Your Montreal Canadiens will practice Monday morning before boarding a charter flight to Calgary, where they play the Flames Tuesday night.
The road trip continues in Edmonton on Thursday and Vancouver on Saturday before concluding in Buffalo on Monday.
• Dave Stubbs on a Monty Python season
• Red Fisher on the Brian Burke show
• Jack Todd on the class of Jean Béliveau
• Pierre Ladouceur sizes up the team
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Let’s not take it for granted that Brian Burke tried to get Don Cherry fired. That’s a ridiculous claim. Don Cherry is not known as an orator who keeps a sense of proportion. It’s probable that Mr. Burke contacted the producer(s) of Hockey Night in Canada to complain about some aspects of the coverage the Leafs receive. As a ‘partner’ with the CBC, that’s allowable, since journalistic independence and integrity don’t exist in pro sports, the CBC is bound to promote the product that it sells. Critique will occur on the periphery and will be gentle. So Mr. Cherry probably has overreacted (gasp!) to some feedback he received from his bosses regarding their conversation with Brian Burke.
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How about it NHL? No fighting, just hockey?
http://relentlessineptitude.blogspot.com/
Ok. A bunch of you were talking about Pleks and his faceoff %.
Analize it the right way:
He has taken 290 short-handed faceoffs at a 46.6% rate. He has taken over 100 MORE faceoffs short-handed than the next closest player. Going up against the top offensive face-off guys in the league, that is a pretty damn good %.
As far as the rest of his play, he plays EVERY night against the other team’s top line, with a ROTATING winger list (never the same wingers three games in a row), and he will end the season with almost the same points as last year.
He has worked VERY hard night after night and been thrown to the wolves with so many different wingers, yet HE NEVER ONCE complained, like most of the other guys we have seen.
Cut him some slack, and maybe we could use him as great trade bait on draft day.
Drive for 25. 2012-2013. Max-Pac for Conn Smyth.
I BELIEVE!
The biggest problem with Pleks is for whatever reason he just hasn’t been able to developed any chemistry with all the different wingers this year. Which is probably why he is minus -20 for 5 on 5 play. On the PK he has been solid his entire career no question about that.
~I never said it. Honest.~
He has been our best player night in and night out for the past 3 seasons… Say what you will, this guy doesn’t deserve the the flack he is getting…
Unlike someone who always seems to be loafing around out there… I won’t name names, but he is one of the biggest guys on the ice, but he plays like the leafs old Anthropov without the tallent.
=TP
Great comment, Lizard King.
HDS
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
In nearly every article it is essentially stated as fact that Gauthier will not be the GM at season’s end. While it is obvious that Gauthier should be fired, has it actually been confirmed that this will indeed occur? Outside of knowing that it “should” happen, do we know that it “will” happen?
There has been no official confirmation from the Habs of that anyone “will” be fired. Every comment be it in a newspaper article or on a blog is the writer’s speculation or opinion.
As GrimJim says it’s all speculation, Molson has been quoted backing PG.
Also of note, PG only has one more year on his contract, maybe Molson will let him finish his contract.
If that’s the case, it’s going to be a lo-o-o-ong year.
Understand the financial rationale for keeping him, but considering his level of incompetence in guiding the Habs to where they currently are in terms of position in the standings etc., what would be the point, since you would hope that his hands would be tied (to prevent any more damaging, expensive, long term moves).
“Financial Rationale” – the term I am beginning to think is why this team won’t win much in the future.
This owner wil have an opportunity to eat 1 year on his current GM’s contract and get someone in here that will advance the team. He will probably have an opportunity for one time “compliance buyouts” in the offseason when the Cap reduces and the salaries are rolled back – this would eliminate the Gomez and Kaberle issues.
I bet we have all three on our staff next year and another year like this joke of a season, but Molson will still be selling @%^& beer and making money on this hockey team.
Corporate Jargon is my favourite thing going. At this point it’s about the only reason I really want to win the lottery; so I can get a long way away from it and never look back.
