Buffalo won five of six games against your Montreal Canadiens this season.
The last was a 3-0 romp in Buffalo Wednesday night.
Ryan Miller made 34 saves but was rarely tested.
• Photos by Doug Benz of Reuters
• François Gagnon on the Buffalo game
• Eric Duhatschek on Jaro Halak
And the Duncan Keith head shot on Daniel Sedin
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“Recent history suggests the Canadiens do not fare well with rookies behind the bench.” what did Carbo do wrong? Win the conference as a rookie coach, with a young team who learned a thing or two in the playoffs. 5th (ish I think) in the conference within striking distance of home ice advantage the next year, before he always fired. I am not saying Roy will be the savior, but then he has been that. Give him a go. They could do worse in picking a coach.
The team is in great cap position (I am also only assuming the cap remains the same…it won’t)… approximately 12 million dollars to fill 2 top 9 spots, a tough dman (whoch would also likely mean the shedding of one or tow of the included totals)
Pleks(5)-Gio(5)-Bourque(3.4)
dd(.85)-Cole(4.5)-pacioretty(1.7)
Eller(1.7)-Leblanc(1.2)
White(.8)
Markov(5.75)-Emelin(2)
Subban(4)-gorges(3.9)
Kaberle(4.25)-Diaz(1)
Weber(1)
PRice (5)-Budaj (1.2)
Teh grand total is around 52.3 million dollars…..we have tons of room
So I just read someone summarizing Bob McKenzie’s comments on TSN 990 from a couple of days ago. He was asked about the Gomez situation, and how it wouldn’t make sense for him to be bought out because it would cost too much, what about putting him on waivers, what’s the deal then? Would we be on the hook for half of his salary for the next 2 years? What about the cap? Can someone clarify this for me, thanks!
If he goes on waivers and someone picks him up on the way down to Hamilton, that team would pay his full salary and sustain the full cap hit.
If a team picks him up on the way back up, they’d pay half, and we’d pay half, and we’d split the cap-hit.
If no-one picks him up, we have a team morale disaster on our hands. Very risky.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
At some point he has to produce. Unfortunately, he has been injured all season but 11 points in 39 games and a -9 is just unacceptable. It’s time he plays in the minors, despite being a good team guy. It’s the result of signing a too rich contract and not living up to it.
If (more likely when) Gomez is demoted, his cap hit disappears. He must still be paid his guaranteed contract, however. That is 5.5mil for 12/13 and 4.5mil of 13/14.
Seems like AHL or Europe are the only options. If Gomer is on the big club next season I will be very dissappointed. Some of the European leages would be a good fit for Gomer and from the owners perspective he can recoup some of the salary. It’s a win for the team, the owner and the fans!!
There is still the potential buyout period with the CBA…..perhaps that is what was meant when the news leaked but was never really clarified? That would still technically be a “buyout” and would not waste any cap space foolishly and would allow Gomez the ability to again play in teh NHl …it is really the best solution for everyone involved.
One thing that worries me about that though is that if teams were very certain that buyout period was going to happen would more of them not taken on a ridiculous contract for a playoff run knowing they could get out of it?
Firing Gauthier would give me some hope. What a mess he has made of this team. From firing Perry Pearn right though to dealing AK he has turned this into a shambles. Keeping your cornerstones ( Price, PK, Gorges, Emelin,Maxpac, Cole, Gionta, White, Eller, Markov Leblanc and maybe Moen) still leaves a huge number of spots to fill. It will be next to impossible to turn this around quickly like the Senators did…Another 5 year plan???
Huh? Sorry dude but you’re not making much sense, you mention 12 cornerstones and then you go on to say there’s a huge number of spots to fill, not really…
By the way, who’s the Sens are really turned around, they’ve had one good season, they could have a terrible season next year if injuries happen.
ummm Pleks is still the teams best forward..so you might want to consider him aspot filler…that Bourque guy as bad as he has been in Montreal is still normally good for 20 gaols, there is a ton of cap space moving forward
The student protesters near the Bell Center were louder than the playoffs hopefulls from 2 seasons ago.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
Oh Hobie, Hobie, Hobie…
You wrote:
“Especially cuz a couple of you pacifists talk so much nonsense…” and so-on.
I’m not a pacifist, and I don’t talk nonsense.
I don’t like staged fights between goons because they prove nothing and do nothing to the game.
How many of Staubitz’s fights have resulted in us a) scoring a goal, or b) winning a game?
The answer, of course, is none.
I don’t mind fighting between players who are fired up.
I do mind fighting as a pre-determined circus-act in an already farcical league.
…and your ’98% poll’ is useless. Nobody is going to say that a role that a player on their team plays is useless.
Who took the poll, where is it, what was the question, and what is the desired answer by the poller?
If it’s the CBC one, it is designed to produce a pro-Don Cherry answer. It’s nonsense.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
If the team keeps White and Staubitz around and signs Moen in the offseason….add one tough dman and the team is tough enough IMO. It means one wing spot can be a ballerina for all I care if he can score goals…between Moen/White and Staubitz and a tough dman the team is plenty tough.
