The Other Wing

Before I say anything about the nuts and bolts of The Trade I’ve got to give props to Habs’ GM Pierre Gauthier. I thought he was going to sit quietly for most of the summer and make reactive trades – trades not made for top players but safe moves that would add depth.

But Gauthier made the first big splash of the summer and I respect that. He’s wasting no time putting his stamp on this team (although many will argue that Gainey would’ve done the same).

Anyhoo, now that’s out of the way :

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I’m not really shocked that Jaroslav Halak was traded. And I’m not shocked that he was traded to the St. Louis Blues. But traded to the Blues for who? And who? That was a bit surprising.

Shed a tear if need be, but please stop whining and swearing and whining.

This was a business decision. Our cap situation is tight right now. Really tight. Jaroslav Halak wants to be an undisputed Number One goaltender and he wants the money to prove it. We can't afford him. And Halak probably isn't torn up over leaving. He did, after all, ask to be traded. Gauthier had to move him.

It ain’t over yet, fat lady.

Yes, it’s true – we’ve lost the first two games.

And yes, we’ve yet to score a goal in the Eastern Conference Finals.

We’re in a hole and many are saying it’s a mighty big hole. In so deep that there’s no way out.

We lost 2 games.

Whoopty frickin’ doo.

The hole is just as deep if we’d lost both games 3-2 in triple overtime. Really.

Right now, I don’t give a crap about momentum or magic or mojo. The Flyers, to their credit, won the first two games. At home. But that’s what they’re supposed to do.

The series is heading to the Bell Centre and now, it’s our turn.

At about 5:45PM Sunday evening I had a bad feeling about Game 1 against the Flyers. They’d been riding high after either A) the biggest comeback in sports history or B) the biggest choke job in sports history. I like giving credit where credit’s due so I’m leaning to the side of the comeback. From 3-0 and 3-0 is muchos impressive.

You’ve definitely got swagger after that.

A lot of panels, pundits, and prognosticators gave the edge to the Flyers in this series even before Game 1. The Flyers were too deep, too strong, too big, and generally just too much to handle. Getting man-handled every which way on Sunday, the Habs looked slow, intimidated, and very, very small. (Anyone see Brian Gionta try and screen Michael Leighton? I don’t think Leighton even noticed - Gio’s generously listed at 5’7”; Leighton is a healthy 6’3”.) Post-game those panels, pundits, and prognosticators were patting themselves on the back.

This won’t even take 6 or 7 games. The Flyers will walk away with this series in 4 or 5. They’re just too big, strong, and skilled for the poor little Habs.

Blah blah blah.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Anyone else nervous as heck?

How much longer 'til puck drop?

Or more importantly, until the final horn sounds?

Can't stand the wait.

Tick-tock-tick-tock.

...

Prediction: 4-2 Habs

Goals: Pleks, Cammy, MAB. Gionta gets an empty netter.

Halak makes 35 saves.

...

Okay folks:

Remember to breath.

Stay focused.

Stay positive.

Hydrate during the day.

Keep some Advil next to the bed.

We're gonna party tonight.

60 more minutes against the Penguins.

Yes we can!

...

Note to downtown fans: Win or lose, stay classy Montreal.

GOHABSGO!

GOHABSGO!

GOHABSGO!

Sergei Kostitsyn is a tremendous hockey player. But he’s got a pissy attitude and has walked into a head coach who can’t stand him. Sergei hates Jacques and Jacques hates Sergei.

This adolescent feud of theirs is bad news for Habs fans.

Jacques Martin is hurting the Montreal Canadiens right now by not icing the best possible line-up. Instead of dressing Sergei, he gets nice guy Mathieu Darche to ride the pine.

For the entire game.

00:00 minutes of ice-time.

Seriously?

That’s just insulting. Basically JM is telling Darche that he’s not really good enough to play but he likes him better than Sergei. Instead of being a head coach, Martin is acting like a petty teenager girl who’s made at her boyfriend. “No Sergei, not tonight. I’m going to hang out with Mathieu tonight – at least he’s nice to me.”

But in his heart of hearts, Jacques knows that Mathieu is not the one for him. Sergei is. He’s just too stubborn to admit it. Sergei meanwhile is reinforcing his bad boy rep by skipping out early on practice and shrugging off his teammates. But in his heart of hearts, he does want to play for this team. He’s just too stubborn to admit it.

It’s time for both sides to get over themselves, their egos, and do what’s good for the team.

