Game #81 Staal Gets His Breakaway, Habs Made To Take A Point

Details

Date: 05/04/2012
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Carolina

Loss: 1-2 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Budaj (L)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (W)

Habs goalscorers: Geoffrion
Opposition goalscorers: LaRose, (Staal, SO)

Play of the game

The "best" play of the game tonight was a save. (If I was a cynic, I would say) one of Cam Ward's wonderful saves to stop the Canadiens from winning despite themselves. But from the perspective of the Habs fan, what a wonderful little stop that was from Chris Campoli with a lightning right leg -- something from the outdoor rink, that. Perhaps a nicer memory to leave of his career in Montreal for everyone.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
We've said this before. Pleks was the best forward on the ice for the Habs. He had his feet, he had his wits, the only thing he left in Montreal were his finishing hands. Another breakaway for Plekanec this season, this one ended in another great Ward save. How many scoring chances has he had on breakaways? How many has he had not on breakaways? The story of a down cycle year with useless wingers.

Erik Cole
The next in a pretty poor bunch. Cole wasn't quite his usual insistent self, but he still garnered chances. Of all Canadiens he came closest to sealing the win with a great showdown with Cam Ward.

Blake Geoffrion
I'm not sure what management thinks of this player. Hopefully it's more than what Cunneyworth thinks. From what I've seen, he's alright. he's certainly no less talented than the rest of the bottom 8 forwards. Hos goal tonight proves two things -- he has skill hiding in there somewhere, and he has a goalscorer instinct. I don't foresee him suddenly going all Pacioretty on us, but why not groom him to replace Darche?

Defencemen

Chris Campoli
His best play of the year to my knowledge. On top of that, a very solid showing in this game. I think we were all a bit surprised to constantly look up to see #17 as plays were broekn down, and just as surprised to see him pinching in up front. More of this earlier in the season might have changed the ball game for a few former coaches and players. Still, as I said, it's nice for Chris to leave us on a higher note.

Andrei Markov
Not his all-time best or anything, but more glimpses of the Markov we once knew. The progress tonight was in his defensive commitment: we saw a few body checks and battles on the boards. If nothing else, this painful last month with Markov will give him the confidence to start the year right next October.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj - Game Puck
I can hear it. "Now you make a save?" Budaj has been placed in a tough situation. At once playing for an NHL career and holding the Canadiens chances to the lottery in his control. His saves throughout will serve him well as he searches for a new contract, and he has looked better as time wore on. I hesitate to say the Habs should resign him though, as most of these high points have come in games of little meaning. I think we all hope those will be left behind soon. In any case, he deserves the recognition tonight as he was the second best player on the ice and did his solid best.

Comments

This game ended exactly the way it should have: on a Staal penalty shot. How the refs did not call Tomas Plekanec for a vicious slash/trip on a breakaway, one will never guess. That penalty shot in regulation could have spared the Habs a point and possibly put them in better stead for an Oilers surge to 28th. But they'll get a better pick for their shootout futility (this is some comfort) -- this being their 11th loss of this type.

On the bright side, the Islanders won, the Hurricanes won (obviously), the Lightning and Toronto went to OT (Toronto coming back to win (fools)) and Edmonton and Anaheim have to split 2-3 points between them.

This all means the Canadiens 76 points put them safely in at least 28th position. Only the Oilers can change that now, thanks to Anaheim's tie break winner over us.

With one meaningless game to go, the spring cannot come quick enough. The only thing holding back the optimism of new GM, new coach, new young star is the prospect of having to watch two terrible teams with young players who can't score duke it out before tee time. I jest, of course. I still enjoy the games. But the optimism about off-ice stuff is legitimate, it's where a Habs fan can find refuge and hope at the moment.

For once, it's the draft that can't come soon enough.

