A night of firsts:
First win for Marc Bergevin as Canadiens general manager.
First win for Michel Therrien 2.0.
First NHL point for Brendan Gallagher.
And … all together now:
“GAL-CHEN-YUK!”
Get used to yelling that non-Canadian name.
The kid, chosen third overall in a draft that seems a long time ago, scored the first of what will be many, many NHL goals.
It gave the Canadiens a 4-1 lead in the second period and sent the Bell Centre faithful into a frenzy.
And what a night for HIO: 1,000-plus Comments on the second live blog of the season.
Hockey is back, eh?
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LOL I forgot Brunet got demoted
I know he wasn’t the colour man last season but I completely forgot haha
http://nickolaisblog.wordpress.com/
MT needs a doppleganger like Ottawa’s coach?no pressure-just send him in for the post game press conference
Bullet holes in my mirrors . . . .
I was going to boycott the HABS not because of the Lockout but because not signing PK – but I cant help it. These two points are very important we need them more then PK right now!
Carey Price #31
Boycotting is overrated. Go habs Go! No matter what…
Go Habs Go! (@leojl8 on twitter)
Kovi said he was happy that the Sens fans booed him last night..means they remember him..he is hoping Habs fans remember him too..LOL what a character…the goof on Ottawa news said that he never connected with the fans?? He said it was because of Cluckston…lets just make more stuff up…wow hope the Sens lose soon..they route planning is reaching a fever pitch..2 wins in a row..
Bummed about Eller sitting. I’m on the record as a huge Eller fan. Maybe it’s time for me to tone down the expectations? I’m in the minority but I thought he played a decent game. Most of you know hockey way better than I and disagree. So maybe I just have a soft spot for the kid. I don’t want to give up on him. I want to give him every opportunity to succeed. Give him great line mates and if he doesn’t perform then fine. At least we will know definitively if we have a player or not.
In any event, let’s see what Galchy at centre and Gally on the wing can do. Go Habs go!
Chrisadiens and HabFan10912, one of the few father son tandems on HIO.
Chris I don’t thinkyou are alone.
I am a huge Gallagher fan and it is exciting to see himget his chance tonight, however benching Eller makes no sense.
What I have not heard articulated coherently is what eller has done to deserve this. Onthe sample size of one game I would have had a response as a coach to credit Bourque and Prust for at least showing up and suggested that others had some work to do. But to suggest that Eller was somehow a standout as a liability is foolish. Desharnais had a lackluster effort. Cole looked sleepy. I thought MaxPac was probably the only other player in the top 6ish who didn’t look subpar. It was not a great game for Plekanec who is my favourite player. On defence,Kaberle, Gorges and Markov all underwhelmed. etc
I think that expressing a need for focus and “sending a message” may be a legitimate tactic. I wholeheartedly embrace giving Brendan Gallagher a chance. I just question two things:
1.Why in God’s name would you single out Lars Eller?
2. How does your list of forwards you rotate in and out of the lineup to accomodate changes not start with White and Armstrong?
“Et le but!”
I’m a fan of his potential, but until I see some Plekanec-like on ice work ethic, I’m happy for him to get his medicine and to get it early. Hell, there were nights last year when LL was outplaying him. That’s not right.
I think with Eller… seeing as how this is the third coach who has felt the need to bench him. We can complain all day and all night about coaching decisions, but none of us are in the room, and three different NHL coaches have come to the conclusion that he is a player who needs a kick in the ass.
Its like Andrei Kostitsyn… everyone kept complaining that our coaches didn’t give him an opportunity and would bench him at times… well that happened at times under all of Julien, Gainey, Carbonneau, JM, and Cunneyworth. Then he went to Nashville and it wasn’t better.
At some point the evidence points to the player and not just the coaches…. Eller is treading close to that line.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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There just isn’t much bar and mafia attention like the others
http://nickolaisblog.wordpress.com/
Commandant – you are 100% correct.
Is is so bad that Therrien heard that Eller’s attitude wasn’t great last year before becomming coach and benched him this year after seeing it first hand?
Perhaps, but Therrien (if memory serves) was never really a fan of Eller (or Subban for that matter) when he was a member of Antichambre.
Preconceived notions by Therrien could also be in play.
I don’t know either way, just being devils advocate to your post Ben.
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Go Habs Go!
Ben
After 6 days of practice and 1 game?
“Et le but!”
If you sit down with a player and ask him to play a certain way, and he doesn’t follow the instructions (to be more intense), how long do you wait?
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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Two games?
Three different coaches may have benched him, but we have benched two of them. Let’s go for #3. Look at how many coaches the Sens went thru before they hit the jackpot.
Everyone on RDS is being super nice re Therrien, How long before they throw him off the highest mountain?
I wasn’t crazy about the MT hiring but still want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he’s exactly what the team needs now. I just hope the pressure of winning doesn’t derail the youngsters’ development . Otherwise it’s going to be another messy, albeit shorter season.
Go Habs Go!
Bergeron does not sound optimistic
Bullet holes in my mirrors . . . .
Let me clarify my comments on Galchenyuk last night: first of all I was not calling him a bust, the kid is talented, i’ll give him that, but he has a long long road ahead of him IMO. In today’s NHL wimps don’t last very long and he was very much a floater on Saturday night. I am not expecting him to be a power forward, rather to go through traffic to score or create chances, use his frame to win board battles, pursue the puck tenaciously, throw hits if totally necessary, and stick up for himself if attacked by pocket sized scananavian pests (not necessarily by fighting, but by generic facewashing, shoving ect ect.). When he did nothing after being set upon by Komarov (a much smaller player who is a terrible fighter) it was just a bit disturbing. We cannot afford to have that kind of attitude when we play Boston fairly regularly, they feed of of other teams weakness, just look at Vancouver in the finals in 2011.
He is a great, talented hockey player, I think another two seasons in the OHL would have been best for him development wise. I hope he exceeds all of our expectations this year and grows into a fantastic Canadien for many years.
Now let’s win a f**king hockey game for petes sake!
You are talking about an 18 year old in his first NHL game.
Like many 18 year old prospects…. the thing Galchenyuk will need to do is increase his upper body size and strength in the next few years.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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I totally understand. I did not expect him to be physical, and I did not expect him to be soft.
Think back to your very first day on the job – whenever that was. How good were you at it?
… or your first time having sex.
I really enjoyed it. It probably wasn’t very good, though.
You’ll have it some day HH…patience.
***FREE PK!!!***
Yeah, because when Crosby cracked the Penguins lineup. He was a tough guy like you want Chucky to be.
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Go Habs Go!
ahem, I NEVER NOT ONCE said that!
I even made a point to say that I did not expect a physical presence from him, all I expected was a willingness to not be embarrassed by little troublemakers like Komarov.
If I can recall, Crosby was not afraid to get in guy’s faces in his first year, not really a physical player but certainly not a soft one either……..
Crosby was never shy to get into the faces of the referees either.
You implied a wimp who would turtle. I’m not alone in taking it that way, just look at the other replies.
Maybe the lesson to be taken from this is that we should not try to over analyze our prospects, it tends to backfire more often then not.
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Go Habs Go!
In the first game I thought Galchenyuk went a little overboard trying to stay “in-position” in his lane on the left wing. There were atleast 3 or 4 time that Gionta carried the the puck up the right boards through the neutral zone and Galchenyuk was hugging the left boards 80 feet away from him. To me he looked like a guy trying too hard to prove he’s responsible and can take direction. I thought he was being overly cautious, instead of trying to “make plays”.
EVERYONE CALM THE F*K DOWN!!!!
I think you are ALL misinterpreting him, he’s not calling for Chucky to be a Prust-type player, just a non-soft non-physical player.
take a chill pill seriously, it’s a free country compadres……
besides, I think he subscribes to the Frontenac1 school of player preference…….
Not sure if this post got flagged, or failed, or removed, but trying again: Where’s the best place to watch the game (Habs) online these days? Videotron demands that to get RDS, you have to also take RDS ’2′ and use up another of your channel choices! I just want to watch the game; there’s nothing else that interests me on RDS…
SO John Lu said we called Kovalev L’artiste I thought we called him Kovi haha
http://nickolaisblog.wordpress.com/
AK27
In Lars Eller, I see a player that has a lot of similarities to another European taken in the same draft (that I would also love to have on the Habs), Jakub Voracek.
