Carbonneau vs. Subban

One of the long-running problems with the Montreal Canadiens is the franchise's impossible association with its past. 24 championships from a time where championships were easier to come by has come again and again to haunt the organization throughout.

Not least among the component problems there is that players once part of such championships take on the belief that championships are easy, and if everyone would just take their advice, they'd tell the team how to get back at multi-year runs. I'm not sure if that comes from honest belief or verbal diarrhea, but whatever it is, RDS's fatal requirement for 12 daily hours of hockey commentary leads the conversation to places that are not useful for the current group of players trying to deal with games every other day.

Game #67 Someone Had To Win; Habs Lose To Flickering Flames

Details

Date: 06/03/2012
Opponent: Flames
Location: Calgary

Loss: 4-5

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Kiprusoff (W)

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Pacioretty (2), Eller
Opposition goalscorers: Moss, Iginla (2), Giordano, Glencross

Play of the game

It was one of those games that made a blogger search for beauty. The defence was loose, the goals were scruffy. In the closing few minutes, the Habs actually were in with a chance to tie the game and get some points. With the goalie out, the virtual PP had just turned the puck over when Kaberle actually intercepted at the blueline (a PP rarity), the next move was a departure from the bleedingly obvious plays made all night long, a simple behind the back push in to a place he knew he had reinforcements. It came to nothing, but represented for me a very rare moment of successful innovation and execution.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty
I called the goals scruffy, and they were. His first was not destined to be scored a scoring chance until it trickled in. His second was pushed in by the goalie. Still, there's something magical about the same player being the one to get these goals and many of the nice ones, and lead the team by such a large margin. It's called being a goalscorer. He didn't do as well in many of the other areas, but for the goalscoring, I'll give all that up.

Lars Eller
One gets the idea that if placed with the right sidekick, Eller's plays would lead somewhere. I'm not sure the Habs have a player to supplement him in the next few years, but one must hope they figure something out. Occasionally, even in isolation, his vim pays off. Tonight, he was the most energetic looking for long periods and scored a determined goal for reward.

Tomas Plekanec
The guy is having a trying season. But even so, he'll be among the leaders and better than Grabovski in the long haul. Tonight he shrugged off Rene Bourque's indifference and Louis Leblanc's naivete long enough to show real spark and get a goal of his own too.

Defencemen

Tomas Kaberle - Game Puck
Look, before we get too excited, all the Habs were at times pretty terrible tonight. Kaberle was a mess in his own zone occasionally too (as usual), but remarkably wasn't made to pay too heavily. The thing is, he really is half decent at making a pass. I've observed it's often because he does something simple like pass to open space for someone or pass well to an open player. It's sad that this'll get you a game puck. But it needed to be recognized in this game. Note also that each point Kaberle gets is a boon for the Habs, as his contract looks less and less untradeable by the assist. Gauthier (or whoever) might not wrest much for the Czech QB, but it'll be more than a UFA Spacek could have fetched.

Chris Campoli
I thought the defence as a whole were horrible in this game. Even when they weren't being scored on, they were making a meal of simple play. Campoli was no star, but he did not have an off night by his standards.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
Poor Carey had little help in this game. The goals were not easy saves. But when it adds up as it did tonight to goals on a fair ratio of the complicated chances and a blatant error for another, we need to draw a line in the sand. He passed beyond what a dome selector could call acceptable. Budaj probably would have lost too, but that's not going to be a saving grace this time.

Comments

How can a game full of goals be painful to watch? I suppose if one's team is down early, down soon after tying and only rarely looking competitive, it colours one's opinion. I think primarily, I found the game to be dull for lack of quality chances created. The Habs scored on 3, if not 4, goalmouth mistakes. When even a team's highlight goals show a team content to take shots from low percentage areas, it's a bad sign.

There were minutes of excitement at the end, but no real anticipation thanks to a season of being conditioned to accept exactly what ended up happening. Our bad team faced another team that has little to take away but points from this game.

I truly look forward to the Habs next game, however. The Grigorenko Cup. It will be interesting to see just how interested each side is in winning versus the primary rival for second in the only standings that remain for each. Which goalies will start? Which new line combinations will be deployed?

Knowing the Habs, they should win in convincing fashion. Perhaps the Oilers with their multitude of frontline riches have no eye for this Russian anyway and will happily take the short-sighted win. As I speak, they are locked in a battle to defeat a team that would provide them points and their most dreaded enemy playoff life. Never know.

Game #3Not The Bell Centre Start That Was Envisioned

Details

Date: 13/10/2011
Opponent: Flames
Location: Montreal

Loss: 1-4

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Kiprusoff (W)

Habs goalscorers: Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Bourque (2), Hagman, Moss

Play of the game

We had some good chances throughout the game, but all lacked conviction, save one. That was our first real chance, the one that gave us our only lead of the night. A 2-on-1 shaped up with Pacioretty on the left and Kostitsyn on the right. Max waited, faked the pass and then shot. He missed the net to Kipper's right and it came right out to Andrei who essentially had an easy shot to make (although it took incedibly fast reflexes to pull it off). At first I thought that it was an accident that Max missed the net, but after watching the whole game I need some positive reinforcement, so, of course, he meant to do that.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
I liked how Tom tried very hard during the whole game. He was at the centre of a lot of our chances and he could have easily picked up a point or two. He has been our best forward so far and I think that he'll be required to keep it up so long as Cole, Gionta and Gomez remain quiet and Camms is on the shelf.

Lars Eller
I didn't know what to expect from Lars after such a long lay-off, but must say that I was pleasantly surprised. He started the game on the 4th line, but quickly proved that he has a place on the top 3. He was creative with the puck and showed an offensive flare that was was starting to be displayed towards the end of last year.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Kostitsyn started the game well with a goal and kept up the good play for most of the night. He was used with a few different people tonight as Martin looked for something. I am not sure where he will settle, but if half of the top-6 is absent (literally or figuratively) over the next little while there will be a serious opportunity, as there is every year, for some big minutes and big assignments.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
It seems that we can't count on too much steady play from our D this year, but if there is one player who seems like a sure bet back there it is Josh. Tonight he was the best of the group and managed to stay out of any real trouble. There were a couple of goals on the PK while he was on, but those can't really be attributed to him. No, instead I'll remember the 5 blocked-shots and solid even-strength play.

Alexei Emelin
Weber, Gill and Subban made this an easy choice, a choice between Diaz and Emelin. I liked Alexei better on this night because I felt that he was getting involved more and seemed more comfortable than in Winnipeg. I think of the two he will be the better player and tonight he was. He joined rushes, made good breakout passes and used his body as we all knew he could.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
The first slip of Carey's season happened on a night that the team in front of him let him down anyway. Price didn't cost us this game, the whole team did, but he certainly wasn't at his best. He did look pretty ordinary on most of the goals, though, as usually he saves 2, maybe 3 of those. Also, his stick-handling was casual and at times dangerous/bad. This is a game to forget for the kid because no one doubts that he can be better, almost all of the time.

Comments

A big win in Winnipeg and an early goal tonight had me really thinking that we were ready to go places this season. The loss hasn't completely dispelled those thoughts, but I am left wondering a few things that I had been taking for granted since Sunday. First and foremost, our passing was bad, bad enough that good chances were flat-out lost because of it. Secondly our defensive zone coverage was pretty poor. From our wingers to our D we had too many break-downs, too many give-aways. Lastly, why so many penalties? Why do we have to be that team again? Taking penalties with the frequency that we have been taking them is one of the dumbest things you can do in this league. We know this, the coaches and players know this, yet it continues. These are three basic issues that should be worked out in September, but now must be worked out, in a hurry. We have the skill and talent to beat a team like Calgary, but as long as we play a sloppy, careless game we will be beaten by pretty much all of the teams.

Help is not on the way, this is our squad. It isn't ideal, but it is what we have to work with. The coaches should be working overtime to make sure that we are using the right combination, the right personnel on special-units and the right tactics. Tonight, we did not look great and you won't win many games when that is the case. Colorado isn't a bad team, but they aren't a great team either. Let's see what we can change by Saturday and hope that the Habs will be more responsible and careful in all aspects of play starting in 48 hours.

