe they finished last, eh?
1950-51 Montreal Canadiens
25-30-15 (65 points), Finished 3rd in NHL. Coach: Dick Irvin (25-30-15)
Goals For: 173 (4th of 6), Goals Against: 184 (3rd of 6)
Playoffs:
Lost Stanley Cup Finals (4-1) versus Toronto Maple Leafs
Won Semi-Finals (4-2) versus Detroit Red Wings
Last night on RDS both Benoit Brunet and Mario Tremblay insisted that if the Coyotes eventually become the New Nordiques that they would have to get rid of Dave Tippett. Unilingual coaches are verboten. They added that their GM could stay possibly one more year before he, too, should get the sack.
Richard R
Too bad for the Nords and their fans because Tippet is a good coach regardless of the language issue.
Maybe Mario the franchise killer wants the job. OMG!!!
I sure wish this had happened two years ago. Instead everybody ignored JM and the vets pulled the guys together under Muller to overachieve.
A head coach sets the system and says who plays. Careers and incomes depend on his choices. Team success depends on those choices. Martin hurt this team more than is apparent. Just as everyone’s pet Carbonneau did before him and Tremblay did years ago.
Now all bets are off. The Canadiens should retool the front office and coaching. That will lead to player retention, roles, and movements. Let’s hope they are all smart and not political moves. Roy is not an NHL coach or GM. Sorry. He is a popular ex-NHL player who has dipped his hand in the juniors. He is a media darling though.
Successful GM and coaches are built, not discovered. Successful teams are built and not stumbled upon through a lucky draft or trade. This off season will show the fans if Molson is serious about the team or only return on investment before selling off the assets in a couple years.
JM chose who played and who sat in 2010. Enough with the bs revisionist history. If you didn’t like his style, fine. But stop giving credit to an ASSISTANT coach whose job it was to yell and wave his arms a lot.
It was 20 years ago today Sgt. Molson taught the eggs to lay.
So this team will likely lose to Florida and split the two sets of back to back games they have left. I think they’ll surprise the Rangers but lose to Toronto playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. That’ll give us 77 points? I think we’re a mortal lock to be in the bottom 5. Where in that bottom 5 will be determined by how bad the other suitors play. Looking at the remaining games for each, I’m going to bet that Minny and Edmonton will finish below us and we’ll be fighting with the Isles for the 4 and 5 spots.
—————-
Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
How can Roy be considered a viable candidate for any position with the Canadiens considering the loyalty he demonstrated in his first stint with the club?
Things got tough and he bailed! Why would anything be different if given a second time?
The first 3 game losing streak with Roy behind the bench would Roy
bolt again it’s in his character!
The alleged tale that Roy told Geoff Molson he would bolt if Quebec were awarded a franchise also seems in character.
The guy has no loyalty and considers himself above any contract he signs!
Nobody tells Roy what to do, so there could be a problem. Like Roy said to Elliotte Freedman regarding his current position with the Remparts: “The owner is happy with my performance, and I am the owner. The GM is happy with my performance, and I am the GM, and the coach is happy with my performance and I am the coach.”
Egomaniac.
Richard R
The main thing with Patrick is that he is a proven WINNER.
Valid points!
Unless maybe he gets to be both GM & coach. That may work.
OMG what a scenario!
Happily, I am falling in love with CURLING. They play it on ice. It can have some rock hard take-outs. And I sleep better after watching it.
Woud be a hard life-altering choice but I think I am ready to make it.
I take it you’re not a Patrick Roy fan.
You forgot owner. Guess he can’t afford that.
Richard R
Right. That’s why I didn’t mention owner.
The Habs are at fault in the Roy debacle. Kudos to Roy. You want loyalty join the The Monarchist League of Canada.
Correct HH. Loyalty in pro sports, aside from us fans, does not exist.
Hey shootdapuck…dead accurate character assessment!!!
I’ve stated that very thing in the past and got grilled for it. As I see it, Roy quit on his team at the first whiff of adversity – just when they needed him the most. Some team player eh? What a “leader”!
Many say Roy is a “winner” and that is good enough for them. To those folks I say consider this: would he have been as “great” if he had to play with a crap team in front of him…something he never really endured his entire career? Even the Habs teams he won with (while no longer the offensive juggernaut they once were) were sound defensively which nicely complimented his abilities. Those who lionize Roy and criticize Price should try to imagine what Price could do with the teams Roy had in front of him.
I for one, hope that Geoff Molson will keep Roy out of the equation. Mostly, because I think Roy’s presence would only turn things into a bigger circus than it already is and distract from the real and necessary work that’s required to right the ship. Anyone who says otherwise has been drinking too much of the pro-Roy “kool-aid”.
“Shut up and play against him” – Bob Gainey (2011 Heritage Classic)
You and shootdapuck are so far off base it’s scarey. I don’t know if you’re too young to remember or you just don’t know all the facts but you both are way off base here. How dare you say that this man bailed on the team when he faced a bit of adversity. This man’s whole career was based on the fact that he thrived when the pressure was on and when he had to face the most adversity.
As far as I’m concerned Price couldn’t hold Roy’s jock and has proved NOTHING, he hasn’t carried a team through the playoffs like Roy did the last 2 times the Habs won the cup. Does he have a big ego? Hell yes because he’s the one of the greatest goalies to ever wear the Habs uniform. You want to know who was at fault for Roy leaving the team? Corey, Houle and Tremblay the 3 fing stooges. If you had carried a team to 2 cups and some scrub that you used to play with left you in a game to get humiliated you would want out of that situation too. As Habs fans we owe this man so much don’t you dare sully his name with your stupid accusations
I’m old enough to remember, and to know all the facts that are pertinent. Coach K and Shootdapuck are correct, and you are sadly misguided. The fact that this quitter’s jersey hangs next to the likes of the Richards, Beliveau, Lafleur, etc. still chaps my ass.