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
Have to laugh at some of the peps complaining about Cherry and his pro Ontario talent for the Leafs….I am wondering if those same people were protesting outside the Bell Centre for a french coach or that there is are not enough Quebec players on the habs. kettle calling the pot black
~I never said it. Honest.~
Is it true, that Gomez turned down a trade the Habs had with the Islanders. I just read an article that says he balked about a trade, and I think if its true he is quite the piece of work.
He’s got a NTC, and not going to the Islanders is probably one of the reason he got a NTC.
That’s how those work you know.
I understand the NTC, but with his less then stellar performance, one would think he would be open to waiving it. I have not bashed Gomez, but if he did turn down a trade, he is selfish, and really does not see his play or his contract as a problem.
Meh, what’s new under sunny Alaska’s sun…
The NTC he has is a modified one, he has to sumbit a list of 3 teams he doesn’t want to be traded to at the start of the season.
So the rumoured trade is bogus since Montreal wouldn’t have tried to trade him to the Islanders if they were in the list of 3 teams he submitted.
I dont follow your logic. Maybe the ‘rumor’ is false but your explanation as to why it is escapes me.
Basically, Gomez writes down 3 teams he won’t accept a trade to at the beginning of the year. It is not a secret, it just changes every year based on Gomez’s choices. So, if for example he says in September that he won’t go to Islanders, Atlanta, and/or Pheonix, then the Habs know in Sept, not to try and deal him to the Islanders in February…
He could waive the NTC, maybe that’s what they are referring to – Gomez did not agree to waive it
If he doesn’t want to be traded perhaps he needs to take a field trip down to the hammer and enjoy riding the bus for the last 2 years of his contract. Perhaps the last 17 games on defense will showcase his skills.. too bad about the injury nobody likes to see that. All I know is the roster has got to change next year, … for the sanity of all habs fans.
=TP
Just read the article on Cherry bashing the NHL about THe Refs, Bettman, Shannahan etc. and he sounded like most of the posters on this site with their love of the three. Are we becoming like Cherry or is he becoming like us?
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory
Cherry has more support then people think, I love the work he does for charities. He has a TV persona that he plays but I think he is a good man, who still has lots of interesting things to say. He is wrong sometimes but people still like him for who he is, not who they want him to be.
I want him to be silent. What does that make of me?
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Kiss my hAbSS!!!
I respect people that dont share his views on hockey. He is getting up there in age, so its no surprise that his views are sometimes out of date. Slychard if you want him to be silent, I guess your not his biggest fan.
It’s not just his views on hockey, though.
It’s more his views on other nationalities and races.
It’s his views on French-Canadians.
Basically it’s his state-endorsed xenophobia that irks most people.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Everyone has a right to their own views. I know that I don’t subscribe to a lot of views (outside of, or inside hockey) that are expressed (dare I say, by the majority) who post on this site (including many of yours) but, I’ll defend your, (and anyone else’s right) to express them.
What get’s me is the sheer, mindless intolerance/spewed hatred demonstrated by many posters to the views of other posters or towards other people brought into the site via You-tube links etc.
Cherry has his share of flaws like all of us, but he also has a lot of very admirable qualities as well. I’m guessing though, that people are chagrined with Cherry because he sometimes takes advantage of his position with the CBC to express them.
If Mr. Cherry wants to express his political views on TV he should do it on a program that discusses politics, not Hockey Night in Canada.
Richard R
He def sounds like a Quebecer for the 1st time in his life with local talent for the Local NHL team rant.
~I never said it. Honest.~
In light of the Markov news, I will share one more story of a young man who had the identical surgery as Markov. He was doing rehab with the Physiotherapist at his side and things were going along fine, but my buddy still didn’t have proper extension on his leg while riding the exercise bike. So he continues peddaling on the bike talking with the therapist and the therapist out of the blue steps on the other pedal (only his bad leg was pedalling) with great vigor and the surgically repaired knee makes a big pop or crack sound. It was the therapist forcing his knee to go to full extension and essentially had to break the scar tissue that was forming preventing his knee from fully flexing. Now I am not so sure this is any regular practise, but upon that having occurred my buddy said his leg felt incredible. There was some immediate pain, but quickly replaced with the fact his full range of motion was back and was pain free.
