What The Habs Training Camp Is, Means, And Does

The Canadiens and Sabres tilt in Roberval is a few hours away, and I've got mathematics and possibility on the brain.....

So I'm trying to figure this out.

An abundant 52 players in the Canadiens camp.

Six games in seven nights.

Maybe 23 roster spots.

Almost as many one way NHL contracts.

What gives?

I laughed when one take I read said, "All this time to find out if Kyle Chipchura will make the team."

Chipchura won't. He needs to play. Cut to the chase, already!

So just exactly what is this Canadiens training camp supposed to accomplish in terms of final roster and pre-season preparation.

If I'm the coach, I start with about 30 hopefuls, and give the additional 7 or 8 players a good four games to strut their stuff.

The other 22 young studs time's will come. Show me what you got in Hamilton, where I believe it is a more important priority for them to gel as a unit ASAP, rather than getting a look-see of how they fare against the pros and other NHL hopefuls in preseason.



















Perhaps that's why I don't run the team.

But the Canadiens tend to approach matters differently. They want to see exactly what these guys have got in the tank. There are many ways to measure the skills and gamesmenship of prospects, but this is perhaps the one opportunity when they can be given the chance to show what they can do against established NHL'ers.

So we get to find out how Marc Denis deals with playing behind a dyslexic defense unaware they are screening him.

We get to know that Mathieu Aubin has trouble deking Zdeno Chara.

We may learn a few more useful bits of information from tonight's game against the Sabres.

For myself, there are three main curiosities this camp.

How close is Pavel Valentenko to making the team.

Is there a goalie we could call up in a pinch should Carey Price get hurt.

How ready is Pacioretty, in that beautiful number 67 I hope he keeps, for no other reason than I want it on the ice when the Habs play the Leafs.

Training camp is no longer about getting in shape. Unless you are Kyle Wellwood and have turned into Fat Balloon. Players today show up in shape.

Today's camps are about synchronicity and environment.

The synch is for the vets, the atmosphere for the kids.




















Manager Gainey, prior to camp alluded to the lack of open roster spots for rookies as compared to previous seasons. He spoke honestly that the quality of ready players knocking at the door aren't quite as plentiful as last season and those before it.

In saying such, Gainey also projected to next season and its camp, and stated that many would again be at the door then.

Maybe the notion of having the abundance of players this time, is a nod to getting them prepared for next camp, in terms of best assessing what needs to be accomplished on an individual basis for players over the next 12 months.

That, to me, makes sense. It's not so much about players making the team. It's about where these players stand in rank.

......the Roberval love-in game is in the books, and the Habs have won 3-2.

The 52 players in camp proposition does have it's props after all.

Still I wish I could have seen the most serious greenhorns trimmed down to a half dozen, surrounded by vets.

It would make all our assessments more serene, for now.

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Habs For Breakfast: Over in 5?

Could it all be over for Boston tonight? Will they be joining the Leafs and Senators on the links?

Not so fast, right?

Sixty minutes of grinding it out, but the canadiens will be doing themselves a big favor by scoring a lot earlier than the 39 minute mark. Should they get on the board quick, you'll see the worst of the Bruins come out.

Keep an eye out for Habs aiming at Chara's ribs, now that good old Harry Sinden let the cat out of the bag.

Heard on CKAC yesterday that Aaron Ward is goners for the season with a mushed up knee.

I predict a classic tonight!

Canadiens Wary Of Bruins Comeback - Gazette

"Overcoming a three-games-to-one deficit in the NHL playoffs might be a rare occurrence, but it has been done. And Steve Bégin had a front-row seat for one of those comebacks." - Herb Zurkowsky

Bruins Keep Chara's Ribs Under Wraps - Gazette

"If the Boston Bruins are eliminated by the Canadiens, maybe they can blame it on Zdeno Chara's rib injury. What rib injury, you say? - Pat Hickey

Hitman Bégin Has Bruins Running For Their Lives - Gazette

"In the Canadiens' dressing room a half-hour after Tuesday's game, perspiring so heavily that he probably needed scissors to remove his longjohns, Bégin was considering not what his team had just done, but what it still must do." - Dave Stubbs

