The H Does NOT Stand For Habs

Weaponry

2012-01-27T05:57:00.000-11:00

Let's try a little experiment. First, get comfy in your chair. Now, clear your mind of all the discontent inspired by the Canadiens wretched season to date. Okay, if you're all set, think about Andrei Kostitsyn. Then, close your eyes and see what picture comes to mind. When I tried this, the first thing I saw was a goal he scored against Atlanta about three or four years ago, in which he grabbed the puck in his own end, powered around a couple of Thrashers in the neutral zone, cracked the defence like a nut and slipped a lovely backhand past the Thrashers' goalie. It was a spectacular individual effort for an extremely memorable goal.

It was also a goal that epitomized the problem between Habs fans and Kostitsyn. When the Canadiens chose him tenth overall in 2003, they were taking a pretty big chance. In a draft that featured such strong North American players as Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Zach Parise, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Ryan Kesler...just to name a few of the guys chosen after Kostitsyn...the Canadiens took a Belarussian kid with health concerns and no English. His talent, though, was without dispute.

What Trevor Timmins, in his first draft as Canadiens' head scout, failed to consider was Kostitsyn's ability, or inability, to use that talent consistently. As a result, when Kostitsyn scored goals like the one against Atlanta, fans were just as frustrated by the rarity of those highlight plays as they were thrilled to see them happen.

His draft position in that 2003 Super Draft, along with the hope spent on him because of the players the Canadiens didn't take, and his own tremendous ability, combined to create a set of high expectations to which Kostitsyn has rarely lived up. Because of that, a lot of people have labelled him a disappointment and wouldn't mind seeing him traded for picks or prospects at the deadline.

If you reset your image of him, however, and look at what he really is rather than what you expected him to be, you begin to realize his value. In each of the three NHL seasons in which he's played more than 60 games, he's scored at least 20 goals. He's on pace to do the same again this season. He's also a physically big presence on the ice and can deliver the kind of hits that make opposing defencemen move quickly to avoid him. He's not the superstar fans hoped he'd be, but he's not without worth. Far from it.

For $3.25-million a year, Kostitsyn's numbers are comparable to other players with similar numbers and consistency issues. Michael Ryder just signed for $3.5-million with Dallas. Ales Hemsky makes $4.1-million in Edmonton. Drew Stafford in Buffalo gets $4-million. All things considered, Kostitsyn could even be considered a bargain for what he brings.

Another plus for Kostitsyn is that now, as he's about to turn 27, he "gets it" at last. He has finally learned to drive the net hard when he can and to use his size to make room for himself and his linemates. He's got chemistry with Lars Eller that makes things happen. He was instrumental in Eller's epic four-goal game earlier this month, and he and Eller combined on the dirty work that resulted in Alexei Emelin's first NHL goal against Detroit. Kostitsyn is doing a lot of the little things that make a player, while not necessarily a star, a valuable contributor.

Whether it's because he's following the example of players like Erik Cole or (giving credit where it's due) taking ex-coach Jacques Martin's instruction to heart, Kostitsyn has found a way to help the Canadiens a lot more than he hurts them. It wasn't always that way, but it is now. It's even hard to remember the last dumbass penalty he took. In fact, the guy who used to regularly send Guy Carbonneau's blood pressure soaring with his ill-advised infractions has taken only five minors in 39 games this year to date.

All of this is to make the case for the Canadiens re-signing Kostitsyn. He's already come out and said he wants to stay in Montreal, and he's willing to take less than he might get on the open market to do so. (Or at least that's what he told Marc Antoine Godin of La Presse, who tweeted as much.) If Pierre Gauthier or his successor is committed to making the Canadiens a bigger, more aggressive team, it would be a shame to get rid of a guy who's fairly consistent in his goal scoring, is built like a tank and has learned to use his size. That he's home-grown and one of the longest-serving Habs is a nice bonus.

In the big picture, Kostitsyn isn't a distraction off the ice. He's learned to be more responsible on it. And he's not asking outrageous amounts of money to put up 20+ goals. There's also the devil-you-know factor. Gauthier or his successor could trade Kostitsyn for a pick or prospect at the deadline, or let him walk in the summer and use his money to sign someone else, but there's no guarantee that Kostitsyn's replacement would be better than the guy they let go.

Watching Kostitsyn this year has made a convert of this fan, who used to think he was the biggest liability on the team. He's earned himself an extension in Montreal through his improved style of play. Seeing him participating in conversations on the bench, and hearing his teammates talk teasingly about him reveals a little bit of how well he's become part of the fabric of the team. He deserves another two to three years on his contract for a modest raise.

Once, when I pictured Kostitsyn, he'd be standing at the top of the circle watching helplessly as his check escaped his coverage and scored. Or he'd be sitting in the penalty box after yet another o-zone trip, staring vacantly in front of him. It's a different picture now, one that the player has worked hard to create. It should be rewarded.

The Fall Guy

2012-01-24T13:56:00.000-11:00

Here's how Merriam Webster defines the term, "scapegoat:"

1: a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he is sent into the wilderness in the biblical ceremony for Yom Kippur
2
a : one that bears the blame for others
b : one that is the object of irrational hostility

In the case of P.K.Subban, definition 2(a) is happening to him right now, but it's definition 2(b) we should be worried about.

Before you can say "wait a second...the kid's not blameless," we can all agree that no, he's not. He very often makes the risky choice when the simple one is both easier and safer. He winds up for half an hour before he takes a poorly-aimed slapshot, when a quick, accurate wrister would do. He yaps at and needles his opponents, but isn't very good at answering the bell when they come looking for payback. He's been seen on TV arguing with his coaches. And he sometimes irritates his teammates enough that they go after him in practice. All of that is true.

However, on the other side of the ledger beside his name are a whole lot of good things, beginning with his promise. The average Habs fan probably wasn't aware P.K.Subban was in the world until the 2007 draft. It had been a good draft for Montreal, with two first-round picks and both choices, Ryan McDonagh and Max Pacioretty, looking like keepers. So, when the Canadiens' brass stepped up to the podium for the 43rd overall pick in the second round, it was with the sense that any further draft success would be gravy.

About five minutes after his name was called, though, it was apparent that Subban would be different. First, he was a black kid from the toughest part of Toronto, which separated him immediately from ninety-nine percent of the other hopefuls in the room. Second, he spoke in something other than clichés. His exuberance at having been chosen by the team he grew up supporting drew media like bees to pollen. He told them he hoped to make the big team at training camp, that the Habs wouldn't be sorry they picked him and that one day he'd help the Canadiens win the Cup, after which he'd bring it to Toronto and parade it around. If the media were impressed with him at that point, the fans fell in love with him.

In the time since he landed on the hockey map for Canadiens fans, he's represented Canada at the world juniors twice. He had a successful year, including making the AHL All-Star team, under Guy Boucher in Hamilton, and scored a point in his first NHL call-up that February. He made the big team for good in the most pressure-packed environment possible: Game Six of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the absence of key veterans, the rookie Subban played twenty-plus minutes a game as the Habs enjoyed their best post-season run since 1993. He looked like a star in the making and fans chanted his name. His first full NHL season ended with respectable numbers and a spot on the league's All-Rookie team.

Now, here we are in one of the worst seasons in Canadiens history and Subban seems to be taking more than his share of the criticism for what's gone wrong. It's true he's making lots of mistakes, but debatable whether he's making more than Hal Gill, who's got seven points and is a minus nine. Or Tomas Kaberle, who's got one more point than Subban, but is a wretched minus 12. Subban's got 19 points and is even in plus/minus. Yet, certain elements in the media and among fans are suggesting that he's a liability on the ice, has a bad attitude off it, and is not immune from trade talk. Ex-coach Jacques Martin, purposely or not, stirred the pot when he said that Subban has difficulty following the game plan, is possibly more interested in himself than the team and generally has a whole lot of growing up to do. Martin's comments have many people making trade proposals that send Subban to Anaheim for Bobby Ryan, or similar swaps.

How quickly disgruntled fans can dismiss every good thing a player has done in the last four years. What they forget is P.K.Subban is 22 years old. Most kids of that age are just stumbling bleary-eyed from university, ink still wet on their brand-new degrees and no inkling of how they'll put them to use. Or they're bumming around Europe, finding themselves. Or they're working a minimum wage job that pays the rent and lets them party every weekend. Very few of them are expected to anchor an NHL team's injury-ravaged defence corps. Jack Todd in the Gazette points to Erik Karlsson in Ottawa as being both younger and better than Subban, but he neglects to point out that not every kid grows up at the same pace.

P.K.Subban is having some very public growing pains, but he's one of the kids it's worth waiting for. For every giveaway he makes, there are two nice outlet passes. For every dumb penalty, there are a couple of shots blocked on the PK. For every spat he has in practice, there are three teammates he makes laugh. There are a whole lot of reasons to expect Subban to grow into the talent we know he's got.

When he was called up in those playoffs two years ago, he conducted himself like the consumate pro we hope he'll end up being some day. At the same time, he was a twenty-year-old who was listening to the sweet chimes of his name on twenty-one thousand tongues every night. Adulation like that can turn the head of the most sensible player, let alone that of a young man just starting to realize the dream of a lifetime.

If Subban has lost focus, he's certainly young enough to pull back and reset his priorities and attitudes. A great deal of this will be the responsibility of management. By now, most people realize Randy Cunneyworth won't be the Canadiens' coach in September. The team has an opportunity to bring in a person who can mentor a player of Subban's calibre and teach him how to use his talent to the best of his ability, while guiding him along on the road to becoming a real pro.

That's where the second part of that definition comes in. While Subban might be taking more than his share of heat for the state of the team, he's starting to attract an unwarranted amount of hostility. It's this to which the already-jumpy management is overly attuned right now. Firing Jacques Martin and trading Michael Cammalleri mid-game were panicky, reactive moves. They're just the kind of decisions that make fans worry Pierre Gauthier might be quick enough on the trigger to trade a guy like Subban. That would be a terrible mistake at this point in his development. He's not perfect, but he's going to get better. Possibly, a whole lot better. When Carey Price was glaring at his defencemen and breaking his stick after losses two seasons ago, he looked like his attitude might be writing his ticket out of Montreal. Watching him now, it's hard to remember that entitled, spoiled kid. Subban will grow up just as well.

The problem fans are dealing with right now is the frustration and disappointment of this wretched season. Subban is becoming the focus for some because he represents all the team's inherent ability that's just not panning out on the ice. As they say, love and hate are two sides of the same coin. In this case, Subban is the lightning rod because so many hoped he would be the one to lead the team into a better future. Watching him struggle epitomizes the team's struggle. When this passes; when the team turns it around and starts winning again, nobody will be picking Subban apart. And, most likely, we'll be really glad to have him.

Cunney's Worth

2012-01-18T06:34:00.001-11:00

It's been a month now since Randy Cunneyworth was unceremoniously handed the reins of the skittish Canadiens, setting off a stampede of language critics, including his own management. The month hasn't been easy. The new coach has dealt with bad press, a struggling team, a lack of internal support and a player traded part way through a game. When he took over, the team's record was 13-12-7. It wasn't exactly earth-shattering, but the playoffs were within the realm of possibility, given a decent winning streak. That hasn't happened. Under Cunneyworth, the free fall has continued and his 4-8-1 record has the team sitting closer to last than eighth.

His losing record has gone some way toward cementing the perception that Cunneyworth is no more than a lame duck, holding the spot until the real coach is hired next summer. Add to that his rookie mistakes, like scratching Alexei Emelin in favour of Chris Campoli, and the constant switching up of players' roles, and the temptation is to dismiss Cunneyworth out of hand.

That's doing the new guy an injustice. He may have been thrown into the head coach's job with little thought or planning from boss Pierre Gauthier, but Cunneyworth has handled the language flap and the microscopic scrutiny of his bench decisions with aplomb. He's appeared calm, articulate and intelligent in his press briefings. Behind the bench, he's actively encouraging players and instructing them during the game.

That may be the single greatest difference-making quality that Cunneyworth brings to this team. He communicates. "Communicator" is the new-NHL buzz word for "good coach." It might be a reach to say that being able to speak "player" is enough to revive a season already on life-support. However, it seems to be making a difference for young players at a crucial stage in their development. They need confidence in themselves if they're to continue to progress, and that's a really difficult thing to build in a losing environment. That's why the things the players themselves have been saying about Cunneyworth are encouraging hope for their advancement on the ice, if not for his behind the bench.

"I really enjoy playing for Randy," Lars Eller said just before his breakout four-point game. "He's very close to the players, you can always go and talk to him and he'll talk to you about things. You never feel bad asking him a question because you know he wants to make you a better player."

"There was a lot of communication on the bench between the players and the coaches in the third because of all the leads we’ve been giving up lately," Max Pacioretty said after the win against Ottawa earlier this month. "That communication from the coaches was huge and because of that we knew we weren’t going to let things slip away. Tonight I think you have to credit the biggest part of our victory to the coaches. If you had a camera on them you’d see how vocal they were. They tweaked a lot of things in the third and it helped us a lot.”

"I have a lot of confidence playing under Randy. I have a lot of ice
time and everything's going well," Mike Blunden said.

David Desharnais gave a bit of insight into Cunneyworth's pre-game pep talk technique when he said, "The coach told us before the game that we should get pissed off right off the start."

P.K.Subban is playing some of his best hockey of the season since the coaching change, showing much more confidence and good decision-making than he did for the first thirty-plus games.

Even the veterans feel good dealing with Cunneyworth.

“I’m playing with lots of confidence and playing with good players
helps," Travis Moen said. "We’re getting lots of ice time and we’re taking advantage of that.”

What's even better for morale is the way Cunneyworth talks publicly about his charges. He's talked about being happy for and proud of his young players, which has to make them feel that they're on the right track. It's refreshing to hear a coach name names in a positive way, when that upbeat reinforcement is deserved. Nobody wants to work for someone who doesn't seem to appreciate his effort, so you have to think Cunneyworth's approach is helping the team warm up to him.

Of course, from the fan's point of view, the coach and players could pull a John and Yoko-stye love in, but none of it matters until they start winning games. If Cunneyworth is to start somewhere, though, building a positive rapport with the players is a good choice. In order to lead effectively, he's got to have the team buying in. That seems to be happening, slowly. The big question is whether there's enough time left in the season for anything Cunneyworth does to make a difference in the Habs immediate fortunes.

If, as most expect, the team misses the playoffs and Cunneyworth is let go in April, the lessons of good communication with the coach and a positive attitude in the face of adversity are important ones for the impressionable youngsters under his care to learn. If Cunneyworth accomplishes little else, they can take that much away from this coach who's doing his best in tough circumstances.

Thee-a-tah

2012-01-13T09:14:00.000-11:00

If you're a theatre buff, this Canadiens season has had it all. It started out as a suspense piece. The team had looked pretty decent against the Bruins in the playoffs last year and were expected to get Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges and Max Pacioretty back from injury, as well as add Erik Cole for this season. Even though there were lots of questions, from whether Carey Price would be able to duplicate last year's stellar effort to how well Cole would fit into the lineup, hope abounded. Fans held their collective breath, waiting for the answers.

The play quickly became a drama, as Markov's long-awaited return was both delayed and shrouded in mystery. The team got off to its worst start since it nearly folded in the '40s, and Pierre Gauthier, in a bizarre and ludicrous attempt to right the ship, fired assistant coach Perry Pearn ninety minutes before a game.

Drama morphed into comedy as we watched chance after chance hit posts or miss the net, while the Habs' opponents were benefitting from every bounce and soft goal allowed. It was almost comical to watch a perfect 2-on-1 pass bounce over the stick of the receiver...again. Or yet another green rookie score his first NHL goal against Carey Price. A third period Habs lead was like like slapstick, blown as surely as a clown getting a pie in the face. It was hard to believe things could keep going like that.

They did, however, and comedy became tragedy. The injuries continued to pile up and so did the losses. Teammates fought in practice, the coach got fired before morning skate and the new coach got virtually fired before he started, for failing to speak the right language. Morale hadn't been this low since the team backed into the playoffs by virtue of other teams' losses in 2009 and got swept in the first round by the Bruins. That horrible Centennial season and playoff humiliation triggered the Bob Gainey housecleaning that brought in the batch of undersized, expensive free agents that, until last night, dominated the lineup.

Michael Cammalleri's departure seems to indicate the team recognizes the lack of size has been problematic. It also signals the transition of this theatrical season from tragedy to farce. Many fans, myself included, thought the year had become bad enough to consider moving high-priced underachievers like Cammalleri for a real rebuild of picks and prospects. The operative word there is "consider." Gauthier may be saying Cammalleri's recent strong words about his teammates' losing mentality had nothing to do with the timing of the trade, but it looks suspicious. Add to that the bizarrely unorthodox move of pulling Cammalleri out of the game in the second intermission to tell him he was dealt, but not where, and it gets weirder. When you throw in Bob McKenzie's claim that other GMs say they didn't know Cammalleri was available and would have been interested, and you've got yet another chapter in the tragic play this season has become.

Nothing against Rene Bourque, but four years of his inconsistency is a long time, regardless of his comparatively low cap hit. And he doesn't look thrilled about moving to Montreal. Watching the Bourque press conference after he learned of the trade, it's hard to tell if he wants to puke or cry. Or both. It would have been nice if Gauthier had been willing to shop around a bit more; maybe stop smoking whatever herbal hallucinagen he prefers, and accept that the Canadiens need a first-round pick more than they need another inconsistent, mid-range forward with a long-term contract. There's always a hope and the wish that Bourque will use his nice size to ramp up the level of physical play in the Canadiens' lineup, and bring 30 goals along with it. As they say, however, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. And the Canadiens are certainly beggars at this point.

For those who'll throw back something like, "you wouldn't like this deal if the return was Crosby," that's not the case. There was nothing wrong with trading Cammalleri, who's just not been consistently dangerous (to the other team) in a Canadiens uniform, great 2010 playoff notwithstanding. There was certainly something wrong in Gauthier's not casting a wider net for a deal. And there's probably something wrong in the team's apparent lack of a plan. Is this to be a rebuild with youth via picks and prospects? Or is it to be a shuffling of veteran parts for other veterans who might scrape the team into eighth and an early elimination? Worst thought of all, does management seriously think the team can contend as it is, with a just few minor tweaks? Stay tuned for the mystery part of our programme.

The curtain dropped on the first act of this season two games ago. Act Two has been straight out of Vaudeville. The ending is anybody's guess.

Star Light, Star Bright

2012-01-12T14:37:00.000-11:00

So, Carey Price is an All-Star. It's come to this. The Canadiens are so bad, they don't really have a legitimate star among them, so they're subject to the pity pick.

Based on talent alone, Price deserves consideration for a spot. Based on this year's numbers, which is normally the case for All-Star selection, he's not exactly top-three in the Eastern Conference. His 2.46 GAA has him 20th in the league, and his SV% (the more telling stat) of .913 has him 24th. Those aren't terrible numbers, but they're certainly not All-Star stats.

No, this is a situation in which a prominent, wealthy Canadian team sucks so badly the league appoints a representative just so the fans can say a Hab was there. This is Yannick Perreault representing Phoenix a few years ago. He didn't belong there either, but he was a pity pick. It's not as bad as the fans voting Mike Komisarek an All-Star starter, but it's not something to be proud about.

This, to be clear, is not a knock on Price. He's conducted himself with dignity all season, in the face of one disaster after another. Most of the time, if the team has a chance to scrape up a point, it's because of him. He's given up some weak goals, but every goalie does. It's not Price's fault everyone expects him to be perfect every night. Considering his workload and the horrendous defence in front of him, it's a miracle Price has managed to even keep his numbers within the realm of respectability at all. He might even feel a little embarrassed about getting sent to the game, knowing that Marc-Andre Fleury, Tuuka Rask and even Jose Theodore are having better years. If he were in the Western Conference, even a pity pick wouldn't get him to the game.

This is not a condemnation of Price in any way, but it's a clear indication of how far the Habs have fallen this year. When the season started, they had legitmate candidates on the voting ballot. Now it's unthinkable that any of those guys should have even been considered as All-Stars. Price would be better off claiming family responsibility or something similar and taking a week's holiday. He's been worked to death for nothing all season anyway.

The All-Star game is only watchable when your team has got players involved. When the only one there is suiting up only because somebody has to go, "watchable" becomes "excruciating." Oh well, at least Price can't get picked last in the captain draft because goalies have to go early. Ovechkin won't get to "Kessel" him and really make this year memorable for the wrong reasons.

Cammy Unplugged

2012-01-11T15:05:00.000-11:00

Michael Cammalleri has a lot going for him. He's good enough to have scored 39 goals and notched a couple of point-per-game seasons in the NHL. He takes elite care of his body. He's a new dad, with a happy home life. Problem is, he's not showing any of that on the ice this season. In fact, he's pretty much been a dud.

Game after game, Cammy's looking as lost as Hansel and Gretel in his own zone, only he hasn't left a trail of breadcrumbs to the other team's net. Unfortunately, the Canadiens aren't paying him six million bucks a year to put up fewer than twenty goals. That kind of money is for elite players, and Cammalleri so far this year has not looked elite. Because Scott Gomez is so spectacularly little value for dollars, most critics' radars hadn't yet focused on Cammalleri for the first thirty-odd games of the season. Factor in Cammalleri's great playoff performances and he's forgiven a lot. Until Gomez went down with injury, that is. Now with the team's worst-performing forward out of action, suddenly Cammalleri's failure to backcheck, weakness on the boards and general lack of effectiveness on offence is glaringly apparent.

At the end of the Blues game on Tuesday night, people booed when Cammalleri touched the puck. It may have been coincidence...just disgruntled fans voicing their displeasure at playing premium prices to watch a crap game. Or, it may have been actively directed at Cammalleri. The buzz around his bad play this year is growing louder.

Cammalleri reacted with the comments that have enraged some members of the fan base and have others lauding him for telling the truth about a terrible team and a terrible season. He said he's been hampered by the drop in his ice time he's seen since Randy Cunneyworth took over behind the bench. And he said the team is playing with a losing mentality that basically means the players don't believe they can win, feeling the slightest mistake will result in disaster. Sure enough, with everyone feeling that way, that's what happens.

The thing that's grating on some fans is Cammalleri's repeated use of "we" in his comments. It appears as though he doesn't take much of the blame for his poor play, but looks to share it with teammates or, in the case of the limited ice time, the coaching staff. That may be tactical on his part, in an effort to shame the team into playing better. Unfortunately, it comes across as a veteran player failing to shoulder the responsibility for his own inability to live up to expectations. Reinforcing that impression is Cunneyworth's response, which essentially is that Cammalleri is getting the ice time he deserves based on his play.

The question is, what do Cammalleri's words and his frustration mean in the big picture? He may be upset enough to want a trade away from Montreal, but his contract and his numbers don't match and he'll be hard to move. It's possible someone might take him at the deadline based on his stellar post-season record, but the return, considering the years left on his deal, won't be what it might have been if he was performing well.

If Cammalleri is seriously unhappy and showing few signs of breaking out of a season-long slump, it might be best for the team to move him if possible, just to release a player who never fit well into Jacques Martin's system, heavy on defensive responsibility. It would also signal the rebuild and give Cammalleri a chance to succeed elsewhere. If the team plans to start again with youth, it doesn't need an unhappy, underperforming veteran influencing the young players. Moving him could free up quite a bit of cap space as a bonus.

If Cammalleri isn't really done with Montreal and his words came from frustration, well, he might still have to go. The team that's stuck with the Gomez contract can't keep another one like it. Cammalleri, if he doesn't come up with a major turnaround soon, is at risk of becoming another albatross. He wants more ice time to prove himself. Cunneyworth and he need to sit down and discuss the issue, and the coach should probably take a flyer on giving the player more ice, with the caveat that if his interest level and own-zone play don't pick up...a lot...then he loses that privilege in favour of players who work harder.

Right now there are more benefits in letting Cammalleri go than there are in keeping him. It's up to him to examine his own words and take them to heart. He can turn it around and raise his value again, but he's going to have to put in the work. At the moment, it doesn't sound like he's willing to do that. We know he's better than this.

Sense and Sensibility

2012-01-07T09:58:00.000-11:00

Guy Lafleur might have been one of the biggest stars who ever wore the blue-blanc-rouge, but he hasn't always been the world's most verbally prudent ambassador for the Montreal Canadiens. Witness back in 2008, when he publicly mocked the team for having "four fourth lines." Or in 2009, when he ripped both former teammate Bob Gainey for mishandling Alex Kovalev, and Guy Carbonneau for failing to distribute ice time properly. Or, again in 2009, when he announced it was time for long-time captain Saku Koivu to leave Montreal. No, Lafleur's shoot-from-the-lip style hasn't always endeared him to modern fans, or, likely, to team management.

The thing with Lafleur is, when a hockey player does what he did on the ice for this particular team, he ascends from mere mortal to godlike status. Even trouble with the law or a reputation for partying to excess can never really tarnish the status such a player enjoys. With that status comes respect. When he speaks, people listen. In the past, Lafleur has chosen to use that power to jab at his former team and stir the pot of controversy that constantly bubbles just below the surface of hockey in Montreal.

This week, however, he chose to put himself out there on the issue of Randy Cunneyworth, in a surprisingly sensible and positive way. Cunneyworth has been gelded by his own team's management at least twice, all over his inability to speak French. Some members of the media and the gaggle of nationalist fans who will demonstrate against the anglo coach at the Bell Centre today were delighted to see the team hang Cunneyworth out to dry. Lafleur, interestingly, took the opposite view.

He told the Vancouver Sun that winning games should trump whatever language the coach speaks.

"Times change," he said. "It's not the same anymore. I know it's important to the French people in Quebec, but, in the end, they only need a winning team. That's it. When I played, Bob Berry was our coach and didn't speak much French. Scotty Bowman didn't speak to us in French when he was coaching. We won games, we won Stanley Cups and everybody was happy."

He went on to add, "If I was hiring the coach, I would try to get the best guy out there for the job, to make sure the team got to the playoffs and had a chance at the Stanley Cup."

He also criticized the constant demand for the coach to hold press conferences, after every game and every practice. The media, he believes, should speak one-on-one to the players and coaches and leave it at that. His point of view puts him in a familiar place: directly at odds with what the GM and ownership of the team are doing. In this case, though, he's got the backing of the majority of fans...merry band of Bell Centre protesters notwithstanding...who think the same thing. Fans want a winning team. They want a Cup, and that's it. Not one real Canadiens fan would say, "Oh, no thanks. I'd rather have a bilingual coach than a championship." These things become important only when the team is losing.

So, although he so often sticks his foot in it, in this case, Lafleur is speaking for the majority. And this time, he's right.

CEllerBration

2012-01-05T11:35:00.002-11:00

*
Every once in a while, even in the darkest of winters, we're gifted with a gem of a day. Out of the cold and gloom, the sun breaks through, the wind stops blowing and everything glistens with pristine perfection. For Habs fans, Lars Eller's performance against the Jets was one of those perfect days in the midst of a dark dreary winter of a hockey season.

Back in the 2007 season, I remember checking out some video and reading the scouting reports of prospects coming up for that year's NHL entry draft. Elite Prospects had this to say about Eller: "A very good all-round and skilled forward. Eller has quick feet, soft hands and a good work ethic. He is a skilled playmaker, but also a decent scorer. Works hard and is valuable in shorthanded situations. Quite a spectacular player with few weaknesses." In the second half of that season, his ranking rose from consideration as an early-to-mid second-round pick to making many scouts' top fifteen. I remember being really impressed by his video clips and thinking he'd be an ideal choice for a Habs team long deprived of big, skilled centremen.

On his draft day, it looked like the Habs would actually have the chance to land him. The L.A.Kings went off the board, picking Thomas Hickey fourth overall, which bumped all the higher-ranked prospects down. As the picks were announced and Eller remained unchosen, it seemed only the pressure to pick homegrown Angelo Esposito might sway the Habs away from calling Eller's name. When Trevor Timmins stepped up to the podium, dreams of the Canadiens finally getting that coveted centre bloomed to life, then quickly died like spring roses in an early frost, as the head scout chose American defenceman Ryan McDonagh instead. Eller went to the St.Louis Blues with the very next pick.

Flash forward to June of 2010, and McDonagh had become Rangers property in the Scott Gomez trade. Jaroslav Halak, hero of the most successful playoff performance Montreal had seen in nearly twenty years, was traded to the Blues for...Lars Eller. A lot of Canadiens fans bemoaned not only the loss of Halak, but the return as well. Critics thought Pierre Gauthier should have demanded a bigger name like T.J.Oshie, David Backes or David Perron. Eller, meanwhile, had played only seven NHL games as a callup in his first North American pro season.

Of course, now that reality has replaced the mad glory of that playoff run in 2010, it's apparent that the market for goalies wasn't that great that year. And, when level heads examine the situation, a guy like David Perron would have been much too high a price for the Blues to pay. Gauthier took a flyer on a prospect with great upside, which didn't hurt the Blues' roster as much. Now it's looking more and more as though the Canadiens probably won that trade.

Last night, Eller was nothing short of brilliant. Everything he touched turned into gold. He and his linemates, Travis Moen and Andrei Kostitsyn, looked like three interlocking cogs in a well-oiled machine. Their passes connected with ease, their hits opened up space for each other and it all combined to give Eller the game of a lifetime. His extended first-star celebration and the pure jubilation that spawned it was just the shiny bow on an elegant gift.

Of course, one game, even a spectacular one, does not a career make. It doesn't even a season make. However, in Eller's case, the Jets game might be a notice to the rest of the league that the kid is beginning to fulfill the potential that had scouts drooling in 2007. When he first began with the Canadiens last year, he showed tantalizing glimpses of his ability to see the ice and move the puck. Once in a while, he'd use his body to protect it and make a really nice offensive play. Then he'd screw up his defensive assignment or take a dumb penalty and end up on the bench. Sometimes, fans wondered if the only reason he held a berth on the Habs roster at all was to allow Gauthier to save face over the Halak trade.

He really began to show his mettle in the playoffs last year. He had only two assists in seven games, but he was aggressive and strong on the puck and was a presence on the ice. One wonders what might have happened in that fateful Game Seven if Eller hadn't been playing with a separated shoulder that would require summer surgery. He began this season fresh out of rehab and took a couple of weeks to get up to speed. Still, his play wasn't as consistent as the coaches and fans would like to see.

Gradually, though, he tightened up defensively and he saw his ice time slowly increase, from an average of 11 minutes a game last year to 14:30 this season. In his first ten games after returning from injury, he had only a goal and an assist, but he was a solid plus-four. Jacques Martin began to entrust him with penalty-killing duty, at which he showed considerable skill. He now plays an average of 1:20 per game on the PK, second among centres only to Tomas Plekanec. Paired with Michael Cammalleri, he's been on the ice for only one short-handed goal against in 16 minutes of PK time. He's got two shorthanded goals and an assist.

Hindering his progression this season have been the team's injury problems and subsequent line shuffling, which mean he's played not less than 24 minutes and not more than 130 with eight different sets of linemates. That's not counting single-game experiments that didn't stick. If he's found a home with Moen and Kostitsyn (who, as a line, have only 24 seconds of PP time, by the way...Eller himself averaging only 32 power play seconds per game), then it'll be for the first time this season. Eller had chemistry with Kostitsyn late last season, and it looks like that may not have been a fluke.

Randy Cunneyworth seems to be good for Eller too. In the first three games under the new coach, Eller was -3 and saw his ice time drop to just 11 minutes a game. Finally, Cunneyworth made the young player a healthy scratch. In the four games since, Eller has five goals and seven points, and is +5, with only two penalty minutes. He's averaging nearly 18 minutes a game. His hugely improved points totals are attributable largely to that spectacular game against the Jets, but if better ice time and stable linemates, together with the trust of his coach, helped him produce that gem, perhaps it's the beginning of more good things for him.

The kind of game Eller played last night is the kind of game that can spark the confidence not only of the player, but the team. It's the kind of rare performance that can start something big enough to turn a season around. Maybe it'll work out that way. Or maybe it won't. Perhaps it will be nothing more than a ray of precious light in a very dark season. Even if it is, though, it has value. For one night, Lars Eller lifted the cloud of gloom hanging over the Canadiens and gave us a reason to really cheer for them again.

If it turns out that he can't inspire his teammates enough to save the season, he's given his fans a glimpse of the player he's capable of being. And that's a very special light indeed.

*photo by Yahoo! sports

Roy-al Flush

2012-01-03T14:28:00.000-11:00

The Canadiens have a blessed past. They have offered a stage to some of the greatest players the game of hockey has ever known. Rocket Richard lit a flame of passion in the hearts of those who roared to their feet when he powered his way over the opposing blueline. Jean Beliveau embodied the class for which the organization became known. Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden and the rest of the '70s dynasty composed probably the greatest team ever assembled.

For Habs fans of a certain age, though, the only real true-blue, home-grown, Canadiens superstar we ever knew was a gawky, quirky goaltender. Patrick Roy probably gets slightly too much credit for the wonderful Cup runs in 1986 and 1993. Although in the cold light of retrospect, we know he didn't do it all by himself, he was the one with the breathtaking OT performance in Game Three against the Rangers. He was the one with the lightning glove. He was the one with The Wink. In the end, his leaving polarized fans of that generation like nothing else could have done. Half of those who had loved him blamed the team and poor management. The other half saw their love distilled into hatred for a player they say quit on his team. What they really meant was they hated him for breaking their hearts. His departure is still a poorly-healed wound for those who pinpoint that moment as the beginning of the end of the Canadiens as a true contender.

Every once in a while, Roy's past as a Canadien and his leaving of the team bubble to the surface of Habs gossip again. Five years ago it was because of his induction into the Hall of Fame. Then it was his number retirement and participation in the Habs Centennial ceremonies. Now it's because his name is one of the more prominent mentioned as a potential coach of the Canadiens.

As always, when Roy's name comes up, fans are divided. Some firmly believe he's the passionate, take-no-prisoners coach the Canadiens need. And where better to find such a coach than within the team's legion of French-speaking superstars? Others are of the equally-entrenched opinion that Roy's sometimes egotistical, high-handed and mercurial behaviour would create more controversy than he or the team can handle.

When it comes down to it, though, both those opinions are just opinions. Nobody knows how Patrick Roy would do as an NHL coach because he's never been one before. His only experience as coach has been of the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts. There, his record has been decent, if not spectacular. As a mid-season replacement in the 2005-06 season with host Quebec, he coached the team to the Memorial Cup championship. Since then, his teams have made the playoffs every year, but have never made the Cup finals since. In the years since his win, Roy's temper has made headlines more than once. He was investigated for assault in 2007 after an off-ice incident reportedly involving an exchange of punches with an opposing team owner. In 2008, there was the now-infamous attack of an opponent by Roy's player and son, goaltender Jonathan, which many observers claimed was ordered by Roy himself.

His record in Quebec as a coach is also complicated because he's got total control there. He's owner and GM as well as coach, so if he wants a particular player or wants to manipulate the draft, he's got the power to do so. Likewise, if a player crosses him, he can dismiss that player. Then there's the matter of the guys he coaches. These are starry-eyed kids not yet twenty years old. Their dreams depend on pleasing their coach, and they're inclinded to do whatever he demands without question.

There's no doubt, other coaches have prospered in the NHL after apprenticing only in junior hockey. In Roy's case, however, one wonders how his "I'm in charge" setup in the Q would translate in his communications with millionaire professionals. Roy's passion for winning, in this case, could as easily be his undoing as it could be his best asset. Remember Roy's former captain, Guy Carbonneau, for instance. Few players hated losing more than Carbo, and when faced with players who just didn't seem to burn with the same fire, he more often than not looked lost and confused about how to get through to them. He just expected players to want it as much as he did, and when they didn't, he had no answers.

Roy might turn out to be a good NHL coach. He's said he'd listen if the Canadiens came calling, just as he'd listen if Colorado asked him again. It might actually be a great thing if he served some time working for another team before trying his hand in Montreal. Once installed behind the Habs' bench, his every comment would be dissected and, with the jackal-like tendency of some members of the media who would wait for him to fail, one can imagine the potential fireworks.