Voracek was drafted 7th overall in 2007 by Columbus, while Eller was drafted 13th overall by the Blues.
I think Voracek is the better player, based on his offensive superiority, but he has also enjoyed better opportunities to prove himself at the NHL level, getting first and second line minutes in Columbus with a terrible team before his trade to Philadelphia where he has enjoyed talented linemates. He has never seen less than 2 minutes per game on the power play, and last season was approaching 3:30 minutes of power play time per game.
Eller hasn’t gotten that opportunity. Eller got 17 seconds on average of power play time in his rookie season, and jumped to 39 seconds of power play time in his sophomore season. Your ability to collect points is significantly affected by a lack of power play time.
One could argue he hasn’t earned it, but with the abysmal performance that was put in by the Canadiens forwards last season, it was a bit strange that he wasn’t given a longer look. Montreal was a terrible team last year, and will be a terrible team this year. This is a perfect opportunity to give the keys to some of the kids and see what they can do.
Eller is responsible defensively, and has already logged significant penalty kill time for a player of his age. Given an opportunity to get into a groove with talented linemates, the points will come. Not to the same extent as Voracek, who is more gifted as a playmaker, but certainly to an acceptable level to make him a valuable third line player.
He’s never been given that chance. Last season, wingers were dropped down to his line and, when they re-discovered their game and developed some chemistry with Eller, they were immediately shifted back up to Plekanec’s line. The kid has not been given a real chance (a 20 game window with the same linemates and decent icetime) to prove himself.
If it were any other coach, I might be inclined to give the benefit of the doubt. But all summer and fall there was speculation as to what Therrien would do with Eller, a player he never expressed much love for in his role as a television analyst. And in only the second game, he’s gone public questioning Eller’s intensity and nailed him with a healthy scratch.
I don’t think people are too unjustified in questioning if Eller is going to get a fair shake under Therrien. Eller just might not be Therrien’s kind of player, which is fine. But maximize the asset in that case instead of driving their value down. I have no doubt that other teams would be VERY interested in Eller, especially when you factor in his very fair salary cap hit.
Chris, I would like to see your next 10 comments feature Canadian players as the focal point.
.
I posted largely the same thing about Guillaume Latendresse.
And Max Pacioretty when he was being jerked around in his first season before going to the AHL to get his head screwed on straight again.
If you look earlier today and over the past week, you’ll see that I’ve been talking up Ryan White something fierce.
The problem with Montreal is that they have very few Canadian prospects worth talking about. I really haven’t seen anything to write home about with Brendan Gallagher as of yet.
Jarred Tinordi is American, and doesn’t play a style that I enjoy. Kristo (American), Galchenyuk (Russian), Collberg (Swedish)…the stable is pretty thick with non-Canadians. The most notable Canadian prospects are Beaulieu, who I didn’t get a chance to watch much of, and Gallagher.
The Devils are healthy scratching Adam Larsson again, I hope his career isn’t ruined. What incompetent coaching and management NJ.
Adam Larsson just turned 20 years old.
Lars Eller is about to turn 24. There is a big difference in those two ages.
Just as long as there isn’t a diminutive francophone stealing his ice time by playing better…
Love this quote from Therrien regarding St Eller:
«Dans le cas de Lars Eller, c’est un p’tit gars qui a 23 ans et qui a du potentiel. Je veux qu’il augmente son niveau d’intensité. Aussi simple que ça»
Loosely translated:
“With regards to Lars Eller, he’s a young 23 year old guy who has potential. I want him to pick up his game (to play with more intensity). It’s as simple as that.”
My bet: Eller will finally become the type of hockey player Gally already is. Amen!
Adam Larsson skates into traffic and gives the puck away. What Larsson’s got in common with Lars Eller is that they both make bad decisions when they’ve got the puck on their sticks.
P.S. I’ll bet both of those guys look amazing in practice though.
They’re kids. Perfect timing to nip this in the bud. It’s called coaching.
Sometimes it doesn’t work. See AK46, Benny Pouliot, Gui, etc, etc
Those three guys are creative and smart hockey players who lack intensity and maybe, at times physical conditioning. I think those are thing a coach can teach to anyone who’s will to put in the effort. Look at the pass Latendresse made on Turis’s second goal last night. I don’t think Lars Eller could ever grow the “hockey brains” required to make that play.
E-Talk is reporting that there was a Superstar Elite Defence Man Subban sighting in Toronto last night.
EDIT: Sorry. My mistake. It was EOTP. I always confuse the two.
He went to watch the CRaptors game.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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Must mean the Leafs are gunna sign him…
____________________
DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
Someone reported with a hottie but since I don’t watch Raptor roundball can’t confirm or deny.
I gave her 7.5
He was spotted Sundays night at the Raptors Lakers game at the ACC. Was he out again last night too ?
“They don’t hang Conference Championship Banners from the rafters here”
Carey Price
Mike Commodore has been released from his PTO.
Sebastian Collberg had an assist, plus a Shootout GWG (counts as a goal in sweden). He’s putting up points now in Sweden with ice time. 4 goals 1 assist in last 3 games.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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Really released did he ask for it or did they do it?
http://nickolaisblog.wordpress.com/
Unknown, other than that he was released.
PTOs are 25 games…. so they were fast reaching decision time, sign him to a real contract or let him go. They had about 8 games left.
Go Habs Go!
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So here’s the question: is that to make room for Weber, who would be going back down?
Or perhaps to make room for Weber and a newly signed NHL defenseman?
I don’t think Weber would clear waivers necessary to be sent to the AHL. I think some team who needs a PP shooter would give him a shot.
Go Habs Go!
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Maybe the Habs have shopped him for peanuts and there were no takers?
I’m on record as preferring Weber to Diaz (for the reason you mentioned), but when will he ever get regular time in MTL? It seems grim for him here.
I personally prefer diaz for his better positioning and instincts IMO… but its close, and I could see going the other way.
I think we should deal one of them though. Having both is a redundancy.
Once PK is under contract, we can move him.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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I believe Weber has a one way contract.
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I’m not a huge Eller fan, I’m not crushed like others at his benching for the night.
I do however, think he has the ability, even at the moment to be a good second line center or better. You put him between Pacioretty and Cole and he does as well or better than Desharnais.
Therrien clearly sees that and is trying to fire him up.
I also wonder if perhaps MT actually sat down and spoke with Lars about it. Seems to me, JM sat many players and word was he rarely if ever spoke to them about it.
Big difference if true, and based on MT speaking about communication being key, getting to know team, I will for now assume he has spoken to Lars.
As i posted earlier..
The kid’s a big body, has the skill no doubt, Someone drew the short straw, have to have a look at AG27 and Gallagher. Larry mailed er in last game (as did other guys)
There is currently no fact of data or observation to support the idea that Eller would perform better than Desharnais if played between Cole and Pacioretty.
Eller first lost his job to DD, then he lost his job to Gally. Here’s his wakeup call.
Betcha this works too. We’re finally going to get Grade A Eller and not AK46 retreads…
Is Nino Niederreiter the most overrated prospect in the NHL or am I missing something?
Some of the proposals over on HFboards seem like a lot for a guy who had an almost incomprehensible 1 point in 55 games games year and is just below a point a game player in the AHL
Can someone who follows prospects more closely fill me in?
I know there are a few posters here whom I have read in the past speak glowingly about this guys potential. Haven’t seen anything yet today from them.
I know little so can’t offer opinion of any value, but am intrigued by his abilities/notoriety and wonder if team should indeed be kicking tires on this guy.
Hopefully some of our knowledgeable posters speak to it.
Yeah, I should have ended my post with “(Cough)Commandant(Cough)”
I seem to recall Chris also talking about him, I may be wrong.
He’s clearly not living up to the draft status at this point… but just under 1 PPG in the AHL as a 20 year old AHL rookie is very good.
He may be overrated by being a 5th overall pick, but he’s not exactly chopped liver either, still a very good prospect.
Just in terms of value…. I think if it was draft day and a team gave up say, the 12th-15th overall pick for him, it would be a pretty fair deal.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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hmmm, alright thanks Ben.
So if were looking at him, who would be a fair trade?