Morale Booster At The Bell Lifs Players To A Special High - Gazette

"One lineup change tonight: The seventh man is dressing for the Canadiens. We can safely assume that Game 5 at the Bell Centre will be a sellout. That's 144 in a row - with the prospect of at least two more if the Canadiens beat the Bruins and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal round." - Mike Boone

Three Little Words Break Linguistic Ice - Gazette

"Okay, so which three words when strung together are like music to the ears of countless Quebecers? No, not even "free cold beer" does the trick. The words would be, of course, "et le but" - though, depending on the intensity of the situation, "but" can be stretched into a 10-second "buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut." - Bill Brownstein

Now That's Fan Loyalty - Gazette

"I go way back. When I was 17 in 1938 and playing high school hockey, I was a practice goalie for the Habs. I was the target for the team for two months," Boosamra said with a chuckle yesterday." - Alan Hustak

Wharnsby: Did Sinden break a golden rule? - Globe Sports


















Carey Price Experienced Beyond His Years - HNIC Blog

"Perhaps it’s a testament to just how impressive the young Price has been this season that no one thought to ask his coach anything about him until the very end. But how many rookies, let alone rookie goalies, can enter the maelstrom of the NHL playoffs and act like he’s playing on his backyard rink?"

Toronto Sun Writer Takes Jab At Habs Fans - Habs Inside Out

"Alright Habs fans, you might want to take a deep breath before reading the article by Mike Stroble as he slams Habs fans, calling them whiners, among other things." - Kevin Mio

Bruins And Habs: Poles Apart - Lions In Winter

"This series is heating up. The games are interesting. The banter between fans almost more so. I have been reading around a bit and it got me thinking about how I cannot relate to anything Bruins fans say about their team, my team or, indeed, hockey." - Topham

13 To Go....1 To Bury The Broons - Four Habs Fans

"Now I'm going to do something that makes me feel icky: Breezer is playing well. Hell, he's been the only defencemen that has made a solid outlet pass, and he scored on an absolute bullet of a shot - everyone watching the game down at the Rose & Crown (shout out to Bryan and Fezworth!) thought the puck had gone over the glass, such was our collective disbelief that Breezer could play the role of offensive hero - or indeed anything other than pylon." - Panger76




















Price redirige les éloges - RDS

"Les statistiques des gardiens sont directement liées au rendement de leur équipe, a-t-il expliqué. Depuis que je joue dans les rangs juniors, j'ai observé que les gardiens au sein de bonnes équipes ont de meilleures statistiques. Les gardiens qui font partie d'équipes moins compétitives en montrent de moins bonnes."

L’apprentissage se poursuit - RDS

"On savait déjà fort bien que le Canadien édition 2007-2008 pouvait étourdir plusieurs adversaires avec sa vitesse et sa créativité en attaque. On sait maintenant que cette formation peut gagner en séries éliminatoires, même contre des rivaux comme les Bruins." - Pierre Houde

Carbonneau trouve la presse trop sévère - La Presse

"Les Bruins ont bien joué", dit-il "mais ils doivent maintenant faire ce qu'aucune équipe n'a pas réussi à faire contre nous cette saison, soit nous vaincre trois fois de suite."

Une marée rouge qui dérange - Le Journal

"Ça me donne le goût de vomir", a éructé Melissa Mitza, qui tentait, avec les autres partisans des Bruins, d'enterrer les chants des amateurs du Canadien. "J'adore qu'on ait une rivalité si forte, mais je déteste les fans de Montréal, a-t-elle ajouté. Croiriez-vous que, sur l'autoroute, un gars m'a montré son cul et qu'il avait un logo du Canadien sur une fesse?"

