You Know What I Hate...? A(nother) Hockey Blog

My Team Might Totally Suck But....

2012-02-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

...as a hockey husband, I might have scored my biggest win. My lovely wife has been more than patient with my affair. She knows that the Habs aren't going away and that they are part of our life, for better or for worse (this season). Even my young son can spot a CH at a hundred yards. If the vast amounts of funds spent on Molson products, Montreal apparel, and man hours invested in staring at a team crash and burn weren't enough, my wife has been learning about the game of hockey. She is quite astute and has made an incredible effort to understand the appeal of the game to yours truly. I was impressed when icing became understood to her. I was pleased when she understood a penalty call based solely on the referee's hand motion. In a recent Montreal game versus Buffalo, I re-understood why I married this woman and experienced the greatest point of pride a sports loving husband can have. My wife cares about my team!!!

Helmet of Good Fortune

She noted that Carey Price (sigggghhhh)'s helmet had changed (or been broken in the course of that lovely man doing everything possible to push his team forward). That type of attention of detail comes only with fandom or dealing with fandom.

Helmet used to stand on head in epic streak of bad bounces

Thank you lovely wife for being so patient and maybe, just a little bit, sharing the feeling the joy of being a fan of real hockey with me.

Yeah But....

2012-02-09T11:21:00.000-05:00

Charisma. It is a very powerful trait. Not all people who possess the trait are bad people, in fact most probably aren't but there is no mistaking that having charisma can often cover up negative aspects to a person's personality. Regardless, a charismatic individual will go far no matter the profession in which they are engaged. That person might even earn 7.5 million dollars a year.

I am not a Scott Gomez fan. I am not a Scott Gomez defender, something that seems to have gained a bit of chic recently as Gomez's goal drought has carried on....and on...and on. Mind you not that much chic but some nevertheless.

This picture below embodies what we as hockey fans have come to think about and we as Montreal fans gnash our teeth about when someone mentions Gomez.

The smile. Well, the smile and this:

Inappropriate drop pass not pictured

Always smiling no matter how bad his play, how many awful, soft passes he manages, no matter the game situation. I understand that he is a guy that tries to keep the locker room loose with humor, making teammates laugh so as to not grip their stick too tightly or over-thinking things. That is a positive. When you are a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, however, and you see that smile despite yet another turnover resulting in an opposition goal, it is somewhat less endearing.

Scott Gomez's team mates have defended him consistently, citing what a fun, classy, and motivated guy he is. They cite his thoughtfulness, his team-first attitude, and his ability to bring a locker room together. The team supports him. There has been plenty of evidence of Gomez's leadership, this I won't deny.

Gomez does geniunely seem to care for his team mates. It is the apparent lack of care for the team's fate through his own sloppy play that infuriates me and many others. Gomez publicly apologized for his poor play in 2010-2011 and vowed to be better prepared this season. Did he follow through? It is hard to tell with Gomez losing so many games to injury but despite a few games of markedly improved play, this blogger doesn't see the evidence on-ice being a positive change. This well-written article by Dave Stubbs is a very good read on the subject.

I profess that the thought that Gomez is a member of my beloved team annoys me to the point of blood pressure increases. As a player, I have never been a fan and have become increasingly less so with every year. As a person, he seems to be a good guy, honest, caring, and well-spoken. It is an interesting dichotomy. If the Gomez of Stubbs' article showed up on the ice, I can't say that my opinion of him would change dramatically but it certainly would help his team a lot more. The article says he is a classy guy and he comes across as such in print. I wish some of that class would have a little more trouble taking his paycheck and running with it. Unfortunately for Scott Gomez, his salary and his putrid play are not all of his problems. The article calls him classy but when you use that term to describe a hockey player let alone a hockey player in Montreal, there can be only one. And that one never, ever spoke one way and played another.

Rolling Over

2012-02-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

Most sports fans are pretty open minded about the general world of athletics. It is true that most of us have our favorites but that doesn't always preclude knowledge of the existence of other forms of sporting entertainment available. For the majority of the world's population, it is football. The real football.

Large parts of the world also support cricket strongly. We ignore these parts of the world. Hockey holds sway in large portions of the northern part of the globe understandably. One can even make the argument that basketball is making headway across South American and Europe. Yet in the United States even the national past time of baseball comes a distant second to the juggernaut that is American football. Not just professional, but college level as well. This sport owns the minds and souls of the vast majority of the American sports audience. Football fans acknowledge other sports through such token gestures as silly red, white, and blue cat-in-the-hat-style headgear during the Olympics and the World cup, widespread gambling during college basketball tournaments, and obsessive internet searches for pictures of Tiger Wood's various mistresses' pictures. Football is big business and as such, media, airtime, sponsors, etc. all cater to its revenue generating bulldozer.

Don't worry Central Zambia, your shipment of 15,000 2012 Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots shirts are on the way. Sigh......

Even the other sports leagues kowtow before the might of the NFL. One could easily explain the crunching of 2,354,235 NHL games into two days of matinee fun with this:

Some might say that is oversimplifying things. I would counter with the simplest solution is often the right one. Now I am not a total fool. I know that Bettman is a businessman first and foremost. He has done a lot for the business-side of the sport. Note that I don't agree with a lot of the business he has done for the sport but it is hard to deny he has managed to take hockey and shove it down the Southern United States' throat among other things. Sure there have been a few spits ups but anyone that can plan an All-Star game in Columbus has some business ambition. For all of his evil, and it is a lot of evil, Bettman has managed to take a league divided amoung feudal barons, GMs, and owners and bring it all under his iron-fisted, platform shoe-wearing control. Centralizing the league was a smart move...on paper. In reality you get the NHL wheel of justice, expansion, expansion, expansion, and a schedule that only works on a fiscal calendar. Still, the nature of National Hockey League or as it is fondly known to this blogger, the LNH, has hardly been dull under Bettman's watch.

Perhaps the biggest events to occur under Bettman's watch were the 1994 and 2004 lock-out. Why? These, especially the latter, effectively crippled the sport of hockey, removed it from the public mind, and blocked it from all major American media expect for Sundays on NBC when nothing else is on. This national cold shoulder has caused Bettman to resort to the Barnum and Bailey like tactics he has used to get people to care again. The owners and the players do deserve a share of the blame here but Bettman was brought in to solve NHL labor issues based on his tenure in the NBA.

Relegating the NHL to Versus, blackouts, etc., have made the game a job to be able to watch. Without satellite or expansion cable packages, fans of any team outside of their immediate living area can kick rocks. The NHL is often referenced as an after-thought among sports-minded people in the media and among the population in general because the league, under Bettman, killed its presence in the States. Canada weathered the storm but has had to put up with an increasingly American bias in terms of TV times, marketing dollars, league support, and Chris Lee. Big ticket events like the Winter Classic (a warped version of the Heritage Classic) and the All-Star Game have been the league's answer. Bettman has also decided to try to ride the coattails of the almighty NFL by sticking the aforementioned 2,354,235 matinee games around the Super Bowl weekend festivities. I suppose he figures someone might slip on a chicken bone, hit the remote with their forehead, accidentally flip over a NHL match-up, and instantly be hooked by the speed, beauty, strategy, and grace of hockey. No other league, news outlet, media channel, or knitting circle changes squat for the sake of hockey. The only reason we see Stanley Cup finals in the States on a major network is because no other sport is on. Trust me, NBC would love to show pretty much anything else.

This time of year in hockey, the playoff picture is starting to come into focus. It is a very exciting/disappointing time depending on your allegiance but it is a key period in the sport. Why the league has to continually let itself get trod on by every other sport is beyond me. Perhaps the NHL administration should spend a little less time on Phoenix and a little more on getting the game back on TV in the markets that support it.

EXHALES. Let me leave you with a pretty damn funny hockey fan's take on the Super Bowl. Surely and Scribe's L.A. Kings Hockey blog presents, "Things I Learned About Football By Not Watching the Super Bowl."
Quote of the article: "There is also a “field” goal, which is less than a goal. It’s like hitting the post and getting almost half a goal. I hope Gary Bettman isn’t reading this. Don’t want to give him any ideas."

Pass The Salt

2012-01-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

So I am not going to run out and embrace the cash-grab that is the All-Star game. I think Dave Stubbs describes the whole thing nicely. "The game is what it is, to borrow from the modern player’s vocabulary, a winter break that mostly thrills those who yearn for double-digit scoring." I will say I was impressed with the attitudes of the players this year. When the league decided to add the fan ballot and fantasy draft element, my eyes couldn't roll back any further while remaining in my sockets. It is all I can do now to have some type of pupil presence when Pierre "Can I get any closer?" McGuire brings his Super Bowl/Stanley Cup Final/World Championship/Olympics/World Cup caliber reporting to what turned out to be a rather whimsical, fun series of events. Fun? I honestly didn't think it possible. Face it, the last couple times this circus went down, some funny moments managed to sprout in the pile of dung that was NHL administration patting themselves on the back but it really wasn't much more than an extra 48-72 hours for our team's "best" players to exhaust themselves before the turning point of the season.

Now to be fair, All-Star weekend isn't exactly played at a breakneck speed but it is a non-stop event with games, skills competitions, interviews, signing, etc. I for one would love to see my favorite team's franchise goaltender get some extra Zzzzz's. Imagine my surprise/chagrin when I tuned in this year (Stockholm syndrome) and saw....the players having fun. More importantly, that fun extending past the inside jokes and schlock of the NHL money-grab. More players looked to be more relaxed, open, and friendly that I can remember for quite some time. When the league gets it right and mic's the right players, things are even better. Even without the normal game intensity, I am in awe of guys that can play the sport at the highest level and conduct an interview at the same time. Even more so for the goaltenders. Now, when the league gets it wrong, you get lots of blah. To understand what blah is in this regard, just think back to any regular hockey game you have ever seen where a player is mic'd and they show little segments as filler. How many "Let's go boys!", "Oooff.", and "We got get around there and get deep" stock comments can you stand? Answer = none. So to hear guys rattling off shtick was pretty fun. If anything, this All-Star weekend is proof that players in any sport should only be on mic when they are not doing their job. The cliched nonsense that comes out of athletes mouths is just that, cliched. Don't need to hear that in any circumstance. If a player is having fun, doesn't have to concentrate as hard on the outcome, and can put a little personality into it without be penalized by team, media, or league, then and only then are mic'd segments relevant.

While I can appreciate the booing of the leaf, this venue might not have been the venue. Much like the Wild fans at the entry draft, Ottawa fans really failed to pick their moment. I have not problem with supporting the home boys, but all these guys are here as ambassadors of the sport and deserve some professional respect. That decorum slip-up aside (well that and the empty seats....and McGuire going for the Nobel Peace prize of extraneous sports event journalism), this was a pretty fun weekend. Letting the players be relaxed and enjoy each others company, free of as much contrived Gatorade-selling BS as possible, can make this weekend event almost worth it. One good egg cannot turn the spoiled eleven back but it can certainly be a pleasant surprise. With that realization, I give a tip of the hat to this year's All-Star weekend. For a great re-cap (with delicious bias), check out N31's summary.And now, we as fans are all back to hating each other with a passion.

Ladies And Gentlemen, The Hockey That Was Regularly Scheduled At This Time Will Be Back After These Not So Brief Messages Or Daddy Needs A New Pair Of Shoes

2012-01-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

It is math time! Take the title of this blog - the a(nother) hockey blog part and + the NHL 2011 All-Star Game. It all = land of suck.

Saving grace?

Some Caps fans really excited to see Dennis Wideman!

Picture shamelessly borrowed from the always entertaining N31 at THE NOTWITHSTANDING CLAUSE. Why? She is really good at posting great stuff and I am lazy. Oh and the picture rules.

It was interesting that all the Lead, Habs, and Bruins players ended up on the same team. As fans, we either got all excited like it was the Potsdam treaty or enraged like it was the XYZ affair. (Look it up people its history. Math and history in the same post? Getting all academic up in here.) As players and more importantly, professionals, we should really not expect these guys to stare pins and needles at each other. There were even fist-bumps. Oh Carey, you are so easy-going and laid back. Swoon. As much as I would rather see Price get some rest and down time, it was nice to see him there. Even with many players not attending for injury reasons or personal reasons, there were a decent number of guys there that genuinely deserved it. It was cool to see Jamie Benn make it after the surgery and the season he has been having. Summary? Some warm moments, lots of bad shtick, and more corporate sponsors than you can shake a stick at. The All-Star break, ta-dah.

I Actually Used To Like Watching This Guy Or How A "C" Ruins Everything

2012-01-20T09:15:00.003-05:00

How the mighty have fallen....from this-

to this-

Am I bitter about this?

Yes.

Realignment...I Repeat...Meh.

2012-01-10T10:21:00.002-05:00

A big issue talked about by super fans, bloggers, and the occasional media personality trying to put his/her audience to sleep is the upcoming realignment of the league. Divisions will be swept away and reorganized, playoff structure redone, and a new schedule has every team in the league playing every other team both home and away in the same season. A lot of what is proposed sounds really gimmicky to me and the line ups of the new conferences is...interesting. Interesting like watch a leg wound become infected.

Montreal, Boston, Toronto...Florida? There is some shady math going on here but in the end, Bettman politics and marketing aside, it only matters on the ice. I am not a huge fan of the extra miles to and from the West Coast but the original six teams spent half their season on the train to other towns so it could be worse. Defenders of this plan will say that it is about parity and leveling out the competition, providing fan access to their teams on televised games, blah, blah, blah, ears are now bleeding. Please, this is a money grab. Ever team has already sold as many dark blue/black third jerseys as possible so the league needs a new revenue stream.

One might think that my feelings go a bit beyond "meh" at this point but almost every action taken by league management, from the Winter Classic to the All-Star Game, is shrugged off by this veteran fan. For a thoughtful look at the issue from the NHLPA's perspective, please check out the always thorough Stu Hackel.

Oh So Something Good Can Happen To This Team

2012-01-02T13:49:00.001-05:00

I guess if my favorite can't provide good news on the ice in the form of wins, at least it can do so off the ice. My boy, now widely acknowledged across the league as a work-horse (try to keep up people), a leader, and a guy you want on your team, Josh Gorges has signed a six year deal with Montreal. Is this good new? No, it is $%#&(%&)@# great news. Yeah, it would have been better to give him the deal before the summer, maybe using some of the money languishing in the Markov deal. Listen, I love Markov and anticapte his return but both guys had knees rebuilt, both were pushing themselves to be healthy for this season, and one of them succeded. Which one?

The guy that had been playing without an ACL for SEVEN YEARS! So rejoice Habs faithful, our blue has the type of spirit, drive, and comradier it needs to succeed for at least six years. Markov playing as well as Gorges has been will be icing on the cake...even if that cake is served next year. Silver lining, meet black cloud. Sigh............

Going Down With The Ship

2011-12-19T12:24:00.001-05:00

Given the recent passing of Kim Jong-Il, talking about hockey seems a bit silly. But it is the silliness that keeps us going through riots (even more) in Cairo and the unknown in Pyongyang.

Every couple of years, professional sports sees a trend of coach firings. Such is the ebb and flow of athletics at the highest level. There are always teams that are power-houses but other teams feel that a change in leadership is all that is needed to motivate a club to win. Despite the air of hypocrisy, I think the idea that men and women playing at such a high level need a coach is a bit questionable. I understand that athletes need outside perspective and feedback on their work just like any other wage-slave but considering they are being paid to play a game and paid generously, it does cause your blogger's eyebrows to raise. Nevertheless, coaching changes happen and they sometimes do seem to help. It might not always be the answer but if nothing else, it sends a message that the owners are not happy and not willing to cut checks blindly to players or staff. To date, Davis Payne in St. Louis, Boudreau in Washington, Carlyle in Anaheim, Terry Murray in Los Angles, Paul Maurice in Carolina, and Jacques Martin in Montreal have received walking papers. The NHL is a little bit incestuous so guys often end up with a job with another team so while being fired sucks, it is not as terminal as it might seem at first

Now, enter the hypocrisy. I just said that I think the coach doesn't really matter and shouldn't be held accountable completely for a team's misfortune. I do believe they can be part of it. As a Habs fan, I believe that to my core. What's that? 11 coaches since 1993? Yeah......not too proud of that.

I, like many other fans, think that Jacques Martin, while a good coach, was the wrong coach for Montreal. He got the job because he could speak French. The team did make a nice playoff run under him and he had some moments where he out-coached the opposition but his style, let's call it the turtle, worked because he had players that knew they had to weather the Washington/Pittsburgh storm. A guy named Halak did okay too. He could take a team that knew it had to play defense first because of injury and do pretty well with it. That is all good and fine but as injuries were overcome, new talent brought in, JM stuck with the style that he knew, punished any signs of deviation from THE SYSTEM, and actively impeded the growth of the young players in the organization. He alienated the goal scorers on the team, the guys counted on to get the one or two goals MTL has to have in order to survive each game. This year in particular saw a glaring divide between the bench and the coach. It is quite possible that Martin talked up a storm in the locker room though all signs lead to players like Gill leading the chats in-between periods. He certainly never did anything on the bench outside of the notorious notepad and glaring at his players' backs. The communication breakdown, the adherence to a style that was the antithesis of Montreal hockey, and the non-stop, chemistry-destroying, confidence crushing habit that was Martin's line juggling put the hockey team in a place where they could not win, the fans in a place where they began to lose hope, and the organization in a place where they would lose money.