Part of the problem with developing our younger talent is that we don’t have enough talent on the big roster to allow 1-2 younger players to come in and learn the trade. We expect them to do what the main roster players can’t do themselves.
That’s because Randy is too busy trying to sell himself off rather than play the rookies. The guy is completely incompetent.
I play the game in the background mostly. Seriously what’s the point of watching?! The team is a shambles, we have a joke of a coach (worse than JM) and POS for a GM. By next season I’ll probably even say a retard for an Owner if he doesn’t clean up this embarrassment. Time for a REBOOT!
I’d like to see an example of RC being incompetent. He was put into the worst position in all of sports and I think he has handled himself well.
Sorry the sympathy theme is over for me. You can hold a candle vigil in your window but as far as I’m concerned, he accepted his position. He sucks bud and I’ll be surprised if he is ever a head coach again on any team. He sits young guys just like JM did, he’s got guys in pressbox that should be on the ice and he plays a useless strategy that is nothing but an extremely mild version of JM’s. Worst of all he has a hard-on for Campoli who stinks worse than anything, not to mention he’s gone at the end of the season. Great thinking. Then St Denis is better than Webber and Diaz any day and yet where is he? The team sucks and a lot of it is because the coach himself sucks. If you can’t see that then god help you. I loved that the other game though, benches Eller literally the whole game, plays him the last few mins and then puts him on in the shootout. Duh. Or how about Palushaj, ya thanks for scoring a goal for us, now sit on the bench the rest of the game. Ya, what a coach! It was easy to see a month after he assumed the job he was useless.
campoli i agree with you – the rest of your rant. . . well you don’t know the business of hockey. you can’t dress 25 players, you can move cetain guys up and down so many times. there is so much more to a hockey team and game than just ice time.
7D and 11 forwards until the Habs were so far behind the season didn’t matter any more. His record vs JM’s for this season shows how good he is.
this “thrown under the bus” stuff is getting old. He took the job, KNOWING it was interim. His record means it’s going to stay that way.
With a fraction of the skill AK had (or probably still has today). Maybe Roy would be good for the CH. A bit of “psycho” behind the bench would help motivate the floaters. And how much fun would it be watching Roy send Price across the ice to kick Thomas’ ass. Not the best pick but I do see some upside.
Not even that “psycho” Mike Keenan could stand AK27 or made him the player he should’ve been.
id like to see Price and Riemer go at it.. if Riemer even has a starting job by then lol
Thats the way the cookie crumbles
I do not recognize this team. I think only seven players on the ice last night suited up for Montreal last post post season. I have little idea how this team will look in September. None of the hirings, firings or trades have positively impacted the team this season.
On a positive note, it is rare to find a player like Pacioretty. He is a shooting and hitting machine. The problem is plenty of non playoff teams have power forwards as good as or better than Pax. It takes a great GM plus plenty of draft luck to regularly contend. It seems like 80% of the NHL is two players away from being a contender.
Blue, blanc et rouge. Red and White for Canada. Blue for Smurfs.
C.Stewart Plekanec Clowe
Cole DD Maxpac
Bourque Eller Boyes
Moen Prust Staubitz
White, Blunden
Markov Emelin
Subban Gorges
Engelland/Sutton Souray
Diaz
Price
Biron or Budaj..wtv
I think its realistic. More than probable the it won’t happen, but i think the right gm with the right moves can make it happen. You get the big slapshot on the point with big checking bodies on D, You finally get top 6 wingers for plek, Prust is one of the toughest guys out there and Brad Boyes typical guy you would want on your third line. Most of the new guys are having off years, you can get them on bargain deals.
Tell me what you guys think…be as mean as possible
If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize.
-Muhammad Ali
I like it. But I pass on Boyd and move Moen to the third line and insert White on the fourth.
what are you giving up for Stewart and Clowe?
On NHL12, it’s a couple draft picks.
How do we acquire Clowe? I like the idea, I’m just not sure how we’d do it.
I also like the idea of bringing back Souray — he can help on the PP, is a leader, and has some grit. He is around +20 this season with Dallas, and has proven there that he can withstand a full season without a major injury.
Souray was available when he was waived. Habs didn’t want him then and won’t get him now. Dallas will extend him.
Tradeable players: Gionta, Kaberle, Leblanc, Weber
Draft picks: we have quite a few this time around
Tradeable Prospects players: Gallager, Kristo, Bournival
MIX and Match until trade gets done for those 2 guys
Those guys are quality players, underperforming this year, so i think a good gm can make it happen.
If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize.
-Muhammad Ali
Clowe is the only physical presence that the Sharks have in their top 9, do you really think San Jose will let him go for cheap?
Please, that team is a blow up waiting to happen if they miss the playoffs.
If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize.
-Muhammad Ali
As far as Roy as coach. U know what, let him coach the Avs and let’s c how he does there first. We need a proven coach and a GM who does not have his head up his ass.
Geoffrion, Bourque, Campolie, Kaberle, and a couple more, are not NHL players. They are at best average AHL players.
Geoffrion has had one season of professional hockey under his belt, this is his second. Why are you so quick to write him off?
Because the only group more hell-bent on ruining player development than the Montreal organization itself are the Canadiens’ fans.
