Habs For Breakfast - 2008-03-09

Habs Keep Winning Despite Problems - Faceoff.com

"It's a concern," admitted Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau, whose team has won its last two games while being outshot 76-43. "We've been getting offence from a lot of different places, but the intensity hasn't been there on defence."

Return To Hamilton Would Be Best: Grabovski - Gazette

"I think that will be the best place for me," Grabovski said before yesterday's game. "I have to play and I have to play a lot if I'm going to get better."

Samsonv Resurrects Career In Carolina - Gazette

"Who knew one component of that process would be the 29-year-old Samsonov, who was given up for dead by the Canadiens after a brutal 2006-07 season (17 points in 63 games) and who was waived in the midst of, if possible, a worse partial season with Chicago (four assists in 23 games this season)?" - John McKinnon

Some Like It Not So Hot - Gazette

"Players seem to really like playing for the Leafs - even though the team hasn't won a Stanley Cup in 41 years. It sort of reminds me of high school kids who want to make the hockey or football team just so they can wear the cool team jackets and be noticed around town." - Stu Cowan

Kings Conquered - TSN

"Almost 15 seasons have passed since the Montreal Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings to win the Stanley Cup for the 23rd time. The only remnants of their most recent championship are Patrice Brisebois and current coach Guy Carbonneau."

New Goalie, Same Result, Habs Back On Top - Lions In Winter

"Koivu's line was being used as the first unit meaning that they were out there with Marky and Streit. Markov, from the left point, fed Streit on the right side who looked primed to shoot." - Tobalev

Habs 5, California Girls 2 - Four Habs Fans

"The last time I made fun of a team by calling it names was by insisting on referring to the Hurricanes as the Hartford Whalers. And they kicked the Habs' asses in their next game. But fear not, there are no more games against L.A. this year, so we're calling them the California Girls. Take that, City of Angels!" - Panger76



















C'est le résultat qui compte - La Presse

"En ce moment, j'ai l'impression qu'on joue comme en première moitié de saison: certes, on fait de bonnes choses et on marque des buts. Mais on perd des batailles à un contre un et on manque d'intensité et de concentration." - Carbonneau

N'oublions pas Ben Maxwell - La Presse

"De tous les espoirs du Canadien, Ben Maxwell est probablement le plus sous-sestimé." - Mathias Brunet

Jaroslav Halak s'est levé - RDS

"Jaroslav a très bien joué, a repris l'entraîneur Guy Carbonneau. Les Kings ont été efficaces le long des bandes et derrière le filet. Ils ont créé beaucoup de circulation devant. Jaro n'a pas la carrure de Carey, mais il couvre bien ses angles."

Brisebois et Latendresse soulagés - RDS

"Je ne suis pas un gars de statistiques, mais c'est toujours agréable d'atteindre un plateau, a commenté Brisebois. Ce 400e point s'est fait attendre."

Carbo en aurait voulu en peut plus - Le Journal

"On manque de concentration par moments et c'est là qu'on perd possession de la rondelle", dit Carbonneau. "Après avoir pris les devants 3 à 0 en deuxième période, on a connu un relâchement."

Les 10 ingrédients à succès du Canadien - Le Journal

"Après une saison très difficile l'an dernier, le Russe s'est révélé comme le grand leader de cette équipe. Si l'on disait il y a un an qu'il ne jouait qu'un match sur trois, ses mauvais matchs sont, au contraire, plutôt rares cette saison." Jacques Demers

"Nos gardiens ne pourront pas toujours nous faire gagner": Koivu - Le Journal
"On savait ce qu'il avait accompli pour nous la saison dernière et il n'y avait aucun doute dans notre esprit qu'il pouvait faire le travail de nouveau" - Saku Koivu.

Is a Ryder / Halak Package A Reality?

Bob Gainey has consistently been described using words such as patient, stoic, and unrevealing. With the Canadiens progressing on schedule and looking good, the question must be asked as to when the Habs GM will unveil himself by developing an itchy trigger finger in the case of two of the team's five prospective free agents come 2008.

Those free agents would be winger Michael Ryder and goaltender Cristobal Huet.

There are many cliches about the "why's, where's, and when's" to trade, and all the reasonable ones, tried and true through time, have to do with a team's current standing and depth at a position.

Ryder and Huet, constitute hot potatoes for Gainey at present, for a number of different reasons that are currently being played out with various unfolding scenarios.

Huet first:

To spell it out flatly, Gainey will not want to part with Huet. If Jaroslav Halak was lighting up his crystal ball with glorious foresights, rookie Carey Price would have seen more than four games of NHL action by now. The fact that the steady and consciensious Huet makes the ideal tutor for "goalie of the future" Price negates any thought that Halak can last as a Hab beyond this season barring major injuries or catastrophies.

That Halak and his agent have given Gainey the ultimate of ultimatums - "trade me or I expire to Russia for big bucks after this season" - means the Habs GM's ears are damp with incoming calls about his minor league goalie.

