Game #65Habs Take Round-About Way To Secure Rare 2 Points

Details

Date: 01/03/2012
Opponent: Wild
Location: Montreal

Win: 5-4 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Backstrom, Harding (L)

Habs goalscorers: Subban, Eller, Pacioretty, Desharnais (1, SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Kassian (2), Heatley, Setoguchi

Play of the game

The play we have been waiting for all year, the play that may have made us a playoff-bound team came out tonight. It was, of course, PK's PP goal. Last year ended with a reminder of the kid's shot and a warning to the PK units of 2011-2012 to watch out. Well, no one has had anything to worry about all year. If they were worried at this point of the season it would have been because Subban had been blasting shots, like the one he took tonight, by everyone.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

David Desharnais - Game Puck
3 points on the night give him an astonishing 50 on the season. He also scored the lone shootout goal and gave the Habs two points that they so desperately needed and wanted...right? David has to be the biggest surprise of the year, doesn't he? We talk about Emelin and Cole and Pacioretty, but we always had hopes for those three, did anyone ever expect this kid to be leading an NHL team in scoring in March?

Max Pacioretty
Max also had a multiple point night as he picked up goal 26 and points 47 and 48. As good as his line has been and as exciting as it has been to watch these are really numbers of second-line (ideally) players. Max has had to rise up to be a top-2 winger and top-3 forward thanks to the play of Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri. Those are the players that cost us this season, not Gauthier, not Markov and not Martin.

Erik Cole
At -3 and no points I didn't want to put Erik in, I even considered Geoffrion for the single reason of being a Geoffrion, but in the end I had to go with #72. Cole was strong tonight and was better than all the other forwards who, surprisingly in a 5-4 win, didn't really contribute that much at all.

Defencemen

Tomas Kaberle
He is in here mostly for his offensive play as he wasn't too hot in his own end, but, then again, who really was?. He was a big reason why we scored 3 PP goals tonight as he brought a calming presence and manages to find players in space. He now has 2o points (2 tonight) in 36 games since joining the Habs (a 46-point pace) and is the type of player that a team needs and we'd need if he wasn't here. Just think of how bad the PP would be if he never arrived; believe it or not, I think it would probably be worse.

PK Subban
I loved the hits and I loved the moves. Desh robbed PK of the game puck tonight as I felt that this was one on Subban's better games. Defensively he wasn't at his best, but I have to look past that as I feel no one on the team really was. His goal was a rocket that I wish we saw more of as it really seems unstoppable when he connects.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I didn't like the clearing attempt (was he going for goal) right up the middle along the ice late in the third. That no-no of a play was picked off and translated into a goal just a few seconds later. I also wasn't a huge fan of 4 goals on 30 shots (.867) and 3 in the last 4 minutes. Had we lost I probably would have gone with Budaj and heading into a shootout I expected a loss (thanks to our inability, this season, to score and to not get scored on). Carey, however, surprised me with a solid shootout and saved his dome and bagged himself a win.

Comments

The Habs have 17 games left and it is becoming hard to know what to hope for at this point because I like to win, but logic says lose. Up until 2 weeks ago I had one thought and that was playoffs. I knew that it would be tough, near impossible really, but I still wanted to get in. Yes, it is good to worry about the future, but worrying about the future hasn't done a whole lot of teams any good in the past, so I worry more about the present. Then came the string of losses and the Kostitsyn trade and I seemed to have all of the hope sucked out of me. Chasing teams like Florida, Toronto and Winnipeg made me think that, as bad as we are, we'll still make it because, boy are they bad teams. Then we went and lost to Florida and Tampa and I realized that we are worse than some bad teams, it had really sunken in. So, now I can see the value in coming bottom 5 (or better yet, bottom 2) as coming 9-12 is more a Toronto kind of thing.

This weekend, however, I will cheer hard for the win. I love the fact that Toronto hasn't made the playoffs in 8 years and hope that the Habs can be a big part of why they won't make it again. Seeing them be as bad as they have been for the past 45 years always bring a smile to my face.

An interesting little piece of trivia that I came across today was the fact that Blake Geoffrion actually had a family member 4 generations back play for the Habs too. That player was Billy Coutu who was a previous captain, won a Stanley Cup in 1924 with the Habs and is considered, by the Hockey News, as one of the 100 best Habs ever. There is no blood relation to speak of (maybe why no one has mentioned it), but Billy was Blake's Great, Great, Great Uncle or Boom-Boom's Great Uncle. This is where it may get complicated. Coutu was married to Howie Morenz's Wife's Mother's Sister, so was an Uncle-in-law to the great #7. In fact, the two played together. Coutu is also known for being the only player ever to be banned for life by the NHL, that happened in 1927 when he attacked an official.

The Brain Drain

For Christmas I was given a copy of Jean Beliveau's memoirs. I have been reading the book and am only pages from finished now.

What strikes the reader of this book, other than the fact that Beliveau just seems like a genuinely down-to-earth, nice guy, is how the Habs have changed since he came and left the team. Beliveau speaks about it a bit, but is too generous to indict anyone too much.

The Canadiens, as we know from their record, dominated the NHL from the mid-50s to the 1980s. Their success is gauged by Stanley Cups and other trophies, but it was built with amazing strategy and foresight. While the slow down in Cups is an obvious red flag for this organization, it is perhaps the dissociation with the latter that is more significant.

The Canadiens of the 1930s by all accounts were a good team, but by the late part of the decade, it was clear they weren't the pace setters in the league. That honour, on examination, must by rights go to the Toronto Maple Leafs who had the championships and the strategic minds to go with. Someone at this critical juncture recognized enough was enough and plucked a towering hockey mind (Tommy Gorman) to steer the club. He in turn found his man in Dick Irvin and did what it took to secure his service. Then, when Gorman left and somewhere along the way, and I won't get into the intrigue, Conn Smythe and Frank Selke split company and Selke arrived in Montreal. Beliveau doesn't go into all that much about Selke himself, but there are a few interesting snippets that point to the kind of manager he was.