So the J. Martin-era in Montreal is finally over. Sorry it had to happen like it did but it was for the best. If I am still saying that in April with no noticeable changes on the ice, then I owe every reader $5. I like the move, not so much the timing. I had noticed the Randys sulking on the bench for the last handful of games, a stark contrast to their animated, exciting selves when they first got the nod. Now it is the Randy show. With two games in the bag, I am happy to date. Randy Cunneyworth has the player experience, has the communication skills, and seems to working to build his players' confidence through mutual trust. The team has responded with effort and the wins will come. The commentators love to through the must win %, records, etc. If the Randys can get this team going and believing in themselves, the rest will sort itslef out. Speaking of sorting things out, the French question needs to be put to bed. I understand the pride of the Quebecois and their desire for their sports franchise to reflect their identity but much like the hyphenated American labels in the US, it really only goes too far before it becomes self-defeating and plain silly. The language can be learned. A winning team with a successful coach, regardless of language, not so much.

On that matter, as well as the coaching change in Montreal, please enjoy the thoughtful writing below:

The P.K.ists: Voulez-Vous Coacher Avec Moi
Dan's Daily Dose: Should Habs Coach Speak French?
The H Does Not Stand For Habs: No Excuses
Jack Todd: Gauthier Fired the Wrong Guy

Thanks Chris!

2011-12-16T09:17:00.002-05:00

http://www.danyrioux.com/blog/en/chris-lee-the-most-incompetent-referee-in-nhl-history

Thanks to juce for the link. The link might be from 2009 but it has never rung truer than on Dec. 15th, 2011.

Update 12/17/2011: To be kind of fair, Lee did try to throw the CH a couple of bones during the Devils-Habs game. He still sucks, but it needed to be noted.

Err....Goal?

2011-12-16T09:12:00.000-05:00

You will see nothing but praise for this goal on the NHL's website, on any hockey broadcast, and from a lot of fans....but not here. Yeah there was a lot of moves but the -3252 mph approach to the goal, actually shooting from 2 cm out, and the feeling of arrogance on the part of Kane leaves this writer a little sour. This is less about the number of moves used and more about what is wrong with the shoot-out format.

The Hole In My Soul ~ Anatomy Of A Fan's Disappointment

2011-12-09T12:18:00.001-05:00

Have you ever rooted for a sports team? I imagine that if you are reading this, the answer is probably yes. Now, have you ever rooted for a team during a match/game/set/etc. in which that team was doing quite well? Let's say they were playing well enough and had a decent enough lead that you stopped watching the game figuring that your preferred team had things in hand?

If you answered "Yes": You are not a fan.

If you answered "No, I would wait until the end of time to watch the win cemented and the smiles on all the members of my preferred team's players": Welcome to my version of Hell.

Now, I understand that the large bulk of people out there are in the middle. They enjoy the contest, they have favorite teams, sports, and players. They clap, buy the concessions, the merchandise in moderation, and have a pretty good time. They don't mind finding new favorites or enjoying a good game between other teams. Band-wagoners/fair weather fans and extreme lunatic fans (hello you handsome devil in the mirror) are on the fringe and thankfully, fewer in number. Except Dallas Cowboys fans. They lie dormant most of the time but they love nothing more than to put out their giant blue star helmet stickers, flags, and such when the Cowboys play well. Thankfully, there hasn't been cause of them to do so since 1994.At any, I get why moderate fan majority might not like the little quiz at the beginning of this post. I do acknowledge your level-headedness, your financial and chronological assets not wasted on favorite teams, and your ability to step away. All great things. As a lunatic fan, however, it is bleu, blanc, et rouge or go watch American Idol. This is otherwise known as I don't care about any of that. I just want my team to win.

I would love it if that preferred team was good enough to have a decent lead and be playing well so that I might be able to step away, conduct basic hygienic practices, eat, interact with family members. That sounds great. There are, however, two factors in play that seem to prevent that from happening.

1).

I love my team, the Montreal Canadiens, to a rather extreme degree. They bring me joy and solace (usually). Watching them, yelling at them, cursing them, and crying with/for them is my hobby. Model airplanes, gardening, stamp collecting would all be emotionally easier but I ended up a Habs fan. It has cost me and everyone that knows me ever since I made this commitment a long time ago. If not in hours and dollars lost, then in other ways. I am sure opportunity knocked once or twice. I told it to kick rocks as it was a close game in the 3rd.

2.) Now that my love/unhealthy obsession with this franchise is in perspective, let me note that one cannot walk away from games in which they are involved because those games are never decided before the final whistle. I realize that the very act of writing this rant was all that was needed to break this...with wins being squeaked out in Jersey and the Island....There really has never been a lot of chances where the team has a game in hand. Call it the current administration, coaching philosophy (snort, giggle, sob), modern hockey being big and Montreal hockey looking down (up?) its nose at modern hockey, whatever. Montreal is famous for its number of great, no, legendary goaltenders for a reason. They expect to win but only on the strength of the keeper keeping (ah, the word play) them one goal ahead. As such, lots of close games. The past couple of seasons, under THE SYSTEM, no lead is secure. All offense ceases in the third period as the team attempts to enter a 1990's New Jersey-style shell and just survive 20 minutes, only taking breaks to pray that Price can do the work of 5 guys. Shocker, it doesn't work very often. Even if it does, it means lots of close games with exciting/nerve-racking/hair-losing finishes. Good for the sport, not good for the fan. The fact that these close games have been going the wrong side of suck this season makes this trend even worse. Sure, I could get fed up, leave the team to their own devices and just watch the first couple of periods where they ARE playing hockey. The hockey gods, however, are always watching. The butterfly effect has everything to do with the hockey gods. Superstitious much? Yup, and loving it.

Now, I admit there are some times when the team surprises me and does something that makes you want to sit through the whole game, just in case they can come back. It does't happen often but when it does, it makes it all worth it.

Even more rare is the game that is well in hand. This game can not be turned off either as the superfan is reveling in the beauty and wonder of such a thing. As it is so rare, it has to be absorbed and stored for the many months of cold, close games that seem to always end in a loss.

So you see, this team or any team claimed by a super fan, can not be put in the corner. A super fan is invested, perhaps too deeply at times, but the successes, stories, personalities,and history of the team make up part of who the super fan is. It is a hobby, a passion, and a lifestyle at times. That is why it makes it that much harder to be a super fan of a team that is not interesting in playing, is being mishandled by management, or that is just plain unlucky. Yes, there are much bigger things out there that aren't going right and are proper causes for concern. This blog, however, does have the word hockey in it. J.T., as usual, puts my own thoughts into much more eloquent form.

At the end of the day, I would love to close out a game with confidence and comfort. It might not be as entertaining to the sports fan, the casual fan, or the highlight reals, but to me, it would be heaven on earth.

I Hate Because I Love. I Mean Reeeeaaallllly Love

2011-12-07T10:08:00.001-05:00

Oh Pernell. The Sophomore slump is painful isn't it? At least you are a qualified veteran in J.M.'s book so a mistake doesn't mean an automatic benching. You have to adapt your game and everyone is on you to tone it down a notch. Bad news is toning it down is probably the opposite of what you need to do.

I am praying that is a massive, long-term contract being signed.

One of the things that made PK so much fun, such a breath of fresh air was his attitude, his fire, his joy for the game and for winning that game. I have no doubt that he will be a top-notch D-man in a very short time and is well on his way there as he figures out all aspects of his game. Against Columbus last night, he was pretty solid but there were at least 2 puck handling gaffs that were practically wrapped in bows and paper. On the young MTL blueline, this is not rare but one of PK's greatest strengths is his ability to handle and keep the puck. This has been missing this year. PK's rushes are amazing but his giveaways are disastrous.

Montreal Gazette's Mike Boone:

"P.K. Subban committed three of the Canadiens’ 11 giveaways. And each one turned into a dangerous Columbus scoring chance – including a 3-on-1 in the dying seconds of the game, a situation rescued by Josh Gorges.

Gorges bailed out his defence partner on several occasions, but it’s not fair to come down too hard on P.K.

Yes, the kid tries to do too much. But in the ongoing absence of Andrei Markov, Subban is the back-end’s only remotely dangerous puck-mover. P.K. played 32:17 against Columbus, and I think some of his late-game problems were attributable to fatigue."

Too often this season, I have seen PK actually become what other teams/players have accused of. Some extra embellishment, looking to the ref for calls, etc. There is an awful lot of this going in the NHL in general this year as a result of new rules, no clutch-grab, over the top 0 tolerance/enforcement, but PK, you are better than that.

NHL 2011 Champions.....

Don't buy into it Subban. I know your frustration with lack of personal and team production lead you to do what ever you can to help out but acting the fool is not the answer. There is a general malaise over Montreal right now but a guy like PK is the type of spark plug player that can bring them out of it if and only if he plays with his talent first.

Subban has improved every part of his game and will continue to do so as he gains more strength and experience. PK is, however, at war within himself. He is trying to be a veteran d-man because he has to on the depleted Habs. This can go against his youthful, joyous, skill-laden personality. The result = missteps, giveaways, and trying too hard. I don't know if it is the league or Martin that is giving PK the wet blanket treatment (answer is actually both) but I fear for his future. Not because of skill or desire but out of him losing his love of playing hockey on the big stage.

Please don't take this away! Let me guess Bettmen, delay of game, misconduct? How else can you squelch the joy of the game?

Remember this?

Ovechkin doesn't do this anymore for a lot of reasons. That is another post. One big reason is the crackdown on his love of hockey early on. Now, he often looks like he would rather be anywhere but on the ice.

Remember this?

PK, please remember it.

Meh.

2011-12-06T11:03:00.001-05:00

I guess the NHL realigned the teams to make 4 new conferences.

Meh. I am glad everyone is losing their mind and saying how great this is. You are welcome Winnipeg. Thanks for forcing 29 other teams to change things up. In the end, I don't really care. Hockey is hockey. Well it should be. Bettman, bad luck(Chris Lee), and pure evil (Chokula) can take away from the experience but all I want to see is number 25. I don't really care who the team has to play to get there, the end justifies the means.

Do I think that this is a simple set up for expansion. Kinda. Is it really really weird that Florida teams suddenly get lumped in with teams in the extreme NE? Yeah, it is. This is Bettman's NHL. The truth is, there is no spoon. I would be more impressed to see a clarification of the head-shot ruling, enforcement of the instigator rule, etc. than this. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back NHL. I repeat....meh.

This Post Was Really Unavoidable Given My Fandom

2011-11-29T09:20:00.001-05:00

I am pretty sure only 98% of the hockey world has already talked about the issue of the Max Pacioretty suspension so I want to try to corner some of the precious remaining readership pie. You know, because your humble blogger's opinion is, in Boston-speak, wicked important.

For a much more detailed breakdown of the hit, check out the fantastic work by GG11 here.

I am on record (unless I used administrative rights to erase said record) as having said:

"Last point. I am glad that Kris Letang is healthy and suffering no (at the moment) long term effects from the hits by Patches. It is a really dangerous point on the ice as you are releasing a shot. Now, do I fault Max for the hit? No I don't and not because I am a Habs fan. I am all for ending head shots. I don't have issue with the hit though I do feel that it would have been one that could have be avoided. This is the fine line of the new NHL. The hit wasn't really late, it wasn't from behind, and it didn't target the head. The point of contact was the head as Letang dipped as he released his shot in a normal shot follow-through. Asking a player to try to make a defensive play only when they can be sure that the person they are trying to hit is facing them, away from the boards, and at equal height all while traveling at high speed is ridiculous. . Does this prose sound like it is waffling? It does and it is because that is how hard the issue is to define. I would have been okay with a penalty on the play. A suspension would be a joke and so much salt in the wound that the game opened up with the game-winner. Especially when this got no call, no suspension. Precedent? It does exist, even in the NHL. Or at least it should."

I will stand by the statement and I will clarify. I do not believe that Patches deserves a suspension in light of the actions by the league so far in handing out justice for reckless play in the NHL. As a fan of Patches and the Habs, I am sad that one of the young talents who continues to get better and better will miss out on some key games for Montreal. I believe in his apology and I believe there was no intent what so ever to deliver a hit to Letang's melon. There is A LOT of interpretation of the video but to my mind, shoulder make contact with head because 1) Letang goes through the natural shooting motion which does lower the shoulders and body,exposing the head, 2) Patches shifted to the right in an attempt to avoid contact when he noticed Letang was in the awkward position, 3) despite some comments noting the turn of Letang's head and not his body, his body was already turned because of the shot he was following through on, and 4) elbows were kept at Patches' sides, no upward motion was made with his arms, and Letang saw the hit coming.

As a nice comparison, please find J.T.'s (see, another rational Habs fan!) analysis here.

Now, while I don't agree with the suspension because the lack of penalty, the lack of intent, Letang's lack of medical examination, Patches' first time offense, etc., I do understand it as a necessary step to really trying to mold the awful, amorphous interpretation of the rules on head-shots. If a guy with no record does what he can to not deliver a shot, does anyway, and gets a ruling (somehow harsher than the normal ruling for a phone call to a non-repeater), it should set a tone for all the Cookes, Malones, and Bogosians out there. But will it? Most media and fans of other teams are quick to point out that Montreal fans are pulling the victim card. Some are. Most of us are not. The bulk of Montreal fans and even those intelligent hockey fans of other leanings recognize this suspension as a utter lack of consistency.

Leaving events from the last season behind, there have been any number of most egregious hits this year that have gone unpunished. I will take a leap and speak for many when I say I can swallow the suspension IF IT IS THE START OF CONSISTENT ENFORCEMENT BY THE LEAGUE. Each play is different and each requires unique attention. That is why Shanahan's videos were (key past tense) so refreshing. When the videos and the analysis contained within start to contradict themselves and past rulings, questions are rightly raised, ire is invoked, and clarification is needed. For example, the first hit below got the same penalty as the Pacioretty hit. The following ones got nothing. And just for comparison, the last video is probably one of the more heinous cheap shots in recent hockey history. If anything will illustrate the difference between Patches' non-intent, near avoidance, it is Matt Cooke.

Even I, a lover of the retread, will not mention other high profile cases this season. The bottom line is I do not mind if the suspension to Max if it is the start of true enforcement, regardless of team or star status, of the head-shot rule and a true committment by the league to player safety. I am already making my tinfoil hat.

Fast-Tracking

2011-11-28T14:31:00.001-05:00

Congratulations time. Capt. Kirk Muller has jumped from the Admirals straight to the Hurricanes. Is it a promotion? Yes? Maybe?

At any rate, I am happy for him, he deserved a top job....in Montreal. Alas, the one that got away. Please Kirk, don't hurt the Habs next match-up. Best of luck, Carolina is lucky to have you.

Muller is one showing an indication of life.

We Are All Losers

2011-11-28T10:40:00.001-05:00

The issue of the Habs-Pens' most recent match has been covered and covered soundly. I would not be consistent if I didn't decide to write about an issue that has long since been covered and probably covered more thoroughly. I would also not be consistent if I cared. Another spoiler alert here, so non-Habs people, put on your earmuffs or read on with an open mind.

Montreal vs Pittsburgh. Lots of plot points here. Sindey Crosby is back, somehow playing even better after 2356346 days off. Malkin, Staal, all healthy. In fact, the entire Penguin team is intact. They are playing better than they did when they won the Cup. This, for fans of opposing teams, = poo. I am thrilled to see Sid back and playing so well. He whines, yes Caps fans, but trying to find a player that doesn't protest is a tall order indeed. Last time I checked, Cap'n Alex needed some cheese to go with his whine as well. Crosby does jaw a bit more than average but the thing is, he backs it up with phenomenal play. There, I played my hand. Given a choice between 87 and 8, I go 87 all the way.

It is hard to find a picture of Crosby without that "mustache"

Tangent aside, it was a daunting task for Montreal to play against the Pens on Saturday, November 26th, 2011. The game that followed was.....interesting. Did I enjoy the 3-1 lead? You beat. Did I enjoy the quick push-back after an EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEARRRRRLLLYY goal by Malkin? Emphatically so. The total collapse in coaching and effort that led to OT? Not so much. I do love the Kool-Aid but I am not too deluded to admit that Montreal was outplayed in that game. Outcoached is a given but outplayed as well. A Mr. Carey Price was the difference. I have heard a lot of talk about how the Habs deserved to lose that game (which they duly did, 4-3 in OT). This is where I take issue.

These fans, media-types, haters, whatever might say Montreal deserved to lose because they were outplayed but they could say that about a number of teams on any given day. The thing is, the team might have deserved to lose but Carey Price did not. He played incredibly well, well enough to win the game for his team. From Dennis-Kane.com: "Price was the star of the night, more so than Malkin and Letang and a guy named Crosby, and the Canadiens had a chance to win this thing against the best team in the league at this time." These same people could say the same thing about the 2010 playoffs. Halak disagreed and as such, the nearly magically Cup run. So no, Montreal did not deserve to lose because Price played like it mattered. That the game ended like this makes it that much harder for Price for sure but also for the hangers-on like myself.