No disrespect intended here but there’s no point getting into a battle of wits with an obviously unarmed opponent.
I watched that game so I’m clearly old enough to remember what went down. The fact remains well documented by history…Roy quit on his team that night not the other way around. Period! The fact that the 3 stooges were running the show only provides him with a convenient excuse. A true (and professional) team player would not have put his own ego and his precious reputation first.
This team needs stability. If Roy comes on board, it will be all about him and his ego. Allhailtheflower is right to be upset about Roy’s number hanging among the greats. This organization was once synonymous with class and in my opinion, Roy’s number is up there only because some of that class still exists.
“Shut up and play against him” – Bob Gainey (2011 Heritage Classic)
Observations:
1) Let´s aim a bit higher. People get excited about having a team which includes Staubitz, Blunden, White, and Moen. Come on. Moen deserves a spot, White arguably so, but none of these players are impact players. Good nhl teams have guys that either can contribute more to the score sheet or are either tougher (I prefer the first option)
2) If Plekanec can get 50 points playing with no one, don´t you think he is a lock for minimum 60 points with half decent forwards (and probably more if he doesn´t spend a disproportionate amount of time killing penalties or playing on shutdown lines)
Given his defensive pluses, he is A BETTER THAN AVERAGE top six forward. He´s a good player. Maybe not Frank Selke good like people were raving two years ago, but good.
3) The team really does in fact only need some tinkering. A top six (with the freed up money from Kostitsyn) and a a good Dman (with the leftover money from Cammy´s departure). Although the additions of Bourque and Kaberle worry me insofar as the character the team must preserve to win. There were a few too many changes this year for a team that was basically just having an off year due to aforementiones luck/injury factors. I hope the leadership core of the team has not been unduly affected. Cole or Gio suddenly growing old could derail the forecast. But I think they will still be productive next year if healthy (the year after is the one to worry about, especially Cole). Markov being only a semblance of his former self could also affect us.
4) The team must unload Kaberle. He is not the type of player the Montreal Canadiens need now, nor the type of player that fits well within our philosophy period. The freed up cap space will be key in giving us flexibility to make that one extra personnel move that has to be made over the course of next season (often due to injury). The team should also try to unload Bourque, though i hope I am eating my words after 40 games next season. Change of surroundings can affect some players. But, man, is he scary.
5) Eller is a wild card. Could remain a decent third liner. Could explode.
Bourque isn’t scary, he’s asleep. It’s called sleepwalking.
Here we have the Canadiens, with a two-four of cups to its credit, down to a six-pack left in the season. A season that quickly went flat spoiling the hops of Hab fans everywhere of another championship. Who would have thought the Canadiens would be tied for last in the Yeast with two weeks to go in the schedule?
Well, the signs were all there right from the start that trouble was brewing. The team that barley made it into the playoffs last year had an atrocious pre-season and the problems got lager as the season wore on.
There were just too many issues to overcome: terrible power play, pitiful offence, pint-sized defencemen, numerous injuries, questionable coaching decisions.
The team’s performance, not surprisingly, provoked a great deal of ale-will among fans. Speculation over what the Canadiens should do next produced a mishmash of suggestions. By far the most provocative was that put forward by a small but vocal group who advocated tanking, to improve the team’s draft. This resulted in considerable tumalt among the HIO commentariat.
Hab legend Patrick Roy has been bruited as the team’s next flagon-bearer, to win bock the team’s glory. Supporters say the wild man is no more, that he’s no longer a powder keg, having sewn his oats in the junior hockey league.
Which is not to say Roy has lost his fire; his hugely competitive nature is what the team needs most at a critical point in its history, to barrel its way to success as in years past. Otherwise the team faces another bitter year of disappointments.
It’s clear to all that the Canadiens must act soon to bring things to a head.
– “A little song, a little dance, a little pilsner down your pants.” –
JB. You have sorted through the dregs of a very flat season effectively. You state the full case with great clarity.
Have a strange desire for a brewsky and it is not even lunch time yet!
Must resist…must resist…malt yeast…ahhhh!
Its 5o’clock somewhere.
Excellent JB.
And when you filter out all the fan noise and just look at the central cask of characters on this team you can just smell the heady aroma of future success. It all boils down to capping it off with a cup.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
Vat you say is true.
Wort are you talking about?
Beer league hockey, of coors
All of which leaves next season in stout: your guinness is as good as mine.
Just like Holmgren, we were bold in the recent past and in return for boldness got Gomez, Bourque and Kaberle. So much for brass balls in Montreal.
Yes, CB, it’s not the boldness that’s been lacking, just the competence.
Desperate not bold.
1993 was a long time ago.
Boldness is not lacking, incompetence along with desperation is why we’re in this mess.
After Friday’s win over Ottawa, Boone was cautiously optimistic about what might have been and what could be next year. Many among the commentariat followed suit, suggesting the tinkering needed to get the team into playoff contention again with a minimum of fuss and bother. After last night’s loss to Philly (back-to-back-with-travel game against a very good team) Boone is virtually suicidal, and the entire commentariat agrees with his glass-completely-empty assessment of the team. What a difference a day makes. How full the glass actually is will not be determined until halfway through next season. Whether it starts to “get fuller” depends on whether G.M. cleans house at the top this summer (and I mean really cleans house – Gainey, Gauthier, Martin and every other failed coach and gm who has been promoted to advisor by virtue of his failings in his former position). I, for one, will choose do remain optimistic, at least until I find out who’s steering the ship. If the current management team gets a vote of confidence, I will be amongst the last few faithful rats jumping ship before it leaves port.
