My Daily Newspaper Reading Routine

As a Montral Canadiens fan, it has always been a priveledge to me to be able to pick up read whatever french Montreal daily's I can get my hands on. Reading them for years has actually helped me maintain my second language quite well, in addition to getting the best and most concise news on my team and the NHL at large. Living roughly 65 minutes from Montreal, in Cornwall, Ontario, being afforded bilingual media access gives me great insight into what is two very different life sensabilities and perspectives.

My favorite paper has long been Le Journal de Montreal for its sports section, which trumps that of any newspaper in Canada. No paper comes close to it in hockey coverage. Not the Sun chain, not the Toronto Star, not the Globe and Mail. It has to be experienced to be believed.

While most papers now tend to defer it's readers to online coverage, the JDM still packs its pages full of punch. Consider today for example. There were no NHL games last night and the Canadiens have not played in 6 days. That didn't prevent them from filling 14 pages with hockey content, and not all of it based on the Habs.

Now the 14 pages today, there were 38 different articles and sidebar pieces of information. This does not include its daily two page spread foldout of stats and and standings for every hockey league you've ever heard of, updated day by day, with no cutoff time like your lovely Sun chain, which often doesn't even include the Senators final scores. Speaking of scores, they usually run a page or two filled with game summaries also.

Other sports are covered, somewhat less indepth. There were 11 pages filed with baseball signings, the Super Bowl, etc.

The hockey section of Le JDM has tons of clout due to a pair of Hall of fame journalists in their midst, columnist and editorialist Betrand Raymond and Yvon Pedneault, one of the best connected sources for news in the NHL and a man highly ranked in THN's "Most Powerful People In Hockey" listing. They dominate the paper not only with their input, but also their influence. Pieces that contain their opinions are usually quite profound - this ain't Damain Cox or Bruce Garrioch here, spouting the usual "Go Home Team" assembly line gibberish.

Translated to English, the hockey based articles in today's paper were:

Cover Story - A Hockey Fan Poll on the Canadiens season so far and questions on how things will go down the stretch.

The Debate Is On - an explanation of the poll and its proceedures (Denis Poissant)

Poll #1 Should the Canadiens make a trade - 56% Yes 27% No

Which player do you feel should be dealt? Samsonov 13%, Aebischer 11% Kovalev 8% Niniimaa 7%

Poll #2 Do you believe the Canadiens can win the Stanley Cup this year? 76% No 9% Yes

Which team will win the Cup? 26% Buffalo, 8% Anaheim, 5% Detroit and Ottawa

Poll #3 Who is your favorite player on the Canadiens? Huet 26%, Latendresse 19%, Koivu 17%, Kovalev 6%
Poll #4 Among this group of 10 players, which one should the Canadiens pursue in trade talks? Brad Richards 16%, Joe Sakic 16%, Peter Forsberg 12%, Ian Laperriere 10%, Markus Naslund 5%, Scott Gomez 3%, Bill Guerin 2%, Mike Modano 2%, Craig Conroy 1%, Ladislav Nagy 1%.

(IMO- Sakic and Gomez are unavailable. There have been rumblings about the other 8.)

Poll #5 How do you rate the Canadiens performance in the last month? Excellent 1%, Good 22%, Satisfactory 40% Terrible 34%

Poll #6 How would you rate coach Carbonneau's performance so far? Excellent 39%, Good 47%, Satisfactory 6%, Terrible 2%

The Public Has Spoken (Jonathan Bernier)

Huet, Latendresse.and Koivu Are Favorites (Bernier)

Canadiens To Reach Playoffs, But Not Much Else...(Pedneault)

Hab Fans Knowledgable But Unhappy (Sidebar)

Sabres And Ducks In Final (Sidebar)

In The Eyes Of The Experts - The opinions of 7 columnists including Raymond, Pedneault. Jacques Demers, and Michel Bergeron on 5 questions about the Habs needs and wants as the trade deadline approaches.

The Canadiens Payroll (Sidebar)

The Sellers Are Rare (Marc De Foy)

Easier Said Than Done (De Foy)

Forsberg...And Not Much Else (De Foy)

Carbonneau: " That's Gainey's Business" (De Foy)

Begin Not Rushing Throught Rehab (De Foy)

Carbonneau No Mediator In Roy Settlement (De Foy)

Roy Back Behind Ramparts Bench (No Credit)

Reps Approve Saskin Inquiry (Sidebar)

Lalime Recalled By Chicago (Sidebar)

Hecht Returns To Sabres (Sidebar)

Tight Race For East Playoffs Spots (Sidebar)

Cournoyer: "Dryden Kept Us In Games" (Andre Rousseau)

Boucher's Father Gets Viewing Of ASG (Martin Leclerc)

Marty Turco: Comedian (Leclerc)

Revising The ASG Format (Leclerc)

What If The Predators Chose Kansas City (Leclerc)

Crosby On The Outside At ASG Private Party (Leclerc)

St-Jerome Panthers On Fire (Gilles Vachet)

3 On 3 League Starting In May (Vachet)

Blocked Shots Stats (Sidebar)

Most Hits Stats (Sidebar)

Brind'Amour Slumping (Sidebar)

Lightening Edge Over Devils (Sidebar)

Most days the paper is not so intense. Two or three times during the week, the NHL content is toned down a touch and the QMJHL gets the spotlight some. On average, there is about 75% of the coverage above. If you were to subtract the "Poll Results", you'd have a fair idea.

This is why the JDM has been my prefered resource for over 20 years.

