Three other players _ defencemen Etienne Boutet and Kevin Gagne and forward Stephen MacAulay were returned to their junior clubs Wednesday as the Hamilton Bulldogs trimmed their roster to 25 players.

Boutet will return to the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League while Gagne and MacAulay will rejoin the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.

The cuts leave the Bulldogs with seven defencemen, 15 forwards and three goaltenders.

• Quick Hits and  About last night …

Former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu has been living a whirlwind of emotions the past few days, returning to the city he called home for 14 years to play his first game against the Habs.

Koivu spent six minutes in the penalty box, allowing the Canadiens two power-play goals, but hit the showers as the game’s second star – surely the first if it hadn’t gone past regulation time, meaning the scorer of the winner automatically is No. 1.

Here’s a little video from a crazy media scrum outside the Ducks’ room as Koivu tries to put the night and this trip into perspective, and coach Randy Carlyle offers his thoughts.

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Get to your corner newsstand early on Oct. 19. That’s when ESPN the Magazine publishes its debut Body Issue. 

It’s ESPN’s answer to the SI swimsuit issue. Instead of featuring professional models, the Body Issue has atheltes posing nude or partly nude.

It’s amazing how they were able to PhotoShop Zdeno Chara’s head onto Patrick V.Hickey’s body.

•  •  •

With a tip of the CH tuque to Jarred Friedman, today’s video feature is Jim Rome’s interview with Saku Koivu.

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Love this story grabbed from the online Orange County Register. Read the first sentence, then look at the photo.

From the OC Register online:

Look, we loved the guy.

He gave his heart and soul to the Montreal Canadiens.

But Saku Koivu plays for the Anaheim Ducks.

Life goes on … and the training camp dressing room in Brossard today seemed – dare we say it? – a little fresher and more enthusiastic in the absence of the usual suspects.

And today’s featured shout-out is a hearty Happy Birthday to Harani, a great Canadiens fan who has contributed excellent Comments to Habs Inside/Out. As of today, she can legally buy a beer at the Bell Centre. You go, girl!

• Robert Sauvé, freshkly fired by Alex Tanguay, tells CKAC the Canadiens could have had François Beauchemin but chose Jaroslav Spacek instead.

• The Canadiens site has videos of Scott Gomez and Travis Moen “acting” (but, thanfully, none of Johnny Depp and Leo DiCaprio playing hockey.)

• Lions in Winter on the Tanguay schmozzle.

• Mathias Brunet, in La Presse, on why Ian Laperrière had no problem getting a contract at the age of 35.

• In The Hockey News, Ryan Kennedy writes about Rated Rookies, a Montreal clothing company that makes a “Die, Chara, Die” tee-shirt. The Milan Lucic model is next.

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Friday’s Post of the Day, from Krob:

Post of the Day: Krob on Price:
Re Price…..His positioning is actually incredible as JT mentioned when not trying to hide under a rock.  His angles and use of depth (knowing when to challenge) and make himself big to shooters is actually farily incredible.  He is not athletic like Thomas, nor does he have the complete premium tool set like Luongo.  He is an elite puckhandler though and is by now means slow.  The myth about his glove being weak I believe is a tachnical issue…he seemed to start going down robitically and semed unaware of the adjustment necessary to try and play more from his knees (which I don’t think he should as much).  Kelly Hrudey whom I think is one of the best objective and knwoledgeable sources around regarding goaltenders thinks he has the tools…although he did point out his need to fight through traffic to find pucks and maintain sight of the puck at all times (I think he gave up several goals last year where focus and simply following the play were an issue).

