CP Rides High In 'Cane Country

Carey Price makes 42 saves in leading the Canadiens to a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes
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So what was it that I was saying?

Last post, that game against the New York Islanders!?

Oh yeah, about Carey. Carey Price. You know!? The young star goalie of the Montreal Canadiens. Right.

Carey Price made 42 saves on the night helping the Habs beat the Canes 4-2. AP

And what was it that I was asking him for?

To steal a game? Actually, to stand on his head and win the Habs a game.

Well I don't know if CP reads this blog but if he does, the message was received loud and clear as last night the Canadiens might have played one of their worst games of the season in Raleigh yet still managed to get out of there with the two points.

Price made 21 saves in the second period alone which was a completely one-way affair, the Canes coming at the Canadiens like a dog on a bone.

Actually the Habs started this game strong, taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Prust and Gorges -- who seemed to be channeling Andrei Markov on this night.

In Prust we trust? Brandon Prust got three points in the Habs 4-2 win against the Hurricanes. AP









Then the Hurricane onslaught began in the second; and if it wasn't for Price the Habs could've been down by a few going into the third.

But alas, Price kept his team in the game and though he'd probably like that second one back, it's tough for a goalie when a forward has the time to wind up and blast one from the faceoff dot. The puck can go anywhere. Yet he was strong in potentially the turning point of the game on no other than Eric Staal, making the save on a penalty shot with a little more than five minutes left in the middle frame.

The Canadiens then regrouped and came out strong once again in the third, getting goals by Lars Eller and P.K. Subban on the power play.

Prust continues to make Bergevin look like a genius, tallying a goal and two assists on the night. The guy brings the sandpaper but can also play. Eller and Gorges also had strong games, as well as Galchenyuk.

Michael Ryder? Not so much. He was benched for the third.

There were too many passengers on this night. Did Desharnais and Pacioretty even play?

And poor Yanick Weber. In his first game of the season he looked a bit rusty, getting caught flat footed on the second Carolina goal, then left the game early with a lower body injury.

Habs now head down to the sunshine state where we can only hope they get the same results like the last time. That is, fly out of there with some sun and four big points.

Habs Tale of Two Cities

Canadiens drop 3 of 4 points in back to back games against Bruins and Sabres
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If I said Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller would give up four goals five straight games in a row, would you think I was crazy? Drunk? Just plain stupid?

(Well I am fighting a cold right now.)

But it's true. Yet still, the Canadiens unfortunately reminded us of the team we painfully watched last year Thursday night in Buffalo when they gave up a two goal lead in the third to lose in a shootout 5-4.

For their part, the Canadiens came back strong after a disappointing loss to arch rival Boston Bruins, falling 2-1 on Wednesday night in Montreal but let the Buffalo game slip away. Twitter-folk were screaming for Peter Budaj's head but the truth is, he had a solid outing and kept the Habs in the game in the second when they ran into penalty trouble.

Thomas "I'm on fire!" Vanek celebrates his game tying goal with 2 seconds left against the Habs Thursday night. Buffalo won in a shootout 5-4.

In the Bruins game the Habs roared out of the gate but an inability to capitalize and a hot goaltender in Tukka Rask did them in. That and the fact that Boston is a strong third period team and with a quick goal 14 seconds into the third, the Bruins stunned the Habs who came out flatfooted eventually leading to the winning goal a few minutes later.

So it goes sometimes. I don't mind the Habs losing like that -- sometimes that's just the way the puck bounces. And Tomas Plekanec finished the night minus two.

But as good players often do, Plekanec bounced back with two goals but unfortunately it wasn't enough.

But what I do mind is how the Canadiens lost the game to the Sabres.

What's worse is how Montreal took leads into the third period only to lose both games. That's also like last year. Ulp!

Ryan White re-entered the fray replacing Travis Moen against Buffalo and you have to wonder what is going on with this guy. Game after game, he's taking unnecessary penalties and putting this team in difficult situations. And with the Canadiens in full control 4-2 in the third period, the guy takes another pointless penalty, opening the door for the Sabres to get back into the game -- which they did when Vanek scored.

Ryan White is essentially playing his way off the team and straight into the press box. Two losses in a row sting and we can feel the pressure ratcheting up. And boy Therrien was pissed -- a very quiet, controlled pissed, mind you -- in his post-game scrum. He didn't call him out by name at first, but it was easy to know who he was talking about. Then right at the end he mentioned White and how it might not have been his best decision to put him in back in the lineup. Oof!

Twitter was ablaze with rants and raves when it was announced that Budaj would get the call over Price against the Sabres but the Habs are entering a tougher part of their schedule and Therrien needs to keep him fresh. This was as good an opportunity as any to get Budaj a start.

And what can you say about P.K. Subban? After sucking it up and taking his two-year "bridge" contract he's clicked right away with Andrei Markov and has put up points in each of his four games.

I was a bit surprised with Subban's reaction to his goal against Boston -- not that it was flamboyant or anything but it was a bit more energized than I had predicted earlier. Against the Sabres, Subban blasted a one-timer off a Markov pass past Miller on a five-on-three and kept his reaction muted.

There's a time and place for everything.

Next game against the Leafs back in Montreal. No need to panic, but is it fair to say it's a must-win for the Habs?

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Big thanks, or in hockey talk, stick tap to Anthony aka HabsHappy on twitter for the brand-spanking new masthead image which now sits at the top of this blog. The guy has some serious talent and he perfectly visualized my Habs Fan in LeafLand handle -- no easy feat. Still need to do some additional work on the design here but again, I can't thank him enough for donating his special skills and generosity. Check him out at www.arttocanvas.com

Follow-moi on le Twitter: @HabsFanLeafLand

Closing out the P.K. Subban Affair

Well P.K. Subban finally came back to his team with his tail somewhat between his legs. Now it's up for him to make good with his teammates and put words into action. And I think he will.