Game #60Habs Have Fun Being Outside, Flames Have Fun Playing Hockey

Details

Date: 20/2/2011
Opponent: Flames
Location: Calgary

Loss: 0-4

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Kiprusoff (W)

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Bourque (2), Babchuk, Tanguay

Play of the game

The play of the game (or the reason I was able to keep watching this display) was that it was outdoors. It was fun and was a nice change, but, sadly, the Habs' play left nothing worth talking about.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Scott Gomez
Scott's line looked better than any of the others and were the only ones that seemed to be generating chances with any consistency. Considering how he has played of late he was the closest player to his normal form (not sure if that is a compliment...).

Travis Moen
He was part of the only line that was close to good tonight. I wish that he wasn't on a scoring line and I wish that he played tough, but I just don't think that it will happen. The rest of team should be ashamed that Travis is on here ahead of them.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Not a good game, better than at least 9 forwards, though. I am hoping that with Cammalleri's return Andrei will be able to find something in his game down the stretch. It is really now or never for his Habs career and I do think that time is running out. Is it fair that one of our best defensive forwards and offensive contributors is in this position? No, of course not, but with the French media taking no time off in their attack on him it is his reality.

Defencemen

James Wisniewski - Game Puck
Why is he getting the Game Puck? Well, I just couldn't think of anyone else and if there was one thing that I was impressed with tonight it was the fact that James played at all. We'll need him over the next few weeks, so he gets recognition for realizing that and playing with a condition that would knock most of us out of desk jobs for at least a week.

Yannick Weber
I only noticed Weber a few times out there, but when I did he seemed to be doing well enough. He played with Mara and I think that that can be a decent partnership. It will be interesting then to see what happens when Spacek is healthy as we all know that Paul wasn't a choice last season or summer over any of PK, Weber, Gill, Hammer or Spacek.

Goaltender

Alex Auld
It would have taken something really special to get a result tonight behind that team, but I am also thinking that had the game been closer towards the end things may have picked up. There were no real horrible goals, but a change, something to get this group going tonight would be what I was looking for. Add that to the fact that we rarely score 5+ goals anymore and it becomes obvious that taking a chance with Auld may have been our only hope.

Comments

That was still better than any loss indoors in Alberta would have been, so I can't complain. I do love the concept of a game out in the middle of winter and hope that we can see the Habs play a few more of these over the years. In fact, Molson Stadium would be an ideal venue as its setting on the mountain and at the edge of downtown would make for much more spectacular views than the highways and parking lots of Calgary.

The Habs just didn't have it tonight as it seemed like they weren't really playing hockey. There was no intensity, no fore-check, no hits and no chemistry out there. Calgary played well, but not that well. Had we been focused and ready to go this could have been two points. It is a shame, therefore, that this game did count for points as our team just didn't seem to be too into it. Too worried about the cold? The ice? Injuries? Who knows, but the Flames dealt with it, the old-times dealt with it better and it looked like even the fans dealt with it more effectively than our players. A must-win in Vancouver now awaits. Oh dear.

A Personal Hockey Heritage Calgary 1986-89

When people think of hockey heritage and heritage rivalries, they might not instantly jump to Calgary vs. Montreal. Most Montrealers would probably cite at least 5 other rivalries they deem to have more heritage. Calgarians are likely in the same boat.

But for this Montreal fan, there couldn't have been a more fitting choice for a Heritage Classic match-up than Calgary vs. Montreal. To me, this was the ultimate rivalry. Montreal is where I grew up. Calgary and the Flames set my hockey dreams alight.


The First Cup

Nearly every hockey fan has a first Stanley Cup playoffs tournament of note in their treasured memories. I was born in the 1970s, but moved to Canada when I was very young. Montreal was a Stanley Cup champion when we arrived, but this was all very alien to me. I probably vaguely knew of ice, but it hadn't been part of my winters till then.

After briefly living within touching distance of the Forum's back exit, my childhood in Montreal for a while consisted of school and playing on the street. Because we lived a stone's throw from a pool, swimming became the big sport. Because of our own heritage, soccer was to be the other pursuit.

1986 was the first playoffs I remember clearly in my house. The excitement at school and in the neighbourhood must have been building for this once oblivious child to take notice of something other than the upcoming Commonwealth Games swim meet. Though not vivid memories, I see snippets of games, I know Gainey and Robinson and Naslund were images from the time. I remember Patrick Roy being the only thing my friends would talk about at school. Even though it seemed a very easy time to grow up without the Canadiens (I think the 1970s must have made many fans more blase about the whole thing), May 1986 was the first spark of interest for hockey in a young mind.

Because the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in Calgary that year, I even got a Canadiens sweater out of it. In a move that I understand much more with time, our swim team coaches made the Canadiens sweater our team uniform for the important under-10 swimming competition in Toronto that June. Oh, how the 19-year starved Torontonians must have loved the gesture. Probably expecting their chance to return the favour to come very soon.


Calgary Olympics

If hockey had eluded me before 1986, sports as spectacle had not. The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles had me rapt. Canada, my country, so gracefully poaching medals left and right. Alex Baumann and Victor Davis, of course, being pivotal figures in all swimmers thoughts from that era.

4 years is a long time to wait for a child. So, when I discovered that 6 months before those Seoul Olympics, that couldn't come soon enough, Canada would be hosting a different set of Olympics, I jumped in feet first. I got the Petro Canada and Post Office gear and scheduled my entire two weeks. I was going to watch the entire event if I could. I probably nearly did. From Pirmin Zurbriggen to that final hockey game, I watched and watched.

If Calgary in 1986 had provided the spark and the sweater, then Calgary 1988 had begun to provide an education in the game of hockey and a basis for something to come. I loved Canada and cheered for Sean Burke, Andy Moog and the guys, but one couldn't help but be fascinated with Larionov, Makarov and Krutov. The Canadiens and Oilers won the NHL trophies, but this showed the young fan a whole world of players who didn't even compete for that one.


1988-89 Season

If I think about how perfect stories are reconciled in the imagination, the 1988-89 season comes to mind. The Canadiens were a good team in 1986, but they had surprised a bit, they certainly came from nowhere into my consciousness. The Flames too had accepted Steve Smith's help to make that final. 1988-89 was different.

Chelios, Roy, Robinson, Naslund, Smith and Richer were battling all season long with far-off rivals Loob, Mullen, Nieuwendyk, MacDonald and Vernon. There were two teams that season. Montreal won the East by a clear 23 points, Calgary cleared the Campbell Conference by 26 points.

The struggle for the President's trophy throughout that year was the most important hockey contest I had come across to date. Because we had moved to Canada, our family didn't really have a notion that regular seasons are unimportant, so scoreboard watching, particularly through the winter and spring of 1989 was tremendously exciting. Back then, of course, things were a bit more romantic.

Because there was no internet and very few people had TSN yet, results from the Western timezones were typically unearthed in the morning newspapers. I can remember raiding my local depanneurs with some frequency to steal a glance at Calgary scores, the exotic boxscores and the standings. Montreal went 14-3-3 over the last stretch to really pour on the pressure. But Calgary put it away impressively with an 8-1-0 run in the final nine. A win less would have been a tie break win, one more loss and tie, Montreal would have received the President's trophy. Those were some riveting boxscores, I can tell you.

And then with only the slight blip of Calgary:Vancouver, both teams swooped into the final as teams do in perfectly written seasons. The Vezina, Norris and Selke trophy laureats would face the storming offense where Doug Gilmour

0-1, 1-1, 2-1(!), 2-2, 2-3, 2-4 and it was done. Despite curfews getting in the way, i watched these where I could. Part of me expected all to go as planned and the good guys to claim victory. The villain with the red moustache was an image I couldn't shake for a long time.

This season and this final, grueling months of anticipation, celebration and work was the first of its kind for me. Hockey may not have been the sport that lived in my imagination before. it was now.


