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About last night ...
posted by Mike Boone at 6h11 EST on Oct 25
"Give it 10 games," my guru, Pierre McGuire kept saying before the season began. "Maybe 20. This is a science experiment."
The Canadiens 10th game was probably their best, given the quality of the opponent.
In outlining what he's liked best about the spectacular OT win, Martin said, in French, it was "an excellent spectacle for the fans." He said the Canadiens displayed "a lot of character, they battled and played well defensively when the game was close." The coach also liked a team effort that held the very good Rangers to maybe 10 good scoring chances, six of which came during the first period.
The first 20 minutes, eh? Not pretty. The Rangers had a 12-6 shot advantage – after the Canadiens outshot them 5-1 early – and zone play was a disaster area. D-to-D passes weren't working, the forwards weren't much help, the Rangers forecheked relentlessly and banged in three unanswered goals.
A fragile team was down 3-1 and then 4-2 to a good team. If this was early 2009, game over right?
Oh, the Captain would have kept playing. And Andrei Markov. Certainly Josh Gorges and Tom Kostopoulos.
But the rest of the Canadiens (and I needn't name any names)? Check, please – all over but the crying .... with most of that emanating from a coach who was out of ideas.
By the end of last season, the team was a train wreck and that miraculous 6-5 Rangers game was the stuff of myth and memory.
But this is late 2009. With Guy Carbonneau looking on from the HNIC booth, new myths and memories are being crafted and Bob Gainey's science experiment is turning into a pretty darn good hockey team with grit, character and an irreproachable work ethic..
The Captain is in Anaheim. Andrei Markov is on the DL. Tom Kostopoulos is in Carolina.
Josh Gorges has new teammates who play like he does, balls-out, leaving it all on the ice.
And the Canadiens have a coach who uses the first intermission to make adjustments. What had hurt the Canadiens, martin told them, was their speed of execution – or lack of same. Hesitancy and poor decisions were giving the Rangers time to outmuscle the Canadiens D and jump on the puck.
Things got better. A lot better.
The Canadiens had shot advantages in the second and third periods and the OT. Mike Cammalleri, who scored on his one SoG in the first period, had three thereafter. Two of them went in.
There were some very anxious moments involving Marc-André Bergeron, Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek, but the rest of the D tightened up in front of Jaro Halak. Hal Gill played one of his steadiest games, Paul Mara was a rock against his former team and my man Gorges was what he's been on every night this season: quietly efficient.
The top line had another spectacular night. Their speed scares the bejeezus out of opposing D – even good young 'uns like Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy.
Scott Gomez flies through the neutral zone like no one we've seen since Gilbert Perreault ... and he didn't play for the Canadiens. Again, I hate to incur the wrath of the Captain's fan club, but what an upgrade!
Cammalleri is just a natural born sniper. That s--- can't be taught! When he was goalless early in the season, a calm Cammalleri kept saying the goals would come. He was right.
BTW, leading economic indicator: a grand total of five crap baseball hats – no New Eras that I could see – on the ice after Cammalleri's winner. Back in the day – before four-man OT – it would have been 50 good fedoras from Henri Henri.
Brian Gionta? I'm at a loss for adjectives.
The Bell Centre crowd is like the opera audience at La Scala. They've seen the best, and anything less is a disappointment.
Fans are just loving Gionta for his speed, his creativity, his absolute refusal to be beaten. And if an opponent takes liberties, he's the first one there to let the big lug know, in words of one syllable, that crap will not be tolerated.
(And Bell Centre announcer Michel Lacroix is having a fine old time with "Gi-ON-Ta!" and "Ca-MA-llerri!" We haven't had this much fun since John Boccabella played at Jarry Park.)
I don't want to tell a coach I admire how to do his job, but Brian Gionta has to be captain of this team.
At least until Kyle Chipchura is ready.
Man, Chipper was excellent last night. And everyone in the media felt good for him because Chipchura is a nice guy who has never given anything less than 100 per cent effort.
He can't skate, but Chipchura's positional smarts are complemented by the new linemates Martin has given him. Matt D'Agostini and Gui! were terrific last night: moving the puck, cycling, generating scoring chances, making the opposing D miserable.
They're the quintessential hard-working fourth line, the kind of pluggers who have bedevilled the Canadiens in recent seasons. It's nice to see it happening to someone else.
Good thing the Fours showed up because the Twos and Threes had off-nights.
