Your Montreal Canadiens are on a five-game losing streak, the latest coming Tuesday night in Tampa, where they were edged 2-1 by the Lightning.
This matches the futility of December, when Randy Cunneyworth replaced Jacques Martin.
In other news, the Nashville Predators, who were 4-0-1 with Hal Gill, are 0-1 with Andrei Kostitsyn.
• Pierre Ladouceur’s game report card (Scott Gomez gets a big fat 5.9)
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OH, HENRI !
They say Pocket Rocket was fast
But for this he left fans aghast
Montreal’s favorite son
Had eleven cups won
Before his tenth birthday had passed!
Happy Birthday, mon ami Henri!
“We all wore the same uniform as Maurice Richard, the red, white and blue uniform of the Montreal Canadiens, the best hockey team in the world”…Roch Carrier
Yoo hoo! Everybody listen up. Chris Nilan will be on RDS’s L’antichambre ce soir. Time? Don’t know.
Richard R
will don cherry be on too, if not, not watching
http://www.scottygomezfoundation.com/
President of the Scott Gomez Fan Club
(I support Scott Gomez)
It usually starts around 9:45. Or as soon as the Pens-Stars game ends….
It should start right after the Pens-Stars game at ~10PM
why Gauthier will be fired the day after the season ends:
Gauthier had a significant meeting with Molson and convinced him that trading Halak for Eller and Schultz was the right move.
Gauthier explained that the “team” was responsible for the playoff miracle, and not simply and exclusively Halak’s .960 save percentage in the 5 elimination games against the Caps and Pens.
(.930 save percentage is MVP, Hall of Fame Territory)
Gauthier’s Habs then went on have an excellent first full season.
96 points and 6th place in the East was an excellent result.
Price was outstanding all season, and proved that he was capable of greatness.
Then we came to last off season.
The Markov signing.
The Hamrlik and Wiz releases.
The move to go with youth and NHL inexperience on the blue line.
The lack of toughness throughout the lineup and especially on the 4th line where we could have beefed up considerably.
The firing of Perry Pearn was stupid. It was meaningless.
The firing of Martin in mid season was risky – and the hiring of an English coach who had no NHL coaching experience very risky.
(although I stand by the idea that Cunneyworth deserves our respect )
Many of the moves have gone wrong.
I have agreed with some of them, and disagreed with others.
Cole is the best free agent we have ever signed.
Emelin is a terrific player – I think his upside is as a #2 d-man, which is much higher than I thought he would be.
Cammy needed to be traded, but clearly waiting to the deadline would have been the wiser move.
But they were all Gauthier’s doing.
Therefore, Gauthier will be fired the day after the season ends.
I am thinking that Jacques Lemaire and Larry Robinson will be brought in behind the bench.
I may be entirely wrong.
But that combination would settle this franchise down behind the bench immediately, instantly, if not sooner!!
As GM, I will guess that it will not be a young up and comer, but rather a very experienced person.
Maybe Serge Savard.
Quite sure that a press conference announcing Serge Savard as GM , Lemaire and Robinson behind the bench, will go over very well with most of the pundits and most of the fans.
I know I would be excited about it.
Gauthier explained that the “team” was responsible for the playoff miracle, and not simply and exclusively Halak’s .960 save percentage in the 5 elimination games against the Caps and Pens.
(.930 save percentage is MVP, Hall of Fame Territory)
So sick of the ongoing comparisons to Halak. Halak is a BACK UP goalie to Elliott not the other way around.
HABS fan since ’68
the fact that you got “an ongoing comparison to Halak” from my post is very interesting.
and I’m being polite.
Almost as sick as I am of seeing people claim that Halak is Elliott’s back-up despite him getting more starts in October, November, January and February.
Halak has started 16 games to Elliot’s 9 since January 1, yet he’s the back-up?
The Halak trade was a good trade. We got Eller, who is a good young forward with size and speed, and still have an excellent #1 goalie.
Why can’t that be the end of the story? Instead, both sides fabricate new realities to try to support their guy, instead of just wishing both guys well in the future.
Some have convinced themselves that if the Habs kept Halak, they wouldn’t be in the position they are now.
_____________________________
Don’t let the wultures getcha.
Damn right.
Richard R
Really agree with your post. Very well put. I disagree with the replacement selections. Hope your wrong. Guess I really would like to see Sir Patrick come back to Mtl. Roy as a HC, assistant GM. Vinny Damphousse as GM, Guy Carbonneau as assistant coach/ PP coach. Julien Brisebois as President.
Time to get back to being a powerhouse, not a mediocre team.
GHOD – Go Habs Or Die
Blake Geoffrion… On one shift he was on his rear three times.
Maybe he caught the Benoit Pouliot virus?
Richard R
He’s exorcising the demons out of #57.
it wasn’t just him pk fell twice, ellar lost an edge and a couple of guys even geoges almost tripped over him self, you must keep in mind the lightning dont have a training facility, they practice everyday on that shitty ice, i know its not an excuse but it does help the other team, they have a 19-9-2 at home, you know the stats dont lie… just saying
I think he was just really pumped.
Feet too fast for the rest of his body to catch up.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
As Eric Danis said, the ice was probably terrible, Geoffrion was not the only one to lose his footing.
He was tripping over Malone’s tears!
Good one……..
i like!!!!
Remember that Max Pacioretty was usually on his rear end his first two seasons too…
Patience is required with the kids. It is pretty rare that they make an impact out of the gate, and there are often some bumps along the way.
Not every kid will become a good NHL player, but it is far too early to make that call on Geoffrion at this point.
As I caught up on my TV shows last night I didn’t watch or catch the score before turning in.
Boy all I am hearing is how Geoffrion sucked but yet got lots of time on the ice, more so than some regulars. Was that a PG+fan+political move? I love it when I call it right, send him to the AHL he’ll be there the rest of his career. Average player and just looking now, 0 points. Played more than most others on the team and not 1 point. Wow!! Good thing he has the BS team jersey # crap going on eh.. Kid knows how to play the media, I’ll give him that. Hey I wonder, does Lafleur have any other kids other than his criminal one, maybe we can inject him into the lineup too. Maybe Shutt?
Well at least there is one positive, we are tanking well. I’ll be surprised if this team wins another game this season. Should have no problem being at the bottom spot.
buddy you should comment on something you didn’t see for your own, fyi he actually played a great game finished with the only plus on the team, people are using him as a biased scape goat to attack management…
“Boy all I am hearing is how Geoffrion sucked”
You heard wrong. Now go back to your miserable Life.
———————————————————————-
Turn on the tank, the party’s over…
anger management.
Can’t tell much about aplayer after one game.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
First night jitters. Give the kid a break.
Richard R
Must be a tough life being angry AND miserable.
Next time watch the game and then comment.
How can anyone say he didn’t watch the game and then comment on it? And still claim to be a fan. You’re either a complete moron or a panel member of L’Antichambre. Or both. What a waste of space.
Maybe RC is playing Gomez as a middle finger salute to his bosses for their unwavering support…
i second that comment, ive been iching for someone to come out and say it
If you like one… Buffalo “held out” for the lobster dinner, er, i mean first rounder for Gaustad. What’s the opposite of held out? And what does that make PG?
RC is nothing but a lump of crap sticking to the side of the toilette bowl. Oh wait, that’s his future as a coach in the NHL.
At least he’s sticking, your nothing but the feces that gets flushed down the toilet and rots in the cesspool.
“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” Albert Einstein
“RC is nothing but a lump of crap sticking to the side of the toilette bowl. Oh wait, that’s his future as a coach in the NHL.”
And you are a shining example of humanity…
How exactly did you come by your login name? Fans like you we can easily live without.
I thought it was because Gomez gets a big bonus if he gets 10 points this year………
Doubt it. He is either making the decision to play Gomer or following orders (probably the latter).
The faint hope that Gomez goes on a scoring streak and becomes sellable in the off season is what is driving this.
Logically if that was your goal, you’d play him on the powerplay and rest him at even strength. Which is exactly what is happening.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Regarding Emelin:
I have absolutely no problem wiht his style of play, nor with his unwillingness to fight. As far as I can tell, Emelin hits clean the vast majority of the time. When he gets drilled, and he does, he doesn’t get up and go looking for a fight. Half the time, I get the feeling he actually loves it.
But Malone planted a hit right dead center behind the numbers on Emelin, who replied with an open-ice hit that was only “dirty” because Malone didn’t have the puck. Malone saw it coming, Emelin didn’t go for the head (see, Ryan, how some guys can hit without running at the head) and got his revenge. And he took his penalty like a man, not whining all the way to the bench.
I’ll take Alexei Emelin’s style of play any day of the week over a guy like Ryan Malone.
Damn right!
Yeah, Emelin’s hit at the blue was a warranted penalty, but Malone was clearly over-reacting afterwards.
+ 1000
it’s pathetic, we have the most biased fan base and reporters in the world. they clearly cant see past the tip of their noses and are completly blind when they have a good thing, they scream for toughness and size and when they got it they scream not to much we dont want to look like goons (oh what i never said that) my ass it’s a joke!!!!!
Agree 100%!
We need a guy like Staubie in our lineup.
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Turn on the tank, the party’s over…
I would actually love to hear Emelin whine to a ref. He’d probably have to whip out a phrase book. With his remedial English it would probably sound like “I have check please. Is this bus stop? Can I have key bathroom?”
Love Emelin though he’s one of the few bright spots.
Out loud laughing on that one. Dah, veee have bassroom pleaze!
Promote the Youth, Support From The Veterans and Remember the Heritage!
Ok, I am going to go on the record and say this;
The time has come for the Canadiens to shed the description of being pussies, no offense to the female gender. We are Vaginas, Nobody can fight, hit except (Emelin and sometimes Cole) but for the most part the Habs ARE a bunch of Sally’s. This day and age of the NHL calls for toughness and defending ones teamate. All you who are bashing Staubitz or the acquisition of Staubitz at the deadline need to wake up. I miss the days when Kordic, Nilan and Odelein to name a few would pile drive opponents and bash their faces in when it was necessary to defend our scoring forwards. It was part of the game and let me tell, we won many of Cups with tough guys on our team. We need a guy like Staubitz, long overdue nuff said!!!
We are vaginas… HA!
Sue Johanson once said that vaginas are the toughest body part. What other body part can stretch to 10x it’s original shape and not be destroyed?
Hell, I know a few that have taken quite a pounding and enjoy it and keep coming back for more!
We definatly need Staubitz ( as I have posted numerous times since he was aquired) but love the quote “pounding and enjoy it”. Priceless.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
hmmm, yes, I was trying to think who I debated this with a few days ago. I seem to recall your avatar (koodoos for that one).
I am going to politely disagree.
Having Staubitz stopped Emelin from getting jumped… wait… not really.
Having Staubitz helped the Canadiens win finally… wait… not really.
Having Staubitz made all the habs play to their full potential… wait…. no…
Staubitz’s fight led to the game tying goal…
Staubitz’s 3 min of TOI changed the course of the game….
ok, I am done now.
Thanks for the mention of the avatar, best looking ice cleaners in the league. Have to politely disagree with you on your points.
No Staubitz did not stop Emelin from getting jumped, but if malone did not get thrown out of the game Retribution would have been handed out. prehaps you wanted Staubitz to leave the bench and challange Malone and wait for it get penalties for leaving the bench so you could defend your position. 1 game is hardly time to pick on 1 player, but for everyone who said there was no life on the Habs bench when Max got smashed Staubit was livid last night. He will stand up for our skill players and if someone takes liberties with our smaller players he will stand up to anyone who did the dastardly deed(s). That’s his job, he knows it and hopefully he’s good at it.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
may i know why people are over reaqcting on emlins hit, sure he hit him with out the puck and instigated the event after, but isn’t it about time we have a guy that doesn’t just get hit dirty and takes, but actually retaliates with an actual hard hit in the open, he didn’t even get him bliknd side he hit him face on and thats what probably pissed off malone the most is that emelin actually hit him with out a puck in the open right infront of his eyes, cuddos to emelin the rest of you that cant appreciate a guy that doesn’t need to drop his gloves for a clean intentional hit should all go sit in the corner of your white color offices and sulk in your own misery, cause you disgrace not only habs fans but hockey fans in general, you bunch of bumbs!!!!!! its so pathetic…
I love players that can crush opponents, I agree. No need to fight when you got owned…get up and get a hit in yourself. Malone is a baby!