Canadiens fans of a certain age who still love what Patrick Roy did for our team would secretly love for him to take over, shake up the team and inspire the players to accept nothing less than winning. We imagine how he might support a great goalie like Carey Price and help him develop. Those of us who were devastated when he left Montreal after that horrible game in 1995 view his candidacy with more than a grain of caution. He loves to win, but can we trust him not to blow up and ruin everything? It's a big step, and maybe Montreal's not the right place for him to take it. At least not yet.

Classless

2012-01-02T14:55:00.000-11:00

Last week I wrote that Pierre Gauthier is a shithead. I said it because when he fired Jacques Martin two weeks ago, he blamed the coach for failing to prepare the team properly and for the players' lack of compete level in third periods. Those statements were ridiculous, as Martin certainly didn't suddenly change the game prep that had been perfectly acceptable to Gauthier until this year, nor did he tell the players to change the plan and start sucking in the third. If Gauthier had been honest, he would have admitted he fired Martin because the team is going to hell on a rail this year and shock treatment was required. The statements Gauthier made were insulting to Martin and basically classless.

The problem is, his entire reign as Habs GM has been marked by such low-class decisions. This year alone, he declined to make even a token offer to Kirk Muller which might have kept the popular coach around. Muller's departure may or may not be partly responsible for the dreadful state of the Canadiens this year, but the callous way he was let go without even a phone call was classless.

Then there was Perry Pearn's firing. Gauthier tried to pin the blame for the team's dreadful start on Pearn, while simultaneously firing a warning shot over Jacques Martin's bow. Martin found out about his closest colleague's dismissal an hour and a half before a game. The GM handled the situation awkwardly and, once again, with no class.

When Gauthier traded Jaroslav Spacek, he gave us another example of his disregard for people. He called Spacek in just as he was about to go onto the ice for practice and told him he'd been dealt. When Spacek asked where to, Gauthier said he couldn't tell him because the deal hadn't been approved by the league. So, a good man and dedicated player, sat there for an hour and a half knowing he'd be facing a huge life change, while the asshole responsible refused to tell him the details.

Now the latest example of outright classlessness is in the way Gauthier essentially fired Randy Cunneyworth in front of the media. In his latest state of the team address, he apologized for hiring a coach who didn't speak French and assured the media that the coach who will start the season next year will be bilingual. The statement was a completely unnecessary repeat of the comments made by Geoff Molson last week. Molson already threw Cunneyworth under the bus over the language issue, but Gauthier's comments basically tell the team this guy's not going to be around long, so whatever he's attempting to do is temporary. He has managed to destroy Cunneyworth's chances of making a real mark in his first NHL coaching position, and limit the respect he can expect to garner in the room. There was no reason for Gauthier to say those things, and his decision to do so was smug, disrespecful and disdainful of Cunneyworth. It's further evidence, if there hasn't been enough, that Gauthier has little of the class on which the Habs organization has traditionally built its reputation.

When the team president failed to return Larry Robinson's phone calls when Robinson expressed interest in a coaching position, we knew the days of the "Classy Canadiens" were numbered. Now they're gone, and whatever we might think of Gauthier's managerial decisions in themselves, the way he treats people is emblematic of what the organization has become.

Time For a Chill Pill

2012-01-01T08:20:00.000-11:00

Okay, folks. Let's all take a deep breath and count to ten before we express our frustration and fury with the Habs out loud. We fans have every right to be disappointed and bitter, but some of us are saying some ridiculous things.

There are, for example, the ones who think Carey Price's giving up "soft" goals proves he's responsible for the third-period meltdowns. Let's take a step back and examine that statement. Consider that he played 72 regular-season games last season and has logged the most minutes of any goalie in the league so far this year. Goaltending is a physical job, but it's also a very, very demanding position mentally. If Price looks like he loses his focus sometimes, there's a good chance he's pretty damn tired. A guy like Martin Brodeur, who had a hermetic defence in front of him for most of his career, could successfully play that much. Carey Price, with a spotty D and ineffectual offence to rely on, gets screwed if he's showing signs of fatigue.

Then there are the people who think Tomas Plekanec should be traded for a pick. Plekanec has been the team's leading scorer for the last three seasons, while carrying the heaviest defensive burden among all forwards. Under Jacques Martin, he played more than twenty minutes a night in all situations, often responsible for shutting down the other team's top line. This year, he's been saddled with the deeply slumping Michael Cammalleri for a good part of the season, and with the inconsistent Andrei Kostitsyn for the rest of it. For a guy whose points are mostly assists, Plekanec needs effective wingers. He's usually good for a good number of PP points, but this season spent much of his power play time manning the point, which proved to be a desperate misuse of his abilities. Right now, Plekanec is showing frustration with his own play and that of the team. He's missing open nets and taking dumb penalties, then reacting with head shaking and eye rolling. As we've seen with Plekanec in the past, and with countless others, confidence is essential to performance. When frustration sets in, it tends to build upon itself until something positive happens to break the pattern. So, while Plekanec is going through a rough patch at the moment, he'll recover from it because he's too good a player not to. Trading him now would be a terrible mistake.

A lot of people are wondering what's wrong with Max Pacioretty. The kid we saw start the season playing a fast, aggressive, productive game is as lost as the rest of his team now. After his suspension for hitting Kris Letang, he said he was confused about what's permissible and what's not, and he'd be afraid to hit anyone anymore, now that he's got a record as a head-hunter. What we might have heard as the anger and frustration of a young player who felt his suspension was unfair, relative to other league decisions, now has the ring of truth. Pacioretty has changed his game since then, and not for the better. He was deeply affected by the hit and its disciplinary aftermath, and someone needs to sit him down and talk to him about it.

While knee-jerk reactions are understandable right now, we have to try and find the positives in this mess, just to avoid outright crying about it. Positives like Alexei Emelin. That kid is a human wrecking ball and a joy to watch. He's caught on to the NHL game very quickly and prevents trouble in his own zone by keeping opponents from entering it in the first place. Lars Eller is another bright spot. He's big, strong, smart and already a trusted penalty killer. He knows how to put himself in the right places, and if he keeps doing that, the points will come. David Desharnais is smart and creative and doesn't let his size prevent him from doing what he sets out to do. Erik Cole is the power forward the Canadiens haven't had in recent memory. He's turned out to be a very good signing and would only be better with more productive linemates.

This season is as good as lost, but there are still small pleasures to be had in watching the games. We need to think about finding them where we can, rather than dumping on good players having a rough time. Fans have no power to change anything, so we need to chill out a bit. The players who are trying to be better would probably appreciate that.

Can Jim Mora Speak French?

2012-01-01T04:52:00.000-11:00

If Jim Mora can make this speech in French, he should be the Canadiens new permanent coach. At least he'd be telling the truth.

Asset Management

2011-12-30T08:41:00.000-11:00

When this NHL season began, it was with a sense of hope. The Canadiens had taken the Bruins to OT in Game Seven of their playoff series just a few months previous. It could have been them making the Finals...maybe even winning the Cup...instead of their archrivals. Most promising of all, they managed to do it without the services of Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges or Max Pacioretty. One could just imagine how the presence of those guys could have held the Bruins to one fewer goal, or pushed that precious goal behind Tim Thomas instead. When Pierre Gauthier re-signed Markov, presumably with the understanding he'd be ready to play the majority of the season, then added much-needed power and size in Erik Cole, we had every reason to believe the team would be better than the one that pushed the Bruins to the brink last season.

Then the games began. Right from the beginning, there was something wrong with the team. Of course, it turned out Markov wasn't ready to start the season; far from it, and his erstwhile replacement, Roman Hamrlik, was in Washington. The injuries continued to pile up during the first few weeks of the season and there was something off with the players who remained in the lineup. They were working hard, but somehow not working together. Their effort, complicated by the inexperience of so many players, often seemed to be misdirected.

The losses accumulated as quickly as the injuries, and they started preying on the players' minds. The team became fragile mentally. Having blown so many third-period leads, they began to change their game in the third period and played with the fear of blowing another. Naturally, as they stiffened up and fell back into a defensive shell, their opponents sensed opportunity and seized it. The Canadiens problems began to snowball as one loss fed the next. Management didn't help matters by bringing in inadequate solutions like Tomas Kaberle, or firing coaches Perry Pearn and Jacques Martin. It helped even less when Geoff Molson effectively gelded new bench boss Randy Cunneyworth by saying the permanent coach would be required to speak French. Add to that his blithe assessment that the team, as constructed, could possibly be a competitive threat, and there seemed little hope for change from that quarter.

Now, after the latest blown lead to fellow bottom-feeder Tampa Bay, the Habs hopes for the post-season are as distant as Molson's statements from reality. This team will not make the playoffs, short of a semi-miraculous run in the second half of the season. Even then, the chances of making them in a favourable post-season position or of winning a round or two, aren't great. A squeak into eighth place and hope for another colossal playoff upset offer the best outcome a fan might expect at this point. What's more likely with a great roll right now is a finish between 8th and 10th and a crappy, mid-round draft pick...the kind Trevor Timmins blows with unfortunate regularity.

The fear we must face as helpless fans who are watching our beloved team founder, is that Gauthier will try to save his own ass by pulling out all the stops to get the Habs into the playoffs. The likelihood of his coming up short with this plan and ending up in ninth place (while probably losing his job anyway) won't deter him from doing it anyway. The essential problem with this is that it will result in poor asset management of the type we've seen in recent years, when Sheldon Souray wasn't moved at the deadline as Bob Gainey vainly hoped keeping him would give the team a push upward. Of course, it didn't work, Souray walked and the Canadiens missed a chance to pick up a valuable first-round pick for him. There are other examples, too numerous to detail outside a novel.

Now, Gauthier has to look...really look...at the team he's got on the ice. He's got to make a list of players he expects to be part of this team in two years, and he's got to be ready to move the remaining people for parts that will help the team advance. He's got to ask difficult questions, like whether Michael Cammalleri's sub-par regular-season performances can continue to be overlooked because of his playoff goal scoring? If his poor play is a reason why the team misses the playoffs, then the answer to that is "no." A six-million dollar player who only performs in the post-season is useless if he can't help the team get there to begin with. If that's the case, then a playoff-bound team might offer a high return for what he can offer it on a Cup run. In that situation, Gauthier has to be willing to move Cammalleri in February.

Ditto for Hal Gill. Teams know he's a playoff beast on the PK and in the shot-blocking department. If he can bring a second or third-round pick, when he probably won't be back next year anyway, then Gauthier needs to move him. Tomas Kaberle should be gone as well, if there's a return to be had. Scott Gomez goes without saying. Travis Moen too, if there's a team needing a workhorse penalty-kill guy for the playoffs.

Essentially, there's a youth core the Habs can build on. Lars Eller, Louis Leblanc, Carey Price, P.K.Subban, Alexei Emelin, Raphael Diaz, David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty are a good start. Veterans like Tomas Plekanec, Josh Gorges and Erik Cole who are earning their money and still performing can contribute for the next few years. Other players are extraneous and must be exchanged for parts that can add to that core, whether that be draft picks or promising prospects. Realistically, there's no player outside the core that can bring a truly game-saving return, so Gauthier (or his replacement should he be fired before the deadline) must try to get something helpful for them. Something that will add to the core and help build a competitive team.

To accomplish this, the GM needs to have a plan. In the last several years, there hasn't been one. Bob Gainey had an idea of the type of team he'd like to build, but seemed to be derailed by the immaturity of some key players and the ennui of others. The complete blowing-up of that team three years ago appeared to be the result of frustration and anger on his part. Therefore, even though it's pretty widely accepted that a competitive team in the cap era must be built through the draft and good player development, Gainey went old-school and tried to buy a team through overpriced free agency. He lucked out in that the guys he brought in were of good character and got along with each other well. He failed to realize, however, how quickly their on-ice performances would deteriorate and how their inflated salaries would make it difficult for the team to move them if necessary.

That's got to be fixed now. The Canadiens need a GM with balls enough to move the players who have value but won't be with the team long-term. It needs to happen this year, at the deadline or before, because the Montreal Canadiens will have little choice but to be sellers this season. They've got to sell, to buy themselves a future.

A Christmas Miracle

2011-12-23T17:34:00.000-11:00

The Scene: Bob Gainey's office, seventh floor, Bell Centre. The phone rings.

Gainey: Hello?
Glen Sather: Bob? It's Slats.
Gainey: Oh, hello, Glen. How are you doing?
Sather: Fine, fine. Listen, Bob?
Gainey: Yes, Glen?
Sather: I've...been going through some things. All that drinking we did back in the '70s? Well, it stuck with me. I couldn't shake it. You've seen some of the contracts I've handed out, right? Well, that was the booze signing those deals. No...don't interrupt. It's okay now. I'm doing the twelve-step thing, and I'm at the part where I have to make ammends. I can't, in good conscience, keep Ryan McDonagh. We were drinking, I bought the last round and...well, it wasn't well done of me. I took advantage and stuck you with Gomez, so I shouldn't have stolen McDonagh as well. Listen. I'm trading him back to you for a seventh, okay?
Gainey: Um, okay. But you'll have to clear it with Pierre first.
Sather:(laughing) Yeah, right. So, we've got a deal?
Gainey: Of course!

An hour later, Gainey's phone rings again:

Gainey: Yes?
Scott Gomez: Bob? Hi. It's Scott.
Gainey: Hello, Scott. How's your recouperation going?
Gomez: Well, here's the thing, Bob. I've found Jesus.
Gainey: What? Was he missing? Ha ha.
Gomez: No, seriously, Bob. My new physio has shown me the light. He says we've all got to be responsible for what we take from the world, and make sure we give the same back. I'm taking too much, Bob. I need to retire from hockey and start giving something back.
Gainey: Seriously? You want to retire?
Gomez: It's the right thing to do. Hockey's been great, and I've earned a lot of money playing it, but it's time for me to be the giver, not the taker. I know this is hard for you to hear Bob, but I'm going to have to leave Montreal.
Gainey: ALL RIGHT!!...I mean, right is important. As in, the right thing. Scott, I'm proud of you. Do the what's right for you.
Gomez: Thanks, Bob. You're like a second dad.

A little later, the phone rings again:

Gainey, warily: Hello?
Sidney Crosby: Hi, Bob? It's Sidney.
Gainey: Sidney! How's your recovery going?
Crosby: I'm ready to go, Bob. But, you know what? I don't know how much time I might have left in the league, and I want to play where my heart is. I mean, I love Pittsburgh because they drafted me, and Mario's been really great. I won the Cup here. But my heart's always been in Montreal. I love the Habs and I want to end my career there, no matter how long I've got left.
Gainey: Well, Sid, that's great. But we just don't have the assets to trade for you.
Crosby: It's okay. My lawyers say the Pens didn't take proper care of my health and we have a helluva lawsuit here. They're willing to let me go for a token return.
Gainey: Yeah, right. Like,say, Diaz?
Crosby: Well, you'll have to do better than that, but if you sign and trade Kostitsyn, that might work. They need wingers for Geno.
Gainey: Thanks, Sid. I'll get on it.

Larry Carriere: Bob? Hi. It's Larry. I've...found something.
Gainey: You found something?
Carriere: Yeah. It's kind of weird.
Gainey: What do you mean?
Carriere: I found an old fax machine. Probably 20 years old. But there was a piece of paper stuck in it.
Gainey: So?
Carriere: Um, yeah. It's a contract. It says Scotty Bowman agrees to be GM and coach of the Canadiens until otherwise notified.
Gainey: Seriously? Is it signed?
Carriere: Yup. If we want to push it, he's ours.
Gainey: Push it.

And so, the Canadiens suddenly freed up seven million in cap space, which enabled them to sign Shea Weber. They traded a seventh-round pick to get Ryan McDonagh back. They traded a fifth and Andrei Kostitsyn for Sidney Crosby and they signed Scotty Bowman as GM and coach. The next season, they won the Stanley Cup and all their fans rejoiced.

And that, my friends, is my Christmas miracle story for you.

Merry Christmas, happy Hannukah and a very happy holiday for you who celebrate a different tradition. I'll see you for the tank in 2012.

Montreal Canadiens: The Museum Exhibit

2011-12-19T12:21:00.000-11:00

The Montreal Canadiens are in an interesting position these days. While nominally maintaining their position as an active NHL team, they are, in fact an historical curiosity. The great Flying Frenchmen, the team that cloaked Quebec in the pride born of victory, are gone. That, however, doesn't stop the current, slickly packaged, version of the team from pretending there's still a semblance of that great franchise in existence.

In 1982, Ken Dryden wrote that the Canadiens going forward could either be good, or be French. A number of factors, from expansion, to the draft, to free agency to an influx of foreign-born players would inevitably mean that the best French Canadien players would not be so easily available to their local team. That's come true in many ways. What Dryden perhaps didn't foresee, however was the salary cap that would put the squeeze on so many teams, the Quebec tax structure that makes Montreal salaries 25% less than those in some U.S. states, the drop in the number of Quebec children who play hockey and the mid-nineties insistence on drafting big and tough rather than looking for the good local guy. Add bad management and poor drafting and the team Dryden knew deteriorated perhaps more quickly than he expected.

Many, many factors contribute to the league-wide parity that means the slightest disadvantage can make the difference between winning or losing. The Canadiens, rather than recognizing that the past is the past and winning today requires playing on the same level as every other team, insist on limiting themselves to only French-speaking candidates for important positions like GM and coach. So, since Jacques Martin has been fired, the team has installed Randy Cunneyworth as interim coach. Yet, right from the start, he's hamstrung by the language issue. Geoff Molson, with today's statement that the coach must speak French, tells Cunneyworth that no matter what he does...even if he were to drag this underachieving team into the playoffs and somehow win the Cup...he'll be let go at the end of the season unless he can learn French between now and then. What kind of motivation is that for a coach?

The irony of the insistence on French speakers at the management level is that there's very little regard for having French players on the ice anymore. Serge Savard, in the recent book "Behind the Moves," which offers a look inside the philosophies of winning NHL GMs, said he believed in making up to half his players local. He said those guys lived in the city, so if they performed badly, there was no place for them to run and hide during the summer. They had a vested interest in winning. They also had a sense of local pride, having grown up cheering for the team. Savard said the Q was underappreciated in the NHL, so a team willing to take a chance on Quebec players would find some gems. He said he never would have passed up players like David Perron or Claude Giroux in favour of American guys. Not, he said, that the players the Habs picked were necessarily bad (although, in David Fischer's case, he's got a more than valid point), but taking a chance on the guys who grew up as Habs fans in the team's own back yard would have paid off in those cases.

In any case, the Habs as they used to be...the dominant, winning team...are gone. For nearly twenty years they've been a bunch of also-rans or worse, while preserving the precious illusion that they're still the pride of Quebec. Certainly Quebecers are proud of the history of the team, but I wonder how many of them are proud of the current incarnation? How many of them would honestly say it's better to preserve the team's place as a cultural and historical icon than to pursue winning in the modern NHL?

Maybe it's the majority. Maybe people are willing to accept mediocrity, as long as the coach and GM can mumble meaningless platitudes for the edification of the French-language media. If that's the case, then the Habs are nothing more than an historical oddity; a once-great team wallowing in the increasingly distant memory of its own glory. The question is, how much longer will the marketing team be able to disguise the reality of the on-ice product? With no reasonable chance of topping the league these days, the vital youth fan-base, most of which don't remember the Habs winning the Cup at all, won't keep buying what management is selling.

The thing is, there are a lot of Canadiens fans who just want to see a winning team, who don't give a crap if the coach can speak French or not. So, for us, it was very, very disheartening to see Molson tell Cunneyworth he's not good enough because he doesn't speak the right language. For those of us who cheer for a hockey team, not a cultural institution, it was disappointing. About as disappointing as the cultural institution has been on the ice for this season and most of the last twenty.

No Excuses

2011-12-17T12:31:00.000-11:00

Many Canadiens fans are celebrating today, and not because Christmas is only a week away. The Jacques Martin era, much maligned by those disgruntled enough not to care who replaced him, is over.

Martin's dismissal, on its own, won't do a whole lot to change the Canadiens' fortunes unless Randy Cunneyworth steps into the top job with a radically different approach to the game. As mentioned here before, Martin wasn't necessarily a bad coach. There are, however, several indications that he wasn't the right coach for this particular bunch of players. And, while nobody will admit to having quit on Martin, there's a chance some of the offensively-inclined players under his charge might have been getting sick of the style they were required to play.

The thing about Martin is, up until now, he was able to take a diminished group and, through tightly controlled defence, help it overachieve. He began to lose control when his defence was so badly depleted through injury that it exposed the weaknesses of the forwards hobbled by The System. It's one thing to be unable to score more than two goals when the D keeps the other team to just a single. When the defence, however, gives up three or four, the losses begin to pile up.

Pierre Gauthier said today that pre-game preparation was an issue in Martin's firing, as was sustained compete level throughout the game. All those statements mean is that Gauthier is a shithead. Nobody can reasonably believe a coach who's been behind the bench for as many games as Martin has suddenly lost the ability to formulate a game plan. And there's no way he's been telling the team to slack off when it's up a goal with fifteen minutes to go. Pierre Gauthier, the same as countless GMs before him, has no answer to the dismal performances of the players he's acquired...other than to blame the coach.

Cunneyworth may benefit from the early post-firing soul searching most players experience. They feel guilty, knowing Martin probably couldn't do a whole lot more than he did, and so they'll start looking at themselves for a moment. Mike Cammalleri must know if he was scoring goals, his coach might not have lost his job. Ditto Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta.

In the end, though, the early guilt-fuelled energy following a coach's dismissal doesn't last long. When it passes, all the excuses are gone. All the "If only the team had a different coach...different system...different philosophy" lamentations have been realized. Now we'll know what we've got here. And what it'll come down to is that the Habs aren't really that good. Cammalleri isn't Claude Giroux. David Desharnais isn't Martin St.Louis and Josh Gorges isn't Shea Weber. Outside Carey Price, this team doesn't have a star. They are what they are and their only hope is to find a way to work together to be better collectively than the sum of their parts should be. That's not outside the realm of possibility, of course. Other teams have done it and gone far with that kind of strength-in-numbers approach.

We'll see if Gauthier's sacrifice of Martin is worth it. Cunneyworth is in the spotlight now and he's got a fair piece of work cut out for him. He'll have to convince the Canadiens that whatever their individual talents or the system they're asked to play, they have to buy into working together. Otherwise they can book their early-April tee times now, regardless of who's behind the bench.

Albatross!

2011-12-09T09:01:00.001-11:00

For your viewing (dis)pleasure, a video re-enactment of today's trade between the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes. Starring Jim Rutherford as "seller" and Pierre Gauthier as "gullible customer." Also featuring a cameo by Tomas Kaberle as "Albatross."

Enjoy. If you can wipe the tears away long enough to watch.

Resignation

2011-12-09T04:01:00.000-11:00

I have a confession to make. My excitement regarding the Canadiens' season has been reduced to the moment each morning when I check my email news alerts to see whether Jacques Martin has been fired yet. When I learn that he hasn't, the sense of disappointment caused by knowing almost from the moment the season started that the Habs won't be in the playoffs is renewed.

The funny thing is, I don't think Martin is necessarily a bad coach. In fact, not knowing much about what really goes on inside an NHL dressing room, I would guess he's at least as good as most and probably better than some others of his colleagues. Sure, he makes inexplicable personnel decisions, is stubborn to a fault and is as emotionally demonstrative as a stone Buddha, but those things don't necessarily make him irredeemable as a coach. He probably wouldn't have spent as much time as he has in the NHL if that was the case, especially when he's got no credibility as a player to fall back on.

No, the reason I look with anticipation for Martin's dismissal is because I'm hoping something will happen to shake up the bunch on the ice before it's too late. Perhaps it's not fair that a coach should have to pay the price for failing to motivate a bunch of men overpaid to play a boy's game, but when those man-boys lose enough games, something's got to give. Maybe the guilt of knowing they cost a man his job will inspire them to actually hold onto a lead for once.

This is getting depressing to watch. All the excitement we should be feeling and the fun we should be having watching hockey is absent. The end results...blown leads, wasted PPs, futile shootouts, too-many-men, Carey Price left hanging...are becoming so predictable, the only thing the Habs are inspiring is Geoff Molson's accountant. This is the first fall in the last five in which I didn't go to Montreal to take in a game at the Bell Centre. Having seen some of the dismal performances the team has handed in at home and comparing the results to the inflated cost of a ticket, I couldn't justify it.

There are injuries, of course, and replacement players who are either not ready or not very good, but few teams have escaped without those issues. The difference between winning teams...even those with less talent than the Canadiens have on paper...and losers is that they have a plan and they work together to execute it. The Habs aren't not working, precisely. Most of them appear to be trying. The thing is, they look like they're trying all by themselves. It's like watching a tug-of-war with three people on one side and fifteen on the other. The team that's pulling together inevitably wins. They're able find the extra bit of energy when they're down a goal or two, and the Canadiens, hauling like hell in five different directions, don't.

Judging by the amount of writing he does in his little notebook, Jacques Martin probably has a plan. If he does, however, the team isn't executing it. The question is, why not? If it's because they don't understand it and what they're supposed to do, it's up to Martin to find a way to get the message across. If it's because they don't have the manpower to follow the plan, then it's Martin's job to change the plan to suit the people he's got available. In either case, the spotlight's got to shine on Martin and what he's doing to give the team a clear blueprint for winning. Using the abyssmal power play as a glaring example, there's obviously a breakdown between the plan and the execution. It's probably not helping that players are rarely on the ice with the same teammates for more than a game or two. There are legitmate questions Pierre Gauthier should be asking Martin right about now.

It always comes back to the coach in any case, because a GM can't fire a player like Michael Cammalleri, who, for the low, low price of six million a year is weak as watered wine in his own end and isn't producing points either. He might be money in the playoffs, but this team, as it stands, is not going to be in the playoffs. Something has to change immediately because the team is rapidly approaching the tipping point at which post-season hopes disappear.

People will scoff at that and say the Habs are only a point behind Ottawa for eighth place. They fail to point out that there are two other teams a point out of eighth as well, both of which have played fewer games than the Canadiens. One of those is Washington, which can reasonably be expected to pick up points at a better pace than they have been doing recently. The Canadiens have an uphill battle to the post-season, make no mistake about it. And that's only IF they turn things around right now. They're more than a third of the way into the season and things only get tougher as more teams feel desperation setting in.

Whether Jacques Martin is a good coach or not is immaterial at this point. The team needs a kick in the ass and he's not providing it. Perhaps his removal would do the trick. If not, well, this team is losing with him and can lose just as well without him. The hope that maybe a change in the coaching department would spark some kind of turnaround is becoming enough of a reason to let Martin go. Whether Molson feels the same way, knowing he's on the hook for a year and a half of Martin's salary and reported early-dismissal penalty of two million, remains to be seen. The looming loss of playoff revenue may help him make up his mind.

Some fans aren't too worried because they figure a playoff miss will mean big, positive changes in management and on the roster, as well as a good draft pick. The problem is, they're not bad enough to beat out Carolina or the Islanders for a lottery pick and yet another middle-of-the-pack Trevor Timmins special won't change a thing. It's time for action now, if the team has any hope of clawing its way to the top half of the conference. Now, I've got to go check my email and see if there's any news.

Baby Boom

2011-12-06T10:44:00.002-11:00

Photo courtesy of Josie Gold.

First, it was Michael Cammalleri. He came to training camp a first-time new dad and people have been wondering all season why he doesn't have quite the jump we'd like to see from him every night. He was caught failing to pay adequate attention to his surroundings when he allowed himself to be cut by Yannick Weber's skate. The "injury" meant he could rest at home with his little daughter for a couple of weeks.

Then, it was Hal Gill. His third child was born this season and he's been looking slower and more klutzy than ever with the puck. Sure, his shot-blocking has been fine, but he developed a mysterious infection after getting cut in the leg last month. Not coincidentally, he ended up spending more time at home with the baby while recouperating.

Now, it's Tomas Plekanec. His first baby, a little boy (pictured above), was born on Sunday and already he's missing practice to spend time with his family. How long will it be before he develops some strange ailment or borderline injury that will require him to stay away from the team? And if he doesn't disappear altogether, can we expect his play to remain as consistent as it usually is?

With all the analysis of the Canadiens' sub-par performance this year, few people have pinpointed the real reason for it: babies. Babies whine, cry, poop and demand, keeping hardworking hockey players from their pre-game naps. These guys have to be in tip-top shape, but how are they supposed to work out when they're pushing a stroller? These underhanded miniature people are undermining our team, and must be controlled at once. After all, if Plekanec has been subverted, it won't be long before the rest of his teammates follow suit. There could already be others we just haven't heard about.

Then again, on the plus side, it's only 18 years before Plekanec Junior is eligible to be drafted by the Habs. Okay. In that case, congratulations to the proud new dad!

Tell the Truth

2011-12-02T10:28:00.000-11:00

Whenever I was reluctant to spill some piece of information I knew would land me in hot water as a kid, my mother would look me in the eye and say, "Tell the truth and shame the devil." She'd skewer me with equal parts guilt and a gimlet eye and before long the story would come spilling out. Sometimes I wish my mother could pull that trick on Pierre Gauthier, because, really, there's no need for the way he refuses to tell anybody what's happening with our team.

Gauthier needs to get over himself. He's not the head of CSIS or the chairman of the United Nations security council. He's the general manager of a fairly mediocre hockey team with some depressingly serious problems. He talks (when he talks) about the need for employees to communicate in both official languages, which he's more than capable of doing. Yet, he chooses to hide away in his seventh-floor office and remain unaccountable to the people who, although the organization seems to disdain them, actually pay the bills.

Right now, the ridiculousness of the Andrei Markov saga is making the Canadiens management look like a poorly-written spy show. On Canadian TV. Markov was practicing with contact in a regular pairing and made the trip to California, obviously with the intent to play at least once on the three-game sojourn. Instead, reporters tweeted Markov wasn't on the ice in Anaheim. Then he wasn't in San Jose at all, and speculation about whether he'd stayed behind in Anaheim or gone ahead to L.A. ran rampant. People began to question whether Markov had had another setback and was seeking medical help. The only sound from Gauthier's office was the echo of lettuce crunching in the silence.

If management's intention in suppressing information is to keep a lid on the bubbling cauldron of gossip in Montreal, it fails miserably. When no one's saying what's really going on, people start imagining all manner of possibilities. That's how the rumours the Habs hate so much get started in the future. A frank explanation would be much more effective in quashing unwanted speculation.

I'm not saying Gauthier should be obliged to satisfy the unquenchable thirst for every drop of information he can decant for the masses. Of course, the Canadiens are a business operation and some things, like who's targeted in a trade or who's high in draft consideration, should be kept in-house. However, when an important player like Markov is having setbacks, the fans and media deserve to know. Nobody's asking to see his MRI, for God's sake. People would just appreciate it if the organization had the decency to say, "Andrei's not feeling quite up to playing yet. He's gone to see a doctor in L.A. We'll have more information after that, and a better timeline for his return." Unfortunately, the arrogant cone of silence descends and the usual trickle of information becomes a dried creek bed.

And, it is arrogant, without a doubt. Why should Pierre Gauthier be allowed to disregard honest questions about what's happening with the team and its important players? Yes, the Canadiens are a business, but a business is only as strong as its customer base. Gauthier's decision to ignore the fans simply reveals his comfort in the knowledge that if one person quits coming to the Bell Centre, there'll be another there to take his place before the ink on the ticket is dry. He and the Canadiens take the fans for granted because they can.

We're not asking for much. We'd just like to have some kind of idea whether the team we pay through the nose to watch will be healthy at any point this season. We'd like to know if there's a chance we'll see our favourite player on the ice at last. Whether Gauthier's refusal to tell us the slightest bit of the truth comes from paranoia about revealing internal secrets or from disdain at our temerity in asking in the first place, it's not acceptable.

Come on, Gauthier. Tell the truth and shame the devil.

Markov's First Name Is Not Jesus

2011-11-30T02:40:00.000-11:00

It's a wonderful thing that Andrei Markov is finally ready to come back to the Canadiens. On a personal level, can you even imagine the frustration and boredom he's dealt with in the last two years? The weeks of pain after surgery, then day after day of repetitive exercises in the gym. The days stretch into weeks and then months and ice time never seems closer. You never feel like you're part of the team because you don't travel with them, you don't skate with them and you watch all the games from the press box. After two years, nearly half the players on the team have never actually played with you, and you feel like your name is being forgotten. Not to mention the fans' assumption that after three injuries in two years, no matter how talented you are, you're now not only injury-prone, but likely to crap out before the playoffs. Markov has hoed a very tough row for the last couple of seasons.

What makes it harder for him is the fans who expect him to be God. He's supposed to come back to an injury-ravaged, underperforming, poorly-coached team and lead it into the playoffs. He's expected to save the power play, solidify the defence and boost the attack. In truth, his return might be an early holiday gift for fans, but Markov's return isn't likely to be the Second Coming.

After two years away from the game (save the seven games he played last season), Markov is going to be rusty. He's going to look slow sometimes and he's going to make tactical errors when required to make crucial decisions at high speed. He'll probably pinch deep and not get back in time to prevent a break every once in a while. He's just not at game pace yet. Patience is important in letting him re-adapt to the NHL game, but the fear is that fans have no patience left.

Four or five years ago, when minor injuries would keep Markov out of the lineup for a couple of games, the team's win/loss record without him was dismal. He was the engine that drove the Canadiens' special teams and the guy responsible for shutting down the opponents' best guys. Then, two seasons ago when Carey Price's skate slashed his tendon and cost him most of the year, the Habs had to learn to cope without Markov long term. They managed it, remaining a playoff team even in The General's absence. From the fans' perspective, the old habit of relying on Markov never really went away, though.

While the team focused on making the most of the assets it had left, the fans dreamed of "When Markov comes back." As in, "When Markov comes back, the D will move the puck better, the power play will score again and have-not will be no more." That's a heavy burden to place on a guy who's missed a lot of hockey. Markov is lucky to be blessed with great instincts and hockey sense, and they may help him adapt his game to accomodate a possible reduction of mobility. He will certainly help the team, but the fans need to remember there's a chance he won't be the same player who used to control the Habs blueline and make the All-Star game without having to be voted in. The trick is to accept him for what he brings and learn not to mourn what he doesn't.

That could be tough for a lot of people who've been breathlessly waiting with stars in their eyes for the day Markov returns. Because once he returns and the dream becomes reality, there's no more hiding the truth of what the Canadiens really are. For better or worse, the real Habs will be revealed, and it may not be pretty. We can hope the verdict will lean toward the "better" side of the scales, but it should probably be a cautious optimism. For now, instead of hoping Markov will save the season, it'll be nice just to see him back on the ice. It's been too long.

Maximum Suspension

2011-11-29T03:21:00.000-11:00

When Max Pacioretty lowered the boom on Kris Letang on Saturday night, most of us figured Brendan Shanahan would send him to the press box. The only question was whether the suspension would be for one game or two. Shanahan surprised many by handing down a three-game sentence; a pretty stiff penalty in light of some of the other hits we've seen go unpunished this year. And you know what? Pacioretty deserved it.

He could have let up before making contact with Letang, but he didn't. He knew he was wrong too, as was apparent with his immediate apology. The hit broke Letang's nose, but didn't prevent him from returning to score the winner in OT. Pacioretty, in this case, was very lucky nothing worse happened. Having been the victim of that crushing hit by Zdeno Chara last year, he knows better than most what the consequences of irresposible hits can be. The very fact that he's been there himself and was affected deeply enough to start a foundation to help treat brain injuries should justify the three-game suspension. If a guy who's been on the receiving end of a head shot can still hit another player that way, it shows even the best of intentions can fall by the wayside in the heat of the action. Shanahan's reaction underlines the need for all players to be responsible for what they do on the ice, and accept the consequences for hurting another guy.