His feet are very fast, especially for a big man but fast by any standard. His anticiapation is simliar to his pucktracking and became a focus issue.  When not carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders it is awesome….when burdened he struggled..as a kid.  I don’t see this as much as a mental flaw as a kid playing in the hockey mecca of the universe in the most difficult and unforgiving position.  He melted down…no doubt about it…..he was by no means alone in that but many harbour the most hostility towards him (not saying you).  I am confident in Price still….I do see what you mean because he has shown signs of poor play in virtually all areas that are deemed to be his strengths but they all seem to coincide with his lapses in confidence and attention.  Those problems can be overcome…hopefully….a focussed goalie with no skills isn’t going anywhere…Price has all the skills in spades but needs to learn to isolate himself in that strange world where great goalies live.

and on the team:
I am starting to feel the excitement again and am growing more optimistic by the day……I can’t really see sll of the kids/youth fizzling like last year.  If we can manage career seasons out of 3 or 4 of (Price, Lats, PAc, Sergei, Andrei, Laps, Ob, Dags) and manage to get career average seasons out of our other acquisitions we should theoretically be in pretty good shape.  I guess when you look at the big picture we essentailly traded personalities at the top end of our lineup and are hoping the youth movement moves again. Martin is going to be a breath of fresh air and with our revamped d corps things don’t look too shabby.  Unfortunately we are starting from scratch and may have a gelling period before things begin to click ( I hope we dress opening night like lineups in every exhibition game to try and generate some familiarity,chemistry and get a sense of exactly what our “system” will be).

 I am also excited about Pacioretty (his contract makes him susceptible to being demoted but his style of play makes him a necessary component at some point).  I am equally excited about HIO whipping boy Guillaume Latendresse though.  Gui made significant strides on his stride last year despite his reputation as a slow skater. Don’t get me wrong he is still well below average in the speed and footwork areas but he won his battles last year, spent more time on his feet, drastically improved his skating and improved in the physicality department.  I think his 5 year plan to imporve his skating is a fantastic idea…unofrtunately Martin might have him on a shorter clock to be conducive to the new style we are expected to play.  I think Lats and/or Pacioretty maturing could drastically alter our teams perception and help to offset that need for size up the middle.  Right now they are both a little gun shy at times and not at their peaks physically (from a poundage and strength perspective) but they have the size and strength to possibly give us two big forwards with scoring ability (the elusive power forwards we have sought for long).  Andrei K also has some size and can pot em so…IF the kids are alright….we will be a much better team than expected IMO.

Sergei is another wildcard along with Dagger.  It would be great to get solid seasons out of both of them but I don’t think they are as important right now as having some of our bigger wingers mature as we have brougth in some guys who should be able to filla scoresheet.  Sergei has a high ceiling IMO and getting a fresh start should help him but I really hope the fans get off his back and let him play because he has it all, he can skate, shoot (although he won’t), pass with the best of em, play defensively when need be and he is afraid of noone (sometimes I wish he was though lol).  Dags is a bit of a mystery to me…I really didn’t know much about him and even after last year I still don’t know that I do really understand his game.  He seems to have several tools in his kit that can help us but doesn’t appear to be especially adept at anything but scoring (and he rarely gets a role where that can thrive). I can see him being a surprise down the road or if he finds himself on a top line (seems we have 4 guys who all fit that description in Pac, Lats, Sergei and Dagger).  Can they all succeed this seasonand give us that scoring threat through the entire lineup? If they do what becomes of BGL?(with Moen, the bigger d corps, pac and lats maturing and hopefully starting to take on a little of the physical responsibility at some point). 

Metro vs Chips? Everyone seems to have pencilled Laps in as a third and rigthfully so given our lineup(I still think he is an average third but he did show drastic improvements at times last year) but I think he would be the best fourth in the game.  Also with what I just babbled about above it seems that we almost need another center with offensive ability or we are going to have at least 2 of the guys above really missing out on a season of devlopment into the roles they are suited for.  Maybe Martin prefers it that way? who knows?Metro vs Chips….Metro is grittier, faster, more experienced but has less to contribute offensively IMO.  Chips is on his last legs in Montreal and is either gonna beat Metro out for that spot or be a distant memopry to Habs fans IMO. Chips should be working on his skating with Lats because he has everything else we could want but his footspeed is similar to Gui’s.

 I guess what I was really hoping was that we would have another center in the fold like Lang last season.   Metro/Chips could battle for a utility role and we would have two guys who can play wing or center if need be in a limited role. That center position is still where our biggest need lies……as the possibility of Pac or Lats playing bigger grows the need for size somewhat eases IMO but I still feel we may need a bit more offense from the 3 and 4 spots up the middle. we have so many scoring wingers and only two playmaking centers (unless Sergei becomes the playmaker on another line?) Even if Pleks has a great season we are still very reliant on Laps contributing at both ends of the rink…he showed it at times and hopefully I am wrong and he can continue to improve in that area.

