Peajay - (Paul Johnston)

Member since November 5, 2012

Bobcaygeon

Habs fan since: 1967
Favorite current player: Carey Price
All-time favorite player: Yvan Cournoyer

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Recent Comments

• Comment on Price won't play again in Senators series
  For those of who have stressed raw numbers, here are a couple: Craig Anderson career save percentage: .915 Carey Price career save percentage: .915. Anybody can get hot for a while. And anybody can be hobbled by nagging injuries. Anybody can look good behind an experienced, well-rested defense. And anybody can struggle behind a defense playing on fumes and enthusiasm.
• Comment on Price won't play again in Senators series
  For people who keep pointing at numbers, here are a couple. Craig Anderson career save percentage: .915 Carey Price career save percentage: .915. Anybody can get hot for a while. And anybody can be hobbled by nagging injuries. Anybody can look good behind a solid, experienced, well-rested defense. And anybody
• Comment on Gionta's season is over; Prust, White out for Game 5; Price listed as day-to-day
  Habs have played well, but I'm not sure they've really been the better team. Ottawa has played with desire and intensity -- watching how fast they've been chasing down pucks, going to the net... in every phase of the game, they just seem to want it more consistently. Habs look like they want it for stretches, and then seem content to hang back, concede ground, and hope Price bails them out. Which he does most of the time, but not always. ISTR the Habs have a *much* better record when scoring first than when playing from behind. and when I saw the score was just 2-0 going into the third, I rather expected the game to end with a loss. This team just doesn't seem to have the kind of desire that will carry them through 60 minutes of hockey. Watching Therrien's press conferences, I wonder if that's where some of the problem lies. He seems too easily distracted, too easily unnerved by events. Say what you will about the Ottawa coach, but nothing seems to knock him off his game. If he can successfully communicate that calm, determined spirit to his team, that will carry them through any number of rough spots. And Ottawa has played through lots of adversity this year. So give Ottawa the edge in mental toughness, and game three showed how important that can be.
• Comment on About last night ...
  Great goal tenders are not measured in short terms. How many times have knowledgeable hockey people written finis to Martin Brodeur's career, only to see him bounce back to excellence later? How many goal tenders have had great seasons only to fade in later years? Was Tim Thomas a great goal tender, or did he just have a couple of great years? Just watched the Sharks chase Schneider, who was supposed to be the great goal tending future of the Canucks. It takes the perspective of several seasons to measure a goalie's greatness. Earlier this season, Price was playing at a level that looked great. He has done that for long stretches of his career. Friday he played great for sixty minutes. Sunday night, probably great for only forty or fifty (didn't actually see the game, just read the postings). But I can't think of any goal tender who has played great every minute of every game for a whole season. Every goal tender will eventually need his team to pick him up after a soft goal -- just like every team needs their goal tender to pick them up after defensive lapses. That's why goal tenders who have great careers tend to play for great teams. Will Craig Anderson sustain a .970 save percentage for his career? Probably not. But lots of goalies have been able to sustain that level of play for particular playoff runs. They get their names on the cup the same as Dryden, Roy, Brodeur, Sawchuck, Plante, but over time people see them as players with a great run, but not a great career. It would be nice to see Price playing as if he wore a cape and tights, able to singlehandedly overcome all defensive lapses and offensive timidity in front of him, able to carry the team on his back to its 25th cup. But it's not realistic. Great goal tenders have great teams around them. Teams will depend on great goal tenders to carry them for much or most of the game, but those 'tenders will depend on their teams to carry them for stretches of the game as well.
• Comment on Liveblog: Canadiens win 3-1, tie series
  Get the puck out to centre…!
• Comment on Liveblog: Canadiens win 3-1, tie series
  We need solid hits… on SENATORS, not your own teammates!!
• Comment on Liveblog: Canadiens win 3-1, tie series
  Hoping the Habs keep playing tough and smart. Make good hits, but walk away from the fights.