Tomas Plekanec had an ndustrious linemate in Maxim Lapierre and I'm still liking that experiment. But as noted by Mssrs. Marinaro and Martin, AK46 was in a fog ... again. What are they going to do with this guy?
The 3-Ms were all minus-2 on the night. That will happen. Max-Pac, in particular, had a difficult time. But he's a kid. I still like the combination.
Jaro?
As good as he had to be. But four goals allowed on 27 shots opens the door for a posible return of The Franchise against the Islanders tomorrow night.
The kindly old coach gave his guys Sunday off.
They deserve it.
Chill out, spend time with families, watch a little football.
And no bowling.
• • •
Hey, tell us something we don't know.
Torts says Higgins (minus-2, one Sog) sucked.
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Pierre McGuire called this team a "science experiment". While I understand his sentiment I feel compelled to say that in reality, it's not like a science experiment. Science experiments have controls, and ideally, you don't change more than one variable at once. In terms of this team.. there is NO control, and the multiple variables (coach, players) were changed at once. I'm getting a little tired of hearing the whole "science experiment" thing repeated again and again because it's really not a science experiment at all. Changes were made. That doesn't make it a science experiment.
It's obviously an 82 course meal. 10 courses in, things have been pretty yummy up to now, only the Vancouver dish stunk, and I'm hungry for more.
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Well, you could still call it a science experiment...it's just a really bad one.
I've seen tons of papers out there that I would consider to be junk because of how many things they are varying at once. :)
true enough. Gainey is a bad scientist. Doesn't mean he's a bad artist.
Ah, come on! Fermat surely figured out how to find a unique solution to a single multivariate equation, but the margin in his notebook was too narrow to write down the proof.
Not sure if and when Yeats will be around but, just for him:
How 'bout them Yankees? Thank God Rivera's on our side!
The Angels did every thing they could to help them last night though.
I still love the pre-season marketing slogan for the new Stadium:
"Greatness has a new address!"
I may not be Yeats, but how about them crazy Yankees? How about that Andy Petite? Rivera did what what Papelbon couldn't do this fall, close out a decisive game. The way A-Rod's playing, if he continues, he'll end up being the MVP, and a guy like him in World Series for the first time will truly show that he belongs there. Sabathia vs Lee should be a hell of a first game.
Mo's allowed 1 postseason run in the past 8 years. I still say he's the biggest reason the Yankees have been so dominating over the past 15 yrs or so by far. No other team has had that automatic win when leading after 7 innings and it's a HUGE advantage. When you only need to get a lead anytime in the 7th, 8th or 9th inning to be almost 100% guaranteed a win and the other team knows they have to be at worst tied after 7, it really changes a game's dynamic. The rest of the league has just not had that same luxury during Rivera's reign of terror over MLB batters with that untouchable cutter.
It's not popular to consider relievers in this role but, I consider him the most dominating and arguably the best pitcher in MLB history.
While he didn't have longevity on his side, for the 6 years that he was at the top of his game he dominated like no one else:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm8oHYRS6hA
A lot to be said for Satchel Paige, Babe Ruth, Whitey Ford and others as well of course. It's a great debate for sure, I just felt that Mo belongs in that same list and because he's a closer, they never get the proper recognition in the discussion for this or the Cy Young etc
You gotta admit though, the Angels really shot themselves on the foot with all those errors late in the game. While I don't know if I believe he's the best in MLB history, that guy is definately up there, just consistenly dominant.
The errors were definitely not something the Angels were known for all year. The 2 on the bunts in the 8th especially were mind boggling.
...I grew up an avid New York kind of guy ...when it came to baseball ...loved both the Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers (...when face-to-face ...I would pull for the Dodgers)
...BUT ...as years went by ...as I matured to recognise how the Yankees 'bought' their way to all those great teams and championships ...the aura and awe for the Yanks evaporated ...I have not watched a Yankee game and not taken them seriously as more than a store bought hype machine for going-on 30 + years now
...I don't 'hate' the Yankees ...I just don't take them seriously anymore
...I may bitch about the salary-cap for keeping the Canadiens from going-out and 'buying' the talent they need to escape mediocrity, from the Nashvilles and Tampas of the NHL ...but when I am more reasoned, I understand the salary-cap has made EVERY team in the NHL an opportunity to be a Stanley Cup winner if they manage their assets and organizations well
...and We the average Hockey Fan benefit most because 80% to 90 % of the games We watch are Competitive
...baseball needs a salary-cap badly
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
Agreed. It should be about the competition on the field, and not simply who can afford to buy the best team.