Right-on Gumper. We have some good assets that won’t be able to play at their peak with a horrid PP, swiss cheese defense and the keystone cops for management. I can’t understand that G Molson would accept not being in the playoffs and at a minimum make an effort to WIN the Stanely Cup. His asset which cost over $500 million and is even today one of the most expensive hockey franchises in the world, is depreciating in value with every loss and every fan that has had enough. Yes, it is entertainment, but in Canada and more specifically, Montreal, it is part of the culture and this patient cannot be run by Gainey, no matter how nice the guy is and certainly not PG who is a miserable communicator, has no foresight and his Disney skills are hurting any kind of fairytale ending for this team. Molson, I am praying, realizes this and will scan the entire NHL for top talent… See ya’ll next year.
Promote the Youth, Support From The Veterans and Remember the Heritage!
It’s not depreciating, money doesn’t care about wins and losses. Look at the Leafs. Wall Street just cares about money.
1993 was a long time ago.
Actually no play-offs mean the difference between making money and breaking even for the Habs. Play-off revenues are high with no player salaries so margins are even higher. Believe me, the ownership group is not happy!!
That is not true. The Habs still make a serious profit without the play-offs. The danger of missing them though is that ticket sales could falter because missing the play-offs means the once you make the play-offs anything can happen lie can’t be marketed.
And herein lies the reason why Habs hockey is crap hockey. People said the Habs couldn’t tank because the fans wouldn’t accept it. Guess what? Fans are embracing it.
Now people say the Habs can’t rebuild in a market like Montreal. More absolute BS. Habs fans are now starting to realize that making the play-offs at 8th is a recipe for a quick play-off exit.
Fans want a rebuild. It’s the ownership group that is denial.
Since it’s that kinda morning and I am beginning to get hockey withdrawal… man this playoffs seasonis gonna be hard. Especially after the excitement of the 2010 run and even last season’s 7 game against Boston.
So my avatar is inviting all the ‘sexy’ avatars to lunch and whatever after.. Remember what happens in HIO between avatars stays in HIO.
No Timo! You avatar is NOT sexy!
Ya it stinks not making the playoffs, plain and simple.
Aside from the playoffs in my mixed softball league, which is as exciting as well, I’ll let you use your imagination, The Habs in the playoffs are as exciting as it gets.
For a minimum of two weeks when the Habs are in the playoffs, nothing else in the world means a thing. You look at your watch at work about 600 times a day, you constantly check the internet, paper and listen to the radio for any possible tidbit of info. Basically your mind is racing a million miles an hour.
And when the game itself starts and Montreal scores in the playoffs it is one of the rare occasions in life where you can scream at the top of your lungs and dance around like a fool.
So to have that period of pure bliss and excitement removed your calendar really sucks.
That was beautiful, Hobie. Like you were inside my head the last 2 springs. If mixed softball or curling (Habstrinifan above) or the Yankees can offer no relief, read Dick Irvin’s The Habs.
THE LONGEST SUMMER is nearly upon us!!!!!! I need a new life!
Baseball starts soon and the Yankees are gonna be good Ian.
I’m going to learn to be a draftnik. Plus fish a lot. Care to join me?
Travel…it does wonders for the mind.
__________________________
☞ Wow, that’s a nice lookin’ pair of Crocs!” Said no one ever.☜
Still sad that we have to look at the remaining schedule to see how can we drop even lower in the standings instead of looking at the schedule to see if we can position for a higher seed in the playoffs….also we are ranked so low in prospects compared to other teams..posters adv this is because they look at ahl prospects but does that not mean that many of the teams that are better than us at the nhl level have pro prospects that are closer to the nhl than we have….also i just dont see that we have so many junior/college prospects that are so much better than many other great junior/college players that other teams have….
I think we are at our lowest point in current ready prospects due to so many years of trading 2nd round picks and that 1st round pick we lost for Tanguay.
I am hopeful that with not losing any picks this year but rather gaining, we will now start the climb back up again. We many not have “better” prospects than other team, but we have some real good ones. Having our deepest pool of prospects at the D position, allows the team to start playing competitive hockey sooner. Having a strong D can compensate for a great deal.
If we hit a homerun in the draft this year, it can help change the picture quicker.
You are so right on the d point..this is where we have to build from…5 top notch d can cover up many weak points and they can help elevate many forwards in their offensive production
If the assessment is that our junior/college prospects are better than most and our AHL/minor league prospects are worse than most then it is correct. And acknowledging that our junior prospects dd not seem to be impact top of the line stars .. we ar ein for a long period of development.
As I see it our one true proven consistent performer in the entire prospect ranks is Gallagher.
001 this is my take on our prospect rankings;
- we usually draft in the middle 15th-22nd
- far too often have traded our 2nd or 3rd for a late season rental
- end up with as many or more prospects making it due to drafting skills of Timmins and staff in the mid rounds
- but at the end of the day we have the 18th, 83rd and 147th draft pick as top prospects going against Team A who has the 6th, 33rd and 77th draft pick prospects…who is going to be rated higher?
I think we need to start delving into the Roy’s rumour seriously. Which is why I am ‘reposting’ this. I apologise if it seems boorish.
Please anyone, especially if you heard the the bit on tsn990, comment.