Probably a Beaulieu if you wanted prospect for prospect.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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Cammelleri doesn’t like him.
haha, yeah I remember that.
That just below a point per game player in the AHL figure makes him a significantly better prospect than Brendan Gallagher, who many Montreal fans are raving about.
I like Gallagher as well, but I would never expect some of the proposals I read for Nino.
One was something like Sharp, Beach, and a 1st.
Another was Colberg, Beaulieau, + if I remember correctly
Well guess I have some explaineen to do… still positive vibes though… better than day ago.
Don Cherry on Twitter: “Last night Leafs out hit and out played Buffalo. Should have won. Can’t be discouraged. We have to keep going.”
Interesting use of the first-person plural, eh?
Your tax dollars at work, Canada.
We should all be surprised???
I agree with the fact that Don is an insufferable homer, but the fact is that no one at HNIC is paid with our tax dollars.
Hockey Night is one of the few profitable entities at the CBC. They make enough in ad revenue to pay all their rights fees, production costs, talent salaries, etc… etc… and even some left over to put into the network funds for other shows.
The complaint that taxpayers pay Don Cherry has always rung hollow imo.
Go Habs Go!
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Preach!
End of day Ben, I/we pay taxes in Canada. CBC is only on TV because of the same gov’t said taxes go to.
You can argue all day about robbing Peter to pay Paul, but he is the feature flag man for a TV station operated by the govt.
At the end of the day more tax dollars would be needed to fund the CBC without the profits from Hockey Night.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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I have no issue with there being no more CBC. This almost sounds like when people tell me Medicare is free!
Getting rid of the CBC in its entirety is an entirely different debate.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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Ben, I respectfully agree with that, I probably shouldn’t have said that.
@Burly
I wouldn’t go there, look what PBS and Big Bird did to Mitt Romney…
I’m fine with cutting the CBC all together, though many in power disagree.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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I just noticed that Montreal passed on claiming Thomas Hickey off waivers last week. He was claimed by the Islanders. Hickey, a defenseman who has yet to play in the NHL, was drafted fourth overall by the Kings in 2007 and captained the gold medal winning WJC team in 2009.
Blue, blanc et rouge. Red and White for Canada. Blue for Smurfs.
“a defenseman who has yet to play in the NHL, was drafted fourth overall by the Kings in 2007″
You don’t think that you may be missing the obvious here.
The obvious being that the Islanders finished ahead of us last season? Or that it is harder to make the Kings than to make the Canadiens? Hickey can play in the NHL, but the Kings are stacked with defesemen and he cold not crack their roster.
Blue, blanc et rouge. Red and White for Canada. Blue for Smurfs.
Hickey hasn’t shown he can play in the NHL period.
Frank is right, any player drafted in the top 5 who have not cracked the NHL in 6-7 years is a BUST.
If the Islanders wanted him, it only supports the claim ofthe player being a bust.
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Go Habs Go!
Hickey has been barely a second pairing guy in the AHL. I don’t know what he’s shown that makes him an NHL player.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
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Neither have the Habs.
Anybody have any real idea why Ron Wilson got canned?
He couldn’t get the Leafs into the playoffs?
Funny, but I meant our very own Hamilton Bulldog Ron Wilson.
He kept saying “But this is the same system Jacques had us practice”
New boss , same as the old boss!
A)They want to get a good look at Galchenyuk at centre where i believe he will be more comfortable than on the wing.
B) Eller is the number three centre on the Canadiens. Third in the chain. He certainly isn´t a star. So the move is largely plain math. Also, Eller has been playing for two full seasons and though he is progressing gradually, it´s becoming clear that he isn´t going to be an explosive player like Galchenyukl is going to be. Gally has the ability to be an impact player after one full season.
C) It´s a subjective thing, and I have nothing against Eller, he´s not a bad third liner….but something is just plain lacking in the way he plays. Apart from wanting to see what Gally has got, I think Eller needs to be challenged. Not only MT, but also JM, and RC took the tough approach with him. so there appears to be something about the kid, where he doesn´t respond well if he is given the soft approach. Different players respond to different methods. I don´t believe that Eller being in the pressbox once in a while is in the least “humiliating”. And i believe that him being benched once in a while is such a “hard” approach. He is not “established” as some here say he is. To me, he hasn´t fully proven himself as a player. He will most likely play over 90% of the games this season and he will do so on one of the top three lines, so what´s the big deal? He´ll get yet another season to improve his play.
But there is the SLIGHT chance that Gally plays 4 amazing games, and if by chance he does, it sure isn´t DD or Pleks who are going to suffer the consequences. Life can be cruel. deal with it.
AG27 is here for 5 more games (counting tonight) got to give the kid a look see, since he’s a natural Centre.. why the hell not? Eller will be back playing next game, MT2.0 trying to light a fire under his ass…
4 more counting tonight. Anymore and he stays.
thanks! y’all know what I mean!
Man i cannot believe the amount of whinners on this website the last couple of days. We lost the first game of the year and half of the team looked bad. So MT put the Cube and Josh on the PP, heck at least he was trying new things. As for Lars sitting tonight, i am sure there are some hall of fame players that were healthy scratches early on in there careers. I agree that Gally should get a chance to show what he can do, and well someone has to sit. I would have sat White for this one, but i guess MT wants to keep him, Prust and Armstrong together. As for firing or hanging MT, wow 1 game and he should be run out of town. The Habs are not winning the Cup this year, or even making the playoffs for that matter, so just let him coach the way he wants to and see what happens. This team will look good in a couple of years when half of the Bulldogs are regulars with the big club, but I am sure most of you guys will be bitching about whoever is coaching, who is playing on which line and so forth.
I seem to remember hearing versions of that rant back in 2009, 2006, 2003, 2000 and 1997. Please save the basic theme so it can be reused in 2015.
Blue, blanc et rouge. Red and White for Canada. Blue for Smurfs.
Mmm, some vintage nuna in here tonight…
See you at the game, folks!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Enjoy Matty!!
____________________
DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
Hope you have lots to cheer for Matty, should be a good one.
Hey Loonie,
I think Therrien is just trying to light a fire under Eller’s ass.
If Cole, Plekanec or whoever else has a bad game they could possibly be sat next.
I think Therrien is trying to get Eller mad early in the season so he’s at his best right away.
agree
So any news on whether or not Eller is playing tonight?
Now I’m really worried!
Edit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FRy7zUvKvw
All I know is DD ain’t our best center.
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Go Habs Go!
Well that is certainly true. Plekanec is.
“Et le but!”
true that
I wish he’d start playing like it.
A melancholy Dane has choleric fans.
Full Breezer 4 Life
Dear Mike,
I know that everyone wants to see the Canadiens make the playoffs this year. But, realistically, this is not a team that can compete with the Cup contenders, so the main purpose of this year ought to be development, to see what the young players can do. If winning is a higher priority, a la Jacques Martin, we will never find out what some of the young players can do. They should play every game, and, where possible, with the same linemates. It would be such a pity if the Habs once again wind up releasing or trading away players without first finding out how good they are.
TomNickle or Loonie ???
Both, I guess. Lol
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Go Habs Go!
Tell us Paul, what do you think of the Eller benching ?
In all fairness why not let tonights game be played and sit back and analize the outcome later tonight or tomorrow. If MT is going about things all wrong then it will come to the surface. The next 2 games have a few days in between them and time for practices. They play the Caps in Wash Thursday and home to the Devils Sunday. Lets see if Lars sits anymore than the 1 game, I can’t see it being anymore than one. If Lars is that fragile then maybe he should definitily be re- evaluated. I am a Eller fan and list him as that in my profile (I think) so I’m not ragging on him.
Robert’s weekly prospect update;
http://www.allhabs.net/canadiens-prospects/catching-the-torch-collberg-is-clutch/
Paul Franklin
I don’t see any posters praising MT, it seems pretty unanimous that not too many actually like him. I for one hated the hire and dislike MT as much as you. However, after only one game and a 6 day training camp, am I willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Edit: what happened to Looney’s post, this was supposed to be a reply.
Haha mine above was also. Did Tom take himself out again.
Count me as one who likes him and liked the hire. I think he was the best available experienced bilingual coach. People like to hate him for his meltdown in the playoffs against the Canes; but if you look at the roster he had, he actually got a lot more out of that team than the sum of its parts. I also think he did a great job of turning the Penguins around. He needs time to get this team playing the way he wants, and he needs to experiment a bit. I’m willing to give him a couple of weeks grace before jumping on him.