Tell me if there was any question that the puck was still in play. Show how the referee behind the net on in the corner didn't lose sight of the puck. Explain why no reasoning was offered to Price. Would the Penguins have won in the shoot out? Maybe. Haters gonna hate but Price admitted he wasn't happy with his shoot-out play this year and he worked on it. Given the number of breakaways he had to stop against the Flyers and the Penguins, I think he would have been great. The officials saw to it that that question will forever remain a question.
Now, Penguins fans. A goal is USUALLY (lots of emphasis here) called back because it is not a goal. It DOES (more emphasis) suck when your team has one waived off or gives one up that should have been waived off (see above). I sympathize with you there. But punching the puck in or kicking the goaltender into the net? That is pretty good grounds for calling a goal back. As a fan, I always feel a little guilty when one goes in that shouldn't have and it is counted. Just a little. I can also, however, sigh and nod my head when the officials get it right, even if it sucks for my team. This leads me to this point: Just because your team had a few non-goals called as such doesn't give a free pass on the third one! Third time is not a charm, two wrongs do not make a right, and I wouldn't be proud to have my team win that way. It is easy to say as the fan of the losing team but as a fan of the sport and good competition, it is the right thing to say.
Last point. I am glad that Kris Letang is healthy and suffering no (at the moment) long term effects from the hits by Patches. It is a really dangerous point on the ice as you are releasing a shot. Now, do I fault Max for the hit? No I don't and not because I am a Habs fan. I am all for ending head shots. I don't have issue with the hit though I do feel that it would have been one that could have be avoided. This is the fine line of the new NHL. The hit wasn't really late, it wasn't from behind, and it didn't target the head. The point of contact was the head as Letang dipped as he released his shot in a normal shot follow-through. Asking a player to try to make a defensive play only when they can be sure that the person they are trying to hit is facing them, away from the boards, and at equal height all while traveling at high speed is ridiculous. . Does this prose sound like it is waffling?

Wrong waffle but too enjoyable to not post.

It does and it is because that is how hard the issue is to define. I would have been okay with a penalty on the play. A suspension would be a joke and so much salt in the wound that the game opened up with the game-winner. Especially when this got no call, no suspension. Precedent? It does exist, even in the NHL. Or at least it should.

Writing About A Good Writer's Writing Is Easy Part Two: I Love Josh Gorges

2011-11-17T13:50:00.001-05:00

Josh Gorges has long been my favorite player on the Montreal Canadiens. He reminds me of me when I used to play only much better of course. I have a monster crush on Carey Price, adore P.K., will sit next to M. Cammarlleri any night of the week, but my number one guy has always be Gorges. JT, probably one of the best hockey bloggers out there, wrote this piece about my guy and I don't think I could trump it. Read it, you will be happy you did. There is no limit to what Gorges brings to the team and to the NHL. Heat up some hot cocoa and enjoy the story of a guy that deserves every second of his success.

This Is What Doom Feels Like

2011-11-15T10:57:00.001-05:00

NOTE: As a fan of the Canadiens, I feel compelled to warn you, dear reader, that this entry will not even pretend to be neutral topic-based or non-biased.

Carey Price is not happy. He is mad. Seeing Carey Price mad makes me sad. He played out of his mind last year and has been playing nearly as well this year. Sure, penalty shots have been difficult but we all know that the penalty shot format/OT format is a joke anyway. Don't tell me it is exciting. It is exhausting no matter which way it goes. If you claim to be a hockey fan and think that penalty shots are a fair AND exciting way to end the game, here is something to keep yourself entertained during the three regular periods.

Carey is mad that his team lost, he is mad that he couldn't pull out the win for the home crowd, he is mad at the media in Montreal asking why he didn't win, (including, to a very small degree, this blog but we all know that this blog =Love for Price)and Carey Price has every reason to be be upset. Montreal gave up that game as they have done in many others over the course of this young season. I am pretty sure this will happen again too. In fact, this WILL happen again as long as the current structure....or shall I say SYSTEM remains in place. I have seen any number of games (far too many) this season and as well as in the past couple of seasons in which MTL stops playing with a lead. 20 minutes left? Let's turtle!!! Up by 1? Ostrich time!

You play for a win, not for a lead. Too often, Montreal plays for a lead, shuts down, and needs extra time to resolve a game. Take the win, take the points, and get the extra rest! I am not inclined to do the work but I will trust my memory (Ha!) in making the following statement. Jacques Martin teams always play for the lead. I do recall the years when Ottawa was a powerhouse and remember even in the playoffs, they played for the lead. The result? No new cups in the Canadian capital. Florida and now Montreal, same thing. Score a few then sit back and (try to) coast to the end of the game.

Lots of fans and non-fans have noted that Montreal doesn't score a lot of goals. There are reasons for this and the biggest reason is that the SYSTEM doesn't let them. If they score two, the SYSTEM dictates going into a defensive shell. Did I say two? I meant one. This works well if you are the New Jersey Devils in 2003. This does not work well in 2011 in Montreal. You have some of the best offensive talent this team has seen in some time. Patches, Cole, Subban, Cammalleri, Kostitsyn, Gionta...these guys score or rather they could if they were allowed to attempt to do so beyond the middle of the second period.

Yet no one dares invoke the anger of the notepad. (I swear, Martin looked exactly the same when the Habs scored and when they were scored on. Red light on, notepad out.)Your name gets scribbled down and you are benched. Hey, are you the big, tough defensemen the CH has been courting and coaxing from Russia for 5 years? Welcome to Montreal, here is the bench. Enjoy it. Have a hot dog!

I swear, watching the beginning of a 3rd period in a game where Montreal has a lead is is the closest thing to feeling death slowly sweep over your that doesn't leave you 6 feet under.

It is really hard to be confident as a fan much less a player when you know that any attempt to apply pressure on the offensive side of the center line is going to get you benched for the remainder of the game. This team can win and wants to win. They want to play the fast, high-skill style the Canadiens have always played. Lots of Habs fans say the team needs to be tougher. I disagree. The team needs to play to its composition. Listen to Eric Cole people!

"We just sat back far too much," Cole said after the Canadiens let a 2-0 lead slip away in the third period. "It's always been my experience that it's better to continue to go at them, push pucks forward, try to get in the forecheck and play the same way you've been playing. We talked about it, but we didn't execute.

Look what happened in Washington when Bruce Boudreau decided playing defense was a good thing. The team stopped scoring 3456346 goals a game, played a shell, and was excused from the playoffs. "But it was the second round!" Getting past the Rangers (at least before this year...) in the first round was like selling lighter fluid, rags, and empty bottles to citizens of Vancouver. Easy. Like getting some one in TD Gardens to laugh by punching an old lady. Easy. Like.....I really would enjoy doing this for all 32 teams. But this isn't about joy, it is about doom. The Capitals made the correction, have removed the leashes, and are letting the offensive squad they put together play like they know how. Results? Look at the standings lazy reader. Here is a hint, things are good. I am not sure why Martin can't see that his SYSTEM died with Clutching and Grabbing. It is an indication of how hard Price and others are playing to make it work in any semblance. Oh and by the way, Martin denied Montreal backed off in the 11/14/11 game against Buffalo in the third. Of course he did, because it is not backing off it is the way Martin wants them to play. You know what I want?

UPDATE: A much nicer yet true as always point by J.T.

Writing About People Who Are Good At Writing Is Easy

2011-11-03T11:53:00.003-04:00

As hockey fans, we have all seen a member of our beloved franchise take a less than comfortable hit and get helped off the ice. It is upsetting in the mild cases to terrifying in the extreme ones. Hockey is a violent sport even though the level of violence allowed is a frequently debated topic. Not the topic of this entry mind you. This is a lazy entry related to the unfortunately increasingly frequent injuries in the NHL.

Lower-body injury, upper-body injury, which one is it going to be? That is your only choice if you want to know what is ailing a player. Oh there is the mandatory speculation on websites, blogs, message boards, and the in-between period talking head-fests on network television. Note the link to said talking heads is neither anything to do with the band or a real (re: boring) in between period powwow but I would like to imagine it really happened because it is hilarious. If this masterpiece by GG11 doesn't sell you, you are probably a Broooons fan. Then again, it might appeal specifically to you.

We all become doctors when it involves a player we love/hate. Right Dr. Recchi? Do we as fans have the right to know the complete medical breakdown on players' injuries? No, we don't but it is nice to know when a favorite might be lacing the skates up again. The legendary Red Fisher has written an article on this very topic as only he can. I highly recommend reading the entire thing.

“What did you want me to say?” he wailed. “What did you want me to say?”

“I wanted you to say the Rangers sucked,” he was told.

“You know I can’t say that,” Recchi said.

“Well, you’re gonna say it in The Gazette tomorrow,” he was promised.

He did.

"My Eyes! The Googles (Visor), They Do Nothing!"

2011-10-27T17:28:00.000-04:00

Right Mike Milbury? Visors are for cowards anyway. Who needs a visor in a game where large, strong men skate around on blades and swing around extremely light but damaging clubs? Only the weak. Milbury doesn't need them and neither does the NHL! Fighters talking about the physical and more importantly psychological damage of repeated head injuries? Turncoats and pukes! Players and analysts thinking that maybe visors should be a mandatory item in NHL equipment rooms? Weaklings and cowards! We have two eyes for a reason, who cares if you lose one? Chris Pronger might.

Manny Malhotra might.

Travis Moen might.

I realized that Moen smiling goes against point. Note that Moen still doesn't wear a visor and has a head made of granite. Hardworking, dependable granite but granite.

Saku Koivu might. I don't have it in me to post any pictures of that wonderful, courageous man. All these guys, even Pronger for whom I have no love, deserve better. Eye injuries in any sport, any walk of life, are not something to take lightly and steps to prevent those injuries deserve better than the commentary Mike Milbury put forth on October 25, 2011 in between periods of the Buffalo-Tampa Bay game. See Mike? Malkin wears a visor and he is happy.

The argument put forth by the detractors of visors is the reduced vision and loss of awareness. Last time I checked, losing an eye does the same thing, only it is not reversable. Just like the NHL has been glacially slow to react to the dangers of head shots, hits from behind, and the effects on the brain of the sport's (occasionally) overthetop physicality, the lashing out at visors and the players that wear them is unwarranted, antiquated, and plain stupid. Milbury is straight from the Cherry school, one that has no place in the era of the modern athelete. Besides the comments on the reduction of vision (isn't the visor clear?), the other comment issued by the "experts" on the 25th was the effect of the visor on fighting. It was put forth that the visor is an impediment and a danger to those engaging in the almost ritual-like brawls in the NHL. As I type this, I lose brain cells. How does anyone put forth an argument saying that the visor is a danger to the fist of a guy trying to de-tooth another guy and keep a straight face? I have to think keeping a helmet on does pretty much the same thing. Aaron Asham didn't seem too concerned with the visor Jay Beagle was wearing.

I am no fan of goonery or fighting in the NHL in general. I think it is largely a sideshow and am tired of the buffoons that support it, both on the TV in their ties and in the stands with their high fives and catcalls. To put forth that the great art of almost always pointless pugilsim in hockey is in danger by enacting saftey mesasurse to protect the players health boggles my mind. If I give Milburey credit for anything, it is the audacity and conviction of his beliefs. Oh that and sinking the New York Islanders as a viable hockey team for at least 20 years.

Now, making visors mandatory is probably not the way to go. If there is anything North America hates, it is being told what to do in order to protect our physical persons. Besides owning guns, that is still okay. Right to bare arms, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It SHOULD be the players' choice if they want to wear a visor and deal with "reduced perception" or go the other route, take one in the mush and sport an eyepatch. I admit my bias towards visors being a good thing but I do believe that is the players' decision at the end of the day. Giving the players that choice and coming out and attacking the use of visors by players that do want to protect their eyes are two entirely different animals. It is irresponsible, reckless, juvenile, and pathetic for Mr. Milbury to come out with the statements he did. Then again, when your biggest claim to fame is beating a man in the stand with his own shoe, your intelligence and thinking ability are not really in question.

100 Ws!

2011-10-27T09:44:00.003-04:00

Congratulations Carey!!!!

Home Sweet Home

2011-10-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

I have taken a small break from posting because I found myself on a weekend roadtrip....to heaven! That and the only real news that has come out of the hockey world is A)10125534 injuries. Isn't the NHL supposed to be getting cleaner? B) the Winnipeg Jets still suck. Yeah I know they beat Pittsburgh. They also got thumped by the 'Yotes. Let's see, what else. Crosby out? Check. Cherry a jerk? Check. Capitals change system again? Check. Just another day in the NHL.

For this blogger, however, the 15th of October, 2011 will always be a special, special day. A lifetime of Habs-filled hockey, two moments of joy, lots of moments of annoyance, and a few of outrght rage finally led to this:

My life is complete. I was always jealous of those that beamed of the atmopshere of the Forum/Bell Center. I had spent more than enough money to create a Habs-friendly zone in my own house but to be in actually center of the hockey world was enough to bring me to tears. One, the facility is gorgeous. Sure it is crowded but unlike other NHL areans, this rink is designed to handle it and the logjams are few and far between.. Two, I have never been to a sporting event where the scalpers are there at 9 in the MORNING!! That is beyond awesome. I have also never seen such scalping activity on the part of buyers. People want to be in the Bell Center. Why? Montreal rules. They might not always win (10/26: or ever) but they put on a show and the fan base is the most loyal, intelligent, fun crowd imaginable. Capstronaut?

Please. Not needed as people cheer without the uriging of some clown with a toot toot horn. The game was fast, emotional, and enjoyable. I wish there could have been a W involved but a game that ends 6-5 in a shoot out can be said to be worth the price of admission. Les Boys fought back three times. It was amazing and every other rink in the NHL is on notice. Selective memory lets me post these pictures from the game.

Welcome Back Winnipeg!

2011-10-10T09:43:00.001-04:00

A LOT of fanfare has been made about the return of the Winnipeg Jets. I am happy for the people of Winnipeg as they have their Jets back. It is also nice to have another team up North to provide a little more balance in the league. It was kind of funny how much the administration of the NHL clamped on to this cause and trumpted their own role in it. It was even more interesting to see Gary Bettman grinning ear to ear on the dirty goal by Nik Antropov. This is the same Bettman that would sooner cut off one of those ears rather than return a team to an interested fanbase in Canada. Ah well, it is not about the suits but rather the fans and they were certainly happy to have hockey back. Hopefully everything works out this time around and the Jets 2.0 can stay in Winnipeg. It is interesting to see them playing in the East this year before the league is restructured and the team is placed in the West.

All that being said, the media took the swell of enthusiasm and excitment and made it sound like the 80's Oilers had been reborn in Winnipeg. Much like in the EA Sports NHL 2012 game, the legends of old will be dressed in the Jets' sweaters to lead the team to glory. Ummm, you all do know that you got this in a different package right?

This is the Atlanta Thrasers. That uniform switch really did not change anything. Not only is it a re-packaged Thrasers, it is the Illya Kovalchuk-less Thrasers. Moving north certainly does and did not guarentee that the team would suddenly be good. In fact, it might have been harder for the Jets/Thrashers to get used to playing in front of lots of fans that actually cheer. I mean this

is a lot different than this.

All jokes aside, hopefully the town, the fans, and the players can all lift each other to make a competetive franchise work. Atlanta? First the Flames and now the Thrashers. You have passionate fans but unfortuantely they can all fit on one bus. Like the relationship saying goes, it is not me, it's you. I know that is a reverse of the normal cliche but the truth much like misquotes, hurt. Who knows, as long as Bettman is in charge, you might have another chance at it yet.

100 Posts? The Start of the 2011-2012 Hockey Season? What Could Go Wrong?

2011-10-10T09:10:00.002-04:00

100 posts? Wow, that is a lot of writing. Maybe too much. You Know What I Hate? A(nother) Hockey Blog celebrates its 100th with a bit of sad news, at least for this fan.

I am happy as I have managed to not totally burn out over the past year but sad as the GREATEST hockey blog around has closed up shop. FourHabsFans is no more, at least in terms of active greatness. I highly suggest you get over there and peruse the past musings of that crew. The photoshops, the profanity, the gratuitious nudity, the overwhelming passion for the Habs, and the generael hockey smarts made this a daily must-visit.

UPDATE: The Phoniex looks to rise again? I do not mean the Jet's 1.0 down in the desert either.

Season starts (for the most important team) against the Leaf. I was a littled excited.

Excited until.........the actual game.

The other bit of sad news that marks this post is the absolutely awful game vs. the Leafs. The team (you should know by now that there is only one team) stunk it up, showing lots of individual effort which promptly got them scored on short-handed. The team came out a bit flat. The Leaf blocked a lot of shots. Let me say, the Leaf team did, Reimer let a lot of shots dribble through his pads only to be fanned on by any Canadien in the general proximity.

Reimer was good, but there were more than a few chances on rebounds when the initial shot didn't come from the perifery and hit him in the crest. ARRRRGHGHGHHH! It was maddening. It was, however, game one of 82+ (it had better be PLUS!). After a long summer of being teased about having the healthy team of players that we have been waiting for, some fun pre-season games where we the future of the club looking pretty good, it was hard to avoid a little bit of disappointment in the flat perfomance of Montreal but really both teams for that match-up. BTW, this was the Leaf's third jersey?

I know it is historic, a tie back to the last Leaf cup in '67 but different color stripes? Wow.I guess they had a lot of leftover fabric in the factory eh? "Let's just swap the stripes, it will be great!" I do live in a glass house when it comes to my team of choice and their jersey changes but I choose to throw that rock anyway.