I don’t know why I go on about this, but my point is, there are significant steps along the way for Markov to achieve in order to regain full motion in that knee. The fact that he has gotten back to skating as he has, to me, he probably has gotten through the most difficult of therapy issues. He is now facing the mental obstacle of trusting that indeed his knee is good. This will be the hurdle he must clear between now and end of season. Once this is done he can then spend his summer “training” for next year as opposed to rehabbing for the hopes of training for next year.
I will go on a limb and say Markov will be fine! Problem is they did a hatchet job of the first surgery and probably rushed him back. I believe the lesson was learned.
We need you to run out before the game and do a Tonya Harding on Markey!!
“It’s okay! I’m not a professional!”
-HiB as they cart him away
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Would anyone know what time the Habs would practice in calgary on tuesday???????? I would like to go watch em!!!!!!
I think the practice starts at 7:00 Calgary time.
hahaaaaaaahaahaa! Geddit?!
The GAME is the PRACTICE!
For NEXT SEASON!
Haaaaaaaahahahahahahahaaaaaa….
No, I don’t know, sorry.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Nice one!
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“It’s just an opinion – I could be wrong”
i always go to the practices when there here in Calgary its usually around 10:30 or 11:30 you should just call the saddledome before you leave that’s what i do.
cool thanx!!!!!!!
But you can’t take the chimp.
No smoking in the Saddledome.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
It’s the wild west Punkster, chimps are welcomed and encouraged to smoke!
Chimp likes too smoke and gamble
Gomez potentially played his last game as a hab? The small section about the islanders will piss some people off.
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/04/gomez-out-indefinitely-with-eye-injury#.T1TgHFvD_nQ.twitter
My fave comment on the article:
“Believe it or not, he would be great with Kessel.”
Looooove those Toronto fans…
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Painful, he chose to slip into the abyss with us instead of potentially playing in the playoffs with the Islanders?
That sucks, we might have gotten a vintage NYI Captain Highliner” uniform in return as well.
Markov paired with emelin at practice today and not wearing a non-contact jersey
Yay!
Here we go!!!!
(…he IS wearing a jersey, though, right?)
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Now we just need he who shall not be named to return!
amazing! If he can play the remainder of the season un-injured, both he AND the fans will get a major confidence boost heading into the beginning of next year.
On RDS site Tremblay mentions if Markov wants to play in the world tournament in april they should tell him no. I say yes, play, if he gets hurt then we get the insurance and move on.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kiss my hAbSS!!!
From Puck Daddy:
Montreal Canadiens: Tomas Plekanec was 1 for 15 at the dot in Saturday’s loss to Toronto. How far we’ve come from him being “one of the best two-way forwards in the game” or whatever the Montreal media was pushing last year.
Uhh, Tomas Plekanec is 6th in the NHL for faceoffs won.
Yep, he sure sucks alright.
Man, people are fast to jump on the Hatewagon.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
That’s misleading, as he is also#3 in # of faceoffs taken.
Ultimately, his faceoff % holds the true story, standing in at 49.3%
I’m not so sure.
If you look at the top faceoff takers, they’re all offensive forwards.
None of those guys will take a f/o on the PK, against the strongest faceoff-takers on the opposition.
Pleks also plays (or at least played, under JM) a lot of minutes. That’s got to wear on your concentration.
Just think that he’s a pretty poor target for criticism on a team where there’s plenty of them.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Bergeron takes a nice chunk of short handed faceoffs, but less than Plekanec.
Plekanec’s shorthanded faceoff % is 46.6% btw.