I’m with you, I think a hard nose coach, who actually communicates with his players was/is needed. They didn’t show up far to often last year, although they didn’t in game 1 either, but like you I’m taking a wait and see approach before calling his hire a failure.
Those who are the loudest or talk the most do not necessarily represent the majority.
Tell that to the Conservatives.
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Ka is a wheel.
For Your Life
.
Hope Gally and Chucky light it up tonight. Probably only going to get limited ice time though. I don’t think Chucky will get any PP time and that is exactly when he should be used. Too bad.
MT for a couple of years means two good draft picks
I know this is taboo, but who’s whiling to guess the outcome tonight?
http://nickolaisblog.wordpress.com/
4-1 Panthers. Kovalev gets a goal and assist. Plekanec scores for the Habs.
Galchenyuk and Gallagher get less then ten minutes of ice. Bouillon plays 18:00+
Bourque is demoted to the fourth line, Armstrong to the second by about mid-way through the second.
Price has no chance on three of the four goals, two of which are scored on the power-play, but five people will reminisce about how we let Halak get away.
I throw a tantrum. Timo says something funny. John Bellyful turns the lousy game into a hilarious think-piece, while Loonie works on his MT voodoo doll. Punkster makes jokes about getting old and Mike Boone pisses someone off.
Full Breezer 4 Life
3-2 Habs
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Ka is a wheel.
For Your Life
2-1 Habs in a SO – Galchenyuk and Gallagher score in the SO
I’m not a Lars Eller fan.
P.S. That “Reset” button should have been a link to something. Mike Boone really disappointed me with that one.
Something like this?
http://25stanley.com/photos/sexy-habs-fans
You’re the Benny Hill of HIO.
—
Go Habs Go!
Yup!
SUMMIT NEWS FOR THOSE WHO MISSED THIS!
We have decided to pick a game date for our 2013 weekend HIO Summit in Oct. or Nov. 2013. Please keep your cancelled tickets, it is the only way we can replace them with the new ones. Don’t lose them. All our money for the new tickets, is in our Summit account now.
For all other HIO members that want to get tickets for our Summit, please stay tuned over the months for instructions once we pick the Summit weekend game!
Ian
Summit game tickets, News, Pictures and comments
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Montreal-Canadiens-We-Are-Fans-Summit/197390760316125
Poor Mike Commodore. Knowing he can’t make the Habs D.
He’s too big.
Hahaha
Just a quick summary of moves that were made following Therrien’s hiring.
1. Signed Francis Bouillon. He’s a reliable veteran who got bumped out of Nashville.
For a team with slim hopes of a playoff appearance would it not have made more sense to give the sixth or seventh defenseman spot to Frederic St. Denis? Just curious cuz he played some damn good hockey for the Habs last season at a time when the collective group was a bloody dumpster fire.
2. Signed Colby Armstrong. Again, a move with Therrien’s personal connection in mind. We have White, Moen and Prust on this team. So if somebody can help me, what’s the point of having Armstrong? The Leafs paid him to stop playing hockey for them. Having said all of that he had a nice first game here but I seriously question the move in itself considering the sudden good number of gritty fourth liners we have.
Now. It’s established that Bergevin will make personnel decisions based on Therrien’s relationship with players. So now my question is. What if Bergevin starts trading players that Therrien doesn’t like? Do they both continue to get the benefit of the doubt?
I ask because we’ve got a damn good player sitting in the pressbox tonight who had one bad game to start the season. He wasn’t coached to do better, he wasn’t told more was needed of him next time around, he was told to go sit upstairs and bring more when he gets his next opportunity. So what’s he going to be thinking next time he so much as makes a bad play? He’s going to be thinking he’s headed to the pressbox.
If Therrien doesn’t want to actually coach the players who have a bad game here and there I would love to see Bergevin oblige and make a change before serious and long term consequences are felt within the organization’s player personnel department.
I sure hope Therrien likes Galchenyuk.
“we’ve got a damn good player sitting in the pressbox tonight ”
Maybe he can pass the time by chatting with Lars Eller, who will be sitting next to him.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Very funny. That will two good players can speak with each other.
Good one.
Lars might as well learn early it’s put out or sit out. Will be good for him. Expect a lot of this. Coach and GM have talked a lot about changing the culture on this team and that’s going to take a lot of tough measures over time. I expect they are perfectly happy to miss the playoffs this year provided they see evidence of culture change.
And if they’re only relying on one method to coach their players, this team is in for a lot of lottery picks.
You’re taking a 1 game reaction and extrapolating it over the entire season. This is no different than the people who think the sky is falling after one game. How about you wait until 10 games in to make these assertions? Remember that someone needs to sit for Gallagher, they didn’t keep him up to sit in the press box, and this gives Galchenyuk a chance to play his natural position with someone who may be a future linemate. Eller may not have been the worst player on the ice Saturday night, but I doubt Eller sits next game as well. It will likely be a rotation until Gallagher gets his 5 games in before going back to Hamilton.
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It’ll always be Habs Inside/Out to me
Yeah sure whatever.
Even if one accepts this is a valid coaching/motivational methodology the question is why single out Eller?
The only forward who exceeded my expectations on Saturday was Bourque. Prust delivered what I expected (I have always been big on Prust). Most of the rest were lacking in many respects. If you want to single out someone who needed to sit for a lesson and is kind of marginal anyhow, how ’bout Ryan White? He had a good first two shifts and then took a stupid penalty to negate Prust’s goal. I like Ryan White but he is the 13th forward in the current lineup and if anyone had a “coachable” moment Saturday that might benefit from an evening of hotdogs in the pressbox.
“Et le but!”
I say give him 15 games or so to see how he coaches. I know you don’t agree with a lot of things he has done so far and I can’t say I am a huge fan of his either but I will give him the benefit of the doubt for some games in a pretty much meaningless season.
I have a feeling this team is going to look very different in a couple of years with MB at the helm. He has made it pretty clear that this was a last place team last year and big changes are needed. Hopefully he makes better choices than when Gainey blew up the team
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
My opinion is that it’s way too early in both their tenures to make these judgements.
I say it’s too early to bench an established player for a game without coaching him to do better. But ya know, to each their own.
That’s where we differ. I don’t think of Lars Eller as an established player.
He’s a 3rd line center with the tools to be a better player than he currently is. And I’d have no problem benching him for a game if he started off poorly and I wanted to make room for another gifted prospect.
You are stating as fact that Armstrong was only signed because of Therrien, but there is another connection that you’re conveniently leaving out. Rick Dudley was in Toronto and Atlanta with Armstrong and can be argued that that connection is stronger. Also those 2 moves have no real bearing on the future as they are both 1 yr deals. So your theory doesn’t hold water.
Playing Armstrong ahead of Eller hinders Eller’s development in favour of having Armstrong in the lineup.
Yes it does.
he’s not playing Armstrong over Eller. He’s playing the Gallys over Eller. Eller doesn’t bring what Armstrong can bring on the 4th line.
Yeah he really is. Eller doesn’t need to be on the fourth line for Galchenyuk and Gallagher to be on the third.
And to quote Therrien, Eller’s being scratched because he needs to show more intensity.
Lazy coaching, lazy coach.
He is playing both Armstrong and White over Eller.
Those guys are both 13th forward material on minimal 1 year contracts. That is what they are there for.
“Et le but!”
I wouldn’t worry about it over-much. He’ll be coach of the Habs for two seasons, tops. By which time the prospects will have been developed, the deadwood will have been cleared.
Therrien isn’t the worst guy to have as a stop-gap coach while the Habs are rebuilding.
Full Breezer 4 Life
Ya I made the same point to Tom a couple of days ago. He’ll where out his welcome in a couple of years, right around the time our top prospects will be ready and the older guys contracts are up. He’s a “bridge” coach, you know, like the contract Subban will end up taking.
The only potential problem with Therrien I guess is that he’s on record as not liking Subban and Eller. So he could cause trouble by alienating two of the Habs’ good young players.
Bergevin picked up two players Therrien likes last summer, and now he’s playing hardball with one he doesn’t. Interesting.
