The countdown continues.
• Canadiens prepare for tough series
• Police still investigating Chara hit
• Marc Antoine Godin: Pressure is on Boston
• JT’s 10 series difference makers
• Brian LaRose’s stats breakdown
• Michael Farber’s awards candidates
Another pump-up video from dahabsrule:
Loading ...
Hello,everybody,the good shopping place,the new season approaching, click in. Let’s facelift bar!
===== http://www.supershops.org ===
Air jordan(1-24)shoes $30
ugg BOOT $50
Nike (R4,NZ,OZ,TL1,TL2,TL3) $33
Handbags(Coach lv fendi d&g) $33
Tshirts (Polo ,ed hardy,lacoste) $16
Jean(True Religion,ed hardy,coogi) $30
Sunglasses(Oakey,coach,gucci,Armaini) $12
New era cap $9
Bikini (Ed hardy,polo) $18
FREE SHiPPING
( http://www.supershops.org )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwXCxaKuyIw
Playoff preview Video
For those interested, I’ve done an in depth breakdown between Carey Price and Tim Thomas on who’s more deserving of the Vezina, the results are intriguing:
http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2011/4/12/2106908/the-case-for-carey
I just checked this out, and it is “must read” stuff. The best article on Price written this season, bar none.
Loved every word of it. These are useful extended stats – and not all extended stats (nor the conclusions drawn from them) are useful.
But what’s with the scientific notation on the chart? That made me chuckle.
Impressive.
Andrew, could you do a similar study of the player many others say ranks only behind Price in determining how far the team will go in the playoffs, the poster child of post-season par excellence, Scott Gomez?
If it’s not too much trouble.
Tim Thomas still posts a .939 against the top teams in the league winning almost every game, I don’t know how but apparently he does. The stats don’t plead the biggest case for Price.
looking for tickets to game 3?
http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-tickets-Habs-vs-Bruins-GAME-3-April-18-WHITE-Sec-315-EE-360-pair-W0QQAdIdZ274566851
or email me directly:
subbbbbang@gmail.com
I’m with JD_ (earlier comment at 11:48am). No prisoners!
This isn’t about stats and match-ups, toughness versus speed, realists versus rose-coloured glasses fans. This is about putting down a pack of rabid dogs.
Karma’s a bitch when she gets her dander up and right now she’s just itching for the best revenge of all; 4 W’s for the Habs.
***Subbang Baby!!!***
ESPN Insider has ranked Tim Thomas as top playoff goalie and Price as 16th out of 16 potential starters! What a bunch of Bull****! One of the arguments for Thomas is he backstopped some team in Helsinki to a championship. The argument against Price, his previous playoff record, his age, and the amount of shots he has faced this year. Does this sound logical?
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
It just proves they don’t watch any of the games, and that is why they are wrong every year. Habs and Bruins fans can tell you Floppy is terrible at the Bell Center.
No doubt, LL. My oldest brother, who I usually watch Habs- b’s games with has already informed me he won’t watch this series with me. Cause every game we have watched together in the last couple of seasons have all been Habs wins. The B’s don’t need anymore going against them seeing how the Habs have TT’s number, his words not mine. By the way, glad you enjoyed your summers in Watertown, 3rd largest City in Mass I believe. Tons of history in Mass. to see, hope you got some of that in.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
I know, there are tons of Bruins fans in MTL. We all have agreed to not discuss hockey for the sake of our friendships. lol
Thanks again for reconnecting me to Watertown. They were my grandfathers’ 4 female cousins, all married but only 2 of them had children and they were both boys. So every summer they would “kidnap” me, being the only girl and spoil me rotten. Not bad at all. They took me everywhere. It was so long ago, but I remember the beautiful old homes in the neighbourhood and the serenity of their lives.
No problem. Besides, who doesn’t like “memory lane”.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
My daughter, who has turned to the dark side due to her boyfriend, won’t watch Habs/B’s with me anymore either. When they first started dating, and she was still a Habs fan, we went to the season opener a few years ago with his Dad. It was the night the Habs scored with about 7 seconds left to win it. They had given away little plastic Stanley Cups at the door and 15,000 of them came down on the ice after the score, I think I have the only surviving one.
That’s a pretty awesome souvenir I’d say. Hopefully my curse on the Bruins lives on!
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
That doesn’t even make any sense. Price below Dan Ellis or Brian Boucher?
I know, I couldn’t believe it myself. Their list goes: Thomas, Emery, Luongo, Bryzgalov, Crawford, Roloson, Miller, Rinne, Howard, Fleury, Niemi, Lundquist, Neuvirth, Quick, Bobrovsky, and finally Price.
I don’t understand several of the rankings, but oh well, ESPN is heavy on baseball, football, basketball, and hockey, eh, not so much.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
I arrive in Montreal on Saturday. Where do I go to meet some of you and watch the game?
I do have tickets for games #3 and #4
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” (anon)
We do take bribes at HIO.
Being a Bruins fan is like being in an abusive relationship. They break your heart and fans just keep coming back for more. After worshiping Bobby Orr for the 5 years of my life I jumped ship, and since the mid seventies I’ve taken significant heat for being the only Hab’s fan around here. I try to go to as many games as I can (8 this year, only 1 in Mtl) and while I’ve never posted, I read this site every single day and have for many years.
Ironically, my brushes with the Habs seem to be closer and more frequest these days. I teach Physical Education at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton, Massachusetts. Yesterday Elliotte Friedman showed up at our school with his HNIC crew to do a snippet on our most presigous graduate, Hal Gill. I think I managed to get myself in a scene, although living in MA I’ll probably never get to see it.
I’ve got my tickets to game one and I just can’t wait………quietly…… so I don’t get beer poured on me……..go habs go……..
Wow this is a really good first post. I remember watching Orr with Espo in the 70s and, even though I was a little kid, thinking about how much it must suck for Bs fans to have this much talent and never be able to get by the Habs. Never even got a whiff of the Cup even with a very good team and Bobby F. Orr. Then to get b-slapped year after year by the Habs. How much would that have sucked?
Anyway, our thoughts are with you while you’re behind enemy lines. I’m sure it’s not easy. And congratulations on building the fine athletic machine that we know as Hal Skilzy Gill. Nice guy too.
You are not alone Sped, I live just up the road in Tyngsboro, never ran into another Hab fan here (grew up in Vermont where there are a lot more). Enjoy the first game, may you bring the Habs a victory.