I think it’s fair to discuss some areas in which he could improve, if he’s to be used as a D first center, those faceoff #’s need to rise.
But yeah, it’s nitpicking considering the other issues on the team as of now.
I think the Canadiens might want to look into changing this year’s theme, “Rise Together” isn’t exactly what has occurred all season long and we certainly don’t need to start rising together now.
I suggest: “Fall Apart”
The French media were saying halfway through the season that it should be “s’écraser ensemble” instead of “se lever ensemble.”
Given the twisting and turning we read on these pages might I recommend “Writhe Together”
Oh, and it’s funny that the Ceeb is in the news (I know, I know, it IS the news…) today, because I watched my first CBC Habs game of the season on Sat. At a friend’s place who doesn’t have RDS (?!) I know…
What a silly organization. It’s really quaint, actually. My fave is still Scott ‘The Undertaker’ Oake, who is now trying to look chipper. It’s actually a bit creepy.
My ‘woah!’ moment was watching the slo-mo replay of the fight. I’d forgotten that the CBC does that (RDS doesn’t), and it put it all into perspective for me of why so many people think that fighting is a good idea and a ‘part of hockey’. It’s glorified on the Ceeb!
Didn’t watch Cuckoo’s Corner. Life’s too short.
—Hope Springs Eternal—
The game this week against Edmonton is a must lose.
–| Brad Marchand | Starley Cup Chanpiar 2011 |–
I am thinking we will see alot of Budaj on this road trip.
a genuine 4 pointer!
habs always seem to find a way to lose to the oilers!!!!!!
I’m surprised at all the people still talking about Don, Ron and Burke today. In the entertainment world, any publicity is good publicity. If our product is on peoples minds, that’s good news.
Don’t forget, I don’t think any of us want to talk anymore about this years edition of the Habs either.
What’s that? You’d like to discuss the Dewey Decimal System? Well sure!
Full Breezer 4 Life
Do they still even teach that anymore? Wow, I think I would need a refresher on that. Last time I was in a library was to grab CD’s to add to my playlist at home, finding a book? Not sure how I would do anymore.
Morning everyone!
Cooooold day today. Winter’s back!
How is it that the Habs manage to stay 10pts out of 8th place for weeks on end?
Very strange.
We’ll get there, though, don’t you worry.
Meet the Range in the 1st, beat them handily, then it’s anyone’s game.
Ahh, this sunshine feels goooood….
—Hope Springs Eternal—
LOL. Has to be more then sunshine Matty!
What’s our magic number?
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
If that happens i will stand on a table at hurleys during next years summit and sing a song of your chosing.While doning your autographed gomez jersey and depending how late in the night this happens,hopefully pants.
Hahaha!
Not that I needed any more incentive, but… “GO HABS GO!!!!!”
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Way to bring some sunshine and levity to the table this morning Matty! You are one optimistic fellow, and the site is better off for it. CHeers!
Thanks bud!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Haha atta boy Showey, I will be there with camera in hand to document buddy!
Go Habs Go!!!!
CBC/Cherry/McLean have every right to say whatever they want about the NHL. But the NHL has every right to dump CBC, go with another network for their coverage, and have some control over the editorial content that is aired about their product.
That’s just business.
If the NHL dumps CBC, then Cherry/McLean could still do their act, and go off on everyone like normal, it just wouldn’t be a part of the official NHL broadcast, or affiliated with the NHL in any way.
Let’s face it, Cherry is the same thing as a troll on a blog; his only concern is to spout inflammatory crap, get everyone talking, get everyone on both sides riled up. That’s how he gets paid. There has to be some new phony “controversy” every month to keep people watching.
Whatever actual beliefs he had have long since been replaced by cartoonish bombast. It’s degenerated to the level of pro wrestling with the crazy outfits, yelling, and calling out “enemies” to fight.
As loathsome as Bettman is, he’d be crazy to partner with CBC/Cherry anymore. The circus is leaving town.
A league cannot demand editorial control over its broadcaster. Otherwise, no real news about the NHL would ever get out.