———————–
GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez is an elite NHL player” – VancouverHab
Chat with me on Twitter @TheRealRGM81
This makes me sad.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
It is sad….but it’s very true.
Yes Shiran but it makes HH happy!
Blake Geffrion might have a nice name and the heritage but he doesn’t have NHL calibre skills. He’s at best a 4th liner. Palushaj on the other hand is not an NHLer by any stretch of the imagination. Mind you Hab fans have a vivid grasp on unreality.
What do you think of P A Parenteau?
It always astonishes me when people write these kids off before they even play a full season.
I doubt he will be a top 2 line player. But to limit him to the 4th line at best for a 24 year old is quite ridiculous.
I wonder what people were saying about DD at the beginning of last season, and then the first time we brought him up, AT 24 years old…
DD has excelled at every level. Not just played well but led leagues in scoring or was among the leaders. Yet DD looked like he was over his head at the beginning of the year for a few games. He turned it around. But I always touted DD as a potential NHLer as much as two years ago here.
From what I see in Palushaj all I can say is the Blues burned the Habs in getting D’Agostini for him.
Geffrion fails to give me an indication that he has the skills to succeed at the NHL. Then again that was also Darche’s story. If anything Blake is inserted in the line up to guarantee the Tank™.
Agreed! I’d play the kid over Palusheeate, Enquist and all the other bottom feeders we’ve brought up this year. With LL getting more ice team and Gionta back from injury, he could easily make the third or fouth line.
“There’s genius everywhere, but until they turn pro, it’s like popcorn in the pan. Some pop… some don’t.”
- Jerry Maguire
loool
Out of that list only Campoli and Geoffrion would be classified as a fringe NHL Player… The Latter being a young player still trying to find his game.
Bourque? The guy with 17 goals this year, and the guy whose outscored Cammy the last 2 years…he’s not an NHL player?
Kaberle? The guy whose 6th on the team in points…he’s not an NHL player? Agreed, he can be a defensive liability but to suggest he’s not NHL caliber is utter nonsense.
Geoffrion? Really, the guy barely has a season under his belt..?
No offense, but get real.
There are some AHLer on the Habs, but the one’s Ian picked are not good examples.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
I agree.
Bourque is not an NHL player? I think his last 2 seasons of 27 goals and 21 before that disagree.
His transition has not been good. But 85 goals in 3 seasons do not lie. Lets judge him on how well he does next season.
Remember when everyone was writing off Pleks for a bad season?
Kaberle is our highest scoring defenseman, and one of the top offensive D in the league. Give him a proper partner and he will be worth his 4 million. His 22 points in 41 games is pretty good.
Geoffrion is 24 and hasn’t played 50 games yet. Give the kid a real chance. Again, on this team his production isn’t going to be high. Don’t be so quick to write people off.
Campoli has 450 games in the NHL at 27. So while he isn’t. Good NHL player in roughly the same games and time on ice, he is a minus 5, while Emelin is a minus 15… But I have no use for Campoli. 7th d man on a lower team at best. But thats not what we are using him as. We are expecting too much of him.
Question: why is Blake Geoffrion sitting in the press box instead of playing either for Montreal or Hamilton? Seems like sitting him is the least helpful option for his development.
I’m guessing here, but it might be because the Habs are out of callups?
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
There are 8 games left. His development won’t suffer for that short a time, plus, he gets to look at the game from another perspective.
Once the season’s done, he can head down to Hamilton.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
@ Clay
So, you think a player should get smacked in the head with the other not getting a penalty. Then, he should turn the other cheek?
Maybe you should read Phil Esposito’s biography about his first encounter with Gordie Howe.
Players who don’t look after themselves do not last in the NHL.
I have looked at Sedins hit several times and Keith’s…one is a shoulder tucked tight but the hit is high but is very hard to say was intentional….the other is a blatant flying elbow that the Macho Man Randy Savage would be proud of. They are not at all comparable and if Keith had come at Sedin and hit him hard but at least made it even close to a hockey paly that may be one thing…but they are not even in the same stratoshere…..Sedin’s hit under the current rules is likely a penalty and not suspension worthy…. Keith’s is definitely suspension worthy and if not for the fact he is a star player would likely be double what he will get which i guess is around 3 games.
Sedin’s hit happens several times a game and some are called…others are not…..Keith’s happens a handful of times a season…they are always suspended unless they wear black and gold lol
Too true that black and gold Goons to get anywhere near what they merit in suspensions.
Hi Everyone!
Happy Strike Day!
Those crazy students are out organizing their demonstrations on their iPhones, kitted out in their American Apparel gear and buying 24s of beer and bags of pot for afters in the park. Tuition costs too much!!
As for last night’s game… I’ll never get that time back, it’s true, but I’m prepared to suffer for the team that has brought me so much happiness.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Sucks too, because some really need all the help they can get to afford those studies.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
You’re right, some do.