• Tonight's score: 1-0 Habs.
• Halak makes 28 saves.
• Scott Gomez pots the winner, midway through the second period.
• 4th line: SK74, Metro, AK46.
• 4th line: play well and actually get some minutes... but get benched in the 3rd for no reason.
• Pleks: gets a chance short-handed but is hauled down. Doesn't score on the penalty shot.
• 1st intermission: Don Cherry mispronounces his own name.
• Dominic Moore: leaves the game but is okay.
• Mike Cammalleri: hits the post on the powerplay, rolls his eyes.
• PK Subban: plays out of his mind, sets up the Gomez goal. Says something clever about slashing to the net.
• 2nd intermission: NHL has already released a "What if" commercial featuring the Gomez goal.
• Gill: Gives Crosby another couple of bear hugs; blocks 9 shots .
• Scrums: lots of them.
• Travis Moen: gets into the only real fight.
• Bell Centre: so loud that the ice cracks
• Sid: So frustrated that he cracks, gets a roughing penalty
• JM: Sports an ugly tie and is so waxen that it's impossible to tell if he's frustrated, excited or even alive.
• Kirk Muller: Another awesome fist pump at the end of the game.
• Perry Pearn: gets stopped by security because they don't recognize him.
• Dan Bylsma: makes Ruslan Fedotenko feel uncomfortable with a harsh stare.
• Geno Malkin: gets called out by his coach after the game.
• MA Fleury: chanting gets to him as he repeatedly misplays the puck behind his net.
• Sergei Gonchar: leaves the game after blocking a Josh Gorges point shot with his left hand.
• 3rd period: Just when they're making a push, Pittsburgh gets called for too many men. The penalty is rescinded, however, after the referees confer and rightly judge that their were 5 men on the ice - and Matt Cooke.
• Post-game: at least one French Canadian player from the Pens says, "We knew it was going to be loud, but not that loud."

With a bullet.

Or maybe with a pebble, eh, Goliath?

Miraculous! Unbelievable! Shocking! Stunning! Yup, those are some of the words you’ll be hearing today around the water cooler. But not from this guy. All you’ll hear from me?

“I told you so”.

Actually, I predicted the Habs would take this series in 6 games… which was maybe a little optimistic (even for me). But I’ll take the win in seven. I was laughed at by Caps fans. Even mocked by fellow Habs fans.

But I believed in these players.

In Bob We Trust built a playoff team.

That was the most deliriously energetic game I've ever attended.

And it was absolutely, hands down, the best game that this fan has ever seen.

I was very fortunate to have gone to the extravagant Centennial Game this season. That game, that soiree, however, was a whole other type of experience. December 4th was magical. The legends, the hat trick, the victory. The Canadiens created an amazing event that I will always remember fondly. Maybe I'll end up framing the ticket and in my later years proudly tell my grandkids that I was there.

But December 4th was a ceremony.

Last night was a hockey game.

***

NOTE: I'll be on CBC's Homerun radio show this afternoon, around 3:10ish. GAME 7 may come up in conversation. 88.5FM.

Yes you can!

Yes we can!

Just do it.

Now or never.

Never say die.

I believe!

GO HABS GO!

I’ve always been the optimistic fan.

Always.

Down 3-1 in the series.

Heading back to Washington.

The Habs have a combined +/- rating of -52.

Marc-Andre Bergeron is -8, or if you prefer, worst in the league. Hey, at least SK74 and Ryan O’Byrne are +1.

Speaking of MAB (22:16), he’s second only to Andrei Markov (25:48) for ice-time amongst Habs players. Both of our goalies have GAA above 4.00 (Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak sit at 17th & 18th, respectively, out of 19 playoff netminders).

Sigh.

Can we stop Alexander the Gr8?

…

The strongest team to make the playoffs versus the weakest team?

Washington completely dominates Montreal. They score, they defend, they have a high-octane, high pressure system; they have the most dynamic player in the NHL and a supporting cast that outshines just about any other team in the league.

They have won the President’s Trophy for the first time in their history, they’re well coached and maybe more than anything - they are DETERMINED.

The Habs, on the other hand, made the playoffs by losing to the 2nd worst team in the league.

Awesome.

If you're one of the fans who booed Carey Price, last night - you've really got to re-evaluate your life. Seriously. You must be pretty miserable if you find booing a 22-year old athlete fun.

Your behaviour shows not only a total lack of respect for Price - a fellow human being - but also for the Canadiens organization and the entire city of Montreal.

Enough is enough.

This is how you treat your team? This is how you represent your fellow fans?

Nous sommes Canadiens?

The sports world is laughing at you.

...

Carey Price played well last night. Actually, he's played well for most of his recent starts. He's one of the last guys on this team who deserves that type of treatment right now. In fact, nobody on the team deserves that type of treatment.