First and foremost, it seems that Selke was an excellent (if not infallible) evaluator of talent. But being sensible, he also knew not to rely completely on his eye, and he probably realized that his rivals were pretty good too. He knew quantity of talent would likely yield better quality and so he set out creating teams and leagues to feed the Canadiens. The 1950s Habs were a big product of the seeds he had sown in his earlier tenure with the Habs and by the time the Canadiens were ready to start winning Cups they had too much talent to be stopped.

We predictably focus on the on-ice talent, but I think Selke knew the importance of off-ice talent as well. The advisors he kept around him and the apprentices he developed were just as important as those players. When Dick Irvin left as coach, Selke (according to Beliveau) wanted to replace his friend with an old acquaintance from Toronto. But it's a testament to the man that he was obviously open to collaboration as Ken Reardon was able to convince him of the case for Toe Blake. Greatness was retained in the organization in that instance, because greatness was recognized.

While players would change and Cups would come and go, the commitment to quality people in the front office was clearly there long after Selke. On his retirement, his replacement was a well-groomed candidate from within the organization, Sam Pollock. Pollock was to take the team into a much less stable era (with expansion, a draft and a rival league) and duplicate, if even exceed what Selke had done.


Their legacy
The legacy of Irvin and Selke was passed to Blake and Pollock and Bowman. From there it was absorbed no doubt by some in the organization, both on (Lemaire, Robinson, Gainey, Dryden, Savard) and off the ice (Cliff Fletcher, Caron, etc.)

Following Pollock's decision to retire, he apparently struggled with the naming of a replacement. Though he clearly recognized in Scotty Bowman a unique talent, he also recognized a fiery temper that might befit a GM of a team with other egos.

Some point to the selection of Irving Grundman as the beginning of the end for the Canadiens dominance, and perhaps it was. But at this stage, the Habs still had a bevy of learned people in their employ who knew the ways of Selke and Pollock.

Perhaps it's not important where the chain was broken, only that we know it was. Somehow the team that provided the model for both management and coaching for many decades ended up with Rejean Houle guiding Mario Tremblay. Somewhere along the line the braintrust filtered down the drain.

How it happened is not something that can be treated in one blog post, but there's little question that it did. With the braintrust gone, so was the culture of patientce and the feeling that the management held the upper hand over the always braying Montreal media.

That was ages ago now.

The attempt to restore the line was made in 2003 when Bob Gainey was headhunted for a return. Gainey, a 1970s Canadien himself must have learned a thing or two from Pollock and from Selke.


Restoring the tradition

What is missed by people that believed Gainey was just another in the line of graduates from the Montreal school is critical review of what he actually did. A review suggests there was some conviction, but perhaps not enough patience, and certainly not enough examination of what can be done under the current regulations to push an advantage over opponents to the extremes that Selke and Pollock once did.

I write this piece in the shadow of the Mike Cammalleri trade, and so it may seem like a criticism. Perhaps it should be. But I could have written it without that particular trade.

Gauthier himself is clearly an intelligent man and a thinker who puts care into his work. Yet he's no Selke. This would perhaps not be so important were there no mirrors of the great GM ion the modern game, but that doesn't appear to be so. With the Red Wings topping the West for yet another season, their management team shines above all. But there are examples of much more clever manoeuvring than that accomplished by Gauthier (and indeed Gainey) in San Jose, Philadelphia, Boston and other places.

As a Habs fan, I have to ask why.

Why should an organization that learned time and time again the importance of quality running through every vein (on or off ice) be so content to fill its ranks so? Why should all the organizational currency in managers and coaches be allowed to filter out only to come back and haunt the team?

In its longest ever Cup drought, the Canadiens need a Tommy Gorman moment. An admission that better people exist somewhere and that finding them should become a priority. Because Gorman doesn't become Irvin to Selke to Blake to Pollock to Bowman without that moment of truth.

I wish this team of owners would stop hoping they'll luck into something and put some of the Markov profits into some serious recruiting efforts. And for me this doesn't mean Gauthier needs to go, just that he has to be surrounded and fed by the best budgets will allow. And that in moments of pause, assistant coaches, 16 months into their time with the organization won't have to be the lone available option.

M. Jean Beliveau is far too much of a gentleman to ever say it, but every line between the lines in his memoir spoke of quality. I can't see how he wouldn't be with us on this.

Canadiens As All-Stars

Montreal Canadiens have figured prominently since the modern NHL All-Star Game began in 1947. In the early years, when the game was a contest between the league stars and the Stanley Cup Champions (wow, I wonder how they could create more interest in the modern All-Star game?), it was the Canadiens as a team 8 times from 1953 to 1967.

1968 was the last using this format, as expansion meant the league had twice as many players to choose from.

Since the 1969 game (the first after expansion), the game has been staged 36 times (this year being the 37th edition). And since that time, there have been 96 players associated with the Canadiens taking part in the game proper and 100 taking part in the weekend. PK Subban, with his replacement selection will be the 101st Montreal Canadien to take part in the modern All-Star Game -- a game taking place in the very symmetrical 101st Montreal Canadiens season.


The most times in the Habs sweater

96 times since 1969 players have represented the Montreal Canadiens.

The most players the Canadiens ever sent to a post-expansion All-Star game was 7 in 1978, when Ken Dryden was accompanied by Serge Savard and Larry Robinson, together with forwards Lafleur, Shutt, Cournoyer and Gainey. Nobody probably batted an eye at the time because the Habs were setting points records, piling up Cups and sending at least 6 to the All-Star game every year anyway.

The most times that any one player has represented the Habs since expansion is Larry Robinson. The standard he set of 9 games looks virtually untouchable, especially when one considers the next closest are no great slouches: Patrick Roy (6), Guy Lafleur (5), Yvan Cournoyer (5) and Ken Dryden (5). Carey price is on the right path, with two selections at this early stage. But 8 more to surpass Robinson is asking a Hall of Fame career from him.


