Habs Hockey-Talkey

Halak Having Tough Year, Even Internationally

2009-05-08T12:57:00.002-04:00

Jaroslav Halak had to endure a lot this season in the NHL...but it's a little less than what he had to take on Tuesday at the WHC.

Jaro's Slovakia team was down 7-0 to the Czech's when he was brought in to relieve goalie Jan Lasak.

Jaro allowed one goal (as you will see below), and he really paid the price, courtesy teammate Tomas Surovy. Maybe that's why he's not in the NHL anymore?

Venting...SERIOUS Venting...

2009-04-23T13:47:00.005-04:00

*Contains vulgar language, otherwise uncommon on this site. This is a post strictly written as a fan, in no professional manner what so ever.

Ok here's the off-the-charts vent...not as professional as the other posts you've seen here in the past, but fuck that.

-Idiots. Not all of you in attendance, but most of you. What a disrespectuful act you put on display for the world to see last night. Booing the very team you cheer for, the very team that brought you so much joy JUST ONE YEAR AGO! You might say "yeah, well that's why we're booing - they went from hero to zero"...sure, I'm UPSET with that too, but BOOING your 21 year old goaltender, who's proven that he can WIN and DOMINATE at every level he's played at in his young career? Do you expect him to automatically be able to pull a miracle like Patrick Roy did, or a guy like Cam Ward did much more recently? Not everyone can do that, you crazy bastards.

You think Carey is going to put his A-game on display for you ever again? Yes, he will. Not for YOU, but because he's a professional, and he knows he has a lot to learn.

You ruined it for the rest of us, you inconsiderate motherfuckers.

--

I'm not the fan of Gainey that I was a few years ago, due to the lack of trading and overall style of patience that I despise so much...but it wasn't long ago that most of you, LIKE ME, thought he was a brilliant man. The guy tried doing what was best for our team when he fired Carbo, a vulnerable team that he KNOWS isn't anywhere near challenging for the Stanley Cup. I didn't agree with the firing, but things happen, and whether I agree or not, he's got the toughest job in the sport, so I have to respect his decision for what it is. Therefore, chants of CARBO! CARBO! last night and throughout the remainder of the regular season were nothing short of fucking disrespectful and classless. The man has given the city his heart and soul, as a player and as a human being. It's alright to have an opinion about his decisions, negative or postive, but to humiliate him that way is just uncalled for.

Try this excersise: Pretend to be a fan of another team, preferably in the United States. Now, pretend you watched all four playoff games between Montreal and Boston, and saw or heard all the different things that would appaul you to see and hear happening to your own team. Now, imagine what feelings you have for the MONTREAL FANS IN GENERAL! I can guess your answer: They're FUCKED UP.

You ruined it for the rest of us, you inconsiderate motherfuckers.

--

I hate to say it, but I used to defend us as fans when opposing fans said we were classless. Sure, we do ceremonies right, and we have tons of history...but that doesn't give us the right to constantly compare our current team to those of yesteryear! These men are their own men, not the "next incarnations" of Richard or Beliveau or Dryden. We ARE classless! We still BOO the AMERICAN ANTHEM! ARE YOU ALL FUCKING STUPID? REALLY???? I actually SING ALONG to it when I'm at the game, both because it's a great anthem and because it represents a good piece of our current core players, and a bigger piece of our future.

Guys we drafted high and were projected to make a serious impact for our team or maybe even be captains or assistants have to stand there and listen to a bunch of people boo their NATIONAL ANTHEM. Do you seriously think that pending UFA's Higgins and Komisarek want to stay? Bye bye first round picks...it's time to rebuild again! Or wait a minute....will we be booing Pacioretty soon? Or McDonaugh? Or Fischer? Or Kristo? At this rate, I see all of those guys pulling an 'Eric Lindros' and demanding to be traded before they even play a game in front of these "fans". We have to re-build for 2020, not 2010.

You ruined it for the rest of us, you inconsiderate motherfuckers.

--

Now imagine the rest of the UFA class that will become available on July 1st. Give me one good reason why they should re-sign with this team...I dare you to not use "the history" as one of your arguments.

These men see what it is to play in a jungle...and they don't like it! WHO WOULD?

Do you blame Briere now? His car would probably be on fire by now if we had him and he didn't contribute to winning a playoff game...ACTUALLY, if he were here LAST YEAR, his car would probably be on fire too, for WINNING a series! What a joke...

What else can I say? Oh, I know. How's this?

You ruined it for the rest of us, you inconsiderate motherfuckers.

GOlf HABS GOlf

2009-04-23T02:13:00.005-04:00

Golfing season is underway...and, as July 1st approaches, moving season nears - and I expect a lot of current Habs to be packing their bags and changing address on that date.

Who will be back to play for this team who gets booed mercilessly when they drop a few games, like humans?

And who the HELL would even ponder the idea of coming in as a free agent???????

The Habs better start drafting better (i.e. not passing up on guys like Getzlaf or Parise or Richards for AK46 in 2003, or selecting Ben Maxwell one spot ahead of Milan Lucic in 2006), or learning how to make TRADES ON DEADLINE DAY, because no one in their right mind and in their prime will even consider Montreal as a free-agent destination anymore...especially after the booing of their own team (particularly Price) and embarassment of their current coach (by chanting CARBO! CARBO! CARBO!) throughout the fourth and final installment of Boston/Montreal:Postseason 2009.

Keith Jones, I have to agree with you my man...

Too disgusted to continue for now, check back in a day or two.

Go Sharks Go.

Habs Hold 24-7 Lifetime Playoff Record vs. Bruins

2009-04-14T00:46:00.005-04:00

Oh how misleading ^ that is to someone just getting involved in hockey...

Montreal's dominance of Boston in the playoffs over the years is nothing short of spectacular, but this year's edition of the post-season dance with the big B's will be no walk in any sort of park.

Montreal is fresh off an 0-3-1 end to the regular season, whereas the Bruins are entering having SLIGHTLY missed out on the Presidents' Trophy as the league's top regular season team (that honour going to the San Jose Sharks).

The Bruins have dominated the Habs this season; a more-than-welcome change to the 8-0-0 record the Habs held over the Bruins in last year's season's series - at least for a Bruins fan.

Boston dropped the first game this season 4-3 in a shootout, but went on to win the other 5 in a row, defeating Montreal in the first of their five wins 6-1.

Montreal meets Boston for the fourth time since Y2K gave us all nightmares of planes dropping like bird droppings, having defeated them in 2002, 2004 and, of course, 2008.

The 2002 edition is an interesting one to refer to in this circumstance. That year, Jose Theodore backstopped the Habs to a first-round upset of the first-seeded Bruins led by Jumbo Joe Thornton and Bill Guerin... a scenario identical in seeding to this year's edition. The Habs coaching brass will surely refer to 2002 in prep talks. Theo, by the way, went on to capture both the Vezina and Hart Trophies that year...I bet he never repeats that feat (I'm way out on a limb on that one...)

A daunting task awaits...but what must be remembered is this:

It has been done, so it can be done again.

Go Habs Go!

With 3 Games Remaining...

2009-04-07T16:11:00.003-04:00

The Habs have 3 DIFFICULT games remaining on their regular season, and it may go down to the wire to determine who makes it to the big dance.

Montreal have 92 points and sit in 7th, 3 ahead of a Rangers team looking to take advantage of a depleted Montreal blueline tonight in what is essentially a 4-point game at MSG.

Then, Montreal heads to Boston for a tough duel with a potential 1st-round opponent in the Bruins.

Should all hell break loose and the Habs need one more game to decide their fates, they will return home (at least) to face a loaded Penguins team, also battling to secure a playoff spot.

I alluded to the Rangers facing a depleted Habs blueline earlier...let me get into detail on that.

First of all, Mikhail Grabovski is an asshole.

Here's a guy who has effectively replaced Darcy Tucker as the city of Montreal's public enemy #1. The guy had harsh words for the team when he was traded away, got into a few altercations with Sergei Kostitsyn, and now, worst of all, hit Andrei Markov from behind and left the vulnerable Markov on the ice after driving his face into the boards/glass. Markov, our leading scorer, will miss 3 weeks.

Apart from that, Mathieu Schneider suffered an injury in the same game vs. Toronto that will force him to miss the ENTIRE season...playoffs included! Just when the powerplay seemed to be injected with life again, our two quarterbacks are out, likely through the first round of the playoffs (if we make it there).

Thanks, Toronto. Sure, we injured your Van Ryn in a game early in the season, but he's no Schneider or Markov! We had also injured your McCabe many moons ago, but quite frankly, we did you a favor.

The game vs the Rangers tonight will be epic. A win, and Montreal will secure 94 points, 42 wins, and a berth in the playoffs! The final spot would be left for NY and Florida to battle for, which is why tonight's game is equally important to NY as it is to the Habs. I recommend not missing the action tonight!

The 10-Game Stretch

2009-03-23T15:04:00.003-04:00

The Habs are taking fliritng with disaster to a whole new level.

The Canadiens have 10 games remaining on their regular season schedule, and they will have to do very well in that span to be able to add more games to a post-season calendar.

Montreal currently sit on 81 points, just a single point ahead of the 9th seeded Florida Panthers. Thankfully, the Sabres have been almost as bad as Montreal, which has kept them in 10th place with 76 points. Buffalo are currently on a 4-game losing skid, while our Habs have dropped 5 in a row.

And who said the Senators were out of it? They certainly didn't believe it.

The Sens have arguably been the hottest team in the league lately, and are riding 5-games winning streak. Since bringing in Cory Clouston behind the bench, the Sens have been reborn and look like a team again. No longer are they in the Tavares sweepstakes - they are in the playoff hunt. They have 74 points and sit in 11th, 7 points back of the Habs in 8th.

Montreal will have a favorable week ahead of them, facing 3 teams at home who are out of the playoffs as of right now. Tomorrow the Habs entertain the Thrashers, Thursday they welcome Vinny Lecavalier and the Lightning back to town, and then, on Saturday, it's a date with the Sabres, who will surely ride Patrick Lalime on that night as Lalime loves to play the Habs and put on a great performance the last time they met in Buffalo as the Sabres won 5-1.

The Habs certainly could come out of the week with 6 out of 6 possible points...however, games aren't played on paper, and at this point in time, that's EXTREMELY unfortunate.

The Habs have been playing some bad hockey lately, and all of this amidst so many off-ice issues, including the news breaking today of the Gillett family considering options to sell the franchise.

The Habs also demoted Max Pacioretty back to the farm club in Hamilton today, making room for the return of Sergei Kostitsyn. Sergei will play on a line with brother Andrei and Tomas Plekanec centering the two.

The Habs need to go into every game at this point thinking it's a make-it or break-it night ahead of them. Squandering ANY points to any of these teams (perhaps excluding Buffalo) will be a huge failure.

Grooming Don Lever: Good Move?

2009-03-11T15:35:00.003-04:00

Alright, so I fell off the horse again...but I'm back now, with an update!

So, as we all know now, Guy Carbonneau was fired as head coach. Replacing him is GM Bob Gainey, and he is currently grooming the only-English speaking Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Don Lever to take over the role.

I love the move.

I also loved Carbo as coach, but a change was needed as the Habs struggled mightily for the most part of the season.

Lever (if he IS to become the Head coach in the near future as is the speculation) would basically be thrust into a role identical to the one Bruce Boudreau is in right now.

Boudreau came up from Washington's AHL affiliate to fill in for the then struggling Glen Hanlon, and, in short time, has gone on to win a Jack Adams award as coach of the year. The young players spent their time in the AHL under Boudreau's watchful eye, and they grew to like him. So, the transition from the AHL to the NHL was a brilliant move for both Boudreau and the Caps organization, and hopefully the same thing could happen right here.

Guys like Price, Halak, Lapierre, Plekanec, Higgins, Komisarek, D'Agostini and Pacioretty, to name a few, all spent time in the AHL under Lever, and they have tremendous respect for him. They certainly had respect for Carbo, but Carbo wasn't the guy showing them confidence at the tender ages of 20, 21 or 22. A bond exists with the coach who prepares you for the call-up to the big leagues...and hopefully they'll want to repay him ten-fold by showing him how well they've matured now at the NHL level.

Of course, there are some issues being dug up by certain media-types already. The main issue, OF COURSE, is the language barrier: Don Lever doesn't speak a word of French.

WHO CARES!!!!!!!!

If he is going to bring the best out of this young team, WHO CARES? If he can possibly lead us to a Stanley Cup the way he led the Bulldogs to a Calder Cup, WHO CARES? What's the big deal about speaking a language that is spoken THE WORLD OVER, and not speaking a language spoken in far fewer districts of the planet? And how about the Markov's or the Kovalev's or the Koivu's and Kostitsyn's of the team? Should THEY demand a Russian, Belarussian or Finnish-speaking head coach? GET OVER YOURSELVES!! Put the team's best interests first! I am so fed up of the French-language-first rule...so fed up.

The Habs have gone 2-2 since the last posting on deadline day, two games which certainly overshadowed the 3-1 win in Dallas. The losses in Buffalo (5-1) and, more-so in Atlanta (2-0) are what did Carbo in. Under Gainey, the Habs used overtime last night to down the visiting Oilers 4-3.

The Habs now gear up for the Islanders tomorrow before hosting the Devils and Martin Brodeur, who could tie Roy's record with a win in his hometown.

Habs Make No Moves On Slow D-Day

2009-03-04T10:25:00.019-05:00

22 trades sorted from the most recent, down.

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TOR acquires G Olaf Kolzig, D Jamie Heward, D Andy Rogers and a 2009 4th round pick
TB acquires D Richard Petiot

A move that helps TB alleviate some of their financial troubles. The Leafs BASICALLY bought a 4th round pick by acquiring all of Tampa's salary throw-outs, and to make it a legit 'HOCKEY DEAL', they had to send someone the other way, so Richard Petiot was basically dealt for Andy Rogers. Don't look into this one any futher than that. WINNER: Tampa Bay

EDM acquires F Ales Kotalik
BUF acquires 2nd round pick

Solid pickup for Edmonton; Kotalik has all the tools to be a 30-goal scorer in this league, however he just couldn't fully reach that potential in Buffalo. With Edmonton, he becomes another trigger-man to take some of the load off of Sheldon Souray on the powerplay. WINNER: Edmonton

EDM acquires F Patrick O'Sullivan
CAR acquires F Erik Cole, 5ht round pick
LA acquires F Justin Williams

What an awesome deal!! I truly love this deal for all parties involved: Erik Cole returns to the team that made him the power forward he is today...now, all he had to do is forget his stint in Edmonton, and get back to his successful, hard-nosed ways. Edmonton in turn gets an L.A. product in Patrick O'Sullivan. Sully was emerging as a decent forward with L.A., and was looking like he was going to get the increased responsibility soon with Alexander Frolov's name being tossed around in many rumors. Well, Frolov stayed, and Edmonton gained. The Oilers acquire a young, highly touted young player who brings a full skill-set and great speed. The L.A. Kings received sniper Justin Williams in the deal. Williams, currently injured, is capable of scoring 30+ goals in this league on a regular basis...he'll just have to catch a lucky break and not get injured. A change of scenery seemed best for Williams, whose current season with Carolina has been an injury-plagued nightmare. In L.A., he can take a great load of stress off of young Anze Kopitar, as they can share the scoring burden amongst themselves and Frolov. Williams quick-release will be a vital asset for a team with soooo much young talent...LA is a team to watch over the next year or two...WINNER: EVERYONE!

SJ acquires F Travis Moen and D Kent Huskins
ANA acquires F Nick Bonino G Timo Pielmeier and a conditional 4th round pick

A divisional coup realized by the Sharks as they pry away some key role players from their rivals the Ducks. Moen brings a more established pedigree at 3rd line center, and will take a load off the not-quite-ready Tomas Plihal in that role. On the backend, Huskins rounds out a solid defensive core consisting of talented two-way youngsters Vlasic and Ehrhoff, veteran cup champions Boyle, Blake and Lukowich. Huskins and Murray become defensemen 6 and 6A, and Alexei Semenov should (thankfully) suffer the most from this acquisition. Both men are UFA at season's end. WINNER: San Jose

CHI acquires F Samuel Pahlsson D Logan Stephenson and a conditional pick
ANA acquires D James Wisniewski and F Petri Kontiola

The unloading continued in Anaheim as the Ducks got rid of their main checking center Sami Pahlsson and a prospect + pick to Chicago. The Blackhawks made it clear prior to the days events that the wanted an upgrade from Craig Adams at the checking center position, and they indeed got it by nabbing a premier checker who really made a name for himself en route to Anaheim's 2007 cup win. He'll be UFA at season's end. In exchange, the Ducks got defensive-turned-offensive defenseman James Wisniewski and prospect Petri Kontiola. Not much is known about the latter, but 'Wiz' brings an element of toughness and offense, and will compliment the injured Beauchemin nicely once he heals up. The loss of Steve Montador earlier in the day made this trade necessary. Wiz was pretty much the odd-ball on a young and uber-talented D-line in Chicago, with the emergence of Cam Barker this season - FINALLY. WINNER: Chicago

PHI acquires D Kyle McLaren
SJ acquires 6th round pick

The Sharks had McLaren in Worcester of the AHL all year due to salary constraints, and now, McLaren finally has the chance to make his way back up to the big leagues. However, Philly is already stacked in both salary and on the backend. Not sure what the Flyers will do here. San Jose simply did well to save money. NO WINNER

CLB acquires G Kevin Lalande
CGY acquires 4th round pick

Depth move at most for Columbus; the loss of Leclaire needs to eventually be filled. WINNER: Columbus

TB acquires D Noah Welch and a 3rd round pick
FLA acquires D Steve Eminger

Eminger's tour of the Southeast Division has already seen three out of five stops already. The Caps draft pick moved to Philly, then to Tampa Bay, and now to Florida. The Panthers acquire a one-time bluechip defensman who never quite panned out to his potential, but showed great progress with his stay in Tampa. The Bolts used him upwards of 26 minutes a game there, and, should he continue his development, can turn out to be a steal for the Cats. Welch, a former Penguins draftee, has been oft-injured but is finally healthy. He, too, was once a bluechipper, but plays a more defensive game than Eminger. WINNER: Florida.

BUF acquires F Dominic Moore
TOR acquires 2nd round pick

Moore's stock really rose with his lay-over in T.O., and the Sabres have now taken a chance on him to center their checking line. Moore also displayed the ability to create plays and finish chances in Toronto...perhaps the emergence of a high-end two-way forward in the making? Time will tell... great risk for Buffalo. WINNER: Buffalo

ANA acquires F Erik Christensen
ATL acquires F Eric O'Dell

Not sure if I like this one too much. Christensen's talent is high-end; he can do things with the puck that make it seem like he's got it on a string tied to his blade. But, he isn't all that great on the ice in a competitve environment. He does have the capabilities to get better, he'll just have to apply them soon. For now, the Ducks basically swapped an apple for an apple by exhchanging Morrison (waivers to Dallas) for Christensen.