Throughout this process, there was a lot of emotion involved, some good some bad by fans and writers alike. Some were in favour of the Canadiens signing him to a longer term deal, which was reported that's what Subban wanted. He came out in the press to state he wanted his "fair value" and wasn't looking to break the bank. Using the press like that during a contract negotiation was a mistake by Subban, in my opinion.

That said from my viewpoint, making 5.75 million dollars (that's Canadian, folks) over two years sounds like breaking the bank to me. Especially for a young, talented rearguard who still has a lot to prove.

Coach Therrien spoke of being humble, having respect for the team, the fans and the opposition yesterday after Subban practiced with his teammates for the first time this season. Over the phone, Subban expressed his thanks to GM Bergevin, his father who has been a lifelong Habs fan, and even Andrei Markov. And that means no more "triple low-fives." Some liked that decision. Others felt it should've stayed in the room. Others thought Therrien was out of line. But those people are missing the point. Therrien's point is to respect the other teams and that this year, the team will celebrate wins by celebrating the fans at centre ice. Not particularly original, but the point is that it's about the team. It's about humility and maturity. It's about the logo on the jersey. Therrien even "scolded" team physician Dr. Mulder when he addressed the players in the locker room while standing on the Canadiens logo in the middle of the room, as seen on the series 24CH (more on this series in a future post). Players like that kind of thing by the way, and will only make the players that much closer to Therrien. So this year, no antics, even after a victory. Pay attention to what Subban's celebration is to his first goal scored. I'm absolutely sure it will be muted.

After the deal was made, the Canadien players were somewhat aloof, unwilling to discuss it. Markov wanted to talk about the upcoming games because that's what truly is important; Gorges wanted to talk about the team, and not one player in particular. Especially one that hasn't yet laced 'em up in game action this season. RDS reports that that will change as Subban is set to play against Buffalo in Montreal on Saturday.

I went on a blog radio show last Saturday saying that Subban should take his place on the team, take the two year "bridge deal" and earn his longer-term deal -- just like Carey Price and Max Pacioretty did. What kind of message would it have sent to the guys in the room if Bergevin signed Subban to a longer-term deal? The official reason was that the cap is going down next year and the team needs to watch the spend. But Bergevin is a former player. He know how it goes in the room.

It's about the team, not the player. If Patrick Roy or Jacques Plante can be traded; if Guy Lafleur can be pushed out -- then so can P.K. Subban. Pic: Brian Rotztein

Last weekend it was reported that Subban was returning home to talk it over with his family. And you know what needed to be discussed? It was most-likely this: you either take the two-year deal or sit out the season with the possibility of you being moved to any team around the league. That's what was at stake for Subban. And he made the right decision.

There's no winners or losers. But if you want to look at it that way, everyone won here. Bergevin signed Subban to the term he wanted; Subban gets to make millions and prove himself to his team and go for that longer-term deal for the team he rooted for as a child; and the fans get to root for their favourite rearguard. But you know I was keeping a total just for fun and the final tally was:

Bergevin 4 - Subban 2

Now I never called for trading Subban; nor did I ever state against his signing. All I want is what's best for the team. As does Bergevin. As does Therrien. As does Subban, so he says. But what I did say was that if it ultimately came to that, and Bergevin gets a deal that can better the Montreal Canadiens, then why not?

And by the way as I write this, RDS' Chantal Maccabee interviewed Subban in the warmup for the game against the Sabres and he said "help my team" twice. Now it's up to the player to turn words into action.

A few of you have asked about the "writer" who I had a bit of an encounter with in the Twitter-verse, who in my opinion was completely offside and unfortunately let his emotions get the better of him in regards to Subban. Without naming this person, for the record the "writer" does not contribute to the Montreal Gazette, newspapers or any other television affiliations. It begins with my response to the "writer's" tweet that trading P.K. Subban would be a 'disaster' for the Canadiens.

I didn't think his personal attack on me was justified. Here's the transcript. You can make your own conclusions. Please note that because it's twitter-speak, grammar and style are suited for that platform:

HabsFanLeafLand: disaster? Trading #roy that's a disaster. Hiring #houle as #habs GM that's a disaster. Trading#subban good if right deal

Writer: wrong.

HabsFanLeafLand: man as a GM you have to be open to every option team before player soooo wrong back, no matter the numbers

Writer: Trading players for attitude lead to this team being a joke for 10 years.

HabsFanLeafLand: no bad trades and bad drafting led#habs down that road and #Subban doesn't gel with the unit

Writer: Thats complete bullshit but have fun believing it.

HabsFanLeafLand: noneed for that I like #Subban but he's not bigger than the team and doesn't merit a better 2nd contract than #price

Writer: Except he does, and you're wrong. And confident in your ignorance.

HabsFanLeafLand: emotion is for the ice and not contract negotiations

All I can say is, I'm glad Marc Bergevin is the Canadiens' GM.

Follow me on Twitter for more of this fun! @HabsFanLeafLand

What'd I miss!? A lot, apparently...

GAMES NUMERO 4, 5 & 6 AND OTHER HABS STUFF

Wow! You go away for some fun in the sun for a few days and you can miss a lot in a lockout-shortened season.

For instance, I missed the Canadiens extending their winning streak to four before going down against the Senators in Ottawa in their first back to back of the season.

Buh-bye "triple low-five." The fans may like it, but you know what? The team lost a lot of games during the shelf-life of this celebration and it's time to leave it behind. 

It was universally stated by the media that the Canadiens lost the game in a four minute span in the second period where Ryan White took a bad unsportsmanlike penalty, put his team in the soup and the Sens scored three goals. It should be clearly noted that backup Peter Budaj was in nets for the Habs, while starter Craig Anderson was between the pipes for Ottawa. It's going to be that kind of year for Budaj but hopefully he can step it up when needed.