Pat Hickey writes: “Staubitz also got involved in a meaningless third-period fight with Pierre-Cedric Labrie.”
How do you figure, Pat? Staubitz came in to the defense of a smaller team mate Campoli who had just been crushed against the boards by a borderline hit by Labrie. It’s the kind of liberty that opposing teams have been taking with your Canadiens all season long, actually for several years now. Physical play and intimidation is the Canadiens’ most glaring weakness, and this is exactly the reason that management belatedly picked up Staubitz — to provide some protection for the smaller players, and hopefully reverse the intimidation tactics of opposing players. Staubitz made a statement, something that has been sadly lacking on this team as they get pounded night after night. Did you not watch the game against the Florida Panthers? How about the night Max Pacioretty had his neck broken and lay almost dead on Montreal ice?
agreed rad, it may be meaningless in someones eyes but to the guy who got stood up for it means more, to the guy standing up for him it means his job
Go Habs Go
Hickey complains this team isn’t tough enough and then when they stick up for each other it is meaningless….see a trend?
Kicking a team when down and negativity is the new media
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
Actually it’s the same old media…….
Very true. Just seems to be getting worse…either that or I am just getting old
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
Sticking up for each other is one thing.
Two goons fighting each other and not affecting either team is another.
Diaz was drilled much more solidly earlier and no-one stepped in for him. Know why? Because it wasn’t Staubitz’s fight partner.
It’s just stupid.
Players who play hard and hit hard are good. Thugs with skates are not.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
I disagree a Matty. I understand what you are saying but don’t label all scrappers like BGL. He was a joke. Staubitz came to the aide and if Malone was still in the game Staubitz would make him answer the bell for going after a non fighter. Will it stop players for going after habs..not the first time but if you have answer for it you will start to have to think twice a bit. The habs this year have been pushed around physically more than I have seen in recent years so I like the addition of Staubitz if he can play 4th line minutes and isn’t a liability out there. We need more physicality on this team so we can increase our forecheck which has been terrible all year.
BGL was the one who would not go after someone if they were not a heavyweight…If that is the case than yes it is useless but if you bring some integrity back in a game that doesn’t have much anymore I am all for it
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
Staubitz, would definatly have been waiting for Malone if he did nnot get the game misconduct.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
I agree with Hickey.
First of all, he got in a fight with an AHL bruiser that has no impact on the Bolts. None. Staubitz may as well have fought the usher from row 438 B.
Those kinds of fights are pointless and change nothing (as we saw: no Xbox Momentum-Swing, nothing), they just waste time.
I agree that we need players who are tough and not afraid to back down from big hits and step in for their fellow players, but what happened last night was neither of those things. The hit on Campoli wasn’t that bad, but it was enough for our goon to fight their goon. Who cares.
And finally, there is no reason to think that if we’d had Staubitz last season, and he’d fought against Thornton, that Marchand or Lucic or Chara would have played with any less intensity or cheapness. No freakin’ way.
If I was on a team where I knew that my bruiser was going to fight the opposing team’s bruiser, then it wouldn’t change my life one bit. If I knew that there was a good player on the other team who could punish me with a clean check or get pissed and have a go at me, I’d be significantly more worried.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
That usher is a real dick though. He would have had it coming.
That is my uncle!
It was only “meaningless” because Malone had been tossed and Staubitz had no chance to get his mitts on him.
We need a guy like Staubie in our lineup.
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Turn on the tank, the party’s over…
And if Stabiie would not have fought the same posters would be saying he did nothing to protect his teamates.
I don’t know if we play Tampa again this year but if we do I’d bet the farm Malone will meet Staubie.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
I rarely post, but read every day. Today I feel the need to say something… Vinny Damphousse said it best last night in between periods 2 and 3, Gomez needs to be bought out or sent to Hamilton starting next year. I have always liked him, but he’s finished and dragging the team down. Young guys look at his salary and production and don’t feel the need to work hard. Last night, they brought in Geoffrion and Staubitz, but sent Leblanc to Hamilton because they said he would play solid minutes there. Why not let him play solid minutes here? Everyone bashes Kaberle because he’s a pilon… He leads our D-men in points and was brought in to help a struggling PP. He’s helped, but Gomez PP minutes hurt. The problem is not Cunneyworth or even Pierre Gauthier, it’s player attitude. Cammalleri was right, they practice like losers, then play and expect to lose. I say play the kids big minutes and correct their mistakes until the end of the year, and sit the dead weight, Gomez, Campoli, Bourque. And let Budaj play a little, the playoffs are not happening. These guys make me want to change the channel. A 1st, 2nd, or 3rd overall pick is a really good thing.
Gomez won’t be a hab after this season. He is done in the NHL. Cammy was a big part of the problem. Our second highest paid player doing 0 out there and complaining that the team isn’t winning. I was a cammy fan until this season and he isn’t doing squat for Calgary either.
Kabrele sucks as a d man. Yes he chips in the odd time on the PP but it is still last in the league and he causes a ton of goals against at even strength. He also needs to be gone.
I wouldn’t worry about this team getting a top pick, it will happen. They are not playing as a team
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
i loved cammy since he played at the WJC, but this year he lost some fans , not sure what to do with the #13 sweater i have , mabe unstiching all wekend
He was awesome in the playoffs. He was a beast. Not sure ehat happened but he had more fire off the ice than on it. I would keep the jersey. Hey, I have a higgins and AK jersey lol
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
Unfortunately for us, Gomez and Kaberle will be suited up for next October’s opener at the ACC. Now the poor kid we draft is going to have the weight of the World on his shoulders the moment his name is called. We need to draft someone who will be able to handle the pressure and that is a tall task for the organization.
We’re lucky Carey has perservered as well as he has, I just hope he is willing to sign long term after this dismal season…
Kabby will be back but Gomez will be demoted. He isn’t worth a roster spot anymore.
Carey will sign long term but I am sure he will be getting a huge raise because of the team in front of him
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
Gomez wasn’t worth a roster spot before this season either, everyone knows that, why do you think next year will be any different?
Carey’s agent is going to be looking for Pekka dollars (scary thought, but likely true and we’ll have no choice but to pay him).
Gomez does not figure into any plans, and if he isn’t sent down to Hamilton it will only mean Molson is too cheap to eat the contract. When you look at the money it will free up the Habs will, in fact, have a lot of free cap space to use, hopefully judiciously, to jump start the rebuild. We’re only 2 points up on Edmonton now, and they have 2 games in hand. Providing the Habs don’t screw it up and go on a tear we may be looking at a top 2 pick in a very solid draft year. Could be worse.
Kaberle is soft and prone to indecision. That’s the only draw back on him. Players like Cammi and Gomez don’t see themselves the way they are. They see themselves the way they were at their very best playoffs or season. GM’s are always looking outwards (draft, like list, contracts, firing coaches with the new dawn) and sometimes get a false impression of the team or players. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Carriere put his head together with PG and changes be made.
Rather than thinking the name Geoffrion sells more sweaters than the name Leblanc I like to think Leblanc went down (he has his pro-rated NHL portion) so Geoffrion won’t get a pay cut kick in the teeth with the trade. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them flip places after another four games.
I wish Torts was available to coach the Canadiens. He could deal with the language issues as his usual answers to stupid questions work in both official languages.
That last paragraph was a gem.
Richard R
Good points Nate.
Gomez has to be gone – one way or another – even he knows it.
IMO – Habsland needs an attitude shift and the first move should be made by Molson (or whoever thinks they own the team).
“Hockey personal will NEVER address language issues. ALL hockey decisions will be made in the best interests of icing a winning team. PERIOD.
If that means 20 Russian players and Chinese coach – then that’s what we get.”
PG was silly to get involved in a language debate he couldn’t win because 1. The language zealots aren’t interested in hockey – they just use the Habs as a polarizing platform for their agenda and 2. You can’t make those people happy no matter what you do. The Habs could never be ‘French’ enough. They could find an unforgivable insult to les Quebecois on a puck.
We also need to draft better.
Sure, every team wants size, speed and skill but playing in Columbus where nobody cares is a lot different than playing in Montreal (or Toronto) where the media wolves are lurking 24/7.
So aside form the physical tools – Habs also need to look at the intangibles. How does he perform in the spotlight- in the big games? How does he act and perform when the team is not doing well? Does he thrive or wilt under pressure?
Habs absolutely can NOT NOT NOT afford to draft some supremely talented head case like Kovalev.
Also – hire someone who can organize and coach a powerplay.
Bring in some respected veterans to mentor young guys like PK – (Gill if he retires for example) and offer some experienced advise and the odd slap upside the head.
The most important thing is for Molson is to start taking resumes now for the new position of GM. Gainey should not be on the HR team making selections or advising. The rebuild has to start at the top.
Hopefully the new GM will be in place for the upcoming draft.
who do you think we can hire as new GM?
Go Habs Go
Actually my pet dog could do a better job than the Ghost. And why is Gainey still around? Didn’t he contribute enough to the Habs demise? And Serge Savard? No thanks. Let’s keep the old boys club away. We need new life.
Mr Molson met with serge savard as reported in dec , problem is Geoff doesnt know anything himself so he needs to rely on other peoples opinon, he has to know now who will take his place or have a good idea
Geoff has lots of friends. Rejean Houle, Ronald Corey, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Bob Gainey. I am sure he can find somebody who can sell his beer out of that group.
The majority of our Habs fans will NEVER settle for an English speaking coach.
I have one question for you all:
Would you rather have the BEST man for the job, or the best FRENCH speaking coach for the job???
If your answer is the best FRENCH speaking coach for the job, then do not expect to win a cup. You cannot have it both ways…
The best French-speaking coach.
I can have it both ways.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
How about Pierre Houde? He speaks French well.
Richard R
There is an awful assumption that the most Habs fans speak French or live in Quebec. I would suggest that there are more fans outside la belle province throughout the rest of Canada and the rest of the world. With that said, the preference would be that the coach and GM be bilingual. However, the best person for the job must be the ultimate criterion. We have had enough of mediocrity.
If the Montreal Canadiens were a country, Montrealers would be citizens of that country. Fans outside Quebec, throughout the rest of Canada and the world would be nothing more than tourists or at best landed immigrants who do not share the same rights as the citizens.
This is our team. By our I mean Montrealers.
Fed up yet? Need a break? Then check this out – just four minutes long.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/amazing-time-lapse-video-captures-night-sky-232027106.html
Bonne Fete, Pocket Rocket!
Happy B-day, Mr. Richard!
19 years young.
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Turn on the tank, the party’s over…
Here,here!
I think That PG will be doing the drafting come draft day… I also think that he is actualloy going to have a chance at making this his team, as opposed to havbing to deal with previous regimes players.. say all you want about Gainey running the team.. these are theories cooked up by paranoid fans.. the same fans who harp on any move made…
fans here are quick to say “see we shouldnt have traded that guy”
well we shouldve, the players people say we shouldve kept (i see people saying Komisarek, kostitstyn S, Grabovski and ribeiro.. wisniewski) well
Kostitsyn had to go he was a big disruption if you guys remember
Grabovski sucked total tit on the habs when he was dealt… these two players all of us were thimnking “good riddance”
Ribeiro had run outta time, he was distraction and a flop as long as he was here… who hjere said back then “boy, bad move”
unfortunately ninininimaaaaa was awful…
How good is Wiz playing for CLB? the guy is -23 with 22 points.. id rather have Markov NOT playing then those #’s
What my points here are everyone likes the deals when they come in… what people are calling as the franchise killing moves of getting gomez gionta gill cammi and moen… well who were wassnt tripping over themselves at the time we made these moves? certaintly not me or anyone i knew…
Gauthier has in effect been a part of these moves yes, but hindsight is 50/50 and we all knew better looking back at these moves… the bourque move was good, we got a 2nd rounder a cheaper player, a bigger player… and even if he “floats” he still has the presence and ability to smash and crash unlike cammi…
I find the majority of fans here quick to blame… this is a season where everything whent wrong. we all saw ourselves as contending for a playoff spot at the beggining right? now if all us experts felt this way who are we to say “yeah those are awful moves i wouldnt have made them”… no one because if you were one of those ppl saying “preseason doesnt matter (i was one of those) theres no reason to sound the lynching alarm and consider our management as 3rd rate…
another beef i have is i see so muhch
“replace GM/coach with someone competent”
Patrick Roy? same experience as our previous coaches and therefore what would make him better then our current coach?