This is where the NHL has a problem. While few will dispute that Pacioretty deserved a suspension, it's tough to swallow when Boston's Milan Lucic can run over Buffalo's Ryan Miller, concussing him, and get nothing for it. If the league is to regain a modicum of respect, it has to be consistent in its discipline. The alternative is looking amateurish and appearing as though the NHL brass plays favourites. When conspiracy theories like those become the norm, hockey draws a step closer to professional wrestling in the public's perception.

When Brendan Shanahan became the NHL's Super Cop, many previously-disillusioned fans saw it as a sign of change. The hope was that a former player of Shanahan's stature (without a kid playing in the league) would be the soul of thoughtful justice. That hope grew with the rash of suspensions Shanahan dispensed in the pre-season. The carefully detailed explanation videos he prepared for each case made a lot of sense.

It seems, however, that in the analysis of the minutiae of every hit, Shanahan is losing sight of the bottom line. The question should be, "Did Player X hit Player Y in the head?" If the answer is "yes," then it's suspension-worthy. Shanahan, with his talk of angles of a guy's head, which foot the player's weight rests upon and perceived intent, is making these cases much more convoluted than they should be. In the case of Pacioretty, the player making the hit nailed his opponent in the head and, despite instant remorse, got a significant suspension. Canadiens fans can recognize the risk inherent in that hit and understand the decision.

It's when the super slo-mo view of a fast game provides excuses for glossing over actions that we feel progress is moving at a snail's pace. So, today it's not hard for Habs fans to feel there's no justice in the league. Hits on Pacioretty and Chris Campoli saw the perpetrators go free, while Pacioretty as the hitter rather than the hittee got suspended. The argument today isn't whether he should have been punished, it's why so many others are not. That's what the NHL and Shanahan need to fix.

It's On You, Jacques

2011-11-26T16:14:00.001-11:00

I don't usually pile on when everyone is blaming the coach for a loss. After all, there's only so much the guy behind the bench can do. He makes the plan and sends the players out to execute it, so it's not his fault if they fail to do that. That is, unless the plan is entirely stupid to begin with.

In the case of the Canadiens against the Penguins, Jacques Martin chose to put Hal Gill and Yannick Weber together as a defensive pair. The biggest, softest, slowest and most immobile D on the team, with one of the smallest, least confident and most recently mistake-prone. The combination, to the most casual observer's view, was wrong-headed and doomed to failure.

Sure enough, Weber and Gill were on the ice not only for the lousy tying goal, but also for the winner in OT. There is no excuse. It's overtime, Martin. You don't have to keep the same guys paired up, especially if they're obviously not performing overly well. You overplay your best in hopes of snagging the second point. For this alone, Martin must be questioned regarding his choice of personnel.

Scotty Bowman said the secret to good coaching is in knowing which players to have on the ice at any given moment. Obviously, Jacques Martin hasn't grasped that. He's got the paperwork and video prep down, but he has no instincts about who to play, when. For that reason alone, he must go.

Carey Price threw his stick in disgust after the winning goal, and rightly so. He was hung out to dry by the coach, yet again, and a surplus of games like this will make him think twice about signing long-term in Montreal. The coach is wrong. He makes bad decisions. I find it hard to watch.

Goalies Are Different

2011-11-21T05:07:00.000-11:00

Everybody knows goalies are a different breed. From Glenn Hall puking before every game to Gary "Suitcase" Smith showering between periods and Patrick Roy talking to his goalposts, they're often on a planet of their own. Unfortunately, while their minds may seem to be elsewhere, their brains are actually still on the same plane, taking the same risks as every other player. However, a lot of the evidence proves when it comes to concussions, there's a different standard for goalies.

On March 16, 2011, the NHL's new concussion protocol came into effect. It says, in part, that "players suspected of having a concussion will be removed from the game and sent to a quiet place free from distraction so they can be examined by the on-site team physician. The physician will use the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool test to evaluate the player. Symptoms include loss of consciousness, motor incoordination or balance problems, a blank or vacant look, slow to get up after a hit to the head, disorientation, clutching of the head after a hit or visible facial injury in combination with another symptom." The league received immediate positive feedback for the change, and many brain-safety advocates saw it as a step in the right direction.

On March 18, 2011, the Canadiens took on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. With the Rangers up 5-3 late in the third, Benoit Pouliot crashed hard into Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, bowling him over. The trainer hurried to the netminder's aid as Lundqvist was very slow to get up, holding his head. Instead of the "quiet room" treament, however, Lundqvist got an on-ice neck massage from the trainer and stayed in to finish the game. He complained of a stiff neck after the game, but managed to play, and win, two days later.

On October 22, 2011, the leafs visited the Habs at the Bell Centre. Just over a minute and a half into the first period, Brian Gionta attempted to duck through the crease. In the process, he bumped goalie James Reimer, hard, in the head. Play went on during a delayed penalty call in the Canadiens end, while Reimer remained helmetless, on his knees, in his crease. Again, the goalie, although obviously rattled, was not removed to the quiet room. In this case, didn't even get the benefit of a neck massage, as the trainer wasn't summoned at all. The Hockey Night in Canada announcers called the hit "a pretty good jolt," and Glenn Healey commented that it was "a pretty good show by Reimer." The goaltender got up and played the rest of the first period. He left the game during the intermission, claiming something, "didn't feel right."

Toronto coach Ron Wilson said of the Reimer hit the following day: "He got an elbow in the head and felt whiplash like effects and he could've finished the game but it's early the season and we didn't want to risk it. He should be OK and we will see how he feels tomorrow." A month later, Reimer still hasn't played again because of "concussion-like symptoms," which Brian Burke denies add up to an actual concussion and Reimer's mother says is the latest of several career concussions her son has sustained.

On November 12, 2011, the Bruins met the Sabres in Boston. With the Sabres up 1-0 about six minutes into the opening period, Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller came out of his net to beat Milan Lucic to the puck and clear it out of danger. Lucic, with a full head of steam and no intention of letting up, drove an elbow into Miller's head. The goaltender lost his helmet and was later diagnosed with a concussion. Again, no trainer rushed to the scene and Miller ended up playing the rest of the first and the second period before finally leaving the game with "neck pain." The announcers during the game called it a deliberate attempt to injure, but NHL policeman Brendan Shanahan said the hit didn't deserve a suspension. Given some of the suspensions he's handed down for very similar hits on skaters, it seems the NHL discipline office thinks goalies should be judged differently. Miller himself had another opinion.

So now two teams just in the Northeast division are missing their top goalies with concussions, and in neither case did anyone take the hurt player off the ice for assessment according to the league's concussion protocol. Last March, the Rangers were just lucky the same thing didn't happen to Henrik Lundqvist. While it's true that goalies are better equipped than their teammates to handle pucks to the face and head, and may seem impervious to the kinds of injuries other players endure, one must remember the brain inside the helmet doesn't know if it belongs to a goalie or a centreman. It knows only the repercussions of a blow to the head, which are the same for a goalie as for anyone else.

On this day, when Sydney Crosby is set to come back from the concussion that has kept him from the game for the last ten months, head injuries and their consequences are on the public radar more than they ever have been. Hockey Canada has made important changes to women's and minor hockey on the road to preventing head shots. Researchers are improving equipment and even the dinosaur-paced NHL is moving toward harsher penalties for those who cause head injuries. Except when it comes to goalies.

Few people would argue Crosby is the Pittsburgh Penguins' most important player. It's his status and elite skill level that have shone a light on his injury and helped force the changes we've seen in the last year. For many teams without a skater of Crosby's ability, however, the goaltender can be their biggest, or only, star. Losing that player can be devastating. Just imagine, for example, the Canadiens with Carey Price sitting out a concussion for weeks or months.

Sadly, after the Lucic hit on Ryan Miller, one of the most common debates among commentators and fans was whether the Sabres were too "soft" and let Lucic "get away" with the hit. The problem with that train of thought is the reaction doesn't matter if the goalie has already been hurt. And, Miller's teammates should not have been expeted to protect him when the league protects everybody else.

Adam Proteau writes for the Hockey News, and he's the author of the new book, "Fighting the Good Fight: Why On-Ice Violence Is Killing Hockey." On the issue of how goalies are treated under the concussion protocol, Proteau says:

"It's about evening the playing field across the board and saying it doesn't matter how many minutes you play or what position you play. You deserve to be safe in your work environment, or as safe as possible."

Those are words the league needs to take to heart during the evolution of developing respect for the brain in hockey. A goaltender should have the same degree of protection as any other player, and hitting him in the head should carry the same consequences. Goalies may be different, but their brains are not.

Gorgeous Gorges

2011-11-17T05:59:00.000-11:00

He might not be the most classically handsome man on the Canadiens' team, with his military haircut, blunt features and scarred visage, but Josh Gorges is a beautiful speciman of a defenceman. His best features don't show on the outside, with the possible exception of the determination in his eyes. Still, his teammates know what he's all about and in the absence of anybody more experienced on the blueline, the Habs' young D-corps is following him.

Gorges' story is an inspirational one. Undersized and undrafted, he came off a Memorial Cup championship as captain of the Kelowna Rockets and, after an injury-shortened season in the AHL, elbowed his way onto the San Jose Sharks roster in 2005. He never really found a permanent home on the Sharks' blueline, though. Relatively inexperienced, he played well when called upon, but was the easy guy to scratch when facing big, banging western conference teams. So, when the Sharks were gearing up for one of their innumerable failed playoff runs in 2007, they went looking for a veteran D-man to shore up their back end. Enter Craig Rivet, with Gorges and a Sharks' first heading to Montreal.

Looking back now, most fans consider that trade to be the best one Bob Gainey made as Habs GM. At the time it looked like the first would be the most important element changing hands. Gorges had a tough time finding a full-time spot in Montreal with Andrei Markov (remember him?), Mark Streit, Roman Hamrlik, Francis Bouillon, Patrice Brisebois, Mike Komisarek, Mathieu Dandenault and Ryan O'Byrne already there. He spent a lot of nights in the press box and was mentioned as a throw-in in more than a few trade rumours.

Gradually, however, Gorges wormed his way onto the daily roster. With blueline injuries in his second year in Montreal, he ended up playing a solid 81 games and has never looked back. We've seen his value increase as he's proven he can take a beating (remember the Mike Green slapper to the head?) and keep on going. He's been so indestructible, in fact, that when he announced he'd been playing essentially without an ACL in his knee for seven years and would finally need surgery last season, it was shocking. Not surprising at all has been his return from rehab, as though nothing ever happened. This, in contrast with poor Andre Markov's trials, is a testament to his recuperative abilities.

He was a leader on his Memorial Cup team in Kelowna, and he's done the same thing in Montreal. During the Habs miracle playoff run two years ago, just before Game Seven against the Caps, three guys spoke to the team. One of them was Gorges, and every ear in the room was tuned to him. He even got several mentions as a potential captain before Brian Gionta was awarded the C. Now we're seeing him stand up and support a decimated defence corps on which he, at 27, is the veteran.

Gorges has been a rock for the majority of the season. He's killing every penalty, and taking on the most skilled players on the other team. He's even putting up points at a faster rate than ever. Already this year, with no PP time, he's got 8 points in 18 games. That puts him on pace for 36 for the season, a third better than his previous career-high 23.

It can't be overlooked either that he's very close to Carey Price and is a steadying presence for the sometimes mercurial goaltender.

One could argue this is a contract year and Gorges, as always, has something to prove. On the other hand, it's hard to make the case that a player who's always given his heart and soul to the team was holding back in anticipation of a better deal before now.

Gorges admitted he was a little hurt the Canadiens only offered him a one-year deal last summer. It must have been particularly hard to swallow in light of the more-frequently injured Andrei Markov's three-year contract. He's not letting that interfere with his job, however, which is testament to his total commitment to the team.

If Pierre Gauthier has an ounce of sense, he'll be drawing up a long-term deal for Gorges right about now. It would be a lovely New Year's gift for Habs fans to see #26 locked up for a few years. He's got nothing left to prove.

Josh Gorges may not be beautiful, but he's a beauty. And the Habs' blueline would be a much uglier place without him.

A Dear Jacques Letter

2011-11-15T01:08:00.000-11:00

Dear Jacques,

It pains me to write you this letter. We've had some good times in the past, but this season you've turned so cold and unmoving. I thought about whether I should just wait and see if you'd come around, but I've decided things have dragged on long enough. So, I have to ask, why do you hate me? I give you chance after chance, but you don't seem to care. All I want to do is go dancing; have a little fun. Maybe score once in a while.

You proved you don't love me anymore, so I wanted to go out with Tomas Plekanec. You can't let me be happy, though. You always find something else for him to do. One day he's digging ditches, next day taking out the garbage. At the end of the week, he's got nothing left for me. You never let him get my motor running.

No. Instead you push me at Mathieu Darche. Mathieu Darche?! I mean, he's a great guy and all, but he's really not my type. He's hardworking, sure. He just doesn't make me respond to his Edward Scissorhands-like touch.

I confess, I'm desperate. At this point, I'd take an impotent Scott Gomez rush. At least it's exciting for a little while, even if he's got the finish of raw lumber. You keep telling me it'll be different when Andrei Markov arrives, but you've been saying the same thing for two years now. I can't deal with this teasing for much longer.

I'm just a mess. When I look back at old videos, I don't recognize myself. I used to be hot and dangerous. Now I'm sloppy and disorganized. I've gone to hell and, Jacques? I blame you. You think you know what's best for me, but you keep setting me up with the wrong guys. There's no chemistry and my chances of scoring are among the lowest in the league. What I don't get is why you don't see it. Everyone else does. The pundits are all talking about it. Fans are pointing at me and gossiping about my problems. People are calling me useless and pathetic.

Why are you so stubborn, Jacques? I know Josh Gorges doesn't really have a silky touch, but he's performing this year. He's built up more points than any other blueliner you've got. I'd like a shot with him. You know, maybe give Plekanec a job he's more suited to do, so he's rested enough to take me out on weekends. When he's overworked, he leaves me hanging and I make bad, costly decisions. I'm letting strangers score as often as my own guys. Seriously, give Gorges a chance to make me happy.

I just want to be productive again. Honestly? I want to put out. This is probably tough for you to hear because I know you're pretty well opposed to offensive freedom. But, Jacques, this is the New NHL, and we have every right to score. Kirk Muller had the right idea, but he's left me in your cold hands and now I'm lost.

The funny thing is, as much as you hate me, you need me. You have to admit it, or you're going to regret it later. If I'm not happy, you and your players won't be happy either. So consider this a cry for help. Think about putting your dislike of me aside and being a little more flexible. Plekanec is your boy, I know, but he'd be so much better with me if you just gave him his freedom.

Please, Jacques. Before it's too late, loosen up. Let me do what I do best and I can help you. If you don't, well, it's going to be a long, depressing season and I'm going to cost you a lot of games. That's a promise.

Sincerely,

Your Power Play.

Lest We Forget

2011-11-11T02:37:00.002-11:00

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

Think Tank

2011-11-09T07:16:00.000-11:00

Photo courtesy of Josie Gold.

Picture, if you will, two Habs fans. One is the patient fan. He faithfully watches all the games, pays half a week's salary to go to the Bell Centre when he gets a chance and proudly wears his vintage Saku Koivu sweater during the playoffs. The patient fan tries to see logic in the coach's and general manager's decisions. He explains losses as unfortunate encounters with hot goalies or getting jobbed by the refs. He believes there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the Habs that a nice five-game winning streak can't fix.

The other fan is the angry fan. He's this close to cancelling his subscription to RDS, he regards ticket prices on Stub Hub with horror and is ashamed to wear his Guy Lafleur sweater in public. The angry fan thinks Pierre Gauthier should be fired for failing to address the team's pressing needs, and Jacques Martin is mentally deficient for not recognizing a forward on the point during the PP isn't working. He believes the Habs as constructed and managed just can't score, and they take a lot of minor penalties because they're stuck with a system that doesn't play to their strengths. He sees a long, disappointing season, probably culminating in a playoff miss, unless dramatic changes happen immediately.

The patient fan and the angry fan are so diametrically opposed in their basic philosophies, they rarely cross paths outside internet message boards. When the two worlds collide these days, however, they're like two sumo wrestlers grappling for purchase on black ice. The slippery ground in this case is the "tank" debate.

The patient fan takes the anti-tank argument. The basic points of debate include: a)these are the Montreal Canadiens, and the proud fanbase won't accept being a league bottom-feeder, b)missing the playoffs is too costly for the owners, c)players sign in places where they're going to have success and a tank season undermines that selling option, even for homegrown UFAs like Carey Price, and, d)tanking doesn't guarantee anything because you still have to draft and develop the right player(s), see Atlanta/Winnipeg as Exhibit A

The angry fan wants to tank the season, and preferably the sooner the better. He says a)the Montreal Canadiens have been mediocre for nearly 20 years, are on the verge of becoming irrelevant when discussion of modern success arises and can only break out of the middle-of-the-road rut by drafting a real superstar, b)missing the playoffs will be a wakeup call for the owners who'll then turf Gauthier, Martin, Bob Gainey and all their relatives and friends, c)free agents are not the way to build the core of a team and the Canadiens need to unload some of the ones they've previously signed at the trade deadline in order to facilitate the tanking process, and, d)tanking a year doesn't mean long-term failure because one great draft pick can make a huge difference, see Philadelphia as Exhibit A.

That, in some version, is pretty much how the debate proceeds. What neither side really says, though, is that the debate is in danger of becoming moot. With their latest two-game losing slide, the Habs bandwagon risks branching off the mainstream highway and taking a one-way turnoff to Tanksville, PQ, population 21,273. In short, the Canadiens may be tanking all by themselves, without any help at all from the debaters.

It's not that they're not trying. They are. These are professional hockey players, several of them Stanley Cup winners. They're proud and they're skilled enough to have reached this level and won before. As a collective, though, something's missing. Whether it's a lack of bench leadership with the departure of Kirk Muller, a lack of on-ice cohesion, particularly during the PP, with the loss of Roman Hamrlik and James Wisniewski or just plain bad luck with injuries and weird scheduling, there's something wrong with the Canadiens. Maybe it's just as simple as playing in a league in which a poor start can put you permanently behind the eight-ball for the season. Parity's a bitch, especially when you've been drafting in the middle of the pack for years and really haven't upgraded the big team very much in the last three seasons.

It feels terribly disloyal, but even the most patient of fans, when faced with an inevitable tank, can't help thinking about the sure-thing, rock-star junior players just waiting to be plucked out of the NHL lottery. Imagining slick winger Nail Yakupov in the starting lineup makes even the most ardent playoff-lover think how much better a chance the Habs would have in the post-season with that kind of scoring talent in the lineup.

In the same way, even the most angry fan, when he knows the season could really be lost, feels the regret of missing out while other teams go for the Cup. He finds it hard to admit it, but cyncism takes a back seat to hope when the post-season begins, as long as his team is in it. And even the angriest fan knows that there are no guarantees with those tempting prospects. Yakupov could be the next Kovalchuk or the next Patrik Stefan. One doesn't know how a change of league or an injury could influence the way that kid will turn out as a pro.

In the end, nobody really wants a tank season. The irony is the fans who swear they do and those who vow they don't come together only when tanking becomes a certainty. Looking at the distinct possibility of a lost season now, tankers and anti-tankers can agree a top draft pick might make a difference next year, but the price is very, very high. If tanking happens despite the team's best efforts there's little we can do about it, but the team really needs to take whatever drastic measures it must to prevent it.

Hit and Sit

2011-11-06T04:36:00.000-11:00

Here's a newsflash for those who admantly disagree that all head shots...accidental or not...should be removed from the game, for fear of losing good, clean bodychecks: hitting is already leaving hockey. It's not the rules-makers doing it, either. It's the guys on the ice; the players and referees themselves.

The Canadiens lost to the Rangers because Mike Blunden laid a solid bodycheck and the Rangers, as so many teams do these days, took exception. In the unjustified scrum that followed, the Habs drew the short-handed straw and lost their fourth-line centreman. The Rangers scored on the 5-on-3 and that was enough to get them rolling. Without a fourth line, the Habs played catch-up all night and, despite showing lots of heart (when they weren't in the box), they couldn't quite make it all the way back.

We see this so often. A perfectly legal check, intended only to remove the puck from the puck carrier, triggers foolish and unwarrented retribution. Players say they want hitting in hockey, but when someone actually delivers a good hit, they take offence. There was no reason for the Rangers to get all up in arms over the Blunden hit. When they did, the refs shouldn't have fallen for it and punished the Canadiens with the extra penalty. They shouldn't even have called the first penalty. They called the Blunden hit interference, but the definition of interference is "impeding the motion of a player not in possession of the puck." The Ranger player had the puck when Blunden hit him, which made the check legal.

In the end, it didn't matter. The refs called a lot of borderline penalties on the Canadiens and not the Rangers. That's the way it goes sometimes, and you can give the Habs kudos for pushing back. It's just too bad a good effort was spoiled because the Rangers can't take a check.

Habs Sit, Rangers Flit

2011-11-05T15:11:00.000-11:00

An inauspicious start. Pax is slowing down after his first few games of offensive aggression.

Habs killed that PP easier than Raid kills ants.

Blunden hit looked clean to me. So now, if a guy falls down after a check, it's a cue for a line brawl? Sometimes I hate the NHL.

Excellent. Habs down two men after just killing off a penalty. It stretches the limits of faith to hope this will even out in the end.

Something you didn't know: the name "Jaroslav" means "glory of spring." Let's hope Spacek is living up to his name next May.

If the Habs were ever playing with a manpower advantage this game, they might have a chance.

If this game was a musical, it'd be Little Shop of Horrors.

Can we please let McDonagh go? Lamenting his trade is as productive as crying about drafting AK instead of Getzlaf or Perry.

This is not Desharnais' finest night.

Well, the good thing is, it's the Rangers. No team in the league likes blowing leads more.

Interesting. Looking up NHL player ratings of best/worst officials in the league, and Tim Peel finishes second-worst.

Dirtiest trick in hockey is holding the stick with your armpit to make it look like you're being hooked. Dumb refs fall for it every time.

Spacek is doing a good job on his proper side.

ANOTHER Habs penalty?! I can't watch this much longer.

Moen to Pleks on the bench: Sorry, man. Didn't mean to go offside. Pleks: No problem. (under breath...idiot)

Jesus lives! The Rangers got a penalty!

Andrei Kostitsyn should be extended. Now.

Just realized: Erik Cole is a better-skating Michael Ryder.

Avery's face makes me wish someone would kick him in the nuts with skates on.

Gionta's got to start scoring. He's been an anchor most nights.

Is it just me, or does that thing that sticks up out of the back of a goalie's pants look like an overnight maxi-pad?

They're pulling Price. Stats say Rangers win 5-3.

The game was thrown from the first penalty. NO chance for the Habs to come back. Too bad, because they were hot at even strength.

The Streak Continues - Habs vs.Sens

2011-11-04T15:06:00.001-11:00

Anybody else sick of telling leafs fans, "Talk to me in April?"

Gill's reminding us why a ten-foot stick is good on the P.K. Price must have a long one too.

Habs looking as good as Wild Bill on the draw so far tonight.

Sometimes Hal Gill has an out-of-body experience and plays like Ray Bourque. Tonight may be one of those nights.

I might be wrong (happens a lot), but I think Lars Eller has a chance of making the Halak trade look like pure genius.

I wonder how long players spend practicing flipping the puck into their hands to give to the linesmen, while looking completely nonchalant?

If a D is supposed to give up a penalty shot for closing his hand on the puck, what should Gonchar get for catching and throwing it out?

On these nights when the Habs have a thousand chances, do they ever score?

David Desharnais is really a tiny miracle. Who would have put him in the NHL two years ago?

Okay, Habs are dominating through half the game now. That means they're gonna lose, right?

Just noticed I'm asking a LOT of questions tonight.

Ha ha! Chris Neil with a nosebleed. I hope Desharnais gave it to him.

Cole scores his third, and Martin is frantically writing in his notebook. Hope it says, "I will not limit his ice...I will not limit his ice...I will not..."

I know people hate him 'cause he's dumb, but he scores! Sign AK to an extension!

It sucks when the PK gives up a goal, but when it's obviously cleared and the linesman flubs the call, that sucks. Fortunately not this time

One would think a team with a big "O" on its sweaters would feel like a bunch of losers. So far, not so much.

Nice job Pleks, mirroring Foligno and annoying the life out of him.

Take a Seat

2011-11-02T13:17:00.000-11:00

For a team that's spent most of this young season dealing with a depleted roster, the Canadiens now have an interesting dilemma. By all accounts, Andrei Markov had some successful tests on his knee in the last couple of weeks and is now skating in Montreal. If all is well, one might imagine he'll be cleared to play sooner rather than later, which is wonderful news for the Canadiens as a whole. It may not, however, be good tidings for whichever defenceman has to sit out to make room for him. Similarly, a forward will have to take a seat with the imminent return of Scott Gomez from a minor injury.

Neither of these decisions will be easy to make. Up front, it's tough to argue that either of David Desharnais, who's got 7 points in eleven games, or Lars Eller, who's been using his size to great advantage and just scored his first goal, should be bounced to the wing to make room for Gomez. The veteran had just one assist and was minus-one in the six games he played before his injury. The Canadiens have won their last three games without Gomez and, it could be argued, haven't missed him at all. Considering the performance of the team's young centremen in his absence, a case could be made that the Habs, as a team, function better without him. However, unless Pierre Gauthier is willing to trade or demote Gomez, he will be back in the lineup, and getting significant minutes as well.

So, one forward will have to sit, and the easy choice from Jacques Martin's position is Mike Blunden. The big winger got called up from Hamilton to bring some size and sandpaper to the fourth line in place of Aaron Palushaj. His arrival, together with the trade for fourth-line centre Petteri Nokelainen, helped solidfy the bottom trio. Those guys won't be a huge risk to score, but they can withstand a pounding from the other team's fourth line, and they, especially Nokelainen, can kill penalties and take faceoffs. If Blunden sits, Mathieu Darche and presumably Travis Moen would flank Nokelainen.

That would leave some combination of Erik Cole, Andrei Kostitsyn, Mike Cammalleri, Max Pacioretty and Brian Gionta as legitimate top-nine wingers. With Tomas Plekanec entrenched as the number-one centreman, that means one of Eller, Desharnais or Gomez would have to move to the wing. Considering the strong play of Eller and Desharnais during the winning streak, it should probably be Gomez who takes a winger's spot. The two younger guys aren't as good as Gomez on faceoffs, but there's nothing stopping Gomez from taking draws, even if he's playing on the wing. It makes sense to move him because once Gomez crosses the opposing blueline, which he does very well, he peels off to the wing anyway. Eller and Desharnais go to the net more directly, as a centre is supposed to do. It may work, or it may not, but it's worth a try. Gomez surely wasn't doing much at centre, so maybe a change of assignment might spark him a bit. At the least, it would disturb the lines that are scoring now as little as possible.

The bigger dilemma for Jacques Martin will be on defence. Young, relatively inexperienced guys like Yannick Weber and Raphael Diaz have steadied their play in the last several games. They're learning on the job, which can give a cautious coach like Martin another reason to dye his hair. All in all, though, they're doing relatively well. Jaroslav Spacek has brought stability since his return from injury. The veteran is playing moderate minutes on his natural left side and is looking pretty solid. Josh Gorges, despite a couple of glaring gaffes, is a workhorse and is putting up more points than he ever has before at the NHL level. P.K.Subban eats minutes as well, and even when making mistakes is a threat to the opposition. Hal Gill is, perhaps, the sketchiest of the D-men so far this year, but Martin loves him on the PK and would never sit him.

While those six guys are in the lineup every night, an (one would imagine) unimpressed Alexei Emelin is downing steamies in the Bell Centre pressbox. This is a guy with size, mobility and a mean streak...exactly the kind of defenceman the Habs need...who the Habs have been courting since they drafted him seven years ago. He finally arrived in North America and now finds himself the odd man out in a defensive logjam in Montreal. This is a touchy situation. Presumably Emelin left Russia because he believed he'd be playing in the NHL. We know he's got an out clause in his contract that allows him to return to the KHL if he's not on the Habs roster. So, how long will it be before he decides this healthy scratch stuff is crap? The problem is, the Canadiens need a guy like him. The bigger problem is, they need him to be NHL-ready right now. He's not as ready as the other young guys, even though he's not making any terrible errors, and Martin has chosen to trust Weber and Diaz instead.

The difficulty Martin faces is that the Canadiens are in a competitive division and need to give themselves the best chance to win every night. To do that, they have to ice the best defence they can. At the same time, they have to give their young and inexperienced players a chance to develop so when injuries hit, they've got the depth to handle it. They're risking losing Emelin if they don't play him.

Exacerbating the situation is the return of Markov. If he stays healthy for more than a week, another of the current six defencemen will have to bow out to give him a spot. Knowing Martin, that means one of Weber or Diaz. Again, it means one of the young, promising defencemen will be stunted in his development for lack of ice time.

Given the situation in Montreal now, with Gorges being the only defenceman in his prime, it's important for the younger Ds to get some playing time. That means, even if they make mistakes, Emelin has to play instead of Gill some nights. Diaz will have to draw in instead of Spacek. However, knowing Martin, he'll play the veterans every night, regardless of how many mistakes they make. If he does, and Emelin or Diaz walk, it will hurt the Canadiens. It's a dilemma, without question. Whether Jacques Martin can sort it without costing the team in the long run is a test of good faith. If only our faith wasn't already stretched thin.

Bruins Drink Habs Bathwater

2011-10-29T14:49:00.000-11:00

The organ in the Bell Centre is a treat. That's a fan's addition, so thanks to Geoff Molson.

Okay, sometimes Subban just spins for the hell of it.

Gill handles the puck like a live grenade, but a lucky post keeps Peverley off the board.

Is Martin supposed to be The Count or The Penguin for Halloween?

Cole's driving the net like a transport truck.

I swear to God if Darche starts this PP, I'm getting a Jacques Martin voodoo doll and a box of straight pins.

Okay. There's irony for you. Plekanec with the point-shot goal, with Darche screening Rask.

If you're going to score your first of the season, launching the puck hard enough to leave a vapour trail is a good way to do it.

Is it my imagination, or are the Habs winning more puck battles then they used to?

Great stop on Kelly. Price's game is tighter than a sphincter tonight.

Funny how the Bruins harass Subban in Boston to please their cretinous fans, but never go near him in Montreal.

Desharnais is smoother than a wax job and quicker than a lecher's hands.

Liking how animated Cunneyworth is behind the bench after the Eller gaffe. Somebody on that staff needs to have a pulse.

Glad to see the refs calling them like they see them, instead of trying to even things out with BS makeup calls.

5-on-3. Let's hope Gill's ten-foot stick has come to play.

Habs leading scorer Moen seems to have cooled off.

One thing I like about this year's Habs is that they jump on turnovers like sharks on blood.

Martin's Halloween costume might be uncertain, but Julien's Mr.Potato Head outfit is perfect. Cool of him to dress up for the weekend.

Okay...offically wicked: The organist is playing the '80s Habs anthem, "Bleu, Blanc, Rouge."

Pleks with the empty-netter to seal it. Anyone think he's got a bit of a grudge against these guys?

Bruins Are Still Cheap and Dirty

2011-10-27T14:40:00.002-11:00

Not a great time to punch Krejci in the face, P.K. I'm not saying don't punch him in the face, but pick a better spot.

If Travis Moen had a bouquet for every fabulous chance he's blown, he could have decorated Westminster for the Royal Wedding.

Subban's getting the puck off his stick so quickly tonight the Bs fans hardly have time to get a good boo going.

Spacek and Weber are harmonious a pair as Ike and Tina...the later years.

Dumb penalty by Nokelainen. Fourth liners should be seen and not heard.

Terrible goal against for Price. That casual stance thing he's been doing this year really burned him there.

Anybody missing Scott Gomez lately? Me neither.

The Habs are more susceptible to an aggressive forecheck than a teenaged boy is to Megan Fox in a bikini.

At this point, using Darche on the PP instead of Kostitsyn is plain negligence.

Erik Cole tips better than Deep Throat to Woodward and Bernstein.

Price is so into this game. Loved the fist pump after stoning Peverley.

Subban's got to be smarter. He let Marchand taunt him into leaving his team with five D for nine minutes.

If the Habs are in contention for the Jennings this year, does Diaz get a share?

If I don't stroke out during a Habs/Bruins game, it's never gonna happen.

Watching Erik Cole try to clear his zone is like watching a three-legged dog try to run.

The always-classy Claude Julien is now sending Scott Thornton out to run Subban.

Tomas Plekanec is made of two parts steel wool and one part hockey juice.

Watching Hal Gill rush back to cover in his own end is like watching the Queen Mary heading out to sea.

Great shot of Cam Neely in the pressbox, watching the Bs get stymied by yet another Habs goalie.

Star light, star bright, Carey got his wish tonight.

A Glimmer of Hope

2011-10-27T02:29:00.000-11:00

Well, it turns out the Habs' wretched losing streak was all the fault of Carey Price's pink pads. As soon as the goalie went back to his cowboy gear, he was...well...a cowboy in the net again.

Or maybe the fault belonged to Perry Pearn. With the assistant coach axed an hour before puck drop, Randy Ladouceur descended from the press box to run the defence and PK behind the bench. Both looked leagues better than they did under the guidance, or lack thereof, of Jacques Martin's best friend.

The wakeup call Martin should have received from Pearn's firing apparently wasn't received, though. Tomas Plekanec was still on the point on the PP, even though it doesn't work. Erik Cole finally got significant time with the man advantage (4:22), but only 9:11 at even strength. This a player who's been improving in each of the last several games, and who needs icetime to score. Thirteen minutes doesn't cut it.

Still, the Canadiens managed to win despite some of those decisions, in no small part because of Yannick Weber and Max Pacioretty. Weber played nearly 22 minutes of solid defence, made the team believe it had a chance when he wired the first goal with two seconds to go in the first, and ended the night with a plus-one rating. Pacioretty played despite the wrist injury he sustained against Florida, and racked up two goals (ironically, on wrist shots) and an assist. He also provided a big, aggressive presence with skill up front, which gave the Canadiens offence a different dynamic when he was on the ice.

Other promising signs from last night included Tomas Plekanec once again racking up a 56% success rate in the faceoff circle. David Desharnais was at 53%. The team scored a PP goal, which is a rare phenomenon so far this season. And Josh Gorges posted his fourth and fifth assists; a new level of offensive contribution for the blueliner. Andrei Kostitsyn, who's been working very hard this season despite limited ice time (including a joke of 0:29 on the PP last night)and shuffling linemates, went to the net and got the go-ahead goal halfway through the second. And the PK, which has been as porous as coral, kept the Flyers off the board.

So, despite some of Martin's ongoing baffling decisions, the Habs looked like they have had enough of the losing. We'll see tonight whether the Curse of the Pink Pads or the ghost of Perry Pearn were only temporarily exorcised.

Stanching the Wound: Flyers vs. Habs

2011-10-26T22:05:00.000-11:00

How long before Hal Gill is minus a million?

If Jagr is going to salute after every goal, we'll soon be rooting for friendly fire to take him out.

TSN is ripping Moen a new one for his brutal coverage on the Jagr goal.
That's no way to respect the team's leading scorer!

So, Perry Pearn's gone. I guess if your right arm is gangrenous, the first thing you do is cut off your right hand.

Interesting. Egypt is selling itself as a great tourist spot. Does that mean if there's a coup at the Bell, marketers will see opportunity?

Weber's shot will be shown in super slo-mo so Bryzgalov can see it. Maybe the luck is changing. It's usually the other team that gets one late.

The Habs offence is full of more unrequited love than Dante and Beatrice.

What's wrong with Plekanec? I'm guessing his cootie catcher linemates.

Suddenly, the Habs have become aware of the fact that they have talent. LOVING Pacioretty.

Pacioretty's what a first-rounder looks like. Habs management should take note.

Well, I bet Perry Pearn's loaded. Wherever he is.

A Cry In the Wilderness

2011-10-25T00:23:00.001-11:00

Photo courtesy of Josie Gold.