Now Ryder:

To be blunt once more, if Ryder were in Gainey's long term picture, his deal would not be expiring next July. While he may have been the team's top scorer the last three seasons, Ryder is hardly complete enough a top line player for the team to aspire to a Stanley Cup with him as a number one sniper. Gainey agreed to sign him to a very tradable contract for scenario's such as this.

I ask you, does Ryder as a top line go to guy, inspire your 100% confidence in his role, despite all the doubt surrounding his qualifications. To ask yourself the honest question is to put yourself in Gainey's shoes.



Clearly, there has to be someone within the organization that can step up and improve upon Ryder's totals. Be it Kovalev, Kostitsyn, or even Latendresse, who played his soundest hockey there, surely some other Habs can bring an added dimension to what Ryder often makes a stagnant line.

Imagine what Eric Cole could accomplish on this line.

Ryder does bring one wicked release in the slot area, but little else to the team, and Gainey is smart enough to understand that this is where the Canadiens can upgrade most.

(Robert L Note: My thoughts on why Ryder has been a figured out player by opposing teams, as posted at HIO and Boone in recent days, can be read at the bottom of this post.)

The question is, for now and the coming weeks, what can Gainey bring to the Canadiens in return for a slumping top line winger, who is headed for free agency?

Burning question number two would be, what would a goalie of good NHL repute, albeit a current minor league sensation, bring the Habs in return trade value.

Taken individually - neither prospective trading could provide the Canadiens with gains that would make the most ardent fan salivate. It just doesn't make any sense - yet.

Packaged together, it gets more interesting.



Rumours, gossip, and innuendo have been swirling that ratpacks of scouts from teams all over the NHL have been following the Canadiens games closer than maggots on raw meat. In fact, it has been reported more than once that several teams scouts have been in attendance in multiple numbers during the last half dozen Habs games, both on the road and at home.

Something is brewing, and it is not a new 9.0 % alcohol content beer from the Molson Corp.

In truth, Gainey may not have brought any of this on himself. It may just be other teams speculating while looking to fill out needs. Gainey, a reknowned patient man, may have nothing more up his sleeve than a hairy arm.

GM Gainey's needs are quite simple when it comes to the current Habs - offer him something that resembles an upgrade to the lineup, and he's all ears.

The trouble with trading in today's NHL, as you may have noticed by the absense of deals, is that team's not already capped out, have set their own caps. Little more than dollar for dollar trades are now made.

Another facet of the dilema is that teams rarely trade defensemen. It is one area of every team's depth chart that no GM in this reality ventures with. With third and fourth line checkers always being the most accessable of commodities, that leaves goal scorers and goalies high on GM's shopping lists.

Gainey may be offering up both, and in a cheap enough salary package to boot!

Sift through NHL salaries to find a 30 goal scorer under 3 million dollars a year and I wager you will find few players under 30 years of age that have the upside that Ryder has to make teams curious.

Want a backup goalie, at an AHL wage, who could play his way into a starter's role quickly for under a million? Call Bob!

If you combine the two assets, you may understand why Gainey is in the auctioneer's (read driver's seat) position - all ears until the highest bid is dropped. Teams need either goal scoring or puckstopping, and Gainey's card hand is full.

Gainey will not be the gambler for now - he will await the biggest gambler for the time being. He can afford to - his team has been winning.



Stakes will rise as he waits and you can be certain that teams have put in "initial" offers. Gainey will be as patient as he needs to be, without risking too long of a wait.

The hard part for Gainey may involve more than just tight cap dollars. Putting some of his most recent moves in the last two seasons under scrutiny, it becomes clear that few teams have come out on the winning end when dealing with him.

Jose Theodore's trade was an unbelievable and astute salary dump on an unsuspecting partner. Flipping Mathieu Garon for Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet speaks for itself still. Sergei Samsonov's bottoming out in Montreal last season has proven to be no aberation, much to the dismay of the Blackhawks, who have made him a regular scratch. Defenseman Craig Rivet is a team worst minus 5 with the San Jose Sharks, who have yet the reap one single goal from their blueline ( Habs rearguards have 9 goals).

In addition to players traded away, none of the players that Gainey has let go hold much esteem. Bonk, Johnson, Aebischer, and even Sheldon Souray have done little for their team's fortunes so far this season.

Unfortunately, of late, Ryder's play has not exactly made him an attractive commodity. On the flipside, the Canadiens must keep him on the top line, as long as the team keeps winning, in order for Ryder to showcase himself both as trade bait and an upcoming UFA. The troubling thing is that Ryder seems to be sensing all of this external pressure, and it has shown in his play.

Halak is in Hamilton, and his showcasing took place late last season. How he is faring currently, almost becomes secondary in his evaluation by other teams. Having backed Gainey to the wall with his trade demands doesn't make moving him any quicker or easier.

Taken together, sending both players to one destination would give a greater return. Gainey has smartly accumulated great depth in the organization in order to make these types of two for one deals that will bring in a superior talent to what is being sent away.

It is not likely that a trade is looming for the time being. Teams are still are in the playoff mix a dozen games in. As soon as teams begin parachuting in the standings, or in attendance figures, watch for Gainey to be poised to make a move that will better the team's position and standing.