Game #69Montreal Takes It To The Cream Of The West

Details

Date: 10/03/2012
Opponent: Canucks
Location: Vancouver

Win: 4-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Geoffrion, Cole (2), Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Kesler

Play of the game

Tough call in this one, but I am going to have to go with Geoffrion's goal. Not only was it a tying goal, it was also a good goal put together by two players that mean a lot to this organization (Blake and Leblanc). The goal was a Geoffrion's first as a Hab since 1964; let's hope we don't have to wait another 48 years for the next. Think Blake will still be with us in 2060?

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Erik Cole - Game Puck
Erik played a fantastic game and seems very intent on making sure we don't draft any forwards that would immediately drop him down the depth-chart. That, and he must have some serious passion and pride. His two goals tonight were both hard-working goals and they put him at 25, oh so close to the 30 mark (the high in his career).

Max Pacioretty
Patches kept it rolling tonight with 2 more points. I believe that with 13 games left he will hit 35-30-65 which is something that even the most opptomistic weren't always saying. I find as the games and weeks have gone by he looks more and more like a complete NHL player. His play is giving me a lot more hope for next year than I had just a month ago.

Blake Geoffrion
Why not? He did what his Dad couldn't do and that is score a goal as a Hab. That is not a shot at his Dad, but just praise for Blake because of what he could mean to this team. Imagine how excited Edmonton fans would be if Gretzky's Great-Grandson were to play for them in the 2060's or Detroit's if the Lidstrom name came back 70 odd years into the future. I think that Blake was a good move by this team and I was happy to see him pot his first. Besides that, I felt that he played quite well as there were a couple of other chances too.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
He looked out of place at times and unsure of himself, but I still felt that he played quite well (and, I need someone new to write about). What he hasn't lost is his offensive vision and his incredible skills of keeping the puck in at the point. Tonight was just the first game in a long road back to being our best defender and best overall player and I think he did well considering everything. My hope is that his utilization and confidence increase over the next 13 games so that we can all have a summer where he doesn't have to be the unknown that he has become during recent off-seasons.

PK Subban
I hate to say it as PK has been fantastic for a lot of the year and above what one would expect for all of it, but, don't you think that if he played and shot like he did tonight a little more often from October to February we may be talking about playoffs and not lottery? Again, however, his play has me more excited for next year than wondering what could have been in this one.

Goaltender

Carey Price
If Cole only scores one the game-puck is Carey's. That doesn't mean that he played any worse, just that Cole really stepped it up. Price was very, very solid tonight and totally outplayed the often shaky Luongo. I would assume that Carey will be playing for Canada in a few weeks at World's and think that it will be good for him to get back to playing behind a solid, winning team.

Comments

I was hoping for the loss tonight, but still found myself happy with the goals and with Markov's return. Ideally, I suppose we play an exciting game, but lose something like 4-5 in regulation. That way we get what we want and still get some entertainment. We still have 13 games to lose, however, so I am hoping that we'll get back on track against desperater teams. Tonight was indeed an exciting hockey game and, standings aside, I think we played well and showed that we can be a decent team. I am done thinking abut the Fall and what could have been, though. My sights are firmly set on the draft and on a return to the playoffs as soon as next year.

It was fabulous to see Markov back, but no one could have been more happy than he is. I am sure that he wants nothing more than 14 wins and a trip to the playoffs as I am sure he feels bad for his teammates and fans for being out so long (although, it was not at all his fault). It was nice to see an assist from him too, on the 5-on-3; a PP that he bumped Kaberle off of. People are talking about him taking it easy and skipping World's (if selected) because of the risk to his knee. I, however, believe that if it is healed then it is healed and, if so, he is no more of an injury risk than any other player. So, I hope that he plays a lot down the stretch and does go to World's as I feel a happy, healthy, game-ready Markov is the exact thing this team has been missing and is the main thing that we should be excited about come October.

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.