The bottom line is that hockey is back. Long live hockey!

Tired Of Reading Yet? Good/Too Bad ~ The Seriousness of The Issue

2011-10-01T12:59:00.002-04:00

In my series of lazy blogs to promote a more intelligent/informed hockey fandom (you know, the kind that would have found the articles I am linking to on their own), I give you a great piece by the one and only Ken Dryden. It is a call to action and a call for change before the season gets under way next week. As hockey fans that have gotten so much out of the sport, we need to embrace and call for these changes as the players that makes our lives enjoyable are literally killing themselves to do so. Are they compensated? Yes but that doesn't mean they have to play with the thought in the back of their heads that each hit is potentially shortening their life. Read up and chime up, to me, to each other, and to the league. If we want to keep having hockey to enjoy, we need to be responsible as fans.

Time for the NHL to Get Head Smart

Just What Is the New NHL?

2011-09-29T11:12:00.000-04:00

I am not a big fan of Sports Illustrated. They are far too in love with the NCAA and their intense coverage of collegiate athletics is perhaps one of the biggest pushes in compensation for college athletes. That is a different topic and a much more heated one at that. I did see Stu Hackel's column and felt it worth another look. The NHL is undergoing some changes as a result of Brendan Shanahan's installment as disciplinarian and concern for violence in the sport. Like an awkward teenager struggling to cope with change, the league, the players, the execs, the management, and the fans are all rather confused. Hackel sums it up nicely and with quality video evidence as well. For the full article, expanded explanations, links, and videos, make sure to click here.

1) Why NHL players continue to commit suspendable acts in preseason while knowing that Brendan Shanahan is executing the toughest standard of discipline the NHL has ever seen. The suspension of Jody Shelley for 10 games should have been enough to send the message. But thus far, including the Flyers Tom Sesito’s punishment on Wednesday, Shanahan has had to suspended seven players for a total of 46 games — 24 of them in the regular season — and they’ve been fined $642,897, which is salary lost. Think that’s enough warning?

2) Why an unnamed NHL executive told Damien Cox of The Toronto Star that Shanny may be exceeding his authority. “We voted for stiffer suspensions, and we meant it,” said this veteran executive. “But not doubling and tripling. If (Shanahan) gets too far in front, he won’t last long in the job.”

3) Why Martin Brodeur believes these suspensions are giving the NHL a black eye. The Devils goalie told Mark Everson of The New York Post that “”Not everybody is following preseason, and when it’s over, the only thing people are going to hear about is, ‘twelve suspensions for 37 games or whatever it turns out,’ ” Brodeur told The Post on Tuesday. “That’s not good for the game. No other sport does anything like that to itself.”

4) How any hockey fan, no matter what they think of the Maple Leafs, could read Stephen Marche’s excellent essay “Toronto: The Worst Sports City in the World” in the online magazine Grantland and not be embarrassed for the state of the franchise in the supposed “Centre of the Hockey Universe.”

5) Why Wayne Simmonds, who displayed a good measure of dignity after being on the receiving end of a repugnant racist gesture from a fan in London, Ontario, (saying “When you’re a black man playing in a predominantly white man’s sport, you’ve got to come to expect things like that. Over the past 23 years of my life, I’ve come to expect some things like that. But I’m older and more mature now, I kind of just left things roll off [my back]. I try not to think about stuff like that.”) can then turn around and make a repugnant homophobic remark to Sean Avery. Oh, he later denied it. Right.

6) Why the NHL Network believed that hiring Barry Melrose was a good idea. Yeah, he’s still got a great smile and a great laugh. He is, after all, a TV star. But when it comes to communicating the complexities of the contemporary game, Melrose revealed all anyone needs to know about him during his aborted stint as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Because You Should Read More...This Sport Did Exist Before The Lock-Out

2011-09-28T16:50:00.002-04:00

Red Fisher, the one and only, has started a top ten series on the greatest Canadiens' squads of all time. This rules on so many different levels. I highly suggest you make your way over to the Montreal Gazette's page (all credit for stories and photos attributed to said Gazette) and catch up on some hockey history. I say this not just as a Canadiens' fan but as a hockey fan. No writer epitomizes the great history of the sport like Mr. Fisher and manages to craft hockey stories with such poise and dignity. Find the list from 10 to 1 below.

The start of a dynasty

Worsley capped Cup win for retooled Canadiens

Tougher Than Expected

Toe Blake's Last Kick At the Can

Montreal Canadiens' sweep of Philadelphia Flyers in 1975-76 Stanley Cup set stage for dynasty

Patrick Roy extinguished Flames in goalie’s coming out party

Game 7 Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins had everything

Canadiens team in a league of its own

Magical overtime run culminated in 24th Cup

1970-71 road warriors dethroned Bruins

BoobTube: Now in Blue and White

2011-09-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

Look now and know that you look on evil incarnated. Leaf TV sucks I say this because as a Canadiens' fans I have to but also because I am a little jealous. For the sake of things, I will concentrate on the suckitude and not the jealousy.

For the fan not lucky enough to be living in the same zip code as the team of choice, preseason games are kind of hard to find. Sure, you can stream them on the internet through a myriad of sites, but let's face it; that kind of stinks. Spotty quality, slowed streams as all the band-wagoners jump on for the last couple minutes of each period....etc. My vegged out expression is the same if I am staring at the Habs on TV or the Habs on the monitor but I suppose I would prefer the former. The one hope the non-computerized hockey fan has is hoping that their team is featured on the NHL Network's preseason coverage. Unless the team you root for is playing the Toronto Maple Leafs, this is not likely.

The Leaf has a little advantage in they OWN THEIR OWN TV STATION. It is not enough the CBC and TSN have nothing but love for the Leaf. Oh no! They have to have their own 24 hour Leaf network. Many teams don't bother to pay for TV rights to the preseason. Any taping is for local or team use only. The Leaf makes sure that each and every game is televised on Leafs TV. This makes it easy for the NHL Network to pick up the feed and submit the bulk of the hockey fan-base to the suck that is the Leaf. We are talking total domination of preseason air time. Hmmm, the jealousy seems to have creeped back into my diatribe a little bit.

What really inspired me to start this entry was a Sabres-Leaf preseason game. During a stoppage in play, the yakkity-yaks that were calling the game decided to praise Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe. These two Buffalo players are little fireballs, emphasis little. They skate hard, play hard, and have a lot of grit. I think they are fun to watch and their speed gives a lot of bite to the Buffalo fore-check. So do they deserve mention for their efforts? Yes! Does it seem a bit odd that the same humps that lavish compliments on these two smaller players repeatedly and regularly dump big buckets of swill on Montreal and players like Gionta, Cammalleri, Desharnais, etc? Yes....and no. MTL haters and analysts in general love to point to the small size of the Habs. All failures to live up to the ghosts of the Forum are attributed to the lack of size. Athletes are getting bigger in hockey but the beauty of the game is that smaller players with tremendous skill can still compete and win. Everyone points out (and I will join right in!) Martin St. Louis. I already mentioned my MTL heroes. There are dozens of these guys out there and they deserve to be there. I would rather see a bunch of guys at 5'10 skating their legs off, playing extraordinary hockey than a rink full of 6'5, slopped-foreheads attempting to drive each into and through the boards.

Let's face it, the majority of NHL'ers are in the same height/weight category. There are the extremes of the Giontas and the Charas. Size really doesn't matter. Ask anyone that got the bad end of a N. Kromwall or D. Kasparitis hit. It is drive and skill. It would be nice if this could acknowledged universally and not based on where said smaller play makes his trade. For example: Brad Marchand. Dislike the guy and have no love for his attitude, but I respect his hustle. So for all those, professional or amateur, that play the size card this year? This waffle is for you.

The Love Is Gone~ WTF Buffalo?!?!? You Do Know This Is The Preseason Right?

2011-09-28T11:32:00.002-04:00

Trust me, I am well aware that this is not a timely post. Are my posts ever timely? No. That way I always have the advantage of knowing what happened so I can more effectively complain about it.

So Sept. 21st, Preseason game #2 for the saintly Habs. Opponent: The new revamped (re: a boat load of cash) Buffalo Sabers. Exciting! Lots of prospects to see! I can't wait. Here is Montreal's lineup:

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Goaltenders: Peter Budaj, Robert Mayer

Forwards: Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Brian Gionta

Mathieu Darche - Gabriel Dumont - Alexander Avtsin

Travis Moen - Andreas Engqvist - Brendan Gallagher

Aaron Palushaj - Hunter Bishop - Philip DeSimone

Defensemen:Alex Henry - P.K. Subban

Nathan Beaulieu - Josh Gorges

Jaroslav Spacek - Frederic St. Denis

Sounds great! Can't wait to see the kids play. Lots of promise in this roster and everyone was super excited to see N. Beaulieu. P.K.'s first game too! Gorges is back wit two healthy knees? Just try to keep me away from that TV. Oh wait. They are not showing it on TV. The NHL, in its infinite marketing wisdeom, has not made any deals with local stations to show preseason games. After all, who would want to watch their team after FOUR MONTHS OF NOTHING?!?!?!?!? Ahem. The bottom line is that I was excited to see how some of these players, including how Price's new backup looked. It was also exciting to see some of the Sabres' young players as Buffalo had been moving and building for awhile now. I mean, Tomas Vanek isn't getting any younger and it is only a matter of time before Ryan Miller draws and quarters himself trying to keep his team in games. So here is what Lindy Ruff trotted out.....

BUFFALO SABRES

Goaltenders: Ryan Miller, Jhonas Enroth

Defensemen: Tyler Myers, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Robyn Regehr, Dennis Persson, Drew Schiestel, Christian Ehrhoff

Forwards:

Thomas Vanek - Derek Roy - Jason Pominville

Tyler Ennis - Ville Leino - Drew Stafford

Nathan Gerbe - Luke Adam - Brad Boyes

Marucs Foligno - Matt Ellis - Zack Kassian

Hmmmmm, Did I miss the memo that this was actually a regular season game? Martin apparently did as Buffalo decided to pretty much dress their actual NHL squad.... against a bunch of 18 year olds and junior players. Now I am of two minds on this: the angry, angry one and the rational one. Allow me to give them each moment to present their case.

Lindy Ruff, WTF? This was your team's first or second preseason game. I did not stutter, preseason game. You bring a full line-up? You bring both your starting and rather talented backup goaltender? What are you doing? This is a chance to let guys stretch their legs, to evaluate the youth of the organization to see what kind of depth you have for the future and if the need arises due to injury. To quote JT from one of the most thoughtful hockey blogs going, "Of course, it's understandable that a team should want to get a close look at its prospects in action against NHL competition. It's also reasonable that NHL veterans should want to gradually work up to full speed without risking too much in the way of injury." You know who you are playing and you bring the A-Team? Classy is the word I am looking for isn't it? Oh wait, no it is a$$hat. Nice mustache, I am surprised you weren't curling it around your finger and saying "Nyaaaaa!" during the game. Turd.

And now for something completely different....

I have gone on record saying I like the preseason. I like seeing the draft picks not named Taylor/Tyler skate their hearts out for a chance to wear the colors longer than a month or so. I like seeing the future of the team even getting a chance to see how the junior/AHL league affiliates might stack up this season. I like that the guys slotted for the roster can ease back into the schedule. That all being said (again) I understand why one would play a full roster for the preseason. You don't want to wait for 5-6 games where points are on the line for players to find chemistry, for lines to click, and more a groove to be established. You want you team hitting the ice ahead of the curve. Letting the roster play together when they can concentrate on learning each other's habits without worrying about April is a pretty smart move. Boone manages to synthesize both sides of this saying that with a couple of exhibitions left, let the roster play as to be ready for the opener on the 6th. So Lindy Ruff, you made a good decision you jerk. Let's see how it pans in come October.

Be-bopping and Scatting Preseason Style

2011-09-24T12:03:00.001-04:00

Yeah, hockey is back! Or is it? Lots and lots of hockey fans, players, coaches, pundits, blah,blah, blah will tell you that the preseason is the proverbial dipping of the toe in water. Easing back into things before the fury of 82 games starts to beat players down. For most fans, it is but a tantilizing taste of the return of the greatest game. As such, it is either over-savored (though this would be the minority group) or ignored/brushed off (at least when your team loses a preseason game).

I can understand a lot of the frustrations. The games are slower, there are lots of unknown players, no one wants to see a key guy get hurt by an overzealous prospect. The games tend to show more weaknesses than strengths as players get back into game mode as opposed to training mode. Lots of goals are scored, guys that seem to be hot cool down quickly in the season, losses are piled up that seem disastrous but aren't. It doesn't count towards the standings and everyone wants to race to the finish when their squad lifts the cup. This points are true but I don't really subscribe to them.

I love preseason, outside of injury potential. You get to see your team back on the ice in its present and possibly future incarnations. It is really, really rare in the modern NHL to see the pure joy of playing for a certain team on a player's face outside of the preseason. I know these guys are competing for jobs on the big boy team. Not very many will make it. But when you see a 18 year old kid pull on the sweater and skate his life out because he is playing in TD Gardens/Air Canada Center/the Belle Centre, as a fan something happens inside. You see that pure love of the game personified. It is one of the most beautiful sights in hockey, tailing the lifting of the Cup very closely, in this blogger's estimation.For that reason along, I love the preseason.

My God I Love Lord Of The Rings

2011-09-12T10:59:00.000-04:00

Meaning absolutely no disrespect to the memory of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl or the family of the players, I return to the pointless babbling that epitomizes this blog. I will say one more RIP for those individuals and deepest condolences to the family members. Every NHL team should wear black to help remember this.

1983, RIP Baz Bastien. NHL, listen up. This is class and those KHL players deserve at least this.

I do hope that the players from that club are in a better place and given the nature of this blog, anywhere is probably better than reading it.

Hockey is about to start. Less than a month. Rookies have reported. There is life in the meaningless shuffle of P1 hockey fans such as myself. All the joy and solace we take from our wonderful families, wives, husbands, children, significant others, can now all be properly focused on a group of men wearing a sweater that we love playing to an outcome that any amount of superstition, money, swearing, or tears cannot change. Did I say that? Sorry hockey gods, sorry! Life is about to be good/surprisingly empty again and soon!

Stanley Cup banners mean a lot to the fans and teams. There are certainly bragging rights, chest-puffing pride, and smack talk possibilities that come from hanging one of those tapestries from the rafters of the rink. Less important but of significant note nonetheless is the public sweater spotting. As common fans, we take great pleasure in seeing our team's logo appearing where we least expect it and and equal joy in lording it over those poor, unfortunate individuals not in the know scrambling to figure out what the symbols mean. I love movies. I love books. Thus, I love Lord of the Rings. Great adaptation, great films, great acting. I love even more that Aragorn, aka Viggo Mortenson (good song writer BTW) is a giant Habs fan. I love that he flaunts it in Leaf country. I love that he coerces co-workers into flaunting it in Leaf country. I love him...... err...too far? I am not too sure about the Gomez jersey but I will suspend disbelief if it means A)he (Gomez) doesn't suck this year, B) 25!!!!, or C) he show he does suck (Gomez again, like the word suck didn't tip you off), gets bought out or better yet traded and life moves on with much more reasonable team payroll. Irregardless, I will revel in these pictures. Why? Because LOTR rules. Viggo rules (check out Eastern Promises or even better yet, Alatriste ((he speaks Spanish!(((Yes I am using this many parentheses)))! Plus he...err..she...err...they are both easy on the eyes. Talk about ending on a whimper. Drop the puck.

You Will Be Missed

2011-09-09T07:19:00.001-04:00

It has been well-written about and documented but a loss like the passing of the near entirety of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team can't really be over covered. Perhaps our rush to get back into hockey season was too hasty and something like this loss should make us be more appreciative of what we do have.

Many, many players, fans, and supporters have voiced their grief and condolences for the families of the players and staff. Whether they played in the NHL or the KHL, they were an elite group of players and more importantly, they were taken too soon. Deepest sympathies to all those affected.

Uhhhh...Because I Can?

2011-08-25T12:40:00.001-04:00

Hmmmmm, just because I can doesn't mean I should. Congratulations on the Stanley Cup? You seem to have forgotten to put on your 2011 Bruin's Championship boxer shorts.

The Broooooons like themselves a tipple or two....thousand.

Because I Can

2011-08-25T09:35:00.000-04:00

Damn right.

Carey Price . Harry Rosen . Matt Barnes from Elle & Be - Blayre Ellestad on Vimeo.

Passing The Time With Bitterness

2011-08-22T12:04:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, it is still summer. Some action hockey-wise starting up in the QMJHL and such but nothing on the big stage yet. All trades and signings are largely completed. All guys not receiving job offers have packed up for the KHL and their really, really long team names. Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk? Wow. I am not hating on the other major hockey league around. I mean they have only be going for four years and managed to start a league with 24 teams, not just 6. Hmmmmmmmm. Dreaming of those original 6 days again. Sigh.

Speaking of lots of teams! My mind wandered a little bit during the hot summer days. Sparked by this picture:

Haters gonna hate...and by haters I mean me.

In an attempt to forget the current Champs, I thought back to who won the Stanley Cup each year, starting in 1976. Why that year? It was the 60th season for the NHL and saw the loss of the lovable California Golden Seals and the Kansas City Scouts as NHL teams. Well, they really just moved to other places. The Scouts, however, became the Colorado Rockies which would eventually go on to become the New Jersey Devils, a team that would nearly ruin hockey forever by making the fastest game around reach baseball-like levels of slow, boring, mind-sucking pain.