I missed a terrific performance by the two Gallys as they're now known, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher against New Jersey last Sunday. Then head coach Michel Therrien announced after game four the two would stay with the team!!!!

Wow that's big -- big for the two youngsters and the team. Totally a major departure from the way the Canadiens have treated young talent in the past. A big deal was made of how Galchenyuk is the first eighteen year old to make the team like since Mathieu Schneider or Petr Svoboda or something. Nice. Well youngest to make the team since Guillaume Latendresse. But that's not saying much.

Youngsters are making their presence around the league with players staying with their squads. More on this after their true impact reveals itself after more games played.

The New Jersey game was supposed to be the first big test for this team. Well, they passed. Beating Marty Brodeur is always a bonus for this team because he plays so well in Montreal.

Then the Habs continued their winning ways against the Winnipeg Jets. They even came from behind in the third period. This team has character! Good! And the powerplay led by Andrei Markov has kept rolling along.

What else? Well my last tweet before heading down south was about Max Pacioretty who had an emergency appendectomy and would be out for roughly 3-4 weeks. That was Saturday. Today he went through a full practice with the team. This guy is unbelievable. Let's hope that's all for him in regards to the injuries but man the guy's healing and perseverance is inspiring.

And speaking of today's practice no way he's going to get his b@#!s  cracked by his teammates you know who made his first full appearance on the ice with his mates: P.K. Subban. This one is going to take a post of its own tomorrow. But let's just say I'm happy he took the two-year deal and I know the team and more importantly, the head coach, is going to break him in to the TEAM concept the Habs have been preaching this year. And so far, it's been working. The Habs are 4-2 without him, but are a better squad with this exciting, young rearguard.

Probably this means Tomas Kaberle will be the one to ride the pine or visit the press box. We'll see how it shakes down tomorrow afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres -- who had a nice win of their own last night against the Bruins in Boston.

Listen. Michel Therrien was on RDS' "L'Antichambre" all of last year and so it's quite well known what he thinks of Subban's showboating and style. Don't break the personality, but some things could be toned down, especially in the room. So it should be no surprise to anyone that today he came down on the "triple low-five" between Subban and Price after Habs wins. I don't mind it. This team is going to be "...more humble," in Therrien's words.

More on the PK signing and all that jazz in my next post.
Follow moi on Twitter: @HabsFanLeafLand

PS: Alex Kovalev scored the game winner for the Panthers against the Jets.

The Big Day... Well Sort Of

Intersquad game at Molson Centre; Scott Gomez Saga Continues; No News on P.K.; Who Will Win the Habs/Leafs Season Series??

Spirits and optimism runs high as the Canadiens continue their training camp. Today the big news was the return of Tomas Plekanec, whose status for the season opener on Saturday is still up in the air. But with his return we were provided a glimpse into what the starting forward lines might shake up to look like:

Cole - Desharnais - Pacioretty

Gionta - Plekanec - Galchenyuk

Moen - Eller - Bourque

Armstrong - White - Prust

Galchenyuk definitely looks like he's going to get his chance, at least for five games until a decision needs to be made. But the biggest surprise, according to what everyone is saying, is dman Jarred Tinordi. At 6"6, the power defender could be a cross between Craig Ludwig and Zdeno Chara. The coaching staff seems to be impressed with his progress. He may not make the squad, but he definitely could be a mid-season call up if the situation arises where his services are needed.

The Canadiens are trying to treat the intersquad game at the Molson Centre like a preseason game. So it should be good. It'll probably be a mob scene down there as entry is free. Enjoy it.

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The NHLPA and NHL have made some adjustments to the whole buyout clause as you may or may not heard. Funny how the two main characters in this saga, Wade Redden and Scott Gomez, are both in this situation due to the contracts they signed with Glen Sather and the New York Rangers.

Today both were placed on waivers. If they clear waivers as expected, both can then be bought out  before the puck drops on Saturday. That at least gives both players the chance to be picked up by another squad. The consensus is that the Canadiens did the right thing with Gomez, but I'm also happy that Gomez at least has the chance to get picked up and play this year. Even happier it'll be with another team. Maybe the Bruins!? :)

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No news from the P.K. Subban contract negotiations. Yahoo had a story on it today. My comment was that the Canadiens probably want to sign him to a two year deal -- like they did with Carey Price -- see how he matures, and then he can get his big deal. P.K.'s a big personality and it's no secret that he may have rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way inside the room. He needs to know his place and save his outgoing personality for the ice. Well I got three thumbs up in any case:

3Rate a Thumb UpRate a Thumb Down0

AriG  •  8 hours ago

If the Habs brass wanted to sign him to such a deal they would've before the lockout. They signed Price to a two year deal then gave him his term. That's what ideally they'd like to do with Subban, especially since he may rub some of his teammates the wrong way in the room. I think management would prefer to see how he matures over a couple of years rather than gamble on a longer-term contract.

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Who Will Win the Habs/Leafs Season Series??

The Habs play the Leafs five times this season... and no matter how bad they are, the Leafs always seem to play the Habs tough. I'm going to call it 3-2 in the Habs favour. What do you think?

GOMEZ TOLD TO STAY HOME

Scott Gomez Told to Stay Home; CBA Memo of Understanding Signed-Off; Training Camps Open; Classic Habs vs. Soviets '75

What was to be the big news Sunday was that the CBA Memo of Understanding was approved by the NHLPA and that training camps would officially begin -- but this morning Habs GM Marc Bergevin informed the media that veteran forward Scott Gomez was told to stay home and that he would be bought out this summer.

A surprise move to me at first given I felt the coaching and management staff would at least give the guy a chance. But with the P.K. Subban contract negotiations still not completed, it starts to make a lot of sense -- ultimately it's a cap decision. And after scrutinizing the new CBA, teams may not buyout an injured player and next year the salary cap will be going down -- so the team rightly doesn't want to take a chance.