The Scene: A lonely mountain top, somewhere in downtown Montreal. A weary pilgrim beseeches his Lord for answers.

Jacques Martin: Lord, I have arrived at the end of my rope. I need answers, and I need them soon, or I will lose the only job I ever really wanted.

Silence

Martin: Lord. I beg you to give me the answers I need. I'm listening.

Wind whistling

Martin: (nearly shouting) Lord! Can't you hear me?! I'm a desperate man!

The Almighty: Yes, Jacques, I can hear you. (sighs)
Martin: Oh, thank...well...You.
The Almighty: So, Jacques, what exactly do you want Me to do for you?
Martin: Well, Lord, I've lost control of my team. I need to know how to get them to listen again.
The Almighty: Jacques, did I not give you Erik Cole?
Martin: Yes, Lord, but...
The Almighty: NO BUTS! (lightning flashes) I gave you my son Erik because he will drive the net and help insulate your small forwards. Yet, instead of using him for the purpose for which I created him, you are wasting him on the bench.
Martin: Oh Lord, but Mathieu Darche...
The Almighty: SILENCE! Mathieu Darche is a loyal and industrious servant, but when I was giving out talent, he was in the looks line. He does the best he can with what he's got, but you can't replace Me-given talent. Look what happened when you actually put Cole on the power play last night.
Martin: Lord, our defence is so depleted, there's not much I could do...
The Almighty: Excuses, Jacques! Every team's got injuries. Look at the Penguins. My son Sidney and most of his talented cohort were missing when you played them, but they controlled the play because they all know what they're supposed to do. Communication, Jacques. Did I not give you a brain and a tongue?
Martin: It's not my fault we're shorthanded so often, though, Lord.
The Almighty: You can't pass the buck on this one. You've already taken three too-many men penalties. That's because My children have no clue when they're supposed to be on the ice, or who they're supposed to be on with. If you stop scrambling the lines like eggs, you might see a difference in these things.
Martin: Lord, I'm trying to put the right forwards out there, but they keep shooting right into the goalie. I don't know how to make them score.
The Almighty: I know it's difficult for you to admit you don't know something. In this case, only I know the answer. It turns out goalies pray more.
Martin: Praying might help us?
The Almighty: Not really. It gets repetitive. Look, Jacques. You're asking a fast, skilled and not overly physical team to play a dump-and-chase, shutdown game. Let Me see, how can I explain this? It's like asking the Queen to mud wrestle.
Martin: Oh.
The Almighty: Yes. Oh. Now, there's nothing more I can do for you today. I've got an urgent call from Ilya Bryzgalov.
Martin: Lord?
The Almighty: (sighs) Yes, Jacques?
Martin: Um, is there any chance I can save my job?
The Almighty: There is a chance. All things are possible with Me. You must repent and put The System behind you. You must use the players I have given you properly and you must lay off the Brylcreem. It went out in the '60s.
Martin: Yes Lord. I'll try.
The Almighty: Do that Jacques. Oh, and Jacques?
Martin: Yes, Lord?
The Almighty: I'm...uh...sorry about the ears. That was an accident. Good luck!

And the Suck Rolls On - Panthers vs. Habs

2011-10-24T15:10:00.000-11:00

That was a beautiful point shot by Diaz. See what happens when there are two real Ds on the PP? Hope Penguin was taking notes on that.

Hal Gill can go from 0-2 in 60 seconds flat.

Desharnais between Pacioretty and Cole is like a shrimp salad sandwich.

NASA can rest easy about cancelling the shuttle program. They can always send stuff to the International Space Station on a Budaj rebound.

Cammalleri talks a lot about not being small if you come out with the puck. I guess he's small then.

Shockingly, Darche is unable to make use of his silken hands to convert on the PP. Martin can't believe it.

Martin's like a line in Dryden's "The Game." Shutt to Jarvis in yet another gray-toned suit: "I didn't know drab came in so many colours."

Quick! Get the duct tape! Peter Budaj has sprung a leak!

The Habs in their own end look like they're fighting a strong cross wind.

PP goal now goes to Erik Cole. So, Penguin. Cole had only 3 PP goals in Carolina last year, but one on his first real PP chance in Montreal. Hope that's in the notebook.

Skille on against Skillsy.

Someone should tell the Habs they don't get extra points for making nineteen passes before they take a shot.

Budaj makes a great stop on the PK. Goalie controversy!

So far Budaj is holding the fort, but he's got to be the scariest Habs goalie since Aebischer.

Gill has his place, but he moves like an elephant dances and he's minus-two tonight.

One guy who's working his ass off for little reward: Andrei Kostitsyn.
Martin sees his job flashing before his eyes.

It always amazes me when Martin thinks a team that can't score on the PP will miraculously pump out a goal with the goalie out.

I wonder how long before the Occupy the Bell Centre movement either demands mass refunds or razes the place to the ground?

Step Right Up!

2011-10-23T05:47:00.000-11:00

Photo courtesy of Josie Gold

The Canadiens season is rapidly becoming a carnival guessing game. How many clowns can fit into the tiny car? How much does the fat lady really weigh? How many games can the sucky hockey team lose before something gives? The popular guess is, not many more.

The Canadiens are in that position in which you know one more clown can't possibly squeeze into that car. The fat lady is 400 pounds and the Habs, at 1-6 to start the year, are spiralling into a void of suckage not seen since something gave...in a big way...in 1995. That year, the team started with a handful of losses and Serge Savard and Jacques Demers, Cup winners just two years previous, found themselves on the street. In considering that sequence of events, one might recall that neither Pierre Gauthier nor Jacques Martin has the luxury of resting on his Cup-winning laurels.

The terrible cycle in which the team is caught means they either keep the goals against low and can't score themselves, or they score enough to win, but give up more than they get. Carey Price has been good enough to win on most nights, but he's been waiting four games to get his hundredth win.

Every power play looks disorganized and fruitless; no surprise with Tomas Plekanec on the point and Mathieu Darche on the first wave. Scotty Bowman always says the trick to good coaching is having the right people on the ice at the right time. There's certainly a time and place for Darche, but first-wave PP is probably not it. Erik Cole hasn't done squat in a Habs uniform, so maybe a coach should think about jump-starting him with some PP time. Perhaps a good coach should recognize that Tomas Plekanec, who's got a cannon off the rush, doesn't have quite the same shot on the point. Maybe a successful coach would recognize that there are better shooters and Plekanec's skills are in making sneaky passes and setting up the guy who's willing to break for the net.

Cole's a story unto himself. After a less-than-stellar stint in Edmonton, and a bounce-back on his return to Carolina, there was great concern at the time of his signing in Montreal that he only plays well with Eric Staal. As a heart-and-soul kind of player, he's got to be willing to sacrifice himself to play his game properly. It was clear when he signed that he came to Montreal for the money, and while nobody would accuse him of not trying, he can't make himself love his new team the way he did his old one. It's got to happen naturally, and it hasn't happened yet. The Habs need what he can bring, but he's not bringing it.

Then there's the defence, or what's left of it. The three guys with fewer than 100 NHL games between them are holding up surprisingly well. It's their experienced teammates who are making the most egregious errors. Josh Gorges alone has been directly responsible for two dreadful mistakes that have led to backbreaking goals. P.K.Subban's getting denuded by Paul Stastny is still fresh in our minds as well. It's not really their fault. Gorges is meant to be a 3-5 defenceman and he's essentially playing top minutes at the moment. We forget Subban's got one NHL season under his belt and Hal Gill has 1000 NHL games, but looks like he's 1000 years old half the time. Short of a trade, there's no help coming in the forseeable future, unless you consider Jaroslav Spacek your personal Jesus.

If there's one positive from the most recent disappointment, it's that the team is no worse with Scott Gomez out of the lineup. Lars Eller, in fact, did an excellent job in the second-line centre position. He set up Travis Moen (who sits in 11th spot in the league in goals scored) for a beautiful shorthanded goal in the first, and made a nice pass to Andrei Kostitsyn on his goal as well. He was also 56% on faceoffs and led the team with a plus-three rating. He killed penalties (but didn't get any PP time...that's Darche's spot, after all) and he used his size to make room for himself. The kid is going to be good, and if he keeps up this level of play in Gomez' continued absence, he'll be proving there's no need to hold onto the vastly underwhelming veteran.

That's a small comfort in the face of some very large problems. The Canadiens are rapidly approaching the point of "somthing's gotta give." The clown car is full.

Habs Keep Sucking

2011-10-22T14:56:00.000-11:00

"NHL leading scorer Phil Kessel" is as incongruous a statement as "U.S President Sarah Palin."

Why does Phaneuf always look like he's mentally multiplying by 13?

Grabovski may be scoring more these days, but he still looks like a rodeo clown.

Hal Gill's a member of the silver stick club. Sounds like he should get his porn for free from now on.

Ha ha! Komisarek getting ready for a return pass. Like anyone would pass it BACK to him.

Travis Moen: Breakaway king.

Strange world when Moen with puck possession fills you with a sense of possibility.

If empty nets were diamonds, the Habs would be Elizabeth Taylor.

One-Ball Phil just completed his set by gelding Gorges.

It's ironic the Habs keep getting called for too many men, when most of us think they haven't enough.

Cunneyworth looks like he's pacing behind the bench with a load in his pants. He probably does.

That's funny. Perry Pearn's on RDS talking about passion in the game. That's like asking Spock about emotion.

Maybe the Habs are just tired of being in the playoffs. That's got to take a lot out of a team.

Suckage

2011-10-21T01:43:00.000-11:00

It might not be time to push the panic button just yet, but the Canadiens are rapidly descending through the recognized stages of suckage. They started with "unprepared" and have at various times achieved levels of "frustrated," "overwhelmed" and "unlucky." Last night they finally hit a new low with "totally outclassed."

After a game against Buffalo in which they did many things right and were stymied only by Ryan Miller's heroics, one might have logically assumed the Canadiens would recognize the positives and try the same things against Pittsburgh. That didn't happen. Instead of building on the good things from Buffalo, they came out looking listless and uncommitted against a severely depleted Penguins team.

It's hard to find a reason or even a lame excuse for why that might have happened. Injuries can't factor in because the Pens were more hurt than the Habs. Fatigue's not the answer, because the Canadiens have played among the fewest games of any other team in the league. It came down to the fact that Dan Bylsma's team, despite missing all of its stars, was ready to play from the moment the puck was dropped. Jacques Martin's team was not.

There'll be a lot of talk today about the players having tuned Martin out already. The question should be more along the lines of whether they had ever tuned him in to begin with. Martin might not be the most exciting coach, but he's at least managed to keep the team on an even keel for most of the last couple of seasons. The only thing different this year is that he lacks a translator. Previously, Kirk Muller, who speaks player, was the conduit between the team and the coach. He was very, very well-liked by the players, so maybe that level of trust and understanding is missing this year. Certainly his influence on the PP is missing. It's rarely looked so inept for such a stretch of games in the last two years.

Then again, maybe Muller's absence has nothing to do with the malaise we witnessed last night and on other nights in this young season. Maybe the Canadiens' mix of well-paid, but not exactly star veterans and inexperienced youth is just not good enough to compete with other teams who've improved since last season. In a league featuring the kind of parity we see in the NHL, it doesn't take much for one team to fall out of the race. With three-point games keeping points totals artificially inflated, it's difficult to climb the standings when you slip early. Look at the Devils last year. The perennial playoff team got off to a dreadful start and even a supernatural late-season drive couldn't salvage a playoff spot. On the bright side, they finished the year with dignity and they got the excellent young Adam Larsson in the draft. Somehow, though, it's doubtful Jacques Lemaire would come out of retirement to try and save the Habs.

So, six games into the season isn't quite time to push that big red panic button, but losing five of those six games is definitely a wake-up call. If the Canadiens are to right this ship, this has to be the mid-season losing streak. A playoff team can afford one, maybe two slumps in a season. If this is one of those, the team can still be fine. If it's a pattern for the rest of the season, the Canadiens might be this year's Devils and the time for the panic button will come sooner rather than later.

Habs vs. Pens: Brutality Edition

2011-10-20T14:05:00.000-11:00

I've been following the games on Twitter, but some of you have been asking to have the comments recorded on the blog as well. So, here you go:

Congratulations to Hal Gill, who never expected to make 1000 games. At least not in the NHL.

Liking the Gorges/P.K. pairing, but P.K. should do the passing.

It always makes me feel better when Price makes saves standing up. That sounds kind of dirty, but I don't know why.

Emelin is deceptively adept at handling the puck.

If Josh Gorges had a motto, it would be "You Shall Not Pass." Second choice: "It's Just A Flesh Wound."

How cute. The RDS guys get all excited about a Darche breakaway.

I honestly thought Crosby would make his comeback tonight. Just to screw the Habs.

In a battle of Dr.Jeckyl vs. Mr.Hyde proportions, this is the Bad Habs. Great. On a night when they might have won with the Good Habs.

Engqvist is to Guy Carbonneau what Marcel Hossa is to Marion Hossa.

When the Habs' wives wish them luck when they leave for the rink, they're obviously not specifying "good."

That call on Price was as legit as Milli Vanilli.

This mess is without Crosby, Malkin and Letang. Good lord.

Emelin just learned guys in the NHL brace themselves for those hits.

Oh, get a life, NHL fans. Subban's not exactly as hateful as Chara.

I wonder if Gionta ever plays the midget card when caught crashing the goalie?

The Habs' PP is as lively as Gaddafi.

Really? How does Gionta board anyone? He can't even see over the boards.

The Habs are playing a brutal game. If they keep this up for another ten, they'll have a lottery pick. Congrats, Gauthier and Martin.

On The Occasion of Skillsy's One-Thousandth Game

2011-10-20T01:35:00.000-11:00

A Thousand Games of Skillsy

He doesn't skate like Coffey
Niklas Lidstrom he is not.
He hits as hard as toffee,
But he'll always block a shot.

His wingspan covers metres
His best attribute is "tall"
He orders beer in litres.
He perfects the PK sprawl.

His stick is half a redwood
In a 5-on-3 he's king.
He changed so he's not deadwood
Now he wears Lord Stanley's ring.

A thousand games completed
Fifteen years of tears and thrill
Good fun when he competed
Just one dream left to fulfill.

Larceny

2011-10-19T01:23:00.000-11:00

You win some. You lose some. And sometimes one is ripped from your hardworking hands by a goaltender who robs you blind. The Habs found their fate behind door number three last night.

If not for Ryan Miller, that was a game the Habs should certainly have won. They had the shots. They had the offensive zone pressure. They kept the Sabres to a bare minimum of time in front of Carey Price for two periods. They looked good against a team that's showing its off-season moves have made it a strong opponent. What they didn't have was a cohesive power play or any luck at all, save bad. The power play they can work on. The luck, inevitably, will change.

All in all, there was a whole lot to like in the Great Miller Robbery. Raphael Diaz scored a beauty for his first NHL goal, and despite being on the ice for the Sabres' first tally, looked very poised on defence. So did Yannick Weber, who's been quietly efficient.

David Desharnais with Max Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn continues to be a constant threat. Pacioretty in particular seems to get an excellent scoring chance on every shift. When he's on the ice, the puck is almost always moving away from the Canadiens' net. He's at a point a game right now, and if he can continue that pace, there's every reason to hope the Habs have finally exorcised the ghost of John Leclair.

Lars Eller, too, is showing a lot of skill and smarts as he works on Tomas Plekanec's wing, even if he hasn't put up a point in his three games. He looks to have greatly improved his strength since last season, and he's able to move the puck with patience, rarely making a dumb play. The only catch with Eller is that he's a natural centreman. He plays best in his proper position and, although he's handling himself well as a winger, you have to think about how well he'd do with two good wings himself. It's slightly amusing to see him and Plekanec finding themselves in the same place sometimes because they're both playing centre.

That brings us to the Scott Gomez line, and a brief pause from discussing the good things about last night. Right now, there are three Canadiens centres who are playing better than Gomez. Plekanec, Eller and Desharnais are all making things happen. Gomez isn't exactly terrible, but he's not been a difference maker. His was the line on the ice for the Sabres first goal, which was born of a rare flurry of defensive confusion on the Habs' part. On a night on which the Canadiens flowed from shift to shift, maintaining dominance in puck control, there was a noticable drop in pressure when the Gomez line came out. Too often, the passes on that line went astray and board battles were lost. Gomez defenders will argue he's stuck with a grinder like Travis Moen, which might account for some of the hiccups in offensive flow. The counter argument is that Moen has two goals and an assist in comparison to Gomez' lone assist in five games. When you consider that scoring juggernaut Josh Gorges has double that, it's not a good sign.

Gomez came to camp talking about his hard work over the summer and his intention to be less predictable and more effective this season. Five games in is pretty early to decide whether or not that's going to happen, but so far he looks a whole lot like the guy who put up 38 points last season. It's true that Brian Gionta has whiffed on at least three perfect set-ups that would have boosted Gomez' totals. It's also true that other wingers on other lines have missed golden opportunities, but guys like Plekanec and Desharnais have more points because of the sheer number of chances they generate. If their wingers miss a couple, they're not missing the only chances they get, as is sometimes the case with Gomez.

At this point, the long-standing bellyaching about Gomez' salary is moot. It doesn't matter what he makes. It matters only what he does. Right now, he's performing like a third-line centre. Even his champion, Jacques Martin, has recognized the fact that both Plekanec and Desharnais are outplaying him, and dropped his ice time to third among centres. When Michael Cammalleri comes back from injury and likely displaces Eller from Plekanec's wing, it's going to leave the promising youngster relegated to either the fourth line, or to playing wing with Gomez. One could argue that based on their play in the last couple of games, Eller should be the one centering Gionta and possibly Mathieu Darche.

One could also argue that the Gomez experiment isn't working and it's time for Pierre Gauthier to move him somewhere...anywhere...in exchange for a winger who, with Eller and Gionta, could make a legitimately threatening third line. That would also leave guys like Darche and Moen to play their appropriate fourth-line roles. When it comes down to it, Gomez isn't producing offensively, he's not a threat as a shut-down guy, and his leadership isn't irreplaceable. This isn't a personal slag on Gomez. There's every chance he means what he says about trying harder and improving his game. There's also every chance that he just isn't able to do it anymore.

Of course, Gomez isn't responsible for last night's heartbreaker. That came at the hands of Ryan Miller and two breakdowns in defensive coverage that both ended up behind Carey Price. Josh Gorges' awful icing that led to the backbreaker at the end of the second was much more glaring than anything Scott Gomez did, or didn't do. In a game like last night's, though, when everyone else is playing such an aggressive, high-octane game, it's apparent he's not quite at the same level.

It's something for Gauthier to carefully consider, especially if losses continue to pile up and Gomez continues to be ineffectual. Lars Eller, at some point, will be a top-line player. It's just a matter of whether it's now or later. In the meantime, the Habs can look at the really good things they did last night and feel good. After all, you win some and you lose some, but you don't get robbed every night.

Take It Easy

2011-10-16T04:25:00.000-11:00

On many nights this season, Carey Price will be the difference between the Canadiens winning or losing. Last night was one of them. On a night when offence, for once, wasn't an issue, Price played his second dismal home game in as many starts and cost his team the win. The good news is, Price is the least of the Canadiens' worries. He knows he sucked last night, but he's got the talent to pick up his game and return to the form we've come to expect.

So, with that in mind, we should remember there were a lot of good things in last night's game, and a 1-2-1 start doesn't mean the Habs will miss the playoffs. The defence isn't the greatest, but their biggest problem seems to be a lack of cohesion. That's going to happen when three of the D-men have played fewer than 80 NHL games between them. It's also almost inevitable when the pairings are juggled so often every guy has played with every other blueliner on the team. On the plus side, Raphael Diaz is starting to show a bit of a physical side, landing some nice, effective hits. He's already proven to be adept at moving the puck quickly and efficiently. Alexei Emelin, while still appearing a bit hesitant to use his size to its best advantage, is proving he can handle the puck and make some nice passes. He's also not afraid to rush. Josh Gorges looks to be completely recovered from his knee surgery and P.K.Subban got a dose of humility after his glaring giveaway that cost a goal last night. After that, he dialed way back on the dipsy doodling and proved he can play an effective, no-nonsense game when he wants to.

The really exciting thing about last night, though, was the developing chemistry up front, especially among the younger forwards. David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty, when they were recalled from Hamilton last December, were first and second in AHL scoring. That was no fluke because the two of them have a special knack for finding the other on the ice. Pacioretty even said last year that Desharnais is the best centre he's ever had. That was in evidence again last night, with Pacioretty setting Desharnais up for a beautiful, opportunistic goal. Andrei Kostitsyn on that line gives it some extra size and strength and helps shield the smaller Desharnais. Lars Eller, too, looks like he picked up an extra gear over the summer. He and Tomas Plekanec caused some problems for the Colorado defence, and while Erik Cole is still looking for his first goal, he's not going to go pointless forever.

This is a team with significant possibilities, but it's not fulfilling them yet. That's not to say it won't. It may take a couple of weeks, but Carey Price will find his game, the defence will get better and the kids will prove they can score. The team is learning itself right now. When it does, there's every chance it can find a level of consistency that will keep us all away from razor blades and liquor stores. It's tough to do, but the trick right now is just to take it easy.

Workhorse

2011-10-12T02:06:00.000-11:00

Photo courtesy of Josie Gold

Tomas Plekanec doesn't have a middle name. If he did, it might be "práce." In his native tongue, the word means "work," and it's the attribute for which Plekanec is best known. He's earned the accolades honestly. He's the first Canadien on the ice for practice every day, and very often, the last one off. A veteran on a long-term deal, he never has relaxed and let some of the little things slide just because the belly fire is burning a little lower than it used to. It's a rare game in which anyone can say Tomas Plekanec floated for even a shift.

It's no surprise, then, that a coach who demands hard work and discipline should have the greatest regard for a player who never fails to provide both. Jacques Martin, if he admires any player, admires Plekanec, and as a result he relies heavily on his number-one centreman. If he needs someone to take a crucial faceoff, he calls Plekanec. When the Habs are facing a two-man disadvantage, Plekanec gets the nod. Need someone to hold a one-goal lead with a minute to go? Get Plekanec. Short a point man on the PP? Send out #14. Got a slumping winger? Stick him on Plekanec's line. It's got to be a nice feeling for Plekanec to be as important a player as he is. The question is whether it's good for him as a player to be wearing so many helmets.

There's no question Plekanec is used in more situations than any other number-one centre in the league. Two years ago, Plekanec took 35.1% of the team's faceoffs. Only Sidney Crosby and Paul Stastny took more. Last year, he was fifth in the league, taking 35.5% of the Habs' draws.

In 2009-10, he played 2:44 shorthanded, good for 14th among all NHL forwards. Nobody who played more time shorthanded was a first-line player. Plekanec got 20 minutes of icetime and 27 shifts a game, by far more than any of the players ahead of him on the PK. Last year showed a similar pattern. He was on the ice for just over 20 minutes a game, with an average of 26 shifts, again, significantly more than the 14 guys above him in shorthanded ice time. Plekanec also played an average of 2:45 a night on the PP over the last two years. Now, with the absence of an established partner for P.K.Subban on the point during the man advantage, Plekanec's doing that job as well. (Whether that's a wise decision is up for debate.)Add to the mix that he's extremely durable for a smaller player, and it means he's taking on that kind of workload for about 80 games a year.

There's a perception that Plekanec, under Martin, is used too much. Fans believe he wears down as the year wears on and becomes less effective. The numbers tend to support that theory. Two years ago, Plekanec played all 82 games. In the first half of the year, he put up 44 points (8g, 36a). In the second half, his totals dropped to just 26 points (17g, 9a). It's possible the Olympics played a role in tiring Plekanec down the stretch, but likely that a nagging hip injury which he didn't take time off to rest was a bigger factor. Last season, Plekanec played 40 games (missed one with the flu) in the first half of the year and 37 (lost four games with a knee injury) in the second half. In the first 40 games, he had 32 points (12g, 20a). In the last 37, his points total dropped to 25 (10g, 15a). The drop wasn't as noticable last year as it was the year before, but it's interesting to note that the knee injury, which forced him to take time off to rest, came in the second half of the year, which ironically may have helped give him a second wind. Also, in the first half, usually Plekanec's most productive time, he played long stretches with a slumping Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn went through a stretch of 8 points in 17 games, which, for a guy like Plekanec who depends on his finishers for points, hurt his totals.

In the last two years, Plekanec's best months have been at the beginning of the season. In 2009-10, he had 13 points in 14 games for October, 12 points in 12 November games and 21 points in 17 games through December. In contrast, his worst months were January, in which he put up 8 points in 13 games and March, when he had just 8 points over 14 games. Similarly, last year, his best months were October and November, in which he put up a total of 23 points in as many games. His worst months came in December (8 points in 15 games) and March (6 points in 11 games).

At some point, something's got to give. Plekanec, as the first-line centre, plays the majority of his even-strength ice time against the other team's best defencemen. He sees more of Chara, Weber, Pronger and Phaneuf than anybody else who plays similar time on the PK. So, at even strength, he's strongly defended by the opposition. On the PK, he's defending the other team's best forwards. He ends up being the shadow on guys like Crosby, Backstrom and Giroux more than most other first-line centremen. He's very good at all those things, of course, but he needs help. He's getting older, he's not a huge body and the constant grind of facing the other team's best players is inevitably wearying. The Canadiens need to do what they can to ensure their best centre is fresh for the stretch drive and playoffs.

Pierre Gauthier showed an awareness of that when he claimed Blair Betts off waivers. Betts kills more penalties than Plekanec, and he's able to take important faceoffs. Unfortunately, he came from Philly with a return-to-sender label on his medical chart. So now, unless Gauthier can find another answer somewhere, Plekanec is left with little support. Andreas Engqvist shows promise as a faceoff man and defensive player, but he's very green. Scott Gomez can kill penalties and take faceoffs, but his general ineffectiveness on many nights means he usually gets less ice time than Plekanec. Lars Eller and David Desharnais, like Engqvist, have potential but are still pretty raw.

So it comes down to Jacques Martin. He has to make the decision to trust his young players more and give them some of the responsibility he unloads onto Plekanec. They have to learn sometime. Scott Gomez has vowed to be a better player this year. He needs a chance to prove that in important situations. However he does it, Martin must find a way to give Plekanec some easier minutes. That's not to say he shouldn't play 23 minutes in a vital game against a division opponent. He should naturally be used to best advantage in a game like that. There's no need, though, to start him on every PK and take half the faceoffs in a low-stress game against the Islanders or Blue Jackets. In the first two games this year, injuries have meant Plekanec has played an average of 23 minutes a game, with 4:22 of that on the PK. It's an unsustainable pace for an entire season, so when the lineup is intact, Martin has to choose to use Plekanec more wisely.

It's a tough call for a coach in a competitive league like the NHL, in which two points could mean the difference between having home ice advantage in the playoffs or not, or even between making the playoffs or not. The wise coach, however, would recognize the fact that even the hardest-working body will tire eventually, and if eventually comes during the playoffs, that's not a good thing.

A guy whose middle name might as well be "work" won't let up on himself when he's asked to perform. So, in the end, his coach needs to take responsibility for making his life a little easier. It could be that prudence now will produce a better-functioning Plekanec when it really matters.

Determination

2011-10-10T00:39:00.000-11:00

If this season continues the way it's begun for the Canadiens, Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu had better get ready to make their NHL debuts as emergency replacements. It wasn't good to see camp open with no sign of Andrei Markov, but it's turned out to be a bit of a trend. Not only do we have no idea when Markov might possibly play again, we've also yet to see Ryan White or Lars Eller in game action. On top of that, injuries to Chris Campoli, Mike Cammalleri and Jaro Spacek have further depleted a lineup that hasn't been complete since day one. This is not the way the Habs had hoped to start a new season.

On the plus side, however, the players who remain are doing their best to push through the team's problems. Rookie defencemen Raphael Diaz and Alexei Emelin managed to keep their heads above water against an enthusiastic attack by some pretty big Winnipeg forwards. Yannick Weber seized the opportunity to get back on D with a rocket from the point on the power play, and an impressive physical battle with the much larger Nik Antropov. The defence was a bit scrambly and fumbled the puck fairly often, but managed to throw themselves in front of enough shots and chip the puck ungracefully out of trouble enough times to get the job done.

Up front, Tomas Plekanec was his usual all-around brilliant self, scoring a beauty of a goal on an individual effort, as well as doing all the little things he does every night on the still-perfect PK. Also, it's only been a couple of games, but his faceoff percentage sits at 57%. If he can keep that up, he will solve his game's biggest weakness and provide an answer to the question of who Jacques Martin could count on to win big faceoffs.

Travis Moen had a great game, but he's not going to be a long-term solution for the top line. Plekanec can work magic, but even David Copperfield has to actually have a rabbit in the hat to begin with. Erik Cole could be the rabbit, although so far he's been an unimpressive addition. It's not helping that he's getting fewer than 15 minutes of ice time, when he's used to playing more like 18-20 per game. If, as they say, Cammalleri is out for only two weeks, it would be the first bit of good luck the team has had since training camp opened.

That's if you don't count Carey Price's performance as a stroke of luck. The goaltender upon which everything depends was solid throughout the game, but especially cool and focused during the Jets' early push. He underlined, once again, that the Habs will go as far as he can take them. So, on Thanksgiving Day, Habs fans everywhere can give thanks for the continued good health of their goalie.

This hasn't been the start of the season the Canadiens were hoping to have. Then again, maybe if they get the injuries out of the way early, they'll get their healthy bodies back when it really matters later in the year. While it'll be great to see Tinordi and Beaulieu in Habs sweaters, it would be nice not to see them just because there's nobody left to play.

Luck Or Suck

2011-10-07T02:57:00.000-11:00

There are two schools of thought regarding last night's pathetic lack of firepower on the part of our beloved Canadiens. One group says the Habs had more than thirty shots and only poor luck kept one of them from finding twine.

The other group, and the one to which I'm increasingly listening, says the Canadiens were one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league for the last two seasons and nothing has changed. Excuses can mask the core issue for a while, but in the end the truth remains. Sure, the team is already dealing with key injuries. It's also true that the players have had little time together and are probably a bit short on chemistry just yet. Still, those excuses fail to explain why the Canadiens dominated the first period, then gave up the ghost in the last two.

Pierre Gauthier needs to examine the kind of team he's compiled, and compare that with the style of play Jacques Martin demands. Many of the players have proven they can score at other levels and with other teams. Yet, placed in Montreal, their production drops, almost across the board. Homegrown players like Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec regularly score twenty goals, but you have to wonder if they wouldn't produce more with another coach in another system. Others have. Matt D'Agostini scored two goals in forty games under Martin. Last year in St.Louis, he had twenty-one. Sergei Kostitsyn had seven goals in the 47 games he played for Martin. In Nashville...not exactly the '80s Oilers...he had 23 in 77 games.

Whether there's a failure to communicate between Martin and his players or Martin's system just doesn't produce a lot of goalscoring, there's a problem in Montreal. The team can't score even though the individual players have proven they can. Unless something changes, it's going to be another year of Carey Price playing out of his mind to preserve 2-1 and 3-2 victories. If he doesn't, if he gives up a couple of goals early, there's little chance the team will recover. When it's time for him to start thinking about his long-term contract next year, it won't be a plus for him to know he's got to be perfect every night or the team will lose.

There's also a problem with the powerplay, which has been the one positive in the scoring desert of the last two years. P.K.Subban is trying to do everything and making costly errors instead, but there are few blueline alternatives. There's little cohesion, and there doesn't seem to be much of a plan. Kirk Muller, who last year worked with the kids like Subban and planned the PP, is gone and appears to have left a greater void than we were expecting.

Of course, it doesn't help when a coach has two big scoring wingers, one whom he benches after an iffy penalty call and one who gets third-line linemates and fourth-line ice time. Neither Andrei Kostitsyn or Erik Cole were used in a way that would maximize their abilities. When a team can't score much to begin with, the coach doesn't have the luxury of playing games with the people most likely to pot one.

This is not to let the players off the hook. In the second and third periods last night, they did nothing to help their cause. They need to be better...a lot better...than they looked in that sad forty minutes. Still, one can't help thinking they'd have a better chance if they played a system more open to scoring goals. The Canadiens certainly have their share of bad luck when it comes to lighting the lamp, but the style they're playing just adds to the suck.

Habs vs. leafs - Opening Night Edition

2011-10-06T12:57:00.003-11:00

Notes on the second:

-leafs suck.

-Oh, for god's sake. These losers can score when Pleks is the only D back on a PP. Something's got to give, Martin.

-Habs can't score. This will be the story for the rest of the year.

-Gomez is back to drifting left on the rush...the single most ineffective offensive play a centreman can make.

-Spatch flattened by Phaneuf, but gets right back up. A tribute to his conditioning, because last year he would have been lying there for 20 mimutes.

-Habs PP creates as many sparks as rubbing two wet sticks together. Unless it's for the other team.

-Where's "New Edition" Gomez tonight? Looks like he's drinking the same old Kool Aid.

-I smell shut out already. That's not good, for the first game of the year.

-This is the most depressing game since 2006.

-If Grabovski can weave through the Habs D like a silkworm, what's going to happen when they face Datsyuk?

-And the glory of the period: too many men. Might as well start setting the record from Day One.

Notes on the first:

-I hate the leafs more than polio.

-Pleky's so fast, if he had more ice he'd be supersonic.

-I think Josh Gorges has actually discovered the art of skating since his surgery. He's the anti-Markov.

-The Subban Spinnerama is as confusing to the leafs as Mandarin is to a Newfoundlander.

-Wow. Grabovski is with TO for four years already? It's true that when you get old the time moves faster.

-Crap. Have the leafs actually got a decent goalie for once?

-Steckel is such a waste of a lineup spot.

-Gotta love The System. No leaf has had a clear look at Price through the first.

-The Habs PP is more unconscious than the guy in Awakenings.

-Why does the Hab in front of the net always have his back turned to the play?

Make Your Betts

2011-10-05T12:01:00.002-11:00

The Canadiens' roulette wheel of black or red fourth-line centres has rolled to a stop on Blair Betts this year. He'll displace Red 61 as the default Habs' designated PK/faceoff guy. He follows in the wake of such luminaries as Radek Bonk, Glen Metropolit and Jeff Halpern.

Betts is a good pick up. The Habs needed someone with size on the fourth line, who can play some minutes, kill penalties and win important draws. They needed someone who could let Tomas Plekanec off the hook as the team's go-to PK centreman. His presence means Andreas Engqvist goes to Hamilton.

That underlines a small issue with the Habs prospect pool. The Canadiens have traded first and second-round picks for the last four years, and that's left a gap between the guys who are breaking into the NHL now and those who are three to four years away. The guys who should be knocking at the door, filling that fourth-line centre or number-six D spot are playing for other teams.

It was a nice gamble to trade a first for Alex Tanguay, and a second for Robert Lang. Those didn't work out long term, but then management traded a second for Mathieu Schneider, another for Dominic Moore and yet another for James Wisniewski. While nobody denies those guys filled important roles when they were desperately needed, now we can all see the gap in the Habs developmental pipeline because of those trades.

Picking up undrafted people like Engqvist were admirable attempts to fill the gap with astute scouting and gleaning gold from other teams' chaff. It's not the same as picking guys you know you'll need and letting them develop within the organization. Sometimes those outside gambles pay off. More times, they don't.

In the end, Gauthier claimed Blair Betts off waivers because he gambled away the team's youth to fill other holes, which left new holes. The good thing about this pickup is that, while Betts will do nicely on the fourth line this year, he didn't cost anything. Neither did Chris Campoli in his role as fifth defenceman. Gauthier, if he's learned anything, has figured out picks are the most important assets a team can have. So, if he can grab a guy off the scrap heap in September, like Campoli, or a guy off waivers like Betts, who can fill important spots for minimal cost, it's all to the team's benefit.

That leaves the draft picks intact, so, if they're used wisely, the team won't have to look for another Campoli or Betts outside its own organization. In the meantime, we hope to see the best of those guys and minimize the hurt of moving the future for the rapidly-fading present.