Guy? he’s a tv star now, he had his chance i dont see why we shoulod try again.. he coudnt communicate with the players and this caused some serious division in the room.
who should replace PG?
some AHL GM? i guarantee you he’ll suck it worse then now
Mcguire? yeah… right…
Bowman? no… period not gunna happen
Craig Button? (sorry im watching TSN lol)
but seriously guys, look at NSH and they keep their management in place and their GM coach tandem is loved everwhere.. Lindy Ruff Highly respected in the NHL and even when BUFF sucked he wasnt fired… same with Bryan Murray… he sucked at timess but loyalty to the management had faith it paid off..
Go Habs Go
hindsight is 20/20
that isn’t the only thing you go wrong… if you don’t still think that this team has Gainey’s fingerprints all over it you need to get a new forensic team
i change it to 50/50 because hindsight is always right… even 20/20 vision is wrong sometimes.. thats all you got?
Go Habs Go
and you missed my point entirely which is basically letting a man do his job… Gauthier has had no chance of making this his team. save for Cole, Emelin, Staubits and Bopurque… big players that can hit! i like it and for that reason i endorse PG and i find that he should get more time to build this team
Go Habs Go
So you think the Wiz would still be -23 if he was still in Montreal? Maybe, maybe not. Just speculation. Besides, Columbus is the lowest of the low. By a long shot. Maybe we should have traded Kaberle, Campoli, Diaz and Weber to them to get the Wiz back.
Richard R
Watched the highlights on TSN…loved how the leaf fans were all chanting FIRE WILSON!, FIRE WILSON!….so when are all the Hab fans going to start chanting FIRE GAUTHIER!, FIRE GAINEY!?
It might work you never know…
Its funny when Leaf fans chant that yet if Hab fans chanted that about Gauthier we would be classless……..
Actually David Fischer is doing pretty well in the ECHL, bring him back!
http://echl.com/stats/player.php?id=3235
Teh funny thing is both Goats and Cunney will be replaced by April 15th but Gauthier will stay within the organization in another important role however Cunney will be booted to the curb even though it was Goats who threw him to the wolves.
3 scenerios moving forward that are possible:
1) Gainey replaces PG and hires another boring, outdated hasbien to coach our team. Like Hartley, Therrien, Keenan etc.
2) We diecide to go with a young, energized GM like a Nill or Fenton and they also bring in a hungry young coach like a Roy and surround him with a verteran group like Larry Robinson and SCott Arniel.
3) Larry Carriere takes the riegns which is most likely and he looks at the possibility of bringing in a intereim vet like Lemaire to groom a new coach moving forward.
FO course it could just stay status quo…………GULP
If they’re still on contract they may as well work. PG can drive the Zamboni, Gomez can shovel the ice and I think Kaberlame would make a great Youppi.
No, Youppi’s job is the energize the crowd. It’s a physical job that Kaberle isn’t up to.
Besides that, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy life anymore without his short stick.
Richard R
Gomez would be the ideal choice for the Youppi job. Considering his amazing personality and charisma. I would hate to see those attributes go to waste.
I love watching the Leafs lose as much as the next HIO’er, but i gotta say…I’m getting a little worried. This is OUR lottery, not theirs!! I’d appreciate it if they’d stay the heck out of it.
Why Burkie gets a free pass for constructing such a fragile team is quite puzzling.
Ron WIlson has abou the same chance at success as Cunney.
and Wilson doesn’t have to learn French. Should make his job easier.
Can we draft Brendan Gaunce?
To me he seems the best all-around forward available.
6’2″, 215 pound center.
Willing to drop gloves. Physical. Able to pass and score. I think he’s the fourth highest-rated forward but the only one he seems big enough to meet our needs, is NHL-ready, and shows work ethic.
A choice quote: “hockey’s just like life: it’s not [that] just because you’re good you’re going to get something – you have to work for it.”
That’s the kind of attitude and size that we need.
Brendan Gaunce is the guy I have been pushing for for weeks on here. Better yet, possible to trade down and gain an extra pick if (insert GM name here) has the cajones. Should be able to get Gaunce at #10-12
Yeah, the thing is, we want talent, obviously, but we don’t want lazy talent.
He seems like a really hard worker and he’s big, physical, and has good hands. I don’t see any downside to this kid. The way I see it is that a guy like Gaunce has a higher upside than a guy like Grigorenko or Yakupov. It’s kind of like how Ovechkin was great for a few years and then fell off. The guys who work hard are always worth more than the guys with insane talent but not work ethic.
I’d take a Martin St. Louis over an Ovechkin anyday.
The knock on the Canadiens for 15 years has been a lack of a scoring centreman with elite offensive skills.. Why would we pass up our one shot at elite talent to roll the dice on a guy that “works hard” (code for doesn’t have elite offensive skills). If you want a Malkin, Stamkos or Kane you don’t draft Brooks Laich. My point is that with the number 2-3 pick (assuming Yakupov goes first), if Montreal doesn’t take 1 of Grigorenko, Galchenyuk or Forsberg they’re crazy. You think people crap themselves with anger thinking about the 2003 draft and missing with Kostitsyn – think about how they’ll feel if we draft a 3rd liner with the 2 or 3rd overall pick.
and you think Yakupov has a poor work ethic because…?
I can guess.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/1103744–bulls-brendan-gaunce-mature-beyond-his-years
Kaksa 6′ 3″ 215 lbs 18 y old
Gaunce is looking like a Jordan Staal type of player. obviously nice to have but is likely to fall in the 10-15 spot.
It will definitely be interesting who they go with though. If the draft were today, CLB would almost certainly pick Yakupov, and EDM is likely to pick a Dman, so that would leave us to choose;
Grigorenko, the big talented center we need, but there’s concerns about his work ethic and defensive game as well as the KHL risk.
Faska, another big center with a better all round game but lacking that game breaker quality.
Galchenyuk, big center who was considered a viable number 1 but has been out all season with injury.
Guance, similar to Faska.
Forsberg, considered by some the most NHL ready and Swedes have a good track record, but he’s a winger.
So all in all, I wish we had 2 picks. Maybe we can flip one of our d prospects and a second.
I will ask this again…how many of you have actually watched Brendan Gaunce play, and how many are relying on the scouting reports?
I’ve seen about 10-12 games with Gaunce (my brother is a season ticket holder with Gaunce’s Belleville Bulls). He can be physical, but it really isn’t a big part of his game. He has a bit of a temper, and that is when he tends to throw his hits.
Gaunce is *not* NHL ready…I will be shocked if he makes it to the NHL before he is 21 years old. He will finish out his career in the OHL and, like Subban, will probably need at least one year in the AHL.
I like the kid. He’s a very good stick-handler, a good skater for a guy of his size and he’s big enough that he can get through traffic. But in all the games I’ve seen him play, I’ve yet to come away from a Bulls game and think that Gaunce was dominant. In many games, you barely notice him at all.
Yeah I wouldn’t mind him if we were around the 10 spot, but we need to go for the elite forward talent. I’m hoping for one of Grigorenko or Faska, or Galchenyuk if the doctors believe he is capable of returning to form.
Looking into my crystal ball I see….Patrick Roy hired as the new head coach and Grigorenko drafted with our #1 pick (Yakupov unfortunately going to Columbus first overall).
Headcase bully to manage 23 personalities including a young goaltender who may be as good as he was stealing his limelight and a draft pick in freefall. Boy what a dark future!
Dark is still brighter than Gauthier and Gainey.
C’mon, we want to win one more time this year. The lottery. Surely the gods will be on our side.
Keep losing, replace Gauthier with anyone competent, draft Grigorenko, hire Patrick Roy as head coach, bring some excitement back to the Montreal Canadiens.
It must be so hard for the writers Boone, Hickey, et all to have to report on this team – a bit like reporting on a group of amateurs. Don’t drink too much boys.
Geoff Molson must be totally steamed at the last place standings of the team resulting from this dreadful mismanagement group.
Notice how Geoff was in Fla for the trade deadline? That’s because Tony M was right. PG, quite rightly, is now just a flunky, carrying out orders, and even, against his form, addressing the media. PG will be even more out of the picture before draft day.
So Leafs fans started the “Fire Wilson” chant last night, it’s time for Habs fans to start the “Fire Gauthier” chant tomorrow night, and for the rest of the home games.
The Language Issue continues to hamper Habs fans in this regard.
“Fire” and “Congédie” or “met à la porte” don’t even sound vaguely similar.
We might have to settle for “Bye Bye Gauthier”
—Hope Springs Eternal—
How about ‘Gauthier Go Away’? Or the reverse?
Richard R
As fun as it is talking about the Laffs and Wilson getting fired what about our hopeles front office getting the boot? Fans in Montreal should be chanting “fire the Goat”. Don’t let this guy make our lottery pick.
”You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky
What a sad and boring game that was.
Boring because it did not look like an NHL caliber game except for a few players. Sad because of the goonery displayed.
Emelin should not have gone after Malone, he knew he was making an illegal hit.
Malone totally over-reacted and showed a complete lack of restraint, kind of scary considering those guys are armored, and wielding sticks!
Cunneyworth keeps on working himself out of job.
Matty, I’ve been to Miami’s, pretty decent place! Never had their poutine though.
I was pretty high on Randy Cunnyworth prior to taking over as Head Coach. He might make a good one some day, but not today.
So was I, I thought he would bring energy and fire, and the let down was monumental.
I’ve seen a couple Bulldogs games in person this year; the cupboards are bare.
I’m getting the idea that the team was designed to peak this year; G and G rolled the dice post-lockout under the assumption that, with the neutral zone opened up, speed and talent would trump size and talent. What they didn’t see is the rise of large, talented players who can skate.
And what they completely missed is that their collection of small, talented players would, with few exceptions, be ground down (Gionta, Gomez) or would play on the periphery (Cammie, Gomez).
Even some of the bigger bodies, like AK, lost their desire to crash the net.
Perhaps Martin’s system was the right one — if you have players who, for whatever reason, won’t or can’t score from the crease, you need to play stifling D and capitalize on relatively few scoring chances.
What a mess. With little NHL-grade talent in Hamilton, GMs who’ve missed one of the most important developments since the lockout, and a lame-duck coach, we have a cascading series of problems that will be years to fix.
Fortunately, we DO have a decent core of players. Emelin. Price. Subban. Gorges. Cole. Desharnais. MaxPac. Cole. Eller. And some question marks in Plekanec, Markov, Bourque and Gionta. There’s something to build on, but …
Here’s hoping they can draft a stud this year. Get a GM who has a clue. Find the mythical, brilliant, bilingual coach (honestly, I liked Carbo). Pick up a couple 4th line grinders. Wingers for Plekanec. And a d-man who can … play D.
Agree, not much in Hamilton. Unless we count LL who we all know (but shouldn’t overestimate). More prospects in junior and college, a bunch of which will graduate to Hamilton next year. Next year should be a much more interesting year in Hamilton.
The fact that our best prospects are still in junior and college says that we are not going to get an influx of young talent next year (unless the 2nd overall pick is ready to step right in, which is possible).
I was really big on Avstin since he was playing pro hockey in Russia as a 17 yr old. Have not heard boo from him in AHL, how does he look?
Who should be the next GM, and who should he hire as the next Coach?
GM = André Savard
Coach = Bob Hartley (I don’t know how we get him out of Zurich)
Airplane.