Full Breezer 4 Life
Maybe that’s why PK won’t sign? He saw the writing on the wall (No excuses) ?
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Go Habs Go!
Welcome to Tom Nickle Inside/Out, where it’s all Eller, all the time, the lack of effort doesn’t count, and Therrien would be an idiot even if he coached these slugs into a playoff round.
Enjoy the game tonight Tom. He’ll be back. Unless he’s traded for Nino Niederreiter!
“thoroughbred”
Sitting a first round pick who was acquired for a borderline star goaltender makes the news.
Sorry you don’t like me discussing the topic.
That’s what this mainly boils down to. It comes down to Halak. All this wind about sitting the kid one game is tied, inexorably, to a trade people can’t get over. Bench Diaz for a game? No problem. Bench Plekanec for dumb penalties? No problem (hey we got Eller to fill in, right?) But bench the guy we traded Halak to acquire? The place goes right over a cliff. It’s just silly.
“thoroughbred”
MT will do what he can to work with Chucky
It’s his bosses first big pick
Once MT is done in Mtl there wont be another job in the NHL
Commodore has been released from his PTO with the Dogs. Cleaning house.
Damn, I liked his name. Bout it.
Go Habs Go! (@leojl8 on twitter)
So much for having him mentoring the young kids. I guess he was thinking he could actually make the habs D….
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
With the Wilson firing it leaves one to wonder what is up in Hamilton. They sure as hell are not winning any games. Been close in alot of them and lost a good number to shoot outs. I think were are going to see a veteran D on a 2 way contract coming on board. One with nastyness.
You might be right. The team needs offense in a bad way as well. They are struggling to light the lamp
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
I’m at work tonight. Is there one o’ them sites where I can watch the game? I think cbc was offering chat and watch, but that might have been for the first game only. Then there’s something like adhnettv or whatever… Any help is appreciated !
I think it’s atdhe.net. There’s also sportlemon.
last time I used that site it deposited a nasty virus in my computer….buyer beware
http://www.penguinsexperience.com/2008/11/10-places-to-watch-nhl-hockey-games_20.html
maybe there…
Gamecentre is free right now, isn’t it?
Full Breezer 4 Life
Here: http://tinyurl.com/9o3y8pf
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Ka is a wheel.
For Your Life
Mike Therrien took the easy route.
Sit the kid.
Found it interesting in his post game comments he noted the team was ” prepared”. In other words coaches did their job.
I hope the CH24 gives some indication as to what MB saw in MT and convinced him he was the coach for this team.
MT didn’t look quite as smug in his presser post the Leafs game.
Exactly. Don’t coach him. God no. Why sit him down and explain that you need a player like him to play angry? Why tell him you need him to play every shift like it’s his last? Why explain to him that in order for him to be in the lineup you need him to bring everything he has on every shift?
Why do any of that when you can just humiliate him and put him in a suit a couple hundred feet above ice level?
In other words, why coach?
I’m a big fan of Gallagher, like a few posters here I usually prefer players with size (no homo) given the fact that we play in the same division as the dirtiest team ever assembled, but Gallagher is an exception, he has great skill, tremendous heart, and plays like a 5,9 power forward. Reminds me of Gerard Gallant or a less dirty Pat Verbeek.
I think Gally looked a tad timid in his first game, which is totally normal, but if it persists, I think he would be better suited in Sarnia. He is our best prospect in decades, we totally CANNOT afford to damage his development a la LL.
I would support trading Eller for Nideratter, i think both players need a change of scenery……
How did the Habs damage Leblanc’s development?
Looking at players like Pacioretty, Price, and Subban, I’d say the Habs do a decent job of developing talent.
Leblanc took a step back this year because of a serious injury, that’s all. Down the road, if he has what it takes, he’ll make it. If he doesn’t, I won’t be blaming the Habs.
Full Breezer 4 Life
I don’t understand why people think that Eller is in the doghouse. MT has to see how the kids can play within the first five games so someone has to sit, no? The team is not even the official team yet.
HABS fan since ’68
Just heard Therrien say that he’s sitting because he’s not intense enough.
Wish I’d seen what happened to bring that on. Didn’t though.
I like Eller, but if this is the case, do you think the idea he might be competing with Galchenyuk could be part of the equation? Or at least part of a message?
All speculation, although someone’ll get angry about it. It’ll be interesting to see the sits over the next three games. That’s when we’ll start to see.
Eller is in the dog house, because of his “lack of intensity”. Plus, why didn’t MT sit Armstrong or White? Why Eller?
Go Habs Go! (@leojl8 on twitter)
Depends on the role, doesn’t it. Eller has a different job than White or Armstrong. He can’t do theirs, and they sure can’t do his.
Even a Roman doghouse was not built in one day.
Sitting Eller when healthy is putting him in the doghouse. It is for any player who isn’t a fringe NHL player.
I like eller being out on the ice as the next person , but from seeing some of the comments on here he is the savior of this franchise fearlessly leading us into the Stanley cup championship. It’s one game.
Who said he’s a savior?
It’s his second healthy scratch. It’s the kick in the ass approach when a kinder approach couldn’t have been used because ya know, Therrien’s had him for one game.
Just seems like lots of people have their panties in a knot over this recent lineup change, that is all.
Because this move has the potential to remove a good young and developing player from this team permanently.
If Therrien isn’t willing to give Eller a chance, why should we expect Eller to give the organization a chance?
This could seriously be the last straw with Eller. I for one wouldn’t blame him one bit for wanting to be rid of this mess.
6’6″ 230 lbs. defenseman Jeff Schultz is a healthy scratch for the Capitals tonight. He would give us size on the backend. Perhaps we could send Eller (not because I dislike him, but because he’s in the doghouse), Diaz, and Weber for Chimera, Schultz, and Galiev.
Maybe they need to downsize. What about sending Weber. I’d go for that.
Schultz is badly needed here. Broon and Philthies will eat us alive.
Groundhog Day.
Ship out Weber,Diaz and Kaberle Get a Guy Like Schultz and Gradually bring up and rotate the D from the farm. Oh yeah,sign PK too.
He was benched a lot last year as well and they are playing Hamrlik over him…..question is why?
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
He’s one dimensional, same reason they sit Erskine.
Yeah,the One Dimension we are missing
Agree 100%
Meanwhile, on Capitals blog:
6’2 center Lars Eller is a healthy scratch for Canadiens tonight. He could give us a solid second or third line center with size and talent. Perhaps we could send that stiff Schultz the other way, I am sure the Habs would bite.
Caps would have to sweeten the pot — Eller for Schultz will not fly.
Eller was already involved in a trade involving a member of the Schultz family.
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Go Habs Go!
I noticed on Saturday night that either Don’s shrinking or his shirt collars are getting bigger
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“It’s just an opinion – I could be wrong”
He’s probably using too much starch when he irons them.
Hey guys – what’s your opinion on this:
Would it make sense to sit DD for 1 game, while putting Eller with true wingers for once, to see whether he can produce?
While we swap one 5’7 player with another to see what Gallagher can do…
Pacioretty – Eller/Plekanec – Cole
Borque – Eller/Plekanec – Gionta
Wouldn’t that be more balanced lineup?
French press would snap sitting out the only homeboy.
Those Frenchies. So emotional.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
It would make no sense to sit DD.
The idea that DD was only good because he had Cole and Pacioretty and that Eller would do just as well is bizarre, and based on no facts at all. Cole and Pac had career years with DD as their centre. Why sit him?
I think it’s a kind of reverse prejudice. The assumption is that DD only gets to play on the top line as a bone thrown to the Frenchies.
DD is coming off a 60 point season. Eller has 47 points in 167 starts.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Well we will see how DD fares this season.
I am not going to argue that DD would not have 60 points playing on the 3rd line with Moen, but: My opinion is this: DD is up for a massive fall this season.
Re: Eller
1. It’s nothing against Eller, just getting Gallagher and Galchenyuk into the lineup – Poppycock – if it were nothing against Eller somebody else would be sitting.
2. Sometimes a player needs a kick in the butt – True. But in Eller’s case it’s been done before without the desired results and he’s been a full-time NHL player for nearly two years now. The pressbox treatment for him isn’t right.