Bonding

2011-10-03T10:38:00.002-11:00

The Scene: Somewhere in the woods near Collingwood, Ontario.

P.K.Subban: Okay, Kush. We've got them. All we have to do is sneak up behind that tree and hit them hard.
Andrei Kostitsyn: I hit tree?
Subban: No, Kush. We hit those guys down there. We hide behind the tree.
Kostitsyn: Cool. We sneak up on tree.
Subban: Cammy, do you speak Kush?
Mike Cammalleri: Okay, Kush? You know when coach yells at you for missing your check? This is like that. You see those guys moving down there? Get behind the tree and shoot them.
Kostitsyn: Okay, Cammy. I can shoot my check.
Travis Moen: I say we just run down at them. They don't know we're here, and we'll scare the shit out of them if we come tearing out of the trees like that.
Cammalleri: Yeah, but if we start screaming and running, they'll only be shocked for a minute. Then they'll start picking us off.
Subban: That's true. I say we snipe them. Kush, you ready?
Kostitsyn: I am ready, P.K. fires
Moen: Holy crap. You shot coach in the ass, Kush. If he finds out it was you, you'll never see ten minutes a game again.
Kostitsyn: Crap, Travy. Don't tell him. Please!
Subban: (in a sing-song) Kush shot the coach's ass. Kush shot the coach's ass. Ha ha, Kush. That's unreal, even for you!
Cammalleri: Okay. Let's get our story straight. They're gonna know it was one of us, by the angle of the shot. I say we tell him P.K. was aiming at Pearn.
Moen: No, man. He loves Pearn. I say it was a riccochet off that big rock down there, and we were aiming for Gill over behind that tree. Everyone in the game can see him there.
Kostitsyn: But what we will say when he ask who pull trigger?
Cammalleri: I'll say it was me.
Moen: No, man. I'll say it was me. It doesn't matter because I know I'll still get first-line time this year.
Subban: No. I'll say it was me. Until Marky comes back, he can't afford to bench me.
Kostitsyn: Guys. You are being so kind. I am feeling the bond.
Cammalleri: No, Kush, you're feeling the thrill of shooting Martin in the ass. Ha ha. But seriously, we've got your back.
Subban: Yeah, Kush. You're our guy and Jacques will have to go through us to get to you.
Moen: Shut up, P.K. I'm getting something in my eye here.
Kostitsyn: Okay. I am running down and shoot. They get me, I fall for you.
Cammalleri: No, Kush. We'll all go together. Okay? Everyone ready...RUUUUNNN!!

The four players race downhill, weapons ready. Shots fire from every direction

Kostitsyn: Oh my God. They got me. Cammy! Go on without me.
Cammalleri: They got me too! I think I leaned into the shot and it got me in the head. It's my fault, so at least nobody will get suspended.
Moen: I'm down too, guys. Markov got me in the knee.
Subban: I'm hit! Who the hell let Don Cherry in here?!

All is silent on the field of battle. Then, a lone figure emerges from the shadows

Carey Price: Heh heh. So, you guys thought you could outsmart a cowboy? Think again, suckers.
Jacques Martin: Carey! Help!
Price: Jacques? Holy crap, did someone shoot you in the ass?
Martin: It was that damn Subban. Someday I'm gonna get that kid.
Price: Aw, common, Jacques. Let's go grab a beer and do some bonding. This game kinda sucks.
Martin: Yeah, I just wish I could have shot Claude Julien, but, oh well.
Price: Too bad the Bruins are bonding on Crescent St. this week.
Martin: Damn.

*Photo courtesy of @PKSubban1 on Twitter.

Toughness

2011-10-02T05:17:00.000-11:00

Last night was the only pre-season game worth watching, as far as the Canadiens are concerned. Even though the fourth line was made up of aspiring guys and not real NHLers, it was the closest to an opening-night lineup we've seen.

The relief of the matter was that the Canadiens...the real Canadiens...were fast, opportunistic and aggressive on the rush. The D got the puck out quickly and didn't give Tampa a chance to line up in their zone. And Carey Price was solid when he had to be, spectacular when required.

The only bruise on the body of an otherwise great game came when Ryan Malone, who'd been looking for trouble all night, came rushing at Chris Campoli, elbow up. He struck Campoli in the head, making no attempt to play the puck. Campoli, predictably, went down hard, body spinning. Malone got a match penalty and an undermatched revenge fight with Josh Gorges, who took a significant cut on the forehead in the process.

Now, today, many Habs fans are screaming for revenge. They want a guy who can go out and revisit the violence on offenders from other teams, or who can prevent said violence in the first place, with a well-placed glare or icy stare indicative of the consequences to be suffered by messing with Canadiens. The more experienced of us know that doesn't work. Not in this day and age, when head shots are being punished and the league's chief of discipline is looking at fighting as a contributing factor in the NHL's high rate of brain injury.

We know goons don't work. We've seen too much of Georges Laraque chasing Milan Lucic around the ice, and Derek Boogaard playing three minutes a game. Now we see the "new" version of enforcers...decent players with a mean streak...being reeled in by NHL discipline for their tendency to hit people in the head. So, what's a team to do?

In the case of the Canadiens, they're doing the right thing. They're icing a team that can play the game. All four lines can skate hard and pressure the opponent. The defence can move the puck up and out quickly and the goalie can stand against the other team's rush. The Canadiens play hockey. The cries of those who bawl for the Habs to employ some other strategy that can intimidate opponents in the old-school way are wrong-headed. Revenge, head shots and maybe even fighting are on the table to be removed from the game. What does that leave? It leaves a skilled team with the ability to beat the other team on the ice, not in the alley. That's the Habs.

If Brendan Shanahan can reel in the unnecessary violence and intimidate players who intend to hurt for the sake of hurting, it gives the Habs a leg up in the league. They don't have people who employ those tactics and can't compete with those who do. But if the teams that depend on intimidation are limited, it gives teams that play hockey a chance.

Brendan Shanahan, in the end, could be the difference between the Canadiens competing for the Cup or not. That's some kind of power. That's tough.

There's A New Sheriff In Town

2011-09-27T13:31:00.000-11:00

He's got it! By George, I think he's got it! The NHL was in dire need of a sheriff who'd be willing to combine common sense, good judgement and a backbone to bring law and order back to a league that lost sight of justice. Enter Brendan Shanahan, and not a minute too soon.

Before preseason games began, Shanahan, with the support of the NHLPA's Mathieu Schneider, sent a detailed video to all the players and coaches in the league. In it, he explained with clip illustration, what would now constitute Rule 48, which now punishes any player who targets a player's head. This is regardless of any injury the guy getting hit might sustain, which is a revolutionary departure from the "Well, did it hurt him?" school of Colin Campbell discipline. The preseason video also makes clear how the league intends to enforce the boarding rule, especially when the targetted player is in a defenceless position. Shanahan left absolutely no doubt about what's allowed and what's not. He also said while he understands the game happens at high speed, there's always time for players to choose whether to run a guy or not.

So now, a week or so into the preseason, Shanahan has already handed out six suspensions (likely seven after he reviews the blatant boarding call on borderline Flyer Tom Sestito), with five of them carrying over into the regular season. The highest among them was James Wisniewski's nasty hit to Cal Clutterbuck's head. Wisniewski got eight games (with lost salary of more than half a million dollars) for the offence and Shanahan served notice that he's not taking any crap.

The beauty of what Shanahan is doing is in the video. Not only is he thinking logically about what kind of suspension is deserved, relative to the offender's history and intent, but he's laying it out in detail on video for everyone to see. This is ground-breaking stuff, and the NHL really needed it. It serves notice that Campbell's inexplicable Wheel of Justice has been mothballed.

After Max Pacioretty was very nearly killed or paralyzed when Boston's Zdeno Chara steered him into a rink stanchion at high speed last season, many people suddenly lost their appetite for on-ice destruction. The hit became bigger than the Habs or the Bruins. When Colin Campbell decided to let Chara go without a suspension, calling it a "hockey play," it turned the stomachs of a lot of long-time hockey fans and cast a cynical pall over the sport they love. It also got people, including those at the higher levels of the game, talking seriously about curbing head shots. The hit came in the same season as the one that sidelined Sidney Crosby (also without a suspension) since last January. The league recognized the urgency of the problem at long last and, incapable of introducing meaningful change with the old methods, brought in Shanahan.

This is a good thing for fans whose love of the game was waning because of the league's blindness to the damange players were suffering. We now can look at Shanahan as the guy who might be able to show players their antics won't be tolerated. Eight games to a guy like Wisniewski is a real tough-love start to a new world order in the NHL. That gives fans a reason to hope the trash is about to be taken out and the sport more like the one we've always respected.

Of course, it's early to judge Shanahan's long-term effectiveness. It's one thing to suspend Jody Shelley or Wisniewski for a few games. We'll know better the real story after the next Chris Pronger cheap shot. It'll become crystal clear when we see what Shanahan does when Alex Ovechkin or Corey Perry nails someone in the head. So far, the new sheriff is walking softly and carrying a big stick. If he can maintain consistency in his decision-making and continue to explain his calls clearly, he might be able to change the law while upholding the rules.

Preseason Blues

2011-09-26T01:43:00.000-11:00

Of all the ways in which the Montreal Canadiens gouge their fans, from charging a third more for tickets to "premium" games, to adding a per-ticket service charge, to selling ten-dollar beer at the Bell Centre, one of the worst is charging regular prices to see preseason hockey games.

The hockey in these games is rarely great, with a mishmash of cautious veterns, hopeful rookies and a bunch of guys who'll never play in the NHL, but will serve as convenient cannon fodder to fill out the watered-down split squads that are par for the preseason.

The Canadiens in this case are thinking about the money, not about the fans. Imagine the Habs fans in Halifax last night, who paid $94 for a ticket in the lower bowl at the Metro Centre in the hope of seeing Carey Price or P.K. Subban. Maybe they were hoping for a glimpse of Michael Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec or Brian Gionta. Instead, the best they got was Scott Gomez and Hal Gill. Not exactly the guys you have in mind when you spend a hundred bucks to see the Habs.

Of course, it's understandable that a team should want to get a close look at its prospects in action against NHL competition. It's also reasonable that NHL veterans should want to gradually work up to full speed without risking too much in the way of injury. The problem isn't the games themselves. It's that the NHL team, in this case, the Canadiens, charges through the nose for fans to see them.

The preseason is a great PR opportunity for teams like the Habs. When the regular season is so expensive, with its premium games and seat prices that go up every year, these meaningless September contests would be a good chance to slash prices and make it affordable for a whole family to go see at least some of their heroes. If tickets were $20 a pop, nobody would be too upset about seeing Gomez instead of Subban or Budaj instead of Price. Nobody would go away bitter after watching the Bruins destroy a half-hearted Canadiens split-squad. Disappointed, maybe, but not feeling bitterly ripped off.

The Canadiens can't do that, though. The chance to drag in every possible dollar is too tempting to think about the sensibilities of the fans who attend these games. Why not, they rationalize, when fans are only too willing to pay whatever the team asks?

That's where these philosophies start to become dangerous for teams, though. For some fans, there's a limit to how much they're actually willing to pay. When the games, including the crappy preseason ones, are shown on RDS in glorious HD, it's awfully tough to justify the rising cost of going to a live game. Sure, there's nothing as uplifting as the roar in the Bell Centre when the Habs are doing well, but there's also nothing as demoralizing as the grumbling quiet when they're not.

Last spring, I paid scalper's rates to see a "premium" game against the Capitals. The Canadiens played the most listless, uninspired 60 minutes of hockey I'd ever had the misfortune to sit through in person. They got shut out 2-0, and I couldn't help thinking the money to fly to Montreal, stay in a hotel, and get to the game could have been better used. Now friends are going to see the Habs and Bruins on October 29. Again, it's a "premium" game. This time, though, the thought of spending $150 for a nosebleed seat is distinctly unappealing. (Not that the scalpers' prices are the Habs fault directly, but when you start off with high prices, the re-sellers are going to add their pound of flesh on top of them.) I've reached the limit of what I'm willing to pay to see a hockey game. Maybe if the Habs had decided to make their meaningless, understaffed preseason games accessible to the average Joe, it would be a little easier to stomach the wallet drain of the regular season. The Canadiens would be showing a little goodwill toward the fans; a sort of apology for the unforgiving costs or running a pro hockey team. Instead, they continue to squeeze fans for every dollar they can get.

I'm sure Habs management could care less that I won't be going to see a game at the Bell Centre this year. It should, however, care about the fans like those in Halifax, who rarely get a chance to see big-league hockey. To send such a dismal team to play there, with such dismal results, yet charge full price for it, was shameful. The least the Canadiens could have done was send a Price or a Subban to entertain that crowd. That they didn't shows a lack of respect for the fans who still are willing to shell out and treat themselves to a hockey game. Sooner or later, that kind of gouging comes back to haunt even the most arrogant of teams.

Gone Bananas

2011-09-23T12:13:00.004-11:00

I wasn't going to write anything about the "Wayne Simmonds incident" when I first heard about it. I didn't want to give the perpetrator any more fame than that for which he originally bargained. However, the idea that it should be called the "Wayne Simmonds incident" made me angry. Wayne Simmonds was nothing but the vehicle for a hateful message.

For those of you who are uninitiated into the ugly side of hockey and its fans, a person in the stands in a preseason game in London, Ontario, hurled a banana peel into the path of Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, who's black, as he advanced in a shootout. The reaction in the face of such a blatant insult has been predictable. Fans, analysts and players have mostly all been shouting down the intention of such a gesture. Black players are good, they're strong and they're accepted on hockey teams the same as any player who's white, native or Asian. To the players, that is.

Fans, however, don't live up to such high standards. If there's any recent example in the NHL, it's that of P.K.Subban. Subban broke into the league with a bang last year. He was brash, bold, outspoken, and, above all, supremely talented. Yet, many people failed to recognize his skill in the face of behaviour some decried. Under the microscope, Subban's behaviour was nothing out of the ordinary. Subban loves celebrating goals. So did Teemu Selanne, Theo Fleury, Alex Ovechkin and countless others. Yet, when Subban did it, players suddenly found fault. Subban was "disrespectful." If he didn't stop, "something would happen to him."

The righteous among us, who would love to believe racism is a thing of the past, sneer at such a comparison of experience. Yet, fans throw bananas, and players look askance at a star of a different colour who faces them across the ice, while opposing fans jeer him.

We'd like to think sports are as well-adjusted as the rest of society, but we forget that we make these guys who they are. Fans set the standards of what they'll pay to see. Kids who don't measure up in skills learn how to fight, to entertain fans. We like brawls.

We're not sure about gay guys. Sure, it was nice that Brian Burke's kid broke some ground toward acceptance, but we're not sure we'd really want that guy on our team. We're equally unsure about black guys. They don't play hockey. They run, they jump, they race, they win Super Bowls and Olympic gold medals. They don't skate. At least in some fans' minimal world experience. So, when a guy who's black turns out to be a hell of a hockey player, some of us look at it as an exception. We...them...the separation continues in the closed-circuit world of hockey.

That's got to end. Hockey is a universal sport, with universal players. All fans need to learn to appreciate skill, regardless of colour, religion or sexual orientation. The sad part is, most of us do that already. We just love the game and we're in awe of those who can play it at a level to which we could never aspire. Still, the cretins, the one in a hundred who sees the world the way it used to be, find something to ridicule.

I admire Wayne Simmonds. Last night, having seen the banana peel on the ice, he kept going and still scored in the shootout. Today, when pressed for a response to the incident, he replied, "I'm above that stuff."

P.K. Subban tweeted that he supports Simmonds for being so strong through all of this. Yet, you wonder, how many young black players weren't so strong? How many heard the taunts and saw the banana peels and decided hockey wasn't worth it?

This isn't something the NHL or any other league can fix. This is society. This is a decision made by one guy who wanted to hurt someone, but nobody else who witnessed it stopped him. Somebody has to be the guy who stops that racist guy. Hockey depends on it.

That's More Like It

2011-09-21T23:13:00.000-11:00

The Buffalo Sabres brought pretty much what will be their opening-night roster to Montreal last night, and to many people's surprise, the half-staffed Canadiens gave them a serious challenge. There was so much to like about the way the Habs played last night.

Among the kids, Brendan Gallagher had a couple of nice chances, and played a very high-intensity game. Young Nathan Beaulieu made a couple of mistsakes, but he showed offensive flair and poise on the point during the PP, and he played nearly half the game.

Of the returning guys, P.K.Subban was flying, Max Pacioretty and Josh Gorges looked like they'd never been away and David Desharnais showed his typical tenaciousness and creativity. Peter Budaj made enough good saves to make us feel okay about him backing up Carey Price. Jaro Spacek appeared to have picked up a step.

All that is the good news, but, while it was great to see the Habs give Buffalo a good challenge, it didn't answer a few outstanding questions. For example, how much is Travis Moen still able to contribute? Moen has dropped another notch down the forward depth chart with the addition of Erik Cole this year. Last night, he looked awkward with the puck and didn't play a particularly physical game either. He needs to prove he can still make a difference on the ice for the Habs, and that means he has to be better than he was last year. He didn't look any better against Buffalo.

Also of concern is the failure of either Aaron Palushaj or Andreas Engqvist to step up and prove they deserve to be on the big team. There's a spot available, presumably for one of those guys or Brock Trotter, but none of them has yet proven they're ready to be NHL regulars. If none of them wins the job outright, Pierre Gauthier will have to go shopping in a very thinly stocked free agent market.

The hope had been that Engqvist in particular would stand out because the Canadiens desperately need a centreman who can win faceoffs. Again last night they were repeatedly booted from the circle and spent a lot of time chasing the puck after losing draws. With the departure of Jeff Halpern, either Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez need to get better on faceoffs pronto, or Gauthier finds a high-percentage centre somewhere. If Engqvist isn't that guy, the Habs could be in trouble. Faceoffs are important, and the Habs don't win very many of them.

All in all, though, last night's game told us a couple of things about our team. We know they're going to be super fast. We know they'll challenge any team they face. We know the PP will be deadly in a couple of years when Nathan Beaulieu and P.K.Subban are manning the points full time. And we know this is going to be a really fun season.

Thoughts on the Pre-Season

2011-09-21T00:42:00.000-11:00

Well, I guess we know now what the Habs' defence would look like if Hal Gill were the only available blueliner with NHL experience. That was some rough D against Dallas in the first pre-season game. It was one of those games in which you just have to take a deep breath, forget about how excited you were to see hockey...any kind of hockey...and how much you wanted the Habs to dominate, and replace those thoughts with the mantra, "It's pre-season, it's pre-season."

Carey Price warned us before the game. He said he wasn't ready yet and he probably wouldn't play well. He was right. Four goals on 13 shots, two of which were simply cases of Price losing sight of the puck, was pretty bad. Unlike last season, however, Price's pre-season performance is of little concern, as was evidenced by the complete lack of booing from the Bell Centre rafters.

That's not to say there were no highlights. The Tomas Plekanec/Erik Cole/Michael Cammalleri line, even at pre-season's half speed, were buzzing on every shift and made some tantalizingly creative plays on the PP. Andrei Kostitsyn looked like he's getting ready to burst out of the gate next month and prove he deserves another contract. Alexei Yemelin looked poised with the puck and showed a nice ability to hold it in at the blueline. He also laid a couple of noticeable hits. Young Nathan Lawson made some nice saves in his allotted half game. The brief spurt of energy in which the Habs scored their three goals showed us a group of players who can really skate, when they want to.

What I found disconcerting about the whole thing, however, was the lack of "want to" from the prospects. Nobody really showed a great desire to make an impression. Maybe they're just nervous to be playing at the Bell Centre, or they know there's not much chance of making the big team, or maybe they're just not good enough. Either way, the Danny Masses and Alain Bergers of the world didn't do a whole lot to prove they want to make an impression. Brock Trotter, Aaron Palushaj and Andreas Engqvist, who are the front-runners to grab the last roster spot among forwards, showed a bit of speed, but not much else. Ian Schultz tried to showcase his toughness with an uninspired staged fight. Raphael Diaz showed some nice moves on offence, but looked confused on D. All in all, nobody among the Hab wannabes took his fate in his own hands like David Desharnais did last fall.

Still, it's pre-season. Most of these guys don't have a real shot at the big team anyway, and they'll have lots of time to build a case for themselves in Hamilton, junior or wherever else they end up. The regulars are easing into shape and are well aware none of this counts for anything. As fans, we know there's another bunch of prospects ready to show...or not...their stuff tonight.

It may not be great hockey, or very inspiring, but, hey! It's hockey.

Go, Spatcho, Go

2011-09-19T10:41:00.001-11:00

About a year ago, I had the opportunity to ask Tomas Plekanec a few questions about his life and his hockey philosophies. As an afterthought, and out of curiosity, I asked him to whom in the Canadiens' room he feels the closest. He said, "I have no problems with anybody on the team, but I'd say I'm probably closest to Spacek."

Spacek just seems such a likeable sort of guy. He's never scowling or unpleasant. He works hard, and during the miracle playoff run last year, he raised his game a couple of notches, providing stellar coverage of some very tricky forwards. He also gives great quotes, whether he means to or not. (Anyone who's seen those "Get to Know Your Canadiens" videos on the team website and recalls Spacek saying his worst-ever Halloween costume was the pink Teletubbie...including purse...can vouch for that.)

This summer, Spacek reached a crossroads in his career. About to turn 38 in February, he's not quite as fast as he used to be. He's not putting up the points like he did in Buffalo or Columbus either. And sometimes when he's got to race for the puck on an icing, he takes the kind of hit that makes a 37-year-old slow to get up. So it must have been disconcerting for him to see Yannick Weber developing into an NHL defenceman and the arrival of Raphael Diaz and Alexei Yemelin from Europe, just as he's about to enter the last year of his contract.

Suddenly there were too many defencemen looking for too few jobs, while the prospects for a somewhat pudgy 37-year-old on the downslide weren't looking great. Spacek could have decided to collect his very generous paycheck and let the chips fall where they may. He didn't do that, though. Instead, he took a look at himself and his training regimen and saw room for improvement.

He says he improved his cardio with some extra running this summer, and he was on skates six weeks before camp, which is quite a bit earlier than in previous off-seasons. The result is a leaner, fitter Spacek who looks determined to hold onto his job, despite the younger competition.

All of this is good news for the smiling defenceman who's doing everything he can to revitalize his career and make his contract year a strong one. It's also very good news for the Canadiens. With the health of Andrei Markov's knee still uncertain and the departure of Roman Hamrlik's vetern workhorse abilities, the Habs have a need for an experienced D-man who can step up when needed. When contemplating possible replacements in case Markov's recovery is slower than expected, or if another big-minutes guy like Josh Gorges or P.K.Subbban gets hurt, most fans don't even consider Spacek, but if his better conditioning enables him to play a tighter game, he could be very valuable as the season progresses.

Spacek has been playing his off-side since his arrival in Montreal, during which time he was most often paired with Hamrlik. Now, with two right-handed shots in the lineup in P.K.Subban and Yannick Weber, there may be an opportunity for Spacek to play his preferred left side. One would imagine a fitter player working in his comfort zone would have a better chance to put up points. If Spacek is able to work the second wave of the PP effectively, it would increase the efficiency of an already-strong power play unit.

You have to admire a guy who's proud enough to want to make what's probably his last season in Montreal the best it can be, and who's determined enough to do the work to make that happen. While it might be strange to see Spacek without his accustomed second chin, it's easy to see why Tomas Plekanec likes him so much. I like him too.

A Meeting of the Minds

2011-09-15T08:28:00.000-11:00

The Scene: Jacques Martin's office at the Bell Centre. Martin sits behind the desk, Andrei Kostitsyn in one of two chairs before it. A stranger walks in and takes the second seat.

Martin: Andrei, I asked you to come here today so we could talk about our differences. I need you to be an important contributor to our group this season.
Kostitsyn: Shoot puck. Score goals.
Martin: Yes, exactly. And I believe you when you say the things you told that reporter this summer were a misunderstanding.
Kostitsyn: Yes. He just want story.
Martin: So, to avoid more miscommunication, I've invited Mikhail here to join us. English isn't my first language, or yours, but Mikhail speaks both French and Belarusian, and he'll translate for us. Is that okay with you?
Kostitsyn: Yes. Is good. I start?

Martin nods. Kostitsyn turns to translator and begins to speak.

Kostitsyn: Вы асёл. Вы ніколі не слухаюць. Вы носіце выродлівыя сувязяў. Вы губіце маю кар'еру.

Translator pales, fidgets, clears throat.

Mikhail: Il dit qu’il souhaite que vous ayez un dialogue plus ouvert. Et il aime votre choix de cravates.
Martin: Regardes-toi dans le miroir, le clown. Ils doivent bien avoir des coiffeurs dans ton pays? Ou est-ce-que ton imbécile de frère te coupe toujours les cheveux avec des cisailles?
Mikhail: Трэнер кажа, што вы добра выглядаць. Вы павінны ўпарта працавалі ўсё лета.
Kostitsyn: Я ўпарта працую, каб атрымаць ад вас. Я спадзяюся, што вы страціце працу.
Mikhail: Ah, il dit que tant que tu es le coach et qu’il est un joueur, il t’écoutera.
Martin: Ça me rend fou quand tu croise la ligne bleue avec la puck, pis t’as l’air comme si quelqu’un te demandais de résoudre des équations quadratiques et tu perds la rondelle.
Mikhail: Трэнер лічыць, што вы вельмі творча з шайбай і здольныя да матэматыкі, занадта
Kostitsyn: Я хачу быць на першай лініі з Pleky.
Mikhail: Il aime bien jouer avec Tomas Plekanec et il pense qu’il a plus à offrir à l’équipe.
Martin: Tu seras sur la troisième ligne cette saison, et si tu n’aimes pas ça, ben j’ai entendu une rumeur que les Devils se cherchent un virtuose sous-performant pour jouer avec Kovalchuk. S’ils ont encore une équipe en novembre. Pis y’a toujours les Jets. Tout le monde veut jouer à Winnipeg, non?
Mikhail: Трэнер кажа, што вы універсальны прайгравальнік, і балельшчыкі ў Вініпегу будзе так рады цябе бачыць.
Kostitsyn: Я хачу, каб ён гаварыць ясна і скажыце, што ён хоча, каб я зрабіў.
Mikhail: En mots simples, qu’est ce que tu veux qu’il fasse sur la glace?
Martin: Je te demande de jouer simple. Si tu as la rondelle, tu la shoot. Si tu n’l’as pas, tu frappes des gens jusqu'à ce que tu la reçoit. Donne la pas en cadeau et prend pas des pénalités stupides.
Mikhail: Ён хоча, каб захаваць яго простым. Страляйце шайбу. Хіт гульцоў. Трымайцеся далей ад штрафной.
Kostitsyn: (excitedly)Так! Як я заўсёды кажу. Страляйце шайбу. Ацэнка мэтаў.
Mikhail: Il dit qu’il comprend et que c’est ce qu’il essaye de faire!
Martin: (smiling thinly) Dis donc, t’es sûr que t’as pas un autre frère? Quelqu’un dans la famille doit bien avoir quelque chose entre les deux oreilles!
Mikhail: Трэнер кажа, што вы родам з таленавітай сям'і. У вас ёсць шмат талентаў. Як вы думаеце, вы можаце зрабіць у гэтым годзе?
Kostitsyn: Я магу адзнака 30 галоў. Можа быць, больш. Я выйграю новы кантракт.
Mikhail: Il est excité. Il pense qu’il peut marquer 30 buts cette saison, peut-être plus. Et il pense qu’il peut signer un nouveau contrat.
Martin: Si tu réussis à marquer trente buts et l’équipe te donne un contrat à long terme, j’pense que j’vais peindre mon cul bleu-blanc-rouge et danser nu sur Ste-Catherine.
Mikhail: Трэнер кажа, што калі вы набралі 30 галоў, ён будзе апранацца ў колеры каманды і вазьму вас да-шоў на Ste.Catherine.
Kostitsyn: (beaming) Скажыце яму, што ён усё яшчэ асла, але я паклаў гнеў у бок і пачаць усё спачатку.
Mikhail: Il dit qu’il va mettre le passé de côté et voudrait faire un nouveau départ, si tu veux.
Martin: I agree. Let's shake on it.

Martin extends his hand and Kostitsyn takes it with a firm shake. The two leave the office with a new understanding. Mikhail takes the elevator to the executive offices.

Mikhail: Sir? I did my best.
Pierre Gauthier: So, they've agreed to let bygones be bygones?
Mikhail: More or less.

Gauthier hands over a thick envelope

Gauthier: Well, you've earned this. You're a bloody genius.
Mikhail: No problem. It's all in the translation.

*Thanks to Naila Jinnah for her French translation.

Missing

2011-09-14T12:54:00.000-11:00

Be afraid, Habs fans. Be very afraid.

Yesterday, Pierre Gauthier announced Andrei Markov would not be ready to start the new NHL season. This is not good news. Gauthier signed Markov to a 3-year contract extension in June, banking that it would be okay to let Roman Hamrlik, who carried the bulk of the injured Markov's minutes for the last two years, walk. He also let James Wisniewski, who wanted Markovian money to stay in Montreal, go. Now, if Markov can't play, there's nobody with experience and applicable skill to step in for him.

There's no word on how much time Markov will miss. We don't know if it's just training camp exhibition games, or the first five games of the season, or the first twenty. That he's not ready, after having had his knee surgery nine months ago, is discouraging regardless. Josh Gorges had similar surgery just seven months ago and he's good to go. That Markov is not is of serious concern to Habs fans.

Of course, not every player responds to surgery in the same way. Markov is older than Gorges and underwent his second operation on the same knee within a single year, which Gorges did not. Still, the thought that Gauthier has put all his GM eggs in one D-man basket is cause for concern, especially if the shells are cracked.

Maybe this is just a minor bump in Markov's road to recovery. We have to hope it is. If not, the bright, shiny season we were hoping for just a week ago may be at least a little tarnished today. Without Markov, Jaro Spacek will have to play bigger minutes, and one of Raphael Diaz, Yannick Weber or Alexei Emelin had better be ready to take a regular shift in the NHL. If they aren't, Gauthier will have to hit the free agent scrap heap for yet another temporary replacement or trade yet another second-round pick for one. He's got money to spend, but at this point there's little left on the free agent market. Brian McCabe is out there, but he is to Markov what Mikhail Grabovski is to Sidney Crosby. It's not an avenue the Canadiens really want to explore at this point in the year.

Worse, if Markov is going to be intermittently hurt for the next three years, the Habs won't able to make any concrete plans for the future. That's not fair to either the player or the team.

Andrei Markov is extremely valuable as a player and a person for the Canadiens. Unfortunately, if he's not able to play at the level we're accustomed to see him at, his value as a player is diminished. For a team that's banking on him to regain his all-star form, this is at least worrisome. At worst, it's a serious setback.

This has the potential to be very bad, Habs fans. We'd better cross everything and hope the Canadiens and Markov are just being careful. The alternative does not bear thinking about.

Rookie Camp

2011-09-13T08:35:00.000-11:00

DAILY SCHEDULE FOR MONTREAL CANADIENS ROOKIE CAMP

8:00am: Breakfast with Canadiens greats Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer and Dickie Moore. Rookies may enjoy the opportunity to talk with these Hall-of-Fame players, hear their stories about playing for the Canadiens and ask for tips. (Note: future fourth-liners and try-outs may dine with Yvon Lambert instead.) Biosteel protein shakes are optional, no matter what Mike Cammalleri says.

8:45am: Bus to rink.

9:00am: Recitation of The System Prayer. "On my honour, I swear to uphold The System, regardless of whatever temptation I may face to give in to offensive tendencies. I vow to defend my own zone at the peril of goals and to meekly ride the bench if ever I should lose my man and he go on to score. In the name of Jacques Martin, Amen." To be followed by a few moments of reflection on The System.

9:15am: Team White on ice for drills on defensive zone coverage. Team Red in gym for dry-land training. (NOTE: Do NOT pat Brian Gionta on the head, no matter how tempted you may be.)

11:00am: Teams switch, with the exception of any player taller than 6'1". Tall players stay in the gym and continue to "fill out."

12:00pm: Lunch, to be provided at arena.

1:00pm: Classroom sessions. All players must attend at least four.

Session A: How to Act Like You Really Mean to Learn French. Moderated by Scott Gomez.

Session B: When the Guy Who's Helping You Buy Your TV Might Be a Russian Mobster. (Alexander Avtsin attendance mandatory.)

Session C: Is She REALLY 16? Tips For Keeping Your Puck Bunnies Legal.

Session D: This Is a Great Bunch of Guys: Seven Phrases You Can Use to Answer Almost Any Media Query

Session E: Social Media and the Modern Hockey Player. Advice on Keeping Your Mexican Vacation Pics Off the Internet.

Session F: Nutrition. A Brief Introduction to Sushi (An NHLer's Favourite Food, Regardless of Whether He Grew Up On Kraft Dinner) and Related Montreal Area Restaurants.

Session G: Managing Your Finances: Vegas Is Not a Reasonable Investment Solution. Guest Speaker: Jaromir Jagr.

5:00pm: Bus to Bar-B-Barn for dinner. (NOTE: The Guillaume Latendresse Memorial Whole Hawg dinner is on special for the duration of rookie camp.)

6:00pm: Back to rink for evening scrimmage.

6:10pm: First round picks to play one shift, then sit on the bench for the remainder of the scrimmage. (NOTE: Better get used to it early.)

7:30pm: Media session. (Remember, this is a great bunch of guys!)

8:30pm: Evening entertainment

Option A: Sushi and a movie
Option B: Nickelback concert (NOTE: Those choosing this option may be at risk of bad tattoos and failure to complete high school diplomas.)
Option C: Seinfeld reruns with Tomas Plekanec
Option D: Drinking games with Guy Lafleur
Option E: Team bowling with Guy Carbonneau

11:00pm: Lights out. (NOTE: Perry Pearn will be available for lullabies and bedtime hugs if required.)

Dark Summer

2011-09-07T08:42:00.001-11:00

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, our biggest concern was whether Carey Price would justify the Jaroslav Halak trade. That seems such a trivial worry today. Last year, the silent ice lay like an unspoken promise, slumbering unblemished as we waited for the game-time drama to unfold. This year, what happens on the ice is far from our minds.

This summer, the deaths of three young men who died under shadows of depression and addiction haunt us. The announcements that Marc Savard won't play at all this year because of head trauma, and that Sidney Crosby's return is uncertain for the same reason, fill us with regret. And now, the very idea that an entire hockey team, more than thirty young men in the primes of their lives, with families, hobbies, loves, collections, pets, favourite songs, imaginations, tattoos, mothers, homes and dreams can be entirely wiped out in the breath of an instant horrifies us. This is a dark, dark summer.

One could argue it's been a dark year. The near-destruction of Max Pacioretty at the hands of hulking Zdeno Chara, and the NHL's subsequent virtual shrug, made many of us think hard about what we admire...and what we don't...about NHL hockey. The rash of concussions sustained by players on every team at every level has made us wonder if this is really the game with which we fell in love. The questions we've had to ask ourselves about why we're fans and why we continue to be are still unaswered for many of us. This summer's events have served to drain much of the enthusiasm for the coming season from even the most fervent of us.

In a way, though, the way we feel now might be a catalyst for the betterment of the sport, or at least the way we fans behave toward the sport and its practitioners. I know I can't blame Sidney Crosby for whining to the refs anymore, because I just want to see him play again. I can't hate the leafs because I think about the Minsk fans who probably hated to see Lokomotiv come to town, and now they're all dead. That stuff goes beyond hockey. That's real life, and as we know, sports are supposed to be an escape from real life. These athletes are supposed to be heroes who stand above our vices of addiction and depression and avoid our human tragedies. They're not supposed to die. This summer has proven they're not any of that. These players are people with the same needs and shortcomings as the rest of us, and that must change the way we, as fans, look at the game.