Look:

Find another sport to watch. Read a newspaper. Go for a walk. Volunteer somewhere. Knit.

You need a new hobby. Something that makes your life a little bit happier.

...

I had a whole blazing rant ready to post, but I realized:

1) The filter would edit out 90% of my stronger adjectives and 100% of my colourful metaphors, and

2) An angry rant would be useless.

You're expecting an angry rant. Your life is probably an angry rant.

Booooooo.

I don't care if you've been putting away pennies in your piggy bank for 2 years in order to save up enough cash to go to a game at the Bell Centre. Spending $40, $70 or $200 doesn't give you the right to behave like that. Nothing gives you that right.

If this is what makes you feel good in life, then I feel sorry for you.

Ah, Montreal in the springtime. The Habs win 6 in a row, the sun comes out and everyone is suddenly smiling wider than the Cheshire cat in 3D. The weather turns frigid - as does the Habs powerplay - and we whine like there’s no day after tomorrow.

A solitary W in our past 5 games along with cold winds and (feels like) -20C weather and half of us would be lining up to jump off the Jacques Cartier, that is, if it wasn’t so cold out.

Well, Canadiens fans, and fans of happiness in general, as March is (fittingly) being ushered out with 4 days of cold, cleansing rain, April will be a-knockin’ come Thursday and bringing with it highs of 17C, 18C, and 23C.

Who needs Vitamin D supplements when we can get the real thing?

Now that it’s been decided that the Habs will power into the playoffs and dominate opponents all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals (it’s been decided, right?), there’s a couple little details that I’d like the team to take care of.

Before the regular season comes to an end on April 10th, I’d like to see:

1. A big bad blow out. The team has been playing well recently and I’d like to see a strong effort at both ends of the ice. I’d love a confidence booster heading into April, say a 7-1 or 8-2 shellacking of a divisional rival.

2. Scott Gomez end the season with 70 points. It’s a bit of stretch (he’d have to play at almost a 1.5 points per game pace) but I think it’s possible and would go a long way to proving that even though he’s got a bloated contract, he does have the skills.

3. The brothers click. Both Andrei and Sergei have shown flashes of brilliance this season but usually for only a few shifts or, at most, a single game. I’d love to see the Belarussian brothers have a few multi-point games coupled with some highlight worthy goals. Andrei “Best wristshot in the NHL?” Kostitsyn has lit the lamp only 12 times this season. Sure he’s missed a ton of time due to injury, but 12 goals? He’s getting paid $3.25 million to score a heckuva lot more than 12 goals. Sergei escaped his temporary purgatory in Hamilton and has shown NHL-calibre skill but, like his brother, the results aren’t there. Sergei has 11 points, only 2 of them goals. Glen Metropolit has more goals than the Kostitsyns combined. Seriously. We’ve had high hopes for these two for a while – now is the time for them to perform.

It was a dreamy 17 days, wasn’t it?

Golden rings.

Golden goals.

Olympic sized moments.

We Believe became We Accomplished.  

We Overcame Hardships.  We Broke Records.

Dreams came true.

But as those dreams are replaced by the doldrums of reality – ushered in unmercifully by inflatable beavers and flying moose – we start a new week without our Canadians, but instead with our Canadiens. And while we seem Glorieux only in name and in lore, perhaps our team can take inspiration from our country and persevere during hardship and show its true mettle when it matters most.

Bob Gainey oozes hockey.

He defines dedication, leadership, and loyalty.
In 100 years of history, Bob Gainey stands out as one of the greatest to ever wear the bleu-blanc-rouge.

He captained this team to the Stanley Cup.
He led this team through sacrifice: he's bled, he's fought, he's played with dislocated shoulders.
Gainey wore the CH with pride.

He loves this team and he loves this city.
He stayed with this team through hard times -  both on and off the ice.

Love him or hate him as a GM, having a man like Bob Gainey step away is a sad day for the Habs organization.

I wish him the best and thank him for everything that he has given to this city.

...

Listen live to CBC Daybreak (88.5FM) Tuesday at 7:15AM to hear me talk more about Gainey's resignation.
I'll be representing Habs fans - so leave your comments and let me know what you think about all of this.

Make it stop.

During the ancient Olympics, a period of truce was called so that athletes could travel to Greece and compete in safety. Citizens would celebrate the Games, the gods, and good fortune. This time of “ekecheiria” could not come soon enough for your Montreal Canadiens.

…

Maybe Bob Gainey forgot to sacrifice a lamb during the off-season.

Perhaps the planets are mis-aligned.

Whatever the cause, the Habs Universe is looking close to collapse.

