The Canadiens have silenced many critics this year. The biggest issue was Carey Price. Price has been voted Molson Player of the year as the Canadiens’ MVP and is a candidate for Hart and Vezina Trophy. No one can credit either the defence or offence of this team for their 43 wins so far this year. The Canadiens have not had this many wins since they won the Eastern Conference in 2008. At this unique position, 6th in the East, Montreal is looking at a team like Boston in the first round. Many are hoping for a 7 game physical series between the two. They now have compiled quite a history with each other, chapters added this season alone. This is a quick summary of the games the two have played this season.
Game 1- Running off the momentum of shutting out Henrik, Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler and the Canucks the Subban, Gionta and Gomez score. So does Chara. Canadiens defeat Boston 3-1. (Final: 3-1 Montreal)
Game 2- Goals from Cammalleri, Lappiere, Pacioretty and Gionta. (Final: 4-3 Montreal)
Game 3- January 8, 2011. Losing 2-0 with first place in the division on the line, 1:22 minutes left. The puck slowly goes between Tim Thomas’ legs and crosses the line as Montreal fans had already begun to leave. With 40 seconds left, Price pulled, a crazy scramble in front of Thomas as the Captain put the puck into the net. Pacioretty gets an assist. In OT, the Canadiens are unable to convert on the man advantage, holding the puck at the B’s blueline. They’re saved, however, when Pacioretty scores on a breakaway with 1:17 left. As Pacioretty celebrates, he jabs Behemoth Chara. A fight ensues, as the refs struggled to keep Gill from Chara. The point the Bruins got was all they needed to stay in first place. (Final: 3-2 OT Montreal)
Game 4- February 9, 2011. It would have being THE craziest game of the year if the New York Islanders had not played the Pittsburgh Penguins. During goal announcements, goals were scored. Former Hab Michael Ryder got two, as did Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. Subban, Yannick Weber and Desharnais, all rookies, scored in the crazy affair. At 7:24 of the 2nd, Boston leading 5-3, an old time brawl took place as players on both teams began to fight. Price then skated out to meet Tim Thomas, who skated from his net all the way to the left faceoff circle. The gloves were dropped. Price took him in one as fans screamed their excitement. A brutal fight at the end as Tommy Pyatt got beaten with Marchant’s elbow pads resulted in a big cut under Pyatt’s eyes. Jacques Martin didn’t utter a word of complaint- even on the bench. The penalty boxes at one point were so full, 5 Canadiens and 6 Bruins, one Bruin had to stand. There were a total of 186 penalty minutes, more than 3x the amount of game. Boston won 8-6, but who will remember that? (Final: 8-6 Boston)
Game 5- March 8, 2011. Leading 4-0 at exactly 19:40 in the second period, Zdeno Chara throws Max Pacioretty into one of the most dangerous areas in the arena. Pacioretty is thrown on the ice as play stops with .17 seconds left in the period. The silence was spooky to say the least, the Bruins were also shocked. Doctors on both teams jumped on to the ice. Pacioretty was clearly unconscious. After over 7 minutes, what felt like a lot longer, Max was carried off on a stretcher. He awoke before he got to the ambulance and later was diagnosed with a severe concussion as well as a broken vertebrae. I’m not going into anything that followed. Injured Pacioretty and Chara’s non-suspension was a killer to the Canadiens as they turned ice cold and had very few wins by the big rematch. (Final: 4-1 Montreal)
Game 6- In their final match up of the season, there were high expectations. People were hoping that #67 was in everyone’s mind, which it was but the Canadiens defined a new low. They failed to avenge Max. Chara was being bumped into from all directions but he barely knew about it. Atone point, he sent a trying Darche on to the ice by cross checking. The Canadiens were crushed 7-0. (Final: 7-0 Boston)
So can we beat Boston in the playoffs? Reading stats would predict a 4-2 win for Montreal, but these are different times. Pacioretty-less, the Canadiens have one of the worst records in the league. There is hope, however. Cammalleri plays like/better than he did last year’s spring run. Price plays like he did for the first 50 games. The Canadiens defence puts in offensive numbers, as well as physical play. The Canadiens’ defence doesn’t get hurt... Subban plays well, Sopel and Wisniewski are on their games. Gomez, Pouliot, Eller and Kostitsyn play WELL, consistently! The ghosts of the Forum continue to haunt Tim Thomas. All this happens and we can give Boston a run for their money. (Final Prediction: 4-2 Boston, if we play ‘em)
After that... who knows?