More from Habs Inside Out, RDS, La Presse, and Le Journal.
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Habs For Breakfast - March 9, 2008

Baptism Of Fire For Habs Young Guns - Gazette

"There has been a lot of talk about the importance of experience in this series and both teams offer a mix of seasoned veterans and raw rookies. Much has been made of the fact that the Habs have 10 players with no NHL playoff experience and that group includes 20-year-old goaltender Carey Price." - Pat Hickey

Higgins Prepares For Playoffs - Gazette

"A mature voice and a leader in the dressing room and on the ice as an alternate captain, Higgins admits he's hardly the go-to guy for younger players seeking insight into the nuances of the playoffs. He has only six postseason games to his credit, all against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06, scoring once and adding three assists in that series." - Dave Stubbs

Getting Chara Off His Game Key For Habs - Gazette

Chara had a goal, three assists and a minus-6 rating in the Bruins' eight losses to the Canadiens this season. He also had a team-high 31 penalty minutes against Montreal, though that's a misleading statistic; he earned 25 of them on Nov. 17 when he pretty much lost his mind in one incident. But Chara's discipline can be fragile, if not invisible, especially if he's laid into often. Montreal was the NHL's highest-scoring team, with its most prolific power play. The equation, then, is simple: Bruins minus Chara could equal big trouble for Boston." - Dave Stubbs

Coach Julien The Underdog Once Again - Gazette

"The irony isn't lost on Bruins head coach Claude Julien, who finds himself in the same situation he was in 2004 when he coached the Canadiens. The Bruins finished second in the Eastern Conference that year with 104 points, 11 more than the seventh-place Canadiens. The Bruins were heavily favoured in the playoffs, but the Habs won the series in seven." - Pat Hickey

Bleu, Blanc, Rouge In The Red? I Don't Think So! - Gazette

"Multiply the capacity of the 21,273-seat Bell Centre by 41 home games during the 2007-08 season. For purposes of this exercise, we won't count the five exhibition games the Canadiens played at the Bell Centre in September. That works out to 872,193 paid admissions. At an average ticket price of $70, revenue from attendance was $61 million." - Mike Boone

Montreal Going Giddy Over Surprising Habs - TSN

"They captured their fourth straight Cup at a time when winning a championship in Montreal was no more of a spring phenomenon than potholes or drinking beer on a terrace. The mayor could announce that the Stanley Cup parade would be held on the usual route and everyone knew what he meant. Indeed, winning cups were so routine then, Montrealers never even bothered to riot." - Michael Farber

Canadiens Watch: Don't take Bruins Lightly - The Hockey News

"An optimist would say the Montreal Canadiens couldn’t have scripted it better. A pessimist, or at the very least a believer in the law of averages, would say watch out for dropping shoes. The Canadiens have beaten the Boston Bruins in 11 consecutive games. Recent playoff history has seen the Habs push the Bruins from the post-season in 2002 and 2004. Montreal holds an incredible 23-7 playoff series advantage all-time on Boston." - Ryan Dixon

Montreal Aware Of Julien's Resume - Globe Sports

"If the Montreal Canadiens start to feel a little too confident about their first-round playoff matchup against a team they dominated this season, the Boston Bruins, all they have to do is steal a glance at the bald, plump man behind the opposition's bench. Bruins head coach Claude Julien stands as a reminder of how an NHL playoff upset can be pulled off." - Tim Wharnsby

Easily Excited? - Lions In Winter

"It’s really the only sport in town, and in that building the fans get excited and get excited pretty easily." - Claude Julien

A Few Of My Favorite Things - The H Does Not stand For Habs

"Kirk Muller and Claude Julien screaming at each other at the end of a Canadiens' blowout of the Bruins. That was so bloody entertaining. I half expected them to go, and it made me laugh to see Muller so riled up." - J.T.

Here's Hoping The Flames Get Through And Lose To The Habs In The Final - Dennis Kane's Excellent Montreal Canadiens Blog

"If there’s one team I wouldn’t mind seeing come out of the western division in these Stanley Cup playoffs, it would have to be Calgary. Of course, Montreal would take them out quickly and effectively in the finals, but that’s not why I want Calgary. It’s because they were nice to me and a Russian couple a long time ago." - Dennis Kane

Begin prevoit la turbulance - RDS

"Steve Bégin sait qu'il va être un joueur marqué, à compter de jeudi. Le pugnace attaquant du Canadien s'est fait de nombreux ennemis dans le camp des Bruins de Boston, au cours de la saison régulière."