At any rate, 36 years of champions. I am not ashamed to admit that I miss a few. Out of 36 champs, I forgot or mistakenly declared the winner 11 times. Not a great showing for a super hockey fan but a 69.5% win rate is not too shabby. Wanna have some fun? Let's see how you do. It is easy to cheat on this one so try it with a pen and paper far away from smart phones and computers. Trust me, there are years that you will want to forget....2007? Never happened.

No Fancy Titles...Summer Sucks

2011-08-18T15:43:00.000-04:00

I was so excited when I thought there would not be a NFL season this year. I thought maybe, just maybe, it would give hockey the little opening it needed to move back towards pre-lockout exposure. I knew this wouldn't happen and to top it off, the NFL, unlike our leaders in Washington DC, reached a compromise that made both sides happy and thrilled the constituency as well. Oh well, at leas the NBA will be gone for awhile...but will anyone notice? Locally, hockey's permanent backseat status was further cemented by a local sports reporter that noted that Steven Strasbourg was a bigger local draw than Alex Ovechkin....somehow I don't think the guy has been to Nationals' Park...ever. Both teams could sink to the bottom of the ocean and I wouldn't care but nevertheless, where is the hockey love? An age old argument and not what got me writing this. As a child, summer was the best thing ever. Ice cream, watermelon, water parks, no school, sleeping outside...ahhhhh. Lots of hockey camp too. Which does lead me to my adult frustration with summer. No hockey. None. Not a lick. Nothing really internationally. It is the most boring, dreadful time of the year for this great sport. It is filled with the entry draft (meh), awards shows (snore), trades and signing (usually frustrating as all get out), and.....nothing else. As such it is now surprise that so many hockey fans get so into the free agent/signing/seeing their favorite player exchanged for a bag of pucks season. We all DO get to be GMs for a short, short time. There is something satisfying about seeing a rival team sign a pylon or , Tomas Kaberle. We gnash our teeth, we all engage in fuzzy math trying to make the dream line-up while staying under the cap (or getting over it 'Yotes, Cats, 'Lanche). Lines are built, players are relegated (hello two-way contract!), dreams are made. We all turn into little J. Martin's and break out the notebook.

Or maybe the notebook....

It is fun. In the end however, it is a sample sized portion of the most appetizing of meals, the NHL season. As August drags on and on, we try to savor the flavor of that sample, willing the taste to last a little while longer while filling the countless hockey blogs with vapid, pointless posts like this one. Already, close the notebook, put down the pen, and let's drop the puck.

I Think Montreal Fans And Boston Fans Shudder Alike At The Thought....

2011-08-11T15:01:00.002-04:00

I really don't know how to vocalize my confusion, horror, repulsion, and utter bewilderment at this....

So I will try with advertising!!

An Ode To Ex-Habs #10 ~ CHICKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON! Welcome To Boston Benoit Pouliot

2011-08-11T14:57:00.001-04:00

Are you ready Boston? Are you? You love to hire ex-Habs and who wouldn't? You got yourself a project this time in Benoit "Chicken" Pouliot.

It was almost as if Benny knew he as going to Boston as he got the mandatory Brooons buzz cut

Now let me say, I actually liked Chickooon (see, another Brooons match! Excess vowel sounds!) and thought he had a lot of talent. I do grant you it was kind of rare for him to realize that fact himself but when he did, he was fun to watch. He is a big guy, has been putting on some bulk, has a nice shot, good vision, and good speed. He has started to use his size to get to the net as well as put the hurt on the opposition during the forecheck. All good things. Unfortunately, all rare things.

Benny started in Minnesota and showed alot of what I mentioned above. The Wild got excited (it doesn't take much).

If David Cross could skate?

Then, as is often the sad reality, Benny got hurt. The memory of having a player that could score goals in Minnesota started to fade. In fact, the memory of Pouliot's play faded so much that the team decided to trade him away to the North for another flame that burned too bright too fast.

Gguillaume Latendresse did have a little help in burning out. Thanks French-Canadian media! It was a pretty equal trade and neither team really knew what they were going to get. What did they get?

Yeah, both teams were pretty happy for awhile as the change of scenery really lit a candle under both players. Fans rejoiced,. Many new jersies were purchased. Many hilariously fantastic photoshops were produced. (Props to Four Habs Fans and GG11) Pouliot gave the Canadiens some muched neded size even if he didn't use it a whole lot. Sure, he was more likely to trip over A) the blueline or B) his own feet C) small mounds of ice snow D) oxygen than he was liley to score but we forgave him because much like AK 46, he showed flashes of talent. More importantly, he showed flashes of this:

As MasterCard would say, priceless. Price? Don't mind if I do!!!

Ahem. Sure Benny, much like his linemate/mentor/team cancer S. Gomez would take a rather awful penalty at a rather awful time. It was maddening and turned some fans aganist him. I had faith. I knoew Chickoooon would redeem himself. I mean, he did things like this:

Benny did disappear in the end of his first year, the magical 2010 playoffs, and pretty much all of the 2010-2011 season. A lot of it was frustration, or "grabbing on to his stick too tightly" as analysts are want to say. His frustration lead to more silly penalties and turned more fans aganist him. It was an ugly sprial. Let's be honest, Jacques Martin didn't exactly help Benny along. The only quick decision Martin made last year was to immediately bench/demote Pouliot at the drop of a pin. Not really the best way to work on a young player's confidence. Benny also suffered, as did the rest of the team, from Martin's love of magical line combinations. "He's like a circus clown the way he juggles those lines/Martin can't make up his mind, puts the team in a bind, buries our playoffs hope in the icy brine!" Uggghh, I did just write that.

In the end, it was a combination of Pouliot's inconsistency, Martin's absolute lack of faith in him, and the emergence of a number of players from the Habs' system that doomed Benny to Beantown. He brings great potential, increased size (been working out), and decent hands. With tutoring, he will control his temper and learn how to use his size. With coaching, his skating will get stronger. He could be a top 6 forward if he is devloped. The question is will Jullien give him the chance that Martin, Montreal, and us Habs fans didn't? I suppose more importantly, will Benny give himself the chance to improve? See ya Chickoooonn. Enjoy those "USA, USA, USA!" chants.

An Ode to Ex-Habs #9 ~ Welcome to Hell...er...Washington ~ Roman Hamrlik and Jeff Halpern

2011-08-04T10:56:00.003-04:00

Another summer, another bunch of guys stripped of the CH. It is bound to happen. In the modern sport's market, it is not common and increasingly impossible to stay with a team long term. Unless you are this man:

The team owes Ilya so much money that they might as well just make him owner. My general fandom doesn't really like this. I like getting to know a team and its players. There is something comforting about cheering for the same group of guys and growing up together. This is easy to say if your team is winning championship on top of championship but in reality Cup dynasties are a thing of the past. Moving players to assemble a team that has a chance for a championship is the norm. Lots of $$$ is spent putting together the perfect squad, taking them all the way, getting their names on the sacred chalice of life that is the Stanley Cup, and then blowing the whole team up in the off-season because the owner can't afford to keep that roster together for another day let alone another season. That, more or less, sucks. If a team can get by without doing that, it is pretty amazing. This makes the largely unchanged Boston Bruins pretty impressive for me as a hockey fan. As a Habs fan, it sucks on epic levels.

Back to the point eh author man? Sorry, I was getting into a whole other topic there. Well, not really. The Ode to Ex-Habs celebrates or bemoans the changing of the guard in the only hockey city that matters. Two of the blessed sons of MTL went south to the capital of the good ol' US of A this summer. Who you ask? Sit back, grab a Molson, and let me tell you:

Jeff Halpern, we hardly knew you. A true journeyman and a pretty darn good one at that. In his early years, Halpern could really do it all. Hit, fight,score, anything really. While lots o' points weren't really a guarantee once he arrived in Montreal, leadership, heart, a quality defensive centerman, and face-off wins were deliciously commonplace. Halpern made a circuit around the league and made an impact everywhere he played. He was a great mentor to guys like Ryan White, Davis Desharnais, Lars Eller, and more. Injuries limited his production. Injuries or straight up muggings right, A. Ference? D. Powe?

Halpern was a class act that dominated the face-off dot. With the cursed Gomez winning -3463476457 face-offs, it was nice to have a guy that could get puck possession for the Habs in any zone.

When combined with someone like Tomas Plekanec on the penalty kill, Montreal could roll two really solid PK units with a strong center. Their PK was a thing a of beauty that handled many a 5 on 3 with style. Halpern played for the team, he played to win, and he wasn't in it for the money. He knew he was no longer a spring chicken and what it was that the team wanted from him and he delivered. Jeff Halpern was cut from the material that captains are made of....wait a second...

Oh yeah, that's right! Adjusting back to life in DC should be a problem. Now he just needs to talk to Ovie about getting the 'C' back. Best of luck Halpy, he brings a lot to the young Caps team.

Speaking of grizzled veterans, the Hammer is gone. He wanted to stay in Montreal ( who wouldn't? Riberio doesn't count. Neither does Latandresse) but the numbers weren't there $$ wise. His time with the team was colorful and I would say largely positive. If I had to pick a veteran Czech defender to keep, I would have loved to see Hamr stay but Spacek was under a contract. Too bad. While his gaffs on D lead to goals against far too often...

...he was a stable PK presence and provided a decent stay at home blue-liner that could really settle things down in the defensive end and generate a quick pass to move to the attack.

He was also pretty darn good at sneaking into the play for a backdoor goal. Flashes of the reason he was selected 1st overall were not common but beautiful when they showed up.

Hamrlik was another guy that put the team first. For all the missteps on the blue line, he could be counted on to make a couple of really solid plays. Don't even get started on his shot blocking. He nearly saw as many pucks as Price. A quiet presence in the locker room, he will nevertheless be a great bastion of leadership on the Caps' blueline.

Both Halpern and Hamrlik were solid role players on the Habs with amazing careers. While their lengthy tenure in the NHL limited their output (though not Hamrlik's ice time!) they always put the team first and always left it all on the ice. Both still bring a lot to the table. Too bad it is Washington's table but I am happy they can still play and contribute to the great game of hockey.

So the ever changing roster game continues. While it is about the logo on the front and not the name on the back for this fan, it is hard to say goodbye to players of the poise, dignity, class, and decency like Halpern and Hamrlik. I leave you with a tribute to #15 and #44.

Welcome Back Jets! Your Logo Sucks Worse Than Your Weather!

2011-08-02T11:33:00.002-04:00

So Winnipeg is back in the hockey business. Yeah? I suppose it is good outside of the shuffling that will need to take place next year to redistribute the NHL's team among the Eastern and Western Conferences. That promises to suck. Oh, speaking of suck!

So new logos eh? Why not? Moths had worked over the exisiting supply of Jets' merchandise pretty hard so it is time to get new stuff! So I supose the logo is not awful. Not good either. Lots of Maple Leaf action. At least the leaf isn't blue, that would be inviting bad luck.

What's that Mr. Burke? You didn't enjoy the joke? How about this one?

The only thing about the Leaf that can grow exponentially larger is the overrated hype. Still, I come not to bash the Leaf, but to bury the Jets. The logo is meh. I guess we will wait and see how it fits on the jerseys when the color scheme is announced. If this is any indication, seems like the Jets will be the Capitals North.

And nobody wants that. Given that it is Winnipeg we are talking about, this might be more appropriate:

Oh Jets, I kid because I love...to watch MTL beat you down again and again. I AM excited to see the team back in Canada and wish you good luck on your second shot in the NHL.

---8/16/2011 Update: Some might say I am being mean and petty. I don't disagree. But see this article to know that even Winnipeg fans are mean and petty towards their prodigal (snicker, giggle) sons returned. Or at least their threads.

Pugilist's Delight: Stat Nerd Version

2011-08-02T11:00:00.002-04:00

For a guy who does not really care about fighting, I sure seem to write about fighting with some regularity. One would think I would like this:

One would be wrong but I can see how one might come to that conclusion. No my friends, it is fair to say I like this:

Speaking of fighting, spot the 1.5 million dollar embarassment...

By like I mean 'I would kill someone for it' type of like. But I digress. This article by Jon Fischer on the Devils blog "In Lou We Trust" was a pretty interesting look at the impact of fights for the New Jersey Devils in the 2010-2011 season. The article looks that the stats to see if fighting actually benefits the club in terms of momentum shifts, a common justification for dropping the gloves. I could have saved the author a lot of time and stated the obvious; nothing helped the New Jersey Devils last year. Nothing. The only good thing was the season ended early and the Devils and their fans could collectively try to forget '10-11 campagin. Nevertheless, the numbers and the bried analysis are interesting. The comments are also worth a read.

Regardless of the breakdown, fighting will remain part of the NHL for the forseeable future. Afterall, hockey starts 'em young...

Sigh....Absolute Middle Of The Desolation That Is Off-Season.

2011-08-02T10:36:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the land of suck. The all too real place that exists between June and October. Yeah yeah, there is camp and I am excited about that but right now? Poo. I have to take solace in what limited news that is out there. Hello solace!

Bulldogs Galore:

Captain Kirk will be missed in Montreal next season. Was he ready for an NHL head coaching job? Maybe not just yet but he was a very integral part to the offensive side of the game plan. He was also just plain awesome.

I am confident, given the strong showing from the Hamilton Bulldogs last Spring that Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Lacdouceur will bring a lot to the big club. I hope so. I pray so. BRING IT YOU TWO RANDYS!!!Given the quality of the guys that joined the team from the 'dogs last season, there is hope that coaches will hit the ground running.

The news that really got your humble writer excited was the signing, albeit rather limp-wristed signing, of my boy!

Anybody that delivers a knuckle sandwich with a side of pain to Mr. Avery = awesome. That more or less means that everyone in the NHL wants to be awesome.

Welcome back Josh. 7 years with no ACL? No problem. Can't wait to see what you can do with a properly functi...er...reconstructed knee! The signing of Gorges completes the Canadiens' lineup with $5million to act as a saftey net. The coaching staff is complete. October is....a long way off. Sigh.

To pass a little time, check this out from the IIHF's page. Hockey in the Middle East eh? I guess if anyone has the $$$ to make ice in the desert, it is the lovely members of OPEC!

To Respond to the Commentariat 2

2011-07-22T10:24:00.001-04:00

My comment concerning Tim Thomas frequently being out of position was questioned recently. I know that he is the Stanley Cup winning goaltender, goalie of the year, etc. I am taking this space to clarify some things about Mr. Thomas, who, Subban comments aside, I have great respect for. Thomas is a very good goalie that makes many many saves he shouldn't and most NHL goaltenders couldn't. His technique....if he has one....is from the D. Hasek school of loose joints and hyper-extensions. That is to say, "make the save any way possible, pretty or not." It is a very demanding style of play and one that earns him more kudos for playing at an age where the body is less and less agreeable to playing that way. Now, Mr. Thomas is a world class, grade A, great goaltender. By being aggressive, he makes up for his lack of size and flexiblity. Bottom line, he gets the job done. This doesn't mean he isn't way out on plays when playing back would be advisable or that his aggressive challenges always work out. For the record, I have always felt this about Thomas but 2011 is a good demonstration of my theory. This was surely on display during the 2011 Stanley Cup finals as was his brilliance The Canucks failed to exploit the former and were stoned by the later and as such, will never lift the Cup in triumph. Allow me to present my evidence. Hate all you want Broooons fans but you know that any complaint you raise about my critique of TT's play is one you yourself raised earlier and often in the days of Rask before you were blinded by the beauty of Lord Stanley's trophy.

You could chalk this up to simple aggressive play but in OT, one doesn't want their minder to be aggresive. Good, solid, but not agressive. It was amazing that Thomas made it as close as he did to getting back on this but the wrap around goal is always a good indicator of being somewhere you shoudn't be.

This one was a potential series changer and only the heroics of the newest member of the Dallas Stars covered the over-challenge by TT.

Yup. If Glass didn't spend half his life in the press box, the Canucks might have had a little life and an inkling of a chance.

A goalie does need to come out to challenge shooters but Thomas spends a lot of time out of the paint. I am not saying he should glue himself to the line but still.....Luongo agrees with me on this. I only reference him because this is an article about positioning not sucking. I can sum up R. Luongo in a sentence, a word. Choke.

Spiffy save. I know that he was actually in the right place to challenge the point shot here but hey, piling on is fun.

Now this is an amazing save and it is quintessential Tim Thomas. He does what he has to do to make a save. A casual observer might ask, however, if he would have to do as much as he does if he squared up to the shooter and avoided excess movements. In the end, it got him and the Brooons a Cup so it worked. There is no disputing that. Lots of skill, even more luck, and the occasional sucky opponent (Vancouver!) brought it home to Boston and they deserve lots of credit for the skill, lots of muttered curses for the luck, and the glory of an NHL championship. Thomas gets it done but his positioning makes it harder on him than it should. In years when he wasn't able to pull rabbits out the hat, it cost him and the B's. True of any goaltender but this is about TT. There is no doubt that he outplayed Luongo and led the Bruins to the Cup. There is no doubt he was Vezina material. There is no doubt that history should look on him as one of the better goalies in the history of the NHL. His saves are spectacular but if his positioning were more sound, they might not always have to be.