30.3.11
WE SCORED... WE WON... NOW WHAT?
Going into the game, the Canadiens were 1-4 in the previous five games, the win coming against Minnesota all against Eastern teams in contention for a Playoffs spot. First Buffalo , who is quietly gaining to Montreal , then Boston Washington
Against the awesome (not) Atlanta Thrashers, the Canadiens were not able to make history, not getting shutout four games straight. Now that they’ve scored... and started winning again, the question begs, what now?
The Canadiens have to get shots on goal, go for rebounds and play more physical in their own zone. The Canadiens must not rely on their Hart and Vezina-candidate goalie, no matter how much they can. In Carolina , Montreal Montreal
If we lose badly, I’m going to call for the resignation/firing of Head Coach Jaques Martin. It’s time to face facts, since the Pacioretty hit the Canadiens have being one of the worst teams in terms of their record. At 6th place, with a fatigued Price, this team will be lucky to sneak into the playoffs.
Hamirlik’s goal may have ended the drought but we cannot rest on our laurels. It’s time to move on. We’re so close to April and it looks like a short four-five games in the playoffs, even if we open against Boston
Go Habs Go!
28.3.11
Goal One: Score One
While I was away, the Habs traded a perfectly fine prospect in Ben Maxwell and a fourth round for Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes. I know I missed the period to talk about this trade but in the past three games Maxwell scored 2 points more than the entire Montreal Candiens roster, combined. In 2-0, 7-0, 2-0 losses to Buffalo , Boston and Washington
While injuries can be somewhat of an excuse, the results are unacceptable. Sopel (and the Canadiens) may have thought he was all heroic, playing with a broken arm. But with a cast around his arm, Sopel was passing on perfect chances, meaning the Habs were reall y short a man since Sopel came back. I’d rather a Bulldog or me on the team until Brent Sopel recovers.
As of after the 2-0 loss to the Capitals, the Canadiens haven’t scored a goal for over 186 minutes.
The most embarrassing game of the season... or history of the team, the Bruins... well went easy on the Canadiens, playing to their game and taking a mere 7-0 win. One texter (me), to CJAD said of the game “The Mover and Shaker of the game was the Zamboni Driver.” Another, clearly distressed Habs fan said, “the Montreal Canadiens played like my Great- Great Grandmother... just a little less physical. There was no loss, since there was no game.”
The Canadiens need to score a goal. Learn how to score. Bribe the other team, whatever it takes to get two points. Every game that they were shut out was against Eastern teams, giving Eastern teams points that we couldn’t afford them to have. The worst team to lose to was definitely Boston
In this vital game, we’ll hopefully see which team wants the playoffs more.
10.2.11
Why and how Markov should and may move to Toronto.
With three weeks to the Trade deadline, themontrealcanadiensgm.blogspot.com gets extremely worked up - even though we all know no trades will occur by the Canadiens. Often by trade deadlines, GMs try to get the most out of their pending UFAs. A suggestion I thought of was the following: Andrei Markov for Tomas Kaberle- I think this would be the biggest deal of the day made by any team, if it were to happen.