Hey Sped, Dedham, here. Grew up in a fiercely Bruins House in Arlington, Dorchester and Southie, glad to know there are more of us in Mass. One of my best friends from Billerica now in Phoenix is a devoted habs fan also. We should start some kind of club so we have our own bar to watch games. Enjoy the first victory!
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
You habs’ fans in Boston are too cool. I spent almost every summer in Boston as a kid. Loved it. Does Trapelo(sp) Rd. say anything to you guys?
That’s the street my relatives’ house was on. They are no longer with us to ask.
They lived in Waltham or Watertown, right?
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
Hey Watertown, that’s it. Thanks T-17.
It’s nice to hear about you guys. I live DC but was born and raised in Mtl. I was always amazed at how plentiful, vocal and outspoken the B’s fans are in Mtl. And believe me, there are ton. Especially in St. Leonard…
You guys in MA seem to be more fearful of being outed. I’ll take that as a testament to the spotrsmanship of Habs fans that the “ruins fans in the QC have no such fears!
Mats, I have never been shy to wear my colors with pride anywhere in Boston. Except for South Boston, where Whitey Bulger was from. No one there would think twice about taking a bat to your head for wearing anything other than Celts, Sox, B’s, or Pats gear. I’m not even joking. But, I will yell back at anyone in the Garden, they are always more talk than anything, although I have gotten into “it” with a couple of clowns from New Hampshire. But most of us keep it quiet, more because when your opponent has been down for so long it’s sometimes not cool to step on their neck.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
I hope game one in series one has the same result as game one in series one last year and we will see some douche telling the camera guy on tsn to F’off after an ot loss. Best part is You’ll be there!
HA! It’s gonna be a tight checking series but Carey and the Speed will dominate the boo-ins!
HABS IN 6 GAMES!!!
Just like last year, no one gave us a chance, that’s fine! i’ll take it!
GO HABS GO!
“To you from failing hands we throw the tourch. be yours to hold it high.”
Again this team isn’t getting any respect. The Rodney Dangerfields of the NHL. Every news outlet and their grandmother is picking the Bs in a short series.
Great goaltending and a team that’s willing to buy into playing defence can hang with anyone. Especially when we’ve proved that when it’s a hockey game (as opposed to a gong show) we can beat the Bruins consistently.
The Canadiens are going to go out and earn respect yet again and win a tight series.
Three out of five guys on TSN last night picked the Habs.
Indeed. And anyone who watched the games between these teams this season knows that they come in all shapes and sizes.
Despite the possibility of goonery, for the most part Boston played competitive, tight checking, end to end hockey vs. Montreal.
In one instance (Jan 8 in Mtl) the Habs got lucky with a couple of bouncy comeback goals and a sweet OT winner that set the stage for Patches broken neck. Otherwise, Montreal beat the Bruins cleanly twice (3-1 in Bos in Oct and 4-1 in Mtl in Mar) and in one tight one (4-3 in Mtl in the middle of their Dec slump). Boston smoked the Habs in Beantown towards the end of March’s post-Stanchion turbulence. The 8-6 game was a flukey outlier gone bizerk. We won’t see that kind of BS in the playoffs unless Montreal is running away with the series.
That’s why we should all hope for a slow and steady 6 game victory. Habs need one of the first two in Boston and then 3 at home.
Anyone who gives the “Big Bad Bruins” any more chance than Montreal to take this series just hasn’t been watching the games between these rivals this season.
I like Kouleas though, he’s not your run of the mill hockey analyst. When the ‘real’ panel picked it was unanimous for the Bs.
In fairness to the people picking the Bruins, they beat us 7-0 last game.
One game does not a series make.
And we beat them 4-2 this season and that’s enough to win a playoff round, but none of that matters in the playoffs.
Go Habs Go. Win the play-offs for Stanley Cup 2011. Montreal hockey players must do strong defensive play to win the Stanley cup play-offs. Do not body check or hit the players. Bruins is strong team but they can not score soon. So habs must play strong defensive game against bruins. Good luck to habe players.
Manohar
MacLean: Welcome to CBC’s playoff preview! Our first match is the Habs and Broons. What’s d’you say fellas?
Stock: Da Broons
Milbury: Da Broons
Cherry: Da Broons
MacLean: OK fellas, thanks for that. How about 17-inch mini-Bruins versus the Habs?
Stock: Uh, da Broons in 4 Ron
Milbury: Daaaaaaaaaaa Broons. 4 games Ronnie
Cherry: Going to go with the fellas here Ronnie. Da Broons. 4 games.
MacLean: Fellas, Lucic versus the Habs?
Stock: Bring out the brooms for daaaaa Lootch.
Milbury: Lootch 17 goals, Habs none
Cherry: Daaa Lootch. 3 games, the Habs forfeit and move back to Europe
MacLean: OK, wipe out the first half of the season and its Da Leafs versus Da Broons in the first round.
Cherry: The senseless waste of pitting these two mighty forces of nature against each other, like matter vs. anti-matter, will be a tragedy, not only for the teams involved, but for our planet. All nations must band together, to ensure that such a conflagration never takes place
Nicely done.
Chris Farley RIP.
HA HA!
Back to the days when SNL actually was funny.
Wicked
Ok, that’s it. The straw, the camel’s back, ‘n’ all that.
Someone’s written the “it’s ok if the Habs lose against the Broonz cuz they have a whole lot to be proud of this season” post.
Balder-effin’-dash!
Totally unacceptable.
Enough with the pablum.
Just for that, I’ve now decided I don’t wanna BeantownSplit™. Scroo that. I want it all. I want a bloody BeantownSweep™ and, yes, I’m somehow poundin’ my fists on the floor as I type.
Why the hell not? Cause pundits are favourin’ the Broonz? I’ll say it again: Playoff predictions and $1.81 gets you an extra-large at Timmy’s.
Some Hab fans are wrestlin’ with demons, the kinda demons controversial American psychologist M. Scott Peck noted – and I’m paraphrasin’ here – cause otherwise confident Hab fans to succumb to the forces of evil.
This series isn’t gonna just be a victory for the Habs, it’ll be an exorcism for Hab fans.
I like the cut of Smiler ‘s jig down below. The Broonz are the suckiest bunch of sucks who’ve ever sucked, predestined to collapse in an epic hellfire of hopes and dreams torn asunder, their inner spirits ravaged and left on the ice like so many heaps of rottin’ and festerin’ dreck.