NYR acquires D Derek Morris
PHX acquires F Petr Prucha, F Nigel Dawes and D Dmitri Kalinin

Phoenix landed 3 NHL ready players for a defensmen who has just 12 points in 57 games this season. The 30-year old impending UFA heads to New York, where the circus is set to roll in very shortly as Sean Avery will make his return to the Blueshirts (and NHL). Morris brings an agressive touch to the backline and will notably look to relieve Wade Redden of the immense stress he has in the first year of his new 6-year pact. The Coyotes land a pair of solid second-line offensive wingers in Dawes and Prucha. Dawes is more of a speedster, whereas Prucha is slightly the better sniper (although the stats this season don't prove it). Added in is the failed FA signing Kalinin, who in my opinion needed this change to re-discover his game. He can be a solid 3-or-4 defensive d-man. WINNER: Phoenix

NYR acquires F Nikolai Antropov
TOR acquires 2nd round pick and conditional draft pick

The Rangers won the Antropov sweepstakes (wow, Antropov in a SWEEPSTAKES...shows the talent availbe at center this year!) Antropov's task is ahead of him in crystal-clear writing: INFUSE OFFENSE! The Rangers are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, and would likely be out of a race if it weren't for King Henrik Lundqvist's play. Antropov isn't the best of character guys, but that's not what they need. He'll need to keep it simple: Put up, or shut up, all the while trying to stay HEALTHY. Good luck. WINNER: New York

PHI acquires F Daniel Carcillo
PHX acquires F Scottie Upshall and 2nd round pick

My initial thoughts: Why did they let go of Downie then? The Flyers acquired talented, agressive F Dan Carcillo from Phoenix, only a couple of months after unloading Steve Downie to Tampa...same game shared by those two, exactly (although Carcillo is less of a psycho, he doesn't really take runs at guys). The Coyotes managed to land a great young forward in Upshall, who was in a very crowded forward system in Philly and was never going to excel. Upshall can slide right into a 2nd or even 1st line role in Phoenix, and I expect he reacts VEYR well. WINNER: Phoenix

PIT acquires F Bill Guerin
NYI acquires conditional 5th round pick

Billy Guerin is going to bring his veteran presence to a team that really needs it in Pittsburgh. Kunitz is doing fine (for now) with Malkin, so Guerin may see some action alongside Sid the Kid. His goalscoring ability will help Crosby simplify his game, and focus on what he does best: playmaking. Pittsburgh made the right move today, and may have secured their playoff spot in doing so. WINNER: Pittsburgh

BOS acquires F Mark Recchi and 2nd round pick
TB acquires D Matt Lashoff and F Martins Karsums

The veteran Recchi makes his way onto a talented yet VERY physical team in Boston, a circumstance he may not be all that familiar with. Nevertheless, Recchi brings poise and will be a vital cog to the locker-room relations once the Bruins enter the playoffs. His leadership in the room will surpass any example he manages to set on the ice, and his presence alone may help the young Bruins get by a potentially long series. They part ways with a great prospect in Matt Lashoff, who will make the jump immediately in Tampa to full-time NHLer. He shows signs of a polished two-way game, which will replace Eminger's role. WINNER: Boston

CGY acquires F Olli Jokinen and 3rd round pick
PHX acquires F Matthew Lombardi, F Brandon Prust and 1st round pick

A year delayed, but done none the less. Jokinen finally makes his way to Calgary, as many of us expected at the same time last year. He'll want to forget about his stay in Phoenix, which can be understated as such: DISAPPOINTING. The knock on Jokinen is his character; however, the Flames are all mentally mature, and under Keenan, it won't fly. Jokinen will basically be in boot camp, and I feel that it's going to pay off for the Flames big time. Look for Jokinen to become more aggressive on the ice, and everyone will benefit for it in Calgary. Flames made huge strides out West today. The Coyotes pick up another speedster in Lombardi, and have a power forward in the making with Prust. Great move for them too, but Jokinen is too much to vote against...He'll taste playoff action for the first time in his career! WINNER: Calgary

BOS acquires D Steve Montador
ANA acquires F Petteri Nokelainen

Bruins solidify their defense further with the acquisition of Montador - highly under-rated. Montador showed in Anaheim that he could not only keep puks out of his net, but he can put some in the other, or at least set some up. He saw regular powerplay time and responded very well, and that will be a plus for Boston in the playoffs should a guy like Chara or Wideman lose his groove. Nokelainen is a talented forward going to Anaheim, with his best years ways ahead of him. WINNER: Boston

BUF acquires G Mikael Tellqvist
PHX acquires 4th round pick

Another depth move here as Miller is out with injury. Lalime should see the bulk of starts, but Tellqvist will play his fair share, and finally, for a team that has a fanbase who actually cares.
WINNER: Buffalo

PIT acquires D Andy Wozniewski
STL acquires D Danny Richmond

Depth swap...no biggie. NO WINNER

CGY acquires D Jordan Leopold
COL acquires D Lawrence Nycholat, D Ryan Wilson and 2nd round pick

Jordan Leopold returns to the team he spent 2002-2006 with, and brings with him a cheap $1.5 million tag. Leopold is an under-rated, smooth skating puck moving defenseman who will relieve young Adam Pardy a little bit. He also brings some experience to the playoffs, having played in 40 playoff games, 26 of which came with Calgary back in 03-04 when the lost in the finals in seven games to the eventual champion Lightning. WINNER: Calgary

OTT acquires G Pascal Leclaire, 2nd round pick
CLB acquires F Antoine Vermette

Ottawa gets a solid young goaltender for the first time ever I believe (Hasek's stay wasn't all that incredible). Leclaire had 9 shutouts last season but hasn't played very much this year due to injury. Columbus gets an established and coveted 2-way forward who can play at C or W and in every situation on the ice. Elliott is good, not yet great, so this could be a nice boost for the Senators starting next year, as he will miss the remainder of this season with the ankle injury. WINNER: Ottawa

*Waiver Moves: Brendan Morrison to DAL from ANA; Martin Gerber to TOR from OTT (re-entry), Erik Reitz to TOR from NYR; Craig Adams to PIT from CHI.

** Gary Roberts, Eric Perrin and Miro Satan cleared waivers.

The Montreal Canadiens stood pat on D-day, ultimately deciding that the acquisitions of Schneider and Metropolit sufficed. Also, Tanguay will return soon, he who has been out of action since December 30th. His return will also feel like a free agent signing...it's been that long.

Waiver Wire Activity

2009-03-03T13:34:00.003-05:00

Some big name players who have been disappointments to their teams this season have been place on waivers today, as those respective teams try to clear up cap space for a deal before tomorrow's deadline.

The names include:

Miroslav Satan (Pit)
Gary Roberts (TB)
Brendan Morrison (Ana)
Eric Perrin (Atl)
Aaron Voros (NYR
Martin Gerber & Brendan Bell (Ott)
Craig Adams (Chi)
Jon Sim (NYI)

Cleared and claimed:

Sean Avery (NYR) CLAIMED from Dallas on re-entry waivers
Tom Preissing (LA) CLEARED
Lawrence Nycholat (CGY) CLAIMED from Vancouver

Trade Deadline: 48 hours away...

2009-03-02T13:43:00.012-05:00

Trade deadline day is officially 1 DAY 18 HOURS and 15 MINUTES away (thanks, TSN!), so now is the time to inform you of ALLLLLL the important rumors out there.

- Brian Burke stated today that the rumors of the Boston Bruins making a 'major pitch' for defenseman Tomas Kaberle are 'total fabrication'. The move would be a huge one for Boston, but Burkie shot this one down immediately. Maybe this was news to Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, and he just may realize that Kaberle would in fact be perfect...

- Remember all those Olli Jokinen rumors when he was with Florida? Well, different team, same rumors. Jokinen is rumored in moves out of Phoenix and some possible destinations may include Calgary or Montreal, just as they did last year before Phoenix swooped in and ruined the party.

- Sticking with Calgary: It seems the Flames are after a rival's former hero. Former Oiler and current Avalanche forward Ryan Smyth is rumored in a move that would send him to the Flames. Smyth has a no-trade clause...but a move to Canada would surely appeal to Ryan, especially a move that would send him back to Alberta and away from the Western Conference cellar-dwellars to a contender. Montreal has apparently expressed interest as well. Stay tuned...

- The Ducks' recent acquistion of D Ryan Whitney has opened an already opened door even wider on the prospect of moving big D Chris Pronger. Possible destinations are rumoured to be St. Louis (who are in a playoff hunt and are a former team of Pronger's), Washington, Boston or Philadelphia (who would have to clear up MAJOR cap space, which makes this highly unlikely).

- The Coyotes may be looking to move BOTH of their top-name defensemen. Derek Morris will be dealt, 99.9% sure, as he has already informed the coaching staff that he will sit out until a trade is made for him so as to avoid injury, and now Ed Jovanovski's name is in the mix. With Jovo, however, comes a massive cap hit for a team willing to take him on. Jovo's cap hit stands at $6.5 million per season until the end of the 2010-11 season. Rumoured teams include the Rangers and the Devils.

- Rumours of Erik Cole to either Pittsburgh or Boston are still out there. Pittsburgh seems to have found an answer for Crosby in the Whitney deal to Anaheim that saw them land Chris Kunitz, so Boston appears to be the likelier of destinations. Again, this would be a GREAT move for the Bruins, especially if they would face the Habs in the playoffs...Cole LOVES running the Habs over. However, don't count MONTREAL out of this reace either...rumors have it they're interested.

- What took me so long to mention the Jay Bouwmeester situation? I don't even know, but here goes. Jay Bo is likely headed out of Florida, and it seems that the Flyers are trying to make a massive pitch for him that could include blue-chip prospect Claude Giroux. Philly would of course have to shed huge dollars to land Jay Bo, whose cap hit is $4.875 mil and is a UFA at season's end. I believe the deal would have to include young D Matt Carle, whose cap hit is a RIDICULOUS $3.5 mil until 2012-13. I also feel the Flyers would rather hold onto Giroux and would offer up Joffrey Lupul instead.

- Remember Marian Gaborik? Didn't think so...All joking aside, Gabby has played in just 6 games this season, a career high...also a joke about the career high. The pending UFA is still drawing MASSIVE interest it seems, league-wide. Though his health is unstable, his talent isn't. Gabby is one of the elite players in this league, and if he can catch some luck in avoiding the injury bug for one of the teams he could be dealt to, he'll be a steal. Interested teams include Pittsburgh and Vancouver, who would love to re-unite Demitra with Gaborik.

- The Thrashers are still on the bubble when it comes to moving Ilya Kovalchuk. Obviously, everyone would be interested, so no use on getting into it. He's just a name to watch for...a BIG name. Atlanta are also fielding offers for Niclas Havelid, Colby Armstrong and Ron Hainsey.

- The Flyers are also rumoured to be in the hunt for Thrashers G Kari Lehtonen. Detroit are also rumored to be in these sweepstakes.

- The Maple Leafs are reportedly shopping G Vesa Toskala and F Jamal Mayers.

- Tampa Bay will be hearing loads of offers over the next 48 hours. Likely targets? Vincent Lecavalier, who GM Brian Lawton stated would "never be traded", Martin St. Louis, who is reportedly being eyed by the Penguins, and Mark Recchi, who is fresh off a 5-assist outing in an 8-6 TB win in Calgary. Recchi can bring a LOT to a contending team, and despite Tampa's recent run of good results, they are still highly unlikely to make the big dance, and surely one of these three will be unloaded, likely Recchi.

- The L.A. Kings will listen to all offers for Alexander Frolov. The talented left winger is expendable with the emergence of Patrick O'Sullivan, and the Kings would like to add another scoring forward. They are also entertaining offers for D Tom Preissing.

- The Blues have stated today that they intend on being buyers at the deadline, which should formally put an end to all the Tkachuk out of St. Louis rumors. As I read this, I immediately thought of Bill Guerin. I can't explain it, but it would seem to me that Guerin would love to Join Tkachuk in a run for the playoffs.

- The Senators are very likely to part ways with Chris Neil. The bruising forward does have decent hands, and would be a huge addition to any team for the playoffs. Look for him to go west.

- The Sabres are finally getting production from a HEALTHY Tim Connolly...and that just may prompt them to move him. The man is too fragile, and I believe that Buffalo would rather unload him than wait for the next injury to hit, which it will, for sure. The Blue Jackets are rumored suitors for Connolly, who would be a perfect (if healthy) playmaker for Rick Nash. Rumored return to Buffalo would include stay-at-home D Rostislav Klesla, who had massive potential on draft day but has never really met it.

The Blackhawks seem content with their roster moving forward, but would like to add a premier 3rd line centerman. Ducks' Sami Pahlsson and Avs' Ian Lapperierre may be atop their wish list.

- The Stars are now back in the playoff picture. The team, who at one point was last in the West, are looking like contenders again. They SHOULD be buyers, but rumors of Jere Lehtinen to Detroit are emerging.

- The Penguins are involed in many rumours, as you read above, and the likely player to be moved to acquire one of those stars would have to be Jordan Staal. With Malkin and Crosby in the middle, Staal is expendable, and any team would LOVE to add him.

- Although I haven't read rumors about it anywhere, I - being a huge fan of the team - fully expect to see the San Jose Sharks trying to move former Rocket Richard winner Jonathan Cheechoo. He seems to be the only guy on the team having difficulty playing at either end of the ice, and his low output thus far is proof. Cheech is on pace for just 11 goals and 27 points. The Sharks should definitely move him...please! Also, an upgrade on Alexei Semenov would be nice...thank you, Mr. Wilson.

- As for the Canadiens: It seems likely that F/D Mathieu Dandenault will be dealt. Though he carries a $1.7 million pricetag, Dandy's future seems non-existent in Montreal, and his experience and versatility could help a contender. Kovalev appears back to last season's form, so the likelihood of him being dealt is dim. Montreal are rumoured to be interested in one of Guerin, Cole, Antropov, Jokinen, Bouwmeester and Lecavalier, and would have to part ways with a LOT to land the latter three.

More to come as it develops.

One last thing to add: The Isles have recalled Jesse Joensuu from Bridgeport. Maybe a Guerin deal is done?

^UPDATED: Isles defeat Avs 4-2...Joensuu scores...Oo0o00oo0 controversy brewing. ;)

Batteries Recharged

2009-03-01T00:25:00.002-05:00

Hey guys...I know it's been EXTREMELY long since my last post, but I feel like getting right back into the thick of things at this point in time.

My leave of absence can't really be explained other than the fact that I simply lost the fire a little bit.

Since my last post, I've concluded my internship at the TEAM 990 (currently waiting to meet with the boss to discuss my future), I've consoled someone close to me on the loss of someone close to them, and, most recently, I've severly injured my knee in a non-competitve hockey game...as a matter of fact, it happened yesterday, and with the pain being absolutely unbearable at times, I'll be heading out for X-rays at 8 a.m.

Worst, pain, ever - to quote Comic Book Guy.

Not the happiest of times lately, as you can see, but the latter event has sparked something inside of me that I hope will continue as the rest of the NHL's regular season unfolds. I will honestly try my best to dig up the latest news concerning the Habs and the rest of the NHL as Wednesday's 3 p.m. trade deadline approaches.

Montreal, as you all know, are back to the team we all expected them to be since the forced resting of Alex Kovalev.

The additions of Glen Metropolit via waivers and, more importantly thus far, Mathieu Schneider via trade, have proved to be pivotal moves. 'Metro' has only played 2 games thus far (both wins), but his right handed skillset is a welcome addition, though not the missing puzzle piece, of course.

The Habs also parted ways with C Steve Begin, a loyal shot-blocker who always sacrificed his body for the good of the team. Begin will now help Dallas in their quest for a playoff berth...he'll be wearing jersey number 44.

Montreal faced one of the toughest weeks of their entire schedule this week, and came away with a perfect 6 out of 6 possible points, shutting out the Canucks at home, using OT to down the Flyers in Philly, and, tonight, despite being outshot 48-21, defeating the San Jose Sharks on the strength of 3 first period goals.

Montreal embarks on a 3-game road trip beginning on deadline day itself in Buffalo, before heading out to Atlanta Friday and finishing the trip in Dallas vs. former teammate Steve Begin on Sunday. That's right, no Saturday game.

O'Byrne To Dress As Habs Visit Tampa

2009-01-27T16:16:00.003-05:00

Hahahha...this will never get old, will it?

RYAN O'BYRNE will dress tonight in place of Patrice Brisebois as the Habs head into Tampa Bay for their first post All-Star Game matchup.

The Habs (27-13-6) have a very tough February schedule ahead of them with many of their games on the road. Matchups like these vs. the lower teams in the league are now more critical than ever, and the Habs will have a few of these key games upcoming this week. They visit Florida Thursday, then head home to host L.A. Saturday before hosting the red-hot Bruins Sunday.

OFF TO OTT!

2009-01-16T18:32:00.002-05:00

Along with my brother and a load of friends (14 in total), I will be invading Ottawa to catch the Habs taking on the Senators at Scotia Bank Place.

Montreal (26-11-6) find themselves 4th in the Eastern Conference, 12 points behind Division leading Boston. They have been hot of late, winning 8 of their last 10 including last night's 3-2 home-ice win vs. the Nashville Predators. The seeding is a little surprising when comparing them to Boston, but it doesn't compare to the stunning position Ottawa finds themselves in midway through the season.

The Senators are 13th in the Conference, and they have 2 less points than even the lowly Lightning.

Ottawa has 15 wins through 42 games (15-21-6). As shocking as that is, this might be more-so: The Senators, last year's highest scoring team, is this year's lowest with 101 goals for. Detroit leads that category with 165.

Not many would have predicted the Sens to be lower than Toronto in the Division, but indeed they are. They find themselves 4 points back of their provincial rivals, but to their credit, they do have 2 games in hand.

Look for us on the CBC coverage tomorrow, as I should be holding a sign for PJ Stock, who has personally promised to try to get me on the Hockey Night in Canada highlight reel.

Any ideas of what I should write on a sign would be appreciated!

GO HABS GO!

Grabovski Suspended; Insists He'd Fight Sergei In The Street

2009-01-09T15:58:00.005-05:00

The feud between fellow Belarussians has taken another twist.

Mikhail Grabovski, as many of you should remember, was a Montreal Canadien for a while not that long ago. He tried to make his way into the lineup a few times, but was never really able to nail a spot down.

The emergence of Sergei Kostitsyn as a ready-made NHLer all but stamped Grabovski ticket out of town. On July 3rd, 2008, the Montreal Canadiens traded Mikhail Grabovski to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Greg Pateryn and a 2nd round selection in 2010.

Grabovski was then asked whether he had any friends left in Montreal. He was very quick and abrupt to answer "NO."

On November 8th, 2008, the two clubs met for the second time this season. Sergei Kostitsyn felt the need to remind Grabovski that he stole his spot, and he took a charging penalty that seemed to really spark the fire.

Then, yesterday, Mikhail Grabovski went in search for revenge in front of his former hometown crowd. Unfrotunately for him, the referee seemed to win whatever of a fight there was.

As seen above, Grabovski abused an official, and was suspended for three games today by the NHL.

But it didn't end there.

Last night, before boarding his team bus, Grabovski had this to say to a reporter:

"I think he is not Belarussian now, he is French because I never fight with Belarussian guys," Grabovski said. "I don't know why he wants to fight with me. If he wants to fight, we'll go in the street and every minute of every day I'll wait for him and we'll fight."

It's uncertain why these two have such bad blood, but Kostitsyn gave his reasons.

"He talks too much in the Russian papers about me and my brother," Kostitsyn said of his elder brother and teammate Andrei.

But Grabovski insists his problem only involves Sergei.

"He's not smart, because the older Kostitsyn, Andrei, he never fights with me and he never will fight because he plays hockey, he plays the game," he said. "I think it's stupid."

We'll see these two teams hit the ice next on Feb. 7 in Montreal. It's almost certain they'll cross paths once again. The question is whether or not the refs will stay out of it and let them square up.

The Montreal Canadiens wound up winning the game by a score of 6-2. Sergei Kostitsyn was one of six different Canadiens' goalscorers.

with excerpts from bleacherreport.com

Alexander Semin Goes Donkey Kong

2009-01-06T17:22:00.002-05:00

Back from the holidays!

2009-01-05T17:34:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Sorry for the prolonged absence - I had myself a very busy albeit fun holiday season and didn't have much time to update the blog.

But, the holidays are over, and HHT is back!

The Habs have done well since our last post, imrpoving to 22-10-6. Their next test is Wednesday night in NY to face the Rangers, before returning home Thursday to host the Maple Leafs.

Canadiens Cool Streaking Flyers With 5-2 Win

2008-12-19T18:42:00.001-05:00

MONTREAL (AP) -Alex Kovalev is hitting heights that are surprising him. Getting there after the worst scoring slump of his career has made it that much sweeter.

Kovalev scored a goal to reach 900 NHL points, and Sergei Kostitsyn and Steve Begin each had a goal and an assist to help the Montreal Canadiens end Philadelphia's five-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory over the Flyers on Thursday night.

The Russian right winger scored for the second game in a row. He ended his 19-game goal drought Tuesday night in Montreal's 3-2 loss in Carolina.

"I scored that first goal and now I've got 900 points," said Kovalev, who is wearing the captain's "C" while Saku Koivu is sidelined. "I can't even think about it. It's hard to really imagine that I've been in the league 16 years and I've got 900 points. It probably takes a couple of days to really realize it."

Matt D'Agostini, Kostitsyn and Begin scored in the opening period for the Canadiens, who ended a three-game losing streak. Guillaume Latendresse also scored for the second game in a row on a power play late in the third.

Jaroslav Halak made his fifth straight start for Montreal and stopped 30 shots.

Arron Asham scored in the first period and assisted on Braydon Coburn's goal in the third for Philadelphia, which had not lost in regulation in seven games (6-0-1).

"You can't win them all," Flyers center Jeff Carter said. "We got off to a slow start, but we picked it up there as the game rolled on and we got some chances. We were shooting high and wide a lot, and their goalie played well. That's about it."

Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek returned to the lineup and assisted on Kovalev's goal after missing 16 games because of a shoulder injury.

"There's no feeling like being on the ice and getting in the mix of things and stirring things up a little," said Komisarek, who dressed in street clothes and assisted the coaching staff through the first four games of Montreal's recent seven-game homestand.

There were more injury woes for the Canadiens, though. Left winger Andrei Kostitsyn missed a couple of shifts in the second period and didn't come out for the third. He was diagnosed with an undisclosed lower body injury that will be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff on Friday.

D'Agostini opened the scoring with his fifth goal 6 minutes in.

The rookie forward got behind defenseman Matt Carle and received Maxim Lapierre's long cross-ice pass from the Canadiens' zone. He drove the left side before cutting toward the net and beating Antero Niittymaki with a quick shot for his fifth goal in nine games.

"That was a good one," D'Agostini said of Lapierre's pass. "I just busted wide. I yelled for it and he saucered that one perfectly."

Kostitsyn made it a two-goal lead with a power-play goal at 10:33 when he took Robert Lang's return pass and one-timed a slap shot past Niittymaki from the left point.

Kostitsyn got his second straight point with an assist on a goal by Begin, who increased Montreal's lead to 3-0. He deflected Tom Kostopoulos' shot from the right side for his fifth of the season at 15:26.

"When I saw the puck there and T.K. going to get it, I just skated for him to shoot at an angle and he put it right on my stick, so it was an easy goal for me," Begin said.

Asham scored 32 seconds later to draw Philadelphia to 3-1.

D'Agostini hit the right post when he shot off a turnover in the Flyers' zone early in the second.

Kovalev restored the Canadiens' three-goal margin at 6:20 when he drove in on a breakaway and put a low shot past Niittymaki inside the right post.

Coburn scored his third goal 13:28 into the third to draw Philadelphia to 4-2.

Latendresse scored for the second game in a row on a power play at 18:57.

Montreal played the first of three straight home games. The Canadiens are on a 5-2-1 run at the Bell Centre during a stretch of 10 of 11 home games that included a seven-game stay that ended Saturday with a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. That wrapped up the longest homestand in the team's 100-year history.

Notes: Asham's point shot broke a pane of glass above the boards directly behind the Canadiens' goal 15:14 into the third. The game was delayed for 6 minutes while the maintenance crew replaced the glass and cleaned the ice. ... Philadelphia C Mike Richards ended an eight-game point streak. The Flyers captain had seven goals and eight assists in that stretch. ... Kovalev has 325 goals and 475 assists in 1,104 regular-season games with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh and Montreal.

BREAKING NEWS: SUNDIN SELECTS VANCOUVER

2008-12-18T18:10:00.004-05:00

Mats Sundin is officially a Vancouver Canuck, joining fellow Swedes Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Mattias Ohlund and Alexander Edler.

I guess money talks after all, Mats.

No word yet on whether Sundin will play in any of Vancouver's upcoming games, or if he'll wait until after the Christmas break to make his debut. It has been previously reported that Mats would stay in Sweden with his family for the holiday period.

You Just Can't Win If You're ALWAYS In The Box

2008-12-17T16:18:00.005-05:00

The refs showed their teeth last night, and bit down on the Habs.

CLEARLY, I use the picture in good taste, jokingly, of course.

But no joke were the occurings on the ice in Raleigh last night.

The Canadiens wound up losing the game 3-2, but that wasn't the stat of the night.

The Canadiens were called for 11 CONSECUTIVE penalties in the game...THAT, was the stat of the night.

Now, unless your the Montreal Canadiens right now, you are more than likely going to cash in on at least one or two of those opportunities, and that's exactly what the Hurricanes did. In fact, they cashed in on three powerplays, JUST enough to win the game.

Ray Whitney picked up the only penalty for Carolina on the evening, midway through the third period, but Montreal failed to convert. .

Carolina were led by Eric Staal's two goals, and the game winner was eventually potted by Joe Corvo.

Montreal tallied on a penalty-shot marker courtesy Guillaume Latendresse, and then followed up with a shorthanded goal scored by Alex Kovalev, who in the process bumped a career-high 19-game goal-less drought.

Jaro Halak played well, but Montreal's indiscipline cost them in the long-run. Halak is likely to start again tomorrow vs. Philly, despite having dropped 3 in a row.

Habs Drop Game vs. Caps Late

2008-12-15T17:00:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens did a lot of things right in the contest, but they can yet again attribute their loss vs. Washington Saturday night to the non-effective powerplay.

Montreal went 0-for-8 on the man-advantage and were only able to put up one goal on the evening courtesy Patrice Brisebois, who at the time in the second period tied it up, responding to a Nicklas Backstrom powerplay tally.

Michael Nylander potted the eventual game-winner with just 2:32 remaining in the third, as he backhanded a puck (while failling) and banked it in off of Jaroslav Halak's left skate.

Montreal outshot Washington 33-26.

The Caps did get strong goaltening in the contest, and from an irregular source. The Caps used their "goaltender of the future" Saturday, as both Jose Theodore (hip) and Brent Johnson (fatigue) couldn't go. Simeon Varlamov got his first NHL start and, of course, earned his first NHL win.

Jaroslav Halak is expected to start again tomorrow as Montreal visits Carolina.

Habs Douse Flames But Get Shocked By Lightning

2008-12-12T16:27:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens played two games since our last recap here, so lets get to it.

Montreal pulled out a very impressive win vs. Calgary on a snowy Tuesday evening in Montreal...a VERY SNOWY evening.

The Habs dominated the Flames throughout the night, making the game more about speed and skill than size and strength. The Flames simply weren't able to keep up against a motivated Alex Tanguay and company.

The newly assembled big line of Robert Lang, Tanguay and Alex Kovalev was outstanding. Lang led the way with 2 goals and an assist, while Kovalev and Tanguay helped out with 2 helpers a piece.

Jaroslav Halak was brilliant in goal, turning aside 32 of 33 shots fired his way, beaten only by Dustin Boyd.

---

Jaro got the call again last night vs. Tampa Bay as Carey Price continues to battle a cold/flu. However, the outcome was totally different vs. Tampa Bay, as the Canadiens became the team being outworked, outhustled and outscored.

In an embarassing effort, Montreal fell 3-1 to the Lightning, who were led by Quebec's own Martin St.Louis and Vinny Lecavalier.

St.Louis potted 2 goals, and Vinny added the other which wound up being the game winner. He also had an assist.

Halak stopped just 19 of 22 shots fired his way in this contest, and was weak on two goals.

At the other end, Ollie Kolzig got the job done for Tampa in rare fashion to notch his second win of the season. Kolzig was busy, stopping 31 shots...and he made a couple miraculous saves to keep the puck out of the net as well.

Matt D'Agostini, who scored vs. the Flames, failed to score vs. Tampa, putting an end to his four-game goal streak.

Montreal's powerplay continues to struggle, going a combined 1-for-9 in those 2 games. They went 1-for-6 vs. Tampa.

Montreal now preps to host Washington tomorrow night. Washington, who have been playing without 10 of their regulars for a few weeks now, are reportedly set to welcome back a few of them, notably Mike Green and Alex Semin, with the possibility of Sergei Fedorov as well.

Montreal looks as if they are switching roles with Washington. Already without Mike Komisarek, they can now add three names to the injured list thanks to their last two games. Injured vs. Calgary were Mathieu Dandenault (broken arm) and Chris Higgins (shoulder). Yesterday, Saku Koivu left in the 2nd period with a lower-body injury.

Habs Prepare For Rare Flames Visit

2008-12-08T15:32:00.004-05:00

I know I havent posted much since the Rangers pregame report, but I have been celebrating birthday festivities over the weekend, and I also had the Team 990 Christmas party to attend to, on top of working over the weekend until 3 am.

As you should know by now, Montreal crushed the Rangers 6-2 in front of myself and 21, 272 other fans in attendance, and they then dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to New Jersey.

Montreal will look to get back to their winning ways as the Flames enter the Bell Centre on Tuesday. Calgary played a very solid game last night, shutting out the Rangers in New York 3-0.

Murmers have it that Jaroslav Halak will get the start against Miikka Kiprusoff.

Rangers In Town As 100-Year Countdown Begins

2008-12-04T14:55:00.002-05:00

Today marks the 99th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens as a franchise, and beside from the festivities going on today (i.e. unveiling of the centennial plaza), the Canadiens do have a hockey game to play tonight.

Montreal will be in tough against a solid Eastern Conference and Original Six rival, as the Rangers are atop the East standings with 38 points.

Worthy of note that New York has played 28 games already - at least three more than any other team in the East. They have an 18-8-2 record. The Rangers are fresh off a 3-2 shootout win vs. the Penguins last night, so should be riding high as they enter on a particularly special night for the Habs, trying to play spoiler.

Montreal (14-6-4) is looking to build on their 2-game home winning streak as they play the third of a franchise-record seven-game homestand.

The game can be seen tonight on RDS & CBC [HD]. No lineup changes expected for Montreal.

Montreal Survives Scare To Beat Thrashers

2008-12-03T15:40:00.004-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens played a rock-solid game last night vs. Atlanta - for the most part.

For the OTHER part, Atlanta pushed back...and how!

Montreal jumped out to a three-goal lead to start the second period, on goals by Matt D'Agostini (1st career NHL goal), Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov (powerplay!), but almost midway through the 3rd period, all hell broke loose.

First, former 1st round pick by Montreal Ron Hainsey benefitted from a bench error, where Georges Laraque claims he didn't hear his line called out and forgot to jump on the ice. Effectively a 5-on-4 even-strength opportunity (kind of an oxymoron, I know), Hainsey was free to take two hefty slappers on goal, and scored on the second one.

52 seconds later, Ron Hainsey was at it again. Tom Kostopoulos took a hooking call somewhere in between those 52 seconds, and Hainsey crashed the net to clean up a Bryan Little rebound. The goal was reviewed as it BARELY crossed the red line, but the call on the ice stood and a goal was awarded.

SEVEN seconds after that, off the ensuing faceoff, Kovalchuk tipped to Reasoner, who then sent a perfect pass to Chris Thorburn, who then fired the puck into the net.

The goals set two franchise records for Atlanta: Fastest 3-goal burst (59 sec) and 2-goal burst (7 sec).

Montreal, with all the momentum against them at this point, were crumbling. They needed a boost, fast.

They got it, courtesy lazy neutral-zone board play by Atlanta's defensemen.

Andrei Kostitsyn was able to pick up a loose puck which should have been scooped up by any of the two Thrashers who were close to it. Instead, AK46 cashed in on their hesitation, and took the puck in on a 2-on-1 with Matt D'Agostini. Tobias Enstrom sprawled out to block the pass, but wound up redirecting the puck with his body through Johan Hedberg's legs, putting the Habs up 4-3 on the goal credited to Andrei Kostitsyn.

Robert Lang added an empty netter (after missing one) on a feed by Alex Kovalev, tipping the puck out of midair.

Thank goodness he did.

With 20 seconds remaining, and the game apparently iced, Jason Williams took a pass from Ilya Kovalchuk and unloaded an absolutely perfect shot shortside, over Price's left shoulder nailing the top corner.

But, in the end, Atlanta's never-say-die effort was valiant, but was also too little, too late.

Both teams went 1-for-3 on the powerplay. Carey Price stopped 22 shots; Hedberg turned aside 28. Andrei Kostitsyn led the way with a goal and two helpers for Montreal, while Ron Hainsey turned in his first multi-goal game and added an assist.

Habs Look To Get Special Teams Going vs. Thrashers

2008-12-02T15:32:00.004-05:00

PREGAME SHOW LIVE ON THE TEAM 990 TONIGHT, 630-730...CATCH ME AT 7!

Habs projected lines:

Andrei Kostitsyn-Saku Koivu-Matt D'Agostini
Christopher Higgins-Robert Lang-Alex Kovalev
Alex Tanguay-Tomas Plekanec-Tom Kostopoulos
Steve Bégin-Maxim Lapierre-Georges Laraque

Scratches: Sergei Kostitsyn, Ryan O'Byrne, Guillaume Latendresse.

The Habs will look to animate a flat-lining powerplay tonight vs the Thrashers, who have the worst penalty-killing percentage in the NHL. They've allowed 27 goals on 103 powerplay opportunities against, resulting in a dysmal 73.8% efficiency rating.

Montreal's powerplay, who for the previous two seasons ranked first, finds itself ranked 23rd in the league. The problem has been spread out, from the failure to enter the zone and setup, to the non-factor that is a shot from the point, and to the individual disappointments of key contributors like Alex Kovalev.

The game is scheduled for 7:30 pm and can be seen live on TSN and RDS, HD of course.

Canadiens Start Homestand On Right Foot

2008-12-01T15:44:00.003-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens feel they have plenty of room for improvement despite a victorious start to the longest homestand in their 100 years of existence.

Andrei Markov scored Montreal's third goal of the second period to send the Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

Andrei Kostitsyn and Steve Begin also scored in the middle period for Montreal.

"We're still up and down, we're still looking for our game and I think we can play better," Markov said.

Thomas Vanek scored twice for Buffalo to regain the NHL scoring lead from Philadelphia's Jeff Carter with 17 goals.

The Sabres have lost nine of their past 12 games (3-8-1).

"We had the lead twice and let them come back, and when you let a team as good as Montreal come back in it, chances are you're going to lose," Vanek said.

Carey Price made 26 saves to win his second in a row.

Montreal, which improved to 4-2-2 in its past eight games, began its longest homestand in team history following a 3-0 loss in Washington on Friday.

"If you look at our last six or seven games, I feel that we've played really well defensively - if you take away that game (Friday) night," coach Guy Carbonneau said.

The Canadiens will also face Atlanta, the New York Rangers, New Jersey, Calgary, Tampa Bay and Washington during their homestand, which ends Dec. 13.

Markov put Montreal ahead 18:30 into the second period when he took Saku Koivu's centering pass and beat Patrick Lalime from the slot for his third goal of the season.

"(Markov) knows how to get open and I saw him just out of the corner of my eye, but it was too late, he was already there," Lalime said.

Vanek ended a four-game goal drought to open the scoring with a highlight-reel power-play goal 13:31 in. He put his stick between his legs to tap a puck past Price from the goalmouth.

"It ended up coming to me, bouncing, and I knew that if I would just turn around and shoot it that Price is solid in there, so I had to get him off because I was in so tight," Vanek said. "I just tried to put it between my legs and it worked out."

He added his second of the game - his 17th goal to move ahead of Carter for the league lead - 7:39 into the second period to put Buffalo up 2-1.

Kostitsyn drew Montreal even at 1 with an unassisted goal 2:51 into the second. Kostitsyn fanned on his initial shot but recovered the puck to put a backhand past Lalime.

Begin drew Montreal even for the second time in the period at 13:40 as he one-timed Maxim Lapierre's pass from the left side and beat Lalime for his third goal.

"We've been practicing that every day," Begin said. "Every practice, that's all we do, Max and I, and finally it worked out, and it worked pretty good tonight."

The Sabres killed a full 2-minute 5-on-3 Canadiens power play 5:58 into the third after Jaroslav Spacek was called for holding and Adam Mair was sent off for elbowing.

Notes: Lalime stopped 31 shots. ... Sabres G Ryan Miller had appeared in 12 of Buffalo's past 13 games, including 11 starts, going 5-5-1 over that stretch. ... Canadiens LW Alex Tanguay missed his second straight game. He is day to day because of a neck injury he suffered during Wednesday's 3-1 win in Detroit.

Habs Stonewalled By Former Hab & Vezina Winner

2008-11-29T15:39:00.002-05:00

WASHINGTON [CP] - Jose Theodore tried to downplay the importance of his shutout against his old Montreal Canadiens teammates.

Theodore, who spent parts of 10 seasons with Montreal before being traded to Colorado in March 2006, made 28 saves for the first shutout with Washington in the Capitals' 3-0 victory over the Canadiens on Friday night.

"I knew in the first period I was seeing the puck well," said Theodore, who has 26 career shutouts. "Even if I didn't see a lot of shots early, I knew I would need a good shot to beat me."

Theodore's second game against Montreal was a lot better than his first. He allowed eight goals in a loss to the Canadiens on Oct. 21, 2006, with Colorado.

Alex Ovechkin, Tomas Fleischmann and David Steckel scored to help the Capitals win their seventh straight at home - the longest streak since also winning seven in a row from Nov. 17-Dec. 16, 2000. Washington is 9-0-1 at home, and is 15-0-1 since March 9.

This season didn't start well for Theodore. He was pulled after allowing four goals in 30 minutes in the opening game in Atlanta and, after sitting in favour of Brent Johnson for four games this month, he's back in favour.

"He was fabulous," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "For his confidence, for his mind-set, it was great to see for him for a confidence builder."

Fleischmann opened the scoring at 11:03 of the first period. In back of his own net, Montreal's Francis Bouillon tried to flip the puck down the ice, but Fleischmann intercepted it just in front of the net. He tapped the puck to Michael Nylander, who immediately returned it to Fleischmann, and the winger sent it past Jaroslav Halak for his ninth goal of the season. Fleischmann has five goals in his last eight games.

Ovechkin added his 13th goal of the season, and his fourth in the last two games at 3:42 in the third when he skated at Halak, who was making his first appearance in the last seven games, and shot it cleanly past him. Ovechkin has scored in 10 straight games. During those 10 games, he has 11 goals and 11 assists.

The shutout seemed more important to Ovechkin than his own streak.

"Before the game, (Theodore) didn't talk. He just concentrated on (the) game," Ovechkin said. "Today, he played well and deserved it. He deserved it."

Two minutes after Ovechkin's goal, Washington had a two-man advantage for 1:42, but couldn't score. About three minutes later, Steckel scored his fourth goal of the season.

Theodore was tested in the second period, with the Capitals clinging to a 1-0 lead. Neither team scored, but the Canadiens were clearly more aggressive - outshooting Washington 13-7 but failing to capitalize.

"The saves he made over a period of five minutes in the second period were pretty dazzling," Boudreau said.

Halak played well, his coach thought, but his teammates didn't.

"Jaro - that's where I'm embarrassed," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. "We come up with that kind of game, and that kind of effort - and I'm really sad for him.'

Carbonneau was grudging in praise of the former Canadiens goalie.

"He was lucky at some times," Carbonneau said. "He made the saves when he had to. We didn't really test him."

The victory was Washington coach Bruce Boudreau's 50th since he took over the team on Thanksgiving Day 2007, tying him for sixth place among Capitals. He reached 50 wins in 84 games, the fastest to the mark in team history.

Motown Shocker: Habs Stun Defending Champs

2008-11-27T02:07:00.009-05:00

This Montreal Canadiens team is weird.

When a team that gets embarassed by Toronto and defeated by other lowly teams such as Columbus and Long Island defeats a team so good as the defending champs in such dominating fashion, you have to wonder how it all makes sense.

The Habs defeated Detroit 3-1 last night, and did so in a defensive-minded effort.

Montreal's game plan was obvious from the get-go: stack bodies in the neutral zone, allow no one to forecheck deep, and force Detroit to dump the puck in and chase. The plan worked perfectly against a team that uses puck posession and speed to their advantage. The system forced the Wings to dump the puck in, and despite them chasing, they were rarely ever able to gain control of the puck long enough to set up a decent attempt on goal. The reason for that was Montreal was winning nearly all of their 1-on-1 battles, and then used transition play at key times to find the back of Detroit's net on three occasions.

Montreal got the lead early in the second, when a Maxim Lapierre pass attempt from below the goal line redirected in off captain Nicklas Lidstrom's skate.

Shortly after that, Tomas Plekanec scored on a shortened Montreal powerplay, completing a tic-tac-toe passing play with defenseman Andrei Markov. The goal was initially a result of an Alex Kovalev takeaway - he got the secondary assist.

Just 50 seconds after that, Detroit coach Mike Babcock was forced to call a timeout as Chris Higgins took a nifty drop-pass from captain Saku Koivu and slid a backhander along the ice passed Ty Conklin.

Ryan O'Byrne, playing in his first game since the brutal own-goal incident Monday night, played a very solid game, apart from the fact that his giveaway led to Johan Franzen's shutout-breaking 10th of the season. Franzen showed dangler hands as he completely undressed O'Byrne before moving to his backhand to beat Price who was still on the wrong side of the net.