I wouldn’t mind seeing something like a sliding-scale for tuition based on marks. There are so many students in Uni right now (I see them every day) who spend all class on the internet, and who get grades that just squeak them by. Those clowns should be paying double for pointlessly taking seats from students who would give their right gonad for the chance to study at McGill.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Europeans have a much more civilized way of approaching post-secondary education.
we may have loss to Buffalo, one positive, the top 9 RC used against Buffalo
Cole DD Max
Bourque Pleks Eller
Blunden White Leblanc
Has played the best in the last 10 Games, kinda expect the same from Ottawa friday night. Hope RC keeps those lines together, should be interesting…
If I were running the Canadiens, Desharnais, Bourque, and Blunden have no place on my team. Neither would Staubitz, or Nokelainen. Gomez is a given as being shipped out, one way or another. A buyout is less than palatable because we’d have to carry some of his contract on the cap for a couple of years.
On defence we need a bigger purge. Kaberle, Diaz, and Campoli, with Weber being on the bubble, as I think he still has some upside.
Luckily a lot of these players are replaceable. When Gionta comes back next year that will afford us some flexibility along the right side of the ice. We’re still painfully thin on the left side. It all depends on who we’re drafting, and whether we think they’re ready to make the jump to the NHL right away or not. That’s why a lottery pick is essential for a 1-2 year turnaround for this team.
If we find a centre in the draft (my hope), we might have to ship out Gionta or Gallagher (preferably Gionta, as Gallagher has room to grow and will be cheaper on the books), I’m not sure we can afford having more than one of the same type of player in the lineup. But that gives us a couple of assets that teams will probably want on their roster, so we have a little bit of leverage and we can probably find a left winger or two who can score consistently (sadly enough we traded one in Kostitsyn and got dick all in return).
It’s not all doom and gloom in Habs land, but we need this lottery pick to ensure that the rebuild doesn’t take longer than it should.
Desharnais…. Really?
its awesome youre not running the Canadiens.
Desharnais won the wingers lottery.
What does Desharnais do better than other players on this team? He’s not a great skater, his passing is average, his shot is weak, he gets knocked off the puck easier than just about everyone else.
He’s getting points because he’s got two top rate power forwards on his wings.
Can’t agree with you. I keep Bourque, definately desharnais and perhaps even both staubitz and blunden though they may have to be platooned depending on the team. Habs biggest problem is their D. Cannot have Weber, Diaz and Campoli playing. Replace 2/3 of them (3/3 ideally) with NHL caliber D and we’ll be in good shape. Get a bigger body for Pleks and we’re top 6 in the east.
pipes
Why get rid of Desharnais? Who cares that he’s small enough to fit in my pocket, the kid plays with heart and really puts up good numbers considering how bad this team has been. Cut him some slack. As for the others you listed, they can all go since not one of them is a difference maker
I could turn it around and say that his numbers have been sub-par considering he’s got two 30 goal wingers (Cole is only 3 short, so I’ll round up and assume he’ll pot 2-3 more goals thsi season).
He won the winger lottery and his numbers are inflated as a result. Trade him while his stock is high.
Do you suppose Desharnais might have something to do with Cole and Patches production. You mentioned he’s not a great passer, I disagree, he’s very creative and a good set up man. I’m glad you’re not in charge
What troubles me most about Boone’s article is the statement that BG may replace PG as our new GM
BG, whom I respect, is in large part responsible for the Canadiens’ current woes. He made one of the worst deals in Habs’ history, in acquiring Gomez and giving away McDonough. He was the architect of his five-year rebuilding plan which relied on small, skilled forwards to take us forward (Gomez, Gionta, Cammy). He made a huge misjudgment. Boston, which got bigger and stronger, made the right choice and they were rewarded with a Cup. BG also assisted PG, who has made a series of blunders, from acquiring Kablerle and having a soft D (e.g., Weber, Campoli, Diaz), to placing RC in a horrible position as a lame duck coach.
In short, they are responsible for the embarrassing state of this franchise. To give BG authority as GM would be to ignore his significant mistakes, which we are currently paying for. The best decision Molson can make for the team is to thank BG and PG for their service to the club, and move on.
Hiring Roy as the coach may be a risk, but we know for sure what BG can do for the club as GM. It would be idiotic to allow him to continue making bad decisions for our club.
Unfortunately for Bob, the NHL changed tack after we’d set ourselves up. The NHL after the lockout was geared toward a faster, less physical game that rewarded skill players.
Bob went for that, and it worked very well while the NHL was still following its own game-plan.
Boston started to beef up, as did Philly, and the NHL turned a blind eye to all of the sh&t they were pulling because it made for good (if extremely dangerous) television for the Yanks. The Habs, meanwhile, weren’t in the same position as Bos or Phi, who didn’t have a number of longer-term contracts in their rosters. As their teams changed, ours really couldn’t.
I don’t blame Bob; his only mistake was thinking that Betty and ‘his’ pathetic NHL were actually going to have the integrity to stick to their guns and deliver the product they’d promised.
Bob played for an intensely physical team in Montreal, and coached teams that were equally tough (Look at the North Stars in 90-91: Shane Churla, Basil McRae, Mark Tinordi…!!!) so I don’t think he is afraid to beef up a team that needs it.
I’m not so worried about Bob’s decision-making. People here blame him for what’s happened to us: I blame the imbecile midget in the suit in NHL Head Office.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
“Boston started to beef up, as did Philly…”
And there is the rub.