Now we know these guys are human beings who just happen to be really good at the game we love. That has to give us some perspective about what we expect of them. I know I don't want any of the Canadiens to goon it up until his brain is damaged or he becomes addicted to narcotics to handle the pain. I don't want any of them to sit at home feeling so inadequate and helpless that he becomes suicidal. At this point, whatever happens on the ice is secondary to making sure the young men who play for our team are healthy, happy and protected. That's a radical shift for a fan who used to only want a Cup, no matter what the cost.

It comes down to the fact that hockey is entertainment. Sure, we want to win, and Canadiens fans perhaps want to win more than anyone. This summer, however, we have learned we cannot satisfy our vicarious thirst for victory through young men who are all too human. They are people, and through the miserable events of this summer, player and fan are perhaps more understanding of each other than they've ever been.

Bleak

2011-09-01T05:27:00.002-11:00

Sometime in the fall of 1957, a couple of NHL stars broke the unwritten rule against fraternizing with the enemy. Ted Lindsay of the Detroit Red Wings had been thinking for a while that it was unfair for team owners to keep players in the dark about how much they were bringing in at the gate, and how much they could expect to make when they retired from the game. The Canadiens' All-Star defenceman, Doug Harvey, was wondering the same thing. The two cautiously compared notes and agreed the only way players could expect a fair deal from the owners was if they joined forces and demanded one. They launched the first NHL players' association, but things didn't go well. The owners, predictably, feared any kind of interference from the players that might cut into their profits. So, Lindsay, Harvey and the other team representatives responsible for organizing the association were traded, demoted or otherwise diminished.

Ten years after that first attempt, the first incarnation of the modern players' association was born, led by the crooked Alan Eagleson. Since Eagleson's shameful departure in 1991, the NHLPA has seen one leader fired for stealing players' emails, another dismissed for murky reasons including mistreating staff, and one who took the players through a year-long lockout to avoid a salary cap, which ended in a salary cap.

The one thing common through the various versions of the NHLPA is money. Harvey and Lindsay formed the first one because they were sure they were getting shafted financially. Since then, it's been largely about how to get the most money for the players through negotiating collective bargaining agreements. To a great degree, the association has been successful in that regard. There will never be another superstar who leaves the game to spend his golden years selling fishing tackle out of his car trunk, as did Rocket Richard. Where the NHLPA has failed however, while it's been ensuring the best possible payday for its members, is in helping them cope with the psychological consequences of playing hockey professionally. That includes successfully leaving the game once the league no longer requires their services.

Perhaps there had been an early lesson in what the NHLPA's role should really have been in that very first association in 1957. Doug Harvey was a superstar and a very smart player, but he always liked to drink. When he was traded away from the Canadiens to the Rangers to become a player-coach in New York, the loss of that cameraderie with the other players was very, very difficult for him to accept. In the end, he was unable to find a life outside of hockey for himself and he died of complications of alcoholism.

There have been so many stories like Harvey's even since the formation of the players' association. Bill Gadsby, another Hall-of-Famer of the '50s and '60s era, endured a long struggle with alcoholism, saved only by a family intervention. Theoren Fleury plunged into drugs, booze and despair despite his talent. Rob Ramage is serving 15 years in prison for killing Keith Magnuson while driving drunk. Tim Chaisson, Tim Horton and Pelle Lindbergh are all dead before their time. Craig MacTavish spent a year in jail after taking a woman's life while drunk. John Kordic died at 27 after years of booze and drug abuse. Bob Probert's post-mortem brain at 45 showed signs of deep trauma that likely came from his hockey career and was exacerbated by drug and alcohol abuse. The great Terry Sawchuk died under strange circumstances after a lifetime of dealing with depression. Their experiences are, sadly, far from unusual. Although the salaries are better today, nobody's taking care of the players' other needs.

With the terrible news yesterday that Wade Belak has become the third player or former player this summer, after Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien, to die young, the issue of player support is on many people's minds. That all three of the players involved played a fighter's role may or may not have been relevant in their deaths. One thing is certain though. All of those players needed help. In the closed circle that is NHL hockey, you can be sure other people knew about it. The question is, how much did they do to get these guys the support and health care they needed?

In the wake of Rypien's death, TSN interviewed a former Canucks teammate and asked him about Rypien's mental health. The player looked decidedly uncomfortable when he talked about how he was "sure Rick tried to get help for dealing with all that stuff." In the testosterone-driven world of NHL hockey, weakness...and mental illness is certainly still perceived by many as being weakness...is intolerable.

With that in mind, the NHLPA can't just provide counselling services. It's got to talk about mental health and teach players that it's okay to seek help. Hockey builds its fraternity on toughness and team bonding, and players grow up in that culture. When it all comes to an end; when suddenly grown men who've never had to stand alone must find an identity of their own, it can be psychologically devastating. When a player who's always been the best on his team until he hits junior recognizes that he'll have to sell his self-esteem for a diminished role as a tough guy if he wants to make it in hockey, it costs him mentally. When a man who's sustained physical and mental injury in a very tough, fast game gets older and the game is gone while the pain remains, he might not know how to cope with that.

Today, after the third young player in a matter of months has died, some NHLers are starting to say the same things. Former NHLer Tyson Nash tweeted "Ur entire life is dedicated to hockey and then one day it's all over and ur kicked to the curb! And the NHLPA does nothing to prepare u." Theo Fleury responds, "Amen, brother."

Brent Sopel, having been unsigned by the Habs this summer, went to Russia. He tweets: "It's true when you're gone from the NHL it's like you never played. We're all just pieces of meat."

One might look at those sentiments with a jaundiced eye and say it's the same in any job that ends. You're part of a team, then, suddenly you're not. It's not an easy thing for anybody to deal with. The argument in sport, however, and especially in hockey, is when you make your living with your body, your self-esteem and happiness revolve around your physical performance to an unnatural degree. Consider also the idea that these players spend all their strength, training and focus from childhood, often to the detriment of outside interests, to developing as a hockey player. Not many salesmen or factory workers can say the same. Then there's the drinking that's just as much a part of the off-ice game as fighting is on-ice. Add a player's reliance on constant approval from spectators and teammates and you've got the ingredients for a volatile emotional cocktail. Those factors mean hockey isn't just a job like any other. Players who need help in or after hockey may not either recognize the fact, or feel comfortable seeking it if they do.

The players' association does, of course, have an employee assistance program. Each player has a card with contact numbers should he need to call someone for help. The program is secret, and provides doctors and professionals who can help a player deal with any number of issues. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley says the program is becoming more widely accepted among players these days, and family members and friends are referring players more often. Still, one has to wonder, if a guy has reached his breaking point and he's sitting in a hotel room all alone, whether he'll think to pick up that card and phone someone.

Last March, just five months before he died, Rypien was able to talk a little about his own struggles with mental health, and how he saw a need to provide extra help for players.

"The more that I go on, the more I can talk about it,"he said. "Hopefully, one day I can help other hockey players that might be experiencing difficulty with whatever they're dealing with off the ice."

Rypien never got the chance to be proactive in his wish to help other players deal with their troubles. His death, however, has underlined the need for the players' association to step in and shine a light on what has been a culture of macho disregard for anything considered "soft." Maybe it needs to actively include psychological counselling along with physical assessment for every player, whether he asks for it or not. After all, if everybody sees the shrink, nobody has to be the one saying "Yeah, I had to call for help." In a herd mentality like a hockey dressing room, an "everybody has to do it" approach might make all the difference.

When Doug Harvey and Ted Lindsay tried to start a players' assocation in 1957, they wanted life after hockey to be better for hockey players. They were talking about money, but the "chew 'em up and spit 'em out" character of the game was part of it too. These days, the NHLPA makes sure players get the most money they can from the game while they play, and ensures their pensions when they quit. A superstar like Doug Harvey will never have to live in a railway car again, if he doesn't choose to do so. Sadly, though, a player can still die early and many of them feel their association doesn't do enough to help prevent that.

Marketing

2011-08-31T06:06:00.002-11:00

Yesterday, the Canadiens released a new marketing campaign for the coming season. It's called "Rise Together," and the method the ad gurus decided to use to convey the sentiment is decidedly odd. It's meant to convey the idea that the team is on a dead serious mission to return itself to the glory of the past, and the determination of the players to work together to achieve that goal. At least, that's the idea. The depiction of it, however, is a weird amalgam of meshed faces, reminiscent of some '90s straight-to-video sci-fi flick.

I just don't get this whole approach. Sure, when the Canadiens were a mere shadow of their former, glorious selves, there was a need for such gimmicks. In the absence of winning, the team had to do something to provide fans with a show and justify the huge amounts of money they were willing to spend, given even a made-up reason to do so. Now, however, the team actually has a hope of really competing for the first time since the mid-90s. This is a time to celebrate, not pretend a bunch of young hockey players is the second coming of Easy Company on D-Day.

Maybe I'm getting curmudgeonly after so many years without a Cup, but I don't want to see the Habs portrayed as some kind of ultra-serious super-bots. I'd rather the marketing people had based their campaign on what's making me really like this team. Instead of trying to depict Carey Price and P.K. Subban as two halves of the same head, it would have been a whole lot more fun to see a picture of them being normal teammates together. They're good buddies, and candid shots showing that would have done a better job of convincing me this is a team that's rising together.

For me, this version of the team is about fun. They're young, they're talented and they've got potential. It's sure going to be a lot of fun watching them this year. Too bad the marketers missed one of the best tools they could have used...truth...in favour of a made-up, overdone image.

Then again, what's the point of marketing other than to get people to pay attention? I guess that's exactly what this new campaign is doing, melodramatic or not. Still, I can't imagine Price and Subban swooping in for a triple low five after a big win, and taking their morphed faces as seriously as the ad guys would like the rest of us to do. They have to feel a bit silly about the whole thing. I would. No, this time the marketing machine at the Bell Centre, while usually very good at taking the pulse of the fanbase, just got it wrong.

Seeing Red

2011-08-16T15:08:00.000-11:00

Whenever a new player is signed or drafted by the Canadiens, he almost inevitably talks about how glad he is to be part of an Original Six team, one with a great history of winning. Usually, he'll mention how special it is to pull on that sweater, worn by so many legends. Well, it turns out there may be more to the sentiment than just mindless patter.

In the most recent edition of the psychology journal "Emotion," Dr.Andrew Elliot has published a scholarly article about the impact of the colour red on athletes' performance. It's called, "Perception of the Colour Red Enhances the Force and Velocity of Motor Output." The theory behind the research is that human beings are conditioned to react to the colour red. When faced with stress, danger or anger, our faces flush, sending warning signals to other people in a deeply primal response. Dr.Elliot decided to see how that natural reaction to red impacts athletes playing against a team wearing red.

He gave three groups of students a hand grip, and showed them a sign saying "squeeze," written on either a blue, gray or red background. The people shown the instruction in red squeezed the grip both faster and harder than the other two groups. In a second experiment, he gave two groups of kids a metal pinch clasp to press right after reading their participant numbers written in either gray or red. Once again, the kids reading the red sign reacted more strongly and quickly. The interesting thing is that all of this happens at a subconscious level and most of us don't even know it.

"Colour affects us in many ways depending on the context," explains Dr.Elliot. "Those colour effects fly under our awareness radar."

Perhaps that's one explanation why it seems so many teams find another gear when they play at the Bell Centre. They appear to always give a little bit more in Montreal. It might also help explain part of why the Canadiens have had such a history of success. Elliot's work concludes that opponents of teams wearing red are subconsciously intimidated, perceiving red as a threat.

"Threat evokes worry, task distraction, and self-preoccupation, all of which have been shown to tax mental resources," he writes. This, he concludes accounts for why students who see red right before a test perform worse and athletes playing an opponent wearing red are more likely to lose.

Dr.Elliot's study isn't the only one with similar evidence of the dominance of the colour red for athletes. In 2004, a team of British anthropologists studied Olympic athletes randomly assigned red or blue uniforms in one-on-one competition in various sports. When otherwise equally matched, the athletes in red won the majority of the competitions. When one athlete was obviously better than the other, colour didn't matter, but...and this is the interesting bit...when one athlete was only slightly inferior to another, wearing red was enough to make up the difference in performance. The athletes in red won 57% of Olympic Taekwondo matches, 55% in boxing and 53% of wrestling matches. That study appeared in the journal "Nature" on May 19, 2005.

Other studies on the subject of the effect of red include one analysis of the British Premier League from 1947 to 2003. The researchers discovered the team wearing red won both the majority of their home games and more titles than teams wearing other colours over the years. A pair of German researchers studied the German professional football league and they found the team in red wins more often, but they weren't sold on the connection between red and victory in terms of uniform colour alone. They thought it might have been a situation in which competitive, aggressive men...natural athletes...prefer red and are attracted to the team for that reason, which gives it a leg up.

Any way you look at it, though, the research shows when all other things are pretty close to equal, wearing red can give a team an advantage. Maybe that's one reason why players really are subconsciously glad to pull on the CH. Perhaps the Habs can prove it again, next time they're up against one of those gray or blue-wearing teams that just don't do it for the competitive psyche.

Top Ten "Ifs" Facing the Habs

2011-08-15T15:22:00.000-11:00

Roger Whitaker once sang, "...you won't believe in if anymore. It's an illusion." He wasn't crooning about an NHL hockey team's chances to win it all, but he might as well have been. "If's" what it comes down to, in the end. The GM brings in the best players he can fit into his budget. He hires the guy he thinks will do the best job coaching them. He provides the team with the best support staff and facilities he can. Then the rest is up to "if."

Every team has its own "ifs." The Penguins are wondering now if Sidney Crosby will still be the same player after losing half of last year with a head injury. The Capitals are waiting to see if Alex Ovechkin can step it up and carry his team to the next level. Bruins fans want to know if their team is for real, or if it just lucked into being the healthiest one in the playoffs. Canadiens fans have a whole list of their own, including:

10. Faceoffs. The only notable statistical difference between the Habs and Bruins in their seven-game playoff series was in faceoff percentage. The Canadiens got killed in the circle and that ended up making the difference in a super tight match up. So, IF the Canadiens are to contend, they need to improve on draws, either by having Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez work harder to get better at it or by bringing in someone who's already good at it.

9. Scott Gomez. Speaking of Gomez, if the Canadiens are to improve on last year's finish, they need their second-line centre to play much, much better. Gomez not only failed to produce himself, but he also did nothing to help his linemates produce either. No team whose second-line centre puts up fewer than 40 points is going to go very far.

8. Max Pacioretty. This one's a big IF. Before his near-decapitation by Zdeno Chara, Pax had finally become a productive NHL player. Now he's got to not only pick up where he left off in terms of his development, but he's also got to do it while overcoming the huge mental hurdle left behind after an injury like that. Will he be able to continue the effective physical style he was developing before he was hurt? If he can, the Canadiens will benefit hugely.

7. Lars Eller. Eller started to show progression with his play in the post-season, particularly in his defensive awareness and the gritty way in which he soldiered on with a dislocated shoulder. He'll be coming off major surgery to start this season, but if he can continue to develop into the NHL player many people think he can, he'll give the Habs a solid third-line scoring option that will help the team improve.

6. Josh Gorges. Gorges is another guy coming back from a major injury and who may or may not be the same player he was before. One theory is that, having played essentially without a major ligament in his knee for his entire NHL career, he'll be a better, more mobile skater with an intact leg. The other theory is that some guys never recover from that kind of injury and become more prone to getting hurt after it. Obviously management fears the latter is a possibility, which accounts for the one-year deal Gorges has signed. If he's able to be the player he was before his injury, and if he's inclined to put aside hurt feelings about Gauthier's lack of long-term commitment to him, he'll help make the Habs defence a whole lot better than it was at the end of last year.

5. Erik Cole. A lot of hopes are riding on Cole's ability to provide muscle and skill for the top six. That will largely depend on Cole's ability to stay healthy and to find chemistry with at least one centre in Montreal. If he's able to do both, the first two lines will be improved immeasurably.

4. P.K.Subban. It's a rare talent that doesn't have some sort of sophomore slump. Subban's development has been so rapid and relatively flawless, a regression or plateau season wouldn't be at all unusual. If, however, he's able to continue to grow as a player and contribute like he did last year, he'll help anchor a much-improved defence.

3. The assistant coaches. These guys don't usually get a ton of credit, but they do have a role to play. Kirk Muller didn't just help with special teams and in-game communication, he also played an important part as the mediator between Martin and the team. And he was a passionate person who was able to rally the players for the big games. Without him, there'll be a void in the room. If Randy Cunneyworth can take Muller's place in that regard, Muller's loss can be mitigated.

2. Andrei Markov. One of the two biggest "ifs" facing the Canadiens this year is whether Markov, having not played for the best part of the last two years, can get his game back. Team management has banked on it, choosing to commit to him for three more seasons while letting James Wisniewski and Roman Hamrlik (who, ironically, played Markov's minutes the last two seasons) go. So many things can go wrong with this hope, and the team doesn't have a safety net if it doesn't work out. Markov not only has to come back from a devastating string of injuries, but also return with the all-star game he possessed before he got hurt. With him playing at the top of his ability, the Canadiens are a different, and a better, team. If he can do it.

1. Carey Price. The only "if" as big as Markov is Price. Going into last season in the wake of the Jaroslav Halak trade, Price was a huge question mark. Nobody knew if he could find the strength of will to come back from a terrible year and the character to not only withstand the heightened public scrutiny, but carry the team every night as well. He pulled it off and did it convincingly. Now the question is whether he can do it again. If he can...if the Price we saw last year is the real deal...then the Habs have a chance to contend.

Those are ten pretty big "ifs" leading into the new season. Should five of the ten work out in the Habs' favour, they'll have a pretty good year. Should all ten of those questions be answered in the affirmative and the team stays relatively healthy, the Canadiens can win the Stanley Cup. It's been a long time since we could say that with some degree of realism. Roger Whitaker said "if's" an illusion, and most of us have stopped believing all those "ifs" can really happen. Just imagine, though, if they did.

Tempests and Teapots

2011-08-11T15:16:00.001-11:00

It's a good thing Andrei Kostitsyn can't speak English very well. It appears that, when given time, a willing reporter's ear and the chance to vent in his own language, he took the opportunity to tell said reporter all about how Jacques Martin doesn't like him, doesn't listen to him and didn't explain why Kostitsyn bounced around the lineup all last season.

Now, while it's fairly certain Kostitsyn isn't the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, he might have a point with his complaints. Surely Martin had bigger issues with which to deal last season than Kostitsyn's concerns. He had, for example, a D-corps decimated by season-ending injury and a top-six centreman who was missing in action for the majority of the year. So, perhaps, the Belarussian whose most erudite English phrase is "shoot puck, score goals" was at a disadvantage when trying to understand what his coach wanted of him. Maybe he felt a little left out, let down and just plain baffled. That he chose to express those sentiments publicly wasn't the wisest course of action, considering the Canadiens brass's antipathy to even the slightest whiff of trouble in the dressing room.

The problem facing Canadiens management now is whether Kostitsyn is worth soothing. That Pierre Gauthier was content to sign him for one year, ending in unrestricted free agency, is an indication of the organazation's uncertainty about Kostitsyn's long-term value. Signing Erik Cole for four years also underlines AK's precarious position as a top-six winger in Montreal.

The thing is, Kostitsyn is a good player. Perhaps he's not a consistent top-six guy all the time, but he's got definite skills. He's a tank on skates, and one of the few Canadiens forwards who hits with authority. He's also got a wicked wrister and he's good for twenty goals even in an off year. And, while he might have voiced his displeasure with the coach, his teammates seem to like him. Post-game kudos for and teasing of "Kush" were common last year.

The former tenth-overall draft pick is probably never going to be the 35-40 goal scorer the team was hoping for eight years ago. That doesn't mean 20-plus goals are worthless. Natural goal scorers aren't a dime a dozen out there, and Kostitsyn started last season very well on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri. It appeared he might finally be having the breakout season about which fans had dreamed. That all screeched to a halt when, in an attempt to jump-start Scott Gomez, Martin yanked Kostitsyn off the Plekanec line. Gomez and Kostitsyn had as much chemistry as a beagle and a duck-billed platypus and Kostitsyn's numbers went south.

Looking at last year objectively, an argument can be made that Kostitsyn's inconsistency, this time around, wasn't all his fault. And maybe the year before, the aftereffects of the concussion he sustained at the hands of Kurt Sauer might have played a role. If management is willing to take those mitigating factors into consideration and overlook complaints probably made out of frustration, Martin will have to really try with Kostitsyn. He has an asset that can help the team if he can find the key to working with the player. That is, after all, the heart of his role as coach.

Maybe nothing will make a difference and Kostitsyn will have another inconsistent year with long cold stretches during which he looks like he was introduced to hockey last week. Maybe he'll go quietly to another team at some point during the season, after Gauthier has time to let the whiff of potential discontent die away and he can get a decent return for him.

Then again, if Martin really tries to connect with a young player who's got obvious communication problems to go along with his hockey skill, there's a chance the two can clear the air and the Canadiens can get the best out of a player for whom they had great hopes. And it's not just about Kostitsyn in the big picture. With young Russians like Alexei Emelin, Alexander Avtsin and, someday, Maxim Trunev, in the pipeline, the Canadiens need a coach who can get through to them.

The worst possible thing that could happen is for Gauthier to get frustrated with the situation and dump Kostitsyn right away. Memories of the Ribeiro-for-Niinimaa trade should make that choice an obvious no-go.

Andrei Kostitsyn offers the Canadiens the kind of depth they haven't had in years. He can play on the third line with Lars Eller or David Desharnais, and he can play on the first with Tomas Plekanec. Either way, he gives them a legimate top-nine scoring forwards, which is a hallmark of any contender. Considering how unlikely it would be to replace his sure-thing 20 goals via trade early in the year, it's worth it to the team to try to work it out with Kostitsyn, at least for now.

Thanks to a Russian journalist and Twitter, we know what Andrei Kostitsyn was really thinking when he muttered, "work hard, shoot puck, score goals." Now it's up to Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin to work with him and draw out his ability to help the team. After all, not every player is a Brian Gionta or Tomas Plekanec. Sometimes, a little communication...in one language or another...can go a long way.

The Scrap Heap

2011-08-10T14:59:00.000-11:00

When Bob Gainey resigned his commission at the helm of the good ship Canadiens 18 months ago, many fans had serious doubts about his successor's suitability for the job. While management post-Gainey hasn't been flawless, it's been pleasantly surprising.

One thing Pierre Gauthier has managed to do fairly well in his tenure as Habs GM is turn up just the right player to fill a void when needed. Last September, after Dominic Moore left for Tampa, Gauthier plucked an unemployed Jeff Halpern off the free agent scrap heap to take his place for less money. When Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges were lost for the season, the GM brought in some much-needed punch on D with the acquisition of James Wisniewski. This summer, recognizing the fact that the Canadiens can't contend as long as Travis Moen or Mathieu Darche are playing in the top six, Gauthier signed Erik Cole to fix the problem.

Now the Habs' skipper has just over five million dollars in cap space left, 21 players signed and a few decisions to make. While it's wise to keep a few million dollars around until training camp just in case some team needs to make an emergency salary dump (*cough*Buffalo*cough*), there's no point in keeping more than a couple of million after rosters are set. That means the Habs could certainly add a player or two from the scrap heap, assuming there's anyone out there who can help improve the team.

It would be nice to have a reliable veteran defenceman like Scott Hannan to help shore up the defence with the departures of Roman Hamrlik and Wisniewski. There's a lot of uncertainty about the health of Markov and Gorges and the NHL readiness of Yannick Weber, Alexei Emelin and Raphael Diaz. However, considering the fact that there are eight potential NHL Ds coming to camp, Gauthier's likely to take a wait-and-see approach on defence. So any tinkering that will happen in the next few weeks will probably be to the forward lines.

Right now, unless some team is willing to trade a top-line centre for Scott Gomez before camp opens, the top six forwards appear to be set. Likely, Tomas Plekanec will centre Cole and Mike Cammalleri. Gomez will play with Brian Gionta and Max Pacioretty.

The bottom six and a spare forward are still open to tinkering. Last season, one of the big differences between the Habs and other top teams was the general ineffectiveness of the third and, in particular, the fourth lines. Nobody on those lines contributed much to the scoring, but neither did they provide any degree of robust physical play. Right now, it appears as though the Canadiens will be going with three scoring lines, with Lars Eller and Andre Kostitsyn together with either Mathieu Darche or David Desharnais.

That leaves the fourth line. If the Habs are to contend, that bottom line has to have an identity. It can't remain just a melting pot for whatever spare parts (Laraque? A spare defenceman? Ugh!) don't fit anywhere else. A good fourth line should either be energetic and aggressive enough to forecheck the opponent into the ice, or tight enough defensively to play shut-down on the other team's top players.

Looking at potential fourth line candidates right now, Ryan White and Travis Moen will probably land there, with one of Darche or Desharnais. If Desharnais is to be a third-line winger, there's room for a defensive-minded centreman for the fourth line. If Desharnais is to centre the fourth line, he'll need a big winger who can play a solid two-way game. Two current scrap heapers who could fill those roles nicely are John Madden and Trent Hunter.

Madden is a bit long in the tooth at 38, but he's still able to skate and he's a shut-down star. He's not bad on faceoffs (averaged better than 52% in the last five years) which is a need the Habs must fill. He's known to be a tireless worker, a leader and a team-first kind of player. He's a three-time Cup winner. He also managed 25 points on Minnesota's fourth line last year, which was comparable to what Halpern produced in Montreal. Paired up with White, Darche or Moen, Madden could give the Habs' fourth line a defensive identity. Signing him would likely be a one-year option, in case a home-grown player like Andreas Engqvist isn't ready to take on that role full time.

Hunter, on the other hand, would bring a different look altogether to that line. He's a big man (6'3", 220 lbs) who loves to hit. He's also good for 30-40 points a year and can pinch in on a top line if necessary. He's able to play a defensive game when needed and is a right-handed shot. For a Habs fan, the most enduring memory of Hunter as an Islander is of him bearing down on the slow Canadiens defence and tormenting them into making mistakes all game long. The man was a pain to play against, which, in theory, would make him a great guy to have on your side. Hunter is a bit of a risk, though, coming off MCL reconstructive surgery that forced him to miss most of last season. On the other hand, he's still fairly young, having just turned 31, and has been cleared by both the Islanders and Devils doctors who say he'll be ready for camp.

Both Madden and Hunter would be low-cost, short-term options to help revitalize the Canadiens fourth line. Both of them could blend well with White's energy and Darche's tenacity. They both can chip in points from a bottom line. Both would be better, in his own way, than Moen, and isn't that the point of adding players? A GM should look to his team's weakest player and improve that position if he wants to make the team better as a whole. It's the hockey version of a chain being only as strong as its weakest link. Last year, the fourth line was a weak link for the Habs because it didn't really do much of anything. Adding a player who can give that line a purpose and earn it some ice time would be a help in so many ways. It would provide a defensive weapon against other teams' top players. It would help spread out ice time to keep everyone fresh late in games. And it would score a vital goal or two in a pinch. Barring an unexpected player hitting the market before camp starts, either of those players would help the Canadiens.

Of course, off-season speculation is just a time filler for bored fans. Pierre Gauthier is likely looking at all the options available and knows better than most of us what the team needs. He's proven he knows how to tweak a team that's already pretty good. If he can find a scrap heap player to make it better, we'll be in for a fun year.

Fond (and Not So Fond) Farewells

2011-08-08T15:49:00.002-11:00

Canadiens fans are in a really fun position right now. With youth on the rise and a solid base, the team is building toward something good. That gives us something to which to look forward in the long, arid off-season. The flip side of that is the sense of nostalgia and regret we feel when long-time NHLers finally admit they're done and call it a career.

This summer, familiar faces like Kris Draper, Mark Recchi and Chris Osgood decided to give up their playing careers. They all went out with a sense of accomplishment after winning championships and enjoying long years at the top. Others, like Patrick Lalime and Craig Conroy bowed out with grace because nobody wanted to hire them anymore. They had the sense to recognize their time was up and admit it with an official retirement. Guys who weren't quite ready to hang 'em up just yet, like Brent Sopel, went to Europe and pretended they were really excited to do so. Then, there's Alex Kovalev.

L'Artiste has left the NHL in the same swirl of controversy that surrounded him through much of his 18 seasons in North America. Rather than leave graciously, Kovalev has decided to slam the coaching techniques of Cory Clouston and once again refuse to accept blame for his own often indifferent play. Just as he did in Montreal four years ago, Kovalev blamed the media for his benchings and painted himself the misunderstood martyr. After his first 'misquoted' interview to a Russian paper while in Montreal, Bob Gainey soothed his ego and Kovalev responded with a stellar 2008 season. Unfortunately, the new attitude didn't stick, and we saw Kovalev's drama contribute to the Canadiens' horrid Centennial season when Gainey finally threw up his hands and sent him home.

Having witnessed the best and the worst of Kovalev as a Canadien, the only emotion left for him now as he flounces back to Russia is a sense of deep pity. So many of those who played with and against him lauded his skill level as the highest they'd ever witnessed, yet the constant slag against him was his inconsistent effort. To have the kind of skill he has without the ability to call it forth at will must be incredibly frustrating, not only for the fans, but also for the player in that position.

A few years ago, someone, perhaps the Globe&Mail's Roy MacGregor, wrote a profile of Kovalev. In it, he speculated that perhaps Kovalev's inconsistent play wasn't because he didn't want to be better, but that, maybe, he couldn't. Perhaps the tremendous skill he possessed wasn't always his to command, like a great writer who gets blocked and can't produce anything readable. If that's so, it's understandable that he should be baffled by his own inability to be "on" every night.

It's not, however, acceptable that he should look to place the blame elsewhere. At this stage in his life, if he's still pointing fingers at anyone other than himself, it's just pathetic.

Kovalev has scored more than a thousand points in the NHL. For most players, that would be a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Yet, when the TSN sports panel discussed the issue tonight, the unanimous opinion on Kovalev's chances was a resounding "no."

Still, despite it all, Kovalev had the chance to leave the NHL with grace and class, celebrating his successes and his Stanley Cup win with the Rangers. So many of his peers took the high road, even when it was apparent they were retiring only because they could no longer find an NHL employer. Kovalev, in as unrealistic a statement as the one he made when he speculated about playing until he's fifty, is talking about finishing these two years in the KHL and then coming back to the NHL. It's sad.

Alex Kovalev will probably be remembered by hockey fans generally as a guy who could blow your mind on Saturday, then disappear on Monday. For Canadiens fans, he'll always be a dividing element. Some were desperate to have him back in Montreal; most were glad to see him go. Either way, it's a pity to see such talent tantalize for so long, without realizing its promise.

Because, in the end, that's what'll it will be...a waste of promise. Whether it was the fault of Kovalev's body or his mind, something went missing in his NHL career. Nobody with his skill level will ever be remembered with such frustration. His four years as a Canadien exemplified his entire career. We loved his skill and hated his foolishness. It's sad that the last salvo he'll make at the NHL is foolish. It diminishes a man who did great things, when the spirit moved him.

Thankfully we, as Canadiens fans, had the Kovalev experience and can now realize the promise the team's young players might fulfill. They may never be as spectacularly skilled as Kovalev, but they'll be consistent and they'll give their best for the team at all times.

Kovalev might have left the NHL with a similar legacy. Instead, he's going with hard feelings and accusations. That's unbefitting a guy of his skills, and it's a pity.

Letting Go

2011-08-07T07:45:00.000-11:00

My grandfather always used to say a man can be a Jack of all trades, but he'd be a master of none. I look at Tomas Plekanec and I see my grandfather's wisdom.

I should preface this argument with the statement that I have always been a big Plekanec fan. I own not only a game-worn sweater, but also a game-worn turtleneck. (Don't ask me how I got it.) I am a fan of Plekanec's because he's able to do everything well. He can kill a penalty like Carbonneau, score a PP goal like Lemieux, work like a stevadore and bring as much passion to a game as the kid in "King Leary." He does a little bit of everything well, and does it with heart and soul.

The problem, though, is that Plekanec has to be a number-one centre. While it's helpful to be pretty good at lots of things, a number-one centre has to be GREAT at one thing. He's got to score. He's got to be the guy everyone looks to to pound in the winning goal in OT; the guy who can rally a team down by two; the guy who makes the PP potent. Tomas Plekanec can do those things, but he tempers that ability with his desire to prevent goals against his team. He is the consumate two-way centreman.

Every winning team needs a guy like Plekanec, who can anchor an excellent second or third line with his all-round skill. A player like that works best in a supporting role, backing up the offensive-minded top-line centreman. In the case of the Canadiens, Plekanec, by default, has to be that top guy, but he's not allowed to play a purely offensive role. Most teams don't have their top centre killing more penalties than any other forward. The Canadiens do, because Plekanec's the best PK guy on the team and the Habs take a lot of penalties. In the end, that means Plekanec spends a lot of time in defensive situations, which, in turn, means his scoring opportunities are reduced. And 57 points from your number-one centre just isn't good enough for an offensively challenged team.

It appears the Canadiens forward lines are pretty much set for the new season. With no significant changes down the middle, it's up to the coaching staff to change Plekanec's role. As hard as it may be to assign PK duties to a player who's not quite as good defensively, Jacques Martin needs to allow his top-line players to focus on scoring goals.

Erik Cole should help with this. He tends to open space for his linemates and is good at getting the puck into the offensive zone. He also draws a lot of penalties, which will help keep his line on the attack. The other centres can help too. Lars Eller was starting to get the hang of being an NHL player at the end of last season, and if he turns out to be a threat on the attack, the opponent will have to spread defensive coverage more thinly. Scott Gomez can't possibly be worse than last year, but if he's just as bad offensively, he can take on some of Plekanec's defensive assignments. More than one guy has managed to resurrect a flagging career by re-inventing himself as a shut-down player.

While the other forwards can help, Martin will have to take the biggest role in making Plekanec a more productive offensive player. Plekanec is coachable because does what he's told. He's proven he's willing to sacrifice personal numbers when he's asked to focus on a defensive role instead. It's all about the team for him. Martin has to explain that even though Plekanec prides himself on his two-way play, the lack of scoring hurts the team. Then...the hardest part of all...Martin needs to actually loosen the reins and let Plekanec and his linemates loose on offence. He can't give in to the temptation to have them kill penalties or take defensive shadow assignments just because it's safer.

Plekanec has the skill and speed to be the guy other teams try to shut down, rather than the other way around. He just needs the freedom to be able to do it. That freedom has to come from the coach, because, while it's nice to have a guy who's a jack of all trades, it's great to have one who's the master of a skill his team needs badly.

Thanks!

2011-07-28T09:44:00.000-11:00

Thank you all so much for your lovely personal stories of Habs dedication. It was heartwarming to read about your own histories with the team we all love. I randomly picked a winner from among all the people who posted, and the winner of a very silly, but kinda neat piece of Habs merchandise is Darcy. If you can email your address to habsloyalist@gmail.com, I'll get your prize in the mail for you.

Thanks again for all the cool stories. If anyone has something they'd particularly like to read about, or a former Hab you'd like to catch up with, let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

A Contest

2011-07-25T00:41:00.000-11:00

I have a confession to make. When I first began following NHL hockey back in the '80s, I was a Flyers fan. There. I said it. But before you think, "How could you?!" let me explain.

When I was about 12, I used to mind my younger brothers on Saturday nights, when my parents went next door to play cards with the neighbours. We had two TV channels at the time, so options were limited. After the boys went to bed, the house was really quiet, and for a 12-year-old with an imagination, just a bit creepy. So, one TV channel played a spooky movie every Saturday evening, while the other showed Hockey Night in Canada. Naturally, even though I'd never really watched hockey before, I picked the game because I was too chicken to watch the movie.

The first game I watched in its entirety was one between the leafs and the Flyers. The Flyers' Peter Zezel caught my eye, and I rooted for his team to win. (Even then, I found there was something off-putting about the leafs.) I thought the game was really exciting, and not only did "my" team win, but the player I liked best was first star. I was hooked.