With only 31.8 million dollars committed to next season's cap, and only Ryder, Huet, Brisebois, Smolinski, and Streit hitting the UFA ranks, Gainey has put himself in a position of strength, and can take on one hefty contract should the team find the right player.
Thing are just starting to get interesting!

My Ryder analysis:

It's sad to admit it, because I rather like the guy, but Michael Ryder has been figured out by the opposition. His slump goes back much father than the hat trick in last seasons finale.While his shots on goal are down, his attempts aren't. His shots get blocked by defenseman knowing his ruse.

Ryder's limitations have become obvious to his opponants and his game has been figured out. Watch how he almost never removes his hands from his stick. He rarely ever has only one hand on it, whether deking, checking or simply skating. He doesn't remove one hand when trying to beat someone with the puck, nor does he attempt it when checking an opponant. It is much easier to reach farther with one hand than it is with two. I don't get why Ryder is this way.

He has made a concentrated effort so far this season to be sounder defensively but he has also made the opposition's job in his regard much easier. By playing so stiffly, he is limiting his own options and moves. He rarely ever takes the puck to his backhand or uses a straightarm to go around a player wide with the puck further away, one handed and out of poking range.

It's always a stiff deke and a shot. When a player bares down on him, his stick is always to the same side. Since he never opens his stance, or uses his stick to make himself wider or larger, he's beaten rather easily. He's extremely easy to check when the puck is on his backhand - it's right there for the swatting.

By trying to challenge opponants with both hands squeezing the stick, he has made himself into an easier player to counter. Add in that he only an adequate skater, and the job of shutting his down gets a whole lot simpler. He will still get the odd shot off now and then and score one, but considering the amount of exposure a leading goal scorer gets in Montreal, I found that he is a player than has simply been figured out.

Just for fun, count how many times during the next game that you see Ryder with one hand on his stick. Trust me, you won't need a calculator. The last time I saw it, was because Ryder had broken his stick.

Gainey Has Alot On His Plate For The Summer

RL Note - Pardon the photo's intended irony, this James Murphy piece, while mostly up to date, speaks of the task ahead for Habs GM Bob Gainey. Aside from his Canadiens duties, the Gainey Foundation was launched today benefitting charities close to family's heart. It is set up in honour of Gainey's late wife Cathy and daughter Laura, who perished at sea, last December.

While missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs is difficult for any NHL team, in Montreal, a no-show in the postseason is simply unacceptable and the reasons for such failure have been and will continue to be dissected until the puck drops on the 2007-08 season.

"In a nutshell, a lot of people bought into (GM Bob) Gainey’s five-year plan and didn’t expect a step back in year three," Team 990’s hockey reporter Tony Marinaro said. "To the Montreal fans, not winning a championship has always been considered a failure, but when Gainey came in, people seemed to jump on board and pledge their patience. But now, they’re wondering if that was the right move and they will try to figure out what went wrong all summer."

Following the Canadiens' loss to Toronto on April 7, which eliminated Montreal from playoff contention, the questions began immediately. One of the main debates was why Gainey stood pat at the Feb. 27 trade deadline instead of adding to a team that he himself felt had a chance to make the playoffs?

There were some marquee players available, Keith Tkachuk, who moved to Atlanta, Bill Guerin dealt to San Jose, and Ryan Smith, traded to the Islanders.

Montreal made only one notable deal, trading defenseman Craig Rivet and a 2008 fifth-round pick to San Jose for defenseman Josh Gorges and a first-round pick in this June’s draft.
To add salt to the wound, Rivet has become a key piece of a Sharks team up 2-1 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Following the season though, Gainey stood by the Rivet trade and lack of movement at the deadline.

"In February, I felt like there was an imbalance on our team and adding new players like a Keith Tkachuk, Ryan Smith, or whoever was available at the time couldn’t straighten us out, we had our own work to do," Gainey said.

Throughout the season there was constant speculation that Rivet, along with fellow unrestricted free agent defensemen Sheldon Souray and Andrei Markov would be dealt since the Canadiens would not be able to fit all three under the salary cap. Gainey decided keeping the latter two would be the best move for this season’s squad and now faces the chance of watching both Souray and Markov walk for nothing.But the Canadiens GM still stands by his choice.

















"I really never had any intention to trade Sheldon Souray" Gainey said. "For two reasons: One is we’d like to keep him and secondly, I really didn’t think it was fair for our fans to take a good player from our team in February, when our team was still a very capable team; a team that could make the playoffs and perhaps do well in the playoffs."

Markov recently told RDS that he would like to stay in Montreal and reach a deal before July 1 and Souray told Team 990 last month that he too is interested in remaining a Canadien, but is also excited to entertain offers if it gets to that point.

"It’s an exciting time," Souray said. "You put your team in to see what teams might be interested in your services, but that’s still a while away. But all things equal, Montreal is the team I’m with and I’m hoping that will work itself out."

Souray had a sensational season, scoring 26 goals and 64 points. Many league insiders believe that will enable him to command a yearly contract of at least $5.5 million.