The Bruins’ owner gave Bettman his $7M / yr contract.
The Flyers’ owner, who also owns Comcast, gave the league its TV deal.
It’s their league.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Fire Bettmann!
Richard R
BG created a Eastern CF team in one off season. In Bob I trust.
Thats the way the cookie crumbles
So I really don’t understand all the doom and gloom around here. Next season this team will fight for the top spot in the east.
With Yakupov in the CH, our coaching changes and bringing in another top 2 player we will be all set.
Its all right there to see…
PG will sign Kovalev to play along with Gomez, lighting a fire between the two.
Patrick Roy will be the coach, and his two assistants, Mr. Mario Tremblay and Mr. Jeremy Roenick will complete the best coaching staff in the NHL.
The last piece of the puzzle falls into place when we finally sign MAB to the final spot on our D.
MaxPac. DD. Cole
Gionta. Gomez. Kovalev
Bourque. Eller. Yakupov
Staubitz. White. Blunden
Markov. Emelin
PK. Gorges
Kaberle. MAB
Diaz
the drive for 25 is fully alive.
I miss Plekanec already.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
PLEKS…. Sorry buddy I forgot about you….
13th F for PK duty. Diaz sits in the press box, and any injuries come up, we are looking good on depth… Problem solved.
You sir are the anti negative Nellie. Love your optimistic attitude even though its a fantasy. I like fantasies!
Sorry, don’t want the Yak. Already concussed and pretending nothing happened so he can make the big bucks. Habs need a sure thing in the draft and none are available. (Kidding-maybe 1 or 2 will make the jump right away)
And dontcha think it’s too early for line combos? 6 1/2 months is a long time in pro sports. I mean, someone may hurt themselves over the summer.
If I was being serious, I wouldn’t play Gomez over Pleks, and I would absolutely not include MAB and Kovalev.
is this a joke?
Yes. Tremblay and Roenick under Roy???
The Montreal Canadiens would change their name to the Mount Royal Maple Leafs and retire Mike Komisarek’s jersey before that would happen.
Im pretty sure you can retaliate without elbowing someone in the face…
And that’s a core issue of the problem, as the retaliation hit is usually an escalation.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
Well Sedin would never drop the gloves so I’m not sure how Keith could retaliate without getting an instigator penalty or more?
Sedin should have been tossed right away.
That probably should have happened but there is a notable difference…one could argue Sedin’s was accidental as there was no back story or premeditation (or so it seems) and by reputation and past history he is not that perceived as that type of player….Keith’s is unquestionably intentional …. the odd thing is that this is the same thing taht I thougth should have been factored into the Chara/Pacioretty thing but I guess proving it is harder than we think? Intention play a big role in suspensions and Keith me thinks is in some trouble….but not as much as Daniel who may very well be out qutie some time.
Sedin also hit with his shoulder tight but hit was high…keith is like a WWE elbow and cannot be deemed a “hockey Play” by any stretch of the imagination either.
No, you can’t argue that Sedin’s hit was “accidental”. He was looking right at him when he hit Keith.
Seeing as Sedin won’t drop them and the refs blew it, Keith exacted revenge. Was he wrong? Sure, but if Sedin’s going to do that he better be prepared for an answer to it.
the hit was not accidental (the point of impact likely is) but his shoulder hits him high and is tight to his body although he is comes in high ..it is a common play and one that is often not called….in minor hockey it is called every time but in now ay is it comparable to the Keith hit…a flying fully extended elbow to player not even aware he is oign to hit is completely diff’t
So Kovalev wants to make a return to the NHL according to Renaud Lavoie.
I will support any GM that will make sure he does not get a contract with the Habs.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
I’d take him back in a heartbeat on the Habs.
He was bad with the Senators, worse with the Penguins and completely sucked in the KHL.
The guy was great, but he is not even good anymore.
1 goals, 5 assists, -13 in 22 KHL games.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
Just completely proves that he only plays when he wants to.
He didn’t like the KHL, so he didn’t try.
Just like in Ottawa. Didn’t like going there, so didn’t really try.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Like in Montreal most of the last season he was here. AK27 is gone. Habs have Pac and Cole- both are upgrades.
Now we have RB27 who is just as enigmatic and lifeless as Kovalev.
Return of the Tortoise? No thanks. Been there, done that.
Said before – if he wants it, 1-2 mil. He can play for 1 year on the third line. He’s an upgrade on Darche/Blunden/Staubitz/etc no? Why not?
If he bombs no biggie, it’s only a couple of mil.
But if he expects to come back and earn 3+ he’s clearly not worth it
You list 4th line players as the ones Kovalev could replace on the third line, that’s fail logic.
And he has not been a good player in quite a while now…
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
On the other hand I will wholeheartedly support Burke if he wants to sign him to the Leafs.
only good thing about last night was Staubitz – he better be on this team next year.
I 2nd that!
Yeah that’ll kick-start our moribund offense.
______________________________________________________
“It’s just an opinion – I could be wrong”
I didn’t notice him at all.
What did he do exactly?
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
The only thing you will notice him for.
The only time I notice this guy is because the cameras are focusing on him and his fisticuffs partner.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
Wow. There was a fight?