A couple of weeks later, I was disappointed when the game on TV didn't feature the Flyers. It was Montreal versus Boston, but I decided to watch it anyway. I loved it. The iconic red uniforms just looked right somehow. The game was pretty close, back and forth, until the Canadiens exploded for five consecutive goals in the second and third periods. It was really something, watching a team just steamroll the opposition like that. There was this little guy in red too, the smallest guy on the ice, and he scored two goals against the Bruins in a game rife with fights and obvious bad blood.

I was deeply attracted to the Canadiens, but I felt conflicted. After all, I'd decided just two weeks before to be a Flyers fan. It seemed a bit traitorous and more than a bit fickle to dump my new team so quickly. What would Peter Zezel think?

To help me make a decision, I did a little research. The hockey encyclopedia explained that, historically, there was no comparison between the two teams. The Canadiens were superior in Cup wins, victories, Hall-of-Famers, cool stories and mythology. I discovered the legend of the Habs, and a love affair was born. It would be cemented on a November Saturday the following season, when a long-necked, twitchy goalie previewed the Stanley Cup finals by withstanding a Calgary Flames onslaught to win his first NHL game.

Of course, Patrick Roy went on to win another 550 games after that first victory, on his way to becoming the last Canadiens superstar. A lot has happened to the team since then, but I've stayed a Canadiens fan through it all. Even in the dark days, there was always a hope that somehow the rag-tag group on the ice could pull off a miracle.

Anyway, I thought the dog days of summer might be a good time to solicit your stories. How did you become a Canadiens fan? Why do you remain one? Did you ever have an encounter with your favourite player that meant a lot to you? Post your favourite Habs-related experience, and I'll draw a winner from the entries. The prize is a Habs-related novelty that makes me smile, and be grateful I didn't stay a Flyers fan.

The Value of Gorges

2011-07-22T03:21:00.000-11:00

To nobody's surprise, Steven Stamkos signed a huge new deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning this week. When a player puts up 96 goals in two seasons, he's going to end up with a pretty nice pay day, one way or another, because those kinds of numbers are fairly easily quantifiable. It's not quite the same when you're trying to put a dollar value on a guy who scored a grand total of nine goals in 364 career games.

Of course, a player like Josh Gorges who doesn't score goals can be as important to a team in his way as a star like Stamkos. A defensive defenceman can help control the other team's Stamkos or block a shot late in a close game to save a valuable point. The numbers of blocked shots, PK minutes and takeaways just aren't as sexy as huge goal totals when contract time rolls around.

Since points are irrelevant when dealing with a guy like Gorges, one must examine the stats in which he does excel when calculating his worth. In each of the last three seasons, he's been developing as one of the top shot-blockers in the league, improving every year. Two seasons ago, he was 16th on the list. Last year, he moved up to 12th, and this year he was on pace for 6th place in the league. Looking at consistent comparables in the shot-blocking category, with similar point totals, Minnesota's Greg Zanon will make $2.1-million this year. Niklas Hjalmarsson of the Blackhawks is scheduled to take home $3.5-million this season, although he undoubtedly got an inflated raise because of a Sharks offer sheet last summer. New Jersey's Anton Volchenkov has a $4.25-million cap hit. The Dallas Stars' Karlis Skrastins, with free agency looming, signed in the KHL. So, players who can list shot-blocking as their primary skill are all over the financial map, depending on how much teams value that particular asset.

In other stats that determine the worth of a defensive defenceman, like hits, takeaways and giveaways, Gorges barely makes the top fifty in each of the last three years, with the unfortunate exception of being on pace to crack the top ten in giveaways this season.

Where Gorges' value is more apparent is in the number of goals scored against his team when he's on the ice. Last year, in his most recent full season, Gorges was third among all regular defencemen when he was on the ice for a scant 1.85 GA per 60 minutes. On the PK, he was 12th in the league with 5.08 GA per 60 minutes. At the halfway point of this season, just after Gorges had been sent for knee surgery, his numbers weren't quite as good. He was sitting at 27th out of the top 30 defensive defencemen in the league at even strength, on the ice for 2.34 GA/60. He improved on the PK, though, with 4.67 GA/60. That still put him at 13th in the league. Of comparables in terms of effective shut-down play, we can see Washington's Tom Poti at $3-million for next season. San Jose's Marc-Edouard Vlasic will make $3.1-million. And New Jersy's Colin White will get $3-million. So, it appears that guys with similar shut-down numbers to Gorges' are all making similar kinds of dollars. They're also putting up similar kinds of points, which makes them good comparisons for Gorges.

Each year, James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail publishes a couple of lists of the best defensive defencemen in the NHL; one halfway through the season and the other at the end of the year. He uses stats like goals against and quality of opposition faced to rank the players. At the end of last year, Gorges was 16th in the league among shut-down guys. This year, at the halfway point, which is when his season ended, he was 14th. It appears that when it comes to overall effectiveness in preventing the opposition from scoring, Gorges isn't only well up on the list, but climbing. Other guys in around the same place in the rankings include Carolina's Tim Gleason, who will make $3.5-million this year, with a $2.75-million cap hit. Buffalo's Robyn Regehr will get $4-million, but he signed that deal as an UFA. Brooks Orpik of the Penguins is slated to make $3.75-million, a deal he also signed as an UFA. All three defencemen are close to Gorges' ranking on Mirtle's list and all scored similar numbers of points. It appears the big difference between them is the difference between RFA and UFA status at the time they signed their contracts.

Stats are just numbers, though. They can be manipulated and re-evaluated like an image in a hall of mirrors, giving a different view each time. In assessing the worth of a guy like Josh Gorges, in which the stats aren't as black and white as the number of goals scored, intangibles carry a lot of weight. Gorges, at 6'1" and 190lbs isn't exactly delicate, but he's not the typical size of your typical hulking stay-at-home defenceman either. That said, he's shown remarkable resiliency, coming back right away after stopping pucks with his head or getting plastered by rushing wingers. Even his knee injury showed an unusual level of toughness, when he admitted he'd been playing essentially without an ACL in his knee for years. It's risky to assume he can come back without missing a beat, but it's a risk that, given his ability to withstand pain, is worth taking.

Then there's the much-vaunted "leadership" quality Gorges seems to have in spades. From captaining his hometown junior team to the Memorial Cup to forging an NHL career after going undrafted, Gorges has always demonstrated an intensity and work ethic that inspires others to follow him. In the hours before that epic Game Seven against the Caps last year, the team held a meeting and somebody (who won't be named) who was there says Gorges spoke with an eloquence and passion that probably helped the team believe it could really win that game. He's also close to Carey Price and well-liked in the room, which helps build team unity. That kind of dedication should be rewarded in contract talks.

On the other hand, Gorges has found a home in Montreal after seeing little ice time in San Jose early in his career. The Canadiens have given him every chance to make his mark in the NHL, and might believe they deserve a bit of hometown discount in exchange.

There are very many factors that go into determining fair value for any player, but a player like Gorges is a tougher case than most. Looking at comparables in the categories in which he excels, and of players who score similarly few points, it would appear that the market says he's worth about $3-million a year. If Pierre Gauthier is trying to lowball that figure, it could explain why Gorges is looking at an arbitration case in the next week. That would be a mistake on Gauthier's part. Gorges is worth the money, based on his performance compared to similar players. Arbitration, which by its very nature creates hard feelings, would be a difficult experience for a player who truly buys into the idea of putting the team ahead of himself.

Josh Gorges will never be Steven Stamkos, but a team needs a Gorges as well, if its going to be successful. The market reveals something of what he might be worth. Now it comes down to whether Pierre Gauthier places the same value on a guy who won't score many goals, but will help keep a lot out of his own net.

Canadiens Voice Mail Scandal

2011-07-20T10:38:00.001-11:00

As the News of the World voice-mail hacking scandal in England intensifies, it makes one wonder what would turn up if, say, Pierre Gauthier's messages were to become public. Here's what it might sound like:

To listen to your saved messages, press six. First saved message:

8:12am: Hello. This is me, Alex. Um, Kovy. Heh heh. So, I just wanted you to know I am willing to come back and play in Montreal again. I always wanted to finish my career in Montreal, and I can tell you that whole Ottawa thing was a misunderstanding. Anyway, I thought it would be best to call in person because we're still friends, right? My agent has my terms.

8:46am: Hi, Pierre? Steve here. Just wondering if you're open to talking about Desharnais? Give me a call. Oh, and I'll take Darche too. Love those French guys. And, remember, if you don't want to trade 'em, I'll just sign 'em in the summer anyway. Ha ha. Kidding. Talk to you soon.

10:04am: Hey, Pierre! It's Georges. Got my cheque today, thanks! I have an awesome idea for a new chain of bean sprout sandwich shops. Call me if you want in on the ground floor. Vote Green!

11:34am: Hello. It is me, Alex, calling you again. You have not called my agent, so I think your phone was maybe broken. I'm flying to New York today, so call me after five o'clock.

12:41pm: Pierre, it's Geoff. Sorry, the budget won't allow us to send him to Hamilton. See you at tee time.

12:58pm: Hello, Pierre. Bob here. I've got time this weekend to pay up on the Fischer-in-the-first-round bet. What colour do you want your dock? Oh, and I apologize in advance if it turns out to be pink. I don't bake bread very well either.

2:40pm: Congratulations! You have been selected for a dream holiday in Hawaii. Please press nine to claim your prize.

5:01pm: Pierre. Kovy again. You're busy, so I'll just tell you my terms before the other teams start calling. I'll sign with you for two years, three million each, and a no-trade clause. Call me back.

6:23pm: Hi, Pierre. Geoff again. Sorry, but we can't send him to the minors either.

6:39pm: Pierre, hi. It's Peter. Yeah, sorry, but I'm no longer available for that assistant coaching job. It's funny, if you'd called a week ago, I'd be in Montreal now. Anyway, see you in the fall.

8:37pm: Pierre, Kovy here. Listen, maybe I was too hasty before. I meant to say I want ONE year for ONE million, plus I'll fly your plane. I need to get my hours up anyway. Call me.

8:50pm: Hey Pete. Don Maloney here. I just got your message about moving Gomez. I have to say, I always thought you were a bit of an undertaker, but that's some funny shit. Talk later.

9:12pm: Pierre. Why are you not calling me? I want to play till I'm fifty, Pierre, but you're not calling. Remember my 35 goals? I can do it again, I swear. I have to go. My wife says my tears make her sick. (whispers) Please don't make me go to KHL.

10:18pm: Bastard. Milovala jsem Montreal. Mi ne, díky od vás. Dech smrdí jako křečci. Co? Spatcho, nejsem opilý! Bastard.

10:29pm: Pierre, Steve again. Listen, I know you guys really want to acquire a home-grown star this summer. For the right price, Vinnie might be available. Stamkos is gonna be our guy now, but Vinnie's still a player. I mean, I can totally afford him, and I know he's going to be a superstar until he's 40, but I feel like I kind of owe you one for grooming Guy for me. I'd hate to see him go anywhere else. I'd have to get a young D back, though. You know...a guy who does things the white way. Ha ha. Let me know.

11:38pm: Hi, it's Bob. I forgot to mention, Pierre, you really talk too much.

11:59pm: (rattle, rattle) sob (click)

End of messages. Low battery.

Top Ten Potential Surprises

2011-07-17T13:48:00.001-11:00

This is the time of year for dreaming. The barbeques, the long evenings, the golf and the garden warm the body and the soul, reminding us that it's good to be alive. We glory in the few, brief weeks of exposed skin and salt water, gentle breezes and quiet cabins. Our game is never far away, though, even in the dreamy summertime. In the end, these beautiful weeks serve as happy, sleepy holidays as we wait for the fall and the new hockey season. The Canadiens aren't finished tinkering with their lineup, but, while nothing's really happening, we can look forward to what might be awaiting us when the leaves change colour. Here are the top ten things that might surprise us in the coming season:

10. P.K.Subban - Subban swooped in from the AHL and landed in the midst of last year's Cinderella playoff run, played 20 mintues a game and looked completely ready for the big time. Since then, he has rocketed up both the fan-favourite list in Montreal and the most-hated player list everywhere else, while establishing himself as an offensive threat and a tough guy to beat on D. He took over the number-one spot on the Habs' blueline after Andrei Markov went down for the year, acted with grace in the face of ungracious criticism, and he did it all in his rookie season. He's a potential surprise mainly because just about everybody expects him to not only duplicate that performance, but to improve upon it. The thing is, it's a rare player who follows an upward trajectory year after year, without at least a plateau season. If Subban does anything less than make the All-Star team, a lot of people will be unpleasantly surprised. We should, however, keep in mind that he wasn't perfect last year and got a lot of ice time despite rookie mistakes because there was nobody else to take it. This season, with a hopefully healthy D, Martin will have options regarding Subban. This could possibly be a tough year because of the expectations he, and we, have of him. Drew Doughty, Tyler Myers and Erik Johnson have all had seasons in which they didn't seem as dominating as they did at the very beginnings of their careers. It doesn't mean they're not stud defencemen, and Subban might very well experience something similar.

9. Yannick Weber - Weber, on the other hand, has been following a bit more of a traditional development path. Chosen forty spots after Subban in the 2007 draft, Weber has spent the last three seasons honing his craft between Hamilton and Montreal. Last season, he scored his first NHL goal and began to look more at home on the blueline. He proved serviceable as a bottom-six forward too, although one would hope he doesn't have to spend much time in that situation. It was encouraging to see him score two goals in three playoff games. Weber's misfortune is to be from the same draft year as Subban, playing a similar offence-oriented style on the same side. If he wasn't facing that daunting comparison, Weber would be a really bright young prospect for most fans. Judging him on his own merits, he could very well be about to come into his own this year, which would be a pleasant surprise.

8. Scott Gomez - A lot of fans have written off Gomez as a complete waste of salary, cap space, ice time and oxygen. They may be right. Then again, maybe all his blather last season about how he knows he can be better will be worth more than spit. Perhaps he'll put the work in this summer, study some tapes and find it within himself to give a little more on the ice. If he can somehow make himself a useful player again, he'll surprise just about everybody.

7. Jaroslav Spacek - Spatcho has had a rough go of it in Montreal. He's played most of the time there on his off-side. He's had to play big minutes when other defencemen get hurt, and he's not a young guy anymore. He struggles late in games when he plays more than twenty minutes. This is likely his final season with the Canadiens and he'll hopefully be given his proper role at last. Fewer minutes and a spot on his proper side might rejuvenate the old guy and surprise us all.

6. Pierre Gauthier - Gauthier's not done yet. The team still likely needs a veteran defenceman to replace Roman Hamrlik and a tough player, preferably a good character who can skate and win faceoffs for the third or fourth line. He needs to bring in an assistant coach as well. We've learned by now to expect the unexpected. Gauthier will surprise us before the season starts, and probably again once it's underway.

5. Goal scoring. The Habs have the potential to surprise in this category because of the ripple effect of the Erik Cole signing. Cole himself isn't likely to put up more than 60 points. He will, however, help his linemates by crashing the net and opening space for them. Given that any of Plekanec, Cammalleri and Gionta are well able to take advantage of extra space, Cole's presence should help them. Cole's speed also draws a lot of penalties, which helps a Markov-led PP. A faster, stronger top-six also reduces the number of dumbass penalties that keep guys like Plekanec on the PK instead of scoring goals.

4. The newcomers. It's going to be fun to see if Alexei Emelin or Raphael Diaz can make an impact at the NHL level. It'll be interesting too, to see if Ryan White can be more than a rambunctious call-up over the course of a whole season. If any of these guys can effectively step into an NHL role, it'll be a nice surprise.

3. Lars Eller - The most valuable return from the Jaroslav Halak trade probably should have spent some time in the AHL last year. Whether because the team believed he was ready or because sending him to Hamilton would have been bad politics after the trade, he stuck it out in Montreal for the season. He exhibited great patience with his learning curve and by the time the playoffs rolled around, he was showing better use of his size and speed. He will, unfortunately, begin the year recovering from shoulder surgery, but there's still a chance that if Gomez doesn't surprise us in the second-line centre role, Eller will.

2. Andrei Markov - A lot of people will be surprised by Markov this season. On one hand, there are the people who think age and repeated injury have made the General fragile and he'll never be the player he once was. On the other, there are those who believe there's no reason why Markov won't come back as strong as ever. Either way, Markov has the potential to be one of the biggest surprises of the season...not least if he actually stays healthy all year.

And, the number one potential surprise this year is:

1. Max Pacioretty - Nobody who saw Pacioretty lying on the ice after getting crushed by Zdeno Chara and thought for a minute he might be dead will ever forget it. The outrage that followed when the league decided to call the hit a "hockey play" and decline to suspend Chara cemented the whole incident in the minds of many as the lowest level to which the game could sink. That Pacioretty sustained a concussion and broken neck just as he was emerging into a real power forward just added to the shame of it all. So now the young man says he's working out normally and will pick up where he left off before the hit. Anyone who saw the hit will be wondering this summer whether it's possible for a guy to come back the same after that. So many players don't. If he does, though...if he really is turning into a big scoring winger with grit...it'll be the best surprise of the year.

Heart and Soul Cole

2011-07-11T03:24:00.000-11:00

Erik Cole has got a lot of really stellar hockey-player qualities. He's big (6'2", 205lbs), skilled (390 points in 620 NHL games) and fast. He plays a physical, go-to-the-net kind of game which enables him to draw a ton of penalties, which is a big plus for a team with a top-ten PP. He's the one who'll take a hit to make the play, and who'll struggle on when injured. He'll willingly put up with sticks in the face when he stands in the crease or risk himself to block a shot in the last minute of a close game. He's what other players call a heart-and-soul guy. At least, he's been all of those things when wearing a Carolina Hurricanes uniform.

The thing with a heart-and-soul guy, however, is that his heart and soul have to be really into what he's doing if he's going to be successful. With the Hurricanes, there was no question of that. The guy loved it in Carolina. The team drafted him and captain Eric Staal was his best friend and roommate. He was mentored by one of the team's icons, got married and had a family there. He won the Stanley Cup with that team. He really, really wanted to stay. In the end, the Canadiens outbid the Hurricanes and the player, who was likely looking at his last chance for a long-term contract, chose security. He went with his head, not his heart.

That's the problem with predicting Cole's transition to Montreal. It may turn out he's able to bring the same level of intensity to the Canadiens that he brought to the Hurricanes. It should be understood that it won't be easy. Sure, these guys are professionals and should understand that moving from team to team throughout the course of a career is likely. Sometimes, however, it's not that simple. A guy who bleeds for his teammates does so partly because that kind of game is in his nature, and partly because his teammates have earned his trust and dedication. It's not the kind of relationship that happens instantly.

It didn't happen for Cole in Edmonton. When his beloved 'Canes traded him before the 2008-09 season, he didn't fit in immediately. He put up only 27 point in 63 games for the Oilers, then 15 in 17 games after being traded back to Carolina before the season ended. When he first arrived in Edmonton, he expressed a sense of regret about the trade.

"They always made it easy for me to go about my business, live my life and enjoy myself and my family," he said of fans and management in Carolina. "We really had a great time raising our children (Bella and Landon) there and, actually, the plan right now is to retire there unless we find someplace better. I've got family that still lives in Raleigh."

On trading for him to come back to Raleigh that same season, 'Canes GM Jim Rutherford said bringing Cole home was the right thing to do, for both the team and the player.

"He's really excited about coming back," said Rutherford. "I don't think that he was as comfortable in Edmonton. He was used to being here, and he views this as his home. He has very good chemistry playing with Eric Staal, and I don't think he found that chemistry playing with anybody else in Edmonton."

Cole himself, even though he tried to paint the Oiler picture with brighter colours at the time, now admits Rutherford was right.

"Going to Edmonton wasn't a great opportunity or situation on a personal level, but my family and I were determined to make the most of it," Cole says. "We always hoped we would make our way back to Carolina at some point, and it turned out to be sooner than expected."

Hmmm. So, it's pretty well established that Erik Cole loves the Hurricanes organization and thinks of Raleigh as his home. The question now is whether he can transplant that emotion to Montreal, because, without the passion for the team, his style of game is a difficult one to play convincingly.

The difference this time around, the optimists among us will contend, is that Cole didn't choose to go to Edmonton. He was traded and forced to simply make the best of it. Montreal is his choice. He could have decided to take fewer years and remain in the city he loves. Instead, he did the wiser thing for the security of his family and his retirement plans. That's where the battle between head and heart came into play. The head won, in this case. It remains to be seen whether the heart will follow.

In a rather nostalgic interview with a Raleigh reporter a couple of days after choosing Montreal, Cole reflected on his decision to leave the Hurricanes. The offers, initially, were pretty close, he explains. Then the Habs upped the ante with an extra year the Hurricanes wouldn't match.

"Carolina's (initial offer) was for $11 million and Montreal for $12 million," Cole said. Had the offers stayed roughly the same, he said, "I think I'd still be a Hurricane. I said all along I would listen to offers. All things being equal, we were definitely going to stay. I had talked to Paul (Maurice) about that. Deep down, my wife hoped at the end point Carolina would come through with the same thing and we'd stay. That didn't happen."

Okay. So we've got a wife who wanted to stay in Carolina, and a player who admits he only left that team reluctantly because the money and term were better in Montreal. The question now is whether Erik Cole can find the same kind of passion for the Canadiens that he had for the Hurricanes. Will he be willing to play through pain if he's only there for the money? Will he crash Cam Ward's crease with the same vigour with which he's crashed Carey Price's if the teams should meet in a do-or-die game?

Canadiens fans hope professionalism on Cole's part is enough to provide the inspiration he needs. Four years and $18-million is a big commitment on the part of the Habs. What they've gained with that commitment is still a mystery. After all, it's been proven in the past, and even with this player, that a team can buy a guy's service, but it can't buy his heart.

Heroes of '86: Trailblazer

2011-07-04T13:32:00.002-11:00

It is approximately 5825 kilometres from Montreal to Höllviken, Sweden. The multicultural Canadian city and the small, Swedish beachside town have little in common, save that they've both been home to hockey hero Mats Naslund.

For fans of the '80s Habs, it's hard to believe Naslund left Sweden for Canada nearly thirty years ago. He arrived at the Montreal Canadiens' training camp in the fall of 1982, three years after becoming the first European player drafted by the Habs. He went in the second round, 37th overall. Unlike future teammate, Guy Carbonneau who was chosen seven picks later, Naslund wasn't exactly comfortable with the news he'd be going to Montreal.

"Well, there was not too many players from Europe drafted at that time, so I guess, first of all, you wanted to get drafted by a team that had other Swedish players like the Islanders," he recalls with amusement. "I was the first Swedish guy and the first European to get drafted by Montreal, so that was kind of a big thing. The language was another big thing. Learning the French language, I never did. I had enough with English the first couple of years. Sometimes I felt a little stupid, but otherwise I could understand everybody."

By the time Naslund made his way from Sweden to Montreal he had a wife and baby. The adjustment to a new country, language and hockey league was huge, but made a lot easier by the intervention of the Canadiens captain.

"Bob Gainey, the captain, took care of me from the start. I owe him a lot for helping me adapt to North America," he acknowledges. "He took care of me and he took care of my family when they got there. First, when I got to training camp, I stayed at his house with his family. Then, when I made the team, he looked at ads in the papers for an apartment, and he helped me with that, and getting a car. He pretty much took care of me the first year. I don't think he was assigned by the team. He would have done that anyway, even if he wasn't the captain. He's just that kind of guy."

Naslund says he learned something about how to behave off the ice from Gainey's actions. He thinks successful teams must have guys like Gainey, and years later, when he became the architect of national teams in his own country, he remembered the lessons his old Habs captain taught.

"You need role models on the team. The coaches can only do so much, but I think the most important thing is to have teammates to take care of you and show you how to do it," he says.

Of course, nobody talks about Mats Naslund without mentioning the most noticable thing about him. He wasn't called "Le Petit Viking" for nothing. At a generous 5'7" and 160lbs, it was a rare interview in which he wasn't asked about his size. The smaller players today, like Martin St.Louis and Brian Gionta, patiently answer questions about their lack of height while insisting their skills speak for themselves. Naslund was fiercely proud of being a player who succeeded within the body he was given. In that sense, he's become a role model.

"I was a pioneer for smaller players," he states. "I'm very proud when I hear Martin St.Louis tell the media I was his idol. Of course I'm proud of what I did."

What he did was merely become the highest-scoring Canadiens forward since Guy Lafleur. His 110-point season in 1985-86 hasn't been matched in the quarter century since. He led the team in scoring en route to the '86 Cup and posted five assists in the 1988 All-Star game while playing on a line with Mario Lemieux. He was a member of the 1983 All-Rookie team and won the Lady Byng trophy in 1988. He's still 12th all-time in scoring for the Canadiens. In accomplishing what he did, he proved a little guy can be a star at the highest levels of hockey, if he's only given a chance. He says the best advice he's got for small players isn't actually for them. It's for their coaches.

"They should be patient and give those guys a fair chance when they're fourteen or fifteen," he attests. "Don't put them aside because of the bigger guys. I think that's the toughest time for young players in hockey. If you make it through junior hockey, you're all set."

Naslund was never an overly sentimental guy. He played his heart out and his devotion to his team was unquestioned, but the perils of making a living by strength of arm and sharpness of eye were never far from his mind. After eight years with the Canadiens, he weighed his options and chose to leave Montreal.

"The main reason was that I played half the amount of games for the same money. I felt if I had played eight years and didn't get serious injuries, I should be able to play another four or five years in Europe for the same amount of money. So that's why I left," he says, matter-of-factly.

He's just as matter-of-fact, if a little sheepish, when asked about his brief return to the NHL in a hated Bruins sweater four years later.

"For the money," he laughs. "I had respect for the teammates there, like Ray Bourque and Cam Neely and those players. But playing in Montreal, Boston was never the favourite team. I don't really have a good comment on that one."

The NHL return lasted half a season, then Naslund hung up the skates for good. He went home to his little seaside Swedish town, and, with detours to manage Sweden's national hockey team and coach a bit, he's planted deep roots there. He spends his days doing all the things he couldn't do when he followed his sport halfway around the world.

"I'm working part time as a carpenter building houses. I did that before I came to Montreal. I work with a friend, and there are only four of us, so it's a small company. So basically, that's what I'm doing half the time," he says, audible satisfaction in his voice. "In the other time, I work with horses. I'm a trotting fan. I play a little bit of golf. I basically have a very good life."

He makes time in his good life to catch a Habs game or two ("If they're lucky enough to have a game on Sunday afternoon I watch, but I don't sit up in the middle of the night watching.") Twenty-one years after leaving Montreal, he still counts himself a Canadiens fan, and his greatest hockey memory, in a career of many, is of riding down St.Catherine's St. on a spring day in 1986.

"The parade we had in Montreal, with a million or more people, that's the thing I remember most from my eight years in Montreal. I don't think you would get that anywhere else. Winning the Cup if you play in Minnesota or Tampa is good. Winning it in Canada is unbelievable."

Watching these days, Naslund says he sees differences in the game since he last played. The crackdown on holding and hooking penalties makes him think he'd probably have done pretty well if the rules in his day had been so kind to offensive players. The physical condition of the players, he says, is the biggest overall change. As for the shootout? He's not a fan.

"I think it's good for the fans, so I think we have to respect it for the fans' sake," he muses. "I don't like it. It's not really fair. At my early years, I would have been very good at it. But in the end, I wouldn't have had the guts to score a lot of goals on the penalty shots. With age you get more nervous. When you're young, you don't really care."

Watching...and remembering...is about the only connection Naslund has to the game these days. He's living the life he wants, and, for now, hockey is part of his past.

"I'm not involved in hockey right now, and I don't know if I want to be involved again or if I want to stay outside," he says honestly. "We will see next year. I appreciate being home this spring. I've been gone the last five years in April and May. You have to make that decision sometime. I think there are other things in life than hockey."

Mats Naslund has found he enjoys many other things in life as he and his wife Eva happily await the arrival of grandchildren. He's settled in another world from the one he inhabited as a Montreal Canadien. Still, 5825 kilometres away from his home in Höllviken, a city of hockey fans will always remember him for the way he played the game we love.

Summer

2011-07-02T16:32:00.001-11:00

This has been a weird off-season for me. Usually, I spend the five or six months between Habs games remembering the season past, reading hockey books and calculating how the Canadiens can get better through the draft and free agency.

This year, I immediately dismissed the season past because it was a year marred by injury, which immediately sets any team, no matter how stacked, in the underdog's kennel. I've no appetite for hockey stories, so the books I'm reading are about anything but: "The Help," "Unbroken." (MUST read, by the way.) The only ice in them is in drinks. And the future, shadowed by a Bruins Cup celebration, seems a bit unpalatable.

So, the draft came along on a weekend when I was on an out-of-town trip. I had to check the highlights to see who the Habs picked. Nathan Beaulieu seems a good risk at #17. His scouting report pegs him as something of a bigger Breezer, which, when padded by the right people, isn't a bad thing.

Free agency happened on a day I had sitting at home, so I thought I'd check it out. Seems GMs generally go temporarily insane on that day and then end up trying to dump their hard-earned acquisitions less than halfway into their contracts. Last year apparently turned the tide. Most GMs were patient and waited until the objects of their affections were just a little bit desperate. Alas, that circumspection didn't last. This year was rife with stupid contracts. In the midst of it, Pete the Goat was relatively careful.

Knowing the Canadiens can't compete regurlarly with Darche or Moen in the top six, Gauthier added a Serious Top Line winger in Erik Cole. The term was about a year too long and the money about a million too much, but that's free agency for you. The question now is: will Cole be the same guy we hated in Carolina? Without Eric Staal centring him, that's a legitimate mystery. We can hope he'll find chemistry with Plekanec, Gomez or Eller, but right now that's just a hope.

The thing with Cole is, if he pans out, he's big, he's strong, he scores tons of even-strength points and he goes to the net. He's everything the Habs need, and worth the money in that case. If he doesn't...if he's Edmonton Cole...he's another Gomez. So, for all of you who are flipping out celebrating Cole's rejuvination of the Habs' top lines, think about the idea that reality might be slightly different from your current fantasy.

Peter Budaj is similar. He's got a reputation for being a hard-working, team-oriented guy. He'll be a backup without complaint, and he's a welcome teammate. Whether he'll be able to calm Carey Price the way Alex Auld did is up in the air. Obviously, the team took him on for two years because he's supposed to offer some kind of insurance as a starter in case Price gets hurt. Unfortunately, his history shows he's not really cut out to be an NHL starter, at least with any measure of success. So, hopefully, Price stays healthy and Budaj isn't tested beyond the 15 games he's currently slated to play.

Gauthier should not be done yet. After allowing both Roman Hamrlik and James Wisniewski to walk, he's got to provide a veteran defenceman, preferably of the steady-in-his-own-zone variety to fill in for injuries. And, having let Jeff Halpern and Tom Pyatt go, he needs to come up with someone who can both win faceoffs (vital, considering the records of the current centers) and kill penalties. A guy who can fight if need be would also be an asset. A lot of Habs fans are clamouring for Zenon Konopka right now. He can both win faceoffs and fight, but whether he can actually play hockey in between is up for debate. In this regard, I trust Gauthier to target someone we're not remotely coveting right now, but who'll become a steal before the season is over.

All in all, the off-season has been subtle and discreet so far. The players Gauthier has added are neither stars nor duds. They may very well add something to a team that was very close to competing in last year's playoffs. Then again, they may struggle to fit in. The thing about free agency is that you can't assume anything. We can hope, but not assume.

Help Wanted

2011-06-27T03:37:00.007-11:00

As the last significant date of the long, hockeyless off-season approaches, the Canadiens still have some very important positions available. A look at the Habs job board reveals the following ads for employment:

WANTED: One backup goalie. Must have degree from School of Hard Knocks or recognized alternative. At least five years of experience with a minimum of five different teams preferred. Successful candidate should have an uncanny ability to show absolutely no rust after sitting for fifteen straight games. Should also exhibit an ability to talk the starter off a ledge if required. Compensation to be discussed, but bargains preferred. No ambition necessary.

ARE YOU HUGE? Would Benoit Brunet describe you as "un gros bonhomme?" Do you play on the wing on an NHL team's top-two lines, or did you in your prime? If you answered "yes" to those questions, and you can put the puck in the net more often than Andrei Kostitsyn, the Montreal Canadiens have a job for you! The successful candidate should have a mean streak, but brains enough to avoid suspension, and enjoy standing directly in front of the opposing goalie. You should have been referred to as "a big body presence" by Pierre McGuire at least once, preferably with a lascivious glint in his eye. Leadership without ego and a willingness to sign for market value or less also appreciated. Centreman to be determined, but employer is open to discussing a "No Gomez" clause.

SEEKING: Assistant coach for storied NHL franchise. Prerequisties include actually having played a game of pro hockey, ever, and the ability to feel and exhibit emotion. Among the successful candidate's duties will be planning the powerplay, encouraging the team's youth and talking strategy during time-outs. In-game interviews with RDS, with the ability to deliver a convincing "merci" also required. Unilingual English-speakers who pose no threat to current boss preferred. Stanley Cup-winning experience, a playing connection to the team and a deep passion for the game are optional.

CALLING ALL UFAs: If you're a centreman from Prince Edward Island, and if you've won the Conn Smythe trophy at some point in your career, we'll overpay you to come to Montreal! Successful candidate should expect tremendous opportunities to play the best hockey of his life every night while getting skewered by the pundits on RDS. Optional chances to see himself burned in effigy by dissatisfied fans also available. French lessons not required, but recommended. An "I'm taking lessons but you'll never hear me actually speak French out loud" package is, in most cases, sufficient. Position contingent on successful disposal of current employee.

AVAILABLE: One smallish, slightly overused centreman with attitude. Average on faceoffs and the equal of a decent fourth-liner in point production, but still useful for achieving cap-floor status. Well-liked in the room and quite able to provide sarcastic, devil-may-care comments to the media. If you're in the market for a veteran presence who can take an ill-advised retaliation penalty at the most inopportune moments, then this guy is for you! Cost is minimal and may include late-round draft picks, promissory notes and/or bags of pucks. Shipping from Alaska will be at buyer's expense.

FOR HIRE: One cuddly Czech defenceman, love handles and quizzical expression included. Former Olympic gold medalist and Stanley Cup finalist. A vintage model, this D is still prepared to score up to five goals a season, and comes with a great attitude. Available as is, where is, for the low cost of "future considerations." Not recommended for teams who list "speed" or "value for money" as priorities.

NEEDED: French Canadian hockey player. Any skill level acceptable. Quebec-born candidates preferred, as Franco-Ontarians are often considered imposters in this role. Also, skaters preferred over goaltenders in order to minimize demands for the locally-born backup to take the net the minute the starter has two bad games in a row. If no stars available, a warm body who can fight and help Desharnais and Darche with post-game interviews will be considered. Interested parties please contact Pierre Boivin before Friday.

Shaping Up

2011-06-22T13:15:00.000-11:00

As we head into draft weekend, it appears Pierre Gauthier's got a definite plan and is taking care of business early this summer. The shape the team is taking is both familiar and intriguing.

The re-signings of Mathieu Darche, Hal Gill, Andrei Kostitsyn, David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty were safe, and probably wise, decisions. Darche adds an element of heart and hard work that only a guy with his hard-knocks experience in the game can contribute. He's an example of how working your ass off, even with limited talent, can get a player. For that, he's inspirational. As a bonus, he can also pop in a few goals on the second PP unit and kill penalties. Gill's a leader and one of the guys who can effectively give "The Look" in the room when things aren't going well. He's willing to beat himself up to win, even if he handles the puck like play-doh, and he's excellent on the PK. Kostitsyn is straight-forward. He has the talent to score forty goals, but he will never do it. He can, however, score 25 every season, and that's not something just any second-liner manages to do. It seemed that last year he finally managed to figure out he's a large mammal who can do some damage in the hits department as well. He has significant value. Desharnais and Pacioretty are full of potential. Each of them has leaped his own hurdles to get to this point in his career, and together in Hamilton, they were dynamite. With Pacioretty fully healed from his attempted murder at the hands of Zdeno Chara, there's no reason to expect them to do anything but improve. Two years for each of them gives them the security to take chances and management the time it needs to assess them properly.