Operation Hartley Drop
That’s the question…everyone thinks a change will solve everything. There are dolts everywhere out there.
One of the monks that followed Buddha once said of him:
Being close to him is the same as not being close to him
In that vein:
Watching the Montreal Canadiens is the same as not watching the Montreal Canadiens
—Hope Springs Eternal—
With their first overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens are pleased to pick ??? from some obscure high school in Minnesota.
Maybe they can re-draft David Fisher.
Jacob Trouba, D, from the American developmental program. Every time I see him listed in the draft rankings I think oh no, not again. He could be great, I don’t know, I just don’t like the recent history for the Habs.
Minnesota would be nice, they’re pretty big guys out there like in Western Canada, right?
Sadly it will probably be some 5’8″ Center from Switzerland or Russia.
If the Laffs lose tonight in Chicago, then it’s possible that Ron Wilson will be canned to be replaced by…Jacques Martin!
The Count’s first game,coincidentally,will be Saturday night at the Bell Centre vs the Habs.
Jocko promises to bring his notepad,and should the Leafs hold a 1 goal lead midway thru the 1st period,he’ll sit on it for the rest of the game.
Should make for a fun evening.
Both radio stations here are calling for his head, even the Greek God of Toronto Sports Radio (Kypreos) is calling for Wilson’s head.
Good day in Toronto!
What, he wants it to replace his own that Vandenbussche took?
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Just saw that the laffs lost last night…day is getting better……almost time for lunch as well….
You heard it here first, the next coach in Laff land will be Randy Carlyle…probally getting on a plane right now.
L-osers
E-ven
A-fter
F-orty Four
S-easons
”You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky
The hilarious thing is the F can stand for fifty too
__________________________________
Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
Now that is a good one…love it…..
I know, a gift from the hockey gods.
”You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky
I just noticed that Jarred Tinordi is leading the OHL in +/-. He plays on an excellent team which helps. But it’s still notable that he’s +39 and the next best teammate is +29.
He’s still going to need at least one year (maybe more) in the AHL.
The Habs could be a up and coming team in about 2-3 years from now.
Hope so, can’t drop much farther now, can they?
we said 2 or 3 years ago. but yeah, i agree.
Well, I’m counting on a top 2 pick this year! Plus we do have quite a few decent prospects in the system. Plus, we got some extra picks in the next two drafts.
The OHL is a long way from the NHL but glad to see some positive numbers form this kid.
”You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Can’t wait to get him up to the Habs. He is HUGE and we need size.
So how are our prospects playing these days? Anything good happening on the Pribyl front over in Czech Republic?
Pribyl: His stats sure don’t show much. Not really scoring. But he’s a youngster playing with adults.
WHL: Holland, Gallagher, Dietz all doing fine.
OHL: Tinordi – see comment above.
QMJHL: Bournival, Beaulieu and Ellis all have good point totals and are on very good teams, heading for good playoff runs.
NCAA: Quailer back from injury. Kristo getting point per game. Pateryn and Bennett chugging away, but slowed down their offensive game from earlier in year (not surprising for stay at home Pateryn).
Here is an article on Mr. Pribyl from allhabs.net.
http://www.allhabs.net/canadiens-prospects/daniel-pribyl-could-he-be-the-next-ales-hemsky/#en
———————————
How about it NHL? No fighting, just hockey?
http://relentlessineptitude.blogspot.com/
Yikes on Grigorenko, the supposed #2 overall pick in June:
Mikhail Grigorenko: There had been whispers over the past month that all may not be wonderful when it comes to the scouting world’s perception of Grigorenko’s competitiveness, but the whispers have grown into full-blown skepticism in some circles. “He could fall right off the map,” said one scout who asserted that his club won’t be considering him in the first round.
“He doesn’t want to compete. If he’s there at 25 and we are picking, we go by him.”
His concerns were echoed by another eastern conference scout who insisted his team will not select the talented Russian no matter where they end up in the standings. “He’s a dog. Take a look at what games Grigorenko gets his points. He gets a handful the other night against PEI. none at Moncton, and one assist (in the nationally televised game) in Saint John. A couple of weeks ago in Rimouski he’s minus 6. He scares the (crap) out of me.” While there’s no denying his skill level, and his 73 points in 39 games as a QMJHL rookie are a testament to his offensive abilities, there will be a lot of teams watching him closely in the playoffs to see whether he has the competitive streak scouts like to see in their top five prospects. As of right now a number of teams have several players ranked ahead of him, and that trend will continue if he does not learn to compete at a higher level.
__________________________________
Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
If we don’t get the #1 pick (will take a lottery win of Titanic Proportions) I wonder if we should trade down a few spots get a 2nd 1st round pick (probably in next years draft) and take a flyer on Galchenyuk. The guy probably has the best combination of size and skill in the draft. Yes he hurt his knee, but he is young and while Markov is fresh on our minds, Gorges has been fine, The Wiz is fine with his multiple knee operations.
And then we have another 1st round pick perhaps the following year.
I’m a bit leery of Russians, what with the KHL, Radulov, Zherdev, Filatov
__________________________________
Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
But then there’s Markov, Datsyuk, Kovalchuck, Zubov…
…Emelin…?
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Faksa’s the kid they want. 6’3, 200+ lbs center, rookie of the month 3 times, wasn’t even on the radar at the start of the year, but busted his butt every night and has already risen up to #4 on the list as of the latest list. This kid is golden, has a tremendous work ethic, comes from a program that keeps rolling out NHL products (including the last two Calder trophy faves Skinner and Landeskog) and is the big center the club’s needed for decades now. Give me some of that and stay away from the guys with questionable work ethics already.
I’ve been thinking what you’re thinking. He’s an interesting option!
Plekanec gifted with great size and a larger upper limit because of that size basically.
This.
Trade down a few spots, get an additional 2nd and 3rd pick next year, then pick Galchenyuk. Faksa if Galchenyuk gets plucked first.
Yes, this pick scares me a bit.
I have a bad feeling we will draft this kid and wind up with another Yashin… or worse… another AK46.
“There’s genius everywhere, but until they turn pro, it’s like popcorn in the pan. Some pop… some don’t.”
- Jerry Maguire
If I was the GM for whichever scouts said these things I’d probably fire them.
Boxscore scouting is pathetic.
That’s all the much-revered “prospect expert” SeriousFan09 ever did.
Cheap shot. SF09 never said he was a “prospect expert”, you did. All Robert said was that he loved the Canadiens and wanted to focus on the prospects, and kept a running update of how the youths were doing in their respective leagues, from various media sources. That’s all.
http://www.allhabs.net/canadiens-prospects/catching-the-torch-hollands-heroics/#en
———————————
How about it NHL? No fighting, just hockey?
http://relentlessineptitude.blogspot.com/
I saw that article a couple days ago, that’s a big stumbling block for me. During the Taylor vs. Tyler draft, there were no naysayers, only that each had different skillsets and both would make excellent NHL’ers. This year we don’t seem to have that assurance.
———————————
How about it NHL? No fighting, just hockey?
http://relentlessineptitude.blogspot.com/
TSN’s Bob McKenzie retweeted this quote from Kravchuk Igor just a little while ago about the Emelin-Malone issue last night:
“Emelin wasn’t right going after Malone, when he didn’t have puck, Malone has moral right to go after Emelin, that is exactly what is fight for.”
Not perfect English, but you get the gist. Bob McKenzie said that’s how he saw it, too.
I find it interesting how Bob McKenzie and others can completely ignore the blatantly late, dangerous hit from behind Malone laid out on Emelin that began it all. Frankly, while Emelin’s hit was certainly late, it was a clean hit in retaliation for a late, dangerous hit.
Pisses me off that respected members of the hockey press fail to see that Malone started it all and feel he was in the right to go off the handle.
Malone’s hit was questionable but Emelin had the puck. There was nothing clean about Emelin’s hit on Malone. Malone did not have the puck nor did he prior to the hit. Emelin’s hit was in retaliation. Emelin should have waited until Malone actually had the puck. Malone’s response was understandable.
There is a hsitory there too…last timet hey played malone was pissed because Emelin caught him clean….he ran around all that game after him too. Someone else should have known that and taken care of it after the first hit from behind
It’s not that I feel Emelin should have hit Malone the way he did – it was illegal and he got the penalty he deserved for it. And Malone had total right to want to fight Emelin.
But putting Malone on moral high ground is simply stupid since he pissed off Emelin in the first place with a much more dangerous hit from behind.
You honestly think that 3-year-old temper-tantrum/hissy-fit is understandable??
Yikes.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
A guy doesn’t drop the gloves and you go at him anyway? Malone got what he deserved. So did Emelin. The ref’s got it right. 2 min for Emelin, and 2,5,10 and a game for Malone.
For God’s sake, be a man and take a hit. Go after him after a bit and yell, but to react in the crazy wild eyed way he did was stupid. Its a hit. COLE gets them all the time after the whistle and without the puck and he just skates away. But then again he is a real man. That’s why Malone has 600 penalty minutes (more than he has games) and somehow is still a career minus player despite playing with the Pens when they won the Cup and a good (and bad) Tampa team.
Exactly.
I have no issue with Malone or Emelin being pissed about the hits. What is stupid, in my opinion, is feeling that Malone somehow had a moral high ground here. He didn’t. They both perpetrated cheap hits on each other and frankly Malone’s reaction was absurd. He needed a time out in the corner and now he’s got it.
Malone’s reaction was more than stupid, it was scary. A bit psycho.
Richard R
I would just like to see someone end Malone with a knee on knee. Blow his knee caps and let him spend next year on the operation table and another on crutches.
And what has Emelin done before that ?Come on VT ,yEMI’S GAME IS TO KILL YOU AGAINST THE BOARDS and if your gonna give your gonna get ….that’s how he got his face broken!
I’m not saying he doesn’t play a hard-hitting game and shouldn’t expect others to come after him, but Malone began it with a much more dangerous check from behind. Emelin’s hits are largely clean. Just think it’s ridiculous that McKenzie and others put Malone on moral high ground after he pissed off Emelin with a dangerous hit from behind that the ref’s missed.
If you listen to guys like MacKenzie, you will end up like the leafs do since the 60′s.
Ha. Point taken.
Neither the first nor the last time Knuckle-dragger Malone attacks from behind.
The Molsons have bought the Canadiens three times (four if you count the one time a Molson sold to another Molson). “Buy high, sell low” seems to be their guiding principle.
September 24, 1957
Senator Hartland de M. Molson and his brother, Thomas H.P. Molson, purchase Club de Hockey Canadien and the Canadian Arena Company.
This is the greatest Hab dynasty ever. In the middle of its 5 consecutive Stanley Cups. However two years after the purchase the team went on a 4 year run without making the finals.
August 4, 1978
Molson Breweries of Canada Ltd., under the terms of an agreement with Carena Bancorp, acquire Club de Hockey Canadien and sign a long-term lease on the Forum covering the operation of the team as well as the entertainment division.
This is the second greatest Hab dynasty ever. The team wins two more cups until the Molsons appoint as GM their crony (and future convicted felon) Irving Grundman against the wishes of Sam Pollock (who was grooming one W.S. Bowman for the post). Bowman and Jacques Lemaire leave after fighting with Grundman. The decline starts.
June 20, 2009
George N. Gillett Jr and Geoff Molson announce that they have reached an agreement in principle for the sale of the Gillett family’s interests in the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club, the Bell Centre and Gillett Entertainment Group.
Not a dynasty of course but Gillett had righted the ship. In 2008 the Canadiens finished first in their conference playing exciting firewagon hockey for the first time in decades. Two years later the Canadiens “enjoyed” their worst season since world war two.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
+1000
Shouldn’t the third time be the charm? Or just the last time it happens.
Excellent post my man! I think this is something that we as fans had been ignoring since the beginning of the season. There has been substantial finger-point at everyone from Gainey, to Gauthier, to Martin and now to Cunneyworth. Practically every player on this team (with the exception of Cole and maybe Pacioretty and Gorges) have been blamed for the decline of this team. But where does the President and owners in all of this?