The rest is history

While Calgary may not be the Canadiens most important rivals anymore. For a few short (and pivotal) seasons, the Flames were. The city of Calgary, being the locale for a Stanley Cup victory, a mesmerizing Olympic hockey tournament and a pivotal Game 5 (among other important wins that year) was the second home of my hockey imagination.

For years after, I'd consider the possibility of the pure final (Calgary vs. Montreal) in all predictions and dealings with hockey pools. Probably right up until 1993 with the big 10-man trade and the ensuing playoffs. I knew these were the two best teams of an era, and the stats even back that up.

That's why for me that alumni game (with plenty of characters and villains from that very era) will be very exciting. The game itself will be. This rivalry just works that way.

Game #59Montreal Overwhelmed By Young Oilers

Details

Date: 17/2/2011
Opponent: Oilers
Location: Edmonton

Loss: 1-4

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Khabibulin (W)

Habs goalscorers: Halpern
Opposition goalscorers: Hemsky (2), Eberle, Jones

Play of the game

A Subban shot towards the end that went wide was, disappointingly, our best play of the game. Right after we killed a 5-on-3 we seemed to show some life. Weber did a good job to flip a high one in the air into the neutral zone. Their Gomez did an excellent job of controlling the puck and got it to Gio before getting it back. He then found a streaking PK who made a nice move to get in close. It was the story of the night, however, as the eventual shot went wide.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Scott Gomez - Game Puck
Is this the start of something? Camms could be back which means we could have two real lines (man, is Moen ever brutal or what?). If Scott plays like he did tonight with Cammalleri and Kostitsyn on his wings there would likely be very different results. A game like tonight wouldn't just be a good game in our eyes, but likely also in those who value stats above anything.

Lars Eller
I wondered if this could be Lars' last game with the big club this season, but then he went and played well enough to justify his spot. I can't however, really see a place for him long-term as it seems the third line is already set and I am not sure if he is a fourth-liner. I think that everyone involved would benefit from him being a top-6 in Hamilton rather than a bottom-3 up here.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei was our most dangerous forward tonight and I wasn't the only one who thought so. JM was using him more and it seemed to help him with his confidence. He was connecting well with Gomez throughout, but I would still like to see him reunited with Pleks as that combo worked so well for us early on this year.

Defencemen

Yannick Weber
Yan was our best defenceman tonight and he was rewarded with an insane amount of minutes. Our D continues to drop which means the young Swiss rearguard, who started the season as our #8, is up into our top-3. He is doing a formidable job, but it would be nice if he could go back to learning his trade on the third pairing.

Roman Hamrlik
I almost put the Wis in here, but thought that that was a bit silly, so went with the least bad of the remaining four. That, tonight, happened to be Hamrlik. I wasn't too big on his defensive play, but did quite like what I saw from Roman in the offensive zone. With all the injuries we have we have to be very careful with him as at his age he is the most likely one to pick something up as fatigue must now surely be becoming an issue. Is Chelios available? He can't be too much worse than Nash or Mara.

Goaltender

Carey Price
This was a bit of an off game from Carey. He has saved much harder stuff than he let in tonight. Edmonton, however, is never a good place for him and it showed again tonight. With a tighter D corps this could have been a win and we wouldn't have noticed any weaknesses as those shots would have never been so dangerous; so, much is forgiven.

Comments

We lost the winnable game which in a way may not be a bad thing. We still have two more games to play in the west and I am sure that we will play better now having lost to the league's worst team. A win would have been nice, but maybe this loss will serve as a reminder to us in the coming weeks. It can be a reminder that no opponent should be taken lightly, a reminder that constantly pinching our D-men will bite us and a reminder that we must be much more efficient as we are too vulnerable; our lack of depth is starting to show on the face of the team. Sunday will be a good game, but now it has to be more than a shinny game, it has to be a win. We can't slide too much and I would much more comfortable heading to Vancouver off a win rather than off 3 losses in a row.

Game #58No Ties Here; Habs-Sabres Leave Us On The Edge Of Our Seats

Details

Date: 15/2/2011
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Enroth (W)

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty (1, SO), Pouliot (Desharnais, Plekanec - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Stafford, Pominville (Vanek, Ennis, Gerbe, Hecht - SO)

Play of the game

I was hoping for a defining goal, save or drawn penalty in the last little while, but without the win it is hard to play the 'crucial-moment' card. So, instead I will go for our nicest goal, Pouliot's. A great pass by the Wis to Desh sent the Habs away. The speedy forward made a nice move to get around his cover and then floated a nicely timed backhand pass to Pouliot who had a wide-open cage to hit.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
Pleks capped a nice game with a goal that doesn't count. What did count, however, was his play throughout the first 65 minutes of the night. He found a wide-open MaxPac to start his night off and followed that up with play after play of smart hockey. I noticed a few great back-checks that not only led to break-ups, but also to Habs rushes.

Max Pacioretty
Max scored a real goal and another one tonight. His goal was a goalscorer's goal as he went hard to the net and finished the job that he had started. He used good speed and hockey-sense throughout the game to make things happen for his linemates. He was separated towards the end from Pleks, but I think that that had more to do with getting the other lot going rather than it being a message for his group.

Benoit Pouliot
It continues for Ben as he made the right play to be at the net, around his defender when Desharnais was going in hard. I would have liked to have seen him score on the shootout and do hope that he tries a new move next time. Generally it is hard to score on the same move more than once as that goalie, if well prepared, should have that move at the forefront of his memory.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK carried the biggest load tonight as he played nearly half an hour of hockey. It is the right move to do as he is young and full of energy and, for the most part, has been playing as one of our top-2 for quite some time. The best part about his game tonight (as is the case on most nights) was that he was playing hard in all 3 zones. He doesn't just log the ice time, no, he certainly makes the most of it as he is at full-tilt on each and every shift.

Alexandre Picard
The Hammer and the Wiz have had better games and it was hard to see what Nash was really all about. So, it was between Picard and Weber who I felt were more or less equal. I went with Alex for three reasons though. The first was that he logged more ice-time, with 6 extra minutes coming at ES. The second was that he didn't take a penalty; not that I blame every penalty taker, but I do applaud those who stay clean on most nights. The last reason was that I thought he played a slightly cleaner game in our own end, as clean, or just a bit less, than Subban in that regard.

Goaltender

Carey Price
A win would have been nice, but the Habs let Buffalo come at Price in the last two periods and it caught up with us. He got some nice bounces, and posts, and also made some very key saves as I think he basically stole us a point. The shootout was a bit disappointing as Carey was beaten three times in a spot that must have been identified by the Sabres. If that is the case I hope that we have already identified this area and will continue to work on it.

Comments

Our first period was a great one as we were all over Buffalo. It was probably the best 20 minutes that I have seen from the Habs in 2011 as it was chance after chance and, best of all, there wasn't even a sniff from the Sabres. We fell into that old trap, though, of great period, not a big enough lead. We should have put the game away at that point or at least played like that in the second until we had at least a 3-goal lead. It wasn't that we started to play too badly, but it certainly went their way from period-2 onwards. We had our chances towards the end and in OT, but we lacked the conviction that we had shown early on. The shootout was long and we had a chance to win, but it was Buffalo that seemed more prepared. They went for similar spots over and over and we seemed to be all over the place. Kostitsyn, Pouliot, Wis, Pyatt, Gionta and Gomez all had pretty bad attempts and have me wondering if this is something that is ever really practiced? I would hope that a coach would practice this on a regular basis because, as silly as it is, there are points to be had there. Us, for example have 3 less points (2-3) than Buffalo (5-0) in as many attempts, yet I believe we have scoring and goaltending to match them.

Next up is a trip out west to play three Canadian teams. Vancouver will be tough, Edmonton should be a win and Calgary will be a fun game in which getting points may be forgotten. I for one love real outdoor games (not ones in warm American cities) and hope that the Habs can improve to 2-0 in them. The last time it was Zednik's 2 goals (the first ever player to score outdoors) that led the way; who will it be this time? That game will be enjoyable, win or lose, so I'll call the trip a success if we bag at least 3 points.

Game #46Suddenly Subban!