Josh Gorges had a spectacular outing, as has become the norm, especially in Komisarek's absence. Gorges blocked 2 shots (one of which required him to walk off the pain in the tunnel), dished out two hits, took a shot of his own and played for over 22:30.

Carey Price turned aside 32 shots for the win; Conklin stopped 25.

The win may have come at a price though, as Alex Tanguay left the game in the first period after being rocked by a hard, clean hit courtesy of Brad Stuart along the boards. He finished his shift but didn't return. Tom Kostopoulos filled his spot on the line alongside Koivu and Higgins, and he did a very good job at that, creating space and generating chances.

The Habs handed Detroit their first regulation loss of the month.

The Canadiens now prepare to face a surging Capitals squad in Washington, led by Alexander Ovechkin (fresh off a 3 goal 1 assist performance) and Jose Theodore.

Ovechkin, by the way, has really heated up in November: He has 10 goals and 21 points in his last nine games. Has has earned at least a point in all nine of those games, and has had three or more points four times.

Original Six Matchup: Habs vs. Wings @ the Joe

2008-11-26T18:15:00.004-05:00

LIVE PREGAME SHOW ON THE TEAM990 STARTS AT 6:30 PM WITH MITCH MELNICK, THEN CONTINUES FROM 7-7:30 WITH MYSELF AND ROD FRANCIS. TUNE IN!

The Montreal Canadiens (11-5-4) visit an Original Six rival as they take on the Detroit Red Wings (14-2-4) at the renowned Joe Louis Arena.

Montreal will be in tough tonight, led in goal by Carey Price.

The Red Wings have won 7 of the last 8 home games vs. the Habs, and since 1994, are a sparkling 13-4-0.

To add to the Habs' woes, Detroit boasts a league-best 32.4% PP effeciency.

The only chink in their armor appears to be their penalty kill, which at 80.8% ranks 18th, one rank lower than Montreal's at 81.4%.

Ty Conklin will be between the pipes tonight, despite it being Chris Osgood's birthday. Conklin has been playing extremely well of late, boasting a 6-1-0 record. He has won his last three starts.

For Montreal, it appears Guillaume Latendresse wil sit out again. No word on any lineup changes.

Game can be seen on TSN(HD) and RDS(HD), faceoff time 7:30 pm.

Remember This? From March 9th - Backstrom Leads PENGUINS To Victory?

2008-11-25T17:02:00.000-05:00

Caps forward Nicklas Backstrom, a possible leading candidate for the Calder trophy as the league's top rookie, scored a huge goal in a 2-2 game with 30 seconds left to give the Pittsburgh Penguins the lead en route to a 4-2 win in Washington.

If you think I made a mistake above, I don't blame you; by all means, it should be.

It isn't.

Sidney Crosby one-handed a desperation pass through the crease of Cristobal Huet, and the puck landed on young Backstrom's stick. Backstrom attempted to wrist the puck behind his net out of sheer panic, and wound up notching a goal that will not show up on the scoresheet...all it will do is leave him with a -1 on the play, and cost himself and his teammates a vital point in a sensational game that looked destined for overtime. Crosby was credited with the goal as he was the last Pens forward to touch the puck. Staal later added an empty netter set up by Malkin.

Immediately as Backstrom potted one past his own 'tender, Alex Ovechkin crumbled to the ice in a fetal position, with the reality of the situation sinking in immediately: a game which he and his teammates battled for to the bone had just been wasted away by a very bizarre own-goal.

Sidney Crosby was "mic'ed up" for the game on NBC/TSN, and they replayed the celebration footage, which allowed us to hear Crosby laughing and yelling to his teammates "He shot that in his own net!"

It certainly was something special to witness live. An identical event happened earlier in the year to Leafs d-man Bryan McCabe, who potted one home off of both posts past own-goalie Andrew Raycroft with 4 seconds remaining in an overtime session vs. the Buffalo Sabres.

Habs "O'Byrned" By Islanders

2008-11-25T01:58:00.010-05:00

What is Doug Weight so happy about, you ask? The answer will leave you stunned...

I had predicted on the TEAM 990 pre-game show that Montreal would win 4-2 on the strength of their powerplay.

Early in the game, that prediciton looked good, as Montreal cashed in on the first PP opportunity to take the lead at 2-1 (from as unlikely a source as any in Josh Gorges, who scored his first as a Hab).

Then my prediction started to look worse, as Montreal failed to score on their other 6 powerplays.

Then, something happened that no one on the planet would have or could have predicted.

With the Habs up 3-2 since about midway through the second period, someone commited the error of all errors.

In the third period, with 4:47 remaining, Bill Guerin scored an empty net goal.

WHAT?

Did Montreal feel so cocky with the lead against the lowly Isles that they felt the need to pull Price? Is that the error I'm refering to? Was it Carbo's coaching error?

No. God no. I wish...

With Carey Price on the bench on a delayed penalty against Sean Bergenheim, Ryan O'Byrne won a foot race to the puck against Doug Weight (nothing to brag about, I know), collected it near the boards beside the right faceoff circle, and WRISTED IT INTO HIS OWN NET (Even LESS of SOMETHING to brag about, I know!).

Just like that, without even a shot on goal officially, the Isles were back in it...new game.

The Habs would solve nothing on two of their 7 powerplays that came after the O'Byrne gaffe, and, despite being the aggresor , found no way to win their first in overtime of the season.

The shootout concluded with what I felt would happen immediately after the O'Byrne doozie, as the Isles wound up winning led by Richard Park and Bill Guerin.

O'Byrne was chanted off the ice by his own crowd, as they mocked his name in tune.

In an incredible stat, Joey MacDonald allowed 3 goals on 26 shots, while Price allowed 2 on 24, yet MacDonald got the win, as the O'Byrne own goal was never against Price.

In all fairness, O'Byrne's mistake was terrible, but the Habs threw this game themselves. They failed to connect on 6 straight man-advantges and looked very sloppy and disorganized on those opportunities once again. Even with the goal, their powerplay has become a serious issue. They came into the contest with the 2nd worst PP% on home ice, only ahead of Tampa Bay.

Steve Begin (2) and Maxim Lapierre (2) had the other goals in this one.

Montreal now has one night to dwell on this loss before heading out to Detroit to face the defending champs. Detroit lost 3-2 in overtime tonight, on the road in Vancouver.

Habs Host Streit, Islanders

2008-11-24T15:39:00.003-05:00

CATCH MYSELF AND ROD FRANCIS ON THE TEAM 990 PREGAME SHOW AS WE FILL IN FOR MITCH MELNICK FROM 7- 7:30!

Montreal looks to shake off a tough loss to Boston on Roy's jersey retirement night tonight as they visit former Hab Mark Streit and the New York Islanders at 7:30.

Carey Price will face-off against Joey MacDonald between the pipes.

The Canadiens look to win their seventh straight against the Islanders as the teams meet Monday night.

Montreal (11-5-3) has outscored New York (8-10-2) 24-10 since a 3-2 road loss on Feb. 24, 2007. The Canadiens have also won 12 of their last 15 (12-3-0) at home against the Islanders despite being limited to goals on 17.7 percent (11-for-62) of their power-play opportunities.

On Nov. 1, Montreal beat New York 5-4 despite going 0-for-3 on the power play. Yann Danis, who has since been sent to the minors, was in goal for the Islanders in that contest, but the Canadiens have had problems scoring regardless of who has been in net.

Montreal is 3-4-2 since getting off to an 8-1-1 start, scoring two goals or fewer four times during its slump. The Canadiens' scoring woes are largely due to their struggles on the power play, going 2-for-27 (7.4 percent) in their last six contests.

BREAKING NEWS: MORROW OUT 6 MONTHS

2008-11-21T17:45:00.002-05:00

Stars F and captain Brendan Morrow will miss up to 6 months with a torn ACL in his right knee.

This is a HUGE blow to the Stars, who are last in their division and 14th in the Western conference.

Carbo Shuffles The Deck, Again

2008-11-20T15:38:00.003-05:00

CATCH THE PREGAME SHOW LIVE ON THE TEAM 990 TONIGHT, BEGINNING AT 6:30 WITH MITCH MELNICK. THEN, AT 7, ROD FRANCIS AND MYSELF TAKE YOU THROUGH THE FINAL HALF HOUR.

Coach Carbonneau hasn't been impressed with his team over the last few games, especially in Carolina Tuesday. That's what has prompted him to once again shuffle the deck.

Saku Koivu will center a line between Alex Tanguay and Guillaume Latendresse; they played together for the first few games of the season while Higgins healed from a groin injury.

Tomas Plekanec is reunited with Alex Kovalev, and will welcome Chris Higgins on his left wing. The latter played with Higgins for two years in the AHL, but haven't played together much in the NHL.

Robert Lang centers Andrei Kostitsyn and Tom Kostopoulos, while the fourth line remains up in the air, but may feature Steve Bégin centring Georges Laraque and Sergei Kostitsyn.

Carey Price is back between the pipes, fresh off a 46-save outing in the loss.

The Sens, who are dead last in the East, will reunite the PIZZA LINE of Jason Spezza centering Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson (named PIZZA LINE because of a promotion in Ottawa where 6 goals on home ice wins the fans a slice of pizza, and those three were generally responsible for many free slices being handed out).

Alex Auld is likely to take his sparkling 2.14 GAA into Scotiabank Place tonight.

Price Stops 46 In Loss To Hurricanes

2008-11-19T03:04:00.002-05:00

The punchless Carolina Hurricanes kept peppering Carey Price, and got a couple of pucks past the Montreal goalie just in time.

Sergei Samsonov and Ray Whitney scored 3 1/2 minutes apart in the third period, and Carolina put a season-high 48 shots on net in its come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday night.

"We came out with the attitude that we were going to shoot some pucks and crash the net a little bit more," Samsonov said. "We really made an effort to try to put the puck on net from any position, and I think that kind of created the forecheck."

Whitney followed Samsonov's first goal of the season with the go-ahead goal with 13:27 remaining to jump-start a Carolina offence that averaged fewer than two goals in its previous six games.

"We're doing what we're doing now with not a lot of goal-scoring," Whitney said.
Robert Lang scored for the Canadiens, who ended a lengthy power-play drought yet lost for the third time in four games.

"The whole game was about who was going to take a gamble," Montreal forward Alex Kovalev said. "I think every time we saw (the) opportunity to be on the safe side, we took a gamble, and it cost us. We really (need to) focus on and concentrate on the little details, which is not to worry about points or if you're going to score a goal. For now, we need to win a couple of games 1-0 or 2-1.

"There are not going to be a lot of goals like there were at the beginning of the season. That's where it starts."

Price made a career-high 46 saves and stopped the first 30 shots he faced. Carolina's 48 shots also were the most allowed by the Canadiens.

"That's a team that shoots everything," Price said. "Whenever they get the puck in a good shooting position, they're going to be letting it go."

Cam Ward made 28 saves for the Hurricanes, who have won two straight after dropping three in a row.

"We're just building a little bit on each game," Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said. "If you go back to (Friday's) loss in Atlanta, the next game and the next game, I think we're doing the right things and getting a little better each game. So we just have to continue on that road."

Whitney gave Carolina the lead by capping a busy sequence that started with Dennis Seidenberg's slap shot that caromed off the back boards to Scott Walker, who fanned from close range. The puck rolled to Whitney, and he pushed it high past Price for his fifth goal and first in four games.

That came after Samsonov got the Hurricanes even with about 17 minutes left. He took a feed from Patrick Eaves on a 2-on-2 rush and beat Price with a snap shot to end an 18-game goal drought.

"There have been some quality chances that I've gotten throughout the last few games, and it paid off," Samsonov said.

His slump might be over, but Eric Staal's certainly isn't. The Hurricanes' marquee player hasn't scored in eight games and has one goal on home ice.

"Our next (goal) is to get the big boy going," Whitney said of Staal.

Montreal entered with one of the NHL's worst power-play units, but scored with the man advantage for the first time in five games.

Barely a minute into the second period, Lang got things going for the Canadiens, who entered scoreless in their previous 20 power-play chances. He slipped into the slot, took a feed from Kovalev and snapped the puck hard past Ward's stick for his sixth goal, making it 1-0. One-third of Lang's 240 career goals have come with the man advantage.

Notes: Lang has scored in two straight games. .. Carolina C Rod Brind'Amour's two-game goal streak ended. .. Montreal lost in regulation after scoring first for the first time this season. .. The season series is tied 1-1.

Habs Eek Out Win In St. Louis

2008-11-17T03:56:00.008-05:00

The Habs rebounded on the road Sunday after dropping a 2-1 decision at home vs. their playoff nemesis, the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Habs were very undisciplined, and it was evident that the cause was the fatigue from playing two games in under 24 hours + travel.

I had never before seen Montreal cancel so many of their own powerplays by taking a penalty. It was truly mind-boggling. They did it four times.

Luckily enough, however, the Habs found a way to get it done...however, some truly discouraging characteristics are becoming evident.

Most evident of all: the powerplay is anemic. Someone needs to pot a PPG soon for Montreal, because it has become downright ridiculous. The confidence of a team that had the best powerplay 2 years running is clearly shaken. Montreal has always been highly-dependant on their special teams, so someone is going to have to find a way to score soon, to shake the proverbial monkey off their collective backs.

The Habs tied the game twice, each time responding to a Steve Regier goal - his first two in the NHL.

First, Andrei Kostitsyn barreled down the right side and squeaked a backhander through Manny Legace's legs. Then, Robert Lang displayed great hand-eye coordination by batting a puck out of mid-air while on his keester to send it top shelf and tie the game at 2 with just 4:12 remaining.

OT solved nothing, despite each team going on a 4-on-3 powerplay.

Alex Kovalev sealed the win in the shootout, scoring the only goal of either team. He went from forehand to backhand to the top shelf as the last shooter on the bench-clearing goal.

Montreal's 3 game road trip continues Tuesday in Carolina before concluding Thursday in Ottawa - two teams that have struggled lately.

Montreal D Francis Bouillon took a slapshot in the neck area during overtime. He bolted for the locker room immediately, horrifying a woman who worked as personnel for the Blues in the tunnel (she took one look at Francis and put her hands to her mouth in sheer, utter horror). Not much word on the severity of the injury, but one site claims it isn't too serious.

BREAKING NEWS: MELROSE FIRED

2008-11-14T16:27:00.004-05:00

Lightning head coach Barry Melrose has been fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Melrose will be replaced by Rick Tocchet - a man who nearly went to jail a little over a year ago on gambling accusations.

Melrose coached 16 games this season, going 5-7-4. He used Vincent Lecavalier slightly over 16 minutes yesterday, about 10 minutes less than Lecavalier's accustomed to.

Habs On A Roller Coaster Ride

2008-11-14T16:26:00.003-05:00

The Canadiens, who went from a thoroughly embarassing weekend to a stunningly awesome outing on Tuesday, went back to their humiliating ways again last night in Boston.

Milan Lucic had a goal and a big fight win over Mike Komisarek to help lead the B's over the Habs, 6-1. The win put an end to Montreal's 12-game regular season winning streak.

Komisarek suffered an injury in the fight (hand) and will be held out of the lineup tomorrow vs. the big bad Flyers, who for their part will be without Danny Briere and are fresh off a blown lead for a loss vs. Pittsburgh.

The Habs just had absolutely nothing going for them in the game, which slipped away from them very early as F Shawn Thornton scored 2 and a half minutes in. The Bruins turned it on and never looked back, while the Habs seemed to apply the brakes when down and never recovered.

Carey Price was in goal for all 6 goals allowed...needless to say, Price had a weak outing.

Coach Carbonneau announced to the media that Jaroslav Halak will start vs. Philly.

Saku Koivu had the only goal for Montreal. Tanguay assisted.

Montreal (9-3-2) now hosts Philly Saturday before flying to the midwest for a rare date with the St. Louis Blues, on an even rarer start-time of 6 p.m.

Habs Shoot For Lucky 13 in Boston

2008-11-13T15:34:00.003-05:00

The Boston Bruins host the Montreal Canadiens tonight and will try to win their fifth straight...to do so, they'll have to end a 12-game regular season losing streak to the Habs.

Boston (9-3-3) has won seven of their last eight games, thanks in large part to the sensational play of G Tim Thomas, who controversely is not on the All-Star ballot. Thomas boasts a sparkling 1.76 GAA and a .946 save %.

Rumors have Manny Fernandez getting the call in goal tonight, however.

The Canadiens (9-2-2) have outscored Boston 50-22 over their 12-game winning streak. Montreal are fresh off their best-effort of the season, having come away with a 4-0 win on home ice vs. the Senators. That win was fresh off an abysmal weekend which saw the Habs lose 4-3 in penalty shots to Columbus and 6-3 in an embarassing outing in Toronto.

Carey Price recorded his first shutout Tuesday, and will be between the pipes again tonight.

Game time is scheduled for 7 pm, and the game can be seen on RDS (HD) and on the NHL Network.

Mike Ribeiro Scores SHOOTOUT GOAL OF THE YEAR

2008-11-12T02:18:00.001-05:00

Higgins Gets Tricky, Price Stonewalls In Habs Win

2008-11-11T22:36:00.003-05:00

Christopher Higgins scored his first career hat-trick and Carey Price made 28 saves for the shutout as the Montreal Canadiens downed the Ottawa Senators 4-0 Tuesday night.

Guillaume Latendresse also scored for Northeast Division-leading Montreal (9-2-2), which ended a two-game losing run.

The Senators (6-7-2), who are last in the division, lost both games on a two-game road trip.

Higgins, who had scored twice in a game nine times, had a goal in each period to give him four in seven games since returning from a groin injury.

Price rebounded from a weak outing in a 6-3 loss in Toronto on Saturday night to post his first shutout of the season and the fourth of his career. His last shutout was 3-0 against Ottawa on April 1, which was the last time the two teams met.

The highlight for the 21-year-old was a toe save on Dany Heatley in alone in the third period.
Montreal outshot the Senators 31-28.

The Canadiens were short-handed when Saku Koivu shovelled a pass from his own end to the far blue-line, sending Higgins in alone to lift the puck over Alex Auld 7:22 into the game.

Sergei Kostitsyn slipped the rebound of Ryan O'Byrne's point shot to Higgins for a shot into an open side 14:11 into the second frame. Latendresse got his first goal in 11 games with a one-timer to the top corner after Robert Lang won a face-off in the Ottawa zone.

With 3:25 left in the game, Higgins took a pass from Alex Tanguay at centre ice and went in alone to score on a high shot to the stick side.

Ottawa's Jarkko Ruutu had the sellout crowd of 21,273 aroar early in the third when he nailed Maxime Lapierre with an elbow to the jaw along the boards, drawing a charging call, and then fought to a draw with Francis Bouillon. Ruutu was later sent to the dressing room with a 10-minute misconduct for yapping at Lapierre on the bench.

It was a rare night on which Montreal shut down Ottawa's big three of Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, who together had 42 points in eight games against the Canadiens last season.

It has been six games since Alfredsson was moved onto Mike Fisher's line. Spezza has only one assist in his last five games.

Notes - Last season, Ottawa was 5-3-0 against Montreal, but lost the last two meetings..Tom Kostopoulos served the first of his three-game suspension for a hit from behind on Toronto's Mike Van Ryn. Steve Begin and Patrice Brisebois were healthy scratches for Montreal..Luke Richardson sat out for Ottawa.

Kostopoulos Suspended Three Games

2008-11-10T16:47:00.002-05:00

Habs winger Tom Kostopoulos has been suspended three games for his hit from behind on Toronto defenseman Mike Van Ryn last Saturday, which left the latter with a concussion, a broken bone in his hand, a broken nose and a gash on his forehead. Van Ryn is expected to miss a month.

"While it is my determination that Kostopoulos did not deliver a check to an unsuspecting opponent, his actions caused injuries," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Kostopolous is considered a repeat offender, and will lose $32,926.83 from his salary. As a repeat offender, the salary forfeit is based on games in the season (82) rather than the number of days (186). The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Kostopoulos said after the game he had no malicious intent and planned to call Van Ryn to apologize."I was trying to get in there, get a hit and get the puck," Kostopoulos said. "Like I said, I didn't anticipate him turning and I couldn't stop myself. And I hope he's all right."

Grabovski, Leafs Double Up On Habs

2008-11-09T17:34:00.004-05:00

Mikhail Grabovski is settling in quite nicely with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Grabovski had a goal and an assist and linemate Niklas Hagman scored twice to lead Toronto to a 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Grabovski has six goals and two assists in the last four games, teaming with Hagman and Nikolai Kulemin to form a nice line. Grabovski had three goals in 27 career games with Montreal over the last two seasons and has seven in 15 for the Maple Leafs, who acquired him in a trade over the summer.