While finding a way to keep Markov and Souray within their cap limits will be difficult enough, Gainey also will have to figure out what to do with the disgruntled and non-productive Sergei Samsonov and Alexei Kovalev. Both players underachieved this season and at times took their frustration out on head coach Guy Carbonneau and the defensive-minded system he used.

While the Canadiens have walked the line as far as what they say or how they react to Kovalev’s comments and actions, they already tried to trade and waive Samsonov and seem determined to do so again this summer.

"Our options are to attempt to trade him as we did at his request earlier in the year or we can also buy out his contract," Gainey said of Samsonov.

The Canadiens hold the same options for Kovalev, but as they did with Samsonov’s $3.5 annual salary, they most definitely find Kovalev’s $4.5 million per season hard to unload.

"While the buzz right after the season was what Gainey did wrong, and whether Saku Koivu wanted out, it has now shifted to how Gainey will deal with Kovalev and Samsonov and whether Carbonneau’s style did in fact hamper the way they played," Marinaro said. "This will go on all summer and every move the Canadiens make will be discussed over and over."

Gainey has made it clear that he will stick to his plan and build around the young core he has formed, but from the looks of it, he also will be busy cleaning up what he tried to sprinkle around that core for the past three years, as well as keep veterans like Souray and Markov. It has already and will continue to be a busy summer in the city that accepts nothing but excellence from its hockey team.

A Desperately Needed Boost

What a sweet win for the Canadiens over the New York Islanders tonight!

With every game being an almost do or die affair for the Habs of late, it certainly was good to see them sensing desperation in each shift. The 2 points gained do not lift the team in the standings but does tighten the race up very snuggly, as 5 teams are but a pair of points apart in a 7 to 11th place logjam.

Instead of a game analysis or period breakdown, here are some of my random thoughts on the Canadiens these days.

Best news in a while is that Cristobal Huet is skating and may play before the regular season is up. Without him, I do not beleive the Canadiens can achieve the post season, nevermind having a shot at upsetting what would be a first round opponant in Buffalo or New Jersey. I'm actually stunned that David Aebischer, and the nervous wrecks that he creates in front of him, have been able to string back to back wins against tough teams this week. I was actually hoping to see Michael Leighton get the nod between the pipes - thinking there's little to lose in that move.

Aebischer is still letting in at least two questionable goals per game at crucial times, but at least he has minimized the back breakers he'd been prone to giving up of late.

While Leighton backed up Aebischer for a second consecutive game, a start may not even be in the cards for him considering that the Habs official site referred to him as Michael Creighton in their post game wrap up.

When a team is in it's desperate final games of a season, struggling along, it is usually veterans grabbing the bulls by the horn and leading the team towards the playoff goal. Surprisingly, in the Canadiens case, it is the kids pulling the wagon that is getting the job done. Latendresse and Lapierre were integral to Saturday's win and tonight youngsters such as Higgins, Plekanec, and Kostitsyn dug deep while the team was trailing in the third.

Guillaume Latendresse, with two more goals tonight, has reached a very respectable 15 goal plateau as a 19 year old. Had he not slumped recently, he'd be staring down the 20 mark. What's interesting is that Latendresse now has one more goal than so-called resident superstar and 4.5 M dollar man Alex Kovalev, who was off to the sidelines tonight with a case of vertigo. Knowing Kovalev's practicing tendencies, he likely gave it to himself. Hopefully, the case is not as severe as the one suffered by Jeff Hackett a few years back that ended his career.

If Sergei Samsonov were paid to bitch and whine without justification then he'd finally be earning his money. Apparently the player is more interested in causing disharmony and distraction than he is in dedicating himself to the team cause. His always ill-timed declarations, such as his latest rant that he regrets signing in Montreal, do no one including himself, any favors. How many second, second chances does he feel his lacklustre play deserves? Doesn't the fact that the league as a whole ignoring him on waivers a month back tell him that no one is buying his side of the story at all. He has earned his press box seat by doing absolutely everything against the grain in terms of a team concept. Let him rot there.


Best hit of the night - Maxim Lapierre treating David Aebischer like he's Ray Emery and slamming him into the net.

Andrei Kostitsyn looked the part of a first round draft pick tonight, at long last. While few have ever doubted the wingers skill and talent, his adjustment to the NHL game has been taking it's time. Tonight it looked as though he has arrived. The three assists he registered in the third period doubled his seasons point totals in one game. On each of the Canadiens final three goals, Kostitsyn made some pretty nifty moves. On Latendresse's tying goal, Kots was standing at the edge of the crease and faked out Dunham ( or is it that Duh-man ) by firing at a puck that wasn't even directed at him. The move froze the goalie, allowing him to fallprey to Latendresse's shot a split second later. On Higgins go ahead goal, Kostitsyn did a perfect impersonation of a behind the net Gretzky, foiling M.A. Bergeron and flipping a short little pass onto Higgins stick. The behind the back pass to Plekanec on the insurance goal was just candy - highlight reel stuff for sure!

Getting 40 shots against the Islanders shows that the Canadiens are much more capable of offense that they've been giving credit for of late. On most nights, they deserve their criticism for not going all out, but tonight they showed what desperation does.