3. Therrien wants a more physical approach to the game tonight – makes sense to dress Gallagher then doesn’t it.
4. Therrien wants more intensity from him. So he wants him to be a different person? Brian Gionta is very intense but you wouldn’t know it to speak with him. The intensity comment would have me laughing if it weren’t so sad. On Eller’s last shift saturday night he was stripped of the puck, fell to one knee, immediately got back up, took four quick strides and stole the puck back. My english isn’t very good but that looked pretty intense to me. And a note to Therrien, Travis Moen and Tomas Kaberle looked catatonic on Saturday night…..why no pressbox in favour of Blunden and Weber? Just a thought.
Maybe they want to see if Galchenyuk can at least match Eller’s efforts. If he does match, is Eller available for a trade? Maybe some team has asked about Eller? Just a thought.
If a team is interested in acquiring Eller sending him to the pressbox short of a deal being agreed on in principle isn’t the best idea.
Kinda hurts his trade value. And if putting Galchenyuk at centre for a game is the goal, what in the heck is Prust doing playing wing on that third line instead of Eller?
Colby Armstrong and Ryan White are readily available for the pressbox. And neither one is a significant part of the future of this team. Benching Eller makes no sense. Zero.
Eller gets a rest. Are there any reports of his success playing in Europe?
15 points in 15 games I believe.
I think its a good idea to have Prust on that line. Gallagher, 1st game in the NHL and Galchenyuk his second. In case there is a physical intimidation factor, Prust is a good deterrent (also lets see what he can do with a couple of guys that are offense oriented).
Scratching Eller is a bad move. It’s risky.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this blew up their faces and he requested a trade.
Tom
These last two posts of yours summarize the eller situation fully.
As with the period last season when Eller and Subban were being benched there is no shortage of players not delivering [half the team] or who are essentially short term floater 12th-14th forwards [White, Armstrong] that the idea of sitting eller to send him a message or because he is the guy you pull to make room for Gally is absurd.
I thought hiring Therrien was a mistake, i just thought he would get more than 1 game in to confirm it.
“Et le but!”
Ditto.
Your thinking about this too much. It’s a meaningless decision in a meaningless season.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
It’s a meaningful decision in a meaningful season from the perspective of development.
If this team wants Eller to be part of the future it’s time to stop treating him like a plug.
Therrien wants them to be physical cause their demonstration of physical play which was to all gang up in front of Price still did not see a bunch of Laffs on their butts, and the habs were so physical they had what less than ten shots on the laffs net all night?
Nino Niederreiter is what the habs need if we are going to win in our division. Nino is a Khadri killer, exactly what we need.
Nino can hit and actually pass the puck something which Prust can’t do. It’s a shame, as Prust can skate and hit, all he needs is a bigger stick maybe.
Maybe that is why the habs are not signing Subban as they are chasing after Nino Niederreiter who uses the same slang terms as Therrien I figure, but then you would have an angry Khadri and an even more angrier Subban chasing after the habs.
Although Nino being an untried rookie could probably be bought for cheap and he’s love playing with his fellow Swiss on the habs. All we would need is Halak back if we can salvage this season. I doubt Seth Jones like Niederreiter would want to stay in the habs, so why bother losing a season if the Therrien won’t welcome his ethnic players to the club…..
Subban for Jamie Benn.
Therrien trusts the Cube on the PP, so surely we’re good to make this deal.
Yeah and then we have to give Jamie Benn a huge contract. Kinda counterproductive isn’t it?
Maybe Benn is a team player.
He’s sitting without a contract isn’t he?
Isn’t that part of the whole immature mystique?
True enough.
I’ll take the big, strong scoring forward over the flighty narcissist anytime. And I like PK.
The Bulldogs have relieved assistant coach Ron Wilson (not that Ron Wilson) of his duties.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
http://lastwordonsports.com/
So,if a player has 1 bad game,he is banished to the press box.
What if Therrien coaches a bad game?
Can we send him back to l’Antichambre?
Need your help, guys. Just wanna make sure I’m up to speed. If we win tonight, we’re in the playoffs. If we lose, we’re getting Seth Jones. Sound about right?
About sums it up.
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Go Habs Go!
gold star for you haha
“I think I may have found a way for us to get Griffey and Bonds, and we really won’t have to give up much” -Costanza
Is losing worth getting a Seth Jones if the whole team is mismatched to begin with? I mean sure if we have Yakupov, Galy and Seth to add to a real NHL d-men lineup and a real NHL goalie to backup Price (sorry Budaj) like we had in Halak, you know real hockey players who can step up and cover and take over when our perpetually injured and overpaid Markovs Giontas etc who don’t produce anyway….why bother coming in last? The laffs have done this for years and wasted their first round picks, but that’s what happens when the habs are ruled by an ownership committee….
Wait until you find out that Seth Jones’s grandfather used to work for (and drink) Coors Light.
This is the same American ownership that is forcing the Canadiens to keep Gomez and overpaid Markovs and Giontas.
There is no way out, nuna!!!
Maybe sober up and see the habs for what they really are.
It’s a Coorspiracy™!!
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Ka is a wheel.
For Your Life
Who took nuna’s happy pills again?
—
Go Habs Go!
… getting Jones AND firing Therrien.
Go for MacKinnon instead.
“Not winnin’ for Mackinnon”
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“It’s just an opinion – I could be wrong”
You sir, win the internets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSqlktmUrc4
Time for changes
He said of Price’s selection “..this is off the Reservation”
he is a fool
Time for changes
Not that this will change anything of consequence, but I goofed rather monumentally yesterday by posting that Subban had a contract in place and should honour it.
To his credit, he does not and I have since gone back to acknowledge the mistake but, as it is buried back there somewhere, here it is again :
———
I stand corrected : he’s an RFA without contract. Still, I’d love to hear about anything he has done, or is doing, to promote anything that extends beyond his own aura.
Believe I did hear once that negotiation is premised on exchange of perspective, but only once mind you. I observe reports on the PK negotiations and wonder what, in his perspective, he feels he has done to support demands that aid in keeping him on the sidelines in an already shortened season. His right to push those demands and, thankfully, Bergevin’s right to stand fast.
Do I consider myself a Habs fan ? Most certainly, and my favorites on D include Savard and Robinson. Doug Harvey was just before me but I trust those who say he was one of the best. All of them share one basic trait that is the polar opposite to Subban – they are all LH shots. Thankfully, Beaulieu and Tinordi are as well, and I hope they turn out to be team-minded to boot.
Zero qualms seeing Subban moved – now, or in due course. Zero qualms.
ALWAYS Habs -
D Mex
instead of hoping bealiueu and tinordi turn out to be team minded, I have a much better idea.
why don’t we invite them to our playoff run if there is one this year?
maybe markov will go down with another knee injury, and we could ask beaulieu and/or tinordi to step up and play heavy minutes during this playoff run – having just barely completed their one and only season in the AHL.
by the way, will either beaulieu or tinordi score 18 goals and put up 53 points in their rookie AHL season?
ok, so now beaulieu/tinordi have filled in for the playoffs. one of them comes back the following 2 seasons and is thrown into a top 2 pairing virtually from day 1 – seems unlikely, but Subban did it.
then one of them goes on to put up 14 goals and 38 points as a rookie subbing for Markov’s minutes, and then comes back and goes +9 on a 28th place team with another 36 points.
if you think Beaulieu or Tinordi can do all of this, while handling top pairing minutes, then you are standing alone on an island.
people think we have such “depth” at defence!!
what Subban has done in his young career is so under appreciated by fans like you, you just think another Subban will be coming along any day now.
Beaulieu and Tinordi are miles away from accomplishing what Subban was able to do right out of the gate.
I have zero qualms about Subban getting paid the money he deserves and the term he deserves as well.
Zero qualms.
I’m aware of what Subban has done – who isn’t ? But this doesn’t convince me to view him as a saviour of any kind : the long-term sustainability of what he brings to the table is not indicated yet.
I find it interesting that team-mindedness in team sport is under appreciated by many, dare I say, fans like you. But fear not, Subban’s value to this team will be determined soon enough.
ALWAYS Habs -
D Mex
Subban has fought tooth and nail for this team. That’s the point that
you have wiffed on outright.
we will see how this plays out, but what will you do if the Habs sign this terrible team player?
how will you possibly deal with that?
First of all, I challenge you to find where I have said that Subban is a ” terrible team player “, and secondly, getting him signed does not necessarily translate to him being a Hab long-term.