That's a common excuse but, has to be about the most inaccurate excuse I've ever heard. Everybody says it but, nobody ever actually looks it up to see how wildly inaccurate it is.
The Yankees have 2 (count em 2) batters in their entire batting order that have ever played for any other MLB team and were then signed to play with the Yankees as free agents. Those would be Teixeira and Damon. Among the rest of their starting lineup offensively they've got Jeter, Cano, Posada, Cabrera, Matsui, Gardner who are life long Yankees in the MLB and A-Rod who they traded away another superstar in Soriano (another Yankee original prospect) to obtain in a fairly even deal at the time and Swisher was traded for this offseason as a utility fill in guy.
On their pitching staff they also have 2, again count em 2 free agent signings that they're using to pitch in CC and AJ. The rest of their pitching staff are all Yankee originals from Pettite, Joba, Hughes, Aceves, Coke, Robertson and of course, the most dominant pitcher of all time - Rivera.
All things considered that's 4 free agent singings that they've picked up contracts from after they became available from the other teams in the MLB that are currently on the Yankees squad being used. There's not another team in the Majors that really comes even close to having that much home grown talent, let alone is there any way shape or form that the Yankees currently even close to being among the leaders in signing the most hired guns from other teams.
The excuse of buying a team merely shows a complete lack of respect and credit to the astounding job that Cashman has done in scouting, drafting and building this team. The Mets TRIED to buy a team and look where that got them.
(Response directed at Yankee haters that keep harping on the same excuse in general, not directed at Chuck by the way)
True, the team may be full of home-grown talent, but it's their big-buck spending that allows the Yankees to keep those players long term. What other team could afford A-Rod, Damon, Tiexeira, Jeter, Posada, Cabrera, Matsui, Sebathia, Burnett, Pettitt and Rivera contracts? Most teams could barely afford one or mybe two of those.
Essentially, the Yankees are the anti-Expos. They can afford to spend whatever it takes to keep the stellar talent that they bring up through the organization, plus throw huge money at free agents to fill whatever holes are left over. In no way is it a level playing field. And until there is more meaningful revenue sharing in MLB, the rule of thumb will be that the "haves" will consistently outperform the "have nots".
Absolutely right, Chuck. The Yankees and Red Sox represent all that is wrong with the game of baseball and are the reason that I could care less about that sport anymore. They are the equivalent of Premier League soccer, where you know that the same 5 or 6 teams are going to be in the mix almost every year, but they try to hide that fact. At least in the Premier league, the lower teams can make money off their guys being poached.
The same is true for pretty much all of the domestic leagues in Europe. That's why the UEFA Champions League Cup is the real prize. I can see the best European clubs bolting their domestic leagues in the near future to form a "super" league. There is just too much potential money involved not to do so.
Especially if UEFA continues to push for domestic player quotas in the individual national leagues...then the big boys are going to take their ball and make their own league, laughing all the way to the bank at UEFA's impotent rage.
Ya but, remember in the recent years, some of the teams that weren't spending the money were owned by the likes of Disney (Angels) for example. When Steinbrenner is paying luxury taxes to Disney (wild example) so they can compete financially, there's a problem. In Toronto, no one can tell me that Rogers doesn't have enough scratch to afford players, they just spend their money stupidly (BJ Ryan, Frank Thomas) whereas the Yanks have ponied up a lot of dough but, they spend it very very wisely usually. Even with the cash they're paying out, they still make something like 500mill profit a year, I see it as paying back the fans for the hard earned cash they spend supporting the team and wearing their colours by doing their best to put a winner out there for them, while the Marlins won the WS one year and sold their entire fricken team the next so the owner could pocket some extra cash for himself.
I've never been a fan of salary caps for many reasons, one of the biggest ones though is that this is professional sports, pro sports originated when team owners wanted to win badly enough that they would pay the best players they could find to come play for their team. That's the very nature of pro sports, I don't fault teams that pay their players so much as I fault the cheapskates that have the cash but refuse to part with it because their bank book is more important to them than winning is. That's just how I feel about it though, I know not everyone feels the same by any means.
The Yankees are an asset and you can't fault the owners for doing everything they can to preserve and enhance its value. Look at how much money the Mets have thrown away with almost laughable results.
