The Canadiens magical misery tour rolls into the ACC for a national telecast Saturday night.
It’s 9th vs. 12th in a big four-pointer.
Earlier in the day: Rangers vs. Bruins.
• Red Fisher on Serge Savard’s 66th birthday
• Audio: Spatcho on “a big mess”
• Pierre Ladouceur’s game report card
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At the deadline, I would trade:
Pleks to the Rangers for Brandon Dubinsky + 2012 2nd + 2013 3rd
Gill to Philadelphia for Marc Andre Bourdon
AK46 to Winnipeg for Patrice Cormier
In the off-season: sign Brad Stuart or Tim Gleason if it is clear Markov won’t be back, sign Cody McLeod for the 4th line, bring back Cube, buyout Kaberle, buyout Gomez, waive Weber, trade Diaz for a prospect or pick
Your 2012-2013 Montreal Canadiens:
MaxPower-DD-Cole
Bourque-Dubinsky-Gionta
Moen-Eller-LL
McLeod-Cormier-White
Gorges-Subban
Markov (or Stuart/Gleason)-Emelin
Bourdon-Cube
Who’s ranked 1st for the 2013 draft that you want That bad dude?
“Max Pacioretty could be our Phil Kessel”
- Sean Bonjovi
That bad, huh?
You make it seem so easy to be a GM, it’s amazing the Ghost can’t seem to do it! What colour is the sky in your world?
Smarten up. RC knew Gomer wouldn’t score. Pissburgh tanked on purpose during the Cindy draft year. They pulled the same tactics the Habs are and will be pulling the rest off this season to weed out the weak. Get use to it. Picking Gomex for the shoot out is the start of the process.
No Habs fan ever wants to see this team lose. Ever. The size issues on this team has come home to roost. Going with no enforcers on the team has proven lethal. Players that don’t fight need enforcers to keep things right. Case in point, Buffalo after Miller’s hit by Lucy. Not the same team with the same team.
The good news here is we have an excellent core of players we can build around. I’m more concerned with putting the right people in charge to right the ship. I lost faith in Gainey, Gauthier must go and the owner needs to be a smart hockey guy willing to surround himself with the best PROVEN people and be actively involved.
I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Pitts didn’t tank to get Crosby. It was the lockout year. The Pens won the lottery for the draft.
I watched many of their games. They sucked that year and worked the rebuild system. Let’s put it this way. They didn’t help themselves when they could have. They knew what they were doing.
From Ken Campbell’s article:
“So why don’t Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and whoever replaces Pierre Gauthier as GM in Montreal propose a one-for-one trade of their coaches?”
I like how it’s already assumed by some members of the media that Gauthier will be gone by the end of the year. He’s done that bad of a job…
All I can say is Pat Hickey is as simplistic as they come.
He says there are a few flaws in the theory that the Habs should aim for a high draft pick.
He states:
It is his (b) part that is the clincher. Whoever the Habs select they should develop properly and not rush. Pat Hickey seems to be of the once you make the play-offs anything can happen school. Maybe if Hickey did his homework instead of tow the party line to gain access to “the room” he’d note that since the Conference format was introduced every team that won the Cup was top 5 save three who were top 10. In that span the Habs have one top 10 finish. The average placing for the Habs year in and year out is 16th place.
It will take mare than one summer to turn this team around and more work is needed bringing in talent via the draft. This building a team via free agency knee jerk reflex the Habs have is why they are the laughing stock of the NHL.
So Hickey says there’s no guarantees with a high draft pick. Really? How has finishing 16th over the course of 20 years working Pat? Why not espouse the virtues of mediocrity some more.
You take your frustrations out on a sports writer when it’s really the execrable management of Savard (Serge), Houle, Gainey and Gauthier you should be focusing on. How about a little patience on your part, tanking would be bloody awful to watch and worse than what we’ve experienced since 1993. One player won’t turn it around and as we saw with guys from Dryden (drafted by the Beans), Robinson, Lafleur and others it takes many years to develop a kid. No guarantees, look at Price. Hickey didn’t say anything controversial. Who fired Demers, Julien, Therrien, Vigneault and Carbo? How about addressing the PQ sportswriters who whip up franco nationalism, digging the hole even deeper? Your darts are misplaced. One hot goalie (not Price evidently) can take you many rounds. Is that bad? You’d rather tank? I’ll never forget what Jaro did, I haven’t had that much fun since 1993. Winning is good. Throwing games is amateur and bullshti.
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”First of all, you have to have continuity if you are to have success,” Pollock told the New York Times. ”I think it gets the manager and the players to become more attached to each other.” – Sam Pollock
Do you even live in Montreal?