Details

Date: 17/1/2011
Opponent: Flames
Location: Montreal

Win: 5-4 (OT)

Habs Goalie: Auld, Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Kiprusoff, Karlsson (L)

Habs goalscorers: Eller, Cammalleri, Kostitsyn, Halpern, Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Bourque, Bouwmeester, Kotalik, Tanguay

Play of the game

The best play (from a non-timing perspective) had to be the goal that put the Habs up by two. We had just killed off a Cammalleri penalty and it was he who ended up scoring the goal. It takes a few things to happen to get a breakaway out of the box. You need their D to forget about you, you need your team to be aware of the situation and you need to get yourself in a good position to get a pass. All of those happened and with a great pass from Halpern, Camms was in alone. The shot that came was the type of shot that we need Mike to be taking and need him to be scoring; it was simply blistering.

Dome hockey team

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

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei scored tonight and was probably unlucky to only get one. He was strong throughout the entire game whether it was helping out in his own end or making things happen in their end. He led the team in shots and hits and was one non-Subban OT winner away from a Game Puck.

Jeff Halpern
This one was a toss-up between Jeff and Gomez. I really liked Gomez's offensive play tonight as there were a few great passes; especially his assist on the winner. Both players also did well in the face-off circle (JH: 7-4, SG: 13-2), but I gave it to Jeff as he scored what turned out to be a very crucial goal. His goal is a great lesson in why you should never, ever let up. He, like Scott, also made a great pass as it was Halpern that fed Camms with the long bomb when Mike was out of the box.

Tomas Plekanec
Early on in this one Pleks was by far our best player. He continued to play well throughout, but other players rose up too. He was such a force down low and in the corners as he was winning battles, creating chances and simply dominating those covering him. His whole line played well tonight and that is what you need from your top line when there are crucial games, like tonight's, on the line.

Defencemen

PK Subban - Game Puck
Had Wisniewski not broken his stick, rushed to the bench and had the puck come to his feet then PK would have never jumped on the ice. Had that never happened then PK would have basically had the perfect game tonight. He was making great defensive plays all game, played well on the PK and PP and added an exclamation point with a thrilling OT winner. The goal, his fourth, is a highlight of what is becoming a very good season for the rookie. Points aside, if he plays like this from now on (27+ minutes tonight) then he'll have to be a favourite for the Calder.

Hal Gill
Hal is playing better with PK beside of him and so is PK. It just shows that not every partnership (Gill-Gorges) is always the best fit, even if it is a very good fit. He did cough the puck up on Bouwmeester's goal, but like PK that was his one big mistake in an otherwise good game. He and PK both played 6+ minutes of shorthanded hockey and both did an excellent job of keeping the Flames at bay (0/4).

Goaltender

Carey Price
Auld was given what every goalie dreams about; a 4-goal lead and the sound of iron ringing in his ears. I would say that the Canadiens were lucky to be up by so much early and Auld's luck, unfortunately was the first to run out. 4 goals over a 9:30 span were enough for JM to watch and in came Price. Carey only faced 4 shots, but did what he had to. I think that Mr. Auld was lucky that we scored and that they kept hitting the post, but also that we won; people will be quick to forget this off-game. I hope.

Comments

Calgary showed tonight why they are in the basement over in the West (the Oilers are beneath the foundation...). It started with weak goaltending, but it quickly became apparent that their defence was weak too. Add that to the fact that they have a weak offence and all of a sudden it adds up. In fact it reminds me so much of what we have seen, at times, from the Habs over the past 20 years. Tonight's game will never be one that is remembered for its defensive tone or goaltending as both teams struggled to really impose any sort of system. It is, therefore, lucky that we did win in the end as the Habs, when forced to play another team's game, can sometimes lose the picture. It was certainly lost at times, but when Calgary scored that fourth goal it was almost like a blessing. With the tying goal they went to sleep and we woke up. In fact, I believe that had they scored that goal 5-10 minutes later we may have had a hard time re-taking control of the game.

In the end Subban put home a wonderful shot and we can all go home happy. The best part, of everything, for me has to be how we scored goals 2, 3 and 5. All of those were hard and precise shots that came from 3 of our top players. Those 3 players can all be huge difference makers and when they play like they did tonight they are just that. We'll next see Calgary in a month when we face-off outdoors and if, by that time, we are still on about these three players (for good reasons) then we should be right back to where we want to be in the standings.

Foolscap Contract Rules Not Worth The Paper They're Written On

Yesterday, while everyone was gearing up for the NHL season reading previews and criticising predictions, some NHL teams faced a very important deadline.

The Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames were all over the salary cap and had until 3 pm EDT to do something about it. The moves that ensued leave me to question my early faith in this salary cap as a levelling device once again, after a summer of cap nonsense.


To start with, let's review the consequences for starting the season over the salary cap: To be honest with you, I'm not sure. And I'm not sure anyone really is certain about what definitive move the league would take. The CBA gives flexibility in the regard ranging from fines to draft picks to forfeit of games. Let's say that it at least the teams at risk of going over believe there would be consequences, unlike those that went over to end the season.


So no clear consequences, but definite fear that the league might make an example of someone led to some tricky moves on the salary cap front yesterday.

Vancouver used Sami Salo's injury as credit to go over the cap, and messed with prospects heads and travel schedules to get to their priority. That wasn't enough though, as they also needed to make some trades, notably Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuk for a player they have no intention of using.

New Jersey were expected to be forced into a trade, but instead delayed their move by taking advantage of a Bryce Salvador concussion and Anssi Salmela's recovery to declare the LTIR and non-roster, respectively.

The Bruins too used injury. They leveraged Marc Savard's and Marco Sturm's injuries into cap space. If they come back, it will be interesting to see if and how they will move.

The Flames have injuries too.

All this, of course, comes after the Blackhawks and Rangers used effective "forced retirement" to get under the cap, a disgraceful tactic that flies in the face of the spirit of competition and level playing field.

So rather than actually getting under the salary cap, teams choose to "circumvent" it by using sometimes less than honest tactics. I don't know what the solution is to all this, but perhaps some proper consequences could help. And, perhaps enforcing the cap into the playoffs (after all isn't the Stanley Cup the only prize being played for?) might help.

Until the NHL does something about all this, I continue to be disappointed with the Habs who seem content to sit idly by as teams perennially contend on the back of wonky rules. The Canadiens, who must have some of the largest purses in the business, seem meanwhile perfectly content to sit idly by and collect their revenue for a less than salary-ceiling payroll again. The extent of the Habs creativity went up in thin air when they pre-emptively traded Jaroslav Halak to make sure they wouldn't have this kind of work to do in the fall. It may seem right, but don't be too surprised when New Jersey, Chicago, Vancouver and maybe even Boston enter March as good-looking contenders and Montrealers have new spring calendar openings.

The NHL salary cap circumvention is shameful, just like holding and obstructing is. But if everyone else is doing it. Well come on.


More black eye

The shiners for the league's image don't end at waiver wires and LTIR lists.

At the other end of the table, the New York Islanders use salary buyouts and choose not to put Mark Streit on LTIR as it would mean they'd need to do something about meeting the salary floor. Larry Brooks thinks its just as significant a mockery. So do I.

Calgary Shows What's Possible

When the Canadiens had locker room problems, they excommunicated a player. yet neither his salary nor his roster spot were gained in the transaction. It was a great PR move, but a nothing from a hockey point of view.

Calgary has been bombing in the standings of late. Possible explanations include their lack of scoring, and that old losing streak favourite – a rift in the locker room.

Considering the issues facing Darryl Sutter, the task must have seemed monumental. A second number one defenceman, but one with an attitude (and not one that helps the team). How to get value in a trade. Next, a one-dimensional attack, hampered again by an anchor of a personality. Both problem players are paid as if they're not problems, as if the order wasn't tall enough already.

Yet Sutter seems to have pulled off a coup.