The Yankees are a business and that business is winning championships. End of story. The Habs used to be in that business and hopefully will be again soon.
Jacques Martin has always been an excellent regular season coach. The problem is what happens to his teams come playoff time...which is a discussion better left for April...
New favourite Leafs joke:
What's the difference between the Toronto Maple Leafs and a triangle?
A triangle has three points.
Triangles also have 3 solid lines
Regarding Richards not being suspended. Complete BS. I think anyone who does a head shot, whether intentional or not, should be suspended until the person they hit can come back and play. That would make players think before they decide how hard to hit someone.
I agree completely. I just watched another replay of the hit. How can they condone this kind of hit. You can clearly see Richards duck down and throw his shoulder/arm directly into his head. What exactly were you trying to do Richards. Then I read this idiot says to reporters "I was just trying to separate the man from the puck" Yeah sure you were, especially since he already separated himself from it when he passed it. This league is such a joke, there needs to be a sweep of the entire league head office.
Wasn't a head shot though. I watched it frame by frame and contact was made shoulder to chest. That hit was 100% by the book, it just had a very unfortunate result. Booth was looking backwards when he got hit so wasn't ready for impact, his head snapped on impact and he was sent spinning. The real damage was done when he landed HARD face first into the ice because of the way he spun while looking backwards. That was almost identical to Stevens on Kariya, and very similar to McSorley on Gilmour and joe Whatshisname when he hit Gretzky early in Wayne's career. Booth got caught in the trolly tracks admiring his pass and Richards just made a solid clean hit that had devastating results.
Do you honestly think so, think you need to look again
Take a look and pause it at the moment of impact. I've looked as thoroughly as possible and I have to say, the general consensus here is wrong. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the hit, it just had unfortunate results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeN3QTw8iz4 This has a great HD feed of the hit. Try to get the pause in there at the 15 second mark, right as contact is made, it tells the whole story of where the hit occured. Watch it again and watch Richards coast the entire way, watch how quickly the contact is made after the puck is moved. The results sucked, I hate head hunters and the league's stance on hits to the head more than ANYONE but, this just didn't fit the criteria for any of that. He got him dead center of the chest and then carried onto the right shoulder.
French Article on Montreal Canadiens 2009 Draft Pick Alexander Avstin (6'2, 198 pounds)
Avstin: la KHL et peut-etre le Canadien
His agent Alexei Dementiev says:
"Je suis étonné qu'il ait été repêché en quatrième ronde seulement. Si on regarde ses habiletés, il appartient au top 10 de ce repêchage. Ce n'est pas l'agent qui parle, mais l'ancien recruteur"
Regarding the last sentence, it's interesting to note that Avstin's agent, Dementiev, used to work alongside Trevor Timmins as a hockey scout with the Ottawa Senators.
This video should give you an idea about him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-8EUHGl_zc
great find, his rights were traded to the montreal juniors last week so we could see him in montreal sooner than later.
- we need a MARKOV.
I think it will be interesting to see whether Cam Gom Gio will be able to sustain their level of play throughout this season and future ones to come.
Based on the last few seasons, the habs have never had a consistent 1st line, it pretty much changed with each season. First it was higgs koivu ryder then it was ak46 pleks kovy then it was tang koivu kovy. Obviously it was different this year due to free agency but considering that we have all these guys for 5 years, I hope to see them maintain their chemistry for years to come.
In todays NHL top lines rarely have the same success from one year to another. The focus is to have good players and options.
From the posts I've read in the past week, why oh why the negative remarks towards Price? Halak played a top team last night. He did ok but did not make the outstanding saves he needed to. They scored 4 goals on 27 shots. It was a good thing that they scored 5 goals or Halak would have been the goat. Halak last night was hung out as Price was in so many games so far this year. We have to great young kids in net, They both should be cheered on equally.
Oh, & "the Price is Wrong signs" are a bit much. Don't run either of our kid goalies out of town like they did to a 2 time Stanley Cup winner!
I think the Ilses will put up a better fight Tomorrow night. Who ever plays in net will have to be on their game.