Maybe you are happy with a team that scratches and claws its way to a final play off spot each season but I am not.
BTW. I pick the Blues to win the Cup this year.
I remember what Jaro did,
He left his net to check Mike Richards,nearly killed Hamer
Richards scored into the empty net.
Lost the series to the Flyers because his agent was hell bent on a big contract in the middle of a cup run.
NorthTOHab
wow you are right on the money. we need to rebuild with new management. http://www.firegauthier.com check the site.
Outdoor game in Hamilton within first minute A Dogs goal & fight….
The Red Fisher / Serge Savard report is a ‘must read’ for anyone on this site that can not remember the 1993 Stanley Cup. This franchise (once) had one purpose only: win the Cup.
Today the chatter is truly ‘make the playoffs and see what happens’ … that my friends is LEAFS talk.
Accept nothing less than Stanley Cup.
– HABS INSIDE/OUT R.I.P. –
People whine about our management and have a right to. The real goat here is not the goat actually, Gainey was the guy that put the munchkins together while everyone was getting bigger. He let go of the better goalie no matter what the Pricebots say here.
And the number one thing is Geoff Molson who needs to grow a pair and be the boss not just a spectator. Hockey is not brain surgery and when stupid decisions are made he needs to put his foot down. Last nite in St. Louis they had a shot of the owner and John Davidson looking like the cat that ate the canary while Halak was being a wall. When people give up on season tickets Geoff it’s going to be you that takes it in the shorts by ruining this storied franchise. Wake up and get your shit together. Clean house, hire the best people you can and not alumni cause it looks good. Let’s go damn it!
Gauthier was the head of scouting duing the era that has drafted such studs as kyle chipchura and fischer.
http://www.firegauthier.com
I agree.
Halak faced 15 shots last night.. :\
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
Price face 16 shots against the Caps and let in 3.
Spatcho…..zip it !!! No offense old friend , you were great while here , but not missed. I can hardly understand what your saying most the time so……what difference did it make too you that there was a language controversy ?? English/French….what coach can understand you ??? Peace out , and try not to fall for media entrapment in the future. Zip it !!
Where is Spacek, exactly? Does Carolina still have a hockey team? Who the hell cares what he has to say..He was a plug, anyway..
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
Yeah we’re doing way better with Campoli and Kaberle than we were with Hamer and Spatcho.
Campoli & Kaberle do not cost almost 8 million a year……
Kaberle has almost twice as many points and spacecake and hamrlik combined and has a history of staying healthy. Lets just say we keep kaberle for the next 2 years and puts up his usual 45 points or so, what is he worth at the trade deadline in 2 years(or even next year) compared to what spacek would have got us this year? He got burke the equivilent fo 2 first rounders and a 2nd rounder less then a year ago.
The days of 45pts for Mr.Kaberle are long gone.
Really? He had 47 points just last season.
They are all plugs..
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Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
I’m not a pro hockey GM, I’m just learning how to be one on interwebby bloggy type thingys. In that regard I’m grateful for the comments here and on other Habs sites.
I’ve learned that knee jerk reactions are par for the course when your team is spiraling downwards and you’re looking for easy answers and quick solutions. I’ve learned that giving up on talented young players is de rigueur for building a winning team. I’ve learned that packaging a bunch of under performing plugs should bring a high value return in any trade scenario. And I’ve learned that trading players is a simple as clicking “A” on my controller.
So I’m pretty well ready to be a full fledged, card carrying, accredited NHL GM now and I’m working up my first trade idea. It’s a complicated 6 team player/management swap that involves exchanging 17 players, 3 coaches, a couple of GMs and an equipment guy named Curly over in Columbus. I think the key to the deal is Curly. My sources tell me he’s creating a lot of unrest in his team’s dressing room.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
First thing you need to do before you take on the role of armchair Internet GM is learn how think for yourself. Since that isn’t going to happen just do as I do not as I say.
Those of you crying to trade PK are absolutely insane.
He is 22.
He is a 2nd year defenseman.
And he is consistently playing first line minutes and against the opposition’s top lines.
How many other 22 year old 2nd year players are being forced into the top defensive pairing?
As a 2nd year player, PK should be playing against the opposition’s 2nd and 3rd lines. But he’s not. And because of the Habs’ lack of defensive depth, PK is out there against the very best every night.
And so he makes mistakes.