In his first trade, he seemed to manage to get value for his promising, yet troublesome young defenceman. Not only that, he actually got a second line in return. Matt Stajan and Niklas Hagman are among the Leafs top scorers and come in ahead of most Flames but Iginla in the scoring race. The fact he also replaced Phaneuf with Ian White, a pretty adept blueliner, without the salary or the ego, was the winning shot as he parted the negotiation.

This first trade allowed him to turn around and jettison Jokinen, which reports say he did in a trade for Ales Kotalik and sudden journeyman and trade throwaway Chris Higgins.

All in all, not a bad remake.


From the Leafs point of view

I'm not sure another pundit needs to get into this from the Leafs point of view. TSN has a month ahead of them here. But I thought a couple of thoughts wouldn't kill anyone.

Bringing in Phaneuf was a coup for Burke as well, no matter how you look at it. On the Leafs at the moment, it makes no difference who is sipped out, since it's a losing formula anyway. Phaneuf may not be a winner, but being the top dog will surely stroke his ego again, the way he likes.

It also fulfills Burke's one ask this season – improve the team for next season. In acquiring Phaneuf, he claimed a piece that will be harder to grab in July. Presumably he'll replace the forwards then, as forwards of the Stajan stature, though valuable now, are not July 1st material usually.

If I want to take a negative view on the Leafs, it's losing Ian White. But that's a case of giving to get, it doesn't happen any other way.


Habs implications

Many Habs fans are getting antsy after this. In the land of consecutive losses, a big trade would at least stem the break between Feb 1 and the Olympics with some excitement.

My feeling is that is a bad reason to make a trade. There's no way the Habs missed out too much yesterday. Phaneuf, even if he matures into a man one day, is still an offensive defenceman. With Markov and then every prospect worth the paper his name is written on being an offensive defenceman, the addition wasn't on the radar. The Giguere move would be a disaster here – we already have two goalies better than his current self. The forwards exchanged, perhaps with the exception of Jokinen were extra pieces in trades, not the key pieces. I suspect Burke doesn't trade Stajan unless he's part of a big one. Jokinen himself seems to burn a lot of bridges. Maybe he'd fit. perhaps not worth the gamble.

In terms of future trades, I don't think it changes much. Not for the Canadiens anyway. New York would have always been looking for a centre, but we wouldn't give them Plekanec, and they wouldn't have Gomez. Calgary may be finished, but a team with forwards who can't score and offensive defencemen who trip on their own feet is not one we should be mining to correct a problem.

Yes, I'm envious that Toronto fans get to dream for a few days about a better backline while we await an MRI, but ultimately, I'm fairly comfortable that we didn't get into this affair.

Game #18Halak Makes It Look Closer Than It Was

Details

Date: 10/11/09
Opponent: Flames
Location: Montreal

Loss: 0-1

Habs Goalie: Halak (L)
Opposition Goalie: Kiprusoff (W)

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Iginla

Play of the game

There aren't too many positives to be taken out of this one, but I will hand it to some of our boys for showing some heart and good camaraderie at times. My favorite incident took place when McGrattan, known for his dirty play, hit Plekanec at Calgary's blue-line for no apparent reason. The hit was dirty in my opinion as it came when Tom didn't have the puck, had his head down and was in open ice. Seeing that his smaller teammate had just been knocked over for the second time in a matter of minutes (Phaneuf laid a big one on Pleks in the corner) he decided to take the matter into his own hands (God knows the refs weren't about to do anything). So Paul dropped his gloves and jumped onto McGrattan. There were a few punches thrown, but in reality it wasn't much of a scrap. What it showed me, however, was that these guys, even though they are still getting to know one another, will go to war for each other and that, my friends, is the basis of any solid team; it is a tried, tested and true fact of sport.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Mike Cammalleri
Mike was by far our most dangerous forward tonight. He had a few spectacular moves, but came up just short on a couple of occasions. I think that Martin thinks the answer is for him to play with Gomez and Gionta, but I really like him with Plekanec and hope that that experiment hasn't, yet again, been aborted. I also think that you should end a game with the same lines as you started with, something that was not the case tonight at all.

Andrei Kostitsyn
One of these days I really need to see a goal from Andrei, but I can live with how he played tonight as it was head and shoulders above most of our other forwards. His 4 shots led the team and at least 3 were very dangerous; they were shots that created rebounds and forced the Kipper to come up big.

Glen Metropolit
Glen did well on the third line tonight and also featured predominantly on our special teams. You can't fault him for not scoring as who would have expected that we would even be hoping for that outcome. He has exceeded expectations all year and tonight was an example of how he is one of our most solid, responsible and reliable players.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
Hamrlik didn't bring much to the table offensively, but I felt did a good enough job against Iginla's line. He played for over 26 minutes and, although he was on the ice for some chances, never got himself into major trouble. Playing almost half the game against a team like Calgary, however, will wear you down, so I can only hope he will be good to go for the rest of the week. He is, because of Markov's injury, being used more than we would like, but so far, so good.

Jaroslav Spacek
Spacek had a few weak moments in his own end, but there was nothing too catastrophic. Our defence, on the whole, wasn't great tonight, but I also didn't think their effect was too negative either. Jaro's upside came in the form of offence as he took 4 shots and also played semi-decently on what was an otherwise pitiful power-play.

Goaltender

Jarolav Halak - Game Puck
Halak could have let in 3+ goals tonight or probably could have had a shutout. It was one of those nights where he wasn't great, but got most of the bounces. The bottom line, however, is that he made some big saves down the stretch and he gave us a chance to get points we didn't really deserve. The goal against was weakish, but, then again, an Iginla wrist shot is often quite hard to stop. A loss is a loss, but 1 GA and a .967 Save % has likely earned him a start before the week is over.

Comments

You never like to see your team lose a game 1-0 (first shutout of the season) as it then becomes very easy to say the 'what ifs'. What if Gorges stays with Iggy. What if Halak stops that shot. What if Gomez lifts the puck on his breakaway. What if Gionta drops to Kostitsyn instead of going cross-ice (and broken up) to Gomez on a 3-on-2. You see, I could go on and on. This is it though, Calgary was better than us tonight. They had the better goalie, the better offence and by far the better D. We tried hard at times, but one look at either our PP or PK will tell you that we were simply outclassed. I think, however, it is time for Martin to find a way for us to be able to compete against good teams. The season is almost 1/4 of the way through and we still have trouble against quality teams, we still seem to lack a defensive system and we are still struggling to find lines, combinations and a team identity. Markov being injured is a great excuse, but it is so played by now. The lack of chemistry with new players isn't a great November 10th excuse either. And, being told the players (professionals I might add) are still learning a system 2 months after its introduction is starting to look worse on the coaches than on the players. Things will certainly have to line up for us over the next 2 months if we want to stay in the top 10 (or get back to the top 10 I should say), but I believe that we have the potential and the will to get it done which, in reality, are paramount to anything else at this point in time.

Game #3:Calgary's Fourth Line Betters Habs'

Details

Date: 6/10/09
Opponent: Flames
Location: Calgary

Loss: 3-4

Habs Goalie: Halak (L)
Opposition Goalie: Kiprusoff (W)

Habs goalscorers: Gomez, Latendresse, Plekanec
Opposition goalscorers: Nystrom (3), Iginla

Play of the game

From a Habs point of view the best play, I think, was our third goal. I felt, until this goal, that Plekanec's line (himself in particular) had to be better. Well, this goal was mostly thanks to Tom himself and it seemed to ignite him and his linemates. A lot of hard work in the corners and behind the net allowed Pleks to beat the bigger and stronger Flames' defenders and get to the side of the net. He had few options when he got there as he was facing away from the net, but, thankfully, resisted the urge to go back to the point with the puck. Instead he put a backhand into the roof of the net and tied the game at 3. His backhand has time and time again proven to be world-class and I can only hope that this play was the first of many more to come this season.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Scott Gomez - Game Puck
Gomez scored his first goal as a Hab tonight, but that was just a small sample of his excellent play in this one. The goal itself was a one-timer which left the Kipper with no chance - it was straight to the roof of the net. The rest of his game could be summed up with one word: speed - everything he did tonight was done quickly. His passing, his skating and his shooting were all executed with a sense of urgency and, for the most part, he was able to catch Calgary flat-footed. His line fell short at the end, but over the last 15 minutes he was a big reason why the Habs almost forced OT again.