So, throw away your charts and diagrams, put the compass and sextant back in your pencil case, and buck the eff up.
Stewie Griffin wasn’t effin’ around when he said, “Victory will be mine!” And what’s mine is ours!
SUBBANG, BABY!
———-
In the meantime, check out this Copperfield clip circa 1983. It’s him, complete with his circa 1983 haircut, performin’ close-up legend Paul Harris’ Immaculate Connection. It’s a very clean little piece of astonishment that is, in person, as good as it looks on the clip. Not the easiest thing to master, but far from the most difficult.
Two opposeable digits up for this one!
There are no half way measures. We give no quarter. We take no prisoners.
http://movieclips.com/W9ps5-lawrence-of-arabia-movie-no-prisoners/
***Subbang Baby!!!***
habs keys to winning version 374.2
Carey Price……this is the most obvious but I think it ultimately will be the subtleties in his game that dictate his success. When Price is off he appears to be too calm, he is slow to react to pucks in the corner or at the point and he stands too upright and isn’t ready to react…he is then only prepared to make one move…when he is set early, knees bent square and anticipating he has the ability to adjust on the fly to deflections, cross ice passes, etc. The other thing Price does very well when he is on is impersonate Ryan Miller and absorb pucks with his chest….the Bruins are huge and killed up fornt not to mention mean. They will do everything in their power to assume crucial space around the goal…and in all likelihood they will win that battle for territory……so Price’s first stops become even more important…the stop is not enough…control is essential. He also needs help from guys trying to watch those slot cruisers the Bruins have…body position against these guys and trailers has to be won by us to help Price out. Lastly, is Price’s ability to move the puck and communicate with his dmen…as the Bruins will be forechecking the crap out of us.. Price’s ability to be a third dman is a balancing factor for a d that will sometimes have difficulty in those situations. Price communicating and letting the guys know what is happening behind them can be a huge help too.
2. PK/Wiz…..Hammer/Spatch…..Gill/Mara
I know these are not the pairings but for all intents and purposes this is the real division of the talent and skill sets.
PK is going to be targeted but should be plenty accustomed to that by now but his poise will be huge but so too will be support by at least two players giving him multiple options when being pursued….and boy will he be pursued. Wiz will be under similar duress if not more….but he does not possess the same skill set as PK, while Wiz definitely has poise and smarts and great vision he cannot beat guys and create time for himself as well as PK. I am quite sure this will not go unnoticed by Bruins scouts and they will be all over him like a dirty shirt. Wiz being cool is big.
Hammer and Spatch are our savvy vets who can help out in both ends but are too old to really excel, excelling to these guys means solid, reliable steady play…..spoiled or not we have come to expect this out of these guys when the chips are on the table…..it is not an option for anything less to happen. They need to be efficient at containing the bigger forwards and keeping them to the outside and not conceding territory off the walls and in front of the net when able. They both can move the puck and contribute offensively as well but their hockey brains are why they are still playing as their skills are not what they once were. I like the chances of them being their steady selves.
Mara/Gill……these are the guys that worry me at times….I know everyone loves Gill….so do I as a leader and in certain sitations but as much as he fanatastically compensates for his lack of speed with great positioing it is his lack of speed that often has us end up in the situations to begin with. Fortunately the PK pairing kind of offsets that and it really works but I worry about some of the speedier Bruins sucking him into penalties or forcing him deep into our territory too easily. Once in our end the Bruins have an advantage with their size…Gill’s ability to angle, maintain his gap but then close and utilize that reach will be very key….because once he’s beat there is no recovering…fortunately he’s very self aware. Mara….his toughness is welcome and his offfense is underrated…but he sometimes sacrifices crucial ground to make a hit or overcommits to one guy in front of our net and I hope we see a very heady game from him. He is effective when he is tough but not overplaying the role…stick to playing d and covering space and we’ll be just fine. When he goes out his way to make a hit against teams and players that can take a hit we get in trouble….it means less players/more space and they will have the rock.
Forwards…
Cammi, Pleks and AK look great right now…..Pleks and Cammi are getting their jump back and the dead man has come to life hopefully at the right time. Cammi looks focussed as of late and is really reading the play well….he is back to that sniper mentality of drifting in and out of the play at the right times….that is Cammi in a nutshell and from their blue line in we should just let him do his thing…which means Ak ‘s forechecking ability and Pleks relentlessness will be key. AK has a big body and toughness on the walls that can match all but Chara on the boards…when he is skating and battling like he is of late good things can happen…especially with two of our two smartest offensive players playing with him. I think these guys will give the Bruins fits, especially at home where we can dictate the matchups.
Gomez,Gio and Darche……..This is the time of year that Gomez has to earn his keep and I like what I am seeing of late. He isn’t quite there but he is getting a ton of chances and as long as he starts making harder plays good things will happen but regardless, the fact he is getting chances himself is a good sign and a big reason why Gionta is looking better. Darche is also obviously a factor because of his willingness to retrieve pucks and go to the net….his hands are also pretty good in tight. This guy to me got screwed out of a deserved longer NHL career…he is the consummate professional. Gio is the guy who can benefit the most if Gomez continues to go where he appears to be headed offensively….Gomez helping get pucks to the net and not stopping inside the blueline everytime will mean more chances and Gionta seems to use his lack of size in small spaces to his advantage and gets low in front of the net and seems to win battles with far bigger guys….I think this line will create some serious difficulties for the Bruins and the fact we now have two lines playing very well and the Bruins only have one defender capable of neutralizing them bodes well for us.
Desharnais and Pouliot……maybe Eller too in this group….As long as they play even hockey I think we can win but if they play better than that…we can surprise more than the Bruins IMO. If this line puts up points and is semi responsible defensively….look out. If Pouliot shies away or Desharnais fades with the intensity ramped up I would not say it is game over for us but it leaves little room for error for sure.
The grinder crew I expect to be reliable, Moen will play with a purpose and is much better when he does…frustrates me sometimes when a blue collar guy goes through the motions but he seems to be in playoff mode of late too. White…..worries me a bit…he has the tools to be effective and the heart that is necessary but he has to picks his spots to be phsyical because the neutral zone is huuuuge in this series …we cannot allow easy access to our end and White is strong and fast enough to be a great trap player and occasionally pop someone hard…..but sometimes he ignores the puck and goes for the hit and the Bruins will take that hit to make a play….we have to remember that…these guys will not be intimidated by physicality…we may get a hit on the scoresheet but if they still manage to make the play it is 4 on 4 on the rest of the ice and they have the puck…..this where Mara worries me too at times.