==========
This is probably true.
And this is one of the reasons why I have not posted my full thoughts re the Roy rumour.
When the rumour first broke on TSN990 it was made CLEAR that in the discussions Roy told Geoff Molson that if Qubec were to be given a franchise any agreement between Molson and Roy would be off and Roy would move on to become part owner of that Quebec franchise.
I tell you my first gut reaction as I was driving was F-U Patrick. Either you are a HABS or NOT!
I couldnt determine if the condition meant
a) that if Quebec (for next season) got a franchise before Roy took office he would void the agreement before it even started
OR
b) that if during the next couple years Roy was employed by the Canadiens and Quebec got a franchise Roy would leave us high and dry.
I was livid just listening to the first news (rumour) that I heard on Monday. I swore up and down aloud while driving at Molson for going like a little schoolboy in short pants and begging St. Patrick to please please come and save us.
I had to calm down. For after all it was a ‘rumour’. This is one of the reasons why I have held my tongue. It was hard to properly evaluate Roy’s credentials against the backdrop of all the hidden agendas.
I must say though that I am very disappointed that the media have not properly explored the Roy rumours and try and educate us the public as to what is really happenng… if anything.
All we are getting is mostly French hyperbole re the greatness of Roy and mostly English exaggeration re the neutron bomb mentality of Roy.
Which is why I also posted that Brian Wilde’s revelations that Molson is contacting many many sources for impartial input to make his gm/coaching decision somewhat alleviated my anxiety… somewhat.
Bottom line.. if a bad decision is made re our GM/COACH then this franchise is gonna be doomed for a long long time.
Edit: note TSN990 Tony Marinaro took pains to point out that he was NOT the source.. he specifically identified the source as some publication that sounded like DeQuis. Among the things that Marinaro said was that there had been several meetings between Roy and Molson. There was also a bit about an entire assistant coaching staff already having been decided on by Roy. Both assistants were QJMHL employees .. one coaching(??) now and I didnt quite get what the other’s job was. Tony ended the bit by using the news as vindication to his earlier well publicised ‘breaking news’ that PG is in fact de facto out of a job. Since PG was not privy to any discussion between Roy and Molson. I am not sure what Gainey’s status was in all this but it sounded like he was more aware than PG. Savard’s name may have been mentioned.
I went online looking for the name of the magazine but never found it. I was hoping to read their account first hand.
I really am kinda upset that a full exploration of this rumour has not been done, especially here on HIO by the contributors.
It’s like I was hallucinating.
====================
I was pleasantly surprised a few weeks ago when I was reminded the draft lotto thing actually takes place right after the end of the regular season.
I’m counting on us picking in the top 5, hopefully 3rd or 4th and maybe by some miracle picking 1st or 2nd. I don’t believe all of the players in the top 5 would play in the NHL next year? I could be wrong? Forsberg is a year younger that the rest of the lot and he’s ranked 3rd or 4th in most places right now.
Regardless if our pick this summer plays next year or not the Canadiens to me look like they can retool, mainly with youth, and be right back in the thick of things quickly.
Next year could be an adventure but the year after there’s a decent chance that our pick this year, Tinordi and Gallagher are making an impact. And hopefully at that time Leblanc and Eller can be counted on for 20 goals a season.
Price, Subban Pacioretty, Desharnais are in the beginning stages or hitting their prime and hopefully Cole still has a lot left in the Tank and Plekeanec has recovered and is playing well. Perhaps Gionta is flying high again as well.
Next year will be a crap shoot and I hope with a new coach, GM and a new attitude that we start strong and make the playoffs. But the 2013/14 season is going to be something special to watch. Maybe were not the best that year but I think we’ll be on our way. It will be a new chapter in the Canadiens fascinating history.
Not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, I’m beginning to get the hang of watching this team play. I root for them to win as I’ve always done but when they lose I quickly turn my attention to the teams near us in the standings and root hard for those clubs to win. If the teams that are near us are playing each other I love the loser point. Anyway, I call this technique the half a tank.
For a butterknife, you seemed to have figured it out pretty good Jim.
They got off to a slow start and never fully recovered.
With the competition level these days, it’s so important to hit the ground running when the season starts.
They can no longer spend almost the entire preseason evaluating minor league talent. Like Jacques Martin always did.
These days, teams have to get themselves playing like it’s regular season during the preseason, in order to not lose any ground when the regular season starts.
boston had a slower start, they even beat boston twice during it.
Most nights its not effort though, huh? Clearly just about every game the talent edge lies with the competition. Hard for me to blame the players. Most of us here know where to put the blame.
I have to agree that the problem is mainly lack of talent, which is what makes it difficult to imagine a real turnaround next year. We lack depth, and although we have a few decent prospects, I don’t think any of them will be ready to make an impact next year. We could find ourselves at the bottom again. But the top priority is to clean house, develop a plan, and start rebuilding. No more panic moves, no more improvisation, no more changing course halfway through the season. The organization needs stability and direction. And the fans will need patience.
This is basically the same team that came within a few minutes of getting Claude Julien fired in last year’s playoffs.
The year before they went to the Conference Finals.
Hank, maybe up front less injuries but we have 3 players on defense that, well let me put it mildly, stink. Not easy to fill those spots. Agree somewhat with your post though. There are certainly pieces to build around. Cupboard us far from bare.
That’s exactly whats need JF. Formulate a plan and stick to it.
Updates:
NHL concussion total = 27, up four from last week
Montreal Entry Draft Selection = With Toronto, Carolina and Tampa tied at 75 points, it would be logical to think that at least one of those teams will finish ahead of Montreal. In that case, the Habs would definitely finish in the bottom eight giving them a shot at one of the top five forwards assuming the big three on defense are chosen as ranked in most mock drafts.