Feb. 02 vs Vancouver

Feb. 04 vs Boston

Feb. 06 vs Pittsburgh

Feb. 07 vs Boston

Feb. 10 vs Washington

Feb. 12 vs Philadelphia

Feb. 13 vs Philadelphia

That’s a tough 2 weeks.

Anyone like our odds right now?

Q: How do you completely destroy any – and all – momentum that was created by huge wins over the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers?

A: You play a complete stinker against the Florida Panthers.

…

Did everyone drink too much and pass out on the beach for a couple hours? Did anyone look at the standings and realize the importance of this game? Does anyone know how to play Jacques Martin hockey? (Besides the Florida Panthers?)

Who is this Jacques Martin guy?

Is he the guy who turned around an abysmal Ottawa Senators franchise? Is this the guy who’s the tenth most winningest coach in NHL history?

Or is he the one who was a mediocre coach of a mediocre Florida Panthers team? A guy who’s fallen behind the times and has lost the edge to be a premier coach in the National Hockey League? When Bob Gainey hired Jacques Martin back in June 2009, I was hoping he’d be the guy who did all that winning. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that’s who we got.

"What is going to happen?"

"Something wonderful"

"I'm afraid"

"Don't be. We'll make the playoffs"

"Where will we be?"

"Where we are now, in seventh."

...

The 2010 side of the 2009-2010 season holds 39 games for the Montreal Canadiens. We've already lost the first one against Northeast rival Buffalo. Eighteen of the remaining games will be on the road, leaving 20 for the (somewhat) friendly confines of the Bell Centre. Our current record (21-20-3) has us (barely) in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with 45 points.

The Habs have played 44 games, or 3 more than the New York Rangers (43 points, 41 games played), the Atlanta Thrashers (42 points, 43GP) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (42 points, 41 GP). The Islanders, Flyers and Panthers are also all within striking distance (3,4 and 4 points, respectively) and all have at least 1 game in hand. At the same time, we’re only a couple wins away from surpassing Ottawa and Boston in the standings.

String a few wins together and we’re 5th in the Conference; suffer a couple losses and we’re bumping uglies with Toronto.

The 2009-2010 Montreal Canadiens.

Gold or garbage?

Back at the beginning of this season most pundits, analysts, and fans didn’t know how to evaluate this year’s team. Oh, we’ll need to give them 20 games to gel. Some prognosticators did admit that GM Bob Gainey had upgraded an aging line-up with younger, more consistent and more durable players. And even though that aging roster had made the playoffs two years in a row and had been first in the Eastern Conference in 2007-08, many considered this “upgraded” team a mere assembly of parts.

At best they’d be an 8th place team. At worst they’d be in the running for the draft lottery.

So - 41 games later - are we in a position to accurately gauge this team? Not really. Andrei Markov, the Habs best player, was lost for almost 3 months during the first game of the season. His absence severely handicapped the Canadiens play in every situation. Because of his injury (and Ryan O'Byrne's), Gainey was forced to sign Marc-Andre Bergeron to bring some defensive depth (sort of) and especially to help on the powerplay. As injured blueliners continued to pile-up, Gainey had to make more moves (hello Jay Leach) and hope and pray that the patchwork would hold up.

It did.

The Habs are currently 7th in the Eastern Conference and can easily jump into 5th with a few more wins. We're in pretty good shape.

A look at some of the numbers that have made up the Canadiens first 41 games, the reasons why we sit in 6th and what we need to do to improve.

"I have heard from a reliable source that there may be a deal brewing between Montreal and Philadelphia. Pleks, Gill, and Halak for Carter and Boucher." – 24 Cups

Well, what do you think?

The Philadelphia-Montreal rumours have been swirling for the past week or so. Jaroslav Halak wants out, Jeff Carter is available… let’s make a deal, right? We ship out our number one center for their number one center. They get a real solid 5/6th defensemen who gets the job done on the PK. We give them a guy who wants to be a number one goalie for a guy who’s lucky to be a backup.

In today’s world of “my capspace is bigger than yours”, GMs have a tough time orchestrating any impact trades until February or March. This season’s deadline is March 3rd and we might see a flurry of activity this year if there are any major injuries during the Olympic Winter Games. Most teams have very little wiggle room right now. They’re up against the cap and can’t make any major moves. Our trades this season have so far involved a contract-for-contract swap (Guillaume Latendresse / Benoit Pouliot) and moving Kyle Chipchura’s minimum contract of $500 000 (or what someone like Vincent Lecavalier made while you were reading this sentence).

It’s mid-December and the Habs are still playing .500 hockey. That makes me pretty happy. If you’re wondering why, you can read those reasons here. I think, I believe, I am infinitely confident that our 2009-2010 Montreal Canadiens are doing just fine and will surprise many a critic come springtime.