I haven’t watched HNIC for years. I watch RDS and turn it off before Anti-Habs…um, Anti-Chambre comes on.
Bell looks like the favourite to win the bidding war next year for the rights.
At which point 100% of my NHL viewing will be done on my laptop.
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
It’s already getting more and more tempting to watch online for free. I pay $160/year for the hockey package on cable, so I can watch any NHL game, but the Habs’ french broadcast is never offered, so I just get the opposing team’s feed of the game.
Or, I get the “home” feed of TSN, which hates the Habs more than the opposing team’s announcers do.
The pirated feeds are getting such good quality, it’s becoming a serious option.
Sort of the same, but a little different, but a funny way of looking at the greatest “morale dilemma” of our times.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
Why not? They negotiate a contract. What’s to stop the NHL from demanding the right to approve of whoever appears on their broadcasts?
A league can demand whatever it wants from a broadcaster. If the broadcaster is willing to give it, the deal is done.
If the NHL walks away from CBC, you can bet that whichever broadcaster picks it up will know why, and conduct itself accordingly.
Full Breezer 4 Life
If that were true, there would never have been the MLB steroid scandal. It would have all been swept under the rug.
Cal, you make a good point, however, Fox has been the primary MLB National Contract for quite some time with ESPN having more regional coverage in place. And I believe it was reporters from ESPN, CNNSI, etc.. who did alot of the heavy lifting on that scandal. Fox themselves sat there and promoted Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa like Prophets when everyone around knew they were juiced to the hilt.
Cal, leagues can’t control every sports media outlet, but they certainly can, and do, control the content of their flagship networks.
Look at the Bruins, they sold all their broadcasts to NESN. NESN has Jack Edwards calling the games, screaming how great the Bruins are.
Do you think the Bruins would allow NESN to hire a broadcaster who crapped on the Bruins every game, talked about what a dirty team they are, and praised the Habs?
No, he’d be removed ASAP in favor of a pro-Bruins announcer. Same deal with the NHL and Cherry.
To quote those wonderful musicians from Metallica,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8BRbM52gpc
Sad but True!
Ever watched the NHL Network?
I watched it last year when I had Bell satellite. Loved watching the games from yesteryear.
Richard R
Or make a Broadway show out of it.
Richard R
As a Habs fan that lives in Massachusetts I can feel for those that live in leafs country….watching the Bruins win cup was brutal and the fake fans that jumped on the bandwagon was even more nauseating! Hopefully for our sake the Leafs miss playoffs and the Bruins make an early exit
I feel as sorry for you my friend as I do for my buddy Burl who seems to be surrounded by Leaf fans. Hang in there and remember, you have the high ground. Cheers.
Just read the G&M’s article about Cherry’s blast on Burke. I watched CC on Saturday and loved every minute of Cherry’s rant. The article goes on to say how Cherry is negative towards the league in regards to discipline, rule, referees etc and that he’s a problem for the league and the CBC if they expect to renew their tv rights.
Has anyone including the G&M spent 5 minutes listening to Kypreos on Sportsnet? How about JR on NBC? Cherry doesn’t hold a candle to the critizism that these 2 clowns heap on the league. We get to hear his schtick once a week. Kipper goes off on a daily basis complaining about the game.
While Cherry is not alone when it comes to critizism of the NHL, Burke and the Leafs. How about Mr Healey? This is 1 schmuck I wish the CBC WOULD get rid of.
As far as Ron McLean goes, I enjoy the fact that he holds Bettman’s feet to the fire. If Bettman can’t handle the way McLean calls him on his sh!t…. find another job.
Trouble is, NHL hockey is working on getting the “hockey” out of the equation. Watch an NBC broadcast, it’s seems they’re more concerned with the players as characters and the “Game within a Game/drama” stuff than they are on the flow/play of the game as a whole. The less they have to deal with the Ron Maclean/Don Cherry/Glen Healy types who, for better or worse love the game, the better off they are (in the leagues close minded opinion). Locking dissenters to the “brand” out of the loop is probably job #1 in the league office right now.