But he is 22. And there’s a lot being asked of him. Cut the guy some slack, because given the time to develop, PK will be an all star on the Habs’ D.
did u steal his nickname …Bell Center Hotdog !!! haha
The team we have right now is two 20-goal scores away from being a very good team – we don’t need to blow this team up – we have max-pac, cole, kostitsyn, bourque, Gionta, pleks, if we could bring in 2-3, 20-goal scores this team is set – the problem with this team – we keep hanging on to the deadwood and it’s destroying our team
with time the “Defence” will improve- they’re young and inexperience
we have two good goalies – all we need is those 2-3 steady 20 goal scores we may not win a cup right away but it’ll be an improvement over this year.
According to Pierre Ladouceur, Bourque took the night off last night. Is that true?
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Bourque did not have a big game.
RC picked Gomez for the shootout because Gauthier threw him under the bus because of the French media.
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
I’ll repeat what I said below too:
The Habs are one excellent to elite defenseman, one excellent to elite centre, two stay at home defensemen (at least one with a cannon) and 4th line away. That and they need to bury Gomez’ contract and get rid of Kaberle. Apart from that they are close.
That’s a little bit like saying “Apart from that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”
Our chief weapons are fear and surprise
Yep.
I agree with Tom’s post below that we are not far from being a good team.
However, neither are the Isles and Lightning.
The Canes on the other hand …
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
OH MY! It is tough enough on the fans watching this product perform. Can you imagine being a player walking in public? The 1st question by every person that passes them by is! How’s the wife? I kind of doubt it.
Now they are in Torona! Will we get our noses rubbed in it tomorrow? or will the boys muster up a little pride?
I for one will be watching and wearing my sweater!
I concur my friend !! I’ll be watching also with the sweather on ..but I’m thinkin’ about a paper bag over head !! my best bud is a Leaf fan and we watch the games together..so Saturday nite @ the Stevieray household could be a black rum nite ..I’ thinkin’…
hope they bring their A game !!!
Jst finished plowin’ snow …in for the day restin’ up for the tilt tonite !
If the Habs win only one more game this year, please let it be tonight. A real ass-kicking on the Laffs would just make the whole winter better
I am with you on that partner !
I will be in my TO livingroom glued to my TV wearing my Habs Jersey.
My grandaughter will be at The ACC tonight … wearing her Pacioretti sweater … no paper bag though … the ex pats in TO live on.
NorthTOHab
The Canadiens should :
Hire a coach for the D who will have the respect of the players, we forget what Jacques Laperriere brought to the team.
They need to surround the players with pros who know what they are talking about. If they do not do that, they will NEVER develop the players to NHL standards. Emelin, PK, Tinordi, Beaulieu etc must be better coached and brought up slowly.
Also this we will win the Cup next year must be brought up only when we will actually have a team that will contend.
So the next 3 years must be about having a team that will be ready, with players that are playing together and developing a chemistry together. If management cannot see a player with this type of team in 3 years, they must be delt for players who will be, either underperforming prospects in other organizations, or through the draft.
Also the Canadiens must spend lots of $$$$ for player scouting and player development. I would hire a guy like Nilan to be a special assistant to the Canadiens in order to watch over them. He knows the ins and the outs and knows the traps a player can fall into.
The organization needs organization.
Eric! Is there any players left anywhere that used to play on consistent winners here.? and can speak French. I think only on black and white news reels!
L’Antichamber last night … open with … hire Vigneault …reason one … he speaks french … click.
NorthTOHab
The guy on the right in the pic very much looks like AK46. I thought it was one of Boone’s photoshop experiments.
HAHA i thought the same thing
It is AK – it was taken a short while after his stick broke last night.
The whole team got one each getting off the plane in TO.
Our season will end with the 82nd regular season game. And quite possibly with 82 points. Ah, the irony.
The balance of the schedule, as I have said before, is just tryouts for next year.
In all pro leagues there have been many really bad teams that get beaten badly most nights but generally the teams that have a poor record keep many games close and get beaten at the end….so our close games may fool us thinking that we are better than we are…
That or losing so many one goal games and blowing so many leads could mean that the team is an excellent to elite defenseman away from being one of the better teams in the league.
The Habs are one excellent to elite defenseman, one excellent to elite centre, two stay at home defensemen (at least one with a cannon) and 4th line away. That and they need to bury Gomez’ contract and get rid of Kaberle. Apart from that they are close.
http://www.firegauthier.com
We are 3rd in the league with the most one goal loses. Even having an average or slightly above average PP would probably have us sitting in a playoff spot or at worst a point or so out. Stastically we are pretty good on the defensive side of the puck and very good on the PK. Our 5 on 5 is in the top half of the league. Its been our suckass powerplay that has been killing us all year.
So if the PP was at 20% the Habs would be sitting pretty at 16th again? I’ll take the high draft pick instead.
A 20% PP puts us 9th in the league in scoring,i doubt that makes us 16th.