Considering they are our last three opponents, certainly hope so (win that is).
Right on the mark Mike! Unfortunately! It is one thing to blow a season, it is quite another to blow a decade (OMG we might look like the Leafs) in years to come. And to those posters who get upset because others are negative or Mike Boone’s article paints a bleak picture, it is time for you to face reality and remember Habs fans here are not negative because they hate their team; they are negative because they love their team. They just hate to see what has been done to it.
For all those thinking of Patrick Roy…
Via Twitter MA Godin;
Le collègue @simmonssteve écrit: “It’s highly unlikely Patrick Roy will end up involved with #Habs in any capacity. (…) Word is, Roy has unofficially been on retainer from Quebec NHL interests for almost 2 years now.”
Interesting. Okay let’s move on then, who is next for us to hash over.
Every part of this story sounds unofficial to say the least. We all get pleasantly (or not) surprised once all seasons concerned are over. NHL and Q. Bonne chance a toi!
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
All stories about who is or is not our new whatever are unofficial mon ami
If that is true- good news!!!
This is probably true.
And this is one of the reasons why I have not posted my full thoughts re the Roy rumour.
When the rumour first broke on TSN990 it was made CLEAR that in the discussions Roy told Geoff Molson that if Qubec were to be given a franchise any agreement between Molson and Roy would be off and Roy would move on to become part owner of that Quebec franchise.
I tell you my first gut reaction as I was driving was F-U Patrick. Either you are a HABS or NOT!
I couldnt determine if the condition meant
a) that if Quebec (for next season) got a franchise before Roy took office he would void the agreement before it even started
OR
b) that if during the next couple years Roy was employed by the Canadiens and Quebec got a franchise Roy would leave us high and dry.
I was livid just listening to the first news (rumour) that I heard on Monday. I swore up and down aloud while driving at Molson for going like a little schoolboy in short pants and begging St. Patrick to please please come and save us.
I had to calm down. For after all it was a ‘rumour’. This is one of the reasons why I have held my tongue. It was hard to properly evaluate Roy’s credentials against the backdrop of all the hidden agendas.
I must say though that I am very disappointed that the media have not properly explored the Roy rumours and try and educate us the public as to what is really happenng… if anything.
All we are getting is mostly French hyperbole re the greatness of Roy and mostly English exaggeration re the neutron bomb mentality of Roy.
Which is why I also posted that Brian Wilde’s revelations that Molson is contacting many many sources for impartial input to make his gm/coaching decision somewhat alleviated my anxiety… somewhat.
Bottom line.. if a bad decision is made re our GM/COACH then this franchise is gonna be doomed for a long long time.
Edit: note TSN990 Tony Marinaro took pains to point out that he was NOT the source.. he specifically identified the source as some publication that sounded like DeQuis. Among the things that Marinaro said was that there had been several meetings between Roy and Molson. There was also a bit about an entire assistant coaching staff already having been decided on by Roy. Both assistants were QJMHL employees .. one coaching(??) now and I didnt quite get what the other’s job was. Tony ended the bit by using the news as vindication to his earlier well publicised ‘breaking news’ that PG is in fact de facto out of a job. Since PG was not privy to any discussion between Roy and Molson. I am not sure what Gainey’s status was in all this but it sounded like he was more aware than PG. Savard’s name may have been mentioned.
I went online looking for the name of the magazine but never found it. I was hoping to read their account first hand.
I really am kinda upset that a full exploration of this rumour has not been done, especially here on HIO by the contributors.
It’s like I was hallucinating.
The basis of my desire to see one of the new “bright” men in charge. Believe we need new blood, ideas, leadership and someone who will be around for the next 10-20 years. Sam Pollack was not old school or one of the boys, he was a bright outsider and innovator who changed the way GM’s worked. Not perfect by a long shot but always thinking and outside the box when necessary.
Mornin’ Frank – At some point in time, the NHL will have to make a decision on Phoenix. If they move the franchise, there will be three logic choices – Quebec City, Seattle or Kansas City. If Quebec City is chosen, then Roy would stand a chance at being the head coach (which would be laughable seeing as Phoenix already had one of the top ten coaches in the NHL). You would have to assume that would be Roy’s first choice given the option. If Phoenix moves to KC or Seattle, it would mean that Quebec City may not see an NHL franchise for the rest of this decade. That would mean the only two teams in the NHL that would ever consider Roy as coach would be Montreal or Colorado.
The only other factor would be Roy’s statement that he would want to stay in Quebec City at the present moment so he can be near his kids. Although with his sizeable ego and sense of preordained destiny I seriously doubt he would put his kids before another opportunity at sainthood.
His youngest son finishes his junior career this year so perhaps a change is coming. I’m neutral on Patrick and have gone to watch him coach twice this year with the specific intent on observing him. One game was second row and 10 feet away. He was less animated then I had heard, very focused on the game and his players. No yelling when they screwed up, just some specific comments pointing out problem and solutions. My impression of his team was that after the 1st line, they are pretty weak and considering their top 10 ranking all season. Patrick is obviously doing something right in getting performance out of them. I have always believed in Lombardi’s saying that a “great team” is one that the sum of the whole, is greater then the sum of the individuals. By the way, his son never shut up! What a chipper, would have made Avery proud!
Even though the math took until last night, the Habs’ shot at the playoffs hasn’t really been a possibility since the beginning of Feb.