All in all…..I really like our chances…i like the things I saw down the stretch….and even in the Ottawa game…i saw plenty of the positives I have been looking for. I think everything is going to come together just fine and dandy…..the other team wants to win too….but they won’t…..Habs in 6!
PP and PK….obviously this is as huge as goaltending and team defense if not bigger…but I am confident that if we have PK/Wiz play with Cammi/Pleks and Ak we will be great at least for the first wave. My only conern is that Chara plays the side we operate from..that is why I think it works to have Pleks and Cammi over there…..they are both smart enough and are triple threats and will force even Chara to concede some ice, they are both great shooters too who are smart enough to use Chara to their advatange as a screen. If the Bruins collapse we have two cannons on the point and both Pk and Wiz are also smart passers….Pk is learning to get pucks through and Wiz has always had that knack. This is a lethal pp and one that if together all year would have had us right at the top of the league all year IMO.
the Gomez/Gio/Desharnais unit is a little more worrisome as Gomez and Desahrnai are not quite the shooting threats so the Bruins can easily take the odd chance as they only really have to worry about Gio…and the point options are not very threatening either on that pairing. If Gomez can get pucks to the net, Desharnais can create then maybe good things happen …they will be playing against a second tier pk unit but they are nowehre near as versatile and threatening as our top unit….goals here would be a bonus to me.
PK……yikes…..this where I worry with the Bruins as I believe their pp is way better than it is playing…it is currently rolling at about a 10 percent rate lately since the Kaberle deal…we must not believe that will continue. They have the biggest shot in the league, a Hab killer in Kaberle and big bodies up front. One place we can get on them though I believe is on the wall…I don’t think any of their players except Savard when healthy are smart enough to control a pp from the wall. They instead will rely on big bodies in the slot area and in front to create havoc and try and create space to get the puck to the blueline…Price will be huge on the PK…as the Bruins get chances from the high slot and they have very capable shooters from that range in Lucic, Horton, Bergeron and even Ryder and Recchi…..we don’t have near as many shooting threats but they lack the playmaking IMO. If we neutralize Chara and take away the floater in the slot that kills us against Boston and Philly…we will be fine. Price not giving up rebounds when possible will also go a loooong way on the pk….win a few faceoffs and we should be fine.
.
is that it?
Man, that is thorough.
Applause.
Great analysis krob!
wow…where did you find the time to write this?
never really takes that long (20 mins or so)…takes longer reading it over to semi edit it now that you can after a reply!
It never seems that long either when I write it …I always got in trouble writing papers because I take too many words to sum up simple things on paper …Science teachers really hated me!
Crap, I had a choice between writing the California bar exam and reading your post. I gave up after “Gomez has to earn his keep…”
Sorry. Gomez would have to split plutonium with his bare hands to earn his keep at this point. All I’m asking of him is that he not take stupid penalties and dump the puck in deep when it heads his way and head to the bench.
I do agree with you to not underestimate Kaberle. Lots of posters have sneared at him, but I am concerned.
Man, that was a long one. I skimmed most of it…
Here’s how I see the same stuff in a nutshell:
1. Price: Keep doing what he’s doing. Sharp puckhandling and great positional netminding.
2. Defense: Various tools in this shed for all kinds of situations. Veterans (Spach and Hammer) for reliability and stability. Rookie (Subs) for offensive threat and energetic defense. Specialists (Wiz and Sopel) for pp and pk. Gill consistently holds the puck in the offensive zone and backs up PK in the defensive zone. Mara for toughness.
3. Line 1: Gio, Gomez, Darche – If Darche creates the space, Gomez gains the off zone, and Gio shoots the puck, this should be a formidable attack. Line 2: Cammy, AK, Pleks – all creative guys with offensive weapons. AK needs to stay awake. Plek needs to “not play like a girl”. Cammy needs to continue to gain his pre-injury form. I look forward to a number of lightning bolt one-timers from Cammy. 3rd and 4th lines… contribute, don’t take penalties (POULIOT!)
Special Teams – Martin excels in this area, but the team has seen droughts with the PP. Keep Subs and Wiz together! For the pk I look forward to seeing the stifling shot blocking of Sopel and Gill.
Wow that is some analysis. One of the best posts I’ve ever read on HI/O in terms of content. Big ups
OK, let’s talk about the other competition. The one that is interfering with the playoffs.
Stephen Harper is mostly known for missing photo ops at summits because he is in the bathroom. They usually go ahead and take the photo without him. A non-entity who has spent his entire life in politics, mostly kissing corporate derrière. Earned his anti-elitist bona-fides by dropping out of the University of Toronto after 3 months. Favourite Team: The Toronto Maple Leafs.
Michael Ignatieff apparently wrote some books and taught at Harvard. Nonetheless the best he could come up with for a slogan is “Quebec has the power to change things.” Martin Amis you ain’t. Favourite Team: The Harvard Crimson.
The Bloc started as a tantrum, and, like any tantrum, has slowly run out of steam. By now it has even forgotten the original grievance. Waiting for an ice cream cone or a hockey team in Quebec City to make everything better. Favourite Team: The Quebec Nordiques.
Elizabeth May appears to have fought the good fight to keep pesticides out of Nova Scotia, among other good deeds. However, she would have to be Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela combined to make up for appointing George Laraque as deputy leader. Favourite Team: not the Hartford Whalers.
Jack Layton will deny it when asked, but he’s hoping to be the minority partner in a coalition government. Favourite Team: The Federal Liberals.
hmm…
I don’t mind talking politics and I love sports. But I find they don’t mix too well.
I love how the French debate date was changed because of hockey. George Strombolopolous joked last night that finally politics was taking a back seat to what matters to Canadians
There was a French debate?
NESN’s latest poll: How Many Diving Penalties Will Canadiens Be Called for Against the Bruins During the Quarterfinals?
No joke, man this is an insufferable fan base and media group, and this is coming from a Boston sports fan minus the Bruins, of course.
http://www.nesn.com/2011/04/how-many-diving-penalties-will-canadiens-be-called-for-against-the-bruins-during-quarterfinals.html
They’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel, aren’t they? Journalism at its ‘best’.