I didn’t notice.
I must’ve been getting a beer.
Wait… wait… Staubitz got in a fight. Then why did we lose?!?!
This goes against all hockey logic!!
Fighting = winning!!!
The NHL truly is broken beyond repair…
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
Hockeyfights.com even lists Staubitz as the winner of the fight, so I don’t know what went wrong.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
Gaaaaahhhhh!!!
Not! Making! Sense!!
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
pay more attention…baby steps for the Habs in terms of garnering respect from opponents…he and his actions in meaningless games are step 1…this is the NHL – fighting is allowed and teams much much better than ours do it more.
Like Detroit?
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
The Rangers lead the Eastern Conference standings and also lead the National Hockey League with 62 fighting majors. The Boston Bruins, who lead the Northeast Division, are next with 57 and the Philadelphia Flyers have 52.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/White+packs+punch/6334121/story.html#ixzz1prKzstKn
So the more a team fights, the more it wins.
I see.
So then Columbus should be in 3rd place in the league, and Detroit should be in last.
Y’see, stats can be used to prove any point, regardless of how specious.
I’ve been saaaaved!!
—Hope Springs Eternal—
The argument will never end. Especially cuz a couple of you pacifists talk so much nonsense and especially since 98%of players, GM and coaches all state fighting is an important part of the game.
He hasn’t fought a meaningful fight yet. Just staged nonsense. Call me when he sticks up for a teammate.
Boone’s article on Roy does bring up valid points, and there’s no doubt going to be a large amount of dicussion as to what will happen in the Habs’ off-ice (and of course the on-ice) personnel this summer. Regarding his main reservations:
1. Roy will deflect attention from the players – This is not necessarily a bad thing. If the team has a rough night, Roy will have no problem addressing the matter head-on and taking the heat off the guys on the ice. Sometimes you just lose hockey games, and Roy will be able to articulate that.
2. The Price dynamic – While I’m sure Groulx will still play a huge role in helping Price hone his craft, imagine the immense wealth of knowledge and insight Roy could provide, not only in terms of on-ice performance but also being able to handle the pressure of being “the man” in Montreal. Roy loves winning. Price loves winning. Roy is also given a ton of credit for bringing up his key players and raising their confidence and elevating their performances. Yes that is at the Q level, but there’s no reason to think that he wouldn’t be able to do same for Price…or Subban, or Pacioretty, or Leblanc for that matter.
3. The rookie coach – yes an unknown quantity at this level is dicey. But I would rather than unknown quantity than seeing many of the known quantities (Wilson, l’Antichambre crowd, et al.) take over behind the bench. Like I noted above, Roy is a winner who loves winning – he’s done it at the Q level and he will bring all his insights to bear at the NHL level as well.
4. Cart before the horse? If Pierre Gauthier is still the GM of the Montreal Canadiens by, say, the NHL Entry Draft I will be truly shocked.
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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
MTL this season has what… 25,26 games where they have scored 0 or 1 goals.
I don’t care if your Halak, Price, or any other goaltender in the league. With offense like that your team isn’t going anywhere. No goalie can compete with that.
Exactly Nick. There are a lot of so called Hab fans that seem to take an unusual amount of joy from the misfortunes of the team they supposedly root for. Makes it uncomfortable for me sometimes.
It’s a pretty simple formula to win against the Habs this year: score one early, key on the 72-51-67 line, and the rest takes care of itself.
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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
And if you don’t score one early, score a couple late.
That works too.
–
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Sad but true.
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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
This is the one and only post I will make on Halak/Price today.
Price is still so young and he’s played on a mediocre Habs team his entire career.
Montreal could still suck for the next three years, Price could be hot/cold and he’d still have plenty of time to go on a five year tear from age 27 to 32. If he has a quality team in front of him.
Who knows what goaltender Price/Halak will end their career with better accolades, I believe it will be Price.
But I don’t think we’ve really seen what Price can do at this point because there has constantly been so much chaos outside of his crease since he’s been here and he’s never played behind a great or even good team.
Good post Hobie. Goaltending is not even on the radar of what needs to be fixed on this team.
Price had one bad goal last night but how many amazing saves did he have? Quite a few that could have been goals. I 100% agree with you that the problem is not our goalie.
People who think that are crazy
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
People forget Roy was getting frustrated as well on a poor Habs team Price will win a cup just hope it is with us
This is the one and only post I will make on Price/Halak today.
I really like this card:
http://www.sportscardforum.com/scf/invimage/show/601882
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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
nice card, looks like it has some corner damage though.
I don’t approve of the head shot by a long shot but Sedin shot first and if the Swede wants to live by the sword …
Assinine philosophy. It may end his career, and this is what you say…it says a lot about you.
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☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
Not so. Sedin went for Keth’s head first and no penalty. It would have stopped there if the refs had eyes and brains, but they don’t.
Cal – and Hobie…I disagree with you both. What should have happened is that there should have been a penalty to Sedin, and if not certainly discipline from the league. The sad fact is the we all know the league is a joke when it comes to policing itself – and this is what needs to change. Head shots have to be severely punished. Zero tolerance – period.