The chances of Tomas Kaberle re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs seem slim, almost as slim as their playoff hopes. In light of this last sentence, let’s also add in the fact that with Markov and the Canadiens, things are going just the opposite direction. This is why with Andrei Markov injured till next season, we will have nothing of him in the Playoffs. Since the Leafs aren’t thinking about the playoffs, rather long term, owning Markov’s rights would be a benefit to them- besides, he’ll never be injured, since he’ll be on the team that always injured him. Both Kaberle and Markov are set to be Free Agents on July 1st 2011. With the Francois Beauchemin trade, we see Brian Burke’s intention to sell rather than buy. This season the Canadiens acquired James Wisniewski , showing teams that they’re buying- for the stretch in to the playoffs. Tomas Kaberle with the Wiz?! I like that on our failing POWERPLAY.
You should know that I wrote this before Ray Ferraro said this on TSN.
The chances of Tomas Kaberle re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs seem slim, almost as slim as their playoff hopes. In light of this last sentence, let’s also add in the fact that with Markov and the Canadiens, things are going just the opposite direction. This is why with Andrei Markov injured till next season, we will have nothing of him in the Playoffs. Since the Leafs aren’t thinking about the playoffs, rather long term, owning Markov’s rights would be a benefit to them- besides, he’ll never be injured, since he’ll be on the team that always injured him. Both Kaberle and Markov are set to be Free Agents on July 1st 2011. With the Francois Beauchemin trade, we see Brian Burke’s intention to sell rather than buy. This season the Canadiens acquired James Wisniewski , showing teams that they’re buying- for the stretch in to the playoffs. Tomas Kaberle with the Wiz?! I like that on our failing POWERPLAY.
You should know that I wrote this before Ray Ferraro said this on TSN.
8.2.11
ONE YEAR IN OFFICE: WHO’S COUNTING?
Was it already a year?
Was it only one year?
Depending on who you are- both of these questions can be legitimate. On February 8, 2010, Bob Gainey resigned, shocking many (well, some) hockey fans. Gainey’s life after a great hockey career had been a bumpy ride. In 1999, he brought the Dallas Stars to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup as their General Manager. He then came to Montreal, where tragedy awaited. Laura Gainey, his daughter, went missing at sea. This was the beginning of the Gainey Foundation.
When he retired, he handed the job over to a man out of the shadows of the organization, at least to fans. Pierre Gauthier, now a household name, was crucial in his days as GM of the Quebec Nordiques in the drafting of Mats Sundin.. Gauthier also had small stints in Ottawa and Anaheim before joining Gainey with the Canadiens. Here’s an analysis on his reign- so far.
Trade-deadline 2010- Trades Matt D’Agostini to St. Louis for Aron Palushaj... Palu-who? A minor trade, but not bad... for the Blues. D’Agostini, despite his incredible beginner’s luck streak had been... well, struggling, to say the least. The Blues nabbed the potential talent for next to nothing. Now, D’ago is actually logging some minutes, a chance he didn’t have in Montreal.
June 2010- Trades Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. At the time, it sounded too sad to even be called comical. Now, with the season nearly over, we see that Halak’s deep 2010 Playoff run (o.k it was ONLY the first time in 17 years that we went so far... and that was with Patrick Roy!!!!), may have been the finest hockey he’ll ever play. Halak hasn’t had it so easy in his new home in Missouri. Lars Eller has played... well, rather average hockey, logging 8 points since the start of the year in 50 games. Schultz is yet to make his Habs debut. Looking back, we see that Gauthier, well... knew something we (and... yes I) didn’t. Gauthier’s gamble paid off. Carey Price has kept the Canadiens in playoff contention. On most nights, Price stands on his head, and is the sole reason the Canadiens are nearly first in their division. My big trouble with the trade is the following: Halak, after this past playoff performance was worth quite a lot more then he was given. I’d have traded Halak to Chicago for Patrick Sharp, a trade that both teams would’ve accepted, I think.
June 2010- Trades Sergei Kostitsyn to Nashville for to pending UFAs: Dustin Boyd and Dan Ellis. What an embarrassment! SK74 was sent away purely for... some rights.
New Book title: Where are they Now?: The players in the Sergei Kostitsyn deal.
Dan Ellis- didn’t play a single game for The Canadiens and was signed by the Lightning.