“There’s genius everywhere, but until they turn pro, it’s like popcorn in the pan. Some pop… some don’t.”
- Jerry Maguire
It’s just a sinister plot to get us to drink more beer.
________________________________________
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
Drink more beer?
Don’t mind if I do!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
See? It’s working!
La Molson c’est ce qu’on boi chez nous!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5YTfHta1uM
________________________________________
“Hey Richard, two minutes for looking so good!”
I find this to be a little disturbing, but I want to remind everyone that we weren’t playing ‘firewagon’ hockey under Guy Carbonneau.
Agreed 100%.
I used to work at the Belle and used to run into George Gillett (and Jacques Demers at the smoked meat stand) all the time. GG was so nice! He used to talk to the guys selling food, merch, etc… he used to ride the freight elevator instead of the fancy one with the hot female ushers. He was there. He had a presence.
I still have friends there and nobody has seen Mr. Molson. When we used to get slammed in the kitchen for the lodges (I mean record nights), GG would give a 24 (of Molson) to that crew.. it may have been indirectly but it was under his watch. I know this hasn’t happened anymore. They are penny pinching worse than before (and wow, do they ever count EVERYTHING).
I miss George. He did a wonderful job and the passion was obvious. I just can’t trust a Molson… they import Coors ffs.
Wow.
That says a lot !
Nice Post !
Habs, OLE !
Man, I just had a really, really good breakfast.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Top this… Oatmeal with oat bran, wheat bran, ground flax seeds and raisins topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and a bit of maple syrup…and a cup of fresh ground coffee.
OK,,,your turn.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
You staying at the Waldorf Astoria these days Punkster?
It’s my standard morning fare. I’m a creature of habit and make a variation on that theme pretty well every morning.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
I had the antithesis of your breakfast.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Details please.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
First of all, it was at Miami, a strangely Carribbean-themed 24-hour diner on Sherbrooke east of Papineau, complete with large plastic tropical fish hanging from the ceiling.
French toast, ham, sausages, bacon, hash browns, scrambled egg, orange, watermelon, canteloupe, maple syrup, crusty toast, and… get this… they actually bring a thermos of coffee to your table so that you don’t have to flag down the waitresses every five minutes.
Oh, and it was with my lady. Dropped the kid off at daycare and breakfasted it up before work. Sweet.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Awesome, Matty!!!
***Subbang Baby!!!***
Agree with the comments for sure, again just a thought. Gionta not being in the dressingroom for the last part of the season has made a big difference. Here is hoping for management being intelligent at the draft. A turnaround can happen, look at the Sens this year.
Yup, the Sens managed to get a mentor for every young kid they have at every position.
Our GM needs to identify the young ones to build around and get them a mentor here. I think PK could use another Gill type, Emelin has Markov, Max has Cole, DD has Gionta… Find someone for Eller, get Gomez off the ice already. Get some rugged wingers and D…. ugh… too much to think about. I agree though, some real veterans that do their jobs are key for this young group.
JF!, We are ready to rebuild through the draft and development of the youth starting now.
The main reason that Bob did not, was Gillette had invested a great deal into our 100th anniversary program year, and wanted Bob to ice the best possible team for that year.
So therefore the crazy pick up of Gomez etc. and the sacrifice of a lot of youth. He wanted product now at the expense of the future.
Long term pain for short term gain was the way they managed for the 100th year.!
Ian finally someone says the Gomez trade was on Gillette, thank you. The mandate Bob had under Gillette, was to improve the team as fast as possible, the future be dammed. Gillette made out pretty good on his investment, and thats all the Canadiens were to him, an investment.
That is the way it went down my friend, people want to dump on Bob! but he was doing Gillette’s business for him. And Gillette wanted the big 100th splash and then sell.!
No one wants to believe Gillette was in the mix when they made those moves. They have the hate for BG and PG. It’s time to move on now, with or without them. Retool.
They are going to rebuild through the draft now.
Priceless! I just listened to the audio clip wher e the reporter asks Cunneyworth why Gomez gets so much time on the pp.
THIS IS A CLASSIC :
CUNNEYWORTH:
” Well he`s a Power Play guy. -
He`s a guy that’s creative, and can set up people. So, it`s an opportunity to get him extra minutes. Again, we`re just trying to do what we have to in these special team situations that will get us some results”.
Personally I’ve been asking and waiting the entire season for someone to ask the coach why Gomez must play on every power play. Finally I got my answer. Let`s break down his response:
1) Well he`s a power play guy.
I can only laugh out loud at this one.
2) He`s a guy that is creative and can set up people.
(oh yeah that must be why he has so many assists this year and why all the wingers that play with him get so many goals. what games are you watching RC?)
3) Its an opportunity to get him extra minutes.
Wonderful, That’s why you were hired as a coach. Not to try and win but to so you could find a way to get Scott Gomez extra minutes. Keep up the good work. By the way , Scott Gomez has been very effective at killing penalties the last two seasons, so why don’t we use that as an opportunity to get him extra minutes? Or are you just lying, RC? It not about getting him extra minutes, it is quite specifically about getting him power play minutes. It also begs the question: Why are you looking for an opportunity to get him extra minutes? Are you being pressured by management to do so? Has he done anything to merit the extra minutes?
4) Again, we are trying to do what we have to in these special team situations that will get us some results.
Oh yeah, right. What kind of results are we striving for?. Have you nooticed that we are dead last in the power play. Again you mention “special team situations” but Gomez has proven that he is effective on the Penalty Kill, yet you don`t use him there. he has also proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is NOT EFFECTIVE on the PowerPlay nor does he produce any results . We would do just as well , or perhaps even better, if we sent Gomez to the Penalty Box, and played 4 against 4 than we have done with him on the ice as part of the power play.
The only logical explanation for this answer is that the “results” you are trying to get are not the same results that one would expect. We thought that the results we are trying to achieve is to score as many power play goals as possible. What exactly are the “results” that you are trying to achieve?
regards,
Steve O.
Try being the coach!
U have a 7+ million dollar black hole sucking the life out of your team and you can’t send him to the minors.
What can he do? put him in net? ond Defence? on the PK?
I’m sure Cunneyworth is not authorized to be this honest.
j.p. murray
KIRK MULLER is gone! have you noticed?
RC isnt that bright. He is not a good coach, and I think he was hired by HH to initiate the tank, brilliant move on HH’s part.
Kinda frustrating to me to read this. Last 5 years excluding this year Gomez was ranked top 3 in forwards for PowerPlay points. Even despite his lack of production in Montreal. Only Pleks has more.
I’m not saying Gomez is worth it, but I think people have to look at the ENTIRE reality. Our forwards don’t score. Gomez has led in assists (and points) his entire career except in Montreal. Cause honestly, other than Cammi in the playoffs during our big run, OUR BOYS SUCK AT SCORING. Look at our shootout stats.
Blame the guy who put 10-15 goals on Gio’s stick this season, but Gio missed. Last night, AND EVERY NIGHT we take about 10 shots in key opportunities and we don’t come anywhere near the net.
So depressing to see. With some quality players, the management and coaching staff can’t even figure out how to score. Obvious needs are screaming out to be met like dumping the perennial mess of a forward Scott Gomez who for no known reason is still playing in the NHL. Kaberle, a roll of the dice effort to help the abysmal power play has been the dud he was in Carolina and also brings a $4.2 million cap hit. Two players with an $11.5 million cap hit and both truly stink. So who is to blame for this decent into nothingness? The players? The Management or both? Clearly Molson doesn’t want to see his asset value diminish, so you can’t believe that he wants the team to lose, but to keep employing the vegan GM Gauthier who has made so many bad moves and trades would be insanity (keep doing the same thing… you know the line). So let’s look at the team shall we;
Price-Good, not great. Yes he can play long hours and has lost 16 games to one goal efforts by his ineffective forwards. He’ll be expensive to sign on a long term basis and will have to keep improving and at 24 can still be a franchise goalie with better results than the questionable Lou in Vancouver.
Cole-The best thing about the team. A trade-in stand-up guy. Keep him ’til he retires. No disputes here.
Max-Pac- Good not great. Plays with a good effort in most games, young and will improve if stays healthy.
PK Subban – His mind is the problem and while rumors of a trade are daily, Montreal would roo the day that it happened. If he continues to improve (sports psychologist) and is given some skating room by the coaching staff, he can still be an irritant, score goals and brick-up the blue-line.
Plekanec – Please don’t talk about a trade. He has been moved around so much it’s tough to keep your eyes focused. His skills and heart cannot be questioned and will improve on a consistent line. He has experience and can score goals on the PP and is important on the leagues best PK.
Ryan White – Some moxie, some skills and a willingness to throw the gloves off. Good to have him back and will be an asset moving forward.
Lars Eller – Slick stick skills, good head and an ability to make things happen. Well worth the Halak trade and will be a core first or second liner going forward.
David Desharnais – Who would have believed that this little gadfly would put up the numbers he has. The two and a half men line is ideal and most of the offense on the Canadians this year and likely will be in the next few years too. If he can be protected and continue his slick hands and eye on positioning, he will be a valuable member of the team moving forward.
Alexei Emelin – Great heart, great checking skills and too bad he had his face rebuilt as he wouldn’t question throwing the gloves off like Malone challenged him to do last night. Hope he stays and has a guy like Stuabitz to protect him, although Staubitz has to play a little more instead of dropping the gloves for no reason at all.
Josh Gorges – Solid blue liner who will be a veteran and important changing room leader as well as teacher on the ice. He can’t do it all with PK and needs some support that is lacking in Kaberle, Campoli, Diaz, Weber, et al.
That’s two lines in a four line game. Any wonder why the Canadiens are seeing fans with bags on their heads? A shocking fall since the 80′s when other teams have rebuilt and didn’t use the excuse of the French, Canadien dollar or taxes phase the management. Of all the remaining players on the roster today, Markov is likely to end his career after an on-ice check will leave him permanently useless. As for Geoffrion, the recent addition, perhaps a third or forth liner, along with Louis Leblanc who is no hot goal scorer or play maker. It’s a shame Bourque can’t seem to get his game together as he has the size and skills but seems to be AK46 the sequel. Better than Cammy? Not likely, Cammy wore out his welcome and knew the ship was sinking. Still shocking the Habs rank 5th for teams to play on.
Promote the Youth, Support From The Veterans and Remember the Heritage!
Plexs : Too soft and gets thrown off his game …
Ryan White : Can’t score
Josh Gorges: a 4 million dollar shot blocker who is no Bobby Orr. Has problems clearing the net and say’s the same dam thing in the locker room”and that’s working,eh?”
The Habs need athletes like Malone and Gustad to really show the young up and comers what the NHL game is truly about and who can score.
I agree, we need at least two goal scorers, but I have to believe that the season and it’s poor management brings out the worst in everybody. Gionta isn’t much of a scorer either and he is the Captain, so it leaves us with less than two lines, but if we have some one or two (Staubitz, White) looking out for the softies, then Pleks can have some skating room.
Promote the Youth, Support From The Veterans and Remember the Heritage!
Malone is a coward, who got himself thrown out of the game for his actions. His actions last night were cruel, and I have nothing but detest for men of his sort.
pleks plays with someone new everynight.
white isn’t paid to score dumbass.
and georges has more leadership and shots blocked than anybody in the league, so even if you had a malone or gaustad (which by the way are doing quite shitty this year for much better teams than montreal) we would go no were, it’s not just the players its the managment, this team gave up way long ago, its clear they want to get the high draft pick. for all we know the players might be purposly playing like crap so that the gm and coaches are changed at the end of the year…
Farther down this thread, 24Cups has a very good analysis of why the Habs are such a bad team this year, and Ozmodiar and HabFanSince72 contribute good points. I think just about everything is covered, from the Markov situation, coaching, and poor training camp to defence, lack of offensive depth, the powerplay, and third period collapses. These posters all suggest what most fans now recognize to be a necessity – a rebuild focusing on 2014, which means another year near the bottom and another high draft pick; no major moves next season except dumping the Gomez contract and possibly signing or trading for a big, tough defenceman; developing our young players and adding our high draft picks; then, in 2014, addressing holes in the roster and moving forward from there.