The Canadiens have a lot of competition for the remaining spots on the roster and specifically for the third and fourth lines. On TVA the other night the pundits there debated as to what the starting roster will look like on January 19th when the Habs play the Leafs. With Lars Eller probably set to be the third line centreman, and Ryan White to probably pivot the fourth, Gomez becomes expendable.

Although injuries could change this very quickly, Gomez is still loose change. Petteri Nokelainen is injured but when he returns he could be a viable option for fourth line minutes. It also gives more creedence to the idea that Galchenyuk will get all the chances in the world to make this team.

Personally, I think Gomez cursed himself changing his number to "11" after he played with "91" during his first season with the Habs and put up very respectable numbers. That was Saku Koivu's number...

In the end, the Canadiens will pay his entire season's salary of over 5 million bucks, but next year after the buyout is completed his salary will be cleared from the team's cap space. Something kind of important when you are trying to sign one of your blue chip blueliners.

Bergevin was in Toronto yesterday to meet with Subban's agent Don Meehan and rumours have it that the latest offer was a four year/23 million deal -- which was summarily rejected. The goal was to have Subban signed in time for the start of training camp. Hopefully this will be resolved sooner than later as it'll only hurt the team and Subban's game-readiness if this drags on much longer.

As for Scotty G. his playing days with the Habs are now officially over. Bergevin mentioned in his presser that he took it like a professional. It's still possible he could be traded, but that would be a long shot at best. Let's wish him well.

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More news to come from Brossard from the Canadiens' training camp but for now we know that Nokelainen is still a few weeks away and now Tomas Plekanec is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

On a another note, it was also surprising to hear that Erik Cole is contemplating retirement at season's end and it was a bit astonishing to say the least that he would reveal this days before training camp was set to begin. Ultimately, it sounds as if he was very frustrated with the lockout and really enjoyed being home with his family. Hopefully he shakes it off and it doesn't affect his or the rest of the team's play. Thankfully the media has put it to rest and I will too...

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The other night RDS aired the classic New Year's eve '75 game between the Soviets and the Montreal Canadiens at the old Montreal Forum, who would go on to win their first of four straight Stanley Cups later that year.

Classic for sure. The byline goes that Ken Dryden didn't have the best game of his life, giving up three goals on thirteen shots, while Vladislav Tretiak shined with thirty-five of thirty-eight shots.

But man, what a team the Canadiens had!!!! Still gives me goose bumps: Steve Shutt, Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Guy Lafleur, Bob Gainey, Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden, Peter Mahovlich, Guy Lapointe, Jacques Lemaire -- and that's not even counting the likes of character players like Tremblay, Riseborough, Jarvis, Lambert and of course Coach Scotty Bowman!!!

Ahhh, a time when the Habs were da best and Montreal as a whole exuded a winning attitude. Even their singer of the national anthems, Roger Doucet, was the best.

How much would a team like this cost today?

No wonder the era of hockey dynasties is a thing of the past.

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Bergevin New GM, Gomez a Goner

The Canadiens are holding a press conference at 2pm today to introduce their new General Manager, Marc Bergevin.

Montrealer. Former player. Bilingual.

Seems to meet the baseline criteria.

Bergevin spent the past season as assistant GM in Chicago for the Blackhawks, working with GM Stan Bowman and obviously rubbing elbows with Scotty Bowman.

He's spent the last 7 seasons with the Hawks as a scout and as director of player personnel and we can trust he has an eye for talent, given Chicago's draft record of recent years (Toews, Kane, Keith). And he knows what it takes to win in the post-lockout NHL.

Bergevin spent 20 years as a defenseman in the NHL most notably with the Blackhawks, Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.

All I can say is, good luck! You have much work ahead of you.

Pierre McGuire and Julien Brisebois were shortlisted but ultimately it's Bergevin who won the coveted position. Supposedly he's a bit of a hybrid between McGuire's encyclopedic player knowledge and Brisebois' number-crunching prowess.

Now, we find a coach...

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And probably Bergevin's first order of business? Buying out Scott Gomez. The underperforming pivot

This is the cap hit against the team if his contract is bought out:

2012-13: $3,523,810
2013-14: $4,523,810
2014-15: $1,666,667
2015-16: $1,666,667

Hard to imagine he'd report to the AHL team, so unless Bergevin could find a dance partner for a trade, this is the only option, barring he stays with the team to have another "bounce back" year.

Gomez is only 32.

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P.K. sidelined and back in Montreal. Unfortunately our young stud d-man hurt his knee and will now miss the entire World Championships. Reports say it's minor; Subban himself didn't seem too concerned when interviewed the other day, but hey, we have a recent track record of the team underselling the severity of knee injuries. Let's hope for the best.

Groundhog Day Habs Style

Yesterday was Groundhog Day. How fitting was that given the Canadiens did what they seem to be good at doing this year, over and over... and over? That is of course, losing a game where on 2 separate occasions they were up by 2 goals.


Punxsutawney Phil. This cute and well fed little critter saw his shadow yesterday. We saw the Habs's season go straight to the devil based on another repeat performance.

When will this stop? Certainly not this year. Yes, it's all about next year folks. I'm fine with it too. Sure I wanted to be bold and brash and be the first to predict a cup for our Canadiens this year, but hey, I'm not perfect. I'm the most American-Canadian you'll find. I sometimes shoot then ask questions. I like bourbon. And I don't like the winter...

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when he crawled out of his burrow yesterday. Isn't he cuddly? He certainly looks well fed. Anyhow that means six more weeks of winter!!! Which might be a good thing for the Habs, they need all the help they can get because their summers are fast approaching.

But as I've written previously, a top-five pick is terrific news, especially since this team isn't that far off. Yes, I really believe that. Hey, just because things don't seem to be working doesn't mean it's blow-up time. A car can be in perfect working order but if a tire is flat it won't go anywhere.