You Got To Know When To Hold 'Em, Know When To Fold 'Em, Know When To Walk Away, Know When To Run...2011 Trade Spectacular

2011-07-19T10:46:00.032-04:00

A very valid and interesting look at the summer cattle stampede that is the free agent season in the NHL by the one and only Mr. CamTuxDeluxe. My own thoughts follow in red/blue/some other color.

OFF-SEASON, SEASONED BY SOME SMART AND NOT SO SMART MOVES
It would be that perennial time of year. You, know? It's way too hot, you hate the bugs that
come out, and worst of all, there is no hockey to watch. Yup, it is Summer!

So what do we hockey fans do when we can't watch hockey? We laugh at the seemingly stupid
off-season decisions being made by every general manager in the National Hockey League. If you read
any of the previous posts in this blog, I would be the Bruins fan that is referenced from time-to-time. That
would be me who finally witnessed my team win the Stanley Cup last month No, I am not jabbing you,
Hunter, I don't think. :) Kick rocks.

As a Bruins fan, this summer takes on an especially different type of eye-balling over the
summer moves made by the NHL general managers, especially you Peter Chiarelli (the almighty one).
Do I find myself any less concerned by how various teams conduct themselves? No. I am still a hockey
fan at heart and there is always hope for two-in-a-row. I do keep posted and so here is what I think
about recent off-season transactions around the NHL.

This off-season is quite interesting. Since I saw my team win the Cup, I think, now what? So, I
wonder, how do the players motivate themselves in only a few months time to actually have jump,
juice, and drive? Those that know me ask me if I can just sit through next season and not really get mad
at a team that just climbed the almighty mountain? My answer is, I don't know. I am still a passionate
person and regard hockey as something I can't wait to watch each season.

Before going in-depth regarding any team, the teams that I immediately think of as being active
and “going for it”, would be the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals.Florida appears to have had enough of being the cellar that all other teams stomp on. They have brought back Ed Jovanovski, added talent in Brian Campbell, Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg, and Jose Theordore. They also brought in former Washington forwards Bradley and Fleischmann. If anything, at least the fans might go to the rink now in Sunrise, Florida.

The Washington Capitals appear to be fed up with the status quo also. They certainly are not
cellar-dwellers as the Panthers have been, but have had the same amount of success – no success –
graded in how many pieces of hardware won. The Capitals brought in Troy Brower, Jeff Halpern,
Roman Hamrlik, and Tomas Vokun among other players. It appears management has finally detected
the issues and are willing to address them.Will either Florida and Washington fair any better this season? History shows that the teams that make so many drastic moves rarely do well initially. But, maybe it is something to build on – again.

I think I can sum up Washington and Florida as such:

Florida, for my money, brought in some big names and some keys guys. More accurately, they brought in some big salaries to meet the league minimum salary cap. I am not sure how well all those guys can gel. They gutted the team in the Spring of 2011 and now are just kinding grabbing at anyone to make the numbers work. There is a hint of strategy there and I do like pick-ups like Jovanovski (though a re-pick-up and pricey!), Bradley, and Upshall but overall, I felt Florida was a clearing house for teams looking to free up cap space. Why couldn't they have taken Gomez? Sob!

Washington? They kept their young core and decided to bring in a veteran guy in every position and for every line. They also seemed to look for some more grit and size with guys like Joel Ward. I like the veterans, the team needs leadership and guidance. I don't care what is on his sweater, Ovie is not providing either. Guys like Knuble help but Halpern, a former Capital's Captain, will give them leadership and face-off wins. Vokoun gives them a veteran keeper, something I have always felt the team lacked/didn't support longer than a season. The test will be to see how long they keep Tomas V in town. Hamrlik is a great defensive defense man, former #1 pick, and will block shots by the boat-load. The size and and grit? I am not sure about that. I don't think the team needed it as their 3rd and 4th lines had plenty of grit already. They jettisoned most of those guys to make room for guys that do the same thing and are a few inches taller. It sends mixed messages to me as to what type of style they are going to try to play this year. It seems to preview a grinding, defensive style that scores on opponents' miscues. If history holds true, they will simply try to copy whoever kicked them out of the post-season.Sounds kind like Boston Redeux to me. We will see though as I think overall, they made some pretty positive moves.

There were certainly other big moves around the NHL this July. I was shocked when Heatley
was sent packing in a trade to Minnesota. This is Dan Snyder's way of pay back – go live in sub-zero
degree temperatures for the season!

This makes sense to me. Heatley puts up numbers but wasn't really gelling with his teammates in the post season. They have some young guys coming up that have a scoring touch. Minnesota can't score goals so this will give them a boost.

Were the Sabres not watching the Stanley Cup finals? Christian Ehrhoff was a waiter more than
happy to give away anything in his possession. The Bruins were very thankful many times and
hopefully left a big tip. Although, I do like the Sabres decision to grab Robyn Regehr.

It felt like the Sabres were trying to solve things by throwing lots of money around. I like the core of that team and expect, if the signing work out, for them to be dangerous in 2011-2012.

Poor Matt Lashoff. Playing for the Leafs. Enough said.

Hahahahahahaha!

Montreal has decided to resign the octopus that is Hal Gill and sign the often injured Erik Cole.

If anyone can help Patches get back to form after suffering a broken neck, it is Cole. This gives veteran presence upfront as well as size. Two power forwards on the top two lines and the emergence of Kostitsyn as a physical force suddenly give MTL a lot more depth. Gill can mentor Subban for another year as well as Gorges. The return of Gorges and Markov and intro of Yemlin makes for a solid D-corps. Go you Habs go!

Dare I call the Philadelphia Flyers smart? It appears they have made some intelligent but risky
moves by trading Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Or, could it be they have more cheese-steaks than
brains? We shall see.

9 years and 75 million? Philly made some bold moves but didn't address their questionable defense outside of the crease. Jagr? Really? They seemed to address their historical lack of goal-tending by throwing a lot of money at a pretty good keeper but that contact will bite them in the a$$. Dollar signs are not ironic there.

It is nice to see Ryan Smyth back home where he belongs.

Over/under on Edmonton getting ANOTHER 1st round pick because they will suck for another year? I love Ryan Smyth but that franchise has been rebuilding since 2006.

It is equally nice to see Marco Sturm get a new start. Too bad it is with Vancouver.

Sheldon Souray. He gets a new lease on life in Dallas, where one of my favorite Bruins decided
to sign. Yes, Michael Ryder was a favorite. Stupid jerk, have fun in the heat.

Dallas is now officially the 2003 Montreal Canadiens as Souray and Ryder rejoin Ribero. That worked so well the first time right? Vomit.

No! I don't care about Brad Richards.

You mean the one-two punch of Grabovski and Richards doesn't excite you? Think about the potential for setting a new record worst +/-.

As for my Bruins. Corvo and Pouliot, eh? I reserve judgment and hope I don't end up making a
mockery of these two and calling them the tequila chicken.

Don't worry, the entire team will make enough mockery of themselves so you don't have to single anyone out. Getting rid of Kaberle was a great move. Corvo? With the depth the B's have up front, I am not sure an offensive d-man is really needed but Boston seems hellbent on getting one.

In The Overused Colloquial of 2011, The Epics Fails: Pt. 3 ~ The Vancouver Canucks

2011-07-07T09:16:00.001-04:00

There really are a lot of teams that could be put into this series. Ask any fan not from Boston and they would probably put their team in that category. I don't really feel like writing 29 of these so I am going to pick on just a select few. I used Philadelphia and Washington because the hockey press loves to pump these clubs up sooooooo much that their lack of total success is that much more glaring. Speaking of lack of total success....

The Vancouver Canucks

Anyone who watched the debacle that was the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals will know all about the 'Nucks deserved mention in terms of suckitude. Anyone who follows hockey is aware of their positive accolades. Those same followers of hockey will also know that to be awarded the President's Trophy is to receive the key to playoff failure. That fact outstanding, with the defeat of the Blackhawks in the first round of the Western Conference dust-up, Vancouver finally seemed poised to make something of the post-season. I really don't want to spend too much time on this edition just because of the overwhelming flavor of bile that comes up when I think of the 2011 finals. I mean, Vancouver kicked the monkey off their back with a win over Chicago. Luongo looked ready to not totally choke and die (even though Corey Schneider deserves a lot of credit for coming in the clutch games of that first series to ensure lack of said choking and subsequent dying). They rolled over a fun but one dimensional Nashville team. I mean Nashville, c'mon. Good team defesnse is one thing. It does get a bit tough to get through the playoffs when you A) don't score and B) constanly give up shots and collapse around your own goal while expecting your 'tender to make ever possible save. Wait a minute....that rings a bell of sorts...why does that seem so familiar?

Damn it.

But I am trying to pick on one team at a team and that team is Vancouver. So a quick bypass of Nashville was followed by the San Jose Shark's annual collapse. Hey Joe Thorton is on that team and they totally imploded? No!! The devil you say! I think Vancouver had to expect some really massively bad karma for the way that series ended.

And karma delivered the comeupance of a lifetime. Sure Vancouver took the first couple games in tight, chippy hockey. Then they went to Boston. This happened.

A lot. Luongo decided to take a little break and spot the Bruins a goal or a thousand. Injuries and the momentum swing resulting from the Rome hit really didin't help but more importantly, Vancouver's collective decision to stop skating was the beginning of the end. After Game 3, the Canucks momentum and drive was seriously lacking. Whatever jump and shutdown ability they showed in the first two games evaporated and Boston was free to put on a shooting clinc.

Boston is a big, physical team that knows how to chip, chirp, and give a little extra love with a sweaty glove palm. Vancouver got sucked in to trying to out-Boston Boston. Result? 2011 Cup Champions Boston Bruins. Once a team forgets what got them to that point in May and they start to play the other team's style, they are done. Vancouver got sucked into that because there is not real punishing, physical, (cheap-a$$) team like Boston or Philadelphia in the West. The Canucks were totally unprepared for that style of hockey. I would go as far to say that European-style hockey is prevelant in the West and in Montreal. The East is pure USA-punch-you-in-the-face-while-smiling-style hockey. Iron league stuff. Anyone that accuses of Montreal of being a weak team that dives, whines, and cheats needs to check themselves. Montreal played Boston better than any team in the entire league without changing their style. In truth, both finalists put on clinics of shame in terms of cheap shots and dives. It was a sour final, one that both squads should have been to play better rather than resorting to that behavior. Vancouver was more egregious, at least in the eyes of the officials (Thanks Greg!) and they reaped the rewards of such shameful behavior. That is to say they got their a$$ handed to them.

So where were the holes in Vancouver's game? Unfortunately, it is easy to place the blame on one man in particular.

Did he post two shut-outs in the finals? Yup and that is pretty darn amazing. Did he also give up 20 some goals in the other games? Yup and that is pretty darn awful. Luongo is a very good goalkeeper. Of that there is no doubt. He can make all the difference in a game. But the difference he makes can be total shut down or total sieve. Not being harsh and Vancouver fans know all about this in past playoff meltdowns. In the regular season, you can get by with this problem. In the playoffs, not so much. In the finals, really, really not. I can't remember seing a goalie totally soil the sheets so thoroughly in the finals before. I know there is a tremendous amount of pressure but it kind of comes with the job. If one has a bad game, it is time to bounce back. Not much bouncing was done. Game, set, match.

To be fair, the entire team really didn't show up for any of the away games. The defense never really recovered after game three and despite all the talking heads scream about the solidness of the blueline, it has been a weak spot for Vancouver forever and a day. Offense? I know that Kesler was hurt and targeted by the Bruins. He didn't show at all. The Sedins? Didn't see them. Some credit does go to Boston for defending as they did but players such as the Sedins are supposed to be good enough to adapt their attack accordingly. Don't talk to me about size. If this man can shatter Chara's blueline, the Sedins really should be able to.

So much awesome in such a small package

Tim Thomas was great but Vancouver was a point machine in the regular season and Thomas was out of position a lot. That he could recover so often speaks a lot about his ability but a team on the ball would have been able to pot an awful lot of goals when Thomas was 5 feet out of the crease. The Alex Burrows goal in Game 1 is proof of that. The forwards got more interested in trying to draw calls or too frustrated to play and the result was a ridicilously low goal total from the Canucks. Speaking of ridiculous....

C'mon, rioting? I know you are upset but you are disgracing your team even more. Just like the d-bags that riot in Montreal, if you are doing this, you are not a fan. You are just using the loss as an excuse to be an a$$hole. One of the world's most expensive cities just got a lot more pricey because they have to clean up your mess. Jerks. Oh and that picture of the couple making out in the riots? Also jerks.

So what can Vancouver do for the next go round? It would be helpful for them to get some forwards that are naturally gritty. He is in Washington now but look what Joel Ward was able to do aganist the Canucks this year. A big man like Ward can take the abuse a team like Boston can deal out and free up the skill players like the Sedins to make their pretty European plays. Torres was hardly that type of guy though he was scrappy. Lapierre is not a bruiser, just a baiter. When your 3rd and 4th lines don't have any sandpaper, you are going to get rolled over by pretty much everyone when they start to hit your playmakers. Having Manny Malholtra back was a huge moral boost but I really didn't see a lot of leadership from Vancouver in the finals. It doesn't have to be the captain (though it should be) but somebody needs to talk to the team and tell them to settle, get back to basics, etc. Henrik should speak up or somebody else needs to step up.

What else? Defense-wise, depth is still going to be an issue. With the d-men having a higher profile, several of them have walked to other teams during the trading window. Vancouver needs a shutdown pair of guys. All the blueliners now are talented but land squarely in the middle in terms of both offense and defense. They have plenty of size but no real scheme in place for playing aganist opponents' top lines.

And to the big elephant in the room...Mr. Luongo. It was thought that the captaincy was too much for him and by taking it away, they would allow Luongo to concentrate on making saves. It worked...kind of. They got to the finals for sure. I am not sure if it is a goalie coach or what but something needs to be done to coach Luongo on the mental part of the game. He has the physical talent but he is easily shaken, something a franchise goalie just can't be. Schneider has been looking good but won't get the top spot regardless as Vancouver has pinned too much hope on Luongo. Perhaps lessening Luongo's load during the regular season would help but with a franchise goaltender, that is not likely. It is up to Luongo to figure out what thorn is in his foot as there is no mouse that can help him out with it. If Vancouver really wants a Cup, Luongo needs to enjoy a little self-reflection time.

So Vancouver Canucks, you suck. You accomplished a lot over the last couple seasons and certainly made a splash this season. That makes it much more frustrating that you decided to throw it all away at the very end. I know that this team will be good next year and look forward to seeing what they do over the summer to patch the holes that lead to their demise. In the meanwhile, enjoy this video. It is hilarious. It is part 6 of 6 in a series and recommend the whole series. For those with sensitive ears, the guy's got a Boston mouth on him.

To Respond To The Commentariat

2011-07-05T22:09:00.004-04:00

I had a very observant reader note that the Flyer's ad for Verizon both A) sucked and B) doomed the team. I submit to you in light of the reader's comment proof that the Caps shot themselves in the foot (feet?). As much as I love Muppets shouting numbers and flailing, this commercial really only highlighted Ovie's increasing ineffectivenes over the course of this season Please note that I really wouldn't mind MTL players putting Ovie's ineffective numbers:

This commerical, a weak attempt at stirring the pot of rivalry between Pittsburgh and Washington, furthered guarenteed the Caps' time on the golf course.

All this leads me to set up a review of the Caps and other teams' trading action. Why? I have no idea as hockey really sucks in summer.

Jokes and pokes aside, the Capitals have had one of the most aggresive summers tradewise so far and many of the items I discussed in the entry on their needs/short-comings were addressed. Goal-tending anyone? I would love to take credit for this but I know that scouting and planning had been going on for months. Still, the gripes I had listed about that team have been going on for years so maybe I will take credit after all. Now about that coach...

Goodbye Captain Kirk!

2011-06-30T16:24:00.001-04:00

Spot the current Tampa Bay players...sob! Well maybe not for MAB.

The power behind the throne is leaving. Kirk Mueller is headed to Milwaukee to coach the Nashville Predator's AHL team, the Admirals. I can't say I am surprised by the move but I do mourn it none the less. I do like the logo though...

Say what you will about Jacques Martin, but Mueller was the guy that got the players going, the guy they listened to, and the one that could break things down. Martin and Carbonneau before him showed a lot of faith in Mueller, and deservedly so. It was Mueller that was largely behind the mid-series tactics that sunk the Caps and Pens in 2010. He has a lot to offer and will be sorely missed in Montreal. We wish him all the best and hope that he can come back into the fold as the next head coach! Bon Chance Kirk!