My biggest concern right now is that Geoff Molson won’t see things this way, that Gauthier will manage to convince him the roster just needs a bit of tweaking to make the team competitive. Instead of opting for a rebuild, this blind, arrogant, incompetent management might repeat Gainey’s monumental error after the centennial debacle by handing out more bloated contracts to a bunch of free agents to give us a chance of making the playoffs. In other words, that nothing will change. How do we know Geoff Molson has a clue what to do? How do we even know Gauthier will be gone?
A lot of our players will be put into different situations for the remainder of this season. Just to find out who they will be bringing back for next years roster.
How many players will be replaced on our roster.?
My count is down to 6. now that Cammy, Gill, and Andre are gone.
Just a thought. Would you trade Subban for a top center like Gezlaf?
Sure! then we will play games with only forwards! who needs defence?
No..we aren’t going to be in the mix for a couple of years. That would just defeat the purpose of deveoping this team.
Kind of funny the concept of trading our best Dman to get a top Centre is eerily similar to continually sticking ones finger in the hole of the leaky boat, only to have to remove it when another hole is found.
No. Getzlaf is great but we need a 40 goal scorer with size. The only way I trade PK is for that. Stamkos, yes (and I’d throw in anyone else they wanted). I’d trade him for Logan Couture. And I’d trade him for Toews. But no one is giving these guys up. And we can’t contemplate this until Gomez if off our Cap.
Not on your life!
Subban is a young stud D man with enormous potential. Getzlaf is an excellent power forward that will likely be on the decline (getting injured) by the time we can provide him with a cup contending supporting cast.
Subban is younger, a Dman, and projects better over the next 10 years.
* Too many of us can’t see what we have in this kid!
j.p. murray
@HabFanSince72
Believe it or not, if fighting was removed from the game I’d be OK with it. Because all teams would be on an equal playing flied and one team could not attempt to gain momentum by challenging, taunting or beating on another team.
Lets face it, Boston and a couple other teams have focused on the Canadiens lack of toughness and have used it to their advantage.
Players like Emelin and Subban are constantly facewashed, pushed around and taunted and it throws them off their games. They’re always looking over their shoulder after every whistle and possibly second guessing themselves in certain situations because they know they’ll be the ones who have to fight the other teams tough guy.
Now with Staubitz and White in the lineup there is at least more of a chance the other teams tough guy will be preoccupied and aim his aggression towards them.
Overall fighting should go. Two 230lbs guys just can’t punch each other in the face with bear fists. But if fighting is tolerated and you’re one of the only teams in the league who doesn’t prepare for it, you’re not protecting your players and you’re a weak general manager.
You’ll dislike this but Lucic does it right. He gets an idea in his head and he goes for it. But he doesn’t just invite you to go. He comes 50 feet, nudging this guy, shoving that guy, bulling his way through to his target. Then he gets a penalty. But three guys on the opposing team are thinking about Lucic and not the game. When he is next on the ice all three trip over themselves running towards or away from Lucic.
Malone did the same thing to Emelin last night. Cranked him borderline and Emelin took a penalty for a needless pay back hit. Malone then tried to get Emelin to do it again and it fell apart. If the Habs had a powerplay at all that would have been the game. Malone wasn’t mad at Emelin. He was pissed that it didn’t work a second time.
Come on Mr. Boone, what gives? Two articles by Hickey both referring to a blind side hit by Emelin.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
it clearly was not blind sided, he hit legally with out the puck. blind side is malone on campoli during pre-season. Hickey is from old school… if you hit like that you should back it up… but i disagree, it gets people way out of there head like Malone last night… Keep it up Juggernaught Emlin!!!!!!!!!
We need Yakupov! This team needs a player who can put the puck in the net. A guy who can play the half-wall on the PP, a guy with fire! Look at Stamkos, he’s a threat to score every shot he takes, and Yakupov is cut from the same mold, coming from Sarnia and being that kind of player. Lets hope we can win that lottery.
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
One out of 4 chance of getting him my friend. But we will do just fine picking one of the top 4 and a pile of picks in the first two rounds.
Mea Culpa.
I want to publicly apologize to all the fight fans.
I finally get it.
When our guy fought their guy in retaliation for another one of our guys doing something to still another one of their guys, I got really excited.
When the guy who wears the uniform of the team I support broke the nose of the guy who plays for the opposing team, I think I must have had a surge of testosterone. It made me feel invincible.
Man it felt great to see the guy who wears the uniform of the team I support break the nose of the guy who plays for the opposing team, in retaliation for the thing our guy did to one of their guys in retaliation for the thing that guy had done to him.
I felt like more of a man when our guy bloodied the face of their guy to avenge something their guy did to our guy.
I get it now. I think I’ll call up Hobie. Maybe we can go drinking together and pick fights with other guys.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Why don’t you go all the way, head down the highway to Torranna and go on a drinking binge with CHerry!
@HabFanSince72
LOL. I’m always up for a couple beers but my days of picking fights in bars ended about 14 years ago when I turned 22-years-old.
OK just beers then.
(Hope you’re not offended.)
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
I appreciate what Staubitz can bring in defending teammates and allowing Subban and Emelin to throw the body with less fear of retribution.
My concern is, can this guy play hockey?
j.p. murray
Sarcasm, right?
Haha
I honestly know nothing about this guy, but getting him on re-entry waivers gives me little reason for hope.
But man can he break skulls!
j.p. murray
Sorry, I posted in wrong spot! I was trying to respond to HabsFanSince72 and his ‘appreciation’ of fighting.
Re: Staubitz, in today’s NHL, the Habs still need someone like him. But I think he is a 5 min per game guy. You can’t have him along with 7 D.
Moment of truth
It happened in summer of 2009.
Gainey allowed 11 free-agents to walk, inlcuding our entire leadership core (Koivu, Kovalev, Komisareck).
At that point we could have simply tanked for a few years and drafted several superstars
Instead he threw money at the UFA market, adding Moen, Gill, Spacek.
He then made one of the wors trades of all time in acquiring Gomez. He did this to attract Gionta, and Cammalleri.
That season we went to the eastern conference final and last yea we gave the eventual champs all they could handle.
It’s been one hell of a run! And it happened b/c Gainey said damn the consequences and gambled on the best talent he could get a hold of in a very short period of time.
Now, the consequences have arrived and we are all bitching about it.
In summer 2009 Gainey could have let this team collapse, and we may have drafted 1st overall in 2010 and 2011 (Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) and would still have Ryan McDonaugh.
But we wouldn’t have had the past 2 play-off runs.
What would I have done if I were in Gainey’s shoes in the summer of 2009?????
j.p. murray
Hindsight is 20/20 my friend…
Yes it is, so what would you have done???
I’m asking b/c I honestly can’t answer.
j.p. murray
If I recall Kovalev was offered a good contract but he sat on his hands to long so Gainey signed other players….just saying….
I heard the same of Komisarick. Gainey waited about a second b4 he offered the same money to other players.
My point is, that a rebuild was never on his mind.
j.p. murray
And you know how long he waited…..how?
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
I only know what they reported. Kovalev came back with a counter offer a day later but was told his money had been spent
j.p. murray
That’s not seconds is it? And that’s also not Komisarek.
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
Rebuild was never on his mind or on our minds either. Until you hit rock bottom like this year no one wants to give up. Gainey rolled the dice and lost when he thought the new league would be great for the small forwards. Even though most think the management are fools, I think they were hit by a brick the last few months and even they know it’s time to retool.
well said
j.p. murray
don’t forget to mention trading of 1st and 2nd round pick for tanguay and 2 1st round players in higgins & mcdonaugh or gomez,
pierre gauthier was very involved in these deals as assistant gm and head of player evaluation.
The reason EMILIN will not fight is that he is wearing two metal plates implanted in his skull, from days playing in Europe.!
How long before this naked emperor gets found out?
“Burke kept telling everybody Tuesday how he was offered a total of four first-round draft picks in various transactions at Monday’s deadline and didn’t budge”
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
The radio puckheads (here in Toronto) are finally starting to find out the lack of clothing on Burke. Pretty sad, but makes my days brighter.
Why is he even admitting this? “I was offered a fix for next year but decided to say no thanks!”
So you failed? Gotcha
He is really losing it, and he is finally being exposed for being the carny he is. His big dramatic speeches of deflecting the truth of how bad his team is, may finally be sinking in.
But people love his openess. He’s a politician. Unlike PG who says vary little Burke loves the mike.
The score means nothing for the rest of the year. I actually hope they lose more than they win to finish as close to the bottom as possible for better positioning in the July draft.
Emelin is just gifted in the art of catching people with spectacular open ice hits. You don’t see that too often anymore and it’s sweet to have a player like that on our team.
Staubitz is a good addition. I couldn’t believe his success rate in all his fights I checked out online, he is a legit heavyweight. I still believe Emelin needs a defense partner who can fight like Staubitz because of guys like Malone and Thornton going after him following big hits.
And finally, like I said above, the score for the remainder of the year is meaningless. The team is going to have a new coach, general manager, there should be a new CBA, the Canadiens have an early draft pick, there will be trades and signings, so much can happen before next season.
A new coach with a full season in front of him and a few adjustments can get the Canadiens into the playoffs next year.
Blah blah blah. Wah wah wah. Sniff snort sniffle.
Go Habs!
I watched the game last night. It was pathetic . We played an AHL team with a few strong NHL players and lost.
Hey PG nice pick up in Blake Geoffrion. I watched the kid on several shifts and one can safely conclude that he is completely outclassed and over matched at this level. He is slow and cannot skate. On one shift he was on his rear three times. Simply pathetic. I guess PG feels he can placate the Quebec nationalist element by playing some kid whose last name reminds us of the days when this was a hockey team.
PG and Gainey are dolts and Molson have proven when some may have always felt . He is a dilatant of the first order.
One the one hand I am sorry the team lost but on the other I am glad they lost as this may precipitate PG and Gainey’s ouster.
It is really too bad that guy from RIM did not buy the team. He would not have put up with this gross incompetence.
Question:
How many more games do you think we need to lose before PG is ousted?
mjames
Your opinion of Geoffrion couldn’t be further from the truth.
That guy at RIM hasn’t exactly managed RIM that well the past couple years, perhaps not the best example. The Molson Corp. is in far better shape than RIM.
I stopped reading when you decided Geoffrion had a bad game. He actually did pretty well, but I guess you know better after watching a whole 1 of his games and only seeing negatives.
As much as I dislike Gauthier, reading posts like yours shows me how much better we are off with him than 99.9% of posters on this site….and most don’t even write garbage like that.
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
I think everyone knows PG will be gone April 8th. As for the rest, what reason do you even have to root for the team? You hate the young players, the veterans, The coaching and the management.
By the way, its astonishing to me how a kid who has never played on this team before gets one game and you have already written him off. Actually its not that astonishing, but I was trying to prove a point.
whats really sad, is people like Mjames here who have no tribulation of a name like Geoffrion can do to a player… everybody knows hes not here to score 50 goals a season, he has heart, he can drop them with the best of him, and he did not look out of place yesterday, you clearly were blinded by your anger with management for dealing kostysin, because Blake was the only guy that was a Plus for the habs last night. yes his skating is awkward but his hockey sense isn’t he knows how to play the game and skating can be improved in the off season. he’s not a superstar but he is a big body that can play on the 3rd line with a bit of offensive upside… i say relax breath and look forward to the draft, we have prospects and btw kostysin wasn’t going to sign with the habs at the end of the year. neither was Gill…
Wow. You manage to trash a good debut for Geoffrion, make it a “Quebec thing” and elevate the ex-boss of a stumbling and incompetent company, all in one brief post. May be a new HI/O record for missing the mark.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
You mean dilettante.
People here have added an extra coating of rose on their tinted lenses. Geoffrion looked like he will never be anything better than a career AHLer.
And did you get that from 1 game or did you watch the other 40 or so he has played too?
That’s what I thought.