Tomas Plekanec
If Martin is hellbent on using the big three players on the same line then it really is up to Tomas to carry the second line, and in a way the team. No cup winning team can do it with one scoring line and that is why a player like Pleks (and to a similar extent, Kostitsyn) is so important. He has been decent so far this year, but I felt that tonight he started to impose his own style of play. He was first to the puck on many occasions and was strong on it when he got there. He made Kostitsyn a better player tonight and even made Pacioretty look like an NHLer. He could use the help of another solid winger (like Kovalev perhaps?) as MaxPac really can't keep up for 60 minutes. I almost think it is time to give Sergei (the kid with the best hope among all our kids) another shot.

Brian Gionta
I once again really liked what I saw from Gionta tonight. He is slowly becoming a favorite of mine and he is working very hard to earn that distinction. Tonight he was, once again, very quick and alert with and without the puck. There is no doubt in my mind that he and Gomez will always likely represent our best chance at a goal, no matter the situation. Cammalleri played very well tonight too, but I wonder if we are unnecessarily stacking our top line. Brian is the type of player, as he showed tonight, that can create something out of nothing, and he can do it often. Players like that don't need to be surrounded by the best players on the team at all times.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
The 'how not to play defence' clinic was run in conjunction with the Habs-Flames game tonight, but luckily, for the viewers, it was a 2-for-1 deal. Gorges got a front row seat to both as he drew the short straw and had to play with our worst assistant captain since Brisebois wore the 'A' that time we had injuries to our top 36 players. Playing with Gill all night and coming out of it with an even rating was almost Game-Puck worthy, but in the end I settled on the dome. Josh (when he wasn't cleaning up incredible blunders) played a very solid game and was probably our best player in the defensive end. There was no offence to speak of, but with Hammer, Spacek and Weber all in I wasn't looking for any.

Paul Mara
Another reason that Gorges isn't needed offensively is the surprising offensive play of Paul Mara. I have been skeptical so far, but tonight I felt he earned my praise. He posted 2 assists in the game giving him 3 in 3 games. Unfortunately (thanks to some brutal reffing) he didn't see any PP time, but given his past numbers and his play so far this year I am actually quite anxious for him to get some more time in that regard. He wasn't a slouch defensively tonight either as he finished the game with a positive rating; the only defender to do so.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I won't go as far as saying that Halak played a bad game, but I can tell you that it wasn't a good one either. Good games require a goalie finding a way not to let a 4th-liner score a hat-trick and require the odd stop of a screened shot or deflection. I was happy that Jaro got the start and still stand by that as I think there is no need to play Price in back-to-back games at this stage, but wonder if Martin got his order wrong. Besides the goals against (which is the only thing that really counts) I was happy with how Halak handled the puck, recovered from the butterfly and controlled his rebounds. Not enough to get in the dome, but not enough for him to not get another chance within the next 10 days either.

Comments

Winning in Calgary was never going to be easy and, despite our 2-0 start, it wasn't as if we were lighting the league on fire. Calgary played a tough game tonight and also played a very fast game. We couldn't match their toughness (beaten badly in 2 fights), but I felt we were as quick, if not quicker, than the team in red. What I can say is that our 4th line was absolutely pathetic. None of Stewart, Chipchura nor Laraque should really be playing in the NHL and under no circumstances should they be playing together. They bring nothing to the table offensively and are quite diabolical defensively too. We have 4th line players like Moen and Lapierre, but thanks to contract status (and other reasons) they get bumped up - this is where the problem starts. That leaves us with a hole and that hole was torn wide open tonight by Calgary's 4th line. I really think if you are going to use 4 lines then you have to have 3 competitive/offensive/balanced lines with one muck-it-up line. Right now we have 1.5 competitive lines (Pacioretty is not anywhere near being a top-6 forward), 1 quasi-defensive line (Latendrese is slightly out of place there as he should, ideally, be on a true scoring line) and one trio of guys who happened to have their own equipment and shirts that fit. Aside from that one aspect of our game I felt that we outplayed the Flames. When our top two lines were on we were quick, hard to the puck and we created chances. We only figured out, after 2 momentum-sapping goals, that having a constant flow of energetic players will generally help you.

Next up is Vancouver, a team that is not keen to lose again. I really hope that Martin does something about his lines because if he doesn't we may be back to .500 very fast. We have enough good players and got enough good performances tonight that we could have been 3-0. Poor coaching and soft play, however, have taught us that being labeled as 'defensive' or 'strong' or 'NHL-capable' doesn't mean anything until you can prove that at this level.

Stanley Cup Heroes: Gary Leeman – Critical Piece?

Of all the stories passed down over the years about the 1993 Stanley Cup win, very few cast Gary Leeman as a central character. This is right. Gary was not a central character – he was benched in many playoff games and relegated to fourth line on many others. But at the time, Gary Leeman was a very important and significant player to me.

My first acquaintance with Gary Leeman was made in 1989-90. I had recently begun taking hockey very seriously and Stephane Richer was my favourite player. Back then, it was customary to think that the Canadiens would be in the running for awards and league leads in various categories. 1989 was laden in trophies for the Canadiens and Patrick Roy was setting standards.

For me the race to watch was the goalscoring lead. Gretzky could shut down the Art Ross competition in December, but since he wasn't a goal man, that race seemed open to me. What's more we had a horse, and his name was Stephane Richer. He'd done 50 goals before, so he was legit. Anyway, as the season went on and I watched for Richer goals and Habs wins on HNIC, it became clear that Stephane was going to have a little rivalry going with Gary Leeman.

Though I certainly kept tabs on Gary from that point (thinking back, I was probably unlucky enough to have picked him in the pool the next year), his career didn't really make that big an impression on me. The Leafs back then were in the West and I wasn't even aware that I was supposed to dislike them. They were sufficiently bad anyway, so there seemed little point. Any hockey fan would certainly cite the 10 player holiday season swap announced during HNIC as a big moment, but again it was Campbell conference fodder (Leafs:Flames), I was immersed in Habs:Bruins.


The next big Leeman moment in my life came on January 28, 1993. That was the day Serge Savard traded Brian Skrudland to the Calgary Flames for the now severely fading star.

Brian Skrudland, you see was a special player in my household. For one thing, he was my younger brother's favourite player. But for another, he happened to be the only NHL player I knew personally, as he was the only one on my paper route. I wouldn't say that Brian and I were friends or anything, but he was my best tipper and probably the best house to go collecting money from on a cold January afternoon. He'd always invite me in to warm up and talk about hockey, his car, or the very cold weather of course. He was a nice guy.

By 1993 I was no longer a paper boy, but the Leeman trade was a full dose of reality for a young impressionable fan. I knew that players were traded – I'd seen my favourite Richer traded and a few more. But I thought that certain players were Canadiens for life, players like Brian. Now I knew the truth.


Leeman as a Hab

My memory of Leeman as a Canadiens player is patchy at best. I'd be lying if I told you I remembered his storming 0.9 point-per-game introduction to the Canadiens faithful. And he doesn't figure greatly in my memories of the Stanley Cup run. Certainly not in the way that Lecalir, DiPietro, Dionne, Lebeau, and the star players did.

My lasting memory of him, if I'm honest, came during the Stanley Cup parade. When I got the chance to touch the Stanley Cup that day and get every Canadiens hockey card I owned signed by the corresponding new champion, it is Leeman I remember best. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that as the mob moved towards Roy and Damphousse that Gary was one of the less popular Canadiens autographs that day. When it came time for him to sign the card I gave him (a Leafs card as it was), he seemed to relish the occasion. With my permission, he took the card and promptly showed the back of it to everyone on his float that day. There was real glee on his face when combined with the Stanley Cup winner's aura he could now verify his 51-goal season to his teammates. Signed and handed back to me, Gary Leeman thanked me for the chance to show off a bit. It was a cool moment for me – even more so looking back.