On defence, the signings of Alexei Yemelin and Raphael Diaz are very interesting. The Habs have long been craving a tough-as-nails defender with wheels and a mean streak. By all accounts, Yemelin is that guy. It's kind of funny, though. For Habs fans, he's the equivalent of Sesame Street's Snuffaluffagus. Everyone swears he's real, but nobody ever sees him. At the same time, he's been lauded as The Best Defenceman Not In the NHL (thanks, McGuire.) That'll change at camp, and it'll either be a big deflation of our Sesame balloon, or he'll be for real. If the Habs scouts, who've presumably seen more of him than we have, think he's worth signing, perhaps he'll actually be good enough to make a difference. Diaz, on the other hand is a mystery. Like Streit, but not quite like Streit. The best all-around defenceman in the Swiss league, but what does that really mean? Habs fans assume he'll start in Hamilton, but the element of the unknown about him is fascinating. What if he's better than Spacek in camp? What if he's better than Yemelin? Interesting stuff.

Then there are the rumours. Yannick Weber's rumoured to be close to a two-year deal. So's Andrei Markov. And, of course, there's Jaromir Jagr. Weber, really, should be signed. He's the perfect example of the kind of player the Habs tend to develop to the point of NHL usefulness, then quit on while fans gnash their teeth watching him score for somebody else. After watching his playoff performance, it's easy to imagine him stepping onto some other team and putting up a solid 40 points on the blueline. This is a player who needs a real chance in Montreal so management doesn't regret letting him go. Markov is rumoured to be close to signing for two years at the same salary as last season. If he stays healthy, that's a steal with the cap going up to $64-million. There's no reason to think his string of bad luck will continue, so fans can hope he's going to play more than a handful of games next year. That immediately makes the Canadiens better than they were last season.

Jagr's a different kettle of fish altogether. He's of the "almost came to Montreal" breed that includes Briere, Shanahan, Sundin and countless others. Sure, he'd be an asset, if he can keep his head out of his own ass for 82 games plus playoffs. He looked great with Tomas Plekanec at the Olympics and again at the Worlds. Those, though, were short tournaments. Who knows if he remembers what an 82-game grind is really like? The idea of a Cammalleri-Plekanec-Jagr first line makes a lot fans swoon, but on this one we should take a chill pill. Too many free agents have sized up the tax and fan obsession levels in Montreal and decided to go somewhere more peaceful. Gauthier's the only one who knows how serious the man is about the Habs, and he's not talking anytime soon.

Among the outstanding questions are: Will Wisniewski be re-signed, now that the cap has gone up? Who will be the backup goalie? Is there space enough to sign a top-six forward if Jagr doesn't sign, and if so, who's out there? Now we're entering the intriguing part of the next couple of weeks.

James Wisniewski isn't perfect, by a long shot. But, he's got a long, hard shot. That makes him an asset on the PP. His willingness to fight if he's got to is a point in his favour as well. Signing him's a tough choice though, because he's one of the players you'd call a luxury guy. He makes some bad decisions in his own end, which end up costing goals. Then again, his offence and mobility make him more of a compensation-for-error type player than, say, a Sheldon Souray was. The thing with Wiz is he should be on the second or third pairing on a good team. In his last few seasons, he's been stuck playing top-line minutes because one of the guys higher up the food chain has been hurt long-term. Given his proper role, he could excel for a team. The problem is, because he's been given primo minutes, he's put up lots of points. Unfortunately, his numbers will dictate his market value, and in that case, he might be too expensive for Gauthier. If he's reasonable, however, he should be signed because he offers a lot in a second-pairing role. And, given the recent state of the defence's long-term health, he's the kind of guy who can step into a more demanding role if needed.

As for backup goalie, Alex Auld did a decent job behind Carey Price, but he wasn't the kind of guy you'd put in net for twenty games if Price were hurt. Perhaps it's time to look elsewhere, for a guy who's had to fill in for long stretches before. Price was lucky to be healthy all last season, but butterfly goalies are known to suffer joint injuries. Habs need a goalie who'll be able to step in if that should happen.

In terms of rounding out the top-six, everyone agrees Travis Moen cannot continue to be a top-line forward. No team with him playing an important offensive role is going to win. That's the reason why Jagr's a consideration, even at his advanced age. Among the other options, Brooks Laich of the Capitals is a possibility. He's big, he goes to the net and he's got the ability to chip in some backbreaking goals. Depending on what Wisniewski asks for, Laich could be a possibility.

Among the recent rumours is one that the Habs are thinking of offering Roman Hamrlik a contract. Inarguably, he's stepped up in the last two seasons when Markov went down to injury. However, the Canadiens defence must get younger and faster than it was last year. Keeping Gill, Spacek AND Hamrlik does nothing to help. If Hamrlik is to be offered a contract, it must mean Spacek is traded to a team that needs to hit the cap floor. Both of them can't remain on the same team if the defence is to improve.

Disturbingly, there's been no talk at all about Josh Gorges. Gorges must be signed, as he's one of the few defencemen in his prime who's rock solid in his own end. Hopefully, news of his contract will come soon.

It's interesting that the skeleton of last year's team is intact, and Gauthier seems intent on bringing back much of the flesh as well. That would indicate to fans that team management believes these guys are close to contending. That they were one goal away from eliminating the Bruins even without Markov, Gorges and Pacioretty backs up that theory.

Familiarity is a good thing within a team that gets along and knows how to work together. Gauthier is providing lots of that, and proving he believes the team can win as is. On the flip side, the newcomers he's brining, or is rumoured to be bringing, can only help the team improve.

All in all, the off-season so far has been very reassuring for fans. We know management thinks the team is close. We must take heart from that.

Deconstructing a Champion

2011-06-20T13:03:00.000-11:00

So, here we are, eighteen years after the Canadiens last won the Stanley Cup. Fans who remember the sixties and seventies must feel as though they're trudging through the desert with no oasis in sight, but, thanks to the Canucks choke job, the Habs remain the most recent Canadian champion.

Reflecting on the great moments of '93, and the players who provided them, one must wonder why that success didn't continue. The Canadiens had some very good players which should have either kept producing well or brought a solid return that would have produced in their stead. Shockingly, however, a series of absolutely disasterous trades let Cup-winning players go for guys who were never able to duplicate any level of their success. In fact, if you break down where each player ended up, and what the Habs got back, it turns out there are only two players affiliated with today's organization with any links at all to that last champion.

Take that year's Conn Smythe winner, for example. Patrick Roy was one of the best goaltenders the NHL had ever seen, and was instrumental in bringing the last two Cups to Montreal. When he and management fell out and Ronald Corey decided he had to go, Roy and heart-and-soul Mike Keane went to Colorado for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault. Kovalenko was later traded to Edmonton Oilers for Scott Thornton, who was then traded for Juha Lind (who went back to Europe). Rucinsky was later included in a trade that sent Benoit Brunet to Dallas. Thibault went in the Dave Manson trade to Chicago. Neither the Rucinsky or Thibeault trades returned anything worthwhile to Montreal.

The Cup-winning captain, Guy Carbonneau, was dumped to the St.Louis Blues one year later for Jim Montgomery, who was claimed off of waivers after playing five totally unproductive games for the Canadiens.

The big stars on offense went for little-to-nothing as well. Brian Bellows, who put up 88 points in '93, and 15 more in the playoffs, was traded for Marc Bureau who later left as a free agent.

Vincent Damphousse, led the team in scoring in the Cup-winning season with 98 points, and was traded to Tampa for draft picks that became Marcel Hossa (traded for Garth Murray, who was lost to waivers) and Marc-Andre Thinel (left for Europe).

Kirk Muller was the second-highest scorer on the '93 Habs, and a revered leader in the dressing room. He has a complicated legacy with the Canadiens. Two years after the Cup win he was traded to the Islanders for Vladimir Malakhov (later traded to New Jersey Devils for Sheldon Souray (walked as a free agent), Josh DeWolf (left for Germany) and round 2 pick in the 2001 draft (Andreas Holmqvist, who played out his career in Europe)) and Pierre Turgeon. Turgeon was later traded to St. Louis Blues for Murray Baron, Shayne Corson (left as a free agent) and 5th-rounder in the 1997 draft (Gennady Razin who left for Russia). Baron was traded for Dave Manson the same year. Manson was later traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jeff Hackett, Eric Weinrich, Alain Nasreddine and a conditional draft pick (Chris Dyment, traded for a Czech pick who never came over, who, in turn was traded for Michael Lambert who never made the NHL). Hackett was traded to San Jose Sharks for Niklas Sundstrom (left Montreal for Sweden) and a 3rd-round pick in the 2004 draft (Paul Baier, who never made the NHL) who became part of a package to the Kings for Christobal Huet and Radek Bonk.) Huet was traded to Washington for a 2nd round pick (which became Jeremy Morin), which was traded along with the Habs 2010 3rd to Atlanta for Mathieu Schneider (left as a free agent) and a third round pick (Joonas Nattinen). Weinrich was traded to Boston for Patrick Traverse (later traded for Mathieu Biron, who left for Europe). Nasreddine was traded to to Edmonton Oilers for Christian Laflamme (left as a free agent) and Matthieu Descoteaux (left for Europe). So, Nattinen, recently signed to an entry-level deal with the Habs, is one of the two players directly connected to the '93 Cup victory.

Then there's the defence. The Cup-winning defence consisted of, at various times, Eric Desjardins, Mathieu Schneider, Kevin Haller, Patrice Brisebois, J.J.Daigneault, Lyle Odelein, Rob Ramage, Sean Hill and Donald Dufresne. Daigneault was traded to St. Louis Blues for Pat Jablonski, who, in turn, was traded to Phoenix Coyotes for Steve Cheredaryk (left as a minor-league free agent). Schneider was included in the Muller trade to the Islanders. Haller was traded to Philly for Yves Racine, who was then claimed on waivers by San Jose. Breezer left as a free agent. Odelein was traded to Devils for Stephane Richer, who was then traded to Tampa Bay Lightning for Patrick Poulin (demoted and retired), Igor Ulanov (included in Nasreddine trade) and Mick Vukota (went to IHL and then retired). Ramage was traded to the Flyers for cash. Hill was claimed in the expansion draft by the Ducks. Dufresne was a weird one. He actually was traded for Rob Ramage, but as a "future consideration." Because Tampa hadn't settled that part of the trade with Montreal, both Dufresne and Ramage won the Cup.

Then there's Desjardins. He, along with Gilbert Dionne and John LeClair went to Philly in one of the worst trades of the period. They were traded for Mark Recchi and a 3rd-round pick in the 1995 draft (Martin Hohenberger, who left for Europe). Recchi was later traded back to the Flyers for Dainius Zubrus, a 2nd-round pick in the 1999 draft (Matt Carkner, who left as a free agent) and a 6th-round pick in the 2000 draft (Scott Selig, who left hockey in 2006). Zubrus was traded to the Capitals for Jan Bulis, who left as a free agent, Richard Zednik and a first-round pick in the 2001 draft (Alexander Perezhogin, who left for Europe). Zednik was traded for a Capitals 3rd-round pick in 2007. That pick was Olivier Fortier, the only other player in the Canadiens organization with a direct link to the '93 Cup.

If a team is to have long-term success, it needs to make the most of its assets over the years. Some of the players the Canadiens got back for the Cup-winners they traded were useful and helped the team for a time. In the end, however, management's failure to bring back a solid return for star players like Roy, LeClair, Muller, Damphousse and Desjardins, as well as important support players like Carbonneau, resulted in the arid period of stagnation we witnessed through many of the years following that Cup win.

It's kind of sad that the legacy of the last Canadian champion consists of only Olivier Fortier and Joonas Nattinen; a third-line grinder with a big heart and a Finnish centreman who's good on the draw. They may or may not ever make the NHL, but back in '93, you wouldn't have traded both of them for Guy Carbonneau. As it turns out, the Canadiens traded the entire Stanley Cup-winning team for them.

The State of the Game

2011-06-10T02:18:00.001-11:00

As I watched Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals, I realized the Boston Bruins would be very fitting NHL champions this year. A league champion should be the team that best exemplifies the qualities of the game as it exists in a particular season. This year, the Bruins are that team.

Let's take a look at the most important stories in the league this year. Perhaps the most significant of those has been the devastating hits to the head sustained by so many players, including superstar Sidney Crosby. The hit that galvanized the entire hockey world with the single demand to "DO something," however, happened when Zdeno Chara crushed Max Pacioretty into a stanchion and broke his neck. Nobody who watched that game will forget the young Canadien lying motionless on the ice, not knowing if he would play hockey again, or even live. The timing of it, with the Bruins getting creamed by the Canadiens and Chara having developed a dislike of Pacioretty to go with his frustration at losing that game, smacked of intent to "teach the guy a lesson." Of course, the hit, while bringing the debate on head shots to a boil, cost Pacioretty the remainder of his season and quite likely helped the Bruins win their first-round series.

Following from that was the second-most important NHL story of the year. The league's discipline policy has always been vague and inconsistent at best, but the decision to let Chara go without a single game's suspension set off a level of public outrage the NHL brass was obviously not anticipating. The conflict of interest in having the father of a player acting as league disciplinarian began to take on a level of rather ominous significance. In that sense, the Bruins were the poster team for what's wrong with NHL discipline.

I talked to a former NHL player yesterday who told me he's not impressed with the way so many current players are acting like they're still in minor hockey. The constant pushing after the whistle by some teams, the childish taunting of opponents and the public bitching about other players is becoming embarrassing. Prominent examples of such behaviour have been on public display during these playoffs. The Bruins have become notorious for initiating post-whistle garbage in every game they've played. We saw it during the season as they facewashed and crosschecked their way to the Northeast division title, and it's been even more noticable during the post-season. Even goalie Tim Thomas is in on the act, throwing himself at opponents in his crease. (Which, incidentally is a penalty, but was twice uncalled in the playoffs.)

The taunting in the Finals, which respected pros have called ridiculous, has been the epitome of sore winning. There's nothing quite as unpalatable in the world of sports as a team or player that can't win with grace. Watching Max Lapierre tease Patrice Bergeron by shoving his fingers in the biting victim's face was bad enough. Seeing Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic duplicate the gesture in the next game with the gleeful meanness born of gloating was stomach-turning. Couple that with classy gestures like Andrew Ference's one-finger salute to the Bell Centre crowd after a Bruins win, and Nathan Horton's squirting a fan with water before flinging the bottle at him in the stands, and the poor sportsmanship displayed during these playoffs has reached a new low.

Then there's the bitching. Players like Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi complaining about the Canadiens for being a team of divers is more than a little hypocritical. Marchand's got two diving penalties in these playoffs and has attempted the manouver many more times than he's been caught. Recchi's dismissal of the seriousness of Max Pacioretty's injury in the media before the playoffs began revealed a bit of the character of these Bruins. Tim Thomas revealed a bit more when he had an opportunity to be gracious following his team's defeat of the Canadiens. When asked about the play of Habs rookie P.K.Subban, Thomas could have taken the high road and said something non-committal. Instead, he chose to sink as low as possible and call the kid a "travesty" to hockey.

I've been disillusioned with the NHL since the league's lack of intestinal fortitude both led to the Pacioretty hit and failed to levy justice for it. The playoffs have served to underline a lot of the inherent problems in the NHL right now, not least by presenting the Bruins as a Stanley Cup finalist. Should the Bs win, they'd certainly be fitting champions. After all, no team exhibits the cheap shots, public whining and poor sportsmanship polluting the league better than the Bruins.

*Post Script: I neglected to mention a side effect of a team like the Bruins doing well. The attitude and behaviour rubs off on those who follow the team, especially if those fans have been long deprived of any kind of notable success. Look no further than the comments section below for an example of such behaviour, better than anything I could describe. Naturally, it's posted by "anonymous."

Mr.Smith Goes to Montreal

2011-05-30T13:45:00.001-11:00

Most Habs fans of a certain age recall May 5, 1986 with more than a touch of fond nostalgia. It was Game Three, Habs versus Rangers in the conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Canadiens had won the first two games, so Game Three was, by no means, a do-or-die contest. It was, however, a game of Meaning in Habs' lore. Canadiens fans remember it as the beginning of Patrick Roy's metamorphasis as the original butterfly superstar. The 20-year-old rookie goalie faced 13 Rangers' shots in OT stopping them all, many spectacularly. He held his team in it until New York's James Patrick bumped a linesman and took himself out of the play, allowing Claude Lemieux enough of a break to bury the winner. That's what Habs fans remember about that night. Bobby Smith, the lanky, silky-handed centreman on the Canadiens top line at the time, recalls something other than Roy's heroics.

"My memory of that game is tying it up with about a minute left, so I have a different memory of it than most other people," Smith laughs.

A look back at the box score from that night proves his sense of recall is still pretty sharp a quarter century after the fact. The Rangers were up 3-2 and took a penalty with about three-and-a-half minutes to go. With 8 seconds left in the PP and 2 minutes in the period, Smith tipped a Larry Robinson shot behind John Vanbiesbrouck and set the stage for Patrick Roy's command performance.

The goal was typical of the very good, but understated...some would say underappreciated...player Smith was in his seven seasons as a Hab. In that Cup year, for example, he scored 31 goals and 86 points, but played second fiddle to Mats Naslund's 110 points. In 1988, Smith put up his best numbers in Montreal with 93 points, but the Habs lost out to Boston in the post-season and a great year was forgotten. The truth, though, is that Naslund would never have had his best season without Smith. And a player who was nearly a point-a-game through more than a thousand NHL games shouldn't be forgotten.

Bobby Smith arrived in Montreal in 1983, shortly after requesting a trade from the Minnesota North Stars. The Stars had hired a new coach with a different philosophy and Smith wanted a change of scenery. In this age of "Codes" and strange notions of what constitutes "respect," players are villified for asking to be traded. Smith thinks that's unfair.

"I used to always say it's the best job in the world except you spend too much time in the dentist chair and you don't get to choose where you live," he quips.

When he got the word that the trade to Montreal went through, the kid who grew up in nearby Ottawa was delighted.

"I can still remember the surreal feeling of my first practice with the Canadiens, and skating around and looking at my reflection with the CH on my chest in the glass," he recalls. "I always thought if you played baseball, you should play a few years with the Yankees, or football with the Dallas Cowboys. It's the same thing with the Canadiens. It was special in Montreal. I thought it was the centre of the hockey universe. Game night was a big special occasion. We played at about 107 percent of capacity most nights. There was a serious attitude there that was a surprise, even coming from a good team like Minnesota."

Smith says some of his most cherished hockey memories come from his time in Montreal, including what was, for him, the greatest moment of the 1986 Stanley Cup finals.

"No question. Being on the bench as the clock ticked down against Calgary. The score was 4-3 and the puck went across our blueline and you knew it was over. That was the moment. It wasn't clear until that moment that we were going to win the Stanley Cup, but I remember that moment very well," he says. He modestly neglects to mention that he was the one who scored the Cup-winning goal for the Habs, converting a Naslund feed about halfway through the third.

"For a point during my career,it was like that was a thing guys on other teams got to do," he continues. "For a while, the Islanders had three of the best six or seven players in the world and they kept winning. Then the OIlers seemed like they were going to win every year. It seemed that winning the Stanley Cup was something other teams did. Then all of a sudden, I was playing for the Montreal Canadiens and we weren't the best team in the league, as we may have been in '89, and we won."

Ah, yes. Eighty-nine. "The year that should have been" for many Canadiens fans who've never gotten over watching the best team in the league lose in the finals, while Lanny McDonald skated the Cup around Forum ice. Fortunately for Bobby Smith's peace of mind, however, he's able to put that loss in perspective.

"I played in 35 playoff series during my career. It's a tremendous accomplishment to win a playoff series," he explains. "It's far different from beating a team in the regular season, where you play a team on October 13, then you play them again on December 5. When you play against each other every second night and your team wins, that's a major accomplishment. Even at the end of a season, if you've won three playoff rounds and lost in the final, when the disappointment wears off, you say, hey, we won three playoff rounds. We're a good team."

The Canadiens were a good team in the '80s, and Bobby Smith was a big part of the club's success. Eventually, though, he decided it was time to move on. The Habs were bringing in younger centres and he could see a shrinking role in his future. He once again took control of his own hockey fate and asked for a trade back to Minnesota. He finished his last three years in the NHL back in the city where it all began. When the end came, he had no regrets.

"I was completely ready for it. I feel bad for the guys who leave and really have a tough adjustment," he muses. "Our final game was on a Sunday. I think I had a press conference on Tuesday. I was not a good player in my last year in the league, which made it a lot easier. I was a full-time student at the University of Minnesota and I did that for three years. So I never had a single day where I looked back and said, Oh, I wish I were still playing."

Of course, Bobby Smith and hockey have never been very far apart. The 1979 first-overall draft pick and Calder Trophy winner, who still holds the OHL single-season scoring record, is deeply involved in junior hockey. He's the majority owner of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads, and spent the season just past behind the team's bench. Being Coach Smith wasn't something he'd envisioned for himself, but he says it was a valuable experience.

"I enjoyed it. I had a lot of experiences to pass on to those guys. I liked being around it all the time."

Even so, Smith has no desire to be a career coach. He's passed the reins in Halifax on to Dominique Ducharme, but will continue to be a hands-on owner with the Mooseheads. He lives in Arizona these days, where he moved when he took over as GM of the NHL's Coyotes after completing his B.S. and MBA degrees in 1996, but he makes several trips a year to catch his team in action and stay abreast of the daily details. He also keeps in touch with some old Habs teammates, including Mike McPhee who's now living in Halifax. The pair of them got together with the best and brightest of their former mates last year to talk about old times and celebrate the Canadiens' Centennial in Montreal.

On December 4, 2010, management invited the hundred players who contributed most to its century of success to come back for the big party. The official photo from the night shows Bobby Smith, the tallest guy in the back row, proudly wearing the CH one more time. He says the night was special, almost as though he never left.

"That's a bond that's always there, with those guys who you spend so much time with," Smith reminisces. "There are certain friends who you don't need a lot of time to reconnect very easily, so that hundredth anniversary was a lot of fun. If you're going to play a few years in the NHL, it's a treat to spend some of them in Montreal."

Smith says now he also received one of the best pieces of advice he ever got when he played for the Habs, but it didn't come from a coach or teammate. Even in the '80s, before the internet-fuelled obsessions of the new millenium, the Canadiens were the living competitive heartbeat of Montreal. Fans would gather outside the Forum before and after every practice and game, in the hope of making contact with their heroes. After one particularly bad night, Smith recalls being in no mood to greet the people who wanted to talk about what went wrong. His wife, Beth, caught his arm as they were about to walk out of the building.

"She said, these people will see you for two minutes and you will never see them again. If you make a bad impression, they'll remember that for the next twenty-five years," Smith laughs. "She was right."

Bobby Smith made very few bad impressions in his NHL career. While he remembers Montreal fondly, twenty-five years after he watched the clock tick down on a Habs Stanley Cup victory, Canadiens fans remember him with a smile as well.

The Art of the Draw

2011-05-24T06:43:00.001-11:00

There may, possibly, be a few things in the world closer than the Montreal/Boston playoff series this year. Henrik and Daniel Sedin are probably closer. So's John Tortorella's temper to the boiling point of mercury. Other than those examples, it's tough to think of anything that's been as neck-and-neck as that Habs/Bs series.

The stats show just how close it was, but if one team had a slight advantage in the numbers, it was actually the Canadiens. Each team scored 17 goals in the seven games. The Habs won the special-teams battle. They went 22.2% on the PP, while the Bruins failed to score. That gave the Canadiens a perfect 100% on the PK to Boston's 77.8%. The Bruins took more shots, with 243 versus the Habs' 229, although the Canadiens won the three games in which they were significantly outshot. In goal, Carey Price's .934 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against average beat out Tim Thomas' .926 and 2.25. The only area in which the Bruins had the clear upper hand was on faceoffs. They were 53.3% for the series, while the Habs were just 46.7% on the draw.

The numbers mightn't seem that far apart, but the experts, the guys who built their reputations as faceoff specialists, say there's a world of difference between the Bruins' success rate and that of the Canadiens. The NHL didn't publish official faceoff stats before 1998, but that year, at age 39, Guy Carbonneau was second in the league, winning 59.4% of his draws. He says the faceoff was important then, but it's even more so now.

"In the past, because there was more scoring, I think faceoffs weren't as important as they are now. Now it's huge," Carbonneau states. "Games are tighter. Teams are a lot more equal. Every little detail is important. You talk a lot more now about power play and penalty killing. It was important in the past, but not life and death. And now, because of the new rules on the power play, time of possession is really big. Every time you win the faceoff, you don't have to chase the puck."

Carbonneau says the importance of faceoffs increases exponentially when a team doesn't score many goals to begin with.

"For low-scoring teams, all these little things are really important. I know Jacques Martin is spending a lot of time on penalty killing and power plays and those areas of the game because they're not going to score four or five goals a game. They have to really work on those little things, and faceoffs are a huge part of it," he says.

And the man who captained the Canadiens to their last Stanley Cup takes it a step further. He thinks teams without really good faceoff men are hard-pressed to win at all.

"There were not a lot of specialists in the past. Doug Jarvis comes to mind as one of the best, and as one of the guys who kind of built a career on that. Now every team is looking for one of those guys," Carbonneau explains. And if you don't have one? "You better score a lot of goals. There's less faceoffs now than there used to be during a game, but because every power play starts in the opposing zone, you need to win the puck, especially during the playoffs when the games are even closer."

Carbonneau's observation is right on, statistically speaking. There were actually about ten thousand fewer faceoffs in the league this year than there were ten years ago, dropping from an average of 5381 per team to 4709 per team. That's where Carbonneau's anecdotal evidence separates from the numbers, though. The top ten teams on faceoffs ten years ago scored 68 more PP goals than the bottom ten teams. This year, the bottom ten teams on the draw actually scored 109 more PP goals than the top teams. When you figure in PP opportunities, the scoring percentages of the top ten faceoff teams are pretty comparable to those of the bottom ten. So it seems that winning the faceoff in the opposing zone to start the PP actually doesn't improve scoring that much.

The Canadiens supported that in their only playoff series this year. Tomas Plekanec was a disappointing 43.3% on faceoffs. Scott Gomez was even more dismal, at 40.7%. Jeff Halpern won 73% of his faceoffs, but he played in only four games and didn't take any draws on the PP. Yet, winning all those faceoffs didn't give the Bruins a great advantage overall.

What's interesting, however, is that while Plekanec's faceoff average was generally poor, on the PK he was over 50%, and he took almost all of the shorthanded draws for the Habs in the series. So, while the Bruins controlled the faceoff at even strength, the Candiens did so on the PK, which perhaps explains, at least in part, why the Bruins got shut out with the man advantage.

Tim Taylor took thousands of faceoffs in the NHL as well, and managed to keep his percentage in the mid-fifties most years. He actually ranks sixth in the league since the lockout. He agrees with Carbonneau's idea that a team must have a faceoff specialist if it's going to win. In his theory, however, it's more an overall team performance stat than just a special-teams one.

"Puck possession is what it's about. The best teams in the league do not give the puck up much. You win the draw, you possess the puck and now the other team is chasing you. There's a huge connection between good teams and the teams that win the most faceoffs," Taylor attests. "You have to have one guy who can win big. If you can't win faceoffs, you're giving the other team a huge advantage. If you're chasing the puck all night, statistics say it's going to be really hard to win. If you don't have that guy it's going to be tough to win in the playoffs."

The standings back up Taylor's belief. The top faceoff teams this season were Vancouver, San Jose and Detroit; first, fourth and fifth overall in the league respectively. Same thing in the playoffs. The four remaining teams are all among the seven that are above 50% on the draw.

Still, having one guy in the top-six who's above 50% on faceoffs might not be enough. There's still a need to add that type of guy on the third or fourth lines as well. Those lines are responsible for secondary scoring, and, just as importantly, preventing goals against. Winning faceoffs helps with both those lower-line tasks. The excellent statistics website Behind the Net has figured that in the first seven seconds after a face-off in your own end, you are 10 times more likely to be scored on if you lost the draw than if you won it. The number crunchers at Behind the Net also have concluded 10% of all goals are scored within twenty seconds of winning the draw. Those stats indicate that a team's ability to score...and prevent being scored upon...improves when it's good at faceoffs.

The numbers also show that the top ten teams in the league on faceoffs average three more wins than the bottom ten. They tend to give up fewer goals overall, score more at even strength and are better on the PK as well. Habs fan-extraordinaire Jason Weiss figured out that the top six teams (the top 20%) in the league were 6.12% better on faceoffs than the bottom six (the lower 20%) this year. They also average six more wins, which leads him to conclude that each percentage point of improvement on the draw equals an extra win. If you look at the Habs with that in mind, a team average of 53% rather than 49% would have meant four extra wins. That would have translated to 104 points and the division title.

Of course, faceoffs are just one part of a very complex game. It's one thing to win the faceoffs, but quite another to take advantage of that by scoring. Just looking at this season, the Florida Panthers were fourth in the league in faceoff percentage. However, their two top faceoff men, Marty Reasoner at 54.5% and Stephen Weiss at 53.9%, managed to score only 81 points between them. They were winning the draws, but couldn't do anything with the puck afterwards. Contrast that with Vancouver's league-leading 54.9% success rate on the draw, coupled with the scoring exploits of top faceoff men Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin (combined 177 points between them) and you can see the difference. That's why it's important for the players who have the best chance of scoring be able to win more draws.

In the Canadiens' case, their two top centres take nearly half of all the team's faceoffs. Scott Gomez and Tomas Plekanec combined for just 95 points, and neither of them were over 50% last year. This season, Gomez was at 48%. Plekanec was exactly 50%, although he was slightly below that on both PP and PK draws. He was also markedly better at home than he was on the road. That doesn't surprise Carbonneau.

"I still don't like that the home team has to put their sticks down second because ninety percent of the time they don't put their stick down. I think they made a big deal of it because they didn't want any cheating at first, but it's a lot different now," he says.

Taylor says that requirement for the road player to put his stick down first is directly responsible for most players having better percentages at home.

"Faceoffs are one of those intriguing areas of the game where you can really cheat, and the best cheater is often the best one at winning the faceoffs," he explains. "What I mean by that is the visiting team has to put his stick in first, so the home team puts his stick in last. So actually, when you put your stick in, you don't actually stop. You go in in one swoop right away and time it so the referee is dropping the puck at the same time you're putting your stick in, which means you have a big advantage at home."

Some players learn how to compensate. Plekanec, Carbonneau says, was actually better three years ago when he coached the young Czech. He says in Plekanec's case, opponents started complaining about his favourite cheat.

"Tomas has a different style," Carbonneau says. "Europeans go on their forehand a lot. Tomas uses not only his stick, but uses his skate a lot. That kind of pisses off a lot of the guys, and when you piss off the other side, they tell the linesmen. Once in a while, they forget about it and he does it because he's got really good timing, good instinct and good anticipation. I wouldn't say he cheats, but he's got great timing of when to bring that skate to make it really hard on the opposing centreman. Now they've found a way to get around it."

Carbonneau says if he studied slow-motion video of Plekanec's faceoffs, he'd probably be able to find something to help him improve. (This from the man who'd stay after practice and take draws against Plekanec, beating him and all the other Canadiens centres handily at nearly 50 years of age.) He thinks there's only so much you can teach when it comes to owning the draw, however. Some of it is practice, some of it's learned technique and a lot more is instinct. But, he says, the biggest factor is wanting it more than the other guy.

"To me, you can't win them all, but you can't lose them all either. If you have a tough night and you can't win them, at least try to tie them up. If you tie up the stick, then the puck is lying there and someone can come in and get it. Communication is important," he believes. "It's the difference between a guy who's 56% or one who's 49%. A lot of it is attitude, going in there and wanting to win it."

Taylor agrees the mental aspect of faceoffs is very important, and that's something that can be taught.

"You can teach the importance of it. As the years go on, you realize the importance," he says. "You're trying to establish one up on a person. If you beat a guy three times in the neutral zone, it doesn't mean a whole lot. But then you have a big, important draw in the defensive zone and you've got him thinking, 'He's beaten me three times so I'll have to do something different.' Now this guy's out of his comfort zone, and getting in someone's head is huge. Every faceoff you take from the start of the game to the end is important."

Taylor points to Carbonneau as an example of how a player can really hone his faceoff technique and make himself dominant, if he has the will and work ethic to do so.

"He concentrated on it. He wasn't a guy on a PP who was going to take a one-timer. He was a defensive guy who took a lot of defensive faceoffs and he took pride in it. It was something in the character of his game that kept him in the league as long as he was," he states.

That, then would indicate that Plekanec and Gomez should be able to improve on the draw. We know they can do it. Plekanec was 51% a few years ago, and has proven his ability to put in the extra work he needs to do in order to improve himself. Gomez was around 53% with the Rangers and Devils, and 51% in his first year as a Hab. His 48% this year may have been further evidence of his generally listless play this season. Taylor says it's possible for centres to improve if they want to. He thinks the wingers also have to buy in, if the team's average is to get better.

The player's role in working on the technique and concentrating on the importance of winning draws is unquestionable, but his relationship with the linesmen is also a factor. Taylor thinks it's the most important variable for a centre.

"I think the best cheat is getting to know the linesmen really well, and being friendly with them. It's hard for a linesman, as a human being, if you're nice to him all the time, for him to kick you out. But if you're always "Oh, what the hell is that?" and giving him grief, then it's easy for him to kick you out. If you're nice as can be to him, it's tougher for him to kick you out. Now, being nicer gets you a bit more of an advantage when you're about to take a faceoff," he laughs.

Carbonneau says Taylor's spot on with that observation.

"They're pretty fair and they won't try to screw you over, but they do have a say about which side they throw the puck. If you piss off the linesman game in and game out, not only are they going to kick you out, but they'll drop the puck on one side of the circle a little more often and nobody can tell the difference," he grins.

Whether it's through watching video, practicing technique or befriending the linesmen, the conclusion here is that the Canadiens need Plekanec and Gomez to improve on faceoffs. That's the most important thing they can do this summer. They've both been better in the past, and can conceivably get there again with some attention to detail. Backing them up, within the current roster of centremen, there's hope Lars Eller and David Desharnais can improve on their 42.5% and 49.7% respectively. Some of the top-ten faceoff men in the league have improved as they got more experience. Ryan Kesler, for example, was 46.1% in his rookie season and has improved every year to sit at 57.4% this season. Carbonneau says experience plays a big role in learning the habits of opponents as well as the tendencies of the linesmen, and that helps young players improve as they progress in the league.

If the younger Habs don't improve right away, the Canadiens need a solid player on the lower lines who's excellent on draws. Jeff Halpern was really strong this season, but there's a question about how long he can stay healthy. Coming up in this free agent season, Marty Reasoner is available. He's good for maybe a dozen goals a year from the bottom lines, and was 54.4% on the draw last year. Vernon Fiddler doesn't put up as many points, but he's a solid 53.9%. Zenon Konopka is fourth in the league, with an impressive 57.7%, but he only scored 9 points last year. He's tough as nails, which wouldn't go astray with the Canadiens, but there, again, is the conundrum of an ability to win draws with no ability to handle the puck when you do.

In the end, winning faceoffs brings with it a great many benefits for a team. Tim Taylor explains it best: "You have to be able to win faceoffs. You might think the difference between 49 and 52 isn't that big, but it is because those are scoring opportunities you're giving up."

The Canadiens loss in the playoffs this year is proof the team needs to improve its faceoff success. Without winning draws, the team is limited in its ability to take advantage of its scoring talent. The experts agree.

*Thanks to Guy Carbonneau and Tim Taylor for their input. Also thanks to Jason Weiss. Photo is of Ken Danby's 1997 work, "Face Off."