Go Habs Go!!
“Fans are great, but the quickest way to start losing is to listen to them.” – Sam Pollock
Based on what assessment? You have seen him play ONCE, and I question your rose coloured glasses. But its funny that Pro scouts, analysts and coaches (you know guys who actually work in the NHL, not guys dreaming like their beer league team is ‘Les Boys’).
Ladouceur disagrees with you. But its OK. When this kid fights for 2nd or 3rd line I will be around to remind you of your post, BASED ON ONE GAME ON A TEAM IN LAST PLACE.
Funny how Nashville and the bestest coach Trots disagrees with you as well. Mostly cause he played him 22 games.
I will also point out by you same level of measuring, I guess AK is going to be sent to the AHL, cause Geoffrion had a better game than AK did. Wow, what a failed trade that was for Nashville, I guess Poile gets fired tomorrow.
I wonder?
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospect/blake_geoffrion
***Subbang Baby!!!***
Dude, don’t you know HH has way more experience than people who do this for a living???? He watches ESPN. The coverage is excellent, you would be surprised by what you can pick up.
I think we need to do what T-Bay did and add solid, dependable, not flashy, but capable defencemen.
Diaz, Campoli, Weber, and Kaberle seriously need to grow a pair!
I’d like to see Diaz on the bulldogs next season, and Kaberle too since we can’t possibly trade him.
Emellin, Subban, and Gorges should be our only returning D for next season. Sign 2 new guys and bring-up Nash or St.Denis
j.p. murray
Why the heck does Hickey write “Alexei Emelin was given a two-minute penalty for a blindside hit of Malone in the second period.”
It was Emelin who was blindsided behind our goal, hit from behind against the boards. The Emelin hit on Malone at our blue line was face to face.
Was there another hit we all missed?
***Subbang Baby!!!***
Easy now! Hickey was once a great sports writer.
I think he still much prefers Diaz over Emelin.
Punkster, Leave Mr. Hickey alone, his eyes get tired from driving back and forth to the Eastern Townships every day!
We all saw Emilin take a cheap shot behind the net and pay back a little to high at the blue line. To bad he can’t fight because of two metal plates in his head from playing in Europe.
Now I know why RC coached so many years in the AHL, because he belongs there.
or my daughters ringette team.
5 games ago this site was full of posters extoling the virtues of RC and then we score 5 goals in 5 games and he turns into a bum.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
Nope, not me, thought it was bad idea from day 1. He is peewee coach at best.
When management puts Gomez with his two-goal ability and Weber with his four-goal ability on the power play, they clearly are not serious about scoring.
Don’t forget Palushaj.
I don’t know what Boone sees in Palushaj ?
I can’t believe they (management and media) are expecting people to think he’s an NHLer ?
I don’t get this organization lately ?
Habs, OLE !
He has the speed and puck skills to be an NHL player, and a productive one. But he doesn’t work well with linemates(something he has improved on this season) but plays on the perimeter far too much.
Edit: I think he would benefit greatly if he were given some time on the left wing instead of the right. It would force him to move into the middle of the ice more often and almost always when he gets the puck on his stick.
Ya I kinda see what you’re saying.
But I only see little flashes here and there.
I would prefer to see Louie get the opportunity.
It seems like he has more upside IMO ?
Habs, OLE !
Well I thought Emelin did a great job with Malone… didn;t Malone do the same thing to Campoli at the beginning of the season?
Management had to know that with Emelin, Diaz and Weber taking prominent roles on defense that this team was in serious trouble from day one.
I don’t think they’ll be in the basement next season or heading into the future because the player personnel is strong at the forward position and we have young defensemen with the big club or that will be with the big club soon that will create depth and provide balance in the lineup.
Getting one of Yakupov, Grigorenko or Galchenyuk will be a huge addition to the roster and provide it with an elite skilled player immediately.
This all depends on who the next coaching staff is of course. If Randy Ladouceur gets so much as a sniff this team is in a lot of trouble.
What about Forsberg ?
Habs, OLE !
Not an elite talent.
None of the 3 you have listed will be an elite talent with the Habs unless the front office is cleaned out.
You think they’ll trade the pick?
They won’t be given authority to do it Tim.
Management had to know? This management group is unaware, unimaginative and unable to manage anything more complex than a bagged lunch.
I disagree about the bagged lunch comment. That would require foresight and planning on management’s part. Likely, they would go to store buy a can of soup, walk into lunch room and realize they didn’t have can opener.
somebody would have to give them a bagged lunch. To believe that they could get to a store, understand the concept of a purchase, find the lunch room, and know about can openers…..well you get the drift
You know what really kills me with all this ….had we won the last 5 in row instead of losing 5 in a row…..we’d be in 8th place and not feeling so MEH.
I have no interest in this edition of the Habs making the playoffs.
Just saying pick any 5 games they blown or not showed up for and as bad as everyone thinks this team is we’d be dancing.
This team aint that bad….with the exception of 8 of them they’re horrible.
I disagree. It is precisely those losses at this time of year which make the team “that bad”.
Their coaching is some of the worst that I’ve seen at any level in quite some time. Their lack of bite around their own net is embarrassing to watch and their lack of desire to stand up for one another(Staubitz notwithstanding) is also a disgrace to the jersey.
Staubitz, 64 games to late. Will stand up for his teamates. I think he’s gonna be a busy man the next month. Should have kept LL up as AP sucks. He is not NHL material.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
Since we’re playing counterfactual statement games….if we’d won all the games we’d lost we’d have an undefeated record and be first in the NHL.
———————–
GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez is an elite NHL player” – VancouverHab
Chat with me on Twitter @TheRealRGM81
Happy birthday Pocket!
It’s all been said before, but I wrote this last week and thought I would post it this morning. Just how bad is the team and why have they fallen so far, so fast?
Parity is a reality. NHL teams play an entire seven months to basically have their season decided by a handful of points.
Each year there are usually a half dozen teams that run ahead of the pack and are guaranteed a playoff spot. In fact, the league rules mandate that six division leaders get an automatic bye into the post season. It’s also fair to say that there will always be a few basement dwellers who have no help of ever coming close to making the playoffs. That leaves the other 22 teams to scratch and claw their way through 82 games to try and qualify for one of the remaining ten spots. This is how the post-lockout NHL works. Six divisions, a hard salary cap and three point games keeps all but the most inept in the hunt.
Which begs the question as to why the Habs were never really in the playoff hunt this year. Their balanced goal differential (which is only now beginning to slip) should have produced greater results. Other teams with a decent GD are all close to qualifying for the playoffs. Ottawa, New Jersey and Chicago are prime examples of this. Yet the Habs have basically been out of the race since the beginning of 2012 (if not longer). Are they really that bad? Can they bounce back next year? Is major surgery required? Maybe the answers can be found in the reasons why the team failed so badly this year. Here’s a short list.
1. Andrei Markov not only can’t start the year but he can’t even join the team until at least March. Too little, too late. (I’m really beginning to think that something really stinks when it comes to this fiasco). The Hab defense has had issues throughout the year, but it all begins with the inability of Markov to play. All the other problems on the D relate to that crisis.
2. Montreal’s training camp was a joke which also indirectly led to a major stumble out of the starting gate. Some would say the season was over before the last autumn leaf hit the ground.
3. The team’s PP is the worst in the league. Not only for short stretches of time, but basically for the entire season. Not even two trades and a coaching change could make a difference. This really becomes an issue when you consider how many one goal decisions the Habs were involved in, not to mention the number of squandered 3rd period leads. Scoring by committee has it’s limitations. This team needs a gunslinger.
4. Three years ago Bob Gainey replaced his core offense with three new high priced, high profile veterans. They would provide the necessary offensive pop and leadership to carry the team and the PP. Whether it be due to injury or lack of heart, all three have failed to deliver. Only Brian Gionta qualifies for a mulligan. The fact these three players ate up $18.3M in cap space only made it all the worse.
5. All of that aside, the Habs still might have been in the hunt if it were not for their dismal home ice record, shootout performances and inability to hold leads in the 3rd period. Talk about a house of cards. Geoff Molson might want to think about these three issues when he is interviewing for a new management team.
So using these five points of reference, I ask if the Habs are truly a bad team or were they snake bitten a little this year? Markov is still a question mark. Not just in the short term but also for the remainder of his contract. The fact that we always have to waste assets to replace him is another concern. October is probably the easiest issue to address. Stop trying to squeeze out pre-season cash and run a proper training camp that begins with less than forty players. What about the PP? Can it be any worse? Even a return to the middle of the pack would be a welcome improvement. What about Gainey’s failed UFA shopping spree? Well Cammalleri is gone and hopefully Gomez won’t be far behind (yes, he was indirectly a UFA player. To make matters worse, he cost us a blue chip prospect). The ability of the team to demote or move Gomez will be a sign that they are now moving forward. A buyout is out of the question. Gionta comes back as a solid 2nd line winger and captain. He’s not the problem.
Draft one of the elite forwards this summer, sign or trade for a tough as nails defenseman and hope that Beaulieu lives up to his potential after some seasoning in Hamilton. Reset the expectation clock to 2014 and start moving toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
EDIT: Don’t bother spending up to the cap next year just because the team has the space and/or money. Be more prudent and wait until the time is right. Getting another top five draft pick in 2013 might be more advantageous than bringing in a 30 year old UFA.
1. Subban being rushed before his time and the Campoli/Kaberle/Weber disaster is a direct result of Markov not playing.
2. I think our start was something like 1-7. History states that is too steep a hill to climb.
3. Money was more important than the on ice product.
4. Special teams win games. Kovalev proved that point. Karlsson has 26 PP points and he’s just 21. Selanne has 24 and he’s 41. Stamkos (an unfair example) is 22 and has 9 PP goals along with 9 GW goals. We need a gunslinger!
5. Is it a matter of coaching, or is it the fact that we’re just a few pieces short of being good enough to truly compete, even as a bubble team?
The problem is depth. We don’t have any. The root of this problem is #4, which led to problems #1, 3, 5.
The bad training camp was a red herring. The team was bad all year.
Couldn’t agree more about 2014.
The Habs should make 1 move this off-season. Get rid of #11. He’s a distraction.
2012: get rid of Gomez; draft lottery pick
2013: draft lottery pick; sign a free agent or two (Burrows/Clowe?); add Tinordi & Beaulieu to the line-up
2014: bye bye Kabs; address holes in 2013 roster; add lottery picks to the line-up
Also, sometime between now and 2014 they have to choose between DD and Pleks.
Looking at the stats a while back one of the most striking was the 3rd period play.
In the 1st and 2nd periods we are in the top third of the league by most measures (goals scored, goals against etc …), while in the 3rd period we fall to 28th I think.
I calculated that if we had been league average in the 3rd periods we’d be in 6th place right now.
I don’t know the reason(s) for the 3rd period collapses, but some possibilities include:
1. We rarely played 4 lines. (Rarely had 4 good forward lines.)
2. Poor defence wilting under pressure from teams trying to make a comeback.
3. Coaching?
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
I want to hire u as GM.
Steve, I think the Markov issue and the failure of the PP have been their undoing this year, both being intimately tied to each other.
That’s not to say they would be a cup contender since all the other issues (Gomez, Kaberle, preseason, coaching and management failures) would still be there to hold them back.
Lots of issues, none of them impossible to fix and a whole spring, summer and fall to work them out.
Kind of like golf.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
It could be that the Canadiens are playing too fast for their abilities.
Yes they were terrible in camp and it carried over. They were also terrible in games 3-7 of the Boston series last year. What does that say? It says that the system doesn’t work. It didn’t whenever they met a team that confined them to the perimeter and took ownership of the dirty area for themselves, and it won’t now. That is why JM is gone. I think under Cunnyworth they are trying to go where the goals are scored but they have no confidence in themselves. What would Markov bring? Someone with the confidence to hang onto the puck and make the play. Right now the Canadiens are trying to be fast. Yay. Most goals aren’t scored by being fast. Everyone chases the fast player. The one who gets open is what you want. The guy who whacks in the rebounds. Steve Shutt, Yvon Lambert types.