Hamrlik est charmé pat les partisans - RDS

"Ayant connu la fièvre des séries dans les uniformes des Oilers d'Edmonton et des Flames de Calgary, Hamrlik trouve que les amateurs de Montréal sont plus fanatiques que ceux de l'Alberta. "C'est pour le moins particulier ici, a-t-il affirmé, mardi. J'admets que je suis quelque peu surpris. Je ne m'attendais pas réellement à ça. Les amateurs sont plus enthousiastes qu'à Edmonton et à Calgary."

Le Canadien, une equipe trop jeunes? - RDS

"Il y a longtemps qu'on attendait un virage jeunesse à Montréal. Déjà muni de bons jeunes joueurs, le Canadien a décidé de faire confiance à une autre vague de petits nouveaux cette année. L'éclosion des frères Kostitsyn et la tenue du gardien Carey Price devant le filet ont contribué à la saison de rêve du Tricolore."

Le vrai test de Price - La Presse

"Carey Price n'a pas encore disputé un seul match en séries et déjà, Bob Gainey s'est fait demander d'établir un lien entre son jeune gardien et des légendes comme Ken Dryden et Patrick Roy! C'est qu'à l'instar de ces deux grands, Price se voit confier le filet en séries éliminatoires dès sa première saison, et surtout sans avoir amorcé la saison en tant que numéro un." - François Gagnon

Gorges mis K.O. par Gainey - La Presse

"Ma première réaction? Je suis sonné. Vraiment. C’est impressionnant de recevoir un tel compliment de la part de ton patron. Mais quand ton patron s’appelle Bob Gainey, avec tout ce que ce nom évoque, c’est encore plus gratifiant", a lancé Josh Gorges une main sur le front."

Komisarek: "Si Bergeron joue, il doit être conscient de ce qui l'attend" - Le Journal

"Je me prépare moi-même à retourner dans le feu de l'action après avoir subi une blessure», a dit le défenseur, blessé à la hanche après avoir été frappé à répétition par les joueurs des Bruins lors du dernier passage du Tricolore à Boston, il y a près de trois semaines." - Mike Komisarek



O' Byrne du même moule que Price - Le Journal

"Décidément, ils ne sont pas nerveux, les géants de la Colombie-Britannique. Ryan O'Byrne est aussi calme que Carey Price à l'approche de son baptême du feu dans les séries de la coupe Stanley." - Marc De Foy

L'intelligence bien avant la robustesse - Le Journal

"Les propos de Milan Lucic selon lesquels il entend secouer le pommier des joueurs du Canadien n'avaient pas atteint Montréal quand on a rencontré ses éventuelles victimes après la séance d'entraînement d'hier. De toute façon, les joueurs du Tricolore ne s'attendent à rien de moins." - Marc De Foy

Visionaire ou chanceux? - Le Journal

"Il y a plusieurs mois de cela, Pierre Boivin m'avait fait une déclaration que beaucoup de monde, pour une raison assez évidente, avait prise avec un grain de sel. Il n'écartait pas la possibilité que le Canadien profite des fêtes du centenaire, en 2009, pour célébrer sa 25e coupe Stanley." - Bertrand Raymond

More from RDS, La Presse and Le Journal De Montreal
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Habs Feast On Baked Beantown Bruins

Talk about rebounding from a shutout loss!

On the day when mercy finally came John Ferguson Jr.'s way, the Canadiens showed none to a Bruins team that has been owned by the Habs for some time now.

How humiliated were the Bruins by our Habs in this one?

It can be summed up in a simple clip from the second period, when a tied up Alex Kovalev dropped a glove while corralling a puck behind the net. With the puck dangling at the end of a one armed stick, Kovalev played the puck back to himself off the backboard, spun and then recovered both the glove and the puck at his feet, before spinning back through traffic again to emerge in front of the net, puck in hand and untouched.

It will be the non - goal highlight of the week!

I've said it before and I'll repeat it - the Bruins play stupid hockey against the Canadiens. They bring a stupid game plan that they do not deviate from with increased losses. They think they can push around the Canadiens and lure them into indiscipline and capitalize on it as if they were the 1972 Bruins.

Or maybe Claude Julien thinks he is still coaching the Devils and the Habs team he is facing is the one he was fired from?