Many will call tonight's come from behind win "character driven." While the Canadiens have now won 9 times in this scenario this season, putting themselves in this position is hardly "character" at all. "Character" is showing up to win every game. It is getting the lead and rarely relinquishing it. It may on occasion involve bouncing back, but true character is found at the drop of the puck and not 40 minutes into a game.

Damn it sure is nice to write about something positive about the team for a change. Here's hoping that Mario Lemieux takes the Penguins out on the town in the next few days, celebrating the new arena deal, and the all suffer from hangover's Friday night. I'd really like to do this again!

Habs Hopes Derailed By Many Factors

Call this a pre-post mortum.

In the midst of a playoff stretch drive that has the Canadiens buggered by more issues than a Courtney Love counselling session, here are some of the complications that derailed what looked to be a fine season up until December 23rd, 2006.





These facts are offered, not simply as excuses, but as roadbumps with consequences along the way.

I still believe that the Habs players form the nucleus of a team capable of acheiving a higher position in the standings, and more able than the currant edition we now haplessly witness in freefalling mode.

The Habs should've been a playoff this year, but all this happened to screw things up.

10 - Cristobal Huet's injury combined with the total ineptitude of David Aebischer as an NHL goaltender of any worth

9 - Two different flu bugs at crucial times, in late December and March

8 - Bob Gainey's loss

7 - Alex Kovalev's nonchalance / elbow injury / falsely interpreted Russian media reports (Yeah! Riiight!)

6 - The impending free agency of key team proponants and its distraction to team goals

5 - Chris Higgins injury just as he was emerging as a team leader

4 - Spotlight on Guillaume Latendresse's Miss Quebec girlfriend

3 - Carbonneau sitting out a popular veteran in Craig Rivet

2 - Saku Koivu's inexplicable slumping

1 - Sergei Samsonov's signing bust that delapitated teams second line and 2 trade demand distractions

Add in two injuries to Steve Begin, the overall uselessness of Janne Niinimaa, Maxim Lapierre being sent down to the minors as he was hot, and Radek Bonk's untimely injuries and you have the disaster with unfair scrutiny we are about to witness as the Canadiens miss the playoffs in 2007.

Stop Providing The Weary With Excuses - Lafleur

(Note - Guy Lafleur targets Kovalev and other lame duck players in his Sunday "Journal De Montreal" column. Lafleur's usual frankness is displayed here, as he doesn't mince words with what he sees as ailing the Habs current state of mind.The translation is mine. My apologies for finding no online link.)

As victims fall to fear factor, certain Canadiens players have not only lost their scoring touches, but are now also falling from combat, each after the other, claiming the most surprising and oddest of injuries as their escape.

Upper body, lower body, and every piece in between, with nothing left out. Our dearest Alex Kovalev, humbled by a recent benching, and feeling the heat of mounting criticism, has suddenly declared that an old elbow injury has made him unfit to play. Just when we needed this millionaire the most!

The coming weeks will determine whether the Canadiens make the post season, and further, how long they survive them. I believe that there are two or three player who really could care less...

When I heard of Kovalev invoking the elbow injury at this important time of the year, my arms simply fell from the wieght of disbelief. It's an injury that appears to me like an inability to face the music.









When I think that Kovalev's GM Bob Gainey once had both shoulders frozen during the playoffs in 1979 for the betterment of the teams chances, it is unequivocal that today's stars simply do not carry the same passion inside them. It's no wonder so many of the league's buildings are half empty. Witness New Jersey, who have a very good team, playing in front of empty seats! The is the future of this league, when players who are supposed to attract crowds fall from battle at the sight of the slightest little bobo.

Professional athletes don't have the right, in my eyes, to let their frustrations eat at them in this manner when teams need them most. It is inadmisible and insulting to fans of the game. If a player lacks the courage to face mounting challanges, prefering to watch from the sidelines, they should rightfully give it up and go home.

To think that team management, media, and fans, remain comfortable with formulating excuses for these weary types! They have no excuses, it is simply their inflated ego's taking command over their meager production and usefulness.

OUT WITH THE PRIMA DONNA'S

The Kovalev scenario depresses me to no end. The Canadiens don't need this type of character. It's better that the team fills roster spots with hungry prospects from the Hamilton Bulldogs. They surely couldn't do worse and the fresh start would be a welcome new beginning. It's high time to give these unproductive prima donna's the boot. Time to quit breast feeding them by means of handy excuses, sending them back out to the ice with soothers in their blowholes.

I'm not certain that the Canadiens can achieve the post season. One thing is for sure, the team will finish where it deserves to. I'm hoping it's not in tenth place. The number 10 is the number I proudly wore during my career. I don't want it tarnished by them finishing in that position.

TEAM MEETINGS...WHAT A JOLLY CONCEPT

Not knowing which way to turn to get out of the current state of mediocrity, the players recently held a post game team meeting in order to clear the air. A motivational reunion to recharge the troops, it was said. Now come on...meetings like this should occur between players on a daily basis, not simply when team reaches a desperation point. In my day players had dinner together before every game, where the comraderie of team mates was reinforced by being together as a group on a constant basis. That's a real team!