As quickly as Gary came, he seemed to be gone. Obviously not a Demers player, Leeman was marginalised and then allowed to leave after the original lockout of 1994.


The 1993 Cup: the Leeman effect

Now, I wouldn't normally have been writing a section about the Leeman effect regarding a Stanley Cup run; but in my summer rambles I came across a very interesting piece that was lost in time about the Gary Leeman award (no, not the award for the least deserving 50-goal man).

The award (a bit of fun proposed by Chris Fell and his friends at the Meaford Express) is given to:

"recognize the season’s luckiest player, most fortunate player, or player that was in the right place at the right time."

Every year since 1993, the reporter and his friends have been picking a player who emulates Leeman's run of luck and every year, sure enough they find one.

It got me thinking that there may be something to it. Perhaps a requirement of winning the Stanley Cup is to bring along a player who might not otherwise have had the chance. Perhaps it's the hockey gods' way of doling out some good will here and there.

It certainly can't just be coincidence, can it, that every Stanley Cup winner back to 1987 has had their very own version of Gary Leeman on the squad. A player from a team with no shot who suddenly lands on his feet to get his name engraved. It would be hard to prove the opposite, with so many trades in the league, but there are examples of good teams falling to lesser ones, perhaps all because of their flaunting of the charity Cup winner tradition. The 1994 New Jersey Devils come to mind, as do the 2007-08 Montreal Canadiens.


My Gary Leeman award winners

Unfortunately, Chris Fell and his friends don't publish their rulings anywhere I can find them, so we don't know who has won the award officially each season. Instead, I have gone through all the seasons back to 1986 (the last one without a trade-in winner) to pick out a winner:

1987 Edmonton Oilers: Moe Lemay (from Vancouver)
1988 Edmonton Oilers: Dave Hannan (from Pittsburgh)
1989 Calgary Flames: Brian MacLellan (from Minnesota)
1990 Edmonton Oilers: Petr Klima (from Detroit)
1991 Pittsburgh Penguins: Peter Taglianetti (from Minnesota)
1992 Pittsburgh Penguins: Ken Wregget (from Philadelphia)
1993 Montreal Canadiens: Gary Leeman (from Calgary)
1994 New York Rangers: Nick Kypreos (from Hartford)
1995 New Jersey Devils: Danton Cole (from Tampa Bay)
1996 Colorado Avalanche: Dave Hannan (from Buffalo)
1997 Detroit Red Wings: Tomas Sandstrom (from Pittsburgh)
1998 Detroit Red Wings: Dimitri Mironov (from Anaheim)
1999 Dallas Stars: Derek Plante (from Buffalo)
2000 New Jersey Devils: Vladimir Malakhov (from Montreal)
2001 Colrado Avalanche: Steven Reinprecht (from LA)
2002 Detroit Red Wings: Jiri Slegr (from Atlanta)
2003 New Jersey Devils: Richard Smehlik (from Atlanta)
2004 Tampa Bay Lightning: Stanislav Neckar (from Nashville)
2006 Carolina Hurricanes: Doug Weight (from St Louis)
2007 Anaheim Ducks: Richard Jackman (from Florida)
2008 Detroit Red Wings: Brad Stuart (from LA)
2009 Pittsburgh Penguins: Mathieu Garon (from Edmonton)


To Gary Leeman.

We're Out, But At Least We Didn't Think Joe Thornton Was The Answer...

A week ago, life on the outside was a lonely place. Us, Columbus and St. Louis, not exactly the company we thought we'd be keeping. But as the week wore on, we were able to greet (and taunt) new groups of fans, something that brought us (and will continue to bring us great comfort, however empty some will tell us that it is.

On the weekend, the Broad Street Braggarts were ejected to a synchronous cheer from everyone who cares about hockey but doesn't live in that corner of Pennsylvania. And yesterday it was the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks.

What brings greatest pleasure, or perhaps solace is the more appropriate term, is that though building around Carey Price has not been the answer, nor has fashioning a complement for Mike Richards and his first 26-game superstar mirage partner Jeff Carter. Having Rick Nash does not save you anymore than having Alexei Kovalev does. Joe Thronton is not an answer, nor is having 2 big centres (not on its own, anyway).

All 5 of these teams will be feeling disappointment, just like we do. 2 more will join in tomorrow. Whereas, we were prepared and only had to deal with the pop from a bubble with a mere week's worth of hope inflating it; fans in San Jose are once again left in the tricky position of questioning their perfect franchise model, fans in Philly must be wondering why their built-for-playoff players can't score on Marc-Andre Fleury and Calgary has lost another Jarome Iginla year.

San Jose must be the worst of these. Back in January you couldn't turn on a computer without having to sit through or listen to accounts of San Jose's brilliance. This year they had got it right. Marleau was back on track, Thornton was still the best passer in the universe; their defence was impenetrable and Nabokov was avoiding his odd numbered off-year. Even back in January, though, people knew that as impressive as 5 losses to that point was, the Sharks might still be the more likely of any two teams to lose 4 of 7 just like all those times before.

And frankly, where can San Jose go from here. Every year they come in as dark horse favourites. Every year they don't disappoint in the regular season. How can a team evaluate their own playoff holes when the players refuse to play anything but top-notch hockey until April. On a normal team, you can run some tests, take a few losses and send the player back to the minors when it doesn't work. On the Sharks, sure you can jettison a few pieces, but the problem with their experiment is that it takes a year to get any meaningful results.

If you though Bob Gainey's job was going to be hard, spare a thought for Doug Wilson.

Deadline DayRecap LIW Style

Deadline Day in Review

Date: Wedensday, March 4th, 2009
Opponent: Critics
Venue: North America (and too many Canadian living rooms)

Team Stripes


Trade of the day
The trade you wasted your whole day to see...

The day started out slowly as it often does. After the big play, we were left hoping for more, but little came. The trade itself came around lunchtime with Darryl Sutter making a sweet and confident offer to nervous Phoenix. The result, a dominant and rather large number one centre (Olli Jokinen) for the second best winger in the league - his first ever. He even scooped a third round pick in the process. All this for Matthew Lombardi, a prospect (Brandon Prust) and what promises to be a low first round pick.

GM of the day
GMs, most former players, rarely get a chance to face down their rivals so intensely and so directly. The winner of the day deserves accolades.

Darryl Sutter, Calgary
Sam Pollock, who would have held this honour for most years of his career, would tell you that the winner is the man who gets the best player. Darryl Sutter got the best player in Jokinen. He swapped centre for centre in a massive upgrade and obtains a player signed at a reasonable rate. He also added Jordan Leopold.

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

Aggressives

Darryl Sutter, Calgary
He went early and he went hard. Not afraid to spend what would be a low first rounder, and confident in his current crop to give up two youngsters, he turned the corner from developing team to committed contender today as he went for Jokinen. His trade for Leopold (though I'm not a fan) did not cost him too heavily - he even managed to unload a waiver wire pickup from the morning. Deft and aggressive maneuvering.

Steve Tambellini, Edmonton
It all happens in Alberta. Not to be outdone by his cross-province rival, Tambellini took the time to get the man he wanted (through a Carolina detour) for a player that never fit the plans right. A promising prospect and a pick for a man you have no more use for - Bob Gainey take note... He tops it off by adding reliable enough Kotalik for a pick. Aggressive to finish the day and an improved team as a result.

Dale Tallon, Chicago Blackhawks
Plucking the diamond in the rough is hard to do. Samuel Pahlsson would have been my top target on a playoff team with most pieces in place like Chicago. Maybe Tallon kicked a few Jokinen tires, maybe some others; but unlike some peers it didn't end there. He saved a bit for the finish as he grabbed the stand-out shadow centre from recent Stanley Cup and Olympic championship teams - all for an expendable piece, and from a conference rival to boot. His "boss" Scotty Bowman might have had his paws on this day for the Hawks.


Defensives

Jacques Martin, Florida
Jacques might lose Bouwmeester for "nothing" now; but he might not. One thing is sure - that is that Florida (who are in their best form in 13 years) have retained their best player in the face of inane speculation. In addition, Martin smelled blood in Tampa and pounced on novice GM Lawton to snatch Eminger for his already mobile and versatile defence.