I can live with Subban in Montreal as long as he doesn’t become too much of a distraction, but I can live without him just as easily. My focus is the team and how it performs.
ALWAYS Habs -
D Mex
You have certainly implied several times that Subban is a terrible team player. So clear it up for us: is he or isn’t he?
He’s on a team of 1 right now – seems to work for him. I’ll clear it up for you just as soon as I stop jumping over here … lol !
ALWAYS Habs -
D Mex
Renaud Lavoie @RenLavoieRDS
Ron Wilson has been relieved of his duties as assistant coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs.
that seems odd
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
Being reported as philosophical differences between him and Sylvain Lefebvre.
Perhaps he philosophically disagree about having a losing team.
Gelling gone wrong.
interesting
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
wait Ron Wilson had been with the team O.o that was a bad idea clearly
http://nickolaisblog.wordpress.com/
Not THAT Ron Wilson.
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Go Habs Go!
Boone, you spelled PANIC wrong in the picture…
That reset button looks an awful lot like a panic button.
Are we gellin’ yet?
________________________________________
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
With Gallagher, Gionta and Desharnais on the attack, plus an 18-year old kid (I know his size, but pretty sure NHL strength isn’t there yet); and Diaz, Kaberle and Bouillon in the back, this team is definitely striking the fear in opponent’s eyes.
very orginal post
“I think I may have found a way for us to get Griffey and Bonds, and we really won’t have to give up much” -Costanza
I know!
That’s why we needed to insert another 5’7 player in the lineup!!!
And BTW I very much like Gallagher.
Hey,anybody see that Lass Jackie on Live@The Score?
Muy Bien Amigos!
Can’t wait to watch Gomez playing with the Sharks…. still an fun player to watch. More fun than any of our top 6 who will spend another year firing blanks.
I’m hoping for another bottom 2 finish. Most exciting thing to happen to the Habs is Galchy. Let’s go get another top draft pick in this shitty bullshit 47 game season.
I mean c’mon, does it really matter if Gionta scores his 17 goals this season?
I like Therien, I like our young guys, I like Prust, let’s keep BUILDing….
Tre
With your excitement, you’d think the Sharks wronged you somehow.
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Go Habs Go!
Going to the game tonight!!
Yeehoo!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
I was offered tickets as well but I didn’t have the 90 bucks to spend this week.
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DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
90 bucks?
Seriously, you can get into a Habs game for $90???
I mean i know Toronto is the absolute worst for hockey tickets but i thought montreal was in the same ballpark.
“Et le but!”
If it’s 90 for a pair, it means it’s in the nose bleeds.
Yeah in the blues.
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DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
Mine are $65 apiece.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
$90 a pair????
“Et le but!”
Yessir, for nosebleeds
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DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
Why reinforce the bad trades and bad signings of Molson? Heck the way the habs are going they should be giving more discounts that way the disillusioned fans would drink more beer…..ok now I know why Molson keeps us losing….so we’ll drink more beer!
Oh Yea – well i drive a lambo – afraid it will get stolen i put a 4 banger in it and modded it to look like a 10 year old altima… shh don’t tell anyone.
I hope it’s an exciting game for you (and us to watch). I have only been to 2 games at the bell center – and was was an exciting florida game a few years back. hope the Habs win 5-1.
So are my Dad & brother.
A-Holes
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
If you are in the MOlson zone say Hi to Marie-Jose for me… she is one of the Molson girls. You will like.
I don’t recall getting your opinion on the debate du jour (earlier)
Kayla Price V. Anna Galchenyuck?
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Go Habs Go!
No contest…Kayla!
Refresh my memory with some images, Bill.
Nevermind… Kayla.
Have I ever steered you wrong?
I requested images not cause I doubted you.
Oh Bugs, where hast thou gone Bugs? I miss his code red alerts.
Bugs was my favorite poster. That guy was good.
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
Yeah, what happened to Bugs?
He disappeared after he started doing some particularly strange 9/11 conspiracy ranting.
Very odd altogether.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Hmm…sounds like a conspiracy in itself…
I was only around for that period, and a brief period before where he seemed to be trolling mostly.
That may or may not have been my fault…
Shame, he was one of my faves too until he seemed to lose it.
Chrisadiens and HabFan10912, one of the few father son tandems on HIO.
He posted some 911 conspiracy theories (that I happen to agree with) and got dog piled by by a bunch of posters with a fraction of his posting talents. After that he became a bit of a target so he left I guess. Too bad, he was a vibrant piece of the HIO community back in its formative days, back when I used to have an avatar….and before it became illegal to use the word HABS in the title of a Habs fansite.
Forbidden
You don’t have permission to access /wp-content/cache/supercache/www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/a-win-that-slipped-away/index.html on this server.
Spot on. He was one of my favorites as well.
His Kovalove will always be remembered fondly by the long standing HABS Inside/ Out crowd.
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Go Habs Go!
I say we make a Free Bugs petition. I wonder if he got das boot…
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DOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
I suspect Bugs was abducted by the grey aliens and subjected to repeated anal probing.
That could really mess with your… head. Imagine being dropped back on earth. You. Might. Appear like a total lunatic.
Hey, come to think of it hsd anyone ever seen Bugs and Nuna in thr room at the same time?
Bugs may still be here, lurking…
He was quite the wordsmith
For those Eller defenders using Pleks & DD’s numbers at age 23 to say Eller is ahead of them in his development, take a look at Pouliot’s numbers. He was also ahead of Pleks & DD as a 23 year old. Now I am an Eller supporter but this argument is invalid IMO.
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It’ll always be Habs Inside/Out to me
“Statistics can be used to prove anything, Kent. 84% of all people know that.”
this is true. however 76% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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It’ll always be Habs Inside/Out to me
Apparently, Nino Niederreiter is requesting a trade. Do you think Eller for Niederreiter make sense?
purely for positional purposes I’d say yes….we need a true LW pretty badly , and Nino has size and skill
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It’ll always be Habs Inside/Out to me
Exactly!
“Responding to the media , or playing to the media, or listening to the fans is the quickest way to start losing” – Sam Pollock
I’d rather Eller, Subban and a 1st for Tavares.
Terrible trade.
For the Islanders?
Lol. Might as well include Price in that.
“Responding to the media , or playing to the media, or listening to the fans is the quickest way to start losing” – Sam Pollock
1st could be another top talent, with the way this team is shaped this season. Very possibly Barkov/Drouin territory. We are terrible this year and you know it.
Get rid of Subban, #1 defender on this team, who is just 23 years old and give away another 23-year old center.
This strikes resemblance to McGuire’s proposed trade Subban + 3rd overall for 1st overall in June.
Is it you, Pierre?
So you wouldn’t make that trade and have Tavares and Galchenyuk as your top two centermen and sign a UFA on defense to replace Subban? Plus you have Tinordi and Beaulieu arriving over the next 1-3 years?
I’d pull the trigger.
Way too much value given up.
Definitely wouldn’t give up 3 very valuable assets for 1.
Tavares is great, but Subban is also a franchise player, Eller is not bad and 1st rounder could easily be another franchise player.
Moreover, I would not rely on UFA market anymore. It is always players that you draft or trade for at young age that shape your franchise, not blockbuster trades and big-coin UFA signings.
Tavares in a bonfied #1 center. Montreal hasn’t had one of those in 20 years. Center is the most crucial and toughest position to fill.
Yes the draft is extreemly deep this year and has loads of talent but you’re hitting a guaranteed home run with Tavares.
Like i said, Tavares on line one and Galchenyuk on line two, or vice versa, we’d be set for a long, long time.
I personally would make that trade.
I love Subban, i have his jersey at home but he’s not as valuable as Tavares is to a team.
And eller is not a VERY valuable asset.
In my opinion you’d be giving up two valuable assets in Subban and the 1st pick plus a project in Eller for a top of the line asset in Tavares.
What the Habs also have been lacking are true snipers on the wing. Sure Tavares would look good on Habs #1 line but Niederreiter has size and skill do just as much damage on the line with Pleky or Galchenyuk a few years from now.
Eller for Nino and Tavares sounds about like an Islanders deal.
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Go Habs Go!
How about Leblanc for him?
Seriously think Leblanc trade value is worth Niederreiter?