Game #64 Geoffrion's Lineage No Magic Potion for Habs

Details

Date: 28/02/2012
Opponent: Lightning
Location: Tampa Bay

Loss 1-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Desharnais
Opposition goalscorers: Stamkos, Hall

Play of the game

Working alone, a canny Desharnais made a great steal to start a rush down-ice with Cole keeping pace. As a second defender hustled back to get a body on Cole, Desharnais used the struggling pair as a screen and snapped a beautiful shot past Garon.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Once again showed his desire to win, his impeccable penlty-killing skills, and some smart drives to the net. He actually beat Garon, but the Tampa goaltender got lucky as he managed to deflect the puck just wide.

Erik Cole
Carried a lot of offensive weight once again. Won battles that seemed already lost, and got stoned by an incredibly lucky Garon in the 2nd. Also sent a defender flying into the Tampa goalie for a comical finish to the 3rd period.

David Desharnais - Game Puck
Scored our only goal and did it by himself. Tied up a game that, despite the shots being pretty even, did not feel even at all. With Cole, again created most of the meager offensive threats we had.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Was hard filling out the defenders this evening, as no one really distinguished themselves too strongly. Subban is one of the few things that keeps our top power play unit looking even vaguely competent, and looked good enough in his own end.

Josh Gorges
A bit of a no-brainer. Gorges knows where to be and when. St. Louis looked like he might be breaking free and turned hard to shake Gorges, who just put the body to his opponenet and neutralized the play completely. Made some smart plays at the other blue line and didn't make mistakes behind his own.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Let down once again by the skaters in front of him. The Stamkos goal was a beauty, and so was the the saucer pass to Hall and his top-shelf marker. Price made some good saves, including a pokecheck to strip Stamkos in a dangerous-looking play in the 3rd. Price kept the team in this one the whole way once again, but there simply wasn't enough offense to cash in on his good play.

Comments

Credit where credit is due: The Lightning did a lot of things right in this game. Garon made some really spectacular saves, and his team did a good job of getting bodies around him to control rebounds, and to limit the Habs' effectiveness in the offensive zone.

It was fun watching Emelin provoke Malone into a total frenzy and not throw a punch back, but less fun watching the Habs being unable to score over the 5-minute power play that ensued. Frankly, we probably had better chances on the PK. Almost every team we play against seems to work harder and have more discipline, and as a result we lose a lot of those games.

Liked what I saw from Geoffrion, he played about 13 minutes, mostly beside Plekanec. I think Price might have tripped 2 or 3 guys tonight, which I almost like to see as I think a lot of teams take liberties with him. All in all, another hard game to watch as it seems we're just limping through the rest of the season.

Game #62Habs in Last; But Rejoice, They Scored On The Caps This Year

Details

Date: 24/02/2012
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Washington

Loss: 1-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Bourque
Opposition goalscorers: Perreault, Chimera, Ovechkin, Ward

Play of the game

You'll only see the type of goal that we scored tonight at the only game more boring than our game was tonight: the All-Star game. Don't expect, however, to ever see multiple Habs at the All-Star game, at least not from this squad. So, tonight's goal was unique, maybe a one-off. On the PK Plekanec started a great tick-tack-toe play with Emelin and Bourque. It was Rene who finished up with his 17th.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Rene Bourque - Game Puck
A goal and two other decent chances was enough for this third-line, mid-season pick-up (slash Calgary cast-off) to take the game-puck. When a bad game by Bourque stands out our problems don't even have words.

Tomas Plekanec
Sadly an assist and only -1 isn't bad compared to the rest. If you don't believe me check the stats or re-watch the game.

David Desharnais
He had a rare sign of passion tonight. What will it take for others to catch this? Ca we build a team that cares? A team where all 20 players care every game? Sadly, looking around the league, I feel that 10 guys caring 50% of the time would be enough in the East to make the playoffs.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Was solid on the PK and was the best of a bunch that had a few real duds. Is he key to our future though? Will he be here after Tuesday? Does he want to be? I hope that he stays, but it is clear he isn't a #1 and if he is then it is of a 25-30 team. Whether it be Markov or someone else, our D needs help.