Surely Price’s skin has grown back tougher and his head is stronger, couple that with our expected imporvement in our end of the rink and systemically and I expect Price to be adequate with the obvious ability to be excellent.  Halak….I am always confident in Jaro…..I am just not confident that he will be around because I see him as the starting point in most talks with other teams with us if we do try and address our perceived need up the middle (unless we sign a Lang or Sundin type for one season to see if Maxwell pans out).

The more I babble the more confident I am that we aren’t in really bad shape…it just started so frustratingly with the contracts and trades because it became obvious that it would hamper us from acquiring that one more key piece type guy.  Now a move needs to be a perfect fit to work but if the kids are alright, if the Price is right and if our decisions were right….I think we are easily a playoff team and a team with the pieces in place to make a decent run if things go well…..we should be defensively sound, we do have scoring depth up and down the lineup depending on what kind of lineup we dress on a given night.  We have a goaltender who has the skills to carry us but needs to mature (like he said… a year in Montreal is six anywhere else so he’s in his priime!!lol)….we have team toughness (maybe if Pacioretty and LAts develop we might even have scorers that can grind) IMO and scoring depth. We have an ace quietly tucked up our sleeves at all times in Markov and a couple guys able to compliment him on the pp (Spacek, Mara, even Cammo can play the point on the pp).  The gusy we have brought inseem to be likeable guys and I am assuming that Gainey rid the room of any rifts or distractions …it should be fun and I’ll be counting down the sleeps from here on in too.

Do you think she loved the Captain?

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2006 Finnish Olympic teammates Saku Koivu (left) and Teemu Selanne are reunited with the Anaheim Ducks.
Timothy A. Clary, AFP/Getty Images

If you don’t believe that Saku Koivu has been larger than life in Montreal, you’ve not taken note of his multi-storey likeness on the southeast corner of the Bell Centre.

Koivu towers over St. Antoine St. on the arena that’s been his professional home since the building opened in March 1996, during his rookie season with the Canadiens.

He was named the club’s first European captain in the autumn of 1999, the 27th captain in franchise history. He’d wear the C on his jersey for nine seasons and 563 games.

This afternoon, on a conference call from his summer home in Finland, Koivu formally exited the Canadiens with the hallmark dignity and class that he’s displayed during 14 years in Montreal, a city that more than once did not deserve him.

• Stubbs feature essay on Koivu is here.

Classy to the end, Saku Koivu talked to the Montreal media in a conference call today.

And speaking of class, a big thank-you to Andie Bennett of the Team 990, who was kind enough to provide Habs Inside/Out with the Koivu recording.

The Finnish centre inked a one-year, $3.25-million deal with the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, making official what most fans had come to accept.

In Anaheim, he will be reunited with fellow Finn Teemu Selanne.

It wasn’t always easy for Koivu in Montreal, a fact he addressed during a conference call with the media Wednesday afternoon.

Koivu the player will be missed by many fans and most media, even those who sometimes maligned him for his lack of French – although they probably will never admit to missing him. But Koivu the man will be missed as much if not more by the Montreal community he loved and gave back to many times.

On a personal note, I am sad to see Saku depart.

In some ways, I grew with Saku during his time in Montreal.

I was still in high school when Koivu joined the Canadiens in 1995. When he became captain in 1999, I was just entering university, an eager journalism student who dreamed of one day walking into the Canadiens locker room and speaking with Koivu and the other Canadiens.

And when Koivu was diagnosed with cancer, it left me feeling sick to my stomach. Not because I knew the man, but because it was the Canadiens captain, OUR captain.

But when I saw the courage and determination with which he battled that awful disease and beat it, it was truly an inspiration.

And Koivu gave me perhaps the greatest sporting memory of my life so far when he returned from cancer.