“Responding to the media , or playing to the media, or listening to the fans is the quickest way to start losing” – Sam Pollock
You seriously believe that he was being serious?
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Go Habs Go!
No but if he’s asking to be traded that lowers his trading value and I’d rather start with dealing Leblanc than Eller as a piece in a deal.
Well trading Eller now might open a roster spot for Niederreiter with the big club.
“Responding to the media , or playing to the media, or listening to the fans is the quickest way to start losing” – Sam Pollock
Leblanc’s trade value is extremely low since he wasn’t even invited to training camp. I think 29 other teams could make a better offer
I know a few of you guys have already seen it but posted a new article today check it out!
would love to get some feedback!
Its Super Bowl and Canada related check it out
http://nickolaisblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/super-bowl-canada-should-have-fun-commercials-too/
I’ve watched Gallagher several times when he was in junior against the Royals here in Victoria. He is going to surprise… Very cerebral, talented and nasty for his size a la Briere… Goes to net hard to score and draws lots of penalties / ire from opponents…
PG LINE will do well..
As long as no one calls it the “Mr. PG line”
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Go Habs Go!
Looing forward to watching him but I hope missing a whole game doesn’t destroy Eller’s career.
I’ve been reading comments on here all day and from the sound of it, he’ll likely either go completely downhill after this benching or simply retire because of it.
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
Playoff tickets – boahahah!!!
Naming Galy1 + Galy 2 + Prust the One-Two Punch line. Can’t wait for tonight’s game!
I’m actually kinda jazzed to see how they do as a line.
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Me too! Really hoping 2 1/2 men line explodes tonight too. I wish we had PK back, but for now if we could start with one solid W, I’ll be happy.
That is pretty clever, nice job byrneo.
A Habs win tonight would be good for the soul. Hope it is a better game to watch. MT’s system should be ready for full effect tonight!
It would also go a long way in cheering this place up. Boy do I miss PK.
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I am currently dealing with the fallout of identity theft. It’s not fun, people.
That sucks Twi. Hope it was just on her to what your referring.
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
No sir. The real deal. Bank accounts, credit cards, credit bureaus, the works.
All the best Twi, that sucks.
That sucks brother. I hope it gets sorted quickly for you!
Not a fun situation
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
OMG hope it works out for you. A few years back I had to straighten out a major error on my credit report and much to my pleasure it took only a couple calls and letters and was rsolved in 30 days. Good luck man.
Maybe we have a thread about all our fans disheartenning issues not related to hockey – prob as enjoyable as discussing hockey.
Sorry to hear that. Wish there were something I could do to help. Hopefully everyone will be cooperative with you as you untangle this mess.
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Wow, not a fun thing. If its private stuff, could you not get things cancelled fast enough.
The bank was actually great about it – they picked up on it quick and cancelled the two big payments that Mr Thief tried to make. It’s just getting ahold of the credit bureaus and canadian fraud centre. I’ve been on hold forever.
Apparently anyone with a student loan from 2000-2005 is at risk. Big theft from govnt archives. I’ve also been told to change the mailbox on my house, replace it with a lockbox. Crazy!
Is that part of 500K or so student loan records that were reported lost by gov’t a couple weeks back?
Possibly. I’m trying to figure that out
I just called the number and the only thing the guy asks me is what is my SIN number. I told him I only wanted to give out my name and a simple yes or no to if I was affected would suffice. He said no to that and asked for my sin
Anyone else get bad vibes calling that number?
So you know beyond the lines, the player contract and the head (case) coach, I just hope we all have an enjoyable game tonight!
Don’t think it could be possible that it could be as boring as the first game. That was awful hockey. Felt like I was watching my men’s league team accept we score more
“Keep your stick on the Ice”
i work with a sabres fan here in NY – he said the habs/laughs game sat was the worst game he ever watched.
+10 Shiram, none of this would be happening to us now if we had just hired Pierre McGuire when we had the chance!
All right, that’s enough!!! What did you do with Burly?
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I’ve been on this site for years and a habs fan for over 30 years. I dont comment often, however this above comment has to be the stupidest comment I have ever read about the Canadiens in my entire life. Pierre McGuire is probably the only person in the world that could make me stop loving the habs. Give your head a shake sir.
Time for changes
I do believe Burly was making a funny… That said there are Pierre McGuire supporters on here.
Forgot my sarcastic font BK. My apologies.
I have similar numbers to you when it comes to this site and being a Habs fan.
I think McGuire would have done a good job. He’s much smarter than you or others on here give him credit for.
But hey…opinions are like a-holes, right?
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
The thing is as a gm you need good relationships among you fellow hockey peers and PM is disrespected by every one in hockey.
Time for changes
And McCreepy has two a-holes, the traditional one and the one below his nose.
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Go Habs Go!
Disrespected by everyone in hockey?
Source? Link?
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSqlktmUrc4
listen to what he says about price being drafted
Time for changes
Are we still on the Price draft thing? At the time, Kopitar was the more logical pick for the Habs.
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
And you think I’m goin’ to start a war? Suggesting Pierre McCreepy as our GM even in gest, is fighting words.
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Go Habs Go!
Agreed
Time for changes
Gallagher gets a look see. Good luck to him and to Chucky at center.
Let’s hope for a better game than that Saturday night bad joke. No hockey since April and SPLAT! A game like that where they actually charged money. Habs better get better soon or the 48 game season will seem like 148 games- like last year.
Lets hope there is much success to write about. Don’t want to see another game like Saturdays.
And with his interpretation of the Habs season so far, Jim Mora.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7fjDS0jKiE
FIRST game for Gallagher.
Tomorrow? I figure by the middle of the first period at the rate we are going.
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
http://lastwordonsports.com/
Nova Scotians are sneaky bast@rds.
They pretty much narrowed that scham to people operating out of Quebec. Came through NB with the same shit.
I’ll drive by the Bell to see if the noose is set up after work.
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Same guy got Joe Thornton for almost nothing in fairness.
We had more wins with Craig Rivet, maybe losing Rivet was a bad idea even in spite of Patches stats and sadly Gorges lets in more goals than he actually stops…so I remain unconvinced. One Day the Patches will shine again but not in Montreal sadly, not with a pathetic wingmen who can’t help the Patches get in front of the net. Although I wonder if the Patches wants to get sidelined again, add Patches to our other perpetually injured team. Heck we should have Dr. Mulder and a gang of psychiatrist on the bench cause that’s what the habs need to win their confidence back or at least Patches.
The worst thing about Don Cherry is when he gives political opinions. He should stick to hockey, no not even, maybe become a fashion designer?
Go Habs Go! (@leojl8 on twitter)
69 points in 79 playoff games with the Sharks. I wouldn’t call it elevating his play but I wouldn’t call it disappearing either.
Let’s see how coherent you are when you’re 79.
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“It’s just an opinion – I could be wrong”
LOL shut up, I did not say that at all!
I just made a remark that he was floating, I was not the first one to say that either……
here is what I am: I AM SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT WANT OUR BEST PROSPECT IN DECADES TO BE BULLIED OUT OF THE NHL BEFORE HE HAS A CHANCE TO MAKE AN IMPACT!!!!!!!!!!!!
do you have a problem with that?
Haven’t heard that in a while!
Hopefully we hear it a few times tonight!
Do you remember RDS with Mario Tremblay??Or was that SRC or TQS?
Bullet holes in my mirrors . . . .
thats what im watching on
chop city
Time for changes
One question…. evil or EVIL?
Go Habs Go!
Check out Top Shelf Prospects, my Team by Team prospect reports
http://lastwordonsports.com/
Sloppy, lazy stick resulted in obvious trip.
Yeah I want to see a replay of how that stayed out. Did they show it on RDS? No replay yet onHomerVision
“Et le but!”
This kid is going to build up a Marchand like following on other teams. He would be a pain to play against…
mod?
Maybe too many penalties. But that was not a bad one. And he does not seem to be afraid of a fight that he will clearly lose.
it needed to be done, we had to send a message that roughing up our players will not be tolerated.
All MT needed to do if White was not ejected was to not play White’s line against Parros’s line. They would have never seen each other. simple.
EVERYONE LAY OFF WHITE!
IT WAS A COMMON SENSE DECISION!
It sparked the team.