"He's been our best player for two weeks," coach Ron Wilson said. "He's been a dominant player. That's why he's got seven goals now."

Grabovski was gracious when asked about his time in Montreal after Saturday's game, but Hagman said he was pretty fired up to prove something to his former team.

"For sure he wanted to show the coach and show the other players on the team that he is a good player," Hagman said. "I think that he did a pretty good job."

Nik Antropov, Pavel Kubina and Alexei Ponikarovsky also scored for the Maple Leafs (6-5-4), who outshot their opponent for the 11th straight game.

Robert Lang, Tomas Plekanec and Saku Koivu had Montreal's goals.

The Habs (8-2-2) were playing for the second straight night and weren't able to match the pace set by the speedy Leafs.

A scary play early in the game helped Toronto score first. Montreal forward Tom Kostopoulos slammed Mike Van Ryn into the end boards from behind and was ejected with a major for boarding.

Van Ryn lay on the ice for several minutes with a cut on his forehead and is expected to miss a month.

"It was a dirty hit," Leafs forward Matt Stajan said. "It's something that can't happen in the game. Luckily, we made them pay."

The incident left Kostopoulos visibly shaken. He planned to give Van Ryn a call to apologize.

"I was trying to get in there, get a hit and get the puck," Kostopoulos said. "Like I said, I didn't anticipate him turning and I couldn't stop myself. And I hope he's all right."

The Maple Leafs weren't able to get much going during the ensuing five-minute power play but Hagman converted the only good scoring opportunity they had. Grabovski made a nifty move to get around defenseman Andrei Markov before feeding Hagman at the side of the net for a goal at 8:12.

"He's playing well," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said of Grabovski. "Good for him."

The lead held until a wild second period that featured each team score three times.

Grabovski ripped a quick shot by former teammate Carey Price to make it 2-0 at 1:48 but was in the penalty box for goaltender interference when Lang scored three minutes later.

Plekanec's power-play goal at 9:59 tied it and drew a loud ovation from the large group of Habs fans that were among the 19,512 in attendance at Air Canada Centre.

Hagman and Koivu then traded quick goals before Antropov put the Leafs up 4-3 at 16:27. With Price out of position, Antropov took four whacks at the puck in a scrum before finally getting it past Habs defenseman Mike Komisarek.

That goal gave the Leafs a lead heading into the third period for just the fourth time in 15 games this season. They had no trouble holding on.

Toronto now heads out for a tour of Western Canada that includes stops in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. There was no better send-off than a win over the rival Canadiens.

"We really wanted that game," Stajan said. "That's how we've got to play every game, come out with an edge and really take it to them. Even when they came back there, we never gave up.
"You know, we're proving to everybody - we know in here that we can play with any team in this league. There's no doubt about it, that's one of the best teams in the league."

Notes: Former Leaf and World War II veteran Gaye Stewart read the poem "In Flanders Fields" before the game. ... Since the NHL lockout, each team has won 13 games in the series. The total number of goals in those games? Montreal 87, Toronto 87. ... The Habs scratched Roman Hamrlik, Mathieu Dandenault and Steve Begin. ... Jiri Tlusty replaced John Mitchell (shoulder) in Toronto's lineup. ... Jonas Frogren, Anton Stralman and Ryan Hollweg sat out for the Maple Leafs.

(AP)

New Jersey In For Many Tough 'Weekes'

2008-11-04T17:08:00.003-05:00

YOWZERS!

Martin Brodeur's assault on the NHL record book will be put on hold for a considerable amount of time.

Brodeur, shown above wincing after landing awkwardly on his left elbow while making a save, will have surgery to repair torn tendons in the bicep-elbow area, and will miss the next 3-to-4 months. ''This Thursday morning, Martin Brodeur will undergo surgery to repair the distal bicep in the left elbow," Devils president, CEO and general manager Lou Lamriello said in a statement.

Backup Kevin Weekes, who had his first start of the year yesterday in a 2-0 lopsided loss to Buffalo, becomes the new man between the pipes - at least until Lou Lamoriello pulls the trigger and acquires bonafide help in goal.

Maybe some Jaroslav Halak to New Jersey rumours can start now...and I'll get the fire going on them. Leave a comment on that, let me know if you would deal Halak to New Jersey, and for what in return?

Habs Score 4 In Third To Comeback In 5-4 Win

2008-11-03T01:45:00.002-05:00

The Montreal Canadiens were happy to mount a four-goal, third-period comeback, but quite upset to have been in that position in the first place.

Alexei Kovalev's second goal of the game with 4:41 left capped the rally that lifted the Canadiens to a 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

"The good thing about tonight is that we showed character and that we'll fight to the end," Kovalev said. "Our biggest problem so far this season is that when other teams skate and put pressure on us, we get out of our game."

Kovalev's close-in shot beat Yann Danis, a goalie making his first NHL start in nearly three years, and gave the Canadiens their third straight win.

"Obviously, losing a game when you're up 4-1 is never a good thing," Danis said. "They got a couple of lucky bounces and capitalized on them."

Danis, the Islanders' third-string goalie, could be in line for more action with regular backup Joey MacDonald because No. 1 netminder Rick DiPietro will be out four-to-six weeks following knee surgery on Friday.

The Canadiens got two goals and two assists from Tomas Plekanec and one from Long Island native Christopher Higgins. Carey Price made 27 saves.

Former Canadiens defenseman Mark Streit scored for the Islanders, along with Jon Sim, Bill Guerin and Frans Nielsen.

The Islanders are winless in six games (0-5-1) since a 4-3 overtime victory at Tampa Bay on Oct. 16. Danis, who spent time in the Canadiens organization, stopped 27 shots.

"The biggest thing was there were a lot of shortcuts," Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. "It wasn't because of anything they did differently. The loosening up in front of the net and the shot area, that shouldn't happen."

Montreal took a 1-0 lead 2:03 in when Kovalev took Plekanec's pass in the low slot and beat Danis with a quick wrist shot.

New York tied it at 3:47 on its first power play. Streit ripped a right point slap shot that beat a screened Price.

Streit found it a difficult to face his former team.

"I played a long time in Montreal," Streit said. "It's not easy the first time. I tried to do my job the best I could."

The Islanders took their first lead after a span of 317 minutes, 4 seconds of playing time over five games when Sim sent a slap shot from the top of the left circle between Price's pads at 12:27 that made it 2-1. New York hadn't been ahead in a game since Oct. 16 when the Islanders beat Tampa Bay in overtime.

New York capitalized on another power play early in the second period to grab a 3-1 lead when Guerin scored on a tip-in.

Nielsen made it 4-1 on an in-close wrist shot that hit the top of the net at 16:43.
Plekanec scored twice in a 2:07 span to close the gap to 4-3 in the third period. His first goal came at 7:48 on a rebound, and his second, at 9:55 was scored with a quick wrist shot.
Danis was not happy with Plekanec's first goal.

"It just bounced off my glove," Danis said. "It's one I should have had."

Higgins tied it at 14:06.

"We played one period, and we won," Higgins said. "I wish the effort was more consistent for 60 minutes."

Streit said the Islanders didn't play at all in the final 20 minutes.

"For two periods, we really played well," Streit said. "Then we didn't skate anymore. We just waited. We gave them space and time. We didn't forecheck, we didn't backcheck. We just watched."

Notes: The Islanders debuted their third jerseys, which look like the first uniform the team wore back in the early 1970s. One difference is that the stick in the logo has four stripes instead of the usual three, to signify each of New York's Stanley Cup championships. ... Price had allowed only 13 goals in his first seven games for a goals-against average of 1.91.

NHL.com

Habs Kill Off 10 Penalties, Hang On For Win

2008-10-31T17:01:00.002-04:00

What a mission for the penalty killers last night.

Montreal killed off 10 Minesota powerplays last night, including 2 very lengthy 5-0n-3 opportunities and one a litte shorter in length (9 seconds) en route to posting a 2-1 road victory over the Wild.

Worthy of noting, the Wild entered the contest with the 3rd highest powerplay ranking in the league. That stat took a major hit after the game, dropping from 27.3% to 18.8%.

Minnesota tied its franchise worst with the 10 blown opportunities and heard some rare boos from the usually adoring home crowd.

The Wild were also ranked #1 on the PK coming into the tilt, but the Habs dented that stat as well, scoring on a 5-on-3 courtesy Andrei Markov and going 1-for-5 on the night.

Carey Price was absolutely spectacular, ONCE AGAIN, in goal for the Habs. Price made 28 saves on the night, outdueling his young counterpart Josh Harding.

Markov's goal early in the 2nd was his first of the season and was also the game-winner.

The Habs, who trailed 1-0 on a goal by Brent Burns just over a minute and a half in, tied it at the 4:28 mark of the 1st, as Francis Bouillon released a shot through a screen that had eyes for the net and Harding never saw.

Saku Koivu went head-to-head with brother Mikko, which marked the 1st game since 1987 that two brothers served as captains vs each other in an NHL game. Saku had a great night, and the same can be said of Mikko. Neither brother recorded a point, but Saku did finish at +1 while Mikko finished at even.

The big stat difference was the ice time:

Saku: 15:47 Mikko: 23:30 - A main reason of the difference, all the PP time for Mikko. He logged 9:20 of PP time.

Montreal improved to 7-1-1 and head to Long Island to face Mark Streit and the Islanders Saturday.

Habs Open 4-Game Road Trip In Minnesota

2008-10-29T15:35:00.006-04:00

The Habs visit the Wild tomorrow night in a matchup that will feature brother vs. brother, and captain vs. captain, as Habs captain Saku Koivu goes head-to-head with Wild captain Mikko Koivu.

It will be the first time brothers have faced each other as captains in an NHL game since 1987 when Brian and Darryl Sutter captained St. Louis and Chicago.

TUNE INTO THE TEAM 990 PREGAME SHOW TOMORROW NIGHT, AS I WILL PREP THE MATCH ALONGSIDE ROD FRANCIS! THE SHOW BEGINS AT 7 P.M., GAME-TIME IS 8 P.M., 990 ON THE AM RADIO DIAL!

Weathering The Storm (Barely...)

2008-10-29T15:17:00.003-04:00

The Habs eeked out a 3-2 shootout victory vs. the Carolina Hurricanes last night, wrapping up a very successful home stand which saw them go 4-1.

The Habs were very fortunate to earn the full 2 points last night, as it can easily be agrued that the Hurricanes played a much better all-around game than the Habs. Montreal was outshot 33-25, and seemed to have a lot of trouble clicking as a team in passing.

The Habs seemed a little dazed and confused on the ice for the better part of the evening. Miscommunication was to blame, and at some times, failure to communicate at all.

The Habs will certainly need to put out a much better effort if they expect to beat an unbeaten Minnesota side (6-0-1) on the road on Thursday.

Montreal was able to ice a fully healthy lineup for the first time of the season. Apart from the apparent lack of chemistry displayed last night, it is possible that the lineup will have a hole once again. Roman Hamrlik blocked a shot with his knee, and hobbled off the ice, not to reutrn. Reports, however, suggest 'Hammer' could be ready for tomorrow night's tilt.

Montreal got two goals after Carolina opened the scoring. Alex Kovalev scored with 4:04 to play in the first, coming in on an angle from the right wing on Canes G Cam Ward and outwaiting him to go top shelf on a wrister. The Habs then profited on a 5-on-3 powerplay situation...just not as one would expect.

Canes D Dennis Seidenberg gloved the puck in the crease in a scramble to score, and the referee saw the incident and immediately awarded a penalty shot. Alex Tanguay stepped up and released a perfect wrister low-blocker side to beat Ward for the goal.

The Canes tied the game under a minute into the third, on a flukey goal scored by Matt Cullen with almost no room for error. Price may have been partly to blame, but he surely made up for it on many occasions, dazzling the crowd with some great saves.

Price, however, almost cost the Habs with 2:01 remaining in regulation by lobbing the puck over the glass and taking a delay of game penalty in the process. The Habs stepped up for their goaltender, killed off the penalty, and took it into OT.

In OT, the Habs had another great opportunity on a late powerplay, but Robert Lang was robbed by Ward on a rebound. Important to note: Lang missed a few GOLDEN opportunities throughout the night.

In the shootout, Saku Koivu sealed the win for Montreal, scoring the only goal of the shootout by opening up Ward on the backhand and sliding it through his legs, a la Andrei Markov.

Habs Conclude Home Stand vs. Carolina

2008-10-28T17:49:00.003-04:00

Listen to Rod Francis and YOURS TRULY Sal Amato tonight from 7-730 for the pre-game show on Montreal's Sports Authority, the TEAM 990 (990 AM)!

After opening with three straight road games, Montreal is 3-1-0 on a homestand that concludes with this contest.

On Saturday, Alex Tanguay had two goals, while Saku Koivu added one and Robert Lang two assists for the Canadiens, who took 52 shots but allowed one more goal than they did in their previous three games combined on the homestand.

"When you do have 50 shots you have to bury a lot more of those," said Tanguay, who has a team-leading five goals in his first season with Montreal.

Andrei Markov recorded an assist Saturday and has at least one in each game this season for a team-leading 10.

"We did some good things but the mental focus wasn't there," said Koivu, who has a goal in four straight games and three in his last four contests versus Carolina. "We weren't as sharp as we were used to being in the last couple of games here."

Carey Price allowed two goals on 13 shots in replacing Jaroslav Halak on Saturday. Price is 3-1-1 with a 2.11 GAA this season and struggled in his only previous start versus Carolina, making 26 saves before being pulled in a 5-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Dec. 8.

Carolina, which went 2-1-1 versus the Canadiens last season, will be without defenseman Joni Pitkanen, who is sidelined for at least a month after tearing the meniscus in his knee against the Islanders. Rookie center Brandon Sutter is also likely out for this contest after sustaining a concussion Saturday.

Cam Ward is 6-2-1 with a 2.76 GAA versus against Montreal, but could be in for a challenge against the Canadiens (5-1-1), who are coming off their first regulation loss, 6-4 to Anaheim on Saturday.

Eric Staal has eight goals with eight assists in 16 career games versus Montreal and four goals in his last five contests against the Canadiens. Brind'Amour, meanwhile, has at least one point in his last seven games versus Montreal and nine during that span.

Ducks Hand Habs First Regulation Loss

2008-10-27T16:16:00.000-04:00

MONTREAL (AP) -The Anaheim Ducks had their biggest offensive outburst of the season despite being widely outshot by the Montreal Canadiens.

Corey Perry had a goal and two assists and Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 47 shots as Anaheim won its third straight with a 6-4 victory over Montreal on Saturday night.

Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Kunitz each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks. Kent Huskins, Travis Moen and Teemu Selanne also scored for Anaheim, which has won four of five since an 0-4 start.

"Finally, we put some goals on the board and it's a great feeling all around," said Perry, who was credited with his second assist - at Getzlaf's expense - in a scoring change to Anaheim's sixth goal after the game.

Alex Tanguay had two goals, and Saku Koivu and Tom Kostopoulos also scored for the Canadiens, who ended a five-game winning streak despite holding a 51-25 margin in shots.

"When you do have 50 shots you have to bury a lot more of those," Tanguay said.

The Canadiens, who hosted their 2,900th NHL regular-season home game, failed to record a point for the first time in seven games (5-1-1).

"We did some good things but the mental focus wasn't there," Koivu said. "We weren't as sharp as we were used to being in the last couple of games here."

Huskins and Getzlaf scored 2:51 apart to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead early in the first period.

Montreal answered with three straight goals, beginning with Tanguay's fourth of the season on a power play midway through the first.

Koivu scored his fourth goal just as Todd Marchant's tripping penalty expired with 3:37 left in the first, and Kostopoulos put the Canadiens up 3-2 with his first goal of the season 1:34 into the second.

Anaheim came back with three straight goals before the end of the middle period.
"Even though they scored the two goals to tie the hockey game and then they went up 3-2, we didn't really stray away from what we were trying to do," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We were fortunate enough that our goaltender made enough stops at critical times and our power play delivered for us."

Perry scored his first of the season on a power play at 2:40 to even it at 3, and Kunitz restored the Ducks' lead with his first at 4:40, chasing Jaroslav Halak, who allowed four goals on 12 shots.
Moen scored a short-handed goal with 3:21 left in the second period when he put a backhand past Carey Price on a breakaway.

Perry was awarded a penalty shot with 1:56 remaining in the second but lost control of the puck when he went to his backhand on Price.

Selanne increased the Ducks' lead to 6-3 on a power play 5:40 into the third.

Tanguay scored his second goal of the game with 6:15 left.

Montreal's Andrei Markov played his 500th regular season game, extending his assists and points streaks to seven games with an assist on Tanguay's first goal.

Notes: New Ducks D Bret Hedican, signed as a free agent Thursday, was not in uniform. LW Brad May also was a healthy scratch. ... Canadiens LW Chris Higgins made his season debut after missing the first six games because of a groin injury. ... It was Halak's first career appearance against Anaheim. ... Koivu's points streak reached six games. He has four goals and six assists over that span.

Associated Press

Habs Get Back To Business; Host Ducks

2008-10-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

Winning the first three games of their road trip would mean a lot to the Anaheim Ducks as they try to rebound from a tough start to their season.

For Jean-Sebastien Giguere, winning in Montreal might mean even more.

Giguere will make his fourth appearance in his hometown on Saturday night, as the Ducks look to hand the Canadiens their first regulation loss of 2008-09.

While Anaheim's fans may have panicked after an 0-4-0 start, the Ducks (3-5-0) have won three of their last four, including wins at Toronto and Ottawa to start a four-game trip.

After they were outshot 13-0 in the third period of a 3-2 shootout win over the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, the Ducks again stumbled late in Friday night's 4-3 win over the Senators. They nearly blew a 4-0 lead by allowing three goals in the final period, but held on for the victory, with Ryan Getzlaf's first goal of the season - also the first for Anaheim's top line - serving as the game-winner.

"We tried hard - we worked hard," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We stayed with our structure. We got a little bit sloppy into the neutral ice as the game wore on, a little too much stuff on our backhand, but I thought we pretty much stayed with the course and we got it out in the end."

With 27 saves, backup goalie Jonas Hiller got the win for Anaheim, as Carlyle adjusted his rotation to give Giguere the chance to play in his hometown.

In three previous starts in Montreal, Giguere has a win, a loss and a tie. He dropped his first game there despite making 32 saves in a 4-3 loss while with Calgary on Nov. 19, 1998, but won his most recent visit, stopping 21 shots in a 5-3 Anaheim win on Dec. 10, 2005. He has a 2.92 goals-against average at the Bell Centre.

This time, he'll face a red-hot Canadiens club that has won five straight since losing its season opener in a shootout. Montreal (5-0-1) has outscored opponents 21-9 over its current run, also winning its first three home games of the season.

The Canadiens will enter Saturday's tilt with plenty of rest after beating Florida 3-1 in their last game on Monday. Defenseman Francis Bouillon, who scored two goals in 74 games last season, tallied the game-winner in his season debut, while backup goalie Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves and earned the praise of Montreal captain Saku Koivu, who has goals in three straight games.

"I think we got outplayed by the opponent tonight, there's no doubt about that, and without his performance, without his great game, it would have been a really long night for us," Koivu said.

Halak was playing while starter Carey Price continues to recover from a bout with the flu. Price is likely to again miss Saturday's game, but he said he's been feeling better and could return next week.

"I spent three days in bed, it was pretty boring," Price told the Canadiens' official Web site. "But I'm feeling much better now and with another night's sleep, I'll be ready to go."

Halak has never faced Anaheim. The Canadiens have just one win in their last five games against the Ducks, who last lost in Montreal on Oct. 9, 2001.

HUGE HIT: Lucic Sends Van Ryn Through Glass

2008-10-24T16:47:00.002-04:00

Holy moly, what a hit!

A couple of fans were cut (one reportedly pretty bad along the forehead). Was the hit legal? Lucic can be seen leaving his feet - albeit briefly - which causes me to wonder if this hit was fair to begin with.

Van Ryn seems to be doing fine. What a HIT.

Montreal Earns 5th Win After Toppling Panthers

2008-10-21T16:35:00.003-04:00

Does Montreal have a bonafide starting goaltender? If you believe it's Carey Price, someone is begging to differ. His name? Jaroslav Halak.

Halak was sensational in goal as the Habs went on to defeat the Panthers by a score of 3-1. He made 35 saves including some highlight reel desperation grabs and kick saves to limit the Panthers surging offense to just a goal.