...Request to Mike Boone, Dave Stubb's and Pat Hickey
...regarding head-contact and head-protection, and risk of longterm health-issues, and even death for Players
...even though Marc-Andre bergeron came back and played well in the Ranger game ...I felt Jacques Martin and Bob Gainey, and the relevant policy of the Montreal Canadiens SHOULD have been taken to task in an editorial-way ...re that ANY player showing ANY sign of obvious head-trauma (...as MAB DID) ...must be removed or restrained from play for that game ...unless examined and signed-off by a Qualified Medical Doctor
...no game situation is important enough, to risk a Player's longterm health and quality of life
...neither a Coach, a Trainer, a general Manager ...nor the Player Himself should have the final say of putting a Player back on the ice in the same game that the injury was sustained
...as well more serious articles and editorials should be researched and written on a more frequent basis regarding mandatory better helmet standards, softening of the materials of elbow and shoulder pads are presently made of (...they are so hard ...these pads are in-effect dangerous Weapons), mandatory Automatic suspensions and fines for head-contact whether intentional OR accidental, etc..
...today's equipment materials are so hard, ...the speed, size and strength of the Players so fast and powerful, ...the size of the ice so small relative to today's size, speed and strength ...that death in the near future of a naive Player is a high-probability
...a journalist's responsibilty is part of Your job description ...beating the drum on this critical issue is something that needs to be intensified immediately to keep the laissez-faire management in the hockey-elite from forgetting their moral-responsibility on this issue
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
While I don't disagree with your plea for greater awareness re: head trauma in the NHL, MAB was not concussed.
Also "more serious articles and editorials should be researched and written on a more frequent basis regarding mandatory better helmet standards, softening of the materials of elbow and shoulder pads are presently made of"...I am not sure what you mean here. The softer you make equipment, the more at risk players are. Players are not injured from equipment, they are protected by it. The relative "hardness" of a shoulder pad in dictating the level of injury compared to the force with which that shoulder pad is applied is negligible. Players are more at risk not because of equipment, but because guys are getting faster and stronger.
...JB ...'concussion' or head traumas are measured in levels ...damage can also be more subtle than to Our observation ...OR the Player's, Coach's, Trainer's OR the GM's observation
...MA Bergeron definitely had a level of 'trauma' to cause the obvious disorientation He clearly exhibited ...WHAT level He actually sustained, in My opinion, should only be determined by no less than a medical doctor
...for the Player's best health interests, the Player should not be returned to the game He was injured in ...if ONLY for pre-caution, and Our indication We value Him as human-being, and not only as a hockey asset
...as a former junior goaltender ...I once sustained the loss of one and a half teeth, a dislocated jaw, loss of substantial blood, 2 broken fingers on my right hand, AND a serious concussion (...maybe responsible for My 'punchyness' today ? .. :-)) ) ...in The One Game ! ...and finished the game without missing a minute ...so I KNOW the conflict within for ANY athlete to WILLINGLY leave the competition
...THAT concussion affected Me for at least a year ...memory, reflexes, and at times my temper ...in time, the symptoms ameliorated, and eventually disapeared ...even those later head-traumas when I was in the military ...but I was lucky ...I just think, a Player's longterm well-being must be number one, especially for a perceived unique organisation like Our Canadiens
...regarding the hardness of materials (plastics) that varied protective pads are made of ...I was thinking of a 'softened'-layer (soft rubber ?) over the actual shell ...or a high-tech padding to deflect/spread-out the direct impact of head to shell ...which would take some sophisticated engineering in the sweaters and pads construction techniques ...Yet, ...until these are found realistic ...legislate asap automatic ejection, suspension, and fines for Head-contact ...whether intentional OR accidental
...of course, such calls by the ref will be discretionarily difficult ...I know that ...BUT such 'available rules' in the Book would provide more Second Thought Of Consequences to irresponsible players on how to take a man into the boards, control flying elbows, compute differences of height to avoid shoulder to head contact, etc., etc. ...vis-a-vis being potentially ejected, suspended or fined a chunk of change for His irresponsible poor judgement and sportsmanship
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
How was Maui ????
Went to Kauai, Oahu and Big Island for 3 weeks loved it, thanks now I am very sad we came back..... at least the Habs are winning......