The most appearances by a Canadiens alum

If we count games where a Habs alum skated, regardless of which team he was on, the numbers change. In all, Former, Present and Future Habs have played in 246 games (96 Present, 95 Former, 55 Future).

The players of note here are Patrick Roy and Chris Chelios. Both appeared in 11 All-Star contests over their careers. Robinson is next, with 10 (he had one honourary skate around with the Kings). They're followed by two players at 7 (Mark Recchi and Denis Savard) and a big group at 6.


The most consecutive appearances

There's a lot to be said for consistency. Consistent selection to the All-Star game is Hall of Fame stuff.

The most consecutive selections to a post-expansion game by a former, present or future Hab was 8. Chelios achieved this from 1990 to 1998. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, 7 of these appearances came after the famous trade to Chicago.

The most consecutive appearances by a player at the time he was with the Habs was 5 selections. This was done by Patrick Roy and Guy Lafleur.


All-Star traded away

It happens, to get you have to give. Chelios is mentioned above. But one hops that in trading an All-Star calibre player, one might at least just it at the tail end of a career.

The most All-Star seasons after leaving the Habs is a dubious record which is held by Chris Chelios at 9. You'd be wrong in thinking that Roy was next. His 5 were painful to watch, but Carol Vadnais and Tony Esposito both had 6 All-Star appearances after leaving Montreal.

At least Patrick also had some All-star years in Montreal. Neither Vadnais or Esposito did. Nor did John Leclair or Red Berenson, who each went to the All-Star game 5 times after leaving Montreal.


Bringing in an All-Star
Getting stars in the yes, it's happened to us all. We all dream up trades. Some people make a website empire out of it.

The perils of trading an All-Star can be balanced with getting an All-Star, if timed just right. Players who later became Habs dressed in 55 All-Star games since 1968.

The best acquisition here has to be Frank Mahovlich. He appeared in the first two post-expansion All-Star games as a Red Wing before being brought in to Montreal. Following that acquisition, he suited up for 4 more games, all consecutive from 1971-74. The next best is possibly Mark Recchi, who was three times an All-Star in Montreal before Rejean Houle discharged him for the sake of profit margins.

Other than Recchi, only Kirk Muller, Pierre Turgeon, Denis Savard and Alexei Kovalev ever replicated their All-Star form after being brought in to help the Habs.


Aging vets

At the last Stanley Cup parade, I had Gary Leeman sign his hockey card. As if to show his teammates that he once wore All-Star colours, he passed that card around the whole float to show his 51-goal season.

Unfortunately for Habs fans, Leeman wasn't the only star to ever be brought in after his All-Star days were behind him. 19 players in all fit this bill. There's still time for some (Hamrlik and Gomez among them).


Prospects lost

In the expansion era, losing prospects was an inevitability. Losing All-Stars too. But what's the excuse for GMs now? Ribeiro, Streit and Robidas are all recent alums that have gone onto recognition in other towns.


Years of shame

Someone was commenting the other day on Dadonov as the only Florida player at this weekend. They have no representation in the game itself. The Habs came mighty close this year too, with price the lone Canadien at the game proper.

Twice, though, 2001 and 2003, the Habs sent no one at all to the All-Star game. At least, Koivu was selected in 2003. 2001 was just a horrid year to be a fan of this team.

Game #29Excellence Witness Excellence As Habs Turn 100

Details

Date: 4/12/09
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal


Win:5-1

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Thomas (L), Rask

Habs goalscorers: Spacek, Cammalleri (3), Metropolit
Opposition goalscorers: Sobotka

Play of the game

5 goals goals, 2 jersey retirements and tons of other possibles here, but at the end of the day I have just one play in my mind. It happened in the first period with the Habs on the Power-Play. Marco Sturm went in alone on Carey Price, but the kid absolutely robbed him with his right toe. That kept the game at 0-0 and, I felt, ended up being the biggest turning point of all. Had that shot gone in I have a feeling we wouldn't have won, but instead it allowed us to stay level with Boston. A save in the first period can sometimes set the tone and tonight that is exactly what Carey, under the watchful eyes of Hodge, Dryden and Price, did.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Mike Cammalleri - Game Puck
If someone was touched by the ceremonies tonight it would have been Mike. He obviously didn't want to send the tens of alumni home wondering what has become of their team, instead he wanted to show that, despite some recent poor results, we can still play with the best of them. 3 goals against Thomas to put him back on 40+ goal pace was just what the doctor ordered.

Scott Gomez
Unfortunately Plekanec has faded a bit since Scott's return, but at least Gomez has picked up the slack. Tonight he did it with 2 assists and some inspired play. I am not sure what Martin's plan is when Gionta gets back, but I would like to see the Habs, somehow, ice two competitive lines. That means we need Pleks and Kostitsyn firing as well, so we have to stop cutting their ice-time down as a 'wake-up' procedure.

Glen Metropolit
The enthusiasm on Glen's face after his goal says it all for me. This Toronto boy, although likely not a Habs fan until last spring, cares deeply about the history and prestige of this team. Scoring a 4-0 goal in a game that you have no real danger of losing wouldn't generally evoke that sort of excitement, but I am glad that it did as it shows some of our players have truly been caught up in all of the Centennial excitement.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Another player who I believe truly cares about the crest on his chest is Josh. To me, he is becoming one of our best team guys and, while I search for who may be our next captain, I often conclude that it could indeed be him. Tonight he played just about the most of any of our defenders (8 seconds less than Hamrlik) and ended the game at +3.

Jaroslav Spacek
When Markov comes back we will have a very nice player in Jaro slotting into the 3/4 spot (to be shared with Gorges). I can say that with confidence because, for the most part, he has done a formidable job as a #2/3 this season, especially recently. I think we were all hoping for more than 3 goals by now (he scored in this game), but we must also be happy with his defensive play which is certainly an upgrade from Souray, Schneider or Bergeron (of course Streit would be my ideal choice for this position).