Recently, there’s been a lot of chatter on the site about whether or not this team can make the playoffs. Some say yes, many say no.

Some are even calling for this team to tank.

Whaaaaat?

Yeah, we should be asking for more quit from our hockey team.

Thanks, but no thanks.

There’s still some hope for this year’s Habs. This team WILL make the playoffs. That’s right the Montreal Canadiens will make the playoffs. If I’m wrong? Well, you can shoot my TV.

Well, that was one way to close out 100 years of hockey. I was planning on writing a blog full of hope and roses and angels... that was before the puck drop...

Mothers have always said "If you're not going to say anything nice, then don't say anything at all".

Bonne fête, Le Club de Hockey Le Canadien.

And enjoy the Centennial Celebrations everyone.

We could all use a good party.

Is that Kyle Chipchura in the chipper?

Five years after Montreal’s selected Kyle Chipchura in the first round of the NHL entry draft, the 6’2”, 205lbs center from Westlock, Alberta is still having trouble keeping pace in the National Hockey League. In Wednesday’s loss to Pittsburgh, Chipchura played for only 5:12. In Tuesday’s win over Columbus, he skated a season low 3:53. Not enough time to play a good game – or even a bad one for that matter.

If Guillaume Latendresse’s diminished ice-time is any indicator, Jacques Martin has lost faith in another young player who’s about to find himself getting used to a new team logo.

Has Chipchura disappointed in Montreal? Is it time to go?

Oh, poor baby. All that bellyaching. Must be tough.

It’s exhausting complaining about players, goaltenders, coaches, minor league players, management, and other fans. There are lots of reasons to be frustrated with your 2009-2010 Montreal Canadiens, but calling for the team to tank, for firesale trades and an organizational deep clean is a little premature.

I don’t expect everyone to be happy with the moves that were made this past off-season or with the current level of play but it is too soon to p-a-n-i-c.

We’re not the Hurricanes.

We’re not the Leafs.

Thank God for that.

Right now we are a middlish of the pack team. We’ve won 10 games, lost 11 and have 20 points in 21 games. Is that good? Plain and simple – no. Last we earned 93 points and only snuck into the playoffs on a technicality. We’re on pace for less than 80 points and an early summer. But is our current level of play and our position in the standings indicative of our team?

Plain and simple – no.

What would Allan Walsh have tweeted during the Montreal/Phoenix game?

Habs win 9th game of season when Client Jaroslav Halak wears his lucky Batman underwear… interesting…

…

Interesting stat… 100% of Price’s wins have come when the Habs score goals…hmmm

…

Teams have book on Price – miss the net and deflect puck off skate. Look for it – teams will keep taking advantage.

What's the matter with Andrei Kostitsyn?

The man just cannot put the puck into the net. He's on the 2nd line, the 3rd line, the 1st line, the 7:32 of ice-time line. Many fans, myself included, were expecting Kostitsyn the Elder to have a breakout season.

I envisioned 35 goals and 65 points. I though he'd be a first-line RW playing on the second line, giving the Habs a strong and balanced attack. Right now, the once mighty AK-46 is on pace for 5 tallies and 16 assists. He's got one foot on the 4th line and one in the dog house.

What's a Belarussian to do? Shoot from the red line?

Carey “The Franchise” Price will get his first start in almost two weeks. After a great beginning to the regular season in Toronto (0.940 SP) and then Buffalo (0.970 SP), Price was left out to dry by his teammates in Vancouver, where he was shelled for 7 goals (0.781 SP). The 22 year-old netminder then lost his next 3 starts.

The goalie controversy then took off as Jaroslav “I’m no backup” Halak won 4 in a row for the desperate Habs.

With Halak getting pulled after 4 goals and 2 periods in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, Jacques Martin decided that it was time for Price to get a start. There was a lot of rumbling by some fans and pundits on Monday when the hot Slovak got the call in net against the Islanders. Price, they said, needed to get back into it after such a long time on the bench. And who better to play against to get your shaken confidence back than the lowly Islanders?

Well, the mighty Chicago Blackhawks for one.

It took me a while to get back to business on this site. It wasn't for lack of want. So much has happened to this team that I viewed it foolish to write anything along the lines of predictions or impressions about the new mixed bag of treats Bob Gainey assembled over the summer.

There really was no point because I’m neither a scout, a palm reader nor the inventor of a highly efficient hockey team simulator. While the moves Gainey made rested on what he must have assumed was good hockey sense, the reality is that it was and still very much is an educated hunch propelled by hope and wishful thinking.