So that's that. On the bright side, Louis Leblanc was called up last night and had a good game. All in all it was a bit of a strange one though. Bourque's shot hit Desharnais off his head for the first goal. Puck stopped right on the line for Price on a Kovalchuk backhand in the first period and somehow stayed out. Elias hit Blunden from behind and got fined today $2500. Blunden will probably be out awhile. P.K. Subban just drilled and I mean pasted Larsson and sent him back to his childhood. Price let in a total stinker that even I could've saved. Then the refs decided they had enough and didn't want to go to OT, so they ignored a blatant hooking call when Cole tried to clear the puck out of his zone which led to Parise's game winner.

Well at least Ryan White and Travis Moen are about ready to come back to action. Don't expect Markov to play this year.

Ho hum, c'est la vie. And that's the season folks. So now... who should we pick in the 2012 draft with our top 5 pick? More on that to come.

NEXT GAME MARKS ONE FULL YEAR SINCE SCOTT GOMEZ SCORED A GOAL!!! Absolutely terrible and unacceptable...HE'S THE TEAM'S HIGHEST PAID PLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy It!!

Montreal, Quebec. Was that your 2012 Canadiens or the 1977 flying Frenchmen??
A resounding 7-2 victory over the NHL-tops Detroit Red Wings does the Habs body good.

This really was a classic Original Six matchup. The Habs clobbered the Wings just like dem old times!

Bourque opened the scoring with a good ol' dirty goal, driving the net hard while the rejuvenated but still goal-less Scotty Gomez showed some speed and fed the puck into the crease before bouncing off of Bourque's leg.

Alexei Emelin congratulated by his teammates after scoring his first NHL goal against the Detroit Red Wings. Habs won the game 7-2.

And just in case you weren't paying attention, because you know I am:

Rene Bourque:
5 GP; 2 G; 1 A; +1; 5 PIM (for fighting)

Michael Cammalleri
5 GP; 1 G; 0 A; -4; 4 PIM

So who got the player in that recent deal, Mr. PuckDaddy???

Desharnais scored two nice goals while Cole and Pacioretty each had one for the line that just keeps on clicking. Tommy Plekanec got one, and Alexei Emelin scored his first in the NHL. Well deserved Alexei. Both Lars Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn also had strong outings.


Desharnais and Pacioretty have serious chemistry together -- something they've put on display since playing together in Hamilton.

Habs now enter the All-Star break on a high and feeling a bit better about themselves, 8 points out of the last playoff spot in the East. At least we can have something to talk about other than P.K. Subban. 3-0-2 in their last five games is good with the clock ticking this team needs all the points it can get.

Two wins in a row is nice. Ten would be better.

Your Habs need to get on a roll. A serious roll, if they want to make the playoffs. It's still not impossible. Nobody is giving up... yet.

Et tu, Markov?

PS: Love Mike Babcock and love his loyalty and allegiance to McGill University -- my alma mater too. Always sports the McGill club tie when he coaches against the Habs. Now wouldn't he look good wearing that behind the Habs bench someday!? What would it take to get the man to coach the Canadiens????

Cammalackey!!?? Buh bye.

Professional athletes make a lot of money. Crazy money. They also get privileges most of us never get to experience: meeting the great people; tables at restaurants; women; fame; women; did I say women? -- and other assorted perks.
You know. The good life. Ahh... it's good to be the King.

Pro hockey players get to play a game which I suppose they love. Why else put your body's through that punishment!? Oh yeah, the money, right.

Hockey is a game that I pay to play. And watch. Because I love it.

Pro hockey players also for all intent and purpose get paid handsomely to stay in peak form -- another perk. Getting paid to be healthy. Hmm... must be nice. I'd love to find a gig like that.

In the NHL you have all sorts. There's the Alex Ovechkin types who want to win, put their foots in their mouths and ultimately take the money and run. Then there's the Sidney Crosby types who, although a bit bland and sterile even, say a lot of the right things when all is well.

When a team is winning, it's easy to say what needs to be said. It's easy to act like you're a class act.

Michael Cammallari has been a huge disappointment in a season where he should be leading the team in goals. Pic: Getty Images.

But when the Pens were busy getting beat by the upstart Habs in the 2010 playoffs, methinks me remembers how one Mr. Crosby came off a bit like a sore loser at how the Canadiens were able to beat his team.

You know where I'm going with this, right?

So far, the 2011-2012 season has been a total disappointment for the Montreal Canadiens and its fans. You all know about my prediction back in the summer -- no need to restate. So far we've seen an assistant and head coach fired, an experienced dman traded, a string of injuries including a 3rd knee injury to our best dman, and a possible future captain signed to a 6 year contract. We've also seen the underwhelming performances of many of the team's scorers along with a few pleasant surprises. And of course a language debate that needs no introduction.

But you also all know that I've been calling out Mr. Michael Cammalleri since November for his lack of production. And because he makes 6 million a year, and the fact that the Canadiens need money to lock up my man between the pipes Carey Price, I think numero 13 should be traded.

Now let's look at the facts. This is M.C.'s 3rd (and not his last) team in his career. His highest goals production was 39 with Calgary. Why didn't Calgary re-sign him if he had all this supposed chemistry with Jarome Iginla??

He's shown he can be a playoff performer, especially on that fun run the Habs had in 2010. And he's also shown to be someone who says all the right things, especially about the team as a whole. Of course, if we don't make the playoffs and he can't perform during the regular season, what's it good for?

But that was then. This is now.

A true measure of a professional is not how he/she performs when all is well. It's how they perform and act when things aren't going well. Tiger Woods may or may not have learned this lesson. Keeping with golf, the great Jack Nicklaus is and always will be a class act in my mind, always one who applauded those who beat him, and one who always came out with his best when the chips were down. And when everyone wrote him off, he won the '86 Masters at age 46.