The Habs goaltending tandem has been simply STELLAR to open the season, and the stats don't lie.

Halak improved his save percentage to .967 on the season while allowing a single goal in both his starts. He's been a perfect compliment to Price, who has a .939 save percentage and a 3-0-1 record thus far.

''It was one of his best games (with the Canadiens), and it's not easy for him because it had been several days since he played,'' Habs coach Guy Carbonneau said of Halak. ''It's fun for a coach to have two guys like that who you can send in there against anybody.''

Francis Bouillon made his first start of the season, and wound up scoring the game's winning goal. The goal was scored by Bouillon on a slap shot through a screen from the point. But the point is not where Bouillon started this game. He was slotted in at wing on the fourth line to begin the contest, eventually moving back to his natural position at defense.

''That's a little weird, it's really tough doing both,'' Bouillon said. ''As you could see, I'm not too comfortable playing forward.''

Saku Koivu scored in his third straight game and Tomas Plekanec scored into an empty net for the Canadiens while Andrei Markov extended his points streak to six games with an assist on Koivu's goal.

Montreal took the lead at 2:07 of the second period when Markov found himself behind the Panthers defence and whiffed on a shot attempt but then blindly dropped a pass to Koivu, who tucked it inside the far post for his third of the season.

''Half the players in this league couldn't even imagine making the plays he makes,'' Koivu said of Markov, who has nine assists in six games. ''It makes the forwards jobs so much easier playing with him. Like on my goal tonight, there's only a handful of players who can miss a shot and recover in time to find a guy and get him the puck.''

Florida tied it up on a Keith Ballard goal that came off a Cory Stillman rebound. It was Ballard's first as Panther. Ballard was traded along with Nick Boynton from Phoenix for then-captain Olli Jokinen.

Plekanec added a short-handed empty netter with 22 seconds remaining. Maxim Lapierre was in the box serving a 2-minute minor for holding-the-stick, taken with 2:17 remaining in a one-goal game.

Ryan O'Byrne had a particularly disappointing outing. He logged just under 9 minutes of ice-time, and had 3 giveaways. Alex Kovalev didn't have too many negative stats, as he finished with an assist and a +1 rating, but he looked out of place on the ice and seemed to be fighting the puck. To his credit, Florida had a steady presence of defensemen all over Kovy throughout the game, proof that teams have taken notice to Kovalev's standout season last year.

Montreal was 0-for-5 on the powerplay, and killed off both of Florida's man-advantages.

Lineup Changes For Panthers/Habs Tilt

2008-10-20T17:31:00.003-04:00

The lineup will look a little different from the winning lineup iced thus far.

Forwards Chris Higgins - who still hasn't played this season -, Andrei Kostitsyn - who suffered a concussion vs. Phoenix -, and Georges Laraque - who once again tweaked his groin -, will not be in the lineup tonight.

Kyle Chipchura was recalled today and will play tonight as the Habs host the Panthers at 7:30.

Making his first start of the season will be D Francis Bouillon.

Sergei Kostitsyn will replace brother Andrei on his line alongside Tomas Plekanec and Alex Kovalev.

Finally, Jaroslav Halak gets the call in goal.

Tune into the TEAM 990 (990am) at 7 p.m. for the pre-game show with YOURS TRULY, Sal Amato and Rod Francis.

Habs Down Coyotes, Lose Kostitsyn In Process

2008-10-19T21:01:00.003-04:00

By all accounts, the matchup between the Canadiens and Coyotes was one to remember; however, maybe not so much for Andrei Kostitsyn.

The Habs defeated the Coyotes 4-1 in a game filled with great passes, dazzling moves, supers shots, and aggressive behavior.

Carey Price was calm and solid as usual, stopping 28 of 29 shots fired his way.

The Habs' new big-line of Tanguay-Koivu-Latendresse was the line of the night once again. They were on the ice for the first three goals of the game, with Tanguay potting two and Koivu scoring the other on a sublime slap-pass from Andrei Markov. Despite not having a goal yet, Markov is doing exceptionally well in the assists department, adding two and pushing his total to eight.

Guillaume Latendresse had an assist on the first Tanguay goal, and he continued to impress all night long. Gui has really taken a liking to being a part of what is now the Habs top line.

The Plekanec line continues to struggle, as the other teams have taken notice to last season's breakout and are using their top defensemen against them. To make matters worse, Andrei Kostitsyn may miss some time (he's out for the Florida match for sure).

AK46 was levelled on a suspect hit from 'Yotes d-man Kurt Sauer. The hit sent AK into the boards and caused him to land face first onto the ice. The head shot caused Andrei to lay motionless on the ice for a while; concussion is a plausible scenario. Andrei evetnaully got up with the help of trainers and the cameras focussed in on his face, showing how immediate the swelling occured around his left eye. He looked pretty bad...

That set the tone for some serious action throughout the remainder of the game, which still had just under two full periods of play ahead of it. Immediately after, Sergei Kostitsyn laid a late hit on a Coyotes defensemen, and Sergei took a roughing penalty, much to the CONTENT of the crowd who recognized the brotherly act.

Georges Laraque searched for a dance partner, but couldn't find one (at least not quite yet...).

Instead, Sauer squared off with Tom Kostopoulos, and despite not doing too well in the tilt, TK got a nice ovation from the crowd.

Laraque would get his dance late in the second period, going toe to toe with Coyotes tough guy Todd 'the Fridge' Fedoruk, a black belt in martial arts. Laraque won that fight, outmuscling and outpunching his opponent with ease.

The Habs added a fourth straight goal on a Robert Lang powerplay goal before Shane Doan would break Carey's goose-egg exactly midway through the third period.

Montreal finished with 33 shots on goal and went 1-for-3 on the powerplay, all the while shutting down Phoenix on both of their powerplay opportunities.

No updates just yet on Andrei Kostitsyn's condition. Check back tomorrow.

Like A Broken Record

2008-10-16T03:54:00.004-04:00

The Habs have defeated the Boston Bruins.

The Habs have defeated the Boston Bruins.

The Habs have defeated the Boston Bruins.

This is not a typo...it really IS beginning to sound like a broken record.

Montreal pushed it's winning streak vs. Boston in the regular season to 12 games by defeating the Bruins 4-3 via shootout. Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Maxim Lapierre all scored for Montreal in the first period, just 3:19 apart to put Montreal up 3-0.

Boston played catch-up the rest of the way, eventually tying the game on Marc Savard's right-place-right-time second goal of the night with 48 seconds remaining in regulation.

Overtime solved nothing, and in the shootout, Alex Tanguay played the hero, scoring the only goal to secure the extra point for Montreal.

Other newcomer Georges Laraque made his Habs debut Wednesday night, and wouldn't you know it, he dropped the gloves almost immediately on his first shift, going toe-to-toe with Bruins pest Shawn Thornton. Thornton was a marked man after mouthing off towards coach Guy Carbonneau in pre-game media interview.

Montreal was 1-for-4 on the powerplay; Boston went 1-for-6.

Carey Price outdueled Tim Thomas to pick up the win between the pipes. Price improves to 6-0-0 vs. Boston in regular season play.

Montreal was outshot by Boston 34-28.

Michael Ryder's dump-in late in the third took a weird bounce off the glass, causing the puck to bounce into the crease with Carey Price out of the net. That's how Marc Savard was able to score and send the game into OT. Ryder finished with the single assist.

Habs Open Season At Home Tonight vs. Bruins

2008-10-15T16:18:00.002-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens open up their centennial season at home tonight after garnering 5 of 6 possible points on the road in Buffalo (2-1 OTL), Toronto(6-1 W) and Philadelphia (5-3 W).

The only roster change for the night will see Steve Begin sitting out and new addition Georges Laraque suiting up for his very first game in a Habs uniform.

After being declared unfit to play yesterday, "Big Georges" apparently made great progress overnight and today, and coach Carbonneau felt safe enough inserting him into the lineup.

Carey Price will start in goal for Montreal.

The game can be seen live tonight on TSN and RDS, both in HD.

Montreal has not dropped a game vs. Boston in 12 regular season outings - a span of over 19 months!

Montreal did however escape by the skin of their teeth vs. Boston in round one of postseason action last year, edging out the Bruins in 7 games.

Price has never lost to Boston in the regular season, going 5-0-0 with a 2.17 goals-against average.

All eyes will be on Michael Ryder tonight. Ryder will be playing his first game in Montreal as an opponent after spending his first four NHL seasons with the Canadiens, scoring 207 points.

Investigation To Follow On Cherepanov Death

2008-10-14T17:15:00.003-04:00

click the title of this to link to TSN.ca's story from the Canadian Press.

Alexei Cherepanov Dies After Heart Stoppage

2008-10-13T15:38:00.012-04:00

New York Rangers prospect and top pick of 2007 (17th overall) Alexei Cherepanov collapsed and died on the bench of his Avangard Omsk team in the Russian KHL.

Prior to being drafted, many had Cherepanov as going in the top 5. He slipped to 17, where the Rangers couldn't believe the steal they were allowed to pull.

Cherepanov, playing alongside Jaromir Jagr in Omsk, had 8 goals and 12 assists in the season through 15 games. He was in his third season with the club. He had scored that night.

"We are extremely saddened by the tragic passing of Alexei," said Rangers General Manager Glen Sather. "On behalf of the New York Rangers organization, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family. Alexei was an intelligent, energetic young man, with tremendous talent and an extremely bright future."

Cherepanov was the top-ranked European skater heading into his draft year, and backed up his credentials with 29 points in 47 games with Omsk when it played in the Russian Super League. He had more points than Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin as an RSL rookie, and his 18 goals in 2006-07 broke Pavel Bure's RSL rookie scoring record of 17.

Cherepanov represented Russia at numerous international tournaments. He was named the best forward at the 2007 World Junior Championships after he finished with a tournament-high 5 goals, and his 8 points led the Russian team in scoring and to the silver medal. He had 3 goals and 6 points in six games at the 2008 WJC as Russia won the bronze.

with files from NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.

Habs Score Six En Route To First Win

2008-10-12T12:27:00.005-04:00

Alex Tanguay and co. delivered last night in Toronto. <photo courtesy sportsnet.ca>

What a difference 24 hours makes.

The Montreal Canadiens rebounded from a tough 2-1 shootout loss in Buffalo just 24 hours prior, destroying the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 6-1.

Newcomer Alex Tanguay attributed his "average" performance in Buffalo to nerves, but he was able to shake away the butterflies last night, tallying a power-play goal and three assists (two on the power-play).

The game really exploded in the second period.

Montreal took a 2 goal lead into the second frame, and then added 3 more - all on the powerplay - in just 5:28. Young Sergei Kostitsyn had his best game in Habs colors, scoring twice on the PP and adding an assist on the other scored by Tanguay.

Kostitsyn tried beating Curtis Joseph on a breakaway in the third for the hat trick, but was denied the five-hole. Joseph started the third in relief of Vesa Toskala, who allowed all six goals on 23 shots.

Guillaume Latendresse rebounded from a lacklustre performance in Buffalo, scoring a goal on an absoultely sublime feed from captain Saku Koivu to cap the scoring. He also had two assists, one on the powerplay. Roman Hamrlik was rewarded with his hard work in Buffalo, scoring the game's opening goal midway through the first.

Montreal finished 3-for-7 on the powerplay, adding the other three at even strength.

Jaroslav Halak had a very good game in goal, turning aside all but one of the 25 shots fired his way.

Alex Kovalev had the other goal not mentionned above - it was the game winner. He coralled a great setup from Plekanec in 'Gretzky's office' to score just above the crease and with Leafs on his back.

Habs drop opener to Sabres in shootout

2008-10-11T16:11:00.002-04:00

The Canadiens opened their season last night in Buffalo, and despite outchancing the Sabres, the Habs wound up losing the contest 2-1 via the shootout.

Ryan Miller had a great game in goal, allowing an early tally to get by him courtesy newcomer Robert Lang, but shutting the door on every other opportunity.

Carey Price, though tested less, was solid as well in defeat. Carey was beaten on both shootout attempts, while Montreal failed to convert on any, ending the game early.

All the Canadiens players had decent outings, but if I had to pick on any, it would have to be Patrice Brisebois and Guillaume Latendresse. Brisebois took a retaliatory penalty in the first period, and gave the puck away one more than the one occasion that appears on the official game summary. Latendresse, who was thrust into the spotlight when it became known that Chris Higgins would miss the match amongst others, failed to impress once again.

On a good note, Roman Hamrlik had a whale of a game for the Habs, taking 7 shots on goal and blocking another 6. Andrei Markov logged more time than any other skater of either team with just under 29 minutes; 5 mins more than the closest skater, Derek Roy.

Montreal now heads to Toronto for their second game of the season, led in goal by Jaroslav Halak. Toronto upset Detroit on Thursday at the Joe Louis Arena, defeating the defending champs 3-2.

My HHT Yahoo! Pool PREDICTIONS

2008-10-06T18:44:00.003-04:00

It's controversy time!!!

I've decided to post a prediction list of who will finish where at season's end in our pool. The list is as follows:

18. Rattlesnakes (Anthony C)
17. Northern Expsosure (Anthony P)
16. Chiazz Balls (David C)
15. CrazyFarmers (Nick)
14. Salmon (Jonathan)
13. A.C. (Adamo)
12. Frosty (Joey)
11. The Communists (Karl)
10. Mike Ricci (Paolo)
9. Crispy's Creampies (Kevin)
8. Sarno's Team (Anthony S.)
7. YoungTories (Rod)
6. Rug Rats (Pat)
5. Blackwater Bandits (David D)
4. Six Drive's Badasses (?friend of a friend)
3. CARBO21 (Marcello)
2. Shorty (Angelo)

CHAMPION: BANGO'S MEAN MACHINE (Yours truly, Sal)

I like my team A LOT so let me hear it fellas! If you think I am wrong, leave a comment below! And don't take offense to your ranking if it's bad, I skimmed through all the rosters and this was my initial reaction!

Good luck again gentlemen!

Habs Close Out Preseason; Prep For Season Opener

2008-10-06T16:05:00.003-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens capped their pre-season in forgettable fashion, getting shut-out 3-0 on home ice to the Minnesota Wild.

They finish their pre-season at 6-3-0, including 3 shootout wins.

The Habs now shift their focus to their season opener in Buffalo on Friday, October 10th.

Still uncertain to play is big Georges Laraque. Despite having said himself that he would be ready for Friday's contest, Laraque was simply unable to skate today in practice. Coach Carbonneau confirmed the uncertainty of his status as well.

The Habs follow up on Friday's opener with another road game Saturday night as they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. They then roll into Philadelphia on Monday to round out the road-trip before heading home to host Michael Ryder and the Boston Bruins Wednesday in their first game of a 5-game homestand.

Price With An EARLY Save Of The Year Candidate

2008-09-30T21:46:00.004-04:00

Sweet Lord almighty, it doesn't get much earlier than the PRE-SEASON for a save of the YEAR candidate!!!

Carey Price paddled a puck out of mid-air in a twisting/flopping motion in an utter desperation move. The save was reminiscent of that by Jose Theodore in the playoffs many moons ago vs. Boston.

Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire were left SPEECHLESS.

I jumped straight up and popped out the cell phone to call my brothers and field some other incoming calls. Absolutely INCREDIBLE save in an absoultely INCREDIBLE pre-season match, surely the very best pre-season game in the NHL this year.

Montreal wound up winning the match 2-1 via shootout. Max Pacioretty had the regulation goal and a BEAUTIFUL shootout goal, and Robert Lang had the winning shootout goal. Detroit's goal came from Ville Leino, and he scored Detroit's only shootout goal as well.

Much To Anticipate During Habs Centennial Season

2008-09-24T16:37:00.006-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens recently held a press conference to unveil its plans for the upcoming Centennial season...and there are many.

What was unveiled:

A brand new, mega-HD scoreboard, 5x bigger than the last one and the biggest in NHL history.

There will be a match to be disclosed later which will be an hommage to the old Montreal Forum.

Plans to build a brand new skating rink at Parc Francois-Perreault in St. Michel; said to be the biggest and most modern in Montreal.

The Habs will have their very own Hall of Fame, located inside the Bell Centre.

Box-set DVD's will be released to honour the Habs history, and, other DVD's showcasing the Habs top 10 games in their history, including last year's 6-5 come-from-behind record-setting miracle vs. the NY Rangers.

As we already knew: The Habs will have an all-time team in NHL 09 (already released).

A book on the history of the Habs will be published.

A Monopoly-Motnreal Canadiens edition will be released in October.

Six different coins will be in circulation, released by the Royal Canadian Mint. 10 million dollar-coins with a Canadiens logo will be in circulation as well.

A special postage stamp will be released by Canada Post.

We also already knew about the Ring of Honor to be unveiled, as well as the Centennial Plaza.

On December 4th, 2009 (the Habs 100th birthday) a fictional movie on the Habs will hit the big screen.

A BUILDER'S night: Ceremony before a game to honor the Habs' key builders, such as legendary coach Scotty Bowman.

A website will be launched dedicated to the Habs' history.

Montreal will host games to honor long time original-six rivals: the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers.

Other things we already knew of: Patrick Roy's jersey retirement on November 22nd, the NHL All-Star game January 25th and the Entry Draft in June, all at the Bell Centre.

The Habs will also wear some new retro jerseys, put on display by some of the veteran current Habs at the press conference. Also unveiled were the retro-look All-Star game jerseys.

For more detailed dates on RETRO JERSEY GAMES and other info, click this link: http://canadiens.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=383226

Scroll to the CENTENNIAL PROGRAM section at the bottom.

Habs Hold On To Edge Sabres 3-2

2008-09-23T22:15:00.005-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens held off a third period surge and hung on for a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres in pre-season action from Roberval, Quebec (Hockeyville 2008).

The on-hand crowd: 1,237 - or roughly 10% of the entire village's population.

P.S. According to their last census information, 0.31 % of the entire village listed ENGLISH as their mother tongue...and would you like to know how many people that is exactly?

35.

---

Tomas Plekanec continued his hot play from last night, adding a couple more goals to push his overall total to three and total points to four in just two games. Plekanec opened the scoring at 10:25 of the first, surprising Lalime by banking a shot in off of him from below the goal line.

Andrei Kostitsyn then scored a shorthanded goal, taking the puck off a result of strong forechecking and hard work by David Desharnais and going five-hole on Lalime on a partial breakaway. Desharnais, a local favorite in Roberval thanks to his days with the Sagueneens of Chicoutimi, picked up an assist.

Plekanec added his second of the night shorthanded as well. Some nifty stickwork and sublime patience allowed Plekanec to outwait the defenseman, who fell to the ice in a blocking effort, but continued sliding, eventually clearing a perfectg view on goal for Plekanec. A pinpoint shot was then released by Plaky, going low short-side to beat the Sabres netminder and extend the Habs lead to 3-0.

Buffalo tried mounting a comeback in the third.

First, Derek Roy stickhandled in on goal and with a quick, fancy and accurate move, Roy went to his backhand just above the crease and fooled Marc Denis.

Shortly after, Natahn Gerbe collected a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated hard to the left wing, broke the zone and uncorked an absolute cracker over Denis' far shoulder, nailing the top corner with perfect accuracy. For a small forward, it was a hefty slapper.

Denis and the Habs would hold off for the rest of the period, thus sealing the win for Montreal...but not before a bizarre final play.

With 7 seconds remaining, a whistle was blown for a penalty call against Montreal and a faceoff was slated to occur to Denis' right. The Sabres, centered by Derek Roy, took longer than the allowed limit of time to reach the faceoff dot, and the linesman proceeded to drop the puck. Lapierre, who was the only player in the faceoff circle, collected the puck, passed it off to a teammate on the far side, and the Habs cleared the zone and ran the clock.

The rule has been in existence since last year, but it was rarely - if ever - enforced. Look for this to happen again and again and again this year in the NHL.

Habs Will Be Most Represented Team On CBC

2008-09-23T15:33:00.008-04:00

You're not dreaming.

The Montreal Canadiens will be the most heavily represented Canadian team on the CBC this season...that's right, MORE SO THAN THE MAPLE LEAFS.

In conjunction with the Habs centennial celebrations, CBC has taken to heart the many demands of fans to have more Habs games televised on their network. Good plan.

Some websites report that there will be 25 games televised on their network; however, I count 26.

25, 26 ... tomato, tomahto.