It’s like some poorly constructed mythology, everyone associated with the Bruins seem to believe that it is a fact that Montreal players dive all the time, yet there has never been one case of a Boston player doing it.
Forget journalism, this is outright propaganda.
It’s more like ‘poopaganda’.
That site does more to propagate the stereotype of Bruins fans as being mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers and any other.
Poopaganda, I like it. Believe it or not, but the Bruins own 20% of NESN.
Mark, did you see Felger’s interview with Shawn Thornton last night on ComcastSportsNet? Kept it up with the diving BS and had the nuts to ask at the end of the interview, “Prediction?”. Thornton smartly responded “no way, no way, can’t do it.”
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
No, and by the sounds of it I’m glad I didn’t. Felger is the worst at this stuff, he flat out lies about events to make Montreal look bad. Right after the Max-Pac hit, he claimed that Montreal overacted on the Zednik close-line hit from McLaren, said the hit wasn’t that bad and Zednik was fine. Yeah, besides fractured cheekbone, broken nose, and a concussion, Zednik is A-OK.
His only evidence is from years ago and by players no longer here: Lappy, AK27, Mikey Ribs. Which shouldn’t matter now, also it’s not like Savard, Kessel, Strum, and other Bruins have never dove.
No doubt. Too true about there guys diving as much as ours and in fact every team in the league. Same in basketball, just gotta embellish a little to draw a foul or in this case a penalty. No different than baseball either. A pitch grazes the batters shirt and they act like they just got shot in the belly. All part of the game if you ask me.
Yeah, Felger is horrible. The only Boston media member who thought that Mclaren was in the wrong, that I remember, was Bob Neumeier. That was a vicious WWF style clothes-line. Zednick had him beat and last resort – clothes line. No different, Patches had Chara beat, why not a last second shove approaching the stanchion. I know they’re just trying to amp their fans but how about some integrity from the Boston media, same thing with Yanks-Red Sox.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
Laugh of the day:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/first-up/the-stanley-cup-playoffs-the-punch-in-the-face-that-says-spring/article1981493/
Globe and Mail claiming the Canucks record this year is more impressive than the Habs 60-8-12 or 59-10-11 seasons of the 70′s, because of the Habs weaker competition.
“Only one other team since the 1967 expansion has finished as the NHL leader in all of those categories: The 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens, who went 59-10-11 on their way to a Stanley Cup victory. That team’s roster was stacked with eight future Hall of Famers, including Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden and Larry Robinson. The 1976-77 Canadiens, who won the Cup as well, also led in goals for and against—the only other expansion-era team to do so. But the Canucks’ mark is more impressive considering there were only 18 teams when the Habs were running rampant. The Canucks had to top 29 others to lead in these categories.”
It sounds like the writer is:
A) claiming that the Canucks are a better team because the Habs had the better players (huh?!) And..
B) is missing the point that the league is even more watered down now than it was with the ‘expansion era’ argument that he uses against the Canadiens: 12 more teams, or an extra 240 players who otherwise wouldn’t be good enough to be playing in the NHL.
” But the Canucks’ mark is more impressive considering there were only 18 teams when the Habs were running rampant. The Canucks had to top 29 others to lead in these categories.”
He realizes you only play one team at a time, doesn’t he?
You have to compare an era with teams of that era. You can’t compare teams of different generations. The Canadiens of the late 70s won four Stanley Cups in a row. They won practically every award. They beat the Flyers, winner of back to back Cups in 4 straight games. They beat Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo or any team that mattered. They have the record of best +- differential among other records.
Look at what happened to the 95-96 Red Wings. They had 61 wins but lost to Colorado in the play-offs that season. Let Vancouver beat the defending champion Black Hawks first before making claims of greatness.
From the article excerpt below, keep in mind when the Candiens played there, there was more noise supporting the Canadiens as Habs fans cheered the Canadiens win.
This season, though, as the Canucks built an edifice that loomed over the NHL, the sound changed. It is hard to quantify, or even describe, but crowds at Rogers Arena didn’t just sound like they hoped to win — they sounded like they expected it. Expected, or demanded it. They sounded sure of what they were watching.
“It’s too much for one guy to shoulder. For us, we’re going to do it as a group. It’s about sharing that responsibility win or lose.” – Mike Cammalleri
DO: Listen respectfully to your Canuck fan friends when they tell you that the team is absolutely stacked this year, is built for a long playoff run, and should have an easy time making it out of the Western Conference.
DO NOT: Ruin the moment by quietly humming “Chelsea Dagger” while they’re talking
We’ll see how many hall of famers they produce.
“It’s a moo point. Like a cow’s opinion, it doesn’t matter. It’s moo.”
Win or lose the boys did a great job this year! with all the injuries(markov georges), scott gomez issues, carey P. P.K, max Pac, mother f*cker chara.
good luck boys, do what you do the best, tell the so called experts to stick their predictions up their candy as*
GO HABS GO! GO HAWKS GO!
This morning, driving to work, there was an accident..two huge trucks had collided. As I approached, I noticed one of the trucks was a Dickie Moore truck, and even though I’m not superstitious, I was like Oh-oh. Is this a sign? As I kept driving, the other truck was the one banged-up and WAIT, it had Massachusetts license plates. There you go, the sign I’ve been waiting for.
Habs take this under 7 games.
Haha! that’s funny – I seem to notice stuff like that on game days.. around here a lot of people have those little flags on their cars or stickers for various teams.. driving home if I happen to see a Habs flag – I take it as a good omen – if I see the other teans – very bad omen!
We will need our bottom-6 to play bigger than they’ve played all year. So hopefully we will see DD and Benny make a major contribution. Now that AK46 has been rehabilitated, Benny has become the focus of a lot of criticism here for his lack of output this year. But here are some interesting stats over Pouliot’s 79 games that point a bit in the other direction: #4 in even strength goals (tied with Cammy), #3 in game winners (tied with Pleks), #3 in hits (tied with P.K.), #7 in takeaways and #16 in giveaways, #7 in face off %, and #13 in time on ice. Clearly a leader in stumbles. As to penalties, there are some dumb ones, but a lot of others come with aggressive forechecking (#4 in minors behind Pleks) and scrapping (#5 in majors).
#16 in giveaways? That is pretty shocking to me. It seems, just seems that he would have way more. Do you think maybe he has a self- esteem problem? He’s super talented but seems to disappear sometimes?