Michael Cammallari has been off right from the get-go this season. Don't ask me why. The problem is, he's bringing others down with him. I already wrote in a previous post that he implied (read between the lines, right? I did!) he didn't like playing with Plekanec anymore. And guess what? Plekanec also doesn't look happy. And he's not playing up to snuff either. But I'm not going to knock Plekanec, still our best 2-way forward.

Sure, the Bell Centre crowd can be fickle. They'll back you a la Kovalev and show you love like no other. But they'll also nail you to the cross if you don't deliver. Scott Gomez knows this. Now so does Cammy. The boos, they were deserved this time.

9 goals is just not enough for a guy who's paid to be a sniper and only a sniper; and when he fails to compete, he's even more of a liability.

Andrei Kostitsyn may not be having his best offensive season, but you can't knock the guy's compete level this year. Plus he's doing a lot of other things on the ice. Sign him now! Then maybe trade him. But sign him!!!

Michael Cammalleri is a one-dimensional player. He's paid to score. Point finale. And scoring, he ain't!!!

So after everything else that's gone down this season, do we really need to hear how the team is preparing to lose and has a "losing mentality"??? Is that so?

Well maybe if you put the puck in the net like you're getting paid to do, the team wouldn't be losing!?

Maybe you can take some responsibility for your game, like Plekanec, Price or Subban have, suck it up and work hard at getting better!? Remember Erik Cole earlier this year!? Slow start, only 10 minutes of playing time, no powerplay!? The guy didn't say a word. Instead, he sucked it up, put his nose to the grindstone and worked, worked, worked and now, he's proven to be our most valuable player this year.

So rather than blaming your team or your coach, how about looking in the mirror and taking some stock? Because it's been known for awhile you aren't the greatest guy in the room and now, way to go at making it worse for the team and organization as a whole.

You're upset about having your ice time reduced?? A move that former coach Martin should've done a long, long time ago? Start performing, see your time go up. Your arrogant and selfish comment about how for the Blues' first goal of the other night's 3-0 loss, your lack of backcheck was due to having had only your 5th shift instead of your 15th as per the past is completely embarassing!!

I knew this guy was off and has been for awhile now. His voice sounds as if he's hurting. Doesn't sound confident. The game back in November against the Penguins, he was interviewed pregame by RDS's Chantal Machabee and he had the same cracking voice. Guess what? First shift, soft forecheck, Penguins rush and goal less than a minute in!!!

So are we to believe those first shifts don't count for you, M.C.???? Who needs primadonnas like this on the Canadiens!? And with Brendan Gallagher waiting in the wings no less.

Hopefully GM Gauthier will just man the phones and wait for the calls for Cammalleri's services instead of shopping him around because he's just lessened our bargaining position. Now the guy is saying he's being misquoted. Well I understood him full well.

Don't want to get misquoted!? Zip it and let your playing do the talking.

Hard Reboot

After losing five straight games, four with Randy Cunneyworth as Head Coach, the Canadiens to a man could go home and take some time during the Xmas break to recharge, refocus and think about what they need to do to get back to winning ways and try to give themselves a chance at playing in the 2012 postseason.

Erik Cole celebrates his powerplay goal with Tomas Plekanec last night in Ottawa. The Habs won the game 6-2. Photo by: Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images.

So starting off their first game back from the break against the Senators in Kanata, what did the team do???

They gave up the game's opening goal within the first 2 minutes then took a minor penalty to go shorthanded less than 5 minutes in.

Hoo boy!

I'm sure many of you all in Habs nation were saying "Here we go again" or some other variation of such which I can't repeat here but fortunately... and surprisingly... the Canadiens were able to bounce back and take advantage of some seriously shaky goaltending by faux first-stringer Craig Anderson, starting with Lars Eller's shorthanded tally during that early penalty kill.

Has Lars been working on his shot??? That's the same wrister he beat the Bruins' Tukka Rask with back in October. It's sneaky fast when he gets it on net. Even still I think Anderson should have had it.

Eller of course as has been harped upon incessantly over the past few days sat in the hapless loss against the Jets, as did Subban. And it was Subban who also put the puck into the Ottawa net, this time behind one time Hab Alex Auld, when completed a nice play by Erik Cole on the rush.

Randy Cunneyworth had nothing to lose. So he decided on a hard reboot for his squad. I'm talking about pulling the plug painfully quick from the wall and jamming it back in to kickstart the Habs' collective hard drive. And Coach Cunneyworth was rewarded with his first win as an NHL head coach against the team he captained near the end of his playing career.

And for one game, it worked. It's no surprise that when you see the names Plekanec, Cammellari, Subban and Cole on the scoresheet, this team is going to win. Cole continues his consistent play. But Plekanec, Cammellari and Subban need to start chipping in offensively with more consistency if this team is going to have any shot at making the playoffs. And the playoff push starts right now.

Cunneyworth also finally showed there indeed is a difference between him and Jacques Martin with his rejigged lines.

No line before the break remained intact. Even Desharnais' line was torn apart -- perhaps also to help the struggling Pacioretty who seems to be in a bit of a funk of late. Michael Cammellari, who doesn't have much chemistry with Plekanec this year and who's been my favourite whipping boy of recent times, seemed to benefit the most from the shake-up, potting a goal and an assist playing on a line with Desharnais and Leblanc. Leblanc also had a goal and an assist.

I have to say this Leblanc kid really impresses me night after night and has been one of the rare bright spots in an otherwise murky season for the Canadiens. He plays like a smart player and seems to have a great head on his shoulders. He keeps it simple and seems to have a knack for knowing how plays will develop and where the puck will go. On Cammellari's goal, he waited a couple of beats before taking his shot so that the other forwards could reach the net and lo and behold, Cammellari was able to pot the rebound into the open side.

It's the little things like that which make all the difference, and it's what the Canadiens need to continue to do, shift after shift, game after game, night after night -- if they want a snowball's chance of making the postseason.