What we're seeing here are a bunch of individuals with only themselves in mind, who've decided it's time to butt heads.

These improvised reunions are nice fodder for the press corps, but they hardly create the necessary bonding the team requires to make things better. In any case, they have little effect on the team's biggest crybabies, those simply waiting for offers from greener pastures to get out of the heated kitchen.

I have news for such types. With each Canadiens loss, they lose credibility and interest in them wanes. Other general mangers aren't fools. They have little recourse for players who do not roll up their sleeves and go to work.

TRADES AREN'T ENOUGH

Witness the lack of interest for Sergei Samsonov once placed on waivers. No team even wanted him for free. It's not that different for other players lacking the fortitute to go to work. Their market value is in freefall mode. They are losing whatever repuatation they've been able to establish, or have lost what's left of it. The Canadiens wouldn't get anything of value in return for their services, even as I believe Gainey will be making moves by Febuary 27th.

Gainey will attempt to land a player or two that can breathe life into the teams slagging hopes. What would we be parting with to get anything decent in return? Trades are made to improve a team, a not done simply to exchange malfunctioning parts. Trades for tradings sake, is the meaderings of average teams with no eye to the future.

TEAM CLIQUES

One of the problems with the Canadiens is the existance of team cliques. Craig Rivet is punished and all his buddies stop performing. The problem with these cliques has been a reality of this team for years now. They were silent in the fall when all was going well, but they have again surfaced as sides line up to play the blame game.

It's up to Canadiens management to sort out the rotten cores from the good apples, and send them packing off to other destinations. Bring in some players that are better team orientated that are proud enough to care about what quality of play they offer to fans that deserve much better than this charade.


(Lafleur's comments are taken by Jean-Guy Fugere.)


Much thanks to Zanstorm at Waiting For Stanley for the photoshopped rendering of Kovalev and Samsonov. I knew it would come in handy sooner or later!

How About A Nice Tall Glass Of ....Shut To Hell Up!

Maybe the saying should be a foot in the mouth is worth two in the behind!

The repercussions of opening that big yap without thinking ahead could have been the theme of the NHL in the past week. Players, player agents, a former player, and the league itself all need to take a hard look at how their words make them appear in the eyes of the general hockey fan public.

Mark Messier, had more than a few heads shaking recently when out of nowhere he proclaimed he wanted to be the next GM of the New York Rangers. Messier, who arrogance has been known to have turned off more than a few, spouted this left field declaration before discussing anything with any of the involved parties in the Rangers organization, namely current Rangers GM Glen Sather.

One can only imagine Sather's reaction upon reading the headline.

I had a problem with the sheer cockiness of the statement. No matter whether Messier percieves himself as the "greatest leader the game has known", this is simply not how one goes about things. Notice how the word "class" is rarely attached to the Moose's resume of achievements.

I took all of a day's time for a response from Sather, who reacted as if blinsided by the declaration. Sather stated in no uncertain terms that he saw no timetable for the ending of his GM duties and that Messier would be well advised to discuss these matters in private in the future.

I take that as a "No"!

Sather gets my vote for the next Mark Messier Leadership Award!

Likely the most hilarious exchange in the league this season comes from the wisdom of Aaron Downey.

Downey, who is a press box regular in the Montreal Canadiens scheme of things, took it upon himself to lecture and admonish the game's biggest star in Sidney Crosby. Despite the mismatch talent wise, Downey pulled no punches in telling Crosby that his act of dropping to ice regularly upon being given the slightest of shoves or knicks was quite unbecoming of his superstar status.

Crosby responded in mock desbelief, stating defiantly "It's funny how you get a high stick and you're not supposed to go down any more."

My question is, when were you supposed to?

Had the words come from an icon the likes of Steve Yzerman or Joe Sakic, everyone would shout "About time!" Being that it came from Downey made it ridiculously strange and surreal for the kid, but it is no less truthful. Let it be useful to him!

Sergei Samsonov and his agent Neil Abbott make a fitting pair. Seems that whenever the player stops talking on the ice and is rightly punished, the agent starts talking. It's a ventriloquist act of sorts. Perhaps it has never crossed Samsonov's ( or his agent's )mind that he ought to try working harder. Instead of waiting for a puck to magically appear on his stick, do something like going and battling for it might help his cause.

For the second time this season, Samsonov has been given a press box seat, and his agent has shot back both times with trade demands. Has either not considered that if there was any inking of the slightest demand for Samsonov's services at his lofty pricetag, he would have been gone by now.

Habs GM Bob Gainey was left (read cornered) with no choice but to waive the unproductive winger.

No teams took the bait!

It must have been a complete surprise to Samsonov that he can't even be given away. Now he will be pulling on a Hamilton Bulldogs jersey, more than likely, while the Habs await a sucker willing to gamble on him.

I doubt that proving his worth at the AHL level will do Samsonov any favors. Should he be recalled to the NHL, teams can snap him up at discount dollars. He would still be overpriced. Adding to the risk of claiming Samsonov for any team, is the fact that his baggage now includes an agent who believes his underachieving client is easily wronged.