...Maui is Maui Eric ...great for the kids ...and for ol' bones like Mine to re-energize
...funny, I enjoy Hawaii much more today alone with 2 young kids ...than I did with my wives or girlfriends in the bad ol' days (...Me being The Bad in this phrase ...lol) ...They are fearless, adventurous, ...game for anything ...trekiing, diving, climbing, surfing, roasting a pig in the sand ...We had a blast
...I did NOT think of hockey for One Nano-second after We landed in Honolulu, and first scented the hibiscus, Yellow Ilima and it's warm air
...coming back ? ...the opposite ...wondering how We handled the Rangers ...lol
...trying to get them adventure-hardened for a 2 1/2 month summer get-away in China, Japan, Indonesia (...They are half-Asian Canadian) and Australia next year ...when hockey will be Temporarily even further from My conciousness
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
I think you play Halak for the last home game...he is on a winning streak. I believe he will keep it up and play well enough to win...
There is no way you play Price tomorrow night against the Isles. IF he loses, how will this affect him? Can he bounce back enough to face the Pens? I really think you only bring Price back for Wed vs the Pens. That way if he loses, it is against the Stanley Cup champs which are ALOT better team than the Isles (and he is coming off the bench cold). Easier loss if it comes from the hands of the champs. If he wins, that WILL be a huge confidence booster, might even be enough to STONEWALL the Hawks on Fri.
So what does everyone else think Martin should do?
A) Halak is back
B) Price takes the ice
I chose A ;)
I love Jaro, but it's Carey's turn demain soir.
No, ABSOLUTELY you play Price tomorrow against the Isles. First of all, it's the Isles: they're brutal, and it's a great chance for Price to stretch his legs after a week off and get back into the game without having to face a serious opponent. He'll be fine. And anyway, if he can't beat the Isles ... do you really want him against the Pens?
If he looks good, I'd play him against Pittsburgh and see what happens. Halak's been good, but not brilliant. Maybe Price can be brilliant. If Price loses to the Isles, then it's Halak back in against the Pens. This one's an easy call.
Full Breezer 4 Life
I agree Bill, I can't see a pragmatic coach like JM going with Halak. It makes little sense, unless he has decided to go with the play till you lose approach. I think his thinking is far more sophisticated than that, it makes so much more sense to play Price. The Islanders may be hungry, but they are a weak team. Playing a cold Price against the Stanley Cup Champions is silly.
If Price has the pedigree we all hope he has, he will have a brilliant performance. I hope JM has a very tough decision to who plays against Pittsburgh.
TripleX, remember last week, I thought you had been very critical of the Kostitsyns in the past? I figured out who I had you mixed up with, Xtrahabsfan. Sorry, it's those darn X's.
I agree with you and Bill. Carey should start tomorrow.
No worries, I was not angry. Just my "two cents"...lol
Lame, but it is late.
(B) Price I say price because I think it may take a toll on him to sit him for 4 games in a row, 3 is already a lot, but Halak deserved the 3rd start. When Price is playing like he can, he is better than Halak at the top of his game, so if we can get price playing like he did against the laffs and buffalo, we will be able to pull off a win or two against Pitts and Chigaco, so lets warm up Price before the big games.
Unfortunately he's Gainey's boy, so Price is the one, only to compare how the team plays for Price against the same type of competition.
If Price loses.... who knows what Gainey will do, will he suck it up and let Martin use Halak ?????
Will be interesting for sure. Habs loses with Price = 1500 posts.... minimum
good point.
Halak tomorrow, Price Wednesday
As much as I like Chipchura, Pacioretty and D'Agostini right now, and the latter two scoring their first goals of the season, there's a young man in Hamilton knocking on the door to play with the Habs. Tom Pyatt leads the Bulldogs with 8 points in 7 games. The Gomez trade is looking better by the day.
Loved Pyatt in training camp. The kid can flat-out fly, and he's smart.
Mike...now if he could change his name to Pyette, he'd really be off to the races.
I think he's either 21-22. If he keeps up his current pace in Hamilton, do you believe he'll be a regular by next season?