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
Just had a chilling thought pop into my head. Cherry replaced with Mike the shoe Mulbery. You know, the Boston thug who likes to assault 11 year olds .
Cherry’s not worried about his job. If the CBC loses the broadcasts, he’ll be hired immediately by whoever gets them.
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**DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a real pirate despite having been blown ashore many times.**
Not exactly…Cherry would be hired, but the NHL could definitely control whether or not Cherry is part of their TV package.
This is a business negotation.
Look at sports like the NFL, Nascar, etc. Their broadcasters for the most part are like Pravda was to the Soviet Union. The NFL and Nascar demand it.
Could you imagine watching Monday Night Football, and having Al Micheals start screaming and challenging Bill Belichick to a fist fight on national TV?
I mean, really, it’s gone way past being ludicrous.
The NHL/Bettman suck, but there’s no way they should tolerate Cherry on their broadcasts.
I know one team that’s not making the playoffs. They don’t have a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th line.
Don Cherry is displaying the behind the sceen politics for all to see. This happens with the refs , and what happen to Patches last year. The Fact Burke would go and try to get him fired. Do you think he hasn’t tries that to get the refs on his side. Do you really think he’s the only GM that would do that. ( Boston powerplay to keep Chara from being suspended) Now Bettman and the NHL are putting a gun to the CBCs’ head about Ron and Don. Untill the really problem is cleaned up ( Gary the crook Bettman). The NHL will be a joke ,fixed league.
At the very least the league is losing credibility quickly. Soon to be called sports entertainment like the WWE.
Soon to be? I’ve thought of it that way for years. Maybe like NASCAR, I dunno. I only really pay attention to what the Canadiens do at this point, my favourite character in the soap opera. Do you think that was Bettman was planning?
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
I dunno but it does make me sad. I love the game.
The game is still there, Midget games are more fun to watch then the NHL stuff anyway. Hope the NHL Player’s get into the Olympics again too.
I used to think an all Canadian League would be great, like if the Canadian teams just pulled out the league and started their own, but an International super league might be more fun!
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
Red’s Brian Burke column is funny. Burke is excellent at what he does and contrasts well with Mr. Gauthier. Burke is a showman in a city demanding a show, a drama, much like Montreal demands.
Time to get down to work? Burke undoes the tie, doffs the jacket, and rolls up the sleeves. A working man’s signs. Finished working hard, beat, but still very busy with important things? Tie undone and on his way somewhere important, but still time for you. Burke and Cherry quarrel? Too much alike not to quarrel. Burke could be Don’s son.
We are such suckers as voters and fans. We always buy the image never the substance.
I don’t care if we lose every game from here until April, but losses to the maple leafs and/or bruins are unacceptable!
Who wants some positive Habs’ news for a cold Monday morning?
CHL top 10 team rankings; the top 4 teams all feature prominantly Habs draft picks. London Knights (2) and Shawinigan (4) captains are future Habs. Saint John (Beaulieu), London (Tinordi, C) Tri-city (Holland) and Shawinigan (Bournival and Ellis). I don’t think any other teams can boast that. ( and I am not about to research all that)
:Cue Annie- “The sun’ll come out tomorrow!”
“man, I love winnin’; you know, it’s like better than losin’?”-
Ebby Calvin “Nuke” Laloosh
As much as i don’t like cherry,does an american g.m. really have the right to demand someone be fired who works for a canadian television station funded by canadian taxpayers?
Brian Burke deserves to be in the playoffs, and tell us Canadians what to do, I think it would be really nice for him.
It certainly doesn’t play into his tough guy, truculent image now does it? Running behind someone’s back to his boss isn’t what Burke has tailored his image to. Sick of his shtick, floating rumours, blaming the media, blah, blah, blah.
Cherry and MacLean would not be missed too much either I bet, I never watch them, two blowhards who have become bigger than the sport they make money talking about.