The only smart thing said by the duo in this mess was Samsonov alluding to coach Carbonneau seeing him as part of the problem.

You got that right, Sergei, and now you can wonder why!

Did Brendan Shanahan expect an overnight about face from NHL officials in regards to non-calls to infractions supposedly committed on team mate Jaromir Jagr?

Since when does complaining aloud work in cases like this? Jagr is well known for whining, rather than sucking it up, and ought to know by now that the NHL hardly revolves around him. So should Shanahan. If anything, a player should make such statements across the board, and give the league a heads up wakeup call that officiating is consistantly inconsistant. The examples are ranpant. Focusing the problem on one particular player achieves nothing but remorse.

Mike Murphy, the NHL's senior VP of hockey operations had this to say:

"I think criticism is a great form of adjustment for us. The more honest criticism directed at us helps us watch our department close to make sure we do things right."

Well isn't that an earth shattering claim. What a load!

Murphy goes on to add that "Criticism isn't something we run from."

Oh yeah! Since when?

Rangers coach Tom Renney, after the Rangers most recent loss, had this to add:

"I'm not suggesting they didn't miss a few on us, too. It was one of those games where it would have been nice if we could have decided the outcome."

Well isn't that nice.

As usual, the NHL is more than happy to talk about issues, rather than actually do anything about them and confront it head on.

It's the same old, "We know, we know, everything is just fine" stance.

How they can continue to take an ostrich approach to the game's woes and perceptions is awful enlightening.

Countering every "the games never been healthier" claim, are knee buckling admissions that all is a state of flux in the game's best league. News of constant bickering over scheduling proposals, the second look at radical goal nets to increase scoring, and talk of unstable franchises sends a completely different message to fans looking for some form of stability in the game.

Each time anyone opens their mouth to complain about the game, it shoots itself in the foot. With the foot in the mouth, such actions are suicidal.

Having owners name the other franchises that weren't in favor in balanced schedules was ill-advised and reckless. Releasing the findings of an NHL fan poll stating they found things to be best just the way they are, was almost slapstick in it's timing and damage control execution. The league needs a Commissioner who can control and enforce its owners and its people in charge.

The perception of the league takes a hit each time negative press reaches the ears of fans. While they cannot control what media outlets write, they absolutely can limit the type of information they wish to have known from it's member clubs and league personel.

Canadiens In Crisis Mode

What in God's name has gone wrong with the Montreal Canadiens lately?

Watching the team tailspin in the last ten games, I wish I had the answer.

I wish Guy carbonneau had the answer!

I have been watching games over, wearing out the rewind button, hoping to pinpoint the cause of their recent lustre lacking performances, looking for that one thing needing correction to set them right.

Trouble is, it is not one particular facet that is lacking, it is a combination of undoings that are unmaking the team currently.

The list almost reads like a bunch of lame excuses mixed with poor execution and terrible timing.

What the added catastrophies sum up to, point to no easy solution.

With upcoming back to back games versus a pair of solid thriving opponants in the Red Wings and Canucks, it might be high time for coach Carbonneau to begin rattling some cages. After stressing for two weeks that it is not time for hammering the panic buttom, what has grown into team complacency must be swiftly addressed.

While there are certainly other issues to contend with, the lack of overall team confidence is shaky at best.

Without getting into much detail, here are a list of reasons contributing to another annual January slide.



















1 - They miss Radek Bonk's contribution in defensive roles. It has been taken up by a rotating commitee who aren't up to task. Plekanec, Lapierre, and Murray, are not Bonk's equal in such matters as lining up against opposing teams top lines.

2 - The goaltending hasn't been up to par. While Aebischer's play in some instances has gotten better, weak goals he's often victim of, deflate the team. Huet's not been as sharp due to the increased workload. The lack of cohesion between the forwards and D have him offguard way too often. He's been a savior in many games, but he can't accomplish it all himself.

3 - Slumping players are getting away from the basis. Coaches term this "cheating". Forwards are not coming back with the same dedication they were earlier in the year. The are hanging out too long looking for scoring opportunities where they don't exist. Teams have picked up this and are jumping all over loose pucks, pinning the Habs in their zone for longer chunks of time.

4 - Injuries and a bout with an intestinal flu virus threw the team off balance at a precarious time. When a coach shuffles 19 different line combinations during a game, it's a sure sign of fishing without worms.

5 - Still no solution for a center on the Donut Line (a hole in the middle?). Getting in sync with Kovalev is tantamount to madness. Trying Samsonov on the third or fourth line might allow him the extra puck time and space he needs to use his game. Recent minor league callups were tried out there, in what E at Theory Of Ice hilariously termed an initiation ritual. It's time to split thst duo for good!

6 - Teams have figured out the Canadiens weaker spots and are pouncing on the opportunities handed to them. The Ottawa game was a classic example of judgement errors and lapses in communication.

7 - The passioniate play of early December has been overtaken by doubt and complacency. Not many games of late have featured the Habs beating other teams to the puck. Often they watch and react rather than force the play by pressuring puck carriers.