In The Overused Colloquial of 2011, The Epics Fails: Pt. 2 ~ The Washington Capitals

2011-06-30T16:05:00.007-04:00

This marks part two of the listing of teams that we were told would be great in the 2011 NHL Playoffs. As we all know by this point in the end of June, these teams were not great, their fans were irate, and they hopefully are spending their summer learning how to skate. Welcome back, if you will, the annual participant on this list:

The Washington Capitals

Oh Washington. Scoring titles, President's Cups, 100+ point seasons galore, and what do you to show for it? A rather impressive golf handicap? It is okay, Caps, you are in Washington DC. Everything is secondary to the Redskins anyway. As long as you embrace your role a filler from February through June (June! In your dreams!), things will be fine. What went wrong? Washington changed its entire style of play after a 9 game losing streak. A losing streak sucks, but this particular streak's pain was made particularly acute by the film crews capturing every fallen look for an HBO special. Camera time and F-bombs aside, what DID happen? Breaking down Washington's ills begins and ends with this:

I will admit that Boudreau was a brief of fresh air coming into the NHL. His style and system worked wonders in Hershey...IN THE AHL! Ahem, getting ahead of myself there. He brought a different look and feel to the team that coincided with their solidifying their talent ladden lineup. He gave his highly skilled players free reign to play and they responded by scoring 234,892,124 goals a game. He told his defense to move play forward, to pinch, to shoot, and to take chances, and they scored 235,346 goals a game. He told his goaltenders....good luck and make sure we win by 1 and the goalies gave up 235,127,468 goals a game (yes I did the math, it is one less). It made for a team that was fun to watch as games were fast, energizing, and high-scoring (you know Bettman loved it). The team had idenity, it had spirit, and most importantly, the players loved to play the game and they showed it. This was when Ovechkin was fun and more importantly, having fun. I think one could easily draw parallels between his show of emotion and his point totals.

Not being a true Caps fan, I did nevertheless enjoy watching them a few years ago for that type of energy. The major issue is that energy never really translated to the playoffs. The first go-round in 2009, the rivalry to end all rivalries (snort, chuckle, giggle)....Pens vs Caps in the 2nd round. A true run and gun series where shots rained down like Monsoon season in Burma. The result?

Well, Pittsburgh was a great team and on their way to a Stanley Cup right?. There is no shame in losing to the eventual champion, rival or not. Right? Cough cough...Let's move ahead. The Caps kept that energy, kept the offense flowing and bulldozed their way to the top of the pile in 2010. A juggernaut in every sense, no team seemed able to stop a Washington championship. The Caps drew their mirror opposites in the Montreal Canadiens for the first round of 2010. A cakewalk was predicted. And.....

Full credit to Montreal and Halak. They played a game and style that the Capitals could not beat. Boudreau didn't adjust and your author did a couple million backflips. Still, despite the setbacks, the Caps began the 2010-2011 campaign in the same gung-ho style. The only difference was naming Ovechkin captain, thereby completing his transformation from a happy go lucky superstar to a cold, whiny, cheap shot-delivering superstar. By this point, many teams had taken notes from Montreal and figured out how to play the Caps. For the first time since Washington fired Hanlon, the Caps began to lose. Regularly. This was caught on film for the build-up to the Winter Classic.

To stop the slide, Boudreau ~~cursed the entire team out repeatedly~~ adjusted the team's approach by flipping it 180 degrees. After building up the team for offense for years, the focus suddenly became defense and zone coverage/traps. Speed was used only for counterattacks. Shot totals dropped drastically while passes increased markedly. The team begin to win again in close one goal contests. Pundits praised Boudreau's strategic shift. The Caps headed into the playoffs in the number one spot yet again. It was thought that this defensive style of play would better suit them in the long grind of the post-season. The first round against the Rangers seemed to prove this point as the Caps moved on in five games. They drew Tampa Bay for the second round. Result:

So in the end, Washington went home early again. The system drawn up by Gabby failed to carry them past anything but an injury depleted Rangers team. What did go wrong? Three things come to mind.

1) This team is built on skill and scoring power. The draft and player development have shown this. Putting a leash on them is probably the worst thing you could do. It is important for even the most skilled of players to learn a two-way game. Steven Stamkos made significant strides in that department and it should against the Capitals. If you have, however, one of the most prolific goal scorers in recent memory in Ovechkin coupled with one the best set-up guys I have seen in Backstrom, why have them play a trap? Add guys like Brooks Laich, Alex Semin, Mike Knuble, and some of the most skilled role players around (Bradley, Gordon, Chimera, Perrault, Beagle, etc) and you should be playing an aggressive 2 man fore-check style. The Caps are one of the faster teams out there so they, with coaching, could count on their forwards to get back and block passing lanes. Even the blue line, with Carlsson and Green are designed for offense. You have Alzner, Schultz, and Erskine to hang back and slow the opposing rush long enough to get support back. Asking this team to play a trap is doing the opposition's work for them. It is shutting down the explosive offense and speed of the Caps. It turns the Caps into this:

2.) Speaking of coaching, something has to give. Boudreau has some ability. He putted around the minor leagues long enough to gather a decent playbook. He recognizes offensive opportunities and seems to make lineups that really compliment each player's strength. He is also a jerk. A really, really big jerk. What he does works great in the AHL and I give him full credit for being a great developmental coach. In the NHL,not so much. The Caps success came from having incredibly skilled players that were given room to play and use that skill by their new coach. That coach had enough vision to make up lines to maximize that skill. When Boudreau attempted to alter that system, he didn't have the leadership or the flexibility to make it work. His lack of flexibility is most often seen in his inability to make in-game changes. That is the key to playoff success. A complete system shift won't work if the players don't buy in. Guy Boucher is a great example of a coach that teaches his players to get it. Witness the complete turnaround in Tamap for proof. Leadership through profanity doesn't work. Sure, John Tortorella is known for his mouth but he backs it up with hockey intelligence and adaptability. I am not sure Boudreau has the complete attention or respect of his players, at least not after three season of floundering and replacing guidance and development with intimidation, threats, and verbal abuse. This next season, without significant changes or success, is probably his last. Oh, and his commercials really,really annoy me.

3.) Goal-tending. Ever since the departure of Olaf Kolzig (now returned as goalie coach), the net-minding job has been a revolving door. They have some promising young talent, particularly in Neuvirth and Holtby. Rotating three goalies won't work, especially three young goalies. Ask Philadelphia about that one. They were on the right track with Huet and Theodore as veteran mentors. Not to pile on Boudreau too much but the guy has no idea how to treat or use his goaltenders. A smart move would be to trade for a veteran like Tomas Voukon, somebody to carry the load while the younger guys develop. Riding the hot hand until they break is not going to build up the young 'keepers confidence, a key to goalie success.

So far, Washington has brought in Troy Brouwer from Chicago to fill their requisite veteran role. He is a gritty player, much like the entierity of their 3rd and 4th lines that they hope will provide some leadership. Outside of locking in Laich, very little was done but I am writing this right before the summer trading frenzy begins. I would love to see the 'C' given to Knuble, letting Ovie go back to an alternate captain. This frees the latter's mind from being captain-ly and lets him concentrate on his own play. I would like to see the goalie position decided with a starter and a strong back up. Ideally a veteran goalie brought in but with three young bucks and the team's history of not understanding goaltenders, this is not likely. Kolzig is their fix for that. I would really like their system to go back to more aggressive offense. They can work more on team back-checking to address their typically weak defense. Boudreau and even Ovechkin have a lot riding on the 2011-2012 season. More of the same isn't going to cut it.

In The Overused Colloquial of 2011, The Epics Fails: Pt. 1 ~ The Philadelphia Flyers

2011-06-27T17:33:00.003-04:00

Consistency in the NHL is a thing of the past. Sure, the Red Wings win a cup every couple of years but with free-agency, cap limits, expansion, and the ficklness of pro sport, teams no longer stay together long enough to put together dynasties. The '80s saw the last of them with the Oilers and the Islanders. That doesn't keep the modern fan or the hockey pundits from throwing words like dynasty or annual contender like cheap "Office" quotes. ("That's what she said!"? Every person still saying that does realize that it was last uttered in middle school and even then was of questionable humor value right? I guess not....sigh.) As such, it is easy to pull a team apart when they don't live up the standards we are supposed believe they set for themselves Got to love that media, they sure do tell us who to cheer for!

I wanted to look at three teams that were built up so big this past year that their admission to the early summer golf courses was all but guaranteed and why that was. I also wanted to think about what those teams could/would do to change their fortunes.

Philadelphia Flyers

For the first two-thirds of the 2010-2011 season, the Flyers were a machine. Experts and analysts could stop hailing their four line offense depth, their solid defensive corps, and their solid rotation of goaltenders bolstered by a surprise named simply Bob. They racked up points, goals, penalty minutes, and the general loathing of the rest of the league. Wait, that last one is certainly not unique to any one year.At any rate, the Flyers were hot off of the 2010 Stanley Cup final. While they did not ultimately come out on top, many were impressed by the battle they gave to a widely acknowledge superior Blackhawks squad. Since they had largely the same team coming back for the 2011 season, there was no reason to believe they would not be the same battling, fierce, tenacious opponent from before and the early parts of season showed that they were. Then they made this commercial....(actual chronology questionable)

And all went to hell for those in the orange and black. Rule one for hockey, the most superstitious of sports, is do not appear in any commercial, especially one were your team is portrayed as winning or good. Funny spoofs are okay. Examples of this:

These videos do not anger the hockey gods. These videos amuse them. Amusing them is good for at least one good/lucky bounce during key moments of the season. The Flyers did not obey this commandment. The penance? Injuries, goalie controversy, and general suckiness. From the All-Star break on, the Broad St. Bullies looked like a bunch of wimps. They made the playoffs but the lack of cohesion was evident from the first round. Buffalo largely kicked them around the ice and I still question how the Sabers didn't take that one. The rematch against Boston showed at least one team remembered last year and had made strides to be much, much better the next time around.

The playoffs should the fragile nature of the goal-tending position. It is rare for a goalie to be able to come in a play well when he knows A) his coach doesn't have confidence in him and B) there are not one, but TWO other guys waiting for a shot. Fragile nerves = fragile play. Result: All three goalies burn out. Doesn't help when they get no help from their defense and the offense decides they have scored enough for one year.

So what do the Flyers do? I give them credit for boldness. They send Mike Richards, the 2nd coming of Bobby Clark, to Los Angles.

Once you have seen one Mike Richards, you have seen them all.

I was actually disappointed they did not send him to the bottom of the ocean with cement around his ankles. Or at least allow every guy he has cheapshoted to give him a return whack. They sent golden boy Jeff Carter to Columbus thereby reducing their Goals For stat by at least 20%.

After seeing this 23524563 times against my Habs, I am happy to see him gone

This freed up lots of money. They spent that money on Illya Bryzgalov (I acutally spelled it right! I watch way too much hockey!), the franchise goaltender for the Phoenix Coyotes (can that franchise shoot itself in the foot any more? Methinks not.)

Holmgren and Snider during careful negotiations with Byrzgalov

So, the team will return with solid goal-tending, something that the lack of has plagued them for ever and a day, Chris Pronger and an intact D-corps (overrated but still, this is supposed to be positive in tone), Claude Giroux, Danny Briere and other French-Canadian traitors up front, Scott Hartnell's awful hair, and a new set of leaders in the locker room. I did not like Mike Richards but the rumors are, neither did his teammates. The rest of the league certainly didn't, at least player-wise. It was a good trade. Carter, a bit overpaid but he puts up numbers. Briere and company will have to step up to make up those numbers but outside of adding some dimension to their blue line, the Flyers did a good job addressing their issues. The only thing I would say that was addressed in a negative way was the love of Philadelphia management gets in giving players gigantic long term contracts. I am happy they still do this as I would hate to lose everything I like to mock about this bunch of thugs.

Minnesota Wild Fan? Being Endangered Is No Reason For Being a Jerk

2011-06-26T10:40:00.002-04:00

So this weekend saw the excitement that is the NHL entry draft. Lots and lots of young talented players being drafted by pro teams, lots of proud parents, lots of tears, and lots of not mentioning that 80% of those players will flame out in juniors. Flame out might be a bit harsh but it is true that the last time many of those 18 year olds will wear that sweater will be for those brief 5 minutes and 243436543 pictures. That is okay, I am jealous even of that. It was a pretty good draft I thought, if not a bit predictable. Lots of GMs playing it safe. Well, except Brian Burke, but everyone expects him to do something that make no sense at least once a month. I did notice one thing about the draft. It was held in Minneapolis at the home of the Minnesota Wild. The individuals in attendance were largely supportive. They booed Bettman when they could. I appreciate that. The large hoard of Jets fans was fun to see as it is the last time they will be smiling since their team is doomed to a 2-80 record. My appreciation ended when the Wild fans decided to boo. At a draft for 18 year old kids.

First and last use of 'Burnt Ochre' as a jersey color in the NHL

Philadelphia and Boston pretty much hold a lock on this type of behavior but at least their discontent is reserved for the opposing team, the officials, or Santa Claus. The Minnie Fans decided the make a name for themselves by booing the draft. Now, I can somewhat understand their displeasure with the Dallas Stars. Many Minnesotans felt betrayed by the North Stars moving to Texas. There was a hockey void in a state that loves hockey. I undestand it was upsetting. But maybe, just maybe Wild/North Stars fans, there was a reason the team moved. You can point fingers all you want but the truth is, after the Stars left Minnesota, this happened.

A low blow, I grant you that but it might not hurt to do a little self-examination. For a state where hockey rivals football in the high school sports pantheon and eclipses it a the collegiate level, your support of your minor and major league hockey franchises is....inconsistent. Remember this team?

Where are they now? Oh yeah, that's right!

You know, for a country that is thought to be passive and overly-nice, the Manitoba Moose looks a whole more mean than the Minnesota version. A lot less like Joe Camel too.

So all jabs aside, anyone that watched the draft through the first round probably has a pretty good idea when I really lost patience with the Wild fans.

Now Gauthier is what he is. Us Habs fans are really waiting for his cool, reserved demenor to make the difference and bring us number 25.

It is a fact that in Montreal as well as Quebec as a whole, French is spoken in addition to or in place of English. I would be disconcerted if this came as news to anyone. So, when Gauthier gave a shout out to the fans back in Montreal, as all the other GMs did for their hometowns, he did it in French. This makes all the sense in the world. To the average mouth breather in Minnesota Wild colors, this appeared to be upsetting as they decided to interrupt Mr. Gauthier or shall I say Monsieur Gauthier's acknowledgement of the faithful. They booed. I, after having waited 49 hours and having endured Pierre McGuire's self-agrandizment for the same amount of time, reacted accordingly.

It is one thing to interrupt the MTL GM. That did enrage me. What really sent me over the edge was the tired, cliched, and completely embarrassing transition from boos to the "USA, USA, USA!" chant. So Montreal is from Canada. Great. So they speak French. Whatever. I am looking at you too Boston for this ridiculous behavior. What do you even mean by that chant? Hey Wild fans, I know you have a pretty good winger named Antti Miettinen. Where is he from again? Duluith? Edina?

Oh. I see. Europe. That is fine. Every team has one or two Europeans on it. How about that great (sometimes) goaltender you have? I mean when that guy is good, he is really good. Niklas Backstrom right? He must be from Mankato right?

Oh really? Well, it happens, I mean players all over the world would want to play in the NHL and represent an American franchise. We had a really great captain in Montreal for a number of years, his name was Saku Koivu. I heard that his brother is the captain of the Wild. Having gone to school in Minnesota, I know that hockey families are pretty common. So no surprise that a home-grown talent like Mikko Koivu would captain your team.

Hmmm, Finland again? That's strange. In fact, let me think about it. Of your normal roster from the 2010-2011 season I see that you had........TWO players from the US. TWO!?!?!?! And you chant "USA!"? I sure hope for the 2011-2012 season they have a promotional night where they hand out brains because Wild fans could use some help in that department.

In closing, I know Montreal fans have booed at the wrong moment in the past. They do not represent the legacy, the logo, or the majority of us dyed in bleu, blanc, et rouge. As a league and a fan base of the sport, let's get a little class back okay? This was a big night for these kids. Each and everyone of them should have been applauded for all they have done to get there. Their families should have been applauded for all they have done to support the kids as well. They are the future of the sport that we love. It is never to early to show them the respect they deserve for being able to do what we as fans wish we could do. So Wild fans, NHL fans, clap or clam up.

PATCHES PATCHES PATCHES!!!

2011-06-22T17:30:00.000-04:00

The title says it all but I will add an extra WOOT!

I've Got A Feeling That Tonight's Gonna Be A Good, Good Night....Or How The Other Half Feels~ A Study in Exctasy

2011-06-22T17:14:00.004-04:00

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/happy-parade-bostonThe 5 people that look at this blog know that I live and die by the Montreal Canadiens. Those same people might also have picked that some unholy union was forged when I became close friends with a die-hard Boston Bruins fan, a Mr. CamTuxDeluxe. No, we don't just get together and punch each other in the nose. We should, but we don't. The views of this Broooons fan are beyond team affiliation though because he is on of the few that has the same passion I do for our teams but also has the knowledge and open mind to appreciate hockey as a whole. He is, in fact, an authority. While every part of a Boston Stanley Cup pains me, I can't help but be happy for him. I was alive during the 1986 Montreal championship and I was intimately involved with the 1993 Cup win so I know how it feels. Knowing how my buddy feels about hockey and about the Bruins, I wanted to hear how it felt to experience that first cup win during his lifetime. As such, I present to you 'Thoughts of a Brooon Fan'. In all seriousness, this guy is a great writer and one could never read a more passionate, from-the-heart statement as this. Enjoy.

"Fear! For many people that word would revolves around being haunted by a ghost, having to walk down a dark street at night, or having your computer crash while you are working on a major project. For me, the word fear used to be all about one thought – dying without ever seeing my favorite hockey team win the Stanley Cup.