I was at that game, six rows from the ice. It was the first game I was attending with my future wife, and it is a day I shall never forget. I am normally a very reserved, laid back fan, but I was swept up in the emotion of the night and, along with 21,272 other loyal fans, I began chating: Saku! Saku! Saku! It seemed like we chanted his name for hours, but nobody got tired of that, nobody wanted to stop. It sent shivers up my spine and left me at a loss for words to describe that moment. But it is a moment I will never forget and one Koivu will surely remember as well.

As with many great athletes, they are sometimes not truly appreciated until they are gone. And that, I believe, is Koivu’s fate. Yes, he might not have been a true No. 1 centre, but being put in that position was no fault of his own as the Canadiens were unable – for 14 seasons – to find that big No. 1 centre they needed. Koivu gave his all every game and led by example.

Canadiens fans will miss him. The city will miss him. And I will miss him.

So long Saku. Thanks for 14 years of great memories and we will be watching you and wish you all the best.

Megan Martin photographed with then-Canadiens captain Saku Koivu last season. Like many other Montrealers, she is sad to see him leave the Habs.

Canadiens fan Megan Martin, a Concordia University journalism student who is interning this summer as a City reporter at The Gazette, shares her thoughts at the departure of Canadiens captain Saku Koivu:

The state of team loyalty in sports is a far cry from the Canadiens’ glory days. But when a captain like Saku Koivu heads elsewhere, even my 92-year-old grandmother has a heavy heart.

Koivu’s reach as a member of the community extended far beyond those who bleed bleu, blanc et rouge.

Habs fan or not, the sense of loss that comes with Koivu’s departure is hard to swallow. He led our team with quiet confidence since 1999, and was the first European-born captain of the Canadiens.

He faced hell from some in the media about his on-ice play, his leadership, and his inability to communicate in French. But to so many proud Montrealers, he was our Saku.

When he stepped onto the ice for the first time after winning his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2002, the emotion from the crowd was palpable. Truth is, we feel so connected to our team and our captain that, to some extent, we acted as though we had battled with him throughout his illness. His victory was ours, too.

Koivu’s commitment to improving healthcare in Montreal through his foundation was monumental. And his personal involvement in children’s causes was nothing short of priceless to every parent with a sick child.

He went above and beyond his responsibilities as a captain. He was a people’s captain. A beloved member of the team and of the city.

In a league that sees players skip from team to team for a few extra dollars, Koivu spent his entire NHL career to date as a Canadien. Few players have shown as much heart and pride in donning the CH.

Now that he’s heading off in a new direction, he leaves behind a city in mourning at the loss of a great Canadien and an even better Montrealer.

Bonne chance Saku. You’ve touched many lives. We’ll miss you.

Captains Saku Koivu and Jean Béliveau appeared together on a 2006-07 cover of Canadiens magazine, captured by Habs photographer Bob Fisher.

DAVE STUBBS
(from Monday’s Gazette)

The Canadiens’ greatest captain was surprised, and he wasn’t, when it became clear last week that Saku Koivu had played his final game wearing the “C” above his CH crest.

Jean Béliveau has been around hockey a lifetime, long enough to expect the unexpected.

The massive overhaul of the club by general manager Bob Gainey added five players, requiring the departure of others.

Atop the list of the outgoing would be Koivu, the team’s 27th captain and its leader for nine seasons – 10, including the lockout season of 2004-05.

Gainey, the Canadiens’ 20th captain from 1981-89, remains the most recent to retire with the C on his jersey. The seven since have been traded or released, four of them trap-doored during a 26-month period in the mid-1990s.

• Stubbs’s feature column appears here.

Below: Koivu on the cover of Les Canadiens magazine in the fall of 1999, upon being named Habs captain.

Saku Koivu on the cover of Les Canadiens magazine, autumn, 1999:

Saku Koivu – Our Captain. The 34-year old Finn is a stalwart of leadership, determination and perseverance. He’s battled through adversity both on and off the ice. He deals well with fans and with the media. He’s made Montreal his home. Unfortunately, he is also a reminder of our failures and our short-comings. We’re an under-sized team and during his tenure, we haven’t made a convincing run in the playoffs.

Saku’s best numbers were in 2006-07 when he notched 22 goals and 53 assists for 75 points. He also had a +/- of -21.