Mean Gene and Bobby Heenan at this point, to take 10912′s analogy a little farther.
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
I can’t understand why anybody wouldn’t want to see the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs.
I mean. If they do make them it will be as a last seed with a 1st round exit. That way Leaf fans get to have their false hopes up, not get a good draft pick and basically experience what it is like to be a Habs fan.
I dont care if they make the playoffs. But winning the cup? Ya no thanks, they already think theyre the center of the universe, so lets not inflate that ego any more shall we?
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
Anybody who thinks the Leafs can win the Cup this year are either ultra paranoid or delusional. This is a Habs fan blog is it not?
Nope. It is a hockey blog. And definitely NOT a fan site from many of the comments. No mention of that other four letter word here. There is a trademark, ya know. (On a bleeping nickname, no less.)
Im not saying they have a chance, just I don’t wanna see it happen in my lifetime, even if that chance ever does exist
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
possibly vengeance ??
I think for many of us who live amongst these Leaf fans and perhaps moreso amongst the Leafs PR staff (TSN/Sportsnet etc..) in Ontario the feelings are different.
I had in all honesty begun to feel sorry for the Leaf fans during the John Ferguson Jr. days, but Brian Burke has more than re-affirmed my wishes to not see this team have any success. I suppose living in Montreal as you do Dave, that again, your focus can be on the Habs chief and true rival Boston. But living in the GTA gives us Hab fans a slight different feel.
As for your final comment, I know a great deal of Leaf fans who would love to see their team make the playoffs even if it meant losing first round. The reason is simple, they would finally get to watch their team play games of relevance and importance. And in my opinion, virtually any team that makes the playoffs in the East this year has a chance to make noise.
our one true rival will always be the leafs… we are just bostons arch rival
Thats the way the cookie crumbles
Let the laffs and their fans suffer and suffer and suffer. I’m still pissed that they broke up the Habs 5 Cups in a row run in the 60s.
Remind me not to get on your bad side… you have a long memory.
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Opinions are like kittens, I’m giving them away.
Yes the Leafs should make the playoffs that would be really nice for them.
With everyone talking about the Habs needing to add more defensive d-men this off-season I went looking for a ufa list:
http://www.mynhltraderumors.com/2011/11/09/2012-nhl-free-agents-unrestricted-defensemen/
While it might not be a good year for forward free agents there are plenty of defenseman available. Here are some of the ones I like..
Brad Stuart- http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player-pn.cgi?1634
Jason Garrison – http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player-pn.cgi?6570
Colin White – http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?1542
Kurt Sauer – http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?2597
Jim Vandermeer-
http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?2241
Shane O’Brien – http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?3901
Some other notable names:
Scott Hannan
Randy Jones
Kent Huskins
No Suter because he is going to be asking for big bucks and Montreal rarely gets the big free agent..Personally I like Garrison as the main target, if he could stay health he could fill the hole left by Hamrlik. Then O’Brien as the grit guy.
I have noticed ads on this site and other hockey sites for this synthetic ice hockey surface called SuperGlide, what is puzzling to me is they chose BGL (Georges Laraque) to endorse it. Not sure his skating ability is really the best stylings to endorse such a product.
It has to be that no animals were harmed in the making of the synthetic ice
“man, I love winnin’; you know, it’s like better than losin’?”-
Ebby Calvin “Nuke” Laloosh
AB you and I are on the same page, I was going to slip in a comment regarding eco friendly production or something like what you said, but decided not to. lol.
Don’t know why this article hasn’t been linked to yet but in case you missed it here it is. The HH Doctrine.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=capress-hkn_habs_toughness-17230976
that is one of the positives of this year is that they recognize they need to play more physical and they need to have the players to do it. It helps in the psyche and helps make players feel better. They are only human
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
says the guys with a Ryan White DP! I like it!