Most anyone who remotely knows me knows I am utterly obsessed with the Boston Bruins. John Lennon aside, you can imagine the excitement and pure joy that I experienced on June 15, 2011. To put how I felt, after two-plus decades of waiting, for that very moment when you hear the announcer say, “The Boston Bruins have won the Stanley Cup,” into words, is difficult. What I can say about that moment, is that I had many, many memories and thoughts that came and went in the last few minutes of game seven against the Vancouver Canucks. The memories were plentiful. From continuously seeing venerable Ray Bourque and my favorite player ever, Cam Neely exit early from the playoffs to the image of myself watching the Devils of the mid-90's smother my team into a coffin to a younger, dedicated me with no Bruins television station, having to listen to all Bruin games on the radio. All these memories accompanied by thoughts of disbelief that the team I am so used to being disappointed by has actually made me the happiest person alive. I was thinking about all the times I had no access to Bruins television and I would stay up late to watch a glimpse of the Bruin highlights on the news. I thought about how my father brought me to my first game at the Forum in Montreal (of course, the Bruins won). All these memories and thoughts, coming and going, as I stood there watching what I never ever thought would happen – my team hoist the Stanley Cup. I felt a feeling of excitement I have never experienced. I felt as if I was out of control. I couldn't control my celebration. Jumping and throwing my arms in the air for who knows how long? Dropping to my knees and smacking my wood floor as hard as I could and not even noticing if it hurt. Running outside yelling, my team won the Cup. Among other uncontrollable acts, these are the actions I remember.

Yes, my fear was gone. I couldn't possibly have such a fear ever again. I won't have to. Why? Because, the Boston Bruins have won the Stanley Cup!"

So, my friend, I raise a Molson CANDADIEN (yes I know I spelled it wrong) to you. Enjoy this moment. There is nothing like it for a true fan.

2011 Stanley Cup Finals Games 6 & 7 ~ Lazy Blogging At Its Best: Canucks Really Suck, Karma Is Dead

2011-06-22T10:32:00.005-04:00

GAME 6 & 7

Worst Team Ever

1,000,000,000

One might ask why I did not do in-depth breakdowns of the last two games of this year's Stanley Cup Final. I would have to assume that one actually managed to visit this blog and read it before I started to care why said reader wondered in the first place. Truth is, I didn't write anything because there wasn't much to write. This is hard for me as I have a very good friend that is a legitimate Brooons fan, not one of the knuckle dragging, band-wagon losers that are doing fist pumps right now. He is the type of fan that gets a bad name by the conduct of the majority. As such, I have had a tough time reviewing these games sans bile. It is a good lesson however, and I believe I will be a better fan of the sport for it. Suck a cactus Boston.

Whew, off on a tangent there! While there is no foreshadowing since ever thing is long since decided by the time I post this, I shouldn't care about spoiling anything but hey, I am all about chronological writing. Luckily Vancouver made it easy to get the point and get there quickly. This year's Finals have been a circus. The behavior of several players on both teams has been questionable. The really nugget of truth is, when all the layers of cheap shots, diving, bad calls, non-calls, attempted murder are stripped away, the Bruins were the better team. They played their system, they trapped the fast Vancouver offense, and they hit everything that moved. Luongo did his part by forgetting who and where he was as well as developing a healthy fear of stopping the puck. The Bruins won because they played harder. I hate that.

Game six was a joke. It was decided in the first period. I am not sure if Vancouver had decided to simply not try to play in Boston and take their chances at home but they looked awful. Outside of some guys on the energy lines, there was no desire to win what so ever. Game 7 was not much better. Was Tim Thomas good in these games? Yes, he was and then some. A team more familiar with Boston and their net-minder would have fared better because Boston didn't really change anything in their game plan. They were playing harder but that is to be expected. The only major change for Boston was to play their lines more evenly. As such, they had more jump and could better meet the Canuck's speed.

I understand that is the X Factor of the finals, two teams that really don't know each other playing for the prize but this year showed why that system sometimes fails to produce what should be the most competitive, thrilling match of the year in terms of the NHL. This series had its moments and nothing should taken away from those players that met and/or exceeded their potential. It was not what I wanted to see, first and foremost, as a fan of hockey. It is, however, the way it went. Things will start up again in September (now with new Winnipeg flavor!).

In the end, friendships aside, the Boston Bruins are your 2011 NHL Champions. While their understanding of cursive letters is suspect, their championship is certain.

Enjoy it Boston. You have been waiting for a long time to add number 6 to the banner (for good reason you sons of &)$@)$&!).

Stanley Cup Finals 2011 ~ Game Five: Didn't A Game Already Get Decided By A Certified A$$hole? Oh Yeah, All Of Them.

2011-06-12T11:00:00.004-04:00

GAME 5

I myself said this would be the pivotal game of the series. Only time will tell if that is correct. Both teams settled down into a familiar stance for this one. The officials tried to lay down the law in terms of embellishment which has plagued the series. Just ask Brad "Montreal is a bunch of divers and whiners" Marchand about his two diving penalties. Don't ask the Canucks about it, you would get far too many people talking at once, most of which in the most melodramatic of tones. I do approve of that type of vigilance as the acting, diving, and general stupidity that has characterized this playoffs needed to be stopped. Does that mean that the officials should allow thuggery, after-whistle-physicality? Not really, they should really look at both sides of the coin. Just as balance is what a team needs to win the cup, balance is what the officials should look for in letting the teams play to their strengths. Curbing one element of ridiculousness and not the other is going to benefit one team. This will not only make for bad hockey, it will turn off the majority of the fans that are not really cheering for either team. A casual search of the hockey world will show that no one wants either team to win because their behavior has not really been becoming of a Stanley Cup Final. Unless you listen to the pundits who have almost unanimously applauded to the style of play. Maybe that is the changing state of hockey. All I know is that a lot of things have happened this year that have not happened in the past. Things change and I have no issue with that but this type of hockey was and should be a thing of the past.There is a reason the movie "SlapShot" was a spoof.


Great movie but don't want to see it in reality. You hear that Mike Milbury?

That rant aside, what happened in Game 5? As I strive to type this, it is becoming harder and harder to seperate the rant from the review. Lots of calls were made early on, on certain types of plays. Lots of non-calls were also a factor, and for good reason. I love me some Mad Max but even though he got speared, the extra effort he put into the aftereffect could have been better used in chasing down the puck.

It was the type of play that empashized the night. Either the players were trying sell something or they were getting in licks that were really starting to cross the line. The Brooons have been known give the extra shot after a whistle but they have almost been given a free reign. Some of that can be undestood as they become more and more frustrated with the antics of the Canucks. Again, it is all about balance and both behaviors need to be nipped in the bud. This is about the better team, not the team that is better at dodging the rules.

That being said, both goaltenders were, unsurprisingnly, amazing. Luongo broke his slump and decided to play like his Vezina nomination says he can. His team helped but it was really Luongo's show on several great Bruins' chances.

Thomas was equally up to the task. He has been adventurous, even for him, this series, and it has paid off most of the time. He does what he has to in order to make the save, even at the expense of many, many juicy rebounds. Luckily, his d-men and Thomas seem to be in sync and each rebound is recovered or a Vancouver player is blocked out to save the play. Despite the odds, Thomas almost got the game-winner.

Also despite his sudden mean streak (dissing PK, lots of un-penalized punching), Thomas is definitely in his wheelhouse and is THE REASON the Brooons are where they are. It is a treat (albeit a very bitter one) to see him play. He has enough skill to make saves but enough passion to make those he shouldn't. In an age of growing technical goal-tending and larger pads, Thomas' style is refreshing as each save he makes comes from sheer power of will. Kudos to him in spades.

In the end, the officials' lack of calls and decision to just let them play favored the speed of Vancouver. I begrudgingly credit Julien with smart line combinations for this game but without decent rotation of those lines, his blue-liners were gassed by the 3rd. Such is the power of the last change. As a result, you had a tired set of B's out against the energized grinders of the Canucks. Mad Max decided to show what those of us that followed him in Montreal know and turned determination, aggressiveness, and patience into a dagger.

I had thought that this game would prove to be the litmus test that showed the eventual champion. I stand by that. That being said, the 'Nucks have sucked (hey, a convenient taunting rhyme!) in Boston. The knuckle dragging, granite heads that make up the Boston fan-base will be loud, they will be thirsty, and they will give the B's a boost. There has been no consistency in play from either team, from the officials, or from the bounces so it is hard to be certain where this will go. A Game 7 is far from a fantasy. If both team decide to play hockey without the extras they have felt to be necessary to this point, it will be satisfying. The NHL needs to realize that this is the big stage and what little viewership they get at this level has been witness to some of the most despicable, uneven play that the league can muster. If the NFL goes away for a season, the NHL has a big chance to re-enter the market as a viable sports entertainment option. The ugliness that has plagued this final, and indeed this season, needs to be dealt with in order for that to happen. Vancouver, Boston, just play hockey. No Cherry hockey, not Swedish Elite League hockey, but the quality hockey that only the great collection of players from around the world can provide. There is room for stylistic differences but there is no room for diving, whining, lamentations to officials, late hits, after-whistle crosschecks, excessive face-washes, etc. Both of you as teams and all of you as players are better than this. You are hockey players, not actors, not MMA fighters. Let's see it.

Signings, Signings, And More Signings! In Hockey, Even That Can Be Violent.

2011-06-12T09:56:00.004-04:00

Taking a break from the Finals? Me too. It has been alternatively exhilarating and shameful. There certainly hasn't been a battle for the Cup that resembles it in my memory. That is not a total compliment. At any rate, sometimes it is good to sit back, look around, and distance one's self as a fan of the sport from the gladiatorial throw-down that is the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. How does this blogger step back? By looking at far too many Montreal Canadiens' websites!! Jooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooyyyy!

With the return of Andre Markov and the arrival of a Mr. Yemlin, it is not a big surprise but it is a welcome bit of news that Andre Kostitsyn wil be back for another year. I mourned and still mourn the loss of Sergei so the thought of losing both of them was too much. Andre has really started to blossom. I love him using his size as well as his amazing stick skills in the offensive zone. Welcome back AK46!! Please play a full season and don't go into your normal coma for 1/2 of it.

I might be even more excited about this signing, and not just for the value it brings.Do you want to talk about blood, sweet, and tears? You want to take about heart and a guy paying his dues? Look no farther than Mathieu Darche. This guy does what needs to be done. This guys tries harder than guys (cough cough Scott Gomez) making 14,231 times his salary. This guy never gives up. At 700K, he is a steal. So happy his is back! This team is really shaping up.

2011 Stanley Cup Finals ~ Game Four: Oh Yeah, We Need Defense and Goal-Tending To Win

2011-06-09T18:27:00.001-04:00

GAME 4

So Vancouver seems to really not care too much. Luongo is in the middle of his annual playoff meltdown and the rest of the 'nucks don't seem to be interseted in helping him out.

Boston has realized that they can goad the Canucks into trying to play the B's brand of physical, bruising hockey. They use whatever means necessary to get the Vancouver players out of their comfort zones and get into their heads. The result? Vancouver penalites, Boston chances. With Luongo seemingly in the middle of confidence crisis, those chances are going in. What dangerous chances Vancouver can muster are handled by Tim Thomas.. Boston is not playing the most elegant or pretty playoff final in history but they are far from that type of team. They are playing like they know how , finding out how to keep Vancouver off their game, and winning. That is all that matters in the end. Their fans don't care if the Brooons are standing on the broken bodies of the opposition. In fact they probably prefer it that way. B's players look confident, united, and energized. Even if one doesn't agree with they way they did it, one has to give them credit from digging out of the 2 game hole again and then turning in two games of total domination.

The picture DOES work if you imagine the carrot being the ability to pummel opponents into submission without fear of penalty or suspension

Vancouver? What more can I say than 100 minutes of total no-show hockey. I scoff to even call it hockey. Forget abou the blackhole that existed where their defense used to be. Forget that their 4 line deep offensive threat was easier found on a milk carton than on the ice. Forget that their Vezina candidate resembled a kitchen instrument commonly used to drain pasta (shoulda been Price!). They flat out sucked. They tried to keep pace with the B's, a pace that has nothing to do with their success in the NHL this year. Thomas may be playing out of his mind (and popping guys in the mouth while he is at it...didn't he used to be nice?) but he is also kicking out big rebounds that can and should be lay-ups . Maybe they need to play back in BC to get going again but something needs to light a fire under their collective a$$es.

Vancouver better hope the sun of awesomness rises over BC for #5

Game 5 coming up. This game is for the Cup.

2011 Stanley Cup Finals ~Game Three: I Will See Your Goal And Raise You 352,205,720

2011-06-07T11:10:00.002-04:00

GAME 3

There is a lot and not a lot to say about the game last night. Congratulations to the Brooons. Boston won convincingly.. They scored a lot. Luongo kind of sucked. The rest of the Canucks did suck. The physical became more important than the game and when a team tries to play Boston that way, the result is lots of goals, lots of penalties, and lots of suck. B's fans can be happy that they have life in the series and they did a lot of things right to get the win last night. They had some pretty goals and a lot of desire. Both teams also did things that have no place in the Stanley Cup Final. I have a lot I want to say about the antics of both teams, coaches, fans, commentators, etc. I won't. This video says everything I could every think of minus the profanity.

There IS something far more important I would like to say, all jokes, rivalry, aside.

Get well soon Nathan Horton.

2011 Stanley Cup Finals~ Game Two: Oh Yeah, We Need Goals To Win

2011-06-06T12:33:00.001-04:00

GAME 2

Game Two. After the photo finish of Game One, we could fairly well expect both teams to come out flying. As a Canadiens' fan, I can tell you that shutting Boston out in a Game One guarantees they are going to be firing on all cylanders for the next match-up. In fact, I was impressed first and foremost with the patience and methodical manner of play that the Bruins showed in Game Two. Speed is not their strength but they looked faster in this game because they were thinking ahead, playing with precision, and not with as much raw emotion or brute force. It was almost reminiscent of Detroit in that regard. The result was two goals and a lead for the better part of the game. Were the goals pretty? No, far from it but that type of disciplined attack, from the fore-check to the refraining from stupid penalties, produced chances for them to score the dirty goals. That attack was working for them. It tied up the Canucks, from the Sedins to Kesler and on down.

Dirty goals are never more valuable than at this time of year. The Finals are just that. Terminal. Going up against a goalie with a significant shutout streak and boat load of confidence requires that all thoughts of the Play of the Week goal being placed on the back burner to getting one, any one. One leads to chances. Chances lead to more goals. Dirty goals are great at denting the opposition's morale as well. Creating one moment of doubt can pay dividends in OT or a tight third period. Ask Alex Burrows about that.

Speaking of A. Burrows, a whole lot was made of the scrum at the end of the 1st period of Game One. It is what it was. The league said no big deal just like they did about Horton's interaction with the crowd at the end of Game Six in Tampa Bay. Just because the league says something about doesn't mean that fans have to like it but they do have to move on. Unfortunately, it will probably be looked on as a linchpin moment either way. I still found this to be really damn funny.

I mean, I love Mad Max and he was in top form with this one but I can definitely see why punching him in the face is at the top of a whole lot of peoples' bucket lists. How he has all of his teeth and no visible previous nose breaks, I don't know.

Any other thoughts on Game Two? I really did like the Brooons' play for the greater part of the game. Their mistakes cost them big as does the distribution of time amongst the lines. Chara looks tired and who can blame him? He has be placed against faster forwards for four rounds now and say what you will about the futility of playing physical against him, the Canucks, like the Canadiens and Lightning before them, are hitting him at every opportunity. You are not going to Scott-Stevens a guy like Chara but constant physical contact takes its toll, a toll that is really beginning to show.

Tim Thomas is an aggressive keeper at the calmest of times but he is really pressing himself into saves he might not need to make in such a fashion. I am not sure if that is his game plan to counter the speed and passing ability of the Vancouver or just the extra pressure but TT and his d-men need to work with each other on more than just blocked shots from this point.

The Sedins has not really been the factor that they were supposed to be and credit goes to the team defense they are playing against. To shut them down completely is rarely an option so kudos to the Bruins for slowing them as much as they are. As mentioned above, however, that is taking its toll on the the Bruins back end. They should receive a boost of energy from playing at home for Game 3, so we will see how that plays out.

The loss of Hamhaus has opened up a lot of lanes for the B's offense, something that they have only begun to explore and exploit. Those extra passing options has allowed for shots that aren't routine, shots that are proving Luongo makes stops on things he can see and can set up for but that he has to try significantly harder otherwise. He is not really the miracle save type of goalie but give him a look and he will get to it. Recchi's deflection is a perfect example on what to do.

Game Three tonight. We will see what the home crowd can do for Boston. Given their rather hasty booing of their team's power play efforts, my expectations are not high but I would think that they would realize this is not the time to personify the typical Boston sports fan. Even the Red Sox, the holiest of holies, adjusted their schedule for Game Two. As much as I liked and supported the way Boston was playing in Game Two, I expect to see them back to playing an emotional, physical, desperate game. The key is for them to pace themselves lest the third period come around and they have nothing left in the tank. Oh yeah, that did happen didn't it? For Vancouver, keep rolling the lines, keep up the attack, and ride the emotion.

In the end, what will happen will happen. There is always rooms for improvement to hockey as sport as this video shows.

Thanks and credit goes the HabsFan29 at FourHabsFans for the orignal post and nma tv for the genius behind it.