The climb is steep. The rewards great. If somehow the Canadiens could string some wins together and eke into the playoffs to play Boston in the 1st round -- you just never know what'll happen.

Start Weak Finish Strong?

Start weak finish strong? A metaphor for the Canadiens' 2011-2012 season?
Perhaps.

But it was exactly just that with last night's 4-3 shootout win in Carolina over the struggling Hurricanes.

Carey Price and his team started slow, fell behind early 2-0 but fought back to tie the game on two separate occasions to eventually win in a shootout.

A few positives from this game:
a) Nice to see the team come back from behind to win, especially in the third period;
b) The team finally won a shootout on Brian Gionta's goal (even if he was -3 on the night);
c) The team won a game when Carey Price didn't have his A-game;
d) Lars Eller scored a short-handed goal in the 2nd period which gave the team some momentum;
e) Scott Gomez injured!?

Travis Moen tips the puck past Cam Ward last night in Raleigh. Canadiens won the game 4-3 in a shootout.

Yes Gomez did not finish the game with a supposed lower-body injury...good or bad my friends!?

Minus Brian Gionta, who really misses the guy? He hasn't been an impact player at all for the Habs, and frankly takes up valuable playing time away from guys like Eller who was slowly coming into his own when Gomez was out previously.

One game out of 15 in Gomez's case is not good enough. We know that. Jacques Martin knows that. Pierre Gauthier must certainly know that. So why is he playing so much??

For the last few seasons the Habs have kind of limped into the playoffs. I wouldn't mind them getting on a roll late in the season for a change. Maybe this will be the year. After passing the quarter mark, the team is out of a playoff position, but only a few points back. So lots can happen.

And what are the positives thus far?

The emergence of Max Pacioretty as a Johnny Leclair type power-forward for the Canadiens.
The acquisition of Erik Cole, who has finally given the team power and speed on the wing and a net presence.
The ever-present, consistent play of Tomas Plekanec, our best all-around player and one of the NHL's most underrated players.
Josh Gorges regaining his previous form after a tough start -- proving he's the real deal and playing himself into a nice contract starting next season.
Travis Moen scoring more goals in 21 games than all of last season, with 7? Now that's a bonus. He must really want to stay with the Habs for next season.
The young defence play of Yannick Weber, Raphael Diaz and to a lesser extent Alexei Emelin, showing they can play and be effective on the backend in this league. Now you can add Frederic St. Denis to the mix.

And finally ...

Andrei Markov skating with the team... and set to make his return. Soooooon, we hope.

Phew.

There's plenty of room for improvement, including more consistency from Price; more production from Gionta and Cammelari; more production from the powerplay; and more consistency from Subban.

Tough game in Philly on Friday afternoon. Habs need to put together a winning streak to keep pace with the other teams in their division, especially if the Toronto Kesseleafs keep fluking off wins...

Start it Up Again

500 hockey on a back-to-back!? 2 weeks ago, we'd be happy with that.

Win 4 of 5!? 2 weeks ago, we'd be absolutely thrilled with that.

Losing the game because of completely unbalanced and maybe even, unfair officiating? Today, we're pissed with that!

But your Canadiens have no reason to be pissed except only to use last night's loss 5-3 at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers as motivation and a rallying call moving forward.

Brad Richards looks to thank last night's referee after scoring in New York last night. The Habs lost 5-3. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images).

The Canadiens were shot in the foot right from the get-go with penalty after penalty. The Rangers had nine powerplays. Subban even got 2 minutes for snow-showering Lundqvist.

But the Habs never gave up and fought hard, and when they weren't killing penalties, looked like a confident team who played like they could come back and pick up some points. When Gionta scored late, they at least had a chance. But it didn't work out. It just wasn't our night. The bounces -- and officiating -- didn't go our way.

But the team needs to be better to adapt in these situations when the officials decide to take the game into their own hands.

Habs still have a ways to go in the standings but they have every reason to hold their collective heads high after last night's loss. Pacioretty had his best game in a few. Erik Cole continued to play well, barging into the Rangers zone on multiple occasions and creating scoring chances, even hitting the post in the second off the rush. The penalty kill was great; and the powerplay scored. Carey Price really can't be blamed, but I'm sure he'd like that one against Richards back, even if he was partially screened.

Hopefully the Habs will come out strong and hungry on Tuesday night when they face the upstart Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre and start it up again for a new winning streak.

Finishing Strong for an Even Stronger Start

Onwards and upwards for the Montreal Canadiens' 2011-2012 season.

Josh Gorges means business last night after taking on Ryan Malone in the third period last night in Quebec City. Habs won the game 5-1. Photo: REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger.

The Habs in Quebec City? Used to be quite the game when the Nords were still in town. Now backing the team from Montreal, Quebec City residents did their job pushing the Habs to their strongest outing of the preseason with a 5-1 romp in the rubber match against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

This is what we want to see all season: Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Erik Cole and Michael Cammalleri all scoring with a fluid Tomas Plekanec making plays; a solid Carey Price; a powerplay that creates momentum and a tight defense. Mathieu Darche chipped in the other tally for the Habs.

I thought Raphael Diaz had a good game and looked like he's ready to take a spot on the blue line. Campoli was also solid in his second outing as a Hab, but was taken out of the game after taking a shot to the head from reckless maniac Ryan Malone -- who must be having marital issues or something -- because the guy looked like a ticking time bomb ready to go off the entire game and he finally blew his lid in the third.

What I liked was that Hal Gill came to P.K.'s defense when Malone was about to start bashing on him, and Josh Gorges making Malone pay after the Campoli hit.

No doubt in my mind that Malone will get a suspension, given the precedents that Brendan Shanahan has set so far this preseason.

Is this our opening day lineup? The fourth line is still a bunch of question marks with Lars Eller, Travis Moen and Ryan White all recovering from injuries. Lars Eller has been cleared for contact but no word whether he'll lace 'em up for the opening night tilt here in Toronto against the Leafs. Last night it was Andreas Enqvist centering a line between Palushaj and Yannick Weber. And what about tough-guy Yemelin on the back end?