As far as I’m concerned, that’s when their season ended.
And I don’t remember that ever happening before since I first started following them when the Rocket was still playing.
I think the Habs season ended in pre-season.
*Sigh* Now, I know what it feels like to be a Leaf fan..
Having grown up having them win Stanley Cup after Stanley Cup (the 70′s) Thought we’d always be in the upper echelon of the League (as we always were) with a few stumbles, but ALWAYS a threat to win it. Here we are almost 20 years since the last Cup.
Today?? Its a shame, no way should THE most successful franchise in NHL history should be 28th place..
It’s amusing to read all the naysayers. How the team’s core is only a few players deep and there’s no help coming from the farm.
Habs will be better next season. Bank on it. The D will be better. The forwards, hopefully with a high impact draft pick, will be deeper. Price and Budaj will be back. Markov will be better, too.
As my old da used to say: “Quit your bitching!”
I think the frustration Cal comes from the fact, our current Mgmt. team doesn’t inspire many of us. I agree we have a decent to good core. But the key to making that core effective is those pieces that need to surround it. While I don’t like to consider my a “naysayer” I have trouble with believing PG can complete this puzzle.
I am hopeful we find ourselves a new maestro who can make this band sound in tune.
We are not naysayers Cal. We hired a contractor to renovate and remodel our house and he’s stuck up on the leaky roof and his ladder has fallen.
Still living in the basement I see
Cal, I sure hope your right. I think up front we will be better with Moen and Gionta healthy and an addition of a top six.via draft, trade, or free agent signing. Where I am not so optimistic is on defence. The club will have to rebuild this area and it won’t be easy to do. Diaz, Weber, Kabrele clearly aren’t the answer. We go in with PK, Gorges and Markov (stay healthy) and Emilin ( continue to develop).
Methinks the commentariat are antsy today. Okay everyone do what I do. Say “alka seltzer” three times. Bet you lose that rage.
It also works better than cold showers for.. well we better not go there.
I think you have been hanging John Bellyfull too much if you think alka seltzer is the answer
Hanging??? Is that a Freudian slip, or the start of a petition?
Don’t you mean worshipping (and I say that with great humbleness, I mean, modest humbleness)?
I’m going to play hockey this morning, make a lot of saves, let a lot in, have a couple of beers, brag about the saves, come home and tell the wife I got another shutout, play road hockey with the kids, watch Edmonton-CBJ, chill, check my hockey pool, watch Family Guy…
A no-Habs day.
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Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
This too shall pass!
But sometimes the bad smell lingers….
I realize you are all looking forward to that top 3 draft pick BUT my last wish for this sorry season is that we finish ahead of Toronto and then win the Draft lottery to reclaim that draft pick “sigh”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BruEmB7_1ok
It’s kind of a weird scenario Frank, but with the complete collapse by the Leafs, their fans have been beaten down. If the standings allow us to beat the Leafs on the final night without damaging our draft status that will be enough for me to walk these Ontario streets.
I have not seen the Leaf fans this beaten down in some time. Over the past 3-4 seasons they would be in the middle of their last half the schedule surge, telling everyone they are great, just had a bad start.
This year they are in dissarray, so much that they don’t even remind me as often about our own teams quagmire.
Here’s hoping to a great draft, a new genius GM, a coach who motivates and may Geoff Molson have good tweaking hands to make this all happen.
Edit: I just listened to your song choice, impeccable as usual, your taste in music continues to inspire my friend. CHeers.
Six games left;
- Florida (fighting to stay in front of Caps)
- Rangers (top in the East)
- Washington (outside but close)
- Tampa (all but done)
- Carolina (all but done)
- Toronto (gravity always wins)
Oh my! I think you are right Mike!
Looks like we will be watching a very poor product on the ice for a few more years. Maybe more if Molson does not take his head out of his butt and get some quality, experienced and dynamic management in place soon!!!
How long will the Bell Center fans keep the faith throwing their money down the toilet, waiting for a miracle that we all know is really man made!!!
Unfortunately Geoff Molson gives the impression he’s in love with being the head honcho of the Montreal Canadiens and will be content to stock the organization with his idea of what the team and the fans want – names that invoke glories past (Patrick Roy, etc.)
What the Habs need, and what their fans WANT, is a coach and GM, and president, for that matter, that knows how to WIN and NOT ONE that has to be able to speak French.
Until then, this team is doomed.
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Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
Smiler – we have a coach that doesn’t speak French. Haven’t you noticed?
Worst coaching record in recent history.
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Gauthier -Losing record.
Cunneyworth-No real records to speak of.
I think what Smiler is referring to is any guy who has some experience and a winning pedigree along the way.
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
I am, thanks, I thought it was obvious.
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Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
You mean like Bob Gainey?
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Hey! Those 200 middle aged protestors are pretty powerful!
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
Your quite right my friend! Priorities must be put down in order of importance, and the first communication has to be with its employees not the public. This language needed to talk to the public should only come into play by a person designated to do so.The media nor fans have never brought a winner to town anywhere.
What a wake-up call Mike Boone’s ‘About last night’ is eh Ian. And yes he is right. You are also right in identifying the need for a really really smart decision by Molson.
We could really become an afterthought as far as standings in the league unless this decay is stopped.
No sense in having great draft picks and no management in place that has the expertise in developing them. Look at how many players have moved on and doing well all over this league, but could not play here.?????
That is why I want new blood. Someone young and smart to rebuild and continue to develop in this new NHL. Out with the old ways and ideas. Sam Pollack was an innovator in a rapidly changing NHL and look what he did for us. No more experienced only need apply, their only experience is in LOSING!