Dustin Boyd- signed by Les Canadiens, phew, played a couple of games and was put on waivers, only to
clear and join the Hamilton Bulldogs less then halfway through the season.
Sergei Kostitsyn: Nashville’s up and coming... again...
Free Agency 2010- Pierre Gauthier made sure that Tomas Plekanec wouldn’t even dip into Free Agency, signing him before the 1st for 6 million dollars per year. Too much. I’d say about 4.5-5 million/year.
Alex Auld- His best signing! He's big, He's Bald... He's Alex Auld!!!!!! And he's the best backup that we have!
Jeff Halpern- great signing! Ok... just kidding!- alright! You stumped me! Halpern, joins his brother in faith, Mike Cammalleri as... well, a pretty solid hockey player... for the third- fourth line. Seriously, he’s a good veteran presence... on a team that needs it! - Yeah right!
That this trade went under the radar breaks my heart. Maybe they didn’t want the people just recovering form the Halak trade to mourn again. Cedrik Desjardins for Karri Ramo. Excuse me? What a bad trade! I mean, seriously! Desjardins was getting farmed to be the next backup goalie, when he was ready. Instead the Canadiens traded him to get a future AHL goalie!
November 2010- Probably the worst trade to date- Ryan O’Bryne for Michael Bornival. How can he do that? O’Bryne has the most heart of the team. When his mother passed away, he didn’t miss a game! When he was asked to give up his number, he didn’t fuss at all- he even kept it secret- as asked. O’Bryne, at over 6 feet, was one of the biggest players on the team and his hitting was crucial and overlooked in the Canadiens gameplans. O’Bryne has enjoyed a lot more ice time in Colorado while Bornival hasn’t yet played a single NHL game and probably won’t any time soon.
One of my favourite additions to the team in the last three years is James Wisniewski, The Wiz. Just watching him taunt Sean Avery, alone was good enough, but his point per game streak was the icing on the cake. A second round draft pick? Yeah! Great trade!
Who is Brett Sterling? I don’t know nor do I care. Well that’s not true, at least part one of that sentence. Lapierre, well he needed to go, so why not? As I’ve said before- get the value of your player! I’d trade him for a 2nd round draft pick- to compensate the one we gave to the Islanders. Sterling also came with a fifth round pick, so it was worth it, no).
So far, I have one message for the GM: get the value of your player! You seem to know WHO to trade but what you got out of players was quite worthless. I’d say Halak for Sharp. Lapierre for... I don’t know- Kunitz? Kostitsyn for... Matt Cooke? I can’t tell what other teams would accept but... you get the point.
Was it only one year?
Depending on who you are- both of these questions can be legitimate. On February 8, 2010, Bob Gainey resigned, shocking many (well, some) hockey fans. Gainey’s life after a great hockey career had been a bumpy ride. In 1999, he brought the Dallas Stars to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup as their General Manager. He then came to Montreal, where tragedy awaited. Laura Gainey, his daughter, went missing at sea. This was the beginning of the Gainey Foundation.
When he retired, he handed the job over to a man out of the shadows of the organization, at least to fans. Pierre Gauthier, now a household name, was crucial in his days as GM of the Quebec Nordiques in the drafting of Mats Sundin.. Gauthier also had small stints in Ottawa and Anaheim before joining Gainey with the Canadiens. Here’s an analysis on his reign- so far.
Trade-deadline 2010- Trades Matt D’Agostini to St. Louis for Aron Palushaj... Palu-who? A minor trade, but not bad... for the Blues. D’Agostini, despite his incredible beginner’s luck streak had been... well, struggling, to say the least. The Blues nabbed the potential talent for next to nothing. Now, D’ago is actually logging some minutes, a chance he didn’t have in Montreal.