Canadiens Face Sabres In Roberval: Hockeyville

2008-09-23T12:45:00.003-04:00

As the winner of the 2008 edition of Kraft's Hockeyville contest, Roberval will have it's moment in the spotlight tonight as it plays host to the match-up between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens.

Not many changes are expected in the lineup tonight for Montreal, although it is certain that forward David Desharnais will play. Alumni of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, Desharnais is relishing the opportunity to play in Roberval, a city just minutes away from Chicoutimi.

Roman Hamrlik tweaked his groin yesterday and will sit out this contest. Mathieu Dandenault will likely shift to defense, allowing room for Desharnais to come in without bumping anyone out.

Both teams are coming off losses last night: Montreal downed 8-3 by Boston, and Buffalo toppled by the Maple Leafs, 7-4.

The Habs also play tomorrow at the Joe Louis in Detroit. They will ice a brand new lineup for that tilt.

Tonight's game can be seen on RDS and the NHL Network.

Bruins Finally Hammer Habs (When It Doesn't Count)

2008-09-22T18:34:00.008-04:00

The Bruins hammered Montreal 8-3 in either team's first pre-season tilt of the 2008-09 season.

Marco Sturm (2-2) and Vladimir Sobotka(2-0) led the way for Boston, and centreman Patrice Bergeron, returning from a severe concussion suffered way back in October of last season, notched a goal and three helpers.

Jaroslav Halak surrendered five goals through the first 40 ntrof play before giving way to Marc Denis to make his first appearance as a Hab. Denis didn't fare much better, allowing 3 more goals to get by on 13 shots. Boston finished with 5 powerplay goals.

Montreal were eventually outshot by a disturbing margin; 42-19.

It looks like the Bruins intend on putting an end to the Habs' dominance of them over the years. Montreal swept the season series last season, going a perfect 8-0 vs. Beantown. Although they won tonight, the win doesn't count in the standings of course, so the streak is still alive for Montreal.

Ben Maxwell, Tomas Plekanec (5-on-3) and Mike Glumac had Montreal's goals. The best line of the evening was the second trio compiled of Ben Maxwell centering Max Pacioretty and Alex Tanguay. Tanguay finished with two assists in his Habs debut.

As expected with blowouts, things got physical in this contest.

All in all, there were four fights to report (including a sweet tilt between veterans Steve Begin and Shawn Thornton) and a total of 100 penalty minutes split between the clubs. Certainly no love lost between these two bitter rivals.

LET THE HOCKEY BEGIN! Habs Open Up Pre-Season In Tilt With Bruins

2008-09-22T15:45:00.001-04:00

It's not quite the start of the season, but it's the start of live hockey once again...no more NHL network retro-games, re-living the highlights of last season such as the Habs 6-5 come-from-behind victory vs. the Rangers or game 7 vs. the Bruins, and the lowlights, like the Habs being eliminated by the Flyers (grrr) or the Pens failing to win the cup (deep down, I wanted it!)

Tonight, the pre-season gets underway for the Habs as they play the Boston Bruins in Halifax.

The game will not be televised (at least not that I'm aware of), but it will be on the air on CJAD.

Team A of training camp scrimmages has been given the green light to play for the first 2 preseason tilts by coach Carbonneau. The reported lines for tonight's tilt:

-Kostitsyn Plekanec Kostitsyn
-Pacioretty Maxwell Tanguay
-Begin Lapierre Dandenault
-Flynn Lehoux Glumac

-Hamrlik Weber
-Gorges Henry
-Anderson O'Byrne

-Halak, Lacasse

I'm sporting my HABS jersey already, and PJ Stock asked me "what the hell am I wearing?"

I love it all; working at the team 990, Stock's awesomeness and my Habs jersey.

Pens Have GLARING Holes On Defence

2008-09-22T15:44:00.005-04:00

First, Ryan Whitney underwent surgery and was informed that he would miss 3-5 months.

Now, Sergei Gonchar is on the shelf.

Thanks to a hit by Tampa Bay's colossal tough guy David Koci in a pre-season tilt, the Pens top defenseman and possibly the Eastern Conference's best offensive blueliner will be out indefinitely with a shoulder injury. The Pens staff have confirmed that the injury is serious, and an MRI is scheduled for this afternoon.

The injury will thrust youngsters Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski into the spotlight much earlier than they may have imagined.

Training Camp Teams; Laraque Tweaks Groin

2008-09-21T13:04:00.002-04:00

from habsinsideout.com

The Canadiens take to the ice Sunday morning in Pierrefonds for Day 2 of training camp, split into two groups that are likely to be the teams heading to exhibition games starting on Monday.

Team A consists of Jaroslav Halak, Marc Denis and Robert Mayer in nets, with Roman Hamrlik, Ryan O'Byrne, Josh Gorges, Patrice Brisebois, Pavel Valentenko, Yannick Weber, Conrad Martin and Chad Anderson on the blue line.

Up front, the lines look like this:

A.Kostitsyn, Plekanec, S. Kostitsyn

Max Pacioretty, Ben Maxwell, AlexTanguay

Steve Bégin, Maxim Lapierre, Georges Laraque

Olivier Fortier, Yanick Lehoux, Mathieu Dandenault

Ryan Flinn, David Desharnais Mathieu Aubin

Team B is made up of Carey Price, Cédrick Desjardains and Loïc Lacasse in goal, with Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek, Francis Bouillon, Mathieu Carle, Alex Henry, Shawn Belle and P.K. Subban.

Up front,
you'll see:

Christopher Higgins, Saku Koivu, Matt D'agostini

Guillaume Latendresse, Robert Lang, Alex Kovalev

Gregory Stewart, Kyle Chipchura, Tom Kostopoulos

James T. Wyman, Brock Trotter, Thomas Beauregard

Olivier Latendresse, Ryan Russell, Mike Glumac

Ryan White

The two groups practice at 11 a.m., before a scrimmage at 12:30.

--------

Don't worry too much about Big Georges; Laraque tweaked his groin in practice today but the team is saying the injury is not serious. Also, Saku Koivu was kept out of the afternoon scrimmage as a precaution as he continues to mend a foot injury.

Sabres Extend Pominville To 5-Year Deal

2008-09-18T15:50:00.006-04:00

RFA no more.

Jason Pominville has been re-upped by the Sabres to a 5-year deal. While the major network websites report undisclosed financial terms, Eklund of Hockeybuzz.com reports the deal is in the $25 million range.

Pominville was second on the team in scoring last season, with 27 and career-highs in assists (53) and points (80). He was also plus-16, the best ration on the team, and was a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy.

Pominville was Buffalo's second-round choice (55th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He has 178 points in 222 career NHL games with the Sabres.

Pominville, a native of Repentigny, Quebec, played for the United States at the 2008 World Hockey Championships and scored two goals and three assists in five games.

Rookie Camp Done; Training Camp Begins Friday

2008-09-18T15:50:00.003-04:00

With the rookie camp coming to a close, the players are setting up to get training camp underway.

5 cuts were made today, which saw goatenders Jason Missiaen and Nicola Riopel, forwards Danny Kristo and Alex Monahan and defenseman Joe Stejskal returned to their respective junior clubs.

It's a shame that last year's top pick Kristo and beanstalk netminder Missiaen will not suit up in pre-season action... having never seen them on-ice yet, I was looking forward to it at camp...oh well, next year (maybe Missiaen will crack the 7-foot barrier by then...or 8).

52 players remain for the opening of training camp tomorrow, which will begin with medicals and physicals tomorrow morning at the Bell Centre.

Coach Carbonneau also informed the public that goalie Marc Denis and forward David Desharnais will suit up for the pre-season matchup vs. the Sabres, Tuesday in 2008 Hockeyville city Roberval, Quebec.

“They’re two guys that played in the area and I’m sure the people there will appreciate that,” said Carbonneau, a Chicoutimi alum himself from the 1970s and one of six owners of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

The Habs' first pre-season game is Monday night in Boston.

Think You're Unlucky? Meet Justin Williams

2008-09-17T17:18:00.005-04:00

Yikes.

Things haven't gone so well for Justin Williams since the high-sticking incident that sent Saku Koivu to the hospital in the playoffs.

Apart from winning the cup after said incident, Williams has been watching his Hurricanes from the press box much more often than helping them out on the ice.

Williams tore his ACL on Dec 20th last season and missed 43 games, returning to play in just 3:48 of one game before sitting out the remainder of the season with a back injury. After months and months of rehab, Williams appeared ready and eager for Hurricances training camp.

Today, the 26-year old Williams suffered another major injury while training, just a couple of days before the opening of Hurricanes camp.

Williams will miss the next 4-to-6 months after rupturing his right achilles tendon. That sounds like one of the most painful injuries imagineable.

Yikes. Good luck recovering Justin, I feel for you.

Veteran Schneider Placed On Waivers

2008-09-16T15:21:00.003-04:00

The Anaheim Ducks are apparently making room for Teemu Selanne.

Mathieu Schneider and his $5.75 million price tag has been placed on waivers today by the Ducks. He has one-year remaining on his contract.

The 39-year old Schneider played in 65 games during the regular season in 2007/08, scoring 12 goals and 27 assists with a plus-22 rating. He took part in all six of the Ducks' playoff games scoring one goal with a minus-3.

It is expected that Los Angeles (still under the salary floor) will make a bid for Schneider, as will the Atlanta Thrashers, who have been rumoured to be in the hunt for a veteran defenseman for a few weeks now.

Training Camp Rosters Announced

2008-09-12T20:20:00.003-04:00

Here's a press release from the Habs. Click to enlarge.

Scroll down for the Lang & Brisebois to Montreal story.

Habs Acquire Lang, Re-Sign UFA Brisebois

2008-09-12T18:14:00.006-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens have traded a 2nd round pick in 2010 (Toronto's, fromt he Grabovski deal) to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Robert Lang.

The 37 year old Czech native had 21 goals and 33 assists in 76 games for the Hawks last season.

This should mark the end of the Mats Sundin saga, as Lang brings with him a hefty contract at $4 million. The contract expires at year's end.
-----------------
The Habs then went ahead and re-signed Patrice Brisebois...

Also 37, Brisebois had 11 points in 43 games with the Habs last season. He played 'well' when compared to what he brought to the table a few seasons ago, but I'm not sure I'm thrilled about this move, as it must be sending a mixed-signal to some of the Habs young defensemen, such as Ryan O'Byrne or Pavel Valentenko.

Roy's #33 Will Be Retired Nov. 22nd

2008-09-11T15:04:00.009-04:00

The Montreal Canadiens have announced the retirement of Patrick Roy's #33 jersey, set to take place on November 22nd, vs. the Boston Bruins. 11th month, 22nd day: 11+22=33. That's the significance...

The feed can be heard LIVE now on the Team 990, AM 990 on the radio dial. You can also stream live from http://www.team990.com/. Click the LISTEN LIVE icon at right.

Roy becomes the third goalie in Canadiens history to have his number retired. The other two: Jacques Plante's #1, and Ken Dryden's #29.

Roy stated that he hopes this entire event can serve as "a turning of the page", referring to the tumultuous final game on December 2nd, 1995.

Roy on Montreal: "This is where I learned to be a winner."

"I was looking forward to this day."

Also announced during the press conference was the creation of the Ring of Honor: A ring at the Bell Centre honoring the 44 greatest players in Canadiens' history, those of whom are in the Hall of Fame, as well as the 10 most important builders. The Ring of Honor will serve as "a source of inspiration for the players, as well as a source of pride for the fans who visit the Bell Centre", says team president Pierre Boivin.

Radulov Wants Back; Staal Breaks The Bank

2008-09-11T15:03:00.001-04:00

NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly stated on Bill Watters' radio show on 640 AM in Toronto that Alexander Radulov wants to return to the NHL after just a few games in the KHL. He was also named rookie of the week.

Kelly: "My information is that the player very much wants to return and play in the NHL. I have that on extremely good authority. He's tried the KHL. He's seen what it has to offer for a few games already. He was quite successful last year for the Nashville Predators. I think, long-term, Alexander wants to play in the NHL. I believe there is an outcome which is doable, which will involve some type of an agreement between the NHL, the KHL, the player himself and the Predators."

Will the Preds' staff and fans even want him back? This just got a WHOLE LOT MORE interesting...
-------------
Eric Staal just got a whole lot richer.

Staal, the eldest of four Staal brother's either in or nearly in the NHL, was extended today to a 7-year, $57.75 contract extension which averages out to $8.25 million per season. The extension kicks in after this upcoming season, where Staal will make $5 million.

Eric is the only Staal to have a Stanley Cup ring, earning it in 2005-06. Brother Jordan came close last year, losing in the finals as the Penguins were downed by the Red Wings.

My First On-Air Experience...

2008-09-10T22:53:00.003-04:00

I have to say, I 'work' with three of the nicest people on the planet at the Team 990: Andie Bennett is way more than just good looking (I know you're reading this Andie, I told you the compliments will come!); She was patient with me on my first day and extremely nice to me ever since. Rod Francis could be mistaken for an octopus; I say this in the MOST RESPECTFUL way of course, as, for thos who may not know, Rod is the MAN at master control, running all sorts of different tasks simultaneously, practically with his eyes shut. That's what legends are made of! And, of course, the bottomless pit of music, sport, political and general knowledge, Mitch himself; I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity by Mitch to be in such a great environment, and I will be forever grateful.

I use the term 'work' above because I am in love with what I'm doing. To those of you who are confused out there about what to do in life, I sincerely suggest taking as long as it takes for you to discover your true passion, and then follow it. That's what I did, and with just 3 days of internship 'work' in the bank, I couldn't be happier. There is no better feeling on Earth than wanting to go to bed at night because you're too excited about the next day of 'work'...ok, well, maybe a COUPLE of feelings.

I am privileged to have two incredible jobs (interning at the TEAM and DJ'ing on weekends), plus this website as another outlet for one of my passions.
9
Now, to my first on-air experience.

I was hinted at the possibility of being on the air today by Mitch yesterday, and, true to his word, on the air I was. At 6:53 p.m., I got the signal; like being waved home from third base, or being tripped up on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot, I knew it was go-time!

Mitch was great; he didn't try to stump me, or make me sound foolish, or point out my nerves: Instead, he simply spoke to me. He introduced me, and then immediately complimented me, saying "I was good", and Rod added that "I picked things up really quickly". I was then asked where I lived; I answered Vimont, then said "well, Auteuil actually, but no one knows where that is, it's JUST north of Vimont". Mitch then asked "so what's north of Auteuil?" and I answered " I don't know, I'm not even sure if that region has electricity or gravity yet". Everyone laughed (Andie the loudest).

Then, Mitch helped me out by plugging the website here. Really, Mitch and the gang have just been great. Not enough can be said of how welcome I feel at work...Now, if you don't mind, I'm heading to bed, because I can't wait for tomorrow...

P.s. PJ Stock is awesome too, and Noel Butler has the best accent in the world.......I think I know a GENUINE, ENGLISH SOCCER HOOLIGAN! YESSS!

One Step Closer To The Dream!

2008-09-09T19:47:00.004-04:00

I am VERY PROUD to inform you all that I am the newest intern at the Team 990, 990AM!

I am interning on Mitch Melnick's show, the "Melnick in the afternoon" drive show from 3-7 p.m.

Don't expect to hear much of my voice on air, especially in these early stages, as I will be in the learning phase behind the scenes first.

However, I DO encourage you to listen to the show every Monday-to-Friday, as it is funny, entertaining, witty and informative all at the same time; not to mention the GREAT guests on the air every day, including TSN's own Pierre McGuire every day at 5:25.

Thanks for all of your continuous support...let's get the NHL season underway already!!!!!

Sundin's Meeting With Gainey "Positive"

2008-09-08T20:20:00.002-04:00

Mats Sundin met with Bob Gainey on Saturday to further discuss the possibility of Mats signing on with the Habs.

According to Sundin's agent J.P. Barry, the meeting with Gainey was "very positive", but Mats remains undecided.

Barry said that Gainey explained to Mats why him playing for Montreal would be the right fit for both parties, and it seems that Sundin was further intrigued.

Gainey explained to Mats that if he wanted to retire, he should; but if he was unsure, he should play, as the emotions would soon follow.

Sundin has not given a deadline date for a decision, but he did promise to do it as soon as possible. I would expect the decision sometime next week, a few days ahead of training camp.

Sundin Met With Leafs; Will Meet With Habs

2008-09-06T14:16:00.002-04:00

Mats Sundin met with Leafs' brass Cliff Fletcher and Joe Nieuwendyk, and he will now reportedly meet with Bob Gainey and co. either today or Sunday before heading back to Sweden.

Sundin said he is no closer to a decision at this point. The Leafs explained to Mats their intentions and expectations for the upcoming season, and assured him that a spot will always be available for him.

Gainey is expected to make a significant appeal to Mats to come on board. With training camp looming, Montreal would obviously prefer to have Mats signed sooner rather than later, to avoid any sort of complications with regards to available roster spots.

Various reports continue to lead towards different outcomes. Many state Mats will retire; others believe he will become a New York Ranger; some imply that Vancouver's offer is very appealing to Mats; and some others believe that Mats will end up in bleu, blanc et rouge.

I believe Mats will be a Hab should he choose not to retire...and I don't believe he'll retire.

Updates Around The League...

2008-09-05T03:14:00.004-04:00

The L.A. Kings took a big step forward today in the race to reach the salary floor before the start of the season one month from now.

-The Kings signed recently acquired RFA center Jarett Stoll to a 4 year, $14.4 million deal, which averages to $3.6 million a season. The Kings acquired Stoll along with defenseman Matt Greene for Lubomir Visnovsky.

As it stands, Stoll will be the second-highest paid player on the team, just under Michal Handzus' $4 million/per. The Kings cap is now at approximately $36.6 million, $4.1 away from the $40.7 floor.

-Minnesota Wild defenseman Brent Burns underwent successful elbow surgery to remove 'loose bodies' from the area. He will be recovering for four weeks, and should start the season.

Sticking with the Wild: tsn:

According to the Star Tribune, Gaborik has not yet decided whether to sign an extension with the Wild or become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

"I like it here, I am willing to stay here, but I also know what my options are if we won't agree on the terms," Gaborik told the Star Tribune. "I'm not saying I'm leaving. I'm not saying I'm staying. I'm saying I have one year left on my contract."

-The 2008 3rd and 4th overall picks have signed entry-level deals with their clubs. Zach Bogosian and Alex Pietrangelo have signed on with the Atlanta Thrashers and the St. Louis Blues, respectively. They join the 1st overall Steven Stamkos (TB) and 2nd overall Drew Doughty (LA) as 2008 draftees signed to contracts.

The Bogosian signing is significant as it will likely include bonuses, making it worth more against the cap; necessary as the Thrashers are at about $38.225, just shy of the $40.7 floor. They will likely clear the floor now.

-The Ottawa Senators have signed nomadic forward Brad Isbister to a one-year, two-way deal.
Isbister collected 11 points in 55 games with Vancouver last year. Apart from Ottawa and Vancouver, the 31-year old Isbister has suited up for the NY Rangers, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, NY Islanders and Phoenix Coyotes.

-The Vancouver Canucks will honor the memory of Luc Bourdon on opening night. They also announced that long-time captain Trevor Linden's #16 jersey will be retired.

-Finally, some Sidney Crosby news. According to the a report in the National Post, the Pittsburgh Penguins forward has been named to the Order of Nova Scotia.

Crosby, 21, is the youngest person to ever receive the award.

A native of Cole Harbour, N.S., Crosby was awarded the 2006-07 Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player. Last season, Crosby scored 72 points in just 53 games.

Big O May Be Habs' Home For Future Outdoor Game

2008-09-04T13:00:00.002-04:00

As first reported to me yesterday by Pat-with information from TSN today

The Montreal Canadiens are attempting to organize an outdoor game as part of their 100th anniversary celebrations at the Olympic Stadium.

For the event to go down, the Big O's roof needs to be removed.

An Olympic Installations Board spokesman said the game would have to be held during the period when the roof is to be redone. No dates have been set for the construction work.

Contrary to early reports, team spokesman Donald Beauchamp denied reports that the game would be held on December 4th, 2009; The Habs' 100 year anniversary, to the day. "It will not be Dec. 4," he said. "There's no specific date, but it's not that one."

No word either on who the opposing team would be.

McCabe Officially Dealt; Radulov Suspended

2008-09-03T12:41:00.002-04:00

As expected, Bryan McCabe is now a Florida Panther.