...just returned from short few days in Maui with the kids ...a present for all their recent good deeds ...and returned today to play a recording of Saturday's Rangers game
...We looked like We will NOT accept defeat lightly ...which is WHAT any Fan EXPECTS from His Team
...there is not much I can add to the above great summation written by the One-And-Only Micheal Boone, Esq. ...as He covered most of the bases colourfully and enthusiastically
...I WILL ask though ...WHERE are all the Bob Gainey-haters at this moment ? ...laying low and re-loading for the next opportunity to smash-mouth the Bob ? .......no matter what Our fates are this season ...We will go down fighting all-the-way ...AND We will be entertained by High-octane Skill ...thank You Bob ! ...from a Humble Hab Fan
...including the Players injured, We have I believe significant potential and pieces for an elite-team
...in the play-offs, or playing the Pittsburghs, Anaheims, Detroits et al ...IF I could add anything to make Me feel More Confident ...it would be ONLY one additional Player with size and skill like a Peter Mahovlich or Bobby Smith-type ...but if We can wake-up Mr. Potato Head and His Bro ...even THAT elusive big skilled centre may not be necessary
...finally ...laugh at Me if You will ...but I am a Hal Gill Fan ...OR More Accurately ...I am a Fan of the over-all pieces of the D that Bob Gainey has brought-in this season ...on His own, as a Top-4, Hal's slow-feet and non-Bobby Orr skill-set will be exposed ...BUT Hal Gill's 6'-7" wing-span was not signed, nor is paid commensurate of a Bobby Orr-clone ...Hal Gill's reach and size is A Big Part of WHY Our shots on goal are dramatically reduced ...Hal is also not up-there in over-all skill and intimidation qualities with a Chara, but neither is His salary ...yet We having 2 extra-large D-men like Gill and Mara, IS buying Us a lot more respect by the opposition for Our goalies, keeping many more chances to the outside, and is keeping Our crease much more civil than it has been for years ...plus allowing the Gorges, Spaceks, Hamrliks, and even the Bergerons to Do Their Things
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
...postscript: ...I would let Carey play the Islander game ...but make it clear to Jaro He will play Pittsburgh, even if Carey shuts-out the Islanders ...Out Of Respect for Our turn-around with Jaro in goal
...in My eyes ...at this time ...Jaro is Our 1-A ...Carey is 1-B
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
Good post, agree with pretty much everything, and it's Hal Skill not Gill. Gotta love the wings on that bird for sure.
I will probably re-post this in several threads over the next few days, but...
Mike Komisarek has now been on the ice for 16 straight losses in meaningful games, dating back to last year's season with the Habs.
I definetly agree
But i highly doubt it will happen. unfortunatly
I think the Habs should play Halak until he loses. He didn't have a stellar game last night but made some big saves while the game was tied. A win should be rewarded with another start. The competition between both goalies will be good for their performance.
I agree, that save he made on Ales Kotalik during the 3rd period was huge. Those are the kind of crucial saves a goalie needs to make.
Couple of things:
1) Gionta captain ASAP
that's it.....nothing more to say.
Oh yeah, it will be interesting to see how the team plays with Price against the Isles, essentially the same team.
Very interesting......
You guys have to read this hilarious thread from hfboards.com.
Is Plekanec a gangsta thug?
http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=342775
i agree with you gere,
they could be our sedins, but we are not patient with them...everybody knows they are what can take us to the next level
Gionta should be the next captain.
I totally agree about Lapierre. There were quite a few games last year when it seemed like he was the only player who decided to play game in and game out - a full 60 min. I also find him really good in situations where the habs need momentum - winning a faceoff, going in front of the net, getting a tying goal etc. He's really underrated - even on last night's goal by d'agostini... that was a crucial time to get a goal and a lift.
Lap's has been MIA most of the new season.
what channel are you watching that the rest of us don't recieve?
Agree. Gionta is by far the better player in every aspect of the game.
He's watching reruns of Pretty Woman.
---Chorske's Rule #1: as the Habs' lead in any given game increases, the probability of a HIO poster predicting an imminent Stanley Cup championship approaches one.
Great comedy....Must see!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4rc-rmvEd8&feature=related
Brian Burke = Overrated Loud Mouth POS
I'd love to see some clips of McGuire and co. from the preseason again.....essentially getting a hard on for Burke's moves and questioning Gainey for his. Gainey was quick to realize that Burke's move did not make any sense.
I don't see them winning a game on this road trip and if they don't against either the Tampa or Carolina then they will break the record for the worst start and/or losing streak.
Truculance = LMAO Hockey
Brian Burke = Overrated Loud Mouth POS
According to Philadelphia Flyers' general manager Paul Holmgren, centre Mike Richards will not be suspended for his hit on David Booth of the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. Booth left the game on a stretcher and spent the night in a Philadelphia hospital. He was released on Sunday.
Two attempted murders in as many days.
So much for the NHL cracking down on shots to the head.
The NHL is a disgrace. Between Bettman, crap sunbelt teams, the NHLPA, and the complete disregard for discipline, this is a bum league.