I actually like Weber up front and Palushaj showed a lot of energy last night. RDS' "Antichambre" crew roasted Enqvist after the game and it's true, he's not a big bruising type (he is Swedish after all) but the guy wins a lot of faceoffs and that will probably keep him in the lineup -- for the time being at least.

Mario Tremblay seems confident that Scotty Gomez will have a bounce-back season this year. So far he looks good and the pucks are going in for him. Time will tell but I can say after watching last night's game that he's definitely trying different things especially in going hard to the net so ultimately he's becoming less predictable -- which could make him a very dangerous player if he shoots when the opposition is expecting him to pass.

The Habs head up to Collingwood for a retreat and practice before their opening game here in Toronto. It all begins for real October 6.

Gonna Lose!? Lose Big!!!

And that's what the Habs have been doing of late... losing big. And the funny thing is, it's not the goalie's fault, as coach Jacques Martin put it after the 6-2 drubbing his team took at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes last night in Raleigh. P.K. Subban falls on his derriere last night in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hopefully this isn't a harbinger of their play as they limp towards the playoffs. Photo: AP Costly turnovers and a lack of energy and desperation was what did the Habs in last night. And some solid saves by Cam Ward in the first period especially. To me, the Habs played this game as one they collectively felt they could afford to lose. And guess what? They lost. But it's true, they could afford to lose last night's game, because nothing really changed for the Habs in the standings, due to the Sabres' 1-0 win over the Rangers. So the Habs remain 2 points up on both the Rangers and Sabres (each with a game in hand) and 5 up on the 'Canes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Canadiens are starting to look like a team running out of gas... I think they've performed admirably considering all the injuries and drama this year, but now the tank looks like it's on E. And this fatigue is more emotional than physical. Max Pacioretty's loss to the team has definitely impacted this team on an emotional level, but unfortunately in a negative way. His lack of speed and scoring touch are missed too; but what happened, the way it happened and all of the hoopla afterwards must have worn this team down. And it shows. Add that to all of the injuries to key players like Markov, Gorges and Spacek -- and we have a struggling team as we near the start of the playoffs. Are the Habs capable of making another magical run in the postseason like last year? Sure why not??? Anything's possible. Would I bet on it?? Uhhhhh... :) Habs next game is in Joisey against the Devils. THE DEVILS!!!! Oh boy. What did I say a few posts before?? It's gonna hurt more before it gets better. Around the league: Shawn Thornton was clipped by a skate blade. Not funny even for this Booins-hater, and was then heckled by the Blackhawks bench. That was a low blow. No need to start playing Bruins hockey and sink to Boston's level Chicago. Stick to your own game and you'll be fine. Crosby cleared for non-contact practice. Although GM Ray Shero kind of indicated we won't see Crosby until training camp -- this could be complete gamesmanship on his part. Wouldn't it be the story of year if he did make it back for the playoffs, only to carry the Pens towards another cup? We'll see about that, but that would make a hekkuva story. Corey Perry paces the Ducks. The Ducks are in playoff position while the Calgary Flames are on their last legs after losing 4-2 to Anaheim. Perry now leads the league in goals with 46. Speaking of the Ducks, here's another tantalizing story possibility. Imagine this: Over the summer, the Coyotes move back to Winnipeg from Phoenix and Teemu Selanne signs a contract with that team. Woudn't that be awesome to see him end his career where it all began, in Winnipeg!!??

HABS Lose Like Leafs!!

Boy, is it ever true what goes around, comes around.

If you believe in karma, then I definitely was asking for what happened last night.

After I tore the Leafs a second one because of their terrible loss the night before, the Habs went out and did the EXACT SAME THING losing 4-3 in OT to the Oilers.

With the game well in hand 3-1 with under 10 minutes to play in the game, the young Oilers seemed to gain a step on the Montreal defense as the period wore on and took advantage of some sloppy plays and poor decisions by the Habs, eventually tying it up, short-handed, on a 2-1 after P.K. Subban made a bad play at the Oilers blue line.

Habs fans wanted a penalty on a supposed trip on Cammellari, but actually I didn't think it was a penalty. It was just a bad play by Subban. There was no need to pinch on a power play with the Canadiens leading in the game. He'll figure it out.

Then in OT, Cammellari pulled a Luke Schenn by giving the puck away on a rush (this time in the neutral zone) leading to a Dustin Penner breakaway, where the lanky forward slipped a puck through Carey Price's legs for the game winner.

Price deserved better, he was solid and made some very good saves. But even he couldn't bail the Habs out this time. At the other end, Dubnyk was also quite solid and kept the Oilers in the game as the Habs carried most of the play for 2 periods.

At least the Habs still got a point out of it.

This is maybe the only good time to be playing back-to-back, as the Habs can immediately bounce back with a strong outing tonight in ulp, New Jersey against ulp ulp, Martin Brodeur.

Let's hope they show some character. I would have been fine with 2 out of 4 points for these two games -- with a good game tonight they can still get 3 of 4 and put yesterday's meltdown behind them.

Kudos to the Oilers though. They didn't fold, kept coming hard, and their young talent (esp. Taylor Hall) all had good efforts.

A FEW OTHER NOTES

1. P.K. Subban is sitting tonight!! Healthy scratch for the 1st time in his young career. Yannick Weber takes his place. Do us proud Yanny!
2. Carey Price was named 2nd star for November in the NHL, just behind Sidney Crosby. I'll take seeing Price's name after Crosby's any day -- except in Conn Smythe voting :)
3. Tony Molinaro of 990 radio in Montreal is reporting that Andrei Markov will be having surgery on his knee next week and may be out... 1 year!!!! ugh
4. Max Pacioretty was named AHL MVP for November. Way to go Max.