Only fact I can offer to support the stupid notion: Gomez is fast. How is that working?
The “mini dynasties” (for lack of a better term to describe a team that had serious sucess over approx. 5 seasons) over the past 20 seasons include Pittsburgh, Dallas, Detroit, Colorado, and New Jersey IMO. They all have distinct similarities ( the exception being NJ) in having great goal-tending, two great defense-men, and two great centers.
Pts Barasso, Murphy-Coffee/Samuelson, Lemieux-Francis
Dal Belfour, Zubov-Sydor/Hatcher, Modano-Nieuwendyk
Det Vernon/Osgood/Hasek, Lidstrom-Chelios, Yzerman-Fedorov
Col Roy, Ozilinsh-Blake Sakic-Forsberg
A “Five Man Core” is needed to succeed annually. IMO the Habs have great potential because when healthy they possess four pieces of the “Five Man Core” in Price, Subban, Markov, and Plekanec. Of course there are some mixed feelings on Price and Subban’s maturity and Markov’s health. The main missing piece is (as many people have repeatedly stated) a true “number one center.” The toughest position to fill, Superstar Center.
Any manager of this team must make it their mission to relentlessly pursue any available “Number One Center” at any cost that does not include Markov, Subban, Price, and Pleks.
That’s just my take on it.. Markov being the biggest question mark.
So picking 3rd OA is a great pick (currently) but aside from Yakupov and Grigorenko, the rest of the field doesnt offer the big scoring center we need so badly in the organization. There is Galenchyuk but after missing a full season with ACL injury is it a good gamble on a top 3 pick?
Why not make a deal with the Panthers for Huberdeau?
Maybe just wishful thinking, but you never know.
I believe we could still get Grigorenko.
We’re only 2 points up on the Oilers and could also win the lottery. Another option (if we sit in 3rd) is to trade-up using our pick and one or two of our 5 2nd round picks we possess for 2012, 2013.
But great call on Huberdeau! He was also drafted third overall and is homegrown. Not sure if he is as good as Filip Forsberg or Grigorenko, but imagine him on a line with Leblanc and Bournival!!! The Bell center would explode!
… but Florida wouldn’t do it unless we really sweetened the pot. Huberdeau is ready for prime-time and the guy we draft may not be.
j.p. murray
Florida still owe us big time. Do you think they’d be leading their division with you know who still in charge?
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
I see that the Leafs play tonight and then again not until Saturday night against the Habs. Are we supposed to cheer for a win and keep the Leafs out of the playoffs, or continue the tank?
Happy birthday to the POCKET. He must be 17 or 18 now.
Hire the best regardless of language
Heh heh…you beat me to it…..it’s his 19th birthday today. Poor guy was only allowed to drink 4 years ago!
Any updates on Jean’s condition this morning??
No news is good news, I guess…
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Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
I like that a reporter finally asked RC why Gomez was getting so much ice time on the PP. And with his answer, “cuz he’s a PP guy”, we can really see what a douche this coach is.
~The faith is gone…….until next year~
Randy Cunneyworth is not a “douche” and he’s right, Gomez does have PP skills… somewhere in there… dormant…
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Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
Mmmmmkay….so keep throwing him out there to show “his dormant skills”…productive….not douchey at all.
“To disbelieve is easy; to scoff is simple; to have faith is harder”
~ Louis L’Amour
I’ve got the faith!
Shhhh, it’s part of getting a higher lottery pick, losing without tanking.
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Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.
Aiight, I’ll go with that. I’m not one for tanking, and I HATE that our team sucks this bad. I’ve kept the faith until it was mathematically impossible. But now, I’ve just come to accept that there is no post season for us.
~The faith is gone…..until next year~
I interpret his response as meaning that Gomez is “supposed to be a PP guy. He makes 7+ mil! What is he a fourth line plug”
There’s letting guys compete for ice-time, but there’s also expecting them to do their job!
I might ask Cunneyworth why Kaberle, Diaz, and Campoli are being used as defencemen^^
j.p. murray
In a way you can see RC’s point. He is using the tools (and I mean this in both senses of the word) he’s been given.
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
I think there are better tools to use. I mean, Gomez had more PP time than Pleks and DD. And why not use Eller? And when AKost was here, why not use him? I just think he has better choices. He just keeps trying the same thing and gets the same results.
~The faith is gone…..until next year~
Did this really happen? A reporter asked the coach why Gomez was getting so much PP time?
Do you know which reporter, and is do you know if there is an audio clip available?
I love the response, “Cuz he`s a PP guy”. That’s brilliant.
Someone should ask him how he got promoted to be the head coach, since the team already had a ” head coach guy”.
The team was not performing well so they REPLACED the head coach guy with a different head coach guy, dumbass!
The PP is not performing well so it is the job of the head coach guy to change the PP guys until he finds a combination that produces.
Its hard to believe that Molson’s still exists as a company if they allow people like this to make decisions. I can just imagine their sales meetings……….
VP Sales: our sales are down in the eastern region. we haven`t got a new customer in over a year. Who`s the sales manager in that district?
” it`s Slott Glomez, sir. He,s been the eastern region sales manger for the last two years. We hired him away from Mousehead, and took on his $7 million a year salary. We didn`t want to appear unfair to our competitor so since we took their highest paid employee, we sent them a few of our younger lower paid up and coming talent in exchange”
“What has Glomez done since we hired him? asks the VP sales guy.
“Well he hasn`t produced any results at all , but he does show up for work, most every day” comes the reply.
“have we tried putting another salesman in his region to see if we could drum up some business? ” ask the VP sales guy.
“no, sir. we cannot do that ” is the reply, “Slot Glomez is the sales GUY”.
But he hasn`t sold anything at all! exclaims the VP.
Doesn’t matter, sir… Look here at his business card, It says right under his name , Slott Glomez, Sales GUY.
Oh well, says the VP. I see it right there in black and white, Slott Glomez SALES GUY. I guess were stuck then. Maybe we’ll score some new customers in a few years , after Mr. Glomez retires.
regards,
Steve O.
Yeah, I don’t have audio of it, but it was said in the “Quotes from the Room” article, and it doesn’t says who asked, just that a reporter asked him straight up.
Your sales meeting is classic! I LOLed
~The faith is gone…..until next year~
No need to tank. We are beginning to submarine. Go Habs!
How do we get a Stamkos? Not sure if you watched but our 7Million dollar man was horrible last night…twice he gain the zone and then promptly dumped it into the corner with men going to the net. Enough already call some European team and tell them we can get them into the NHL if they take Gomez for the next two years.
As an entertainer for the past 20 yrs, I’ve worked weekend nights and missed most of the past 20 years..this past two years with the advent of RDS and The PVR I haven’t missed a game…can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am in this season. Right out of camp the team has been divided, uninterested and unprepared.
we’ve had Gomez for two years and I am not sure we are in the NHL any more!
Happy Birthday to Henri Richard, a young 76 today.
Actually, he’s really only 19….
I trust you will forward this to Pierre Gauthier, or yell it in his ear the next time you’re close enough, Mr. Boone.
- Let the young players play, make mistakes, etc, but make sure they are taken care of on and off the ice. Get a coach that inspires confidence in veteran players and young players will follow.
- Assess talent properly, especially players you have developed in the organisation.
- Don’t trade for players with mammoth contracts who are coming of a couple of mediocre seasons. Everyone connects Gainey with Gomez, but clearly, Gauthier was involved in that trade as well… he didn’t learn, though. Mr. Kaberle, welcome to Montreal.
- Stop calling everyone Mister. Formality works when you’re competent. When you’re in last place it smacks of dandyism and misplaced confidence. He’s rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but doing so in a very polite way… ‘Mr. Gomez, would you please put that potted plant next to that lifeboat? Thank you kindly. Mr. Kaberle, you are looking dashing in your white tuxedo this fine evening.’
To you, the Habs with flailing hands, we throw the torch.
Fear not, friends, Cunneyworth has a plan!
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/36dae6/
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GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez is an elite NHL player” – VancouverHab
Chat with me on Twitter @TheRealRGM81
Am I being delayed for comments again? Wonderful site. I can really get into it.
I actually just wrote a similar post.
I really like Brendan Gaunce. He’s a center. He’s 6’3″ and 220 pounds already. He fights if he needs to, he hits hard, he’s a physical power forward, and he believes in hard work. I don’t at all trust Grigorenko and Yakupov isn’t big enough for what we need.
Who’s the SMALLEST player in this year’s draft?
That’s who the Habs have their eyes on.
If the Habs somehow got the number one pick, they absolutely have to take Yakupov. Concensus among scouting reports is that he is much, much better than anyone else in the draft. The only guy available with superstar potential.
Whether the Habs draft first or second, they will probably take Grigorenko (as I expect the Oilers to take Ryan Murray), and that’s good, because he is said to be the only other player with the potential to be a real star in the league, even if he’s not as good as Yakupov. Plus, he’s a centre, and he’s got size.
If his defensive game sucks, what can I say, he’ll fit right in with the Habs!
If Grigorenko went off the board, I’d take Murray or Forsberg. Gaunce projects to a useful third-line guy, IMO.
Full Breezer 4 Life
Why wouldn`t Grigorenko stay in North America? I love how this gets thrown around regarding both Yakupov and Grigorenko… Why would he leave Russia as a 16 year old if he didn’t want to play in the NHL? We’re not talking about picking a guy playing in Siberia who will need to adjust when he gets here. This is a kid already playing in Quebec!
Grigorenko is the big Centre with scoring and playmaking abilities that the Habs have needed since Damphousse in 97!
Watch for one of two draft commentaries:
1) “And the Montreal Canadiens go completely off the board…”
or 2)”We have a deal to announce…the Montreal Canadiens have traded their ___ pick to _______ for a second, two thirds, and future considerations. Here’s the GM now at the Montreal table “Well Gord we looked at our needs and what was available after 0. We feel we can get the player we want sometime after everyone else has sorted through 1-59. We also think that X can help our club immediately and that his recent surgeries have been successful, or will be successful. Thanks Gord… help me get Trevor off the ledge now would you.”
If we win the draft lottery, we have to take Yakupov. He’s the undisputed favourite for 1st overall and has been for over a year.
Since we’re unlikely to win that lottery, we have some options if we pick 2nd or 3rd overall. Not sure why none of you guys mentioned Radek Faksa. I think he’s currently ranked 4th overall and 2nd for Centers. He just turned 18, is 6’3″ and weighs 202lbs. Plays for Kitchener and was born in the Czech Rep.
After reading the quote posted below about Grigorenko (I think by smiler?) I’d be hesitant as hell to draft him. Hopefully Timmins and his staff are hard at work evaluating talent and scrutinizing like crazy. Galchenyuk is another interesting pick, but with his injury, you’re taking a bit of a chance there. He was born in the US despite being of Russian descent so is much less likely to go play in the K.
- Honestly yours
agree on the two grigo kaput
On the other page there’s a scathing report on Grigo.
Not so sure about him now…
—Hope Springs Eternal—
The reason he would go back is the crazy money in the KHL. If I understand correctly, the rookie contract in the NHL is $900K max but you can get a signing bonus if you’re a top pick. I think a top 2 can get a $3M+ contract however a number 7 pick like Jeff Skinner cannot get much more than $1.4 M.
The KHL might give a guy like Grigorenko $5-10M tax free including endorsements.
Radulov went back because Nashville could only pay him $1M/year or so.
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Agree with plecks if we can get a legit #1 C. White, Moen and Staubie would make an amazing #4 line though. Don’t want to see him go. As far as the #1 goes there is no way that Habs should trade it away, we are going to get our own top pick that we haven’t had in a long time. Maybe Plecks and 2 of the 5 2nd rounders.
I’d add Gionta to your list and am glad to see the Staubie fan club is getting larger after only one game.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
I forgot about Gio……That was a mistake.
White, Moen and Staubie would be one of the best “Energy Lines” in the NHL and would not cost us too much and all 3 are as tough as nails. Excellent choice.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
Doubt it. They’re building for the future as well.
Richard R