Now reading just one paper would be a great way to gain a narrow view of things. Luckily I read pretty fast and sieze things well enought that at my morning coffee stop that I can rip throught the remainders of the Gazette, Sun, and Star sports sections within 10 minutes.

Nothing starts off the day like a warm cup of coffee and some interesting hockey news. If I'm not working that particular day, I have the rest of it to blog and read blogs. Normally I will peruse at least half the sites I have linked to, going back to certain ones often enough.

It's a great and informative daily routine.

BUTT ENDS # 4

Things are now looking quite grim these days in the Battle of Ontario. Injuries on the Maple Leafs and Senators front could well shape the course and final outcome of already bleak campaigns.

News that Michael Peca is out for 3 to 4 months doesn't better the Leafs slim playoff hopes. Jason Spezza, a notoriously slow healer, will also be lost for a month. While the Sens looked good beating the hapless Flyers 6-3 tonight, don't expect that trend to continue. Spezza is the hub of all things offensive in the nations capital, and the injury is a devastating blow to post season goals.

It remains to be seen, how ownership of both teams will deal with the off season misteps of GM's Ferguson and Muckler, in regards to how these injuries have straightjacketed their chances in mid season. Both overspent, and spent stupidly, while overrating their respective clubs. Neither have the benefit of calling up players from the minors who could make one iota of a difference.

While Ottawa panicked and traded for little return, Toronto paid lucridous dollars to strengthen a position they felt needed reinforcement - defense - and the Leafs D still sits with the rats in the cellar. The Senators overpaid and gambled at a position they already found steadiness in - goaltending. Turns out it was close to 12 million for bad backup goaltending.Both left themselves little manoeverability come injuries.

In each city, worst case scenarios were foolishly never planned out. The NHL's newer realities are making them well aware of today's blindspots.

Maybe a coach and GM's salary ought to count against the cap!

With the trade market dryer than ever, there is little help in sight for either, but to turn inward to team character. A snowball's chance in hell never looked so bad!

SIDELINE SCRIBBLES

NHL prefect of discipline Colin Campbell got it all wrong again in the Scott Nichol suspension. He completely overlooked the deed committed by Jaroslav Spacek on the play. Nichol received a whopping 9 game banishment after Spacek clearly used his stick to trip his opponant into a welcoming crossbar as he followed the play to the net. They each deserved five games....Campbell will never achieve the integrity of the position until he learns it takes two on occasion...Ken Hitchcock (Columbus) and Denis Savard (Chicago) are looking like hockey guru's compared to John Stevens (Philadelphia) and Andy Murray (St. Louis).Bad news for all, they will play no more than 82 games this season....You got to feel for Peter Forsberg. No one plays harder, and no one falls harder than the injury prone Swede. He has backbone to spare, just no spleen to speak of....Mario Lemieux has sadly run out of time and answers in Pittsburgh. My question is why doesn't he just commit to owning this team with such a bright future. Sell them, if he chooses, during a great playoff run...The NHL is back to talking about those bigger egg shaped nets that were a disaster in a Ricco Cup tryout in pre-season. Why not smaller pucks? Why not strap a Le Goalie to the posts? The NHL, I'm beginning to understand, is run by gamblers.... speaking of which, why Las Vegas as an NHL destination? What other sport made a boom there recently? Would Rick Tocchet be allowed to coach there?...Is December 23rd an NHL twilight zone date or what. The Montreal Canadiens haven't won on the day since 1945. Tonight the Ducks were shutout by Phoenix and Michael Tellqvist and the Sabres were beaten by the Blues. Ban this date from the schedule forever....Rory Fitpatrick, without a single point in 19 games, is second in All-Star balotting. Doubt the power of the internet still? Next year Sergei Zholtok could be a starter!

PARTING SHOT

One has to wonder if the depleted Ontario teams managed any envy towards the Montreal Canadiens this past week. The Habs became pressed for roster and cap room, and sent impressive rookie Maxim Lapierre back to the minors. In four wins, the homegrown talent had 3 goals and an assist while being a plus five on the 4th line no less. The center is merely fourth in team scoring in Hamilton. Within a week, a province and media was behind him, before the cap concious Habs sent him back. Depth is jealousy in the new NHL. There is no cap in the playoffs. Lapierre is surely circling calandar dates.

Forsberg Almost Killed!

I can't help this...I want to cry...but I have to have a laugh!

Peter Forsberg, the Evil Knievel of hockey, has now suffered a concussion.

When I first scanned the headline, I imagined him voluntarily head banging the crossbar after another Flyers drubbing!

Forsberg, who has had every conceivable injury in the past, has now gone and gotten hurt from toe to head.

Just this past week, Forberg was trying out special skates, due to complicating ankle injuries and surgeries that left one of his feet less manoeverable than the other.

Imagine that!

The Man Without A Spleen has the worst luck of any player I've ever seen.

Forsberg's injury occurred off an Alexander Ovechkin hit in which he bonked his noggin onto Dainus Zubrus' knee.

A dazed Forsberg then stood up, semi conscious, and stepped on the puck. He did a near 360 degree flip before landing on his hip and cracking it. Putting weight on the leg was then futile, and the Flyers captain then face planted the already tipsy cranium into the ice and breaking his nose. With blood in his eyes, he reached the bench hobbling. As a trainer handed him a water bottle, the newly shortsighted forward chipped a tooth inserting the squirt mechanism too far into his face. While he made it to the ambulance without incident, a nervous paramedic slammed the vehicle's brakes at a railroad crossing, almost throwing Forsberg into the path of a train.

Forberg made a statement from the hospital suggesting that he will look for an appropriate body cast that allows him the flexibility to be back in time for the Flyers next game.