June 2010- Trades Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. At the time, it sounded too sad to even be called comical. Now, with the season nearly over, we see that Halak’s deep 2010 Playoff run (o.k it was ONLY the first time in 17 years that we went so far... and that was with Patrick Roy!!!!), may have been the finest hockey he’ll ever play. Halak hasn’t had it so easy in his new home in Missouri. Lars Eller has played... well, rather average hockey, logging 8 points since the start of the year in 50 games. Schultz is yet to make his Habs debut. Looking back, we see that Gauthier, well... knew something we (and... yes I) didn’t. Gauthier’s gamble paid off. Carey Price has kept the Canadiens in playoff contention. On most nights, Price stands on his head, and is the sole reason the Canadiens are nearly first in their division. My big trouble with the trade is the following: Halak, after this past playoff performance was worth quite a lot more then he was given. I’d have traded Halak to Chicago for Patrick Sharp, a trade that both teams would’ve accepted, I think.
June 2010- Trades Sergei Kostitsyn to Nashville for to pending UFAs: Dustin Boyd and Dan Ellis. What an embarrassment! SK74 was sent away purely for... some rights.
New Book title: Where are they Now?: The players in the Sergei Kostitsyn deal.
Dan Ellis- didn’t play a single game for The Canadiens and was signed by the Lightning.
Dustin Boyd- signed by Les Canadiens, phew, played a couple of games and was put on waivers, only to
clear and join the Hamilton Bulldogs less then halfway through the season.
Sergei Kostitsyn: Nashville’s up and coming... again...
Free Agency 2010- Pierre Gauthier made sure that Tomas Plekanec wouldn’t even dip into Free Agency, signing him before the 1st for 6 million dollars per year. Too much. I’d say about 4.5-5 million/year.
Alex Auld- His best signing! He's big, He's Bald... He's Alex Auld!!!!!! And he's the best backup that we have!
Jeff Halpern- great signing! Ok... just kidding!- alright! You stumped me! Halpern, joins his brother in faith, Mike Cammalleri as... well, a pretty solid hockey player... for the third- fourth line. Seriously, he’s a good veteran presence... on a team that needs it! - Yeah right!
That this trade went under the radar breaks my heart. Maybe they didn’t want the people just recovering form the Halak trade to mourn again. Cedrik Desjardins for Karri Ramo. Excuse me? What a bad trade! I mean, seriously! Desjardins was getting farmed to be the next backup goalie, when he was ready. Instead the Canadiens traded him to get a future AHL goalie!
November 2010- Probably the worst trade to date- Ryan O’Bryne for Michael Bornival. How can he do that? O’Bryne has the most heart of the team. When his mother passed away, he didn’t miss a game! When he was asked to give up his number, he didn’t fuss at all- he even kept it secret- as asked. O’Bryne, at over 6 feet, was one of the biggest players on the team and his hitting was crucial and overlooked in the Canadiens gameplans. O’Bryne has enjoyed a lot more ice time in Colorado while Bornival hasn’t yet played a single NHL game and probably won’t any time soon.
One of my favourite additions to the team in the last three years is James Wisniewski, The Wiz. Just watching him taunt Sean Avery, alone was good enough, but his point per game streak was the icing on the cake. A second round draft pick? Yeah! Great trade!
Who is Brett Sterling? I don’t know nor do I care. Well that’s not true, at least part one of that sentence. Lapierre, well he needed to go, so why not? As I’ve said before- get the value of your player! I’d trade him for a 2nd round draft pick- to compensate the one we gave to the Islanders. Sterling also came with a fifth round pick, so it was worth it, no).
So far, I have one message for the GM: get the value of your player! You seem to know WHO to trade but what you got out of players was quite worthless. I’d say Halak for Sharp. Lapierre for... I don’t know- Kunitz? Kostitsyn for... Matt Cooke? I can’t tell what other teams would accept but... you get the point.
27.1.11
Post Game Report MTL-2 PHI-5
We can't beat 'em in the playoffs and we can't beat 'em in the season. The broadway bullies beat the Habs, again, with their pure ability to fight. We need a Carcillo type of player, we need to toughen up, we need to resize up. Tell me if you have any ideas about the following trade: Andrei Kostitsyn for Sean Avery. We have to beat the Flyers.
18.1.11
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