Goaltender

Carey Price
What a shame that Carey didn't get a shutout as I felt that was going to be a fitting piece to this game. He played well enough to deserve one, but I think was the victim of a bit of a team-wide nap once we were up by 5. This game could have gone the other way as the Bruins out-shot and out-chanced us, but with 37 saves he made sure that all went home happy. It was especially nice to see him enter into the spirit of the game by sporting a special mask which paid tribute to the 6 best goalies in Habs history. I wonder if he himself will be featured on the bi-centennial version?

Comments

We have become so use to seeing ceremonies that I am almost sad to see them over with. The Habs nailed it, yet again tonight and it definitely brought back some nice feelings. It started with 20 Habs taking a warm-up in full gear. Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden (who hasn't worn equipment in 30+ years) strapped on the pads and took some shots. The players skating around would have made anyone a bit nostalgic as players like Lafleur, Lemieux, Naslund and Robinson were, at last, back in Habs gear. It was then on to introductions of even more alumni; these ones simply in shoes and a jersey. The likes of McPhee, Skrudland, Henri Richard, Beliveau and Moore were just a few of the stars on hand. Gordie Howe, in the wrong jersey, was also there as he represented the Rocket (bearing a shirt of his) as well as one of our greatest single rivals. That portion of the night concluded with the retiring of two more jerseys (I am told that this was the Molson's doing and it was a surprise for all, including the players involved); Emile Bouchard (3) and Elmer Lach (16). A neat bit of the ceremony was when O'Byrne removed his own #3 sweater and handed it over to the greatest to ever sport that jersey. Needless to say that Jay Leach's #20 was available as the Habs decided a third jersey retirement could wait. A team picture of close to 100 alumni and current players was next and will likely go down as the greatest gathering of Habs players of all time.

It was then onto the game where all in attendance just hoped that the Habs, for the first time this week, could compete. Well, compete they did and that all started with Carey Price. The kid got the ball rolling with a great save early on and that seemed to really get his teammates and the crowd into it. In fact, we would go onto score on the very same PP of that save and we never looked back. We had it all on this night - great goaltending, explosive offence, excellent special-teams (we killed off a couple of 5-on-3s including one that lasted a full 2 minutes) and most of all excitement. It was a great way to start our second century and I can only hope that the Habs can carry this inspired play into next week and beyond.

Prepping For The NightRDS Top 100, Celebrations (and a Game?)

You remember voting for players 91-100, right? About 22 months ago?

Well RDS is revealing the top 100 players as determined by their "democratic" vote.

After they got first choice on chunking players into the 100, then by groups of ten, RDS gave us the wonderful opportunity to select how to order the players within the top 10 (or in the case of the top 20, the whole top 20).

I do mock, but let's face it, at least they asked you. Some people just go ahead an publish these things, as if they have some sort of authority on the matter.

As it is such a fun occasion (well, admit that it is for guys who spent far too long making their own lists), I thought I'd share with you some other dissections of the top 100 Canadiens of all-time that should prime you right up for the RDS (I mean fans') verdict.

To start with, I wanted to share a few more lists with you. Below is a spreadsheet that contains the top 100 lists from Lions in Winter, Eyes on the Prize, Habs World, Ken Campbell's outrageously named "Habs Heroes: The Definitive List of the 100 Greatest Canadiens Ever" and one Ryan Coke's more off-beat (and by off-beat I mean Lyle Odelein is on the list) foray into the game. For those who thought we were mad with some of the inclusions we made, take heart in seeing that at the end of the day the authors of other blogs go just as mad in the course of list-making activities.



If you still haven't had your fill, then you'll want to use whatever spare minutes you have checking out the following sites to sate your historical urges:

Joe Pelletier's Greatest Hockey Legends – with profiles, stories and more

Puck Daddy – with a more humorous look at this night/year/5 years of celebration

Eyes on the Prize – with a list of links to his excellent in-depth articles on so many of the topics from across the century


Enjoy the coverage tonight. Enjoy the ceremonies and the history. I'd say enjoy the game, but that'd be a bit rich.

Happy century, see you tomorrow.

Top 100 Montreal Canadiens Players of All Time

Happy Birthday Montreal Canadiens!

As you know, we've been putting out some decade-by-decade lists of the Montreal Canadiens players from the last 100 years. The list I have for you today is the integrated version of the list, the list where you see whether I like Lafleur or Richard, Plante or Dryden, Malone or Gagnon.

I'm sure you'll all have some fun perusing the list. I encourage all to do it and come back to us with their own amendments, as the discussion today could not be about anything more than the history of the Habs – and with last night's debacle, the more distant, the better.

Just a quick note on how we came to this list. All the editorial team and some friends of Lions in Winter submitted a list and basically we averaged the picks. It was a very democratic process, and I think it shows. As a result, I think we've come up with a pretty good list. Having looked through the history in depth, i can tell you one thing – there have been more than 100 good players on this team, and picking between all of them is a sport in itself.


Without further ado, the 100:

LIW Ranking	Name	Position	Years
100	Ray Getliffe	C	1939-45
99	Billy Couture	D	1916-20, 1921-26
98	Craig Ludwig	D	1982-90
97	Brian Bellows	LW	1992-95
96	Gilles Tremblay	LW	1960-69
95	Ken Mosdell	C	1954-56, 1957-59
94	Shayne Corson	LW	1985-92, 1996-2000
93	Bill Reay	C	1946-53
92	Petr Svoboda	D	1984-92
91	Howard McNamara	D	1915-16, 1919-20
90	Floyd Curry	RW	1947-58
89	Marcel Bonin	LW	1957-62
88	Mark Napier	RW	1978-84
87	Claude Lemieux	LW	1983-90
86	Phil Goyette	C	1957-63
85	Eric Desjardins	D	1988-95
84	Jimmy Gardner	LW	1913-15
83	Doug Jarvis	C	1975-82
82	Pierre Bouchard	D	1970-78
81	Jim Roberts	D	1963-77
80	Denis Savard	C	1990-93
79	Mathieu Schneider	D	1987-95, 2009
78	Alfred Lepine	C	1925-38
77	Johnny Gagnon	RW	1930-40
76	Rejean Houle	LW	1969-83
75	Pierre Mondou	C	1976-85
74	Doug Risebrough	C	1974-82
73	Pierre Turgeon	C	1994-96
72	Albert Leduc	D	1925-33, 1934-35
71	Billy Boucher	RW	1921-27
70	Terry Harper	D	1962-72
69	Rod Langway	D	1978-82
68	Pierre Larouche	C	1977-82
67	John Ferguson	LW	1963-71
66	Yvon Lambert	LW	1972-81
65	Bobby Rousseau	RW	1960-70
64	Alexei Kovalev	RW	2004-09
63	Mario Tremblay	RW	1974-86
62	Andrei Markov	D	2000- (Active)
61	Charlie Hodge	G	1954-55, 1957-61, 1963-67
60	Jean-Guy Talbot	D	1954-67
59	Mark Recchi	RW	1994-99
58	Odie Cleghorn	RW	1918-25
57	Kirk Muller	LW	1991-95
56	Dick Duff	LW	1964-70
55	Jose Theodore	G	1995-2006
54	Michel Larocque	G	1973-81
53	Albert Siebert	D (LW)	1936-39
52	Georges Mantha	D	1928-41
51	Herb Gardiner	D	1926-29
50	Ken Reardon	D	1940-42, 1945-50
49	Stephane Richer	RW	1984-91, 1996-98
48	Rogatien Vachon	G	1966-72
47	Bobby Smith	C	1983-90
46	Bud O'Connor	C	1941-47
45	Ralph Backstrom	C	1956-71
44	Bert Olmstead	LW	1950-58
43	Pete Mahovlich	C	1969-78
42	Joe Malone	C	1917-19, 1922-24
41	Chris Chelios	D	1983-90
40	Claude Provost	RW	1955-70
39	Jean-Claude Tremblay	D	1959-72
38	Frank Mahovlich	LW	1970-74
37	Sprague Cleghorn	D	1921-25
36	Jack Laviollette	D	1909-18
35	Vincent Damphousse	C	1992-99
34	Tom Johnson	D	1947-63
33	Mats Naslund	LW	1982-90
32	Lorne Worsley	G	1963-70
31	Guy Carbonneau	C	1980-94
30	Jacques Laperriere	D	1962-74
29	Steve Shutt	LW	1972-85
28	Saku Koivu	C	1995-2009
27	Georges Vezina	G	1910-26
26	Guy Lapointe	D	1968-82
25	Didier Pitre	RW	1909-13, 1914-23
24	Sylvio Mantha	D	1923-36
23	Emile Bouchard	D	1941-56
22	Jacques Lemaire	C	1967-79
21	Bill Durnan	G	1943-50
20	Aurele Joliat	LW	1922-38
19	Elmer Lach	C	1940-54
18	Dickie Moore	LW	1951-63
17	Yvan Cournoyer	RW	1963-79
16	Bob Gainey	LW	1973-89
15	George Hainsworth	G	1926-37
14	Henri Richard	C	1955-75
13	Bernard Geoffrion	RW	1950-64
12	Serge Savard	D	1966-81
11	Hector Blake	LW	1935-48
10	Patrick Roy	G	1984-95
9	Ken Dryden	G	1970-79
8	Edouard Lalonde	C	1909-11, 1912-22
7	Jacques Plante	G	1952-63
6	Doug Harvey	D	1947-61
5	Larry Robinson	D	1972-89
4	Howie Morenz	C	1923-37
3	Guy Lafleur	RW	1971-85
2	Maurice Richard	RW	1942-60
1	Jean Beliveau	C	1950-71

Hope you enjoyed that. Do let us know where you stand, and include your top 10s if you can...

Top 100 Habs By Decade: 3. 1959-1969

In recognition of the Canadiens Centennial this Friday, we at Lions in Winter have been doing what we like best – making lists. As a precursor to publishing the definitive LIW top 100, we will be counting down the decades from least successful to most successful and naming our LIW top 10 players for the ten-year span.

Though this celebration has inevitably lost some steam due to relentless marketing and pre-game ceremonies for all of living memory, it would be a shame to let it pass unnoticed just because Mr. Gillett wanted to cash in before he cashed out.

1959-1969

The 1960s are consistently sold as the forgotten dynasty or the decade of the overlooked. But just like articles that pump up the same players time after time for being underrated, so too the 1960s – all the talk of being underrated sometimes risks making pundits overrate what happened in the 1960s.

While it is true that the Canadiens won 4 Stanley Cups in the 1960s proper and 5 Cups in the decade I have set from 1959-69, generally it is fair that this span of years should be relegated behind the incredible 1950s and unbelievable 1970s. Any other team would cite the Canadiens 1960s as their Golden Age. However, the 1960s were a bit of a changing of the guard and it showed for the early years.

The players selected for the 1960s were chosen either because they represented the 1960s well. In some cases, the 1960s was the core of their career, in others the beginning and some the twilight. Here they are.

[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – so you may have to wait for the next update for your favourites]


10. John Ferguson (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1963-71	500	145	158	303	(+61)	(30)	AS
Decade best (Season)	1968-69	71	29	23	52	+30	7
Habs career (Playoffs)	1964-71	85	20	18	38		(4)	5 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1968-69	14	4	3	7		2	SC

The most feared man in the NHL during his time. His ability to play hockey as well made him supremely valuable to the dynasty of the 1960s.


9. Bobby Rousseau (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1960-70	643	200	322	522	(+42)	(32)	C, AS
Decade best (Season)	1965-66	70	30	48	78		4	AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1962-69	78	16	29	45		(3)	4 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1964-65	13	5	8	13			SC

Talented scorer. Second in league scoring in 1965-66, while leading in assists.