What worked for Julien last year in Jersey evidently is not working now!

It's a dumb game plan made even more moronic by starting Alex Auld in net rather than the usually sturdy Tim Thomas. What was Julien thinking? Was he resting Thomas for the All Star Game?

Zdeno Chara might strike fear into the rest of the NHL, but against the Habs he becomes one clumsy dolt. The Canadiens are used to building their game around keeping him off base and prepare the lines that face him accordingly. It worked for them when Chara was with Ottawa, and they do not steer clear from him as a Bruin. The Bruins do not get this.

As long as the Bruins approach the Canadiens the same way, they will not win. They'd better use the Devils angle and try boring the Habs to death before pouncing on them.

But enough about the Bruins and how they baked themselves for a Habs dessert. How about what the Habs did well it this game?

Boston arrived in Montreal on Sunday in order to be well rested and prepared for the game. Montreal scored 14 seconds in, and added another goal 2:58 later.

Boston gave the Canadiens powerplay only one opportunity to work with in the first period. The Habs responded with four even strength goals.

Boston players did their utmost to get under Mike Komisarek's skin. Komisarek took no penalties, had a goal and an assist and finished the night +3.

Boston keyed on the trio of Kovalev - Plekanec - Kostitsyn. The Habs had goals from all four lines, and the trio in question had a 5 point night.

Montreal scored six even strength goals. So much for the team that couldn't score five on five.
Andrei Markov was +4 on the night.

Mark Streit had three assists, bringing his total to 25, just one behind team leaders Koivu and Plekanec. He makes about $600,000 a year!

Guillaume Latendresse could have scored his 20th goal tonight. Yes I know he has only twelve goals so far, but he has muffed and milliganed on a good dozen chances in the last few games. The good news is that he is getting more chances than ever before by doing a bunch of things right -like charging the net bulldozer style. Everything will come unblocked for him soon.
Did I mention all four lines scored tonight?

Michael Ryder, brought back to the top line, justified coach Carbonneau's somewhat controversial decision by scoring his eighth goal of the year. In the 11 games since being sat out, Ryder has 4 goals, and that ratio translates into a 30 goal scorers pace. This, and the manner in which he has scored his last two, suggest his nose for the net and his quickness have returned. Let's not give up on this Newfie so soon!

That goon the Canadiens so badly need, wasn't needed tonight. Komisarek had ample opportunity to trashcan a few poor Bruin's faces, but opted to chose democracy in light of the score. Tom Kostopuolos came to the defense of a fouled teammate and Sergei Kostitsyn - surprise, surprise, defended himself adequately well after being cross checked by Chara, and pounced upon by Chuck Kobasew. A Russian with balls - how could we be so lucky, I ask you Don Cherry?

Good news - bad news! The Canadiens are but 6 points behind the injury riddled Senators. The Devils who won tonight, are only five back. The Habs and the Devils meet in Jersey Thursday!

Komisarek and Max Lapierre each had five hits tonight. Begin and Andrei Kostitsyn led in shots on goal with three each.

Canadiens centermen fared well tonight. Plekanec - 62%, Lapierre 60%, Smolinski 53%, Koivu 50%.

To highlight what an anomality this win was, the Canadiens outscored the Senators (3), Avalanche (0), Thrashers (0), Wild (1), and Flames (2) tonight 8-6 - which is just simply funny!

I bring the last point up for purposes of a reality check. The Canadiens can score goals, but games will not be handed to them every night as this one was. Regardless of how they won, or how big the margin was, all it really adds up to is 2 points in the bank.

Alex Auld, with more holes than a piccolo, will not be in goal Thursday!

With an All Star weekend off ahead of them, the Habs players focus might be elsewhere come Thursday night.

It is this game against the Devils, in their arcade, that will truly show where the Canadiens are at, moreso than the rout we enjoyed tonight.

But heck, we have two days to gloat, bask in this slaughers glory, while the Leafs..... aw that's too easy!

This win was just one small piece of the big picture.

The Ragdoll Incident

Wardo at Leaf Club has made some excellent observations on the aftermath of this incident on the career on the career of Bryan McCabe. Check it out - ir beats pondering three game losing streaks!