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
He arrived as a goal scorer and has had to retool under the System. I think he has done pretty well in that respect. But being on s short leash affects his productivity. When he plays with an edge he tends to get penalized and we know what happens then. So sometimes I think he reduces the risk of discipline and plays safe which means playing small.
That’s too bad, especially being stapled to the bench by JM. He’s such a nasty offensive threat when he’s on. I hope he figures a way to cut down the offensive zone penalties but still play tough and talented. Pinpoint accuracy off his stick some games, hopefully in the playoffs. Last year he kind of disappointed me in the playoffs, like he wasn’t sure what his role was.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
This is the fun time of the year.. we all get to make our predictions and watch them come true
Our HiD Team is also busy making their predictions and the first one is in… so to add on to the list of links posted above by HiO.. here’s one more
“Habs or Bruins” – http://bit.ly/fQ39a7 (by @raginglogan on twitter)
Please, read, comment, enjoy! Gives you more food for thought.
More to come on HiD
===================================
Web: http://www.habsindepth.com – For the Fanatics
Twitter: @habsindepth
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hidpage
The police would do all of us a favour if they found out who on the Bruins bench had opened the door right by where Patches got hit. The door opens wide immediately after the hit. And you’re telling me the Bruins didn’t know exactly what they were doing. NHL bench doors don’t pop open for just any reason.
That said, let there be karma. Habs in 7 – ending in a Subban one timer and post game celebration! Make it so.
Carey, Carey, Carey, Oi, Oi, Oi!!!
Zdeno Chara – No suspension?…Norris candidate?…Dirty Player?
Case closed! He’s a F’n Psycho. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkvnIHHlJTs
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
2011 is a difficult year to get a read on contenders. I don’t feel confident about any single team as I did in previous years. I have no idea what is going to happen. Teams like the Flyers, Wings and Hawks have all the talent but have been terrible on defense for large stretches. The Caps, Canucks and Sharks have the stats and the depth but have historically collapsed. The Habs and Rangers have shown they can play great defensively and have excellent goalies but they have also shown they can’t score.
The Pens have been remarkably resilient but does anyone really believe they can make a run without either Crosby or Malkin? The Bruins are the same team year in and year out. However, because the field is wide open this may be their best shot in years. Still, I don’t like their conservative style. Cup teams are those that can pressure the other side for 60 minutes and the Bruins don’t do that. In fact, they do the opposite once they get a lead.
Two teams that intrigue me are the Lighting and the Ducks. They have two of the best forwards in the game but I don’t like their goaltending situations. Nashville will be tough but will come up short again and LA, well, I don’t know what to think of LA except that they look great on paper, not so much on the ice.
Phoenix = Nashville, in my opinion. And Buffalo, the team with the best record since early January? How much do they have left?
I don’t know. If I were a betting man — and I’m not a betting man — I would take the Sharks in the west and the Flyers in the east. But I’m not confident that either team will survive the early rounds where upsets are prevalent.
“It’s a moo point. Like a cow’s opinion, it doesn’t matter. It’s moo.”
The S (is S ok? After all, people drop the F bomb all the time, as in Martin F. Brodeur) that is Chiarelli continues to stink up the airwaves as he promotes his GOON OF THE YEAR Chara for the Norris.
Time to ramp it up!
Recchi’s a chump, Chara sucks, Timmy chokes, Lucic’s yellow and Horton hears a Hab. F Boston.
These Broons are shaking in their skates, the Habs are in their heads, this is the payback for the MaxPac assassination attempt in March and the Halley’s Comet 7-0 blowout in Boston (who the hell were those guys in red, white & blue that night??)
Les boys, my advice, just skate away from their crap, don’t retaliate as much as you want to, let the Bruins take the penalties and burn ‘em on special teams.
Winning is the Best Revenge, Montreal in 6.
F Cherry and the CBC.
‘Nuff said.
“My second favourite team is whoever plays the Leafs”
Zee should ve apologized even tho he did ‘not intentionally’ push MaxPac’s head to the board…yes the game is fast, and sure he did not wanna kill the boy, but you still friggin apologize for the incident!! Two words: I’m sorry…
Hockey Inside/Out encourages lively debate, but there is a zero-tolerance policy regarding racism, profanity and behaviour that we deem to be offensive.
Not rocket science.
I am sorry dearyleary, but some are more equal than other on this site.
I have seen all the 4 letter words hang around in posts days old. Spam now, too. And if spam isn’t offensive to you “mods”, you’re priorities are skewed.
What About Pouliot?
With all the skills that Pouliot has, I wonder if the main problem with this guy is a matter of strength training. When you look at Subban and the way he skates, you can see he has the strength in his legs, core, and upper body to execute the maneuvers he wants. He accelerates at will, spins to lose checkers, and forces his way through defenders when he charges the offensive zone. Pouliot, on the other hand, always looks so shaky. How many times does this guy fall down without even so much as a love tap from an opponent?
I only mention this because Darche has been playing the top line with Gomez and Gionta, a spot that Pouliot should have. The difference between Darche and Pouliot is willingness to go to the net and corners, and the ability to stay upright. Imagine a strong Pouliot planted in front of the net instead of Darche. Some have said Pouliot has a confidence issue, but for athletes confidence is always based in training and ability. Pouliot craps the bed on the top line cause he hasn’t put in the foundational work in training.
If anyone needs Gary Roberts’ summer workout regimen, it is Benoit Pouliot.
“I am guilty of using elipses…”
… to follow your hypothesis, why haven’t our coaches / trainers put him on a program to improve his core strength? You are 100% right that the “torquing” of the upper body and hips from board action in hockey and “planting” requires tremendous strength. My kid, who is only 8, swims 4x a week with a really tough coach and that strength is what is helping him in hockey compared to the other kids his age.
Doesn’t have to be swimming, though that is efficient and minimizes risk of injury, but yoga, gym work. And wouldn’t he see what everyone else is doing? I saw Cammi working out like a maniac last summer at my kid’s hockey camp in Toronto with a dozen NHL guys. Isn’t that part of the team culture?
Either that, or it’s all in his head… he’s been here long enough and is skilled enough that we need to figure it out. Or, rather, our coaches need to figure it out.