8. Charlie Hodge (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	W	L	T	GAA	SO	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1954-67	237	115	72	40	2.46	21	V, AS
Decade best (Season)	1963-64	62	33	18	11	2.26	8	V, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1955-65	16	7	8	0	2.39	2	SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1964-65	5	3	2	0	2.00	1	SC

Lucky enough to have a good back-up, the Habs finally got to see what Hodge was worth (and it was Vezinas) after Plante was gone.


7. Dick Duff (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1964-70	305	87	85	172	(-12)	17	AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1967-68	66	25	21	46	+6	8
Habs career (Playoffs)	1965-69	60	16	26	42		(2)	4 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1968-69	14	6	8	14		1	SC

Brought in to replace Dickie Moore's scoring, Duff produced well. 1967-68 was his highlight for the Habs, where he shot 22.5% with 8 GWGs.


6. Rogatien Vachon (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	W	L	T	GAA	SO	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1966-72	206	110	56	30	2.65	13	V
Decade best (Season)	1967-68	39	23	13	2	2.48	4	V
Habs career (Playoffs)	1967-69	19	14	5	0	1.94	1	2 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1968-69	8	7	1	0	1.42	1	SC

His brief stint with the Canadiens was notable for its consistency and excellence in the playoffs. Only the arrival of Dryden kept him from more.


5. Ralph Backstrom (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1956-71	844	215	287	502	(+28)	(17)	C, AS
Decade best (Season)	1961-62	66	27	38	65			AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1959-69	100	22	26	48		(3)	6 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1965-66	10	3	4	7			SC

The pan-dynastic talent is perhaps best remembered as the Candiens 3rd fiddle behind Beliveau and Richard. However, he had plenty of offensive talent himself and contributed much. One of the most interesting contributions he made to the Canadiens were his 27 points in 33 games to close out the season for the LA Kings in 1971, lifting them out of the cellar and granting the Candiens a first overall pick in the process.


4. Jean-Claude Tremblay (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1959-72	794	57	306	363	(+130)	(11)	AS
Decade best (Season)	1968-69	75	7	32	39	+29	1	AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1961-72	108	14	51	65		(5)	5 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1965-66	10	2	9	11			SC

Slick skating, smart defenceman who QBed a successful PP for more than a decade.


3. Lorne "Gump" Worsley (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	W	L	T	GAA	SO	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1963-70	172	92	44	25	2.42	16	2 V, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1967-68	40	19	9	8	1.98	6	V, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1965-69	39	29	7	0	1.91	4	4 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1967-68	12	11	0	0	1.88	1	SC

The vet brought in to man the fort after Plante's departure. He kept the young goalies honest and the fans of goalies satisfied with 2 Vezina trophies himself.


2. Jacques Laperriere (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	2001-06	691	40	242	282	(+241)	(5)	C, N, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1965-66	57	6	25	31		2	N, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1963-73	88	9	22	31		(1)	5 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1967-68	13	1	3	4		0	SC

The intelligent, stay-at-home, big defender we all hope all of our current players could be.


1. Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1955-75	1256	358	688	1046	(+126)	(28)	BM, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1962-63	67	23	50	73			AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1956-75	180	49	80	129		(3)	11 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1959-60	8	3	9	12			SC

Always a bit lost in Canadiens lore. No player had more to overcome than he, with a small stature and a big shadow from his older brother. That he went on to become the winningest athlete in hockey and North American sports history is a feat. That he did it with modesty and grace is an all-too seldom mentioned accomplishment.



* Awards: N = Norris trophy; V = Vezina trophy; C = Calder trophy; BM= Bill Masterton; AS= All-star; SC = Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup Drama

"Game 7, Stanley Cup final". How many kids have uttered this line?
The stuff of NHL legend is the stuff of street hockey routine.


On the eve of the 4th Stanley Cup Final game 7 of the decade, i thought it was a good time to talk about the hockey that's actually being played once again.

Contrary to what you might expect with 2 months of hockey played on the back of 6 months of hockey, it's rare for Stanley Cup finals to go the distance. In fact, only 14 series have gone to Game 7 in 69 runnings of that format. Prior to that, there were 8 Games 5's over 20 seasons sing that format.

Now, for all of us neutrals watching tomorrow, I don't think anything less than a close contest will do. And for anyone else who's lived out this dream on the street, unleashing the final buzzer beating shot in Game 7 (in OT, no doubt), a game with a late and dramatic goal is the only tonic to replace the team we actually care about.

Don't hold your breath for that either. Only 2 of those 22 series that went the entire distance were forced into overtime. On top of that, only 5 were settled by a goal coming any time after 10 minutes in the third (and one of those was at 10:30). In reality, it's just as likely that the game winning goal will come when you are settling down to watch in the first (4 have) or at least within the first two periods of the game – allowing for a 3rd period of clock-watching – as 9 Game 7's and 4 deciding Game 5's have done.

The good news is that the Detroit Red Wings are there. This is their NHL-leading 8th Stanley Cup Game 7, albeit their first in 45 years. Detroit has won 4 (one behind Toronto's record 5) and lost 3 (one behind Vancouver's city record of 4). More to the point, in the past at least, Detroit liked leaving it late. Both OT games featured Detroit, both also featured a Red Wings Cup parade. The 1950 final vs. the New York Rangers, with a winning goal in second overtime, must have been the perfect tension we are looking for. Their win 4 years later vs. us was alright, but for the obvious flaw.

Anyway, let's see. Triple OT?


Montreal in Game 7's

Over the years, Montreal has featured prominently in Game 7's. Of our 24 Cup victories, 2 have come in Game 7's, while 2 others have come in the 5th game of a 5-set (3 of which featured Blackhawks as losers).

Montreal is the only team to lose in two consecutive Game 7's. Those 2 came in 1954 and 1955. Quite remarkable to think that team was an OT goal in 1954, and perhaps a late second period save in 1955 to prevent a momentum shift, away from 8 consecutive Stanley Cups. In any case, it does mean the team played in games they could have walked away with the Cup an astounding 8 years in a row.