---Chorske's Rule #1: as the Habs' lead in any given game increases, the probability of a HIO poster predicting an imminent Stanley Cup championship approaches one.
People worry me when they say that hit was clean. The player no longer had possession of the puck clearly for a second, was skating away from the play and literally got blind-sighted with a shoulder in his face. That should be a long term suspension... this league has become a joke. They should implement a rule. You get a suspension for dirty hits like this and you start serving it right after the player you took out comes back to play. This means if you got a 10 game suspension, and the player comes back after 8 games after his injury, the suspension will be 18 games.
Trust me when I say this, someone will get killed out there and will make the whole Moore incident feel like child's play.
I have ti disagree, the hit wasn't at all late, Booth dished off the puck as the hit was already being initiated and contact was made less than half a second after he dropped the pass off. Richards coasted from the red line onwards so there was no run at him, he never left his feet so he didn't explode into him, he didn't lift his elbow so he didn't try to drive through him. He dipped the shoulder on an opposing forward coming across the ice in his zone with the puck and hit him dead center of the chest with the bicep and the shoulder got him right in the shoulder. I paused the video frame by frame to verify this was where contact was made. The real damage happened because Booth was looking behind him and wasn't prepared to be caught in the trolly tracks, his head SNAPPED hard because he wasn't paying attention and because his head was facing one way as he was hit solidly in another direction, he spun out in the air and wound up landing face first on the ice where all of the serious impact on the head was done. He was likely dazed on the hit with the nead snapping back from running full speed into a brick wall he didn't see there of course but the force he hit the ice with was devastating.
I went frame by frame and watched it a million times though and seriously, there wasn't a single thing wrong with Richards' hit. The results were very devastating and very unfortunate but, Richards threw a totally clean and leagal (the two aren't always one and the same) hit. I'm the first to jump on the league for not cracking down on head hunters and thought Phaneuf should have gotten 20 games for that attack in preseason even but, Richards' hit didn't fit any of the criteria for that.
Hopefully Booth makes a full and speedy recovery.
3-game suspension for slew-footing (basically tripping) and a 3-game suspension for inflicting possible brain damage in the past few days, makes sense to me...
Problem is the Disciplinary committee is right under the thumb of the NHL head office, so there's going to be a direct influence on making sure the Star players never get suspensions unless they actually kill a guy on the ice.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
I agree - but the whole system is wonky from the ground up. I clearly recall being taught by my bantam (or pee wee?) coach to finish checks at all costs, and if you eased up or shied away for demolishing a smaller or unaware opponent, you paid for it by getting benched or doing crap drills and pushups at practice. I was way bigger than other kids my age, and it drove my coach BONKERS that I wouldn't flatten other kids. I got so turned off by the constant pressure to act big that I quit and didn't play organized hockey again for 15 years.
The point is: this finish-your-check or make-the-check-at-all-costs BS is being drilled into kids from the moment they are allowed to make contact.
---Chorske's Rule #1: as the Habs' lead in any given game increases, the probability of a HIO poster predicting an imminent Stanley Cup championship approaches one.
The disciplinary committee of the NHL is bush league at best. It's an absolute embarrassment.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
My guess is Price plays against the lowly Isles. The boys will try to play hard in front of him and show the victories have been about the system, not necessarily the goaltender.
If the team loses, though, Carey's head will be awfully messed up.
On another note, what do we do with BGL? He's costing us $1.5m/yr to not play and not fight.
Our team is living by our first line right now. 10 pts last night, and they took part in every goal but one. It's nice to have a top line!
Ex nihilo nihil fit
Has anyone mentioned D'Agostini fighting that guy twice his size last night? In my mind, that was a huge momentum swing in the game, which got the Habs a PP and soon a 5-3. He sure got beat, but the rest of the team saw their teamate, a relative non-fighter, go toe to toe with a 6'7 beast. I'm sure that gave them some fuel in the fire. That is a Talbotesque moment, where the losing team's player gets in a fight, only to lose badly, but it gives his team enough momentum to come back and win the game.
Kostopolous used to try the same thing, but it had no effect on his teamates.
We were also helped by our friend, Higgins, giving us a 5 on 3 PP.
D'Ags held his own. Cammy mentioned after the game that the bench noticed he was overmatched but stood his ground anyway.
I agree that was a turning point. I don't think D'ags wanted anything to do with that fight, but he held his own respectably considering the circumstances!
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/