The official deal is as follows: Toronto sent McCabe and a 4th round pick in 2010 to Florida for Mike Van Ryn.
---------------------
Elsewhere, the Nashville Predators have suspended forward Alexander Radulov indefinitely without pay. This summer, Radulov signed a contract with UFA of the KHL despite having one year remaining on his existing contract with Nashville. At the time of the signing, there had been no transfer agreement in place, therefore Radulov firmly believed that he would be able to play in Russia, as he wanted, without being forced to return to the Preds. The Predators had set a September 1st deadline for the 22-year old Radulov to notify the team of his intentions to return to the club to fulfill the contract or face suspension.
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Around the league: The Detroit Red Wings are reportedly on the verge of re-signing D's Chris Chelios and Kyle Quincey. Chelios' deal will reportedly be one-year. The former Hab verteran is far and away the league's oldest player. He'll be 47 in January. Chelios notched 12 points in 69 games last year while going +11. Quincey is reportedly close to signing a two-year deal.
Finally, a minor trade to pass along: The Canucks sent Ryan Shannon to the Senators for defenseman Lawrence Nycholat.

No Secret, No Surprise About McCabe To Florida

2008-09-02T01:43:00.003-04:00

Bryan McCabe will be dealt to the Florida Panthers, of that we all knew.

What we know now is that this trade is expected to be made official around 11am this morning.

The Leafs are expected to deal McCabe and a draft pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for 29-year old defenseman Mike Van Ryn.

McCabe, 33, was really nothing more than a scapegoat for Leafs fans last season. His role was one that was all-too-familiar with Habs fans of a few years ago, when an overpaid Patrice Brisebois was being booed by his own fans nearly every time he touched the puck.

He finished with 23 points in 54 games last season, a far downgrade from the 57 points the year before, and even further from the 68 points he tallied after the lockout year in 2005-2006.

McCabe is set to make $5.75 million until the 2010-2011 season.

Van Ryn, 29, missed the last 60 games of the last season to undergo wrist surgery. The Panthers did not make the playoffs, so it has been a VERY LONG summer for Van Ryn.

He had his best seasons in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006, tallying 37 points each season.

Van Ryn's cap hit is $2.9 million until 2009-2010.

Sweet, Sweet September

2008-09-01T09:31:00.002-04:00

The Good Lord up above couldn't send the month of September any sooner.

Although September is generally associated with the end of summer, I associate it primarily on a training-camp-is-starting level. Frankly, with the summer we had (or didn't have until about 2 weeks ago), I am just about ready to embrace autumn and the splendor it delivers that we call hockey.

The Stanley Cup is one hell of an accomplishment for any player or team to attain, but with it comes bad news for the rest of the world. It means hockey is OUT for the longest possible time.

We've had to endure a few things over the summer, but nothing as irritating as what we are STILL enduring. That pain in my a*s is called Mats Sundin and his SAGA that apparently still has no end in sight. Just sign with the Habs already, seriously.

Although the wait was long, in the end, the old saying rings true: good things come to those who wait.

I waited, very long. But, now, the thrills and excitement are hitting me harder than slab of concrete attached to a bull's horns and connecting squarely on my nuts. The hockey pools are starting up, the youngsters are gearing up for a shot to crack their respective NHL clubs through training camp, and the veterans are welcoming the challenges of adding even more responsibility to their workload.

The Habs are primed for a serious run at the cup. New additions Alex Tanguay and Georges Laraque are pumped and ready to go with their new clubs. Out are guys like Bryan Smolinski and Mark Streit, who each did good-to-great jobs at playing their roles; and in are going to be the guys who want it that much more than the others. Someone like Kyle Chipchura, or even Max Pacioretty has a very solid shot at making the big club come October, but to know that, we must go through the month of September.

Sweet, sweet September. How I've missed you...

UPDATED Meszaros Dealt To Lightning For Trio

2008-08-29T19:28:00.004-04:00

Andrej Meszaros has inked a 6-year deal with new team Tampa Bay. Read below for yesterday's trade information.

--------------from FRIDAY-----------------

Andrej Meszaros is the latest addition to the revamped Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Lightning acquired the restricted free agent from Ottawa after Sens GM Bryan Murray admitted to media yesterday that he and Meszaros were 'a long way apart' in contract negotiations.

It appears that the Lightning were considering offering Meszaros a 1-year offer sheet worth $5 million, but couldn't do so because they would have had to give a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick to Ottawa as compensation should Meszaros have signed; the problem with that being that Tampa no longer owned its own 3rd round pick, the Penguins do.

The Lightning therefore dealt defencemen Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard and a 1st round pick acquired from San Jose to the Sens in exchange for the 22 year old.

Meszaros was drafted in the first round, 23rd overall by Ottawa in 2004. He developed quickly playing alongside such stalwart defenseman as Wade Redden and Chris Phillips. He will now be counted on to provide all-around defensive presence in Tampa, all the while anchoring the powerplay with the departure of Dan Boyle to San Jose.

More rumors are already surfacing suggesting that the Lightning are close to signing Meszaros to a 6-year, $4 million/per extension.

Canadiens To Retire Roy's #33

2008-08-29T16:33:00.002-04:00

Not at all to my surprise, La Presse is reporting today that Patrick Roy's #33 will be retired later this November

Roy played with the Canadiens from 1986-95, capturing 2 Stanley cups in that timeframe (86,93). He retired as the NHL record holder in wins among goalies with 551 in 19 seasons with Montreal and the Colorado Avalanche.

A Canadiens spokesman would not confirm the report, saying the team does not comment on jersey retirements.

The Avalanche retired Roy's number in 2003.

Roy's tenure with Montreal ended sourly. After being left out to dry for 9 goals in a game vs. Detroit, Roy was finally pulled by coach Mario Tremblay. Upon his arrival to the bench, Roy crossed paths with Tremblay but did not say a word. Shortly after, he walked past him again and made his way over to team president at the time, Ronald Corey. He demanded Corey for a trade, and a couple of days later, the Montreal Canadiens traded Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault. Roy and Keane would go on to win the Stanley cup that same season.

The Habs went on to lose that game at home in the Forum to Detroit by a score of 12-1 on December 2nd, 1995; the worst loss in Montreal Canadiens franchise history.

Roy's jersey would be the 15th retired jersey in Canadiens' franchise history.

Logo Unveiled To Commemorate 100th Season

2008-08-25T22:50:00.003-04:00

from canadiens.com

Before celebrating their Centennial on December 4, 2009, the Canadiens will play their 100th season in 2008-09, and the historic anniversary will be given its due, to say the least.

In honor of the Habs’ 100th season, a special logo has been created. Using the style of numbers found on the Canadiens’ current white jersey worn on the road, this bilingual logo will be used throughout the 2008-09 season. Canadiens players will be wearing a “100 Seasons” patch on their jerseys, with the special logo also appearing at center ice at the Bell Centre, replacing the traditional Canadiens logo.

Once the Canadiens open the 2008-09 season against the Sabres in Buffalo on October 10, the Habs will become the first professional hockey team to celebrate 100 seasons and the first pro sports franchise outside of Major League Baseball to do so. The century-bound Habs will join a very exclusive group of teams that includes most notably the likes of the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals on the North American sports landscape.

NHL 09 To Feature Habs All-Time Team!

2008-08-20T23:06:00.005-04:00

Gamers everywhere are buzzing!

The announcement was made today that EA Sports' NHL 09 will feature an All-Time Montreal Canadiens team, which can be used to play in exhibition mode! The inclusion of this team is to commemorate the Canadiens in their upcoming Centennial Season.

If you're too young to have watched the Habs legends play, but always dreamed of playing as them in a modern day video game, then you must only wait until September 9th.

Could you imagine this one the scoresheet:

Goal scored by Maurice Richard. Assisted by Guy Lafleur and Jean Beliveau.

Wow.

The full roster is as follows:

Centermen: Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Jacques Lemaire, Howie Morenz
Left Wingers: Bob Gainey, Steve Shutt, Hector "Toe" Blake, Dickie Moore
Right Wingers: Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Guy Lafleur, Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Yvan Cournoyer
Defensemen: Larry Robinson, Emile "Butch" Bouchard, Serge Savard, Doug Harvey, Guy Lapointe, Jacques Laperriere
Goalies: Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, Jacques Plante

The 21 man roster includes all 14 players who have had their jerseys retired as Habs. The picks span almost an entire century, from Morenz (1923-34) to Patrick Roy (1986-95).

According to David Littman, the games producer, only the All-Star teams can "come close" to matching the All-Time Habs team's overall rating.

Some more features that will be on the 09 version of EA's perennial best-seller:

-Defensive Skill-Stick, which will allow players to poke check in 360 degrees rotation, and, unprecedented in any hockey game anywhere, the ability to lift another players stick to steal the puck.
-Be-A-Pro Mode: Become one player in the game and rise through the ranks of the AHL and NHL.
-One-Handed Dekes: Ever drooled over the Forsberg goal in the olympics (a move initially made poular by Alexei Zhamnov)? Well, now you can do it, as Gaborik demonstrates below.

For more, visit http://www.easports.com/nhl09/
For more on the Habs All-Time team, visit http://www.canadiens.com

The Montreal Canadiens' Top 10 Prospects

2008-08-20T11:55:00.000-04:00

Since the hockey world is at as big a crawl as it has been all summer right now, I believe that the time is right to issue out what I believe to be the TOP 10 Habs prospects list.

*left off of the following list will be young prospects Sergei Kostitsyn, Carey Price, and Jaroslav Halak, due to the fact that they are virtually guaranteed roster spots next season.

Honorable Mention: D Shawn Belle, F Matt D'Agostini, D Mathieu Carle, D Yannick Weber.

10. James Wyman: 6-2, 192lbs. RW.

A league coach had this to say about Wyman: “Wyman has the ability to single handedly change the game in one shift. He is very explosive and is a pure goal scorer. He has a tremendous first three strides, has nice hands, and a quick release. He will have to develop his play in the last 100 feet to make himself a more complete player.” Wyman turned heads at last month's Canadiens prospect development camp, being one of the standout players, along with another player who will feature VERY highly on this list...

9. Alexei Yemelin: 6-1, 191lbs. D.

An aggressively physical stay at home defenseman, with a strong shot from the point and above average skating. He will need to bulk up to fill out his frame, improve his offensive production, and cut down on penalties. He's known to Hit and annoy the opposition. The major problem with Yemelin seems to be getting him past a contractual clause with his team in Togliatti, Russia, to get him over here, playing in the AHL and learning the North American style. At 22, he's losing valuable development time.

8. P.K. Subban: 5-11, 200lbs. D.

Subban had a great year for the Belleville Bulls, tallying 15 goals and 41 helpers in 68 games. Despite his natural charisma and genuine love of the fans, the knocks are out on Subban's game, and they are all directed where it hurts the most for a defenseman; his defense. Subban is known to stray away from a solid defensive position in order to get involved in a rush. He is a point-seeking, trigger-happy defenseman, and scouts have taken notice. Subban will need to explode at the upcoming WJC in December, as, likely now without Karl Alzner and Drew Doughty, Subban, who was a 7th d in last year's tourney, will become a leader. Maybe a conversion from D to F is in the cards for Subban, a la Dustin Byfuglien of Chicago, or even Mark Streit, then of Montreal, now of NYI?

7. Ben Maxwell: 6-1, 177lbs. C.

Maxwell had a great, albeit injury-plagued season with Kootenay last year. The centerman was able to tally 19 goals and 53 points in 39 games. A recurring elbow injury came back to haunt him and he was subsequently cut from the WJC roster. The injury sidelined him for quite a while, but Maxwell has apparently fought through it nicely and is ready to challenge for a spot with the big-club come training camp, as are all of these players on this list of course. Maxwell is in stiff competition at his position, however...

6. Pavel Valentenko: 6-2, 218lbs. D

Pavel was the "most improved player" for Hamilton this past season, according to Head Scout Trevor Timmons. He registered a 102 mp/h blast at Hamilton's skills competiton. Valentenko brings size and slap-shooting ability to any club he plays for, and if he can work a little more on his speed and all-around game, Valentenko could definitely be knocking on the big-club's door.

5. Danny Kristo: 5-11, 172lbs. RW.

Kristo, Montreal's 2008 2nd round choice and first pick overall, made a quick impression at the development camp. According to some bloggers who were able to take in some of the sights there, Kristo, along with Max Pacioretty, stood out from the pack. Kristo has great speed and wicked hands, but the knock on him is his size. Kristo will need to bulk up and spend a couple of seasons in Hamilton, but the potential is there for him to eventually be a top 6 NHL forward.

4. David Fischer: 6-3, 185lbs. D.

The tall defenseman skates strongly with a wide base. He does not rush the puck up the ice often, but he can hit the breakout pass and rarely makes a mental mistake. Fischer often stepped up to a position on the half-board for power plays and did not seem out of place fore checking and handling the puck as a forward. Fischer's strength is that he plays a steady game and makes the players around him better. Fischer is developing a little slower than initially expected, but is still making progress. He is still a project, as he remains undersized in mass for his massive 6-3 frame at 185.

3. Ryan McDonaugh: 6-1, 200lbs. D.

This guy can be the all-around D the Habs are looking for. McDonagh is not a flashy end-to-end player, but does just about everything well. He has good size, is a solid skater, and makes the right decisions with the puck. He’s very strong one-on-one, but will need to adjust to the quickness he’ll experience at higher levels of play. He can play in all situations and eat up a lot of ice time. He had 33 points in 23 games last year.

2. Kyle Chipchura: 6-2, 205lbs. C.

It seems Kyle's place is being penciled into the Habs lineup already, but that depends on one thing: Mats Sundin. Chipchura has been grinding it out in the AHL after a breif stint with Montreal. Early last season, Chipchura got the start with the Habs, but was demoted to the AHL shortly afterward to improve on his faceoff skills. Maxim Lapierre was then recalled and was able to stick with the club en route to capturing the Eastern Conference crown. Kyle is already considered as a possible future captain for the Habs, as he has innate leadership skills. He plays an already NHL-ready two-way game, and is very reliable in the defensive zone. Look for Chipchura to start with Montreal should they not sign Sundin.

1. Max Pacioretty: 6-2, 203lbs. LW.

Max Pac. Many believe Max can steal a roster spot with Montreal come training camp, and if his performance at the development camp is any indication, he sure as hell can. He dazzled fans with a great display of speed and, more-so, skill, putting on a great display of shooting. He is a great power forward with an above average skill set. "He's a good skater with quick feet. He handles the puck very well, has a good shot and has a quick release. Has the size and tenacity to be a force on the ice, just needs to learn when and where to apply it with consistency." He was named to the USHL all-rookie team, and wound up being named Rookie of the Year. Max Pacioretty: get used to the name.

Back In Business At HabsHockeyTalkey!

2008-08-13T02:44:00.004-04:00

Ladies, gentlemen: Rest assured; I'm back!

The Tremblant week was something I'll never forget, but unfortunately, shortly after I returned, my computer gave me a CRAZY amount of problems, so much so that first my internet didn't work, and then it degreaded to the point where my PC never loaded past the WELCOME screen and I had to format all the hard drives....bigtime downer.

But, a good friend of mine who goes by the name of Pitoux got me back in business, and here I am right now in the wee-hours of Wednesday morning, letting you know that I am back and ready to go.

Luckily, nothing major went down in the hockey world in my absence, but here's a recap of what did.

Isles named Scott Gordon as new coach, edging out fellow candidates Paul Maurice and Bob Hartley. Teppo Numminen re-upped one-year with Buffalo, the Kings signed Drew Doughty to a 3-year entry deal, Sharks re-signed RFA Ryan Clowe, Jeff O'neill will tryout for Carolina at training camp; as will Petr Nedved for NYR, and Montreal added 26 year old depth d-man Chad Anderson, who is from (take a guess...) Minnesota.

Speaking of the Habs, coming up within the week, I will put out a top 10 list of the Habs prospects, with a little bit to say about each one of them...stay tuned for that!

WE WANT MATS!!! (do we still?) (I do.)

Habs Hockey Talkey Down For The Week

2008-08-03T16:52:00.005-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, loyal readers and newcomers -

This is to inform you that I will be on vacation for 5 days, Monday to Friday, therefore there will be no updates to the site until at least Friday night, but more likely until Saturday.

See you in a few!

P.S. The latest quick rumours:

-Parrish coveted by NYI, Van, and LA.
-Rangers want to make room for Sundin...Sundin expressed interest in playing for one team in particular before all of this started: NYR. This could happen...
-Teams inquiring about Marian Gaborik. Rumoured to include Pittsburgh and Washington.
-Afinogenov being shopped.
-Kings, Hawks may be working on Khabibulin deal.
-Preds, Lightning talking defenseman-for-forward deal.

Have a good week everyone, I'm off to Tremblant!

Quick Hit Updates

2008-08-01T16:48:00.003-04:00

Haven't really had much time to post as I've been in a mini party-mode these last few days, so here's what went down.

-Antonine Vermette was re-signed to a 2 year contract by the Senators, slowing the pace of the rumours sending Vermette to the Canucks.

-Pascal Leclaire re-upped in Columbus, signing a 3-year, $11.4 million deal that will increase in pay with each progressing year.

-Living legend and former coach Scotty Bowman has accepted to become the senior advisor to hockey operations in Chicago. Bowman, 75, joins son Stan (names after the Stanley Cup) in Chi-town. Stan is the assistant GM to hockey operations.

-Jaroslav Modry became the latest NHLer to pack up and head over to Europe. The 37 year old former Flyers defenseman signed a 2-year deal with HC Liberec of the Czech League, likely putting an end to his NHL career. He also played for that same team during the [*shiver*] lockout year [*harder shiver*].

-Finally, Steve Tambellini was named GM of the Edmonton Oilers today, and former GM Kevin Lowe was promoted to the role of President of Hockey Operations for Rexall Sports.

That's your Habshockeytalkey update, I'm Sal Amato. (God I love that radio stuff.)

Sundin's Agent: "He Meant August, Not August 1st"

2008-07-30T23:05:00.002-04:00

The Sundin saga takes another downward spiral.

J.P. Barry, Mats Sundin's agent, told the Fan 1040 AM in Vancouver that his client will be making a decision in August - likely not on August 1st, as many of us were led to believe through various reports.

''He's still taking his time, and he hasn't given us an indication or not if he's going to keep playing or not. You know, when he was speaking in Sweden about August, unfortunately a lot of people picked up 1st of August. He meant August. He meant sometime in August he would definitely decide because he'll definitely be in training camp.''

Barry also stated that 6 teams are interested in Sundin as of today, but would not divulge their identities. Apart from what we know, 4 of those teams are Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and NYR. He said those new teams in the mix are willing to offer Mats a short-term deal, 1 or 2 years maximum, and advised him that they would need time to make cap space available to accomodate Mats' services.

Barry only told the fan 1040 that Detroit, the NHL's Sweden, was not one of the teams expressing interest.

It looks like we're in for a fun waiting game this August, as we have been all of July. At least Mats is helping to pass the time until October!

Wings Lock Up Filppula To Long-Term Deal

2008-07-30T13:41:00.003-04:00

RFA Valtteri Filppula is RFA no more.

The Wings locked up a core piece of their future today, signing the centerman to a 5-year, $15 million deal.

Filppula, 24, played a big role in Detroit's cup quest, and scored 19 goals and 17 assists in 78 games last season.

He was a 3rd round selection of the wings back in 2002, displaying Detroit's drafting-savvy once again as they have a reputation to draft gems in later rounds.

Oh, and Filppula has one of the best names in hockey, so that's a plus as well.

Valtteri Filppula.. Awesome.

Wild Waive Winger Parrish

2008-07-30T04:23:00.003-04:00

Mark Parrish became "a victim of the salary cap" said Wild GM Doug Risebrough after waiving the forward with 3 years still remaining on his contract.

Parrish, 31, scored just 16 goals in 66 games with the Wild last season. He would have had a cap hit of $2.65 million against Minnesota this season, which would have left them with about $2.1 million in cap space.

Should Parrish clear waivers, it is expected that Minnesota would buy out his contract, paying him two-thirds of what remains, or about $5.2 million.

The LA Kings may be interested in picking him up at his current salary as they are WAY below the salary cap floor. The Kings stand at about $29.5 million in cap salary, leaving them over $10 million away from the $40.7 million floor. The ceiling is at $56.7 million, up from last year's $50.3 million.

Another team away from the floor that could use some scoring help is Atlanta. They are the only other team along with LA to be under the floor limit, as they stand at $38.225 million. Picking Parrish up off waivers would qualify them.