Prospect update; The teams of Bournival (GWG), Ellis (2A), Beaulieu (1G+1A), Gallagher (2G+2A) and Holland (1G+1A) all won their second game. Dietz’s team lost their second game but he didn’t play due to a suspension for a hit in game 1.
In the NCAA, the teams of Kristo (1A), MacMillan (1A) and Kishel (didn’t play) advanced to Finals.
I know I’ve “blasted” you on occasion Mr. Boone, but, this one was a spot on great analysis. Excellent read. And one has to hold their breath and hope for a creative off season on the part of Mr. Molson.
Being mindful to prevent from re-hashing on a subject that has not only been hashed but diced, minced and literally pulverized to death on this site without an ounce of tenderizing and affectionate seasoning by posters as myself or blogs or paper rags French, English or Cantonese… PG has done too little too late. His 180 in philosophy regarding getting bigger and whatnot in the last month or so of this season just bleeds of desperation. He’s trying to hold his long gone job (pay no attention to the man [BG] behind the curtains)
He is a dead man walking. We all know this. So does he.
Since when does a GM of a proud franchise such as the Habs fire an assistant coach (recently signed to a contract extension no less) hours before game time, fire the head coach in similar fashion and leave the reign to a “square head”… then have the owner apologize for it to the French population and basically crucify the man posted, (one of the most embarrassing thing ever for me to explain as a French man), trade a player mid-game, etc, etc, etc ad-nauseam.
This is not a GM worthy of a 3rd rate travelling freak show never mind a 1st rate NHL club.
His “Pope like audiences” are degrading, condescending, boring, benign, ridiculous, completely laughable and without mincing words… fraudulent. The INCREDIBLE lack of tact or foresight when he speaks can easily be detected by any Tom, Dick and Harry of this fan base.
Trade Cammy (I don’t object to that) but don’t take the first offer available. Shop the player. Get optimum value. The trade deadline could have resulted in a first pick AND proven player from so many contenders.
Really, Cammy, a prima donna as we all know, but a player that loves the lime-light. GM’s of this league are aware of this and would have given up big to get 13 goals in their playoff run.
EGO and BULL got in the way of optimum, or, equal value trade back. I’m hoping Holland turns out the surprise.
Bottom line is the MANAGEMENT has gone completely south, sour, SCRAP.
When we got BG in I was ecstatic. Completely. We finally have a proven winner since Savard I thought. But his philosophy on the “new” NHL went south. In theory it made sense. Go quick. Speed will be the killer. No red line. No brutes necessary. Any cement fists with cement skates are now obsolete in the new, heavily guarded NHL. Oups. The NHL reneged. BG brings in help. A local kid. Big heavy-weight slow if skilled at skating player at top 2 line bucks. No need for slow, unwilling, vegetarian non-fighter million dollar players like Laraque. Theirs was an Indian gift. (pardon the somewhat racist pun) Dump him, he’s gone Vegan, like PG. Ha! And Ha ha!
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
You have some nerve saying “Indian Gift” When pure Qubecois media ruined the team! Along with grouping laraque with the the rest. Your comment points out the obvious, too little too late. Good luck in restoring the “Les Glorieux” With your limited mind set! As long as you keep drinking the Molson Kool-Aid and believe both a french speaking coach and GM will lead the Habs back to the promiseland is right up their with restoring the buildings and bridges of Montreal who also share your opinion of the urgency of a french speaking coach!
Read again so not to miss the point.
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
Don’t read again. I look forward to the small mind EXPLAINING
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
Loser. I’m in Florida. Ready. Vient me voir idiot!
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
You are so far from the truth. I am a man with women friends of every part of eastern europe. They LOVE me and my outgoing lovable, frank and straightforward personality. Women just love me in general. I not only have the look but the disposition. I’m irresistible dude. Yeah. Think about it.
You sound like a loser…period.
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
Sly, your killing me
Stepped outside for a fight while your opponent ran out the back door!
Geez did I go off on the wrong side… mon Dieux.
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
“His “Pope like audiences” are degrading, condescending, boring, benign, ridiculous, completely laughable and without mincing words… fraudulent. The INCREDIBLE lack of tact or foresight when he speaks can easily be detected by any Tom, Dick and Harry of this fan base.”
Every SINGLE person who posts here and gives PG a ‘passing grade’; and there are surprisingly quite a few and even more surprisingly some otherwise very astute posters; every one of them should put PG’s actions against this evaluation and see what they come up with.
I couldnt have worded a commentary about his ineffectiveness and lack of personal and organizational accountability to the fans any better.
What’s with Briere calling himself ‘Danny’…?
Nothing will matter until Molson cleans house.
I see us losing our remaining 6 games.
…as quickly as possible, please. No O/T.
As they say in the stock market, we’ve found a lower low. Just sad.
…We slap Ourselves on Our backs and tell Ourselves We’ve finally become ‘a physical Team’ that will not be pushed-around anymore
…I groan, because White, Staubitz and Moen still are not enough to match-up with the Phlyers & the Blues in the NHL
…even Our skilled offensive Players must be ‘up-sized’ as they say at McDonald’s
…I want aircraft carriers at centre …and destroyers cruising to the net …not rubber-duckies
…We are part-way there, but still a lot to do to get where We want to go
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HIS’ Official Habs’ Fan Theme Song: Morrissey ‘There is a light that never goes out’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjObvIQtsLk&feature=related
…the Montreal Canadiens organization and Our Fans, as a whole need to feel this current cold frigid splash of reality, …this process will, hopefully, give Us a long needed sense of humility, not humiliation …and help to revive and renew Our tattered culture of high hockey ideals, and ultimate success in the near future
…ride the wave, is all We can do as Fans: …Ownership must make the right choices, persevere, and act not talk
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
Some real big and talented Franco’s would be nice ….