While the Habs played in the very first 5-game series to go the distance (and won their first Cup), their other claim to notoriety must surely be the fact they staged the most anti-climactic of all Game 7's when they beat Chicago in 1965. To mirror the rest of the series, the Canadiens pushed their home ice advantage home within 14 seconds of the opening faceoff in a Game 7 non-contest that ended 4-0 (their 3rd shutout of the finals). It makes one who wasn't there wonder what on earth was going on.


Game-winning goals

The other feature of tomorrow night's show is the stars on offer. The repeat final is giving us another chance to watch the best offensive flair against the best defenceman in a generation. It also pits 2 high scoring teams with many scoring stars against each other.

If you were sitting in the Detroit equivalent of a Molson zone, fans might be shoving for position in the Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen or Hossa areas – that Stanley Cup winning free beer all the sweeter. The equivalent in Pittsburgh for those watching on Jumbotron will see jostling for Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar and Staal.

But despite the fact that stars win Cups and stars get to finals (and into the HHOF). Is your bet best placed on a shooter? Or do the nerves of the occasion lend to a chippy and unlikely goal source. The list is peppered with legends, that is until a 6'6" German named Uwe showed us in 1996 that, actually, anyone is eligible to score that goal. Since that time, it's been a parade in second-tier players, particularly in Game 7s (no offense Tanguay). This article I read this morning takes note and suggests some of the likely unlikelys to watch as potential Rupps.

The complete list of Game 7 winning goalscorers is here, with time of goal and final score, opponent and year:

Pete Babando (8:31 OT2, 4-3 Detroit over NYR, 1950)
Tony Leswick (4:20 OT, 2-1 Detroit over Montreal, 1954)
Babe Pratt (12:14 3rd, 2-1 Toronto over Detroit, 1945)
Pete Langelle (9:48 3rd, 3-1 Toronto over Detroit, 1942)
Henri Richard (2:34 3rd, 3-2 Montreal over Chicago, 1971)
Gordie Howe (19:49 2nd, 3-1 Detroit over Montreal, 1955)
Jari Kurri (14:59 2nd, 3-1 Edmonton over Philly, 1987)
Ruslan Fedotenko (14:38 2nd, 3-1 Tampa Bay over Calgary, 2004)
Mark Messier (13:29 2nd, 3-2 New York over Vancouver, 1994)
Alex Tanguay (4:57 2nd, 3-1 Colorado over New Jersey, 2001)
Frantisek Kaberle (4:18 2nd, 3-1 Carolina over Edmonton, 2006)
Michael Rupp (2:22 2nd, 3-0 New Jersey over Anaheim, 2003)
Andy Bathgate (3:04 1st, 4-0 Toronto over Detroit, 1964)
Jean Beliveau (0:14 1st, 4-0 Montreal over Chicago, 1965)

Those last 2 guys had to wait near a full hour to realise what heroes they had become on the night. Not the stuff of street hockey legend...


For tonight, though, money's gotta be on experience – Fedotenko in 3rd OT?

Sweaters on the Wall

I have been listening to Sam Roberts' great new album, Love at the End of the World, a lot recently after finally fixing my ipod. I like it a lot. And, as a fellow Habs fan, I was very pleased to see Sam's use of Canadiens memorabilia in his lead video for the album:



Apart from the timing with the "100th" season, which I think is a nice shout to his home team and home town, the video also made me think about favourite players and idols over the years as a Habs fan.

I have often wondered if I would be a Maurice Richard type of guy or a Guy Lafleur type. Even in the 50s, would it have been a number 9 for me? In the 70s, could I have done any number other than 10? Or even now, am I the big-star loving fan, donning 27 to games, or do I stick with the old 11, or maybe even 79?

Lists

At the same time as listening to Sam's album, I have been reading and enjoying many of the lists of Top 100 players going around at the moment. As someone who loves lists and debates, I say what could be better.

The lists are great, but really by the time you get to Chris Nilan in your top 100, it kind of starts to lose steam as a debate. I mean there have been many great players for the Habs over the years, but it seems one of the great things about our team has been the way the same stars (at least in the past) stayed with us for so long. Henri Richard and Jean Beliveau for example had 20 and 19 year careers with the Canadiens, 11 and 10 Cups.

Players like the Richards, Beliveau, Gainey, Harvey, Joliat occupying the star spotlight for huge chunks of the team's history make it necessary to find the Nilans to make up the 100. There's nothing wrong with that, just that the Beliveau vs. Richard debates are a heck of a lot more interesting than the Dahlin vs. Nilan ones.

That's why I thought we could have a think about who our favourite Habs player of all time would be and it could be a lot more interesting.

So, think about it. You have one Habs sweater to hang on your bedroom wall. Which number do you get on the back?

Why?

[I've added a poll to the sidebar to show where peoples' allegiances lie]


I'll start you off. After years of dithering and floating between players (I even used to like goalies once), I've come to the conclusion that 4 is the only Habs sweater that would hang from my bedroom wall.

For me, Jean Beliveau is the best Canadiens star there has ever been. 500 goals, 1200 points. Art Ross, Hart and Conn Smythe trophies. Captain for years. A goal every 2 playoff games, more than a point in each. 10 Stanley Cups. And I haven't even mentioned how much I admire the man.

Game# 27

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Tuesday December 4th, 2007
Opponent: Detroit Red Wings
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC


Team Stripes


Final Score: 1-4 - Loss

Habs starting goalie: Carey Price (L)
Opposition starting goalie: Dominik Hasek (W)

Habs goalscorers: Christopher Higgins,
Opposition goalscorers: Pavel Datsyuk (2), Niklas Kronvall, Henrik Zetterberg



2007/08 first
There's a first time for everything, so they say. What they didn't tell you is that every game, something happens for the first time, you just have to look harder in March...