8 - Chris Higgins, a big key in the kog, has yet the find his game since returning from injury. The effort is often there, but his health may be hindering his consistancy.

9 - Too many UFA contracts at seasons end may be contributing to individualism on the ice. While there are no obvious cases yet of players putting themselves ahead of the team, glimpses of selfishness on the ice in passing or shooting options are inexplicably popping up too often.

10 - Carrying 8 defenseman is reducing the amount of options at forward. While playing Mark Streit on the fourth line has at times appeared to be a success, tossing Dandeneault and Niinimaa there is just a desperation move.

11 - Carbonneau has been too fair and understanding with players who underperform. Earlier in the year, he caved in to Samsonov, during a flare up. He needs to rattle some cages at this point without backing down.

12 - Capped out in salary. The Habs need to shuffle off a body or two and create some cap room for the playoff stretch. Being almost maxed out midway through the season creates an adverse uncertainty. Complacency sets in here also. It's time to act on it.

I have to cut myself off at this dirty dozen for the good of an ill tempered and bulging forehead vein.

The Canadiens next two games should be extremely good tests for the wherewithall of the team. Should they not go well, shakeups will occur for sure.

Habs Beat Bruins In Emotional Battle

In the grand scheme of things it's just a game...

The Bell Centre was filled with heavy hearts tonight as the Canadiens and Bruins played an emotional game Tuesday evening.

I watched the RDS telecast. The pre-game lead up featured a short tribute to Laura Gainey, with pictures of her enjoying life aboard the Picton Castle. Guy Carbonneau briefly discussed his decision not to tell players about Gainey's tragedy before last Saturday's game with the Sabres. Prior to the National anthems, house announcer Andre Lacroix asked for a moment of silence in honour of Ms. Gainey, and you could literally hear the hum of the electronic jumbotron - it was that quiet.

The Bell Centre has been the sight of some pretty emotional evenings in it's ten year existance. While it has yet to see a Stanley Cup hoisted by its home team, it has been the scene many heart ripping pre-game ceremonies.

There was Saku Koivu's inspiring return from life threatening stomach cancer. The celebration turned obituary for Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, as he passed away the morning of his jersey number retirement. The passing of the enshrined Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Jersey retirements a decade overdue.

Laura Gainey's untimely passing, ironically fit in uneasily, to the tear shedding that came before.

Oddly, the Bruins received their share of bad news this week. 19 year old rookie Phil Kessel was diagnosed with testicular cancer and was successfully operated on today. Just as it is difficult to comprehend a 25 year old woman in the prime of her life being swept off the stern of an ocean bound sailboat, it is just as easily unimaginable that a youth of Kessel's age be struck with cancer. I wish him a Lance Armstrong-like recovery.

It strikes me as ironic in that how we play and enjoy games and sports to live, and distract us from life itself all at once, yet still events collide to remind us what fragile beings we are. All that I can take from this most brutal of ironies is that in bonding, we become less fragile.

And enjoy game we did tonight...

With my cynicism firmly intact, I watched the game almost knowing the Canadiens would fall short under the weight of such emotions and expectations.

David Aebischer got the unlikely call in nets - I was all ready to write this one off.

Sheldon Souray was taking precautions with a "day to day" wrist condition, and was out. Fourth line grinder Steve Begin, the team leader in hits, despite badly bruised ribs and an all-out willingness to give more, was sat out by coach Carbonneau. The improvisation act that has been the vowelly challenged Janne Ninimaa was in, while AHL callup, Maxim Lapierre was set to center the fourth line.

It has all the makings of an unmaking.

Underneath my perceived frailty of tonights lineup, longed a win-it-for-Bob-Gainey attitude.

That attitude showed its teeth immediatly following an initial Bruins surge. On a powerplay in which the Habs made the Bruins look almost incompetant, the sleek Alex Kovalev gently flicked a six-inches-off-the-ice-pass to an eager Andrei Markov, who couldn't miss the gapping net.

The Bruins tied the game.

Sergei Samsonov, Gainey's most controversial off-season signing put the Habs ahead on a display of individual virtuosity that tends to nag at a team players pride - but damnit if it wasn't obliquely pretty.

Again, the Bruins knotted it on an embarrasing Kovalev giveaway, just a dozen feet from a rarely alert Aebischer.

Tomas Plekanec, becoming a reincarnation of Zdeno Chara's Jason Pominville nightmare, pickpocketed the lighthouse tower-like defender from behind the net, and fed a crease cruising Samsonov in the slot, from his knees, for the go ahead goal.

Minutes later, Guillaume Latendresse exited from the corner to find the puck on his blade. With a defender draped over him, he spinned and fired a low wrister that beat Bruins goalie Toivannen.

With the score 4-3, the Bruins yanked their netminder and went on the attack. They made it a drama it shouldn't have been, by beating the usually confused Aebischer, who inexplicably made himself smaller on a point drive.

The Habs neutralized a frothing Bruins squad in the final seconds to preserve the win.

While the Canadiens mainly dominated the games better scoring chances, the win in the record books fails to detail the nights emotioms.

That's one for Bob.