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
I’m not about to jump on the “save Coach’s Corner bandwagon” just because, for once, Cherry’s rant was right on the mark, and levelled at a person that myself and many others don’t think so highly of, regardless of what Red Fisher might think of the man.
And I don’t really give a darn what the NHL thinks about HNIC or the Ron and Don show. The only thing that gets increasingly clearer, season after season, is that those two buffoons need to go. Yes, both of them. Coach’s Corner, along with Don Cherry and Ron Maclean, is way past it’s due date. I get the feeling that both Ron and Don are aware of this, and are using their CBC airtime to audition for Sportsnet. Maclean even slyly alluded to that scenario a few weeks ago. I feel my tax dollars could be better spent.
There is a great deal of speculation amongst the media critics that CBC will not win the next round of negotiations for the National TV deal from the NHL for Canada. Rogers (Sportsnet) and Bell (TSN) will each be bidding high to win this and most believe CBC has little chance of winning.
I suspect Ron and Don know this. I would hope the winning bidder won’t rehire the duo, but reality is they get HUGE ratings and that is all that matters to the networks, especially the ones that don’t have to answer to taxpayers.
Sportsnet is a more regional network, so here in southern Ontario it’s all Toronto all the time. I can accept that type of marketing because your viewers are paying the bills. I choose not to watch Sportsnet, and I don’t have to grit my teeth that my tax dollars are helping to pay the bills. Let them have their huge ratings over at Sportsnet.
does this mean i would get tsn just with bunny ears and no cable? If so, make it happen!
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
I’m confused. Why would TSN or Rogers have the rights CBC has now mean you’d get it for free, instead of paying for it?
Like it or hate it, many (myself included) feel that the CBC is about as close to a national treasure as you can have. Many of the world’s great nations have such broadcasters, and HNIC forms a big part (time-wise and money-wise) of the CBC. To see it go down the crapper would be a real shame.
HNIC has been in the crapper for almost 2 decades with its all Laffs all the time bs. The CBC had to be reminded that they are a national broadcaster by many fans across the country. Only then did they start showing more of the other Canadian teams.
As of this morning there are 166 people that visit this site with an index finger that are closet leaf fans.
Scary stuff my friends, the enemy within type stuff.
I don’t know that avatar of yours looks suspiciously like Maple Leaf colours!
Bit Defensive HabinBURLINGTON?
Short drive for a playoff game isnt it?
hehe
Was only try to make a joke, was not defensive in the least, the interweb perhaps doesn’t always show my sarcasm.
Dude so was I, I knew you were too, all good brother, jokes.
molé, molé, molé, molé, molé, molé !
“man, I love winnin’; you know, it’s like better than losin’?”-
Ebby Calvin “Nuke” Laloosh
I thought it was of leaf heritage also.
Poor NHL is upset that Cherry criticizes them more than americans counterparts criticize the NFL…Theres a very easy explanation for that -Stop acting like a bush league.
[Disclaimer]: I’m a hockey fan. I care about the habs, but probably not as much as you.
the nhl never likes to get commented on…cause usually the truth hurts.
Just like Betman’s arrogance last year after Air Canada threatened to pull their sponsorship saying they would just use other airlines…..lol
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
Ha that would require some nads. Thing about journalists is that they are tolerated hypocrites, protected by the public favour they can create.
Sure he could go call some of them out but when he gets beat on he could paint them as a horrible thug, that got in the way of his journalism.
He’s a journalist, ease up a little, its his job to stir the pot and create discussion. Don’t take it so literally!
“I don’t wanna see Maurice tonight, I want the rocket!”
+1!
When I was a kid I spent so many nights patrolling the AM band on my radio looking for Eastern Seaboard sports radio. Even now I listen to the TSN Radio CBC on the satellite.
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.
Bell/Rogers know that the CBC will have a limit to how much Harper will let them bid, so they will just inflate the bidding to get over that hurdle fast so they can do battle over the rights. Sad, really.
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Lost a bottle of Kraken during this debacle of a season. Better gettem next year.