Because there are so many of those available…we all know the Q is inferior to the OHL and the WHL in terms of producing NHL-level talent over the past decade.
You’re right. White, Staubitz, and Moen are middleweights, not heavyweights. We need a guy like Ryan Reaves or Chris Stewart, someone who actually strikes fear in the opposition. That’s the only way we will not be pushed around. A little-noticed move at the deadline was the Rangers’ acquisition of John Scott, 6’8″, 270 lbs of beef. They got him specifically to go against the Bruins and Flyers in the playoffs. The Rangers acquired Scott even though they already had Michael Rupp, 6’5″, 243 lbs, the guy who destroyed Lucic in a fight last year. If the 1st place Rangers need more muscle, doesn’t a soft, 29th place team like Montreal need help in that regard? Look at Kubina last night, 6’4″, 258. Montreal management has been the worst in the NHL for years. 29th place finishes don’t just happen by accident or because of “parity” — they happen because of mismanagement and stupidity.
I don’t think John Scott will play one minute in the playoffs. Maybe if there are lots of injuries.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Meh I don’t give a crap anymore. No this team will not rebuild on the fly we have too many idiots in charge and a greedy owner who only cares about how much money he can suck out of this once proud organization.
MAX-DD-COLE
GIO-SOMEBODY-SOMEBODY
LEBLANC-ELLER-BOURQUE
MOEN-WHITE-BLUNDEN/STAUBITZ
Don’t resign Darche
Trade Pleks and Webber.
Try your damndest to get a decent center with some size and another winger. (Parise?)
That’s the only way we’re competitive next year. Unless Pleks stays and has one heck of a bounce back season
Gio-Pleks-Bourque could be interesting or completely useless
Yakupov/Grigorenko/Forsberg…. potential.
Carey rice – long lost cousin of Jerry Rice.
(which will make no sense at all after Boone corrects his typo…)
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☞ Wow, that’s a nice lookin’ pair of Crocs!” Said no one ever.☜
Done!
Mike Boone
Hockey Inside/Out blogger
Gazette City columnist
mboone@montrealgazette.com
Not done, Mike. That dismal recounting of loss totals and the playoff elimination must have affected you more than you let on. I’m pretty sad about it myself even though it was inevitable. Anyway, hope you hoisted a few to make a lousy Saturday night go down a little easier.
Mike Boone on Liveblog:
“Carey Price with Pierre Houde. Wearing a hoodie (Carey, not Pierre). Could get him shot in Florida.”
Unfortunately, the ugly truth has to be confronted here: P.K. Subban in a hoodie could get himself shot in that gated community in Florida. Carey would have been safe.
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How about it NHL? No fighting, just hockey?
http://relentlessineptitude.blogspot.com/
It’s the sad truth that P.K. Subban wouldn’t even have to wear a hoodie to get shot in a lot of places in the U.S.A., including my place of residence, Los Angeles.
Let’s confront one ugly truth at a time eh. Wearing a jersey with a CH on it could get a smurf killed in many rinks in the league.
FIX IT Molson!
Gallows humour… yeah but ….
We’re mathematically eliminated. It doesn’t even sting.
Good result for the organization, we lose in regular time and the Leafs lose in OT to hamper themselves with an unwanted point in the standings. Minny and the Islanders kept pace though.
Remember the house party at the really cute girl’s house, where you were up against three other goobers trying to be the last one to leave, and you were dragging your feet and stalling and helping her clean up and putting another CD on and misremembering where your jacket was and doggone it now you’d miss your bus so you had at least another half hour to kill….
Few positives to point out, even the reliable penalty-kill unit gave up three goals on five chances. Let’s see, let’s see….. Oh yeah: Josh Gorges blocked six shots, maintaining his lead as the league leader.
Claude Giroux was kept off the scoresheet. So was David Fischer.
Wayne Simmonds wasn’t permitted to be the bully he usually tries to be against the Canadiens, or at least the smaller, meeker Canadiens he faced earlier this season. When he blew a fuse in the third, Mike Blunden and Ryan White were right there on him, and the refs actually got the call right, calling him for two deserved minors and a misconduct.
Six more to go. Let’s see a René Bourque goal explosion before the season ends, and more excellent all-round performances from P.K. Subban (psst!… P.K…. Use your wrist shot more. Fake the slapper, then move to the centre and wrist it.)
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How about it NHL? No fighting, just hockey?
http://relentlessineptitude.blogspot.com/
…Mike Boone; Liveblog: “I guess no one is allowed to hit Jagr, eh? Gorges gave away inches and pounds to Kubina. That should be addressed.”
…this is WHAT ??? gets Me about the pacifist and anti-fighting crowd …and I am not only talking about Boone and His sly digs condescending the role of ‘fighters’ and ‘fighting’ in the NHL
…I Myself bemoan the one-dimensional ‘goons’, but these are examples when even the pacifists look for physicality and push-back
…if Your Team does not possess potential to ‘give’ as well as ‘take’, just be certain Life will be miserable …You WILL be pushed-around, intimidated and look pathetic
…that is Life, no matter Our well-intentioned ideals
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HIS’ Official Habs’ Fan Theme Song: Morrissey ‘There is a light that never goes out’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjObvIQtsLk&feature=related
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
Hopefully, they don’t ruin him like they have with many others.