I run long distance runs and am aiming to do 2 marathons this year. I have been doing tons of strength training, especially core. I ran a 30k last year and finished 2h 33min. After doing four months of a focus on core strengthening I chopped 11min off my time for the same 30k run. Measurable results.
If Pouliot would focus on improving his strength, he would certainly crash the net more and make a difference. There was a video posted a while back by a HIO member showing Subban doing 2 a day workouts which involved a ton of strengthening exercises. I wish Pouliot would do the same (I am assuming he doesn’t based on his constant weak leg blow outs).
Do you play hockey now? I’ve started up again and actually was thinking 3 minute hard bursts on my wife’s stair master would be more representative of a shift? Or do you do both long distance and sprint stuff? I”m interested. I’m old and need to put in extra work. The years of elbow bending have taken their toll.
A great way to train in the summertime in Montreal is to drink beer on a patio and check out the babes.
babes in Montreal? Crap, I used to buy a neck brace every spring and just put it on as a pre-emptive measure in time for the cafe season.
Agree
I’ve never seen an NHLer who is weaker on his skates. He has all the tools to be a Mac-Pac clone, but he won’t go to the net. Just once, I’d like to see him go wide on a d-man, turn the corner and plough into the goalie. I’d take the penalty to see this just once.
Totally agree! And it ticks me off, cause we’d have such an offensive threat for the playoffs if Pouliot had worked on his strength this year. (Again, I’m assuming he didn’t, but the proof is in the pudding – his trademark skate up to the offensive zone then fall over nothing)
I am trying to figure out how JM will fit BOTH Mara and Sopel in…Their sandpaper will help immensely and I would feel better knowing both are in to at least try and clear the crease…would JM ever consider scratching Spacek?
“I am guilty of using elipses…”
I seriously doubt we’ll see Spacek scratched, he was very key for us last year in the playoff run.
I suspect you’ll see Mara scratched alot, sandpaper-ish or not.
I have a hard time seeing Spacek not play, and based on their recent play, I think Sopel will be the odd man out. The sandpaper of Sopel is great, but he’s slow and this might be an issue with Boston’s cycle game. Also, I think Montreal needs Spacek ability to move the puck and make passes.
Mark – I agree. Mara might have his liabilities, but how can we not play him against Boston? He’s one of the few guys we have that can stand up (and reply to) the tough physical game. Spacek has to play and it should be a bonus that he’s not worn out like Hamrlik. Sopel is a good insurance policy.
Steve, Spacek gets a poor rap around here by some, but we’ve seen how good he can be (last post-season) and the advance stats say he’s one of the more effective defenders on the team. Montreal must have counter attack offense in this series. A lineup with Gill, Mara, and Sopel would negatively affect this aspect of Montreal’s game, not saying Spacek is Paul Coffey, but he makes a good first pass and can skate the puck into position to improve the breakout. Sopel’s shot blocking and PK ability is redundant with Mara and Spacek in the lineup.
Sopel must have sandpaper on his skate blades,
He may be slow…but it did not stop him from doing his part to stop the Flyers last season.
“I am guilty of using elipses…”
He’s good no doubt, but I don’t think is game is really sandpaper.
Ever seen him fight or mix it up?
I think our 3rd d-pairing will be Sopel & Spacek. Pretty good experience right there
This is a high class problem, given how shallow we are. At least we have an experienced guy to go to.
Cherry’s prediction: http://www.thespec.com/sports/article/515471–cherry-predicts-bruins-will-dispatch-habs
wow, what a shock… can you imagine him picking the Habs? not on your life.
Cherry also predicted that The Leafs would make the playoffs, and Carey Price would fail this year.
I predict Cherry is an alcoholic who will go senile before our own eyes on CBC.
lol
His coverage of the Habs-Leafs game is evidence of his deterioration.
When he brought the dancing mouse Leaf hockey toy on the HNIC Coach’s Corner segment and let it play for 30+ seconds, I began to wonder if anyone in the studio was going to stop him. Mclean just meekly prodded Cherry to move on. Sad to see…
So true…Mclean looks just like I do when I’m listening to my 93 yr old grandma. Very sad, indeed. Would it be such a big deal to maybe replace him? Maybe Milbury? He’s a nitwit too and he coached the Bruins. Sounds like he fits the bill.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
I have to admit, in the 80s and early 90s I listened to Cherry because he liked a tough style of hockey. I enjoyed the “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em” stuff. But hockey has changed a lot since the 90s and so has the world. Cherry looks stuck in a bygone era. He just makes no sense when he talks about hockey.
I thought he already was…
The old queen is still bitter about the Habs destroying his coaching career.
%100 correct
F Cherry that S eating A. He can go F himself up the A and S my C.
lmao, I like this post.
That’s the clean version!
Last year, the Habs were able to pull off two major upsets in the playoffs. Looking back, there were four major reasons for this: the element of surprise, the goaltending of Halak, the defense of Gill and Gorges and the timely scoring of Cammalleri and Gionta. I wonder what the chances are of those four factors coming into play this post season.
Element of surprise – Parity dictates that almost every series this year is a bit of a toss-up. We have been owned by the Bruins the past few games but there still is a lot of history on our side. Not to mention the fact that the Bruins have blown tires during the past two playoff seasons. You have to think that they are also coming into the series feeling a bit full of themselves.
Goaltending – Can Price pull off a heroic effort like Halak did last year? You better believe it. The style of play and impact on the team might be different, but Price has the ability to keep the Habs in low scoring games that can turn on one opportunistic goal or mistake.
Gill and Gorges – Obviously they won’t be together this spring. Gill played way over his head last year and Gorges is a Steady Eddie. Good, but not great. This year, their previous impact will have to be shared by the rest of the Dmen. The Wiz is better than MAB but Mara/Sopel aren’t as good as Gorges. The good news is that Subban has another year under his belt and Spacek is well rested.
Timely Scoring – HI/O posters are fed up hearing it but our team has scoring issues. You only have to take a look at the top 75 NHL scorers for proof of that. I have no doubt that Cammy and Gionta will answer the bell. We really haven’t had two top lines for the past few years and the loss of MaxPac nullifies any hope of having two this spring. Pouliot will get the icetime but he has really failed to answer the call. We can only win the series if AK46 shoots the lights out.
We haven’t been owned by the Bruins in the last couple of games.
They won the last one 7-0. We won the previous one 5-1.
The 7-0 blowout had to do with the Pacioretty hit.