Critics point out that he’s not getting any younger and he’s never been the big number one center that we need. In Koivu’s defense, he’s never claimed to be.

If Gainey doesn’t ink Koivu – and we don’t trade for Lecavalier – then who do we sign to replace him? We could go after Henrik Sedin, but he’s a package deal with Daniel. The purported salary demands of the twins don’t appear exorbitant, but 12-year deals? That’s a long time.

We could go after a guy like Mike Cammalleri who can play both down the middle and on the wing, but he’s coming off of a career year and will be looking to break somebody’s bank. With the cap probably coming down in 2010-2011, I’d be hesitant to over pay this guy.

In terms of other UFA centers, there’s not a ton of choice. Mike Comrie? Brendan Morrison? Nik Antropov? We need a first-line center. We either re-sign Koivu or we make a trade.

The big name horse is, of course, Lecavalier. He’s big, strong, a goal-scorer, and I think he might even be from somewhere around here. Great player. Huge contract. This would be a massive salary to take on and we’d also have to give up some good players for him. A combination of a forward, defensemen, prospect and a pick? No way we trade Markov.

The Lightning ownership can’t afford Vinny. But they can’t afford to lose fans if they trade away there most popular player. It would be risky for both teams.It would also be pricey for the Habs and would define the Canadiens for years to come.

Who else might be available?

Daniel Brière? Philly would love to unload his contract (he gets paid $8 million in 09/10, although it’s only a hit of $6.5). They’re tight for cap space and it’s debatable if the Flyers are actually a better team without him. His injuries from last year make him an unsafe commodity and the fact the he spurned the Habs so recently won’t endear him to Montreal fans.

Boston has a glut of quality centers (Savard, Krejci, Kessel, Bergeron, Yelle) but forget about making a deal with the rival Bruins. The Sharks might want to shake things up and trade Patrick Marleau… but we might not have the goods they’re looking for. If the Flames could go after Heatley, they may want to shed some salary by trading Olli Jokinen.

Right now, we’ve got Tomas Plekanec – who is a restricted free-agent – Max Lapierre, Glen Metropolit, and Kyle Chipchura. Lapierre definitely has the most going for him, Pleks should bounce back from last year’s suck-fest, Metropolit will make a good 4th/5th center, and Chipper (who’s also RFA) has got to finally step up and prove himself as NHL-worthy.

I’d also be willing to bring back Robert Lang but it’d have to be for less than the $4 million he made last year. And again, he’d provide 2nd of 3rd line depth, not be a first-liner.

Koivu.
Plekanec.
Lang.
Lapierre.
Metropolit.
Chipchura.

Six centers and four spots?
Seems like something has to give, doesn’t it?

Don’t be surprised if Gainey inks Koivu out of necessity, lets the 38 year-old Lang walk and trades Glen Metropolit. Bob might come to the realization that it’ll be easier to bolster his roster on the wings this summer instead of by beefing up down the middle.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu meets the Montreal media Thursday afternoon in Brossard. He has much thinking to do in the weeks ahead.
Marie-France Coallier, Gazette

The Canadiens’ season ended earlier than any member of the team, or any one of its fans, wanted.

But perhaps no one in uniform feels the pain of the early exit more acutely than veteran captain Saku Koivu, who has spent nine seasons wearing the C on his jersey.

Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Koivu now is considering his future. Does he stay with the Canadiens? Do the Habs offer him a contract? Does he pack his family and go elsewhere after having spent 13 seasons with Montreal, 14 counting the lockout?

Dave Stubbs takes a feature look at the decision Koivu has ahead of him, and why it’s going to be a terribly difficult move to go elsewhere should he decide to go that route.

LISTEN:
• Stubbs’s Oct. 8 preseason interview with Koivu (30 minutes)
• Koivu on April 23: Main interview / On sought contract / On negotiating with Habs

And who can we thank for this last minute resurgence? Look no further than behind the bench. Coach Gainey has implemented a system that uses players to their strengths and creates a team chemistry that helps overcome individual weaknesses.

This is the team that GM Gainey had envisioned at the beginning of the season. This is the team that, on paper, looked like it could compete deep into the playoffs.
For a minute, let’s forget about numbers. Don’t think about the fact that the Habs have earned 9 of a possible 10 points in their last 5 games.