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☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
What’s to disagree. Sedin should have been penalized. He wasn’t. Keith went after his head. If Sedin wants to play like an idiot, there’s nothing to stop the other idiot from retaliating.
I only saw the video above so i am missing what was done first, but as is oftne the case the retailiations gets penalized. in the video above I see a 5 minute elbowng penalty, game misconduct and 5 games suspension
Well, I disagree that Keith should have retaliated – that’s what. I think the league needs to step up, but even if they don’t, you just don’t do something like that. Premeditated assault is what that was. He needs to be gone for the season and playoffs if you ask me.
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☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
I don’t see anything wrong with “Thomas Le Fan’s” assessment. I hope Sedin isn’t hurt but if you smoke someone in the head you should be expecting a shot back? No?
Hobie, I’m sorry but I have to respectfully disagree. Someone is going to get killed in this game eventually. Hits to the head are dangerous and have no place in the fame. Deserved or not.
I agree but I’m just saying if the league or refs let the 1st shot slide than I don’t blame the other player for the 2nd.
The refs cannot see everything on the ice at all times, the league is not helping them, or making their jobs easier.
So to make sure retaliation hits like those don’t happen anymore, there could be an off ice ref, with video, or somethine like that, to help make calls the on ice refs missed.
RC : “Merci beaucoup.”
I spoke of a hockey play and you chose to attack me which actually says more about you, Monsieur My Poop Smells Like Roses.
No room for this bs anymore all those cheap shots away from the play or after the whistle got to stop
Is this what happen when NDP voters watch hockey?
To all those who actually feel this way about our national game, may I recommend a similar sport except without all this nasty violence? Figure skating. Well, unless Tonya Harding makes a comeback.
Yoohoo! Is that you Grapes?
Richard R
Wanko Tanko (sung to the tune of Wango Tango)
The Habbies they don’t like to suck
The Habbies they don’t like to fold
The Habbies crapped their pants tonight
The Habbies got no puck control
They do the Wanko Tanko
The Habbies they can dream about
The Habbies in a play-off rout
The Habbies they just don’t advance
The Habbies they don’t make the dance
Wanko Tanko
Grigo renko
It’s a Wanko Tanko
Ooooh yeah!
Baby!
Sometimes your post conjure up memories of George Bush Sr vs Bill Clinton debate when Clinton ask, “are you questioning my patriotism?” In this case replace “patriotism” with “fan of HABS”.
Wolves are not concerned with what questions sheep ask.
Nice try, but I would’ve been more impressed if you could’ve done this to the tune of “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang”. Within the whole Nuge oeuvre, the 1975-78 albums were undoubtedly the best
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Bring on zee Fembaahhts!!
Stranglehold is his best album IMO. Apart from that the Nude Gent sucks. And Wango Tango is possibly the worst song of the 70′s.
So as per your request…
Wank Tank sweet swoon stank!!!
I damaged my hearing on Double Live Gonzo. Thanks man.
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Bring on zee Fembaahhts!!
Reading this Halak crap makes me sick. If the trade was the other way around Halak would have the same or if not worse stats than Price.
The Media are a JOKE & a half!
No
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☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
Maybe?
Ok, maybe. I just don’t like his whining is all
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☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
Halak had some of the worst numbers in the league until Hitchcock came to town with his system. He wasn’t even the best goaltender on his team. Elliott was carrying them. To give any goaltender all the praise in a Hitchcock system is out of line. To compare the years of these two goaltenders without considering the team in front of them is a joke.
Ummmm…that was over a 9 game stretch. Not enough to go by, and look at his numbers now.Even including those games, he’s at the top of the league.
And everyone here likes to conveniently forget that when these 2 goalies were on the SAME team, Halak was consistently the better goalie, by a large margin.
__________________________
☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
Halak is the better goalie ATM. Deal with it.
Goalie ATM? All Price does is wrestle cows. Halak dispenses $20s too? Who knew?
I’m happy for Halak and I will be hoping for the Blues but in reality, this trade is still playing out and will take longer than one year to assess.
You do understand what At The Moment means, don’t you?
__________________________
☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
Disagree….St Louis is leading the west….not because of Halak they actually have a good team…..Price is on a shit team currently
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
I wonder what Prices stats would look like playing on the best team in the league…
they would not be the best team.
They Make Brian Elliot look good…..what does that tell you
“Like Canadian Hip hop..check us out http://www.groovecontrolmusic.com“
It tells me he’s having a good season.
__________________________
☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
lol….riiiiiight
In reading this article in the Vancouver Province, one almost gets the impression the writer is happy Sedin got his head taken off, because it has raised the testosterone level of the Canuck players. Bizarre.
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Willes+Canucks+right+hunt+down+Keith+after+Daniel+Sedin/6339638/story.html
It fits in the argument some folks here make in regards to fighting in hockey.
A Leaf fan I work with sent this my way. Not sure if this has been posted here yet. Just watch out for the language content. But man, these guys are funny.
http://leafsbeefs.com/
A poor man’s Bob and Doug Mackenzie…very poor.
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☞ If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. ☜
We now need for the Oilers to get on a sustained W streak.
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Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
Hey, those kids are bound to win one day… It might as well be now! Go the Oil!