1st Game on the roster for Halak this year



Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

Tonight Detroit provided the highlights and I don't really feel like describing any of theirgoals. My favorite play came towards the end of the game and was by Dandenault. Mathieu, playing his former team must have some lingering regrets within him about no longer being with the best team in the league, but that didn't stop him from playing with a lot of heart for his current team.

Koivu was in a little scuffle with Samuelsson towards the end of the third when out of nowhere Dandenault came to Saku's aid. I am sure that the Finn would have loved to have continued feuding with the Swede, but Mat put a stop to that. Dandenault came flying in, jumped in the air and tackled Samuelsson down. To me this showed heart, it showed good team loyalty and showed us that the Habs, despite some bad games, haven't lost their fight.



Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Saku Koivu

Saku always gets up for big games whether it be at the Olympics, in the playoffs or in the regular season against the league's best. Tonight he played a very strong game in Detroit's end and had a very nice assist on Higgins' goal. He was involved in a few altercations which is always a good sign for Koivu - we all know how great of a leader he is off the ice, tonight he was a great leader on it.



Dome hockey team
We're going into the last minute with these 6 (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Alexei Kovalev
- One of the few Habs that could match the skill of the Red Wings tonight. Detroit obviously has a great team, but if you look closely they are also carrying a lot of dead weight; Downey, Drake, Cleary, Ellis etc. Alex was able to exploit the Red Wings' weaknesses tonight and actually drew a few penalties which is always a great play

Andrei Kostitsyn
- Along with Kovalev and Plekanec Andrei was a threat for the Habs tonight. We definitely didn't have too many shots on net, but the chances were there. Kostitsyn showed off his very quick release tonight with a couple of very good shots, but Hasek was up to the test

Saku Koivu
- Good game for the skipper despite the loss. Streit and Higgins were his linemates for most of the game until Mark commited an error in the defensive zone that led to Detroit's second goal - the game-winner. After that point Koivu's line changed with every shift. I'm sure Saku is like me - I don't care who Koivu plays with, just let it last more than 1 period at a time

Defencemen

Mike Komisarek
- It was a quiet game from Mike tonight, which for a defenceman is a good thing. He has now been paired with Hamrlik for a few games which may be beacsue of Markov's injury. Unfortunately for Andrei that leaves him with Brisebois so look for his +/- to plumet. Some good hits for Komi with some solid defensive-end play, ended up +1

Roman Hamrlik
- Roman and Komi were the only two + players for us tonight. This partnership looks very good, but shows again that the Habs need a 4th top 4 D-man to play in the top two pairings - if only we had, I don't know, a player who is the captain of his country's team, who may have beaten Canada...Hammer played more than any other Hab, looked good in both ends

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
- I don't just want to get in the habit of putting the back-up in here if we lose, but tonight I think it is the right call. Halak was called up because Price was sick, then all of a sudden Huet gets retroactively injured, so Price is back in. Halak has a great home record and has nothing to lose at this point. I feel that a start for Jaro would have been the right thing tonight. Price didn't play horrible, but he didn't play that well either. He continues to look very ordinary so far in his career making me wonder if his stock is maybe falling? If we ever want to improve this team it will have to be via trades and if you trade while your player's stock is low you get ripped off. (Theodore - Aebischer, Riberio - Niniimaa). At some point something has to give bewteen these 3 keepers, now is Halak's chance to show if we actually have a problem



Eyes on Kovalev
Did he flit and float? Someone ought to keep track...

Alex played his usual game tonight, very much the game you would expect from him at this point in the season. This game was very fast as Detroit set the tempo early and Kovalev was one of the few forwards who could match the cadence. He came very close to tying it up on the PP, but missed the net, but again at least the chances were there.

Kovalev's Assessment - Good


Overall Comments

The game was fast, was fun and believe it or not was close. Until the end of the second I really thought the Habs would find a way to win. The bad thing is that the Habs just can't seem to come from behind this year. Last year throughout the early part of the year you could count on them coming back to force OT and then generally going on to win, but we aren't so fortunate this year. Scoring the first goal seems to be the way to go about it these days, back to way it was before the lock-out. The good news is there are usually more penalties called in the 1st than in the other periods, so scoring 1st, on the PP, should be doable for us.

Tonight's game started with a nice tribute to the Red Wings-Canadiens rivarly. I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride seeing Chelios, a former Hab captain, out there on the carpet with his ex-co-captain Guy Carbonneau. The Chelios-Savard trade obviously had a good short term gain for the Habs as Denis was a key ingredient for our '93 cup win. Just imagine, though, had we traded someone else for Savard and kept Chelios. If Chris was still with the Habs he would most certainly still be the captain making it 19 seasons as the skipper. How many more cups may we have won? Think of all the years where our defence was a right shambles (Laflamme, Traverse, Dirk, Baron, Popovic etc.), now imagine Chelios there to guide the way. I believe that he could have become a legend in the same mould as Harvey, Robinson or even Beliveau. It was great to see him in Montreal, even better to see him still playing, well done Chris! It was also nice to see former McGill Redmen captain Mike Babcock back in town. He was wearing McGill tie for the game which I found quite interesting. You would have thought, though, that a local boy might at least let us get one point!

The Canadiens had the effort tonight, but seem like they need some help out there. With the recent struggles of Ryder, Koivu, Smolinski etc. we area always leaving it to the same 2 or 3 guys each game. I would suggest calling up O'Byrne or Cote to play wing, afterall aren't defencemen the best wingers? You would have to think that that is what Carbo is thinking, or is it juts getting that hard to justify having Breezer in the lineup? How about Recchi or Selanne - both have had great success with Saku and both could probably be snatched up for a fair price. If we continue to play around the .500 mark over the next few weeks we have no need to worry, but if we drop below that then I think that it may be time for a re-shuffle. Like Topham said - stay in the mix right until March and give ourselves a legitimate shot at the playoffs, I think we all knew that 4th overall was a little beyond us.