And let’s put aside that Alexei Kovalev has 6 goals and 5 assists during a 5-game point streak. Let’s forget that Saku Koivu is also riding a 5-game point streak with 3 goals and 5 helpers. Let’s put aside that with 3 goals and 6 assists, Tanguay brings this trio up to a whopping 28 points in the last 5 games.

Let’s put that aside for now.

In general:
Shots against are down.
Our save percentage and GAA have both improved.
We’re playing more disciplined hockey.
We’re supporting each other.

Since sitting down individually with the team, Gainey has keep his word by asking players to do their job; to fill their role on the team.

The top line scores goals, especially on the powerplay.
Saku Koivu leads on and off the ice.
The forwards support the D, and the D supports the forwards.
The Max line brings energy and aggressiveness every shift.
The grinder line grinds.

The only strike against the team right now is that the second line isn’t scoring. In fact, they don’t seem to be anything. Tomas Plekanec has disappeared down a rabbit hole. I can’t remember the last time I heard a play-by-play guy (on any station) mention his name.Hopefully, playing with Higgins and Dandy will energize him into at least more of a defensive role (that can at least also threaten to score).

On a whole, the team is playing better hockey than it has in months. On a whole, the team looks happier than it has in months. The team has chemistry. Players have confidence.

Guy Carbonneau may know hockey but, it seems, he didn’t know this team.

Gainey identified the changes he wanted to make, he made them, and now the team is better off. The Canadiens are playing the type of hockey they should have been playing all year.

Tonight’s game isn’t a “must-win”. But it’s still a statement game. The Leafs have taken it to us recently (especially on Saturday nights) and we need to show ourselves that we can beat a team that we’ve struggled against.

We’ll need to know that heading into the playoffs.

Getting back to the numbers:

The Habs currently sit in 7th, with 90 points.
The 4th place Flyers have 94 points.
The 10th place Sabres have 85 points.

We have 5 games left in the rest of this (not so regular) Centennial season.
Let’s make them count.

Saku Koivu was absent from practice in Verdun this morning.

The early word on Koivu is he’s having a treatment day but the club hasn’t said what he’s being treated for. He didn’t play during the OT last night.

Koivu missed most of training camp with a foot injury he sustained playing in Finland during the summer.

In the absence of No. 11, Christopher Higgins centred Alex Tanguay and Guillaume Latendresse this morning

Audio:

• Brisebois on Chicago’s firing of Denis Savard;
• Laraque on fighting;
• Carbo on Savard and players coming back.

•  •  •

Canadiens have sent Kyle Chipchura to the Bulldogs.

The team announcement:

Forward Kyle Chipchura has been assigned to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs. He will report to Hamilton tonight.
Last season, the 22-year old centreman compiled 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) and 10 penalty minutes in 36 games with the Canadiens. He finished the 2007-08 campaign with Hamilton, posting 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) and serving 27 penalty minutes in 39 AHL contests.

Chipchura did not dress for any of the four games the Canadiens have played this season.

Not-yet-captain Saku Koivu takes a breather during the 1996-97 season, his sophomore year in the NHL. He was voted captain by his teammates on Sept. 30, 1999.
Denis Brodeur, NHLI via Getty Images

This could be an historic season for the Canadiens and their captain Saku Koivu.

Expectations are high for the club in their centennial season, having won the Eastern Conference championship last season and gone two rounds deep in the playoffs.

This is the ninth season (10th, including the lockout of 2004-05) that Koivu has worn the captain’s C, second in service only to the great Jean Béliveau. And it’s a contract year for Koivu, with no guarantee that he’ll be back with the club next year.

The 33-year-old native of Turku, Finland sat alone on Wednesday with The Gazette’s Dave Stubbs at the Bell Centre, a day before the Canadiens broke training camp, for a 45-minute talk, on and off the record, about his past, present and future with the Canadiens.

Here is nearly 30 minutes of their conversation and the feature that runs in today’s Gazette.

Also, captain Saku Koivu was kept out of the afternoon scrimmage as a precaution as he continues to mend a foot injury.