More fun between NHL teams and the NHLPA
Turns out Ben Eager destroyed an HD Camera in the penalty box in Vancouver. He just got billed $13grand by his own NHL team.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/15679/nhlpa-files-grievance-over-broken-camera
Given that our season has been relegated to one of scoreboard watching, here are my “Pro-Line Draft Sweepstakes” picks for the evening.
Wash. vs Philly – Philly, cuz I am dreaming of a Jets playoff game
Nash. vs Pitt – Pittsburgh, cuz I want to see the best player in world regain his form.
Edmonton vs Tampa – OT is a must, with an Oiler Shootout win?
Calgary vs Minny – Minnesota, we need a Wild victory here, sorry Flames.
Vcr vs Dallas – meh
Col. vs Phoenix – Colorado win, Washington has their 1st rnd pick, need to make that pick as insignificant as possible.
Boston vs San Jose – Come on Joe stick it to those Bruins.
St. Louis vs L.A. – hmmmmm depends on who the goalies are
Impossible to argue with any of those picks.
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
.
Chicago being a playoff team and Keith being a great player, I doubt your scenario has any chance of happening. This will be interesting especially on the day that the NFL handed its worst fine ever.
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Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
Carolina won last night which pulls them out of reach of the Habs in terms of the bottom eight teams. Then Anaheim somehow beat St Louis which means there are only seven teams left in the race for the top end draft picks. Both teams are now six points up on Montreal which should be enough of a cushion with only eight games remaining.
Logic dictates that at least two of those seven teams will take a Dman (stellar defensemen usually have greater value than forwards) which means Montreal will be in a position to grab one of the five elite forwards.
The amazing race is slowly and painfully winding down.
Do you want to send a real message to the players about head shots? Then why not use the hit by Keith on Sedin as an example. Sedin doesn’t have the puck, in fact he never even handled it previous to the play as it sailed over his head. He was watching it wondering where it might land (further down the ice). Then Keith takes direct aim at his head with intent to injury and take him out of the game. It’s a black and white play, a dirty hit to immobilze one of Vancouver’s best players.
I would suspend Keith for the rest of the season as well as the playoffs. Let the message ring out loud and clear around the league.
But we all know there’s not a chance in hell this is going to happen. Why? Because the NHL is a total bush league these days. Totally unable to heal itself and move into the 21st century.
I can’t wait for this season to end. Golf never looked so good.
One hates to be cynical, but given the offending player is from one of the flagship U.S. hockey cities and the offended was from some far away city off the NHL’s head office radar, makes me think 3 games will be today’s wheel of misfortune justice.
I’m gonna go with 2 games because Keith is not a repeat offender and they just gave Doan, who is, 3 games. I’m also going to guess that they won’t wait to find out just how badly Sedin is injured before handing it out.
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Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
Not only that, but Keith apparently warned Sedin earlier that he was going to hurt him.
This is precisely what the NFL commissioner targeted yesterday – deliberate premeditated attempts to injure players.
On the other hand, the joke league will give Keith a slap on the wrists, and moreover will hype the next Hawks – Canuck game as payback time.
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Had to chuckle in the vehicle on the way to work today. Darren Dreger was on the morning show and they were comparing the NFL punishment to what the NHL does. Then Dreger goes on to say that Bettman is very very concerned about the public perception of the league, and that he “Despised” the line brawl in New York the other night. Oh really Mr. Dreger, is that why Bettman had his league run webpage make the fights front and center for everyone to watch?
Nevermind how much a baffoon Bettman is, the mouthpiece media in this league are complete pawns in the NHL’s back pocket. Dreger tries to make it sound in other parts of the interview like he is going to come down on the NHL, but then realizes that all of his “scoops” are from league office and says squat.
I am surprised the league hasn’t mandated yet that each teams goon must wear spiked helmets and shoulderpads to serve as a warning to other players to keep their heads up in the name of safety.
To be fair, the NHL tried to adopt rules against staged-fights 3 years ago, and the NHLPA blocked it.
Have any of you people ever seen the 1970′s film Rollerball?
Welcome to The New NHL.
Richard R
How about Sedin’s shoulder to Keith’s head earlier- watch the TSN hilights. They were both suspendable hits.
I wouldn’t dream of bringing up his .818 save percentage last night, that would be completely unfair.
But isn’t that the exact problem with how the league operates. The refs didn’t call a thing on Sedin, therefore enacting rule 5.b paragraph 2, frontier justice is now justifiable.
Still the biggest riddle to me is the equipment. If these shoulder and elbow pads weren’t designed to protect humans in war, many of these shoulders to heads, elbows to heads would be far less significant.
There were high hits in the “good ol days” but a felt pad was far less lethal than a kevlar enhanced gladiator styled weapon. Also, players are fearless attacking another player knowing that if they miss the check and hit the boards at full speed they feel no pain. Part of me is still convinced that players don’t realize how much force is inflicted in another players cranium when they hit them with these pads. Perhaps because when they were hit the same way, the subsequent concussion prevents them from remembering it hurt. Duncan Keith has missed a bunch of games in his career already from a concussion 1-2 years ago, obviously that is long forgotten.