Overall this edition of the Habs is 9-3 against these Bruins over the last two years (5-1 last season and 4-2 this season).
As for the 5-1 game, we may have won the battle but lost the war.
Seeing one of your players out cold for five minutes can have that kind of impact on you.
I also mentioned there is a lot of history on our side and that the Bruins may have a few playoff boogie men in their heads. One of those two factors will eventually win out, which in turn will decide who wins the series.
If we take the lead at any point in the series, I’m positive I’ll be reading about the collapse to the Flyers in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. It’s the burden they can’t escape now.
Born and Bred in Enemy Territory (Boston).
is anyone surprised that bruins pp got worse since kaberle joined? I mean, he’s not very good lol, was torannas’ pp any good with him? no…. why did boston think it’d be any different
Need tix for game 3? Priced to sell:
http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-tickets-Habs-vs-Bruins-GAME-3-WHITE-Sec-315-EE-360-pair-W0QQAdIdZ274458244
Can’t wait for this to get going..Didn’t read too many positive things about our Habs anywhere..Saying the Bruins have the upper hand in almost every category…Meh…That is why we play the game…
Little words of advice from Rocky Balboa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1tXhJniSEc
——————
Yes, I’m a Hab fan..Wanna fight about it?
spam moar please
Is the Chara investigation on or not? The two articles muddy things up a bit:
Hickey’s article: “Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli said Monday that he was happy to learn Montreal police have abandoned the silly notion of charging Chara and gave the defenceman a plug for the Norris Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s top blueliner.”
Ravensbergen’s article: “Montreal police are still investigating a March 8 on-ice hit at the Bell Centre that severely injured Canadiens player Max Pacioretty, Sgt. Ian Lafrenière said Monday afternoon.”
I like Michael Farber, and he’s generally fair to the Habs. However, I’m dissapointed that he doesn’t have Carey on any of his 3 all-NHL teams.
Coming within inches of killing a man and he didn’t let it affect him. Sure sounds like a sociopath to me.
I’m still looking forward to Karma proving to me that it exists. I guess we’ll find out this playoff season.
If I’m remembering what I’ve read about karma correctly, karma will get him in his next life as he will be reincarnated as a being of lower spirituality… however, he is already a Bruin so how much lower can he fall?
I was reading through the various columns and articles on the team. I started reading the article from one JT on intangibles that might impact the Habs-Bruins series. I read the first paragraph, stopped and just skimmed the rest. I knew it was not worth reading. In the first paragraph JT dismisses AK46 for his play during last year’s playoffs. The writer does go on and extol the virtues of Moen, Pyatt and Gomez and others as players (intangibles??) who could make a difference this year.
It just annoys me to no end to hear these reporters/ columnists berate AK46 for no real good reason. They just seem to take delight in sprinkling their articles with disparaging remarks on AK46. The leader of this group is Mike Boone. JT’s jab at AK46 served no purpose. It had nothing to do with the article.
It would be nice for a change to acknowledge the fact, and it is a fact, that AK46 was and is one of the best forwards if not the best forward on the team. His is our most creative play maker. I would guess that over 90% of his passes are tape to tape. He always seems to find our player in a crowd. We never read anything about his good play. All we read is this garbage about his poor play. From the article it is obvious that this JT is just some poorly informed armchair hockey player.
mjames
Agree with some of your sentiments, but not your premise. Boone has been complimentary to AK46 for a good while now, and the number of AK46 detractors has fallen drastically.
I am one of Ak46 biggest critics,and up to a couple of months ago would have said not to resign him,but he has played very well down the stretch,more intensity,better passing,and harder on the puck and was involved in alot of big goals for the habs.We need him big time in the play-offs and that will be the deciding factor if he is with this team next year.Also i don’t think Martin’s system gets the most offensive output from our players and if we don’t get past Boston,Kirk Muller sould be coach next yr.or we could lose him to other teams…HABS RULE
I’m not going to get into whether criticism of a 40 point player who goes through cold streaks is warranted, but obviously you’re not “one of AK46′s biggest critics.”
your right,i was saying all yr he was garbage,and with his salary we can get better,just hoping he does turn it around for the playoffs for the team,let’ hope.
Tom pyatt coudn’t score in junior and doesn’t Score in the NHL,he may be good without the puck but has to step it up.This guy has been given chances on the top line the last couple of seasons,I would rather see Nigel Dawes up.
I don’t think you’re reading well — by your own admission partly. She was talking about last year when AK was less than stellar, something that everybody on this site noticed at the time. As far as Moen, Pyatt and White she was hardly extolling their virtues but saying that they will have to dig really deep to stand up against Boston’s big boys. I see nothing wrong with that.
Seriously, why to at lengths to comment on an article that you say you couldn’t be bothered to read?
As I is said the comment on AK46 had nothing to do with the article. It was nothing more that a pointless jab at a player. I commented because this stuff annoys me.
mjames
That’s fair enough; we each interpret in our own way. I simply read it as he’ll have to be better this year if the team is going to go on. I thought it was a valid point in that most guys did step it up last year but he didn’t. But I can sort of see what your beef is as it was in parenthesis and could have been omitted. However, I just took it was the way it was last year and not a jab.
I have read numerous articles written by JT and find them to be thoughtful and well written.
Mike Boone is the main reason many posters visit this site.
If your intention is to provide positive feedback on AK’s performance, I am sure you can do so without the negative comments towards Mike B and JT.
I think some are more disturbed by AK’s hot and cold play (regardless of the importance of the contest) than you are. His play evokes emotional reactions as you never know when he’s going to show up and help the team. This season has been no different. It’s frustrating to have players like AK and Pouliot who have all the tools but don’t always use them.
“The word out of Boston was that Chara was devastated by the hit to Pacioretty, but it didn’t affect his game”
Poor Zee. But well done for soldiering on.
He’s such a trooper. Such a burden he’s had to carry.
As per the Chara investigation;
Maybe Montreal’s finest should handcuff the freak of nature and take him down to the station for questioning, at about 7:15 PM Monday th 18th.
How’s that for a little revenge against the league, for the Richard / Campbell incident so many years ago?
Shoot five hole. Tim Thomas’ legs are akin to a black hole.
Here’s a guy keeping a Tim Thomas five-hole goal count!
1/3rd of his goals, that’s atrocious.
That’s probably a reason why the Habs were continually going 5-hole when they were in alone on Reimer Saturday against the Leafs: practice for Thursday night.