Darcy Regier, Buffalo
Speculation that Darcy might have to lose his top point producer of late was quashed when he signed him to a contract instead. Following that, he turned pick into Dominic Moore (who wouldn't fit lots of places, but seems Buffalo-esque) and then created space for Moore and recouped the pick in dealing Kotalik to Edmonton.


Stalwarts

Ken Holland, Detroit
7 teams were not involved in any trades today. 6 did not make any move at all. Of all those, you cannot question Ken Holland who was probably under pressure sitting in the unfamiliar 2nd seed. Having been here before, he could smell bad deals when he saw them and stayed well clear. Detroit as it was last year was head and shoulders above. Enhanced in the off-season. ken Holland has kept the most formidable group together without flinching.


Eye-Openers
Some say the best moves are the ones you never make. Time can prove anything. But this day will certainly be remembered for the moves that were not made. All the hype of stars moving even right up to 3:00 (Gomez for Morris, E1?) and there was only one superstar forward move. Only one goalie of note was shifted. The best defenceman dealt was had by a canny GM two weeks ago. Want to have your eyes opened: teams that didn't move today included Detroit, New Jersey and Washington. Who wouldn't want to be included in that group: not Montreal, Nashville, Minnesota and Vancouver (most long revered as well managed squads).

The GMs from among that group that did want to move did so away from the nonsense. Bob Gainey acquired Mathieu Schneider well before most GMs' alarms went off for this thing. It got him a PP back, 8 points in the standings, and the stay of execution he wanted for his top offensive star. Lamoriello plucked a defender for himself early too when the attention span was better. Gillis of the Canucks went aggressive with his cap space for Mats Sundin as he had committed to in the summer. That move looks like the top move of the year to me. Minnesota resigned their star Backstrom and Nashville just manages doing things the way they do.

On the flip side, the most hyperactive GMs were among the worst performers. Brian Lawton had a shocking day - swapping 5 players and picks for 4 worse players and a worse pick. Phoenix went a bit wild and only came out neutral because Glen Sather got blown out in the Morris trade hard. A final nod should go to Brian Burke who showed how tough the job in Toronto must be (JFJ looks good). He turned two of his only productive players into 2 second round picks. He then made himself a salary haven - for what? Plenty of bluster from the self-promoter.

Overall Comments
I'm glad I joined into this farce late. It was predictably slow. And though it is great fun to read up on player movement at the end of the day, I hardly need to be there when the news of Guerin being traded again.

Last year was coloured by disappointment for me, as we lost Huet. This year, I have to say there was some dread Gainey might opt to unload a UFA or two (and I'm not talking about Dandy and Bouillon). As it ends, I'm happy we didn't move a key player, because I feel that this group at their best is better than all but maybe Detroit at their best. Our rivals may have strengthened. However, Boston is no better than they were for Montador and Recchi. Buffalo will still miss Miller more than Moore can help and New York is all over the map. Pittsburgh improved the most on this day, but it shouldn't be forgotten their defence is now a laughable lot sans impressive part Whitney of 2008. I like our chances if we can keep our cohesion and take advantage of some confusion on other squads. 2 games against TO shouldn't hurt either...

Game #54Ouch; Habs Embarressed Again

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Monday February 9th, 2009
Opponent: Calgary Flames
Venue: Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, AB

Team Stripes

Final Score: 2-6 - Loss

Habs starting goalie: Jaroslav Halak (L)
Opposition starting goalie: Miikaa Kiprusoff (W)

Habs goalscorers: Matt D'Agostini, Tomas Plekanec
Opposition goalscorers: Mike Cammalleri, Matthew Lombardi, Dion Phaneuf, Dustin Boyd, Rene Bourque, David Moss

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

I liked the first period and I actually saw 3 plays in there that were worthy candidates. As the game went on, and the taste in my mouth soured, I kept thinking about how on earth I could say anything positive about this one, but then I reminded myself of the first 20 minutes. The best play all started with a Koivu hit on Iginla along the boards. That allowed Roman to pick up the puck at the left point and send it deep into the right corner to Higgins. Chris fought well and got the puck into the slot where D'Agostini one-timed it through the Kipper.

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

Saku Koivu
Saku was the only player that didn't have unexplainable brutal moments tonight. He was our most consistent player all night, especially offensively. I liked the way he was using his body tonight, a particular highlight were his 2 bodychecks on Iginla.


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

Saku Koivu
Let's face it, we need Saku to be better than this, we need everyone to be better than this. On a night when there was little much of anything to be seen Koivu at least showed us a bit. His energetic shifts of the first period should have been an example for the younger players on the team; unfortunately none followed.

Steve Begin
Steve didn't play too much worse than his best tonight. His best, however, will never win us games, but, in him, I saw heart. He won 8 of 11 draws which would be more significant is he was on the ice with players who can score once we gain possession.

Alexei Kovalev
Nowhere near Kovy's best, but still a top-3 forward in this one. His assist on Plekanec's goal was reason enough to put him in here as the way he dropped Kiprusoff was truly world-class. Defensively he was OK, he didn't cost us any real chances and was by far the best of his line in that category.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
Hammer was involved tonight, that's for sure. He was on the ice for 6 of the 8 goals. He picked up assists #16, 17 on our two goals and led the team with 5 shots (21% of our total). He wasn't our best defensive defenceman tonight though as he was on the ice for 4 goals against. Never directly at fault for a goal, Roman still found a way to be on the ice at the wrong time.

Josh Gorges
The most interesting stat of all night belongs to Gorges. After being called out by me and plenty of other journalists for his poor defensive play Josh played +2 hockey tonight. He was the only player with a positive rating which makes it more impressive. He played over 20 minutes, which is a good sign, but was again wasted on the PP where he looked very out of place.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Jaro played an excellent first half of the game which was unfortunately followed by a 5-goal Habs collapse. In that first half he made great save upon great save and looked like our answer in nets. Then a very costly Sergei giveaway pretty much ended all hope we had. Their second goal not only tied up the game, but also drained Halak (and all other Habs) of any confidence we may have had. In the end Halak didn't give us a chance to win, but I think the team are to blame too. I can't really look at this game and say we lost because of goaltending as our team didn't give Jaro the chance to give the team a chance to win.



Eye-Openers
In this new section we are going to try and shed some light on certain plays or events that would otherwise go unnoticed

Tonight Halak showed us that weak goaltending isn't that different than strong goaltending when the team in front of you isn't playing defence. Our problem right now is not just one of 1 or 2 players, but I believe it is a team wide problem. Our confidence is gone, yes that is obvious enough, but so too are our basics. Why do we clear every puck blindly up the boards? Why do we go for hits rather than coverage? Why do we try fancy plays when we are last man back? These are all questions that need to be addressed. Right now our whole defensive system is in disarray and it is costing us in all aspects of play. We have no foundation to build wins upon as everything at the back looks broken. We won most of our 24 cups thanks to solid defence, not just the play of defenders and goalies, but the defensive play of the entire team. We need to get to the bottom of this fast, get back to playing our system and eventually we can start worrying about offence. It would help if we got some upgrades at certain positions, but I know we have the talent and hockey intelligence on our roster to get the job done. Start with defence boys, because 6 goals against will never cut it in this league.

Overall Comments

The first period was good and I really got the sense that we had turned the page. A trip, it seemed, was just what we needed to get away from the pressure of Montreal. The second two periods, however, tell a very different story. The last 30 minutes may have been the hardest bit of hockey I have watched since Laflamme and Traverse patrolled our blue-line; it was simply pathetic. Hopefully this loss will sting enough for some people to wake up, but at this point you would have thought that would have already happened. You never want to lose the first game of a trip, but this isn't the end of the world just yet. For this 6-game western venture to be a success we only need 6 points and I for one would prefer if the bulk of those came towards the end of the trip so we have something to build upon when we get back home. So, 6 points in 5 games hasn't scared us before, right? It's simple, play defence and then just build, build and build on top of that. The wins, I am sure will then come.