Alexei Emelin
Alexei had a great pass on our good play of the night and I certainly took notice (there was little to make me forget that moment). Emelin can be better though, but is still better than we all thought he would be at this point.

Goaltender

Carey Price
No goalie is going to win behind the team that played tonight. It could have been 1-10 and the dome would be his. If Budaj was in and let in 10, likewise, the dome would belong to Peter. I am not one of those who never blames goalies, but come on Habs, how did you think we were going to win this game? Pathetic.

Comments

This was painful. Yes, we needed the points and this was a 4-point game, but beyond the standings it was still not an easy one to watch. That has been the Habs lately, though. They have been a bad team all year and have been hard to watch on more nights than not. I now have a deeper appreciation for real fans of teams like the Islanders and Jackets as those guys must have watched hundreds of games like this over the past few seasons.

We have 20 games to go and a trade deadline. I am not sure what if there will be much excitement left in the season, but it would be nice if we put on a few good shows as it will help keep those of of us who watch 3 games a week sane.

Belated Trade Thoughts

People have been asking me what I thought of the Gill for Geoffrion trade. Being busy, I didn't have time to post. But with a free minute, thought I'd save future questions by providing my answer here.

What to think?

I liked the trade.

What the Canadiens gave up in Hal Gill was little. And, let's be clear, Gill was no longer of great use the team. When he arrived, Gill was a new leader who could be used for a team in pressure games and pressure situations to deliver some impressive defensive minutes.

With his contract expiring, and the Canadiens unlikely to face a game of the magnitude of those from Gill's first season for quite some time, the team gave up a solid penalty killer.

And the timing was good. Because Gill can still be that valuable specialist that he was for the Canadiens for someone else, for a team where one PK makes the difference between winning and losing something important.


The return

I also liked the trade because of the return. I think prior to the trade it would have been sensible to suggest that Gill might land a second round pick plus something else. He did, but then somehow the Canadiens also pried Blake Geoffrion from the Nashville organization.

I think all of us who recently watched the year of ceremonies probably felt a moment or two of nostalgic romance when we heard this trade. Son of a player, grandson and namesake of an all-time hero, great-grandson of one of the first superstars of the game.

Of course, Blake Gefrrion is a player in his own right too. A Hobey Baker award as captain of the Badgers attests to that. It is foolhardy to think he's here to put the Morenz-Geoffrion treatment on the current Habs, yet his play suggest that he could easily make the lineup of the current team.

That's something. And quite something for Hal Gill to return in a trade.


Yes, overall, a good trade. Not the trade that spells massive overhaul, but one of those nice incremental moves that when accumulated show a move in the right direction.


I came across this piece yesetrday on Geoffrion. Many of you will probably enjoy giving it a quick read.

Habs in the Noughties Ten Low Points

As noted in the last post on this vein, January first this year marked the first day of the second decade of the millennium. Last time, we gave you some Habs High Points, this time I share with you what I thought were ten low points.

A decade that began inauspiciously enough with a roster that on a cold January day once sported Aaron Asham, Craig Darby, Chad Kilger, Eric Landry, Juha Lind, Gino Odjick and Patrick Poulin had its fair share of lows.

Here are the worst ten for me:

10. Bernie Geoffrion's passing
It wasn't anyone's fault. But although Bernie Geoffrion died knowing his #5 was to be retired by his team, he never got to see it happen - to experience again how much the city appreciated him. It was a terribly sad thing.

9. Expansion
Most of the expansion took place prior to 2001, but its effects were still felt into the pre-lockout years. The timing of expansion couldn't have been worse for the Habs. They had their worst management team in decades, scouts who weren't on the ball with player assessments (if you think it's bad now, spare a thought for your 2001 self). The Habs had been on the rebuild through a draft and had accumulated a small stable of good, if not great players. Guess who doesn't get protected in expansion drafts?

8. Not calling Larry Robinson
This one was totally avoidable. Last December at the Centennial game, Robinson feeling the nostalgia was told he'd be getting a call for later in the year re: possible ways to work together. No call. No call to a member of the all-time team, a valued alum. I don't care if there were no positions for the next 25 years, there's no excuse for not making this call. This, together with my estimation that a defenceman to coach our young defencemen might be a tonic to some ills down the road, and it still feels like a real low.

7. Randy McKay signing
In direct contrast with the Cammalleri signing is the McKay signing of 2002. It wasn't a big year for free agency, but Philippe Boucher might have looked nice. The Habs at he time dressed this up like it was big, as they were desperate that it would be. Doing nothing at all that July 4th would have led to better results.

6. Playoffs 2009
The 100th season in operation ended much like the first, and much like the early years of the Noughties - without a playoff win to speak of. It was especially disappointing considering it was the fifth year of Gainey's plan, and a year after winning the conference and challenging well enough in the playoffs. More important than the sweeping itself was the repercussions of the sweep, as those four losses became four nails in the career coffins of Koivu, Kovalev, KOmisarek, Tanguay and others. Regardless of what came later, the way those players were treated leading up to July 1 was a low point for a franchise that likes to think of itself as the embodiment of class.

5. The grooming of Mike Ribeiro
The mishandling of Mike Ribeiro began early. The Habs knew they had an egomaniac on their hands, and one that liked to party. What better way to bring him along than to play him in 19 games at the age of 19, boosting his idea of himself and burning a year of his contract in the process. The next season, he played a mere 2 games and was then on prolonged probation until he finally stopped being relegated to Quebec/Hamilton at age 23 in 2003. His grooming to that point was typical of the Canadiens approach with pure offensive players - play them with Aaron Asham and Jason Dawe. That's to say, he wasn't given much freedom. A breakout season in 2003-04 was seen as good news, but was the straw which broke the camel's back in terms of his later entitlement and corresponding work ethic. Traded for another tram's garbage, he has gone on to 5 consecutive good seasons as an offensive player. A true shame that the team could find neither the time for him on the ice, or the time for him off the ice, as he is exactly what this team craves in their Quebec recruitment program.

4. Therrien carry-on
A coach hired in the time-honoured tradition of simply looking at the QMJHL standings and nothing else, Therrien didn't have a very good time of it with the Habs. His low moment came during what had been his high moment. Following the 2002 knockout of the Bruins (courtesy, Koivu, Gilmour, Zednik, Theo), the Habs were rolling along nicely. The Habs had battled with the Hurricanes in three games to earn a 2-1 series lead. They were winning in Game 4 and looking to bury the Canes with a 3-0 going into the third. Quintal took a simple cross-checking penalty, Therrien's temper came out of check. Two-man penalty, Carolina goal, momentum shift, game slipped away, Canadiens lose in 6.

3. Brisebois contract extension, December 2001
At the time, the extension was going to make Brisebois the highest paid Montreal Canadien in all of history. Of course, he'd just had his -31 season and wasn't exactly able to hide his warts as much as previously. The contract made him untradeable even without the clause that said it in writing. It was a decision that hampered a rebuild from happening prior to the lockout.

2. Cristobal Huet trade
Probably the worst justification for any move the franchise has made since trading Patrick Roy. Huet, fresh off a hot start, an All-Star appearance, and a tiny wobble in February was traded so that Carey Price could be handed the reins without fear of losing them. We didn't even need retrospect to know this was a recipe for disaster. Starting Carey Price looks like a move of genius for a while, but then having a back-up the coach and GM are so reluctant to use they leave Carey to be dismantled by the Flyers shows why Huet should have been retained. Not even the return on the trade justifies the move. And now, with retrospect, nor does the experience Price gained.

1. The year with no hockey
There's not much to say. it was unfortunate and unnecessary. Nothing bottoms below this one. It remains the black eye of the decade for all teams (and players).


And again for those interested:
Blogs were less prevalent in 2001, this one wasn't conceived, i can assure you. But I did find one amateur account of the beginning of the decade. It's fun read.

Top 100 Habs By Decade: 2. 1949-1959

In recognition of the Canadiens Centennial next 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. You should expect a few each day for the next few days.

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.

1949-1959

I can only venture a guess as to what it must have been like to support a team like the 1950s Canadiens. Hundreds of games against the Leafs, Red Wings, Hawks, Bruins and Rangers. Tough rivalries night after night. Ones that more often than not the Canadiens were in a position to dominate. Would it be satisfying? Would it get tired? Judging by what fans of the time tell me, the answers to those questions are "no" and "no".

For a city that adores itself as a winner, the 1950s were a coming out party. While Toronto was overtaking Montreal in population and slowly to take the place as most important city in the country, Montreal launched a new self-image boosting pastime – winning hockey games. And did they win? First of second in the league all but one season (3rd that year) and 9 Cup finals in 10, with 5 Cups.

The players selected for the 1950s teams were banging at the door to get in. Virtually every player brings 5+ Cups to the table with a trophy, gaudy stats and a place in the Hall of Fame. These 10 names are names of Canadiens lore.

[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – Beliveau and Henri Richard, therefore will be missed]


10. Jean-Guy Talbot (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1954-67	791	36	209	245	884	AS
Decade best (Season)	1958-59	69	4	17	21	77
Habs career (Playoffs)	1956-67	105	3	16	19	112	7 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1957-58	10	0	3	3	12	SC

A mainstay of the big 1950s dynasty, Talbot could do whatever was asked of him.


9. Bert "Dirty Bertie" Olmstead (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1950-58	508	103	280	383	609	AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1955-56	70	14	56	70	94	AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1951-58	8	8	34	42	78	4 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1955-56	10	4	10	14	8	SC

The left wing plumber for some of the top lines in NHL history.


8. Claude Provost (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1955-70	1005	254	335	589	469	BM, AS
Decade best (Season)	1957-58	70	19	32	51	71
Habs career (Playoffs)	1956-69	126	25	38	63	86	9 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1958-59	11	6	2	8	2	SC

One of the best shadows in league and Habs history.


7. Tom Johnson (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1947-63	857	47	183	230	897	N, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1958-59	70	10	29	39	76	N, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1950-62	111	8	15	23	109	6 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1952-53	12	2	3	5	8	SC

Doug Harvey's sidekick for many seasons.


6. Dickie Moore (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1951-63	654	254	340	594	575	2 AR, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1958-59	70	41	55	96	61	AR, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1952-63	112	38	56	94	101	6 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1958-59	11	5	12	17	8	SC

The Canadiens first back-to-back winner of the Art Ross Trophy. He set a league scoring record in 1958-59 with 96 points.


5. Bernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1950-64	766	371	388	759	636	C, H, 2 AR, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1954-55	70	38	37	75	57	AR, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1951-64	117	56	59	115	88	6 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1956-57	10	11	7	18	2	SC

Trophies and honours line up for the innovator of the slap shot. He was the second man in history to score 50 goals in 1960-61.


4. Jacques Plante (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	W	L	T	GAA	SO	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1952-63	556	314	133	107	2.23	58	H, 6 V, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1955-56	64	42	12	10	1.86	7	V, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1953-63	90	59	28	0	2.13	10	6 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1956-57	10	8	2	0	1.66	1	SC

An innovator at his position, what really set him apart was not his mask, but his gaudy statistics. He won 5 straight Vezina trophies in the late decade and 6 in 7 years in all.


3. Doug Harvey (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1947-61	890	76	371	447	1042	7 N, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1956-57	70	6	44	50	92	N, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1949-61	123	8	59	67	138	6 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1958-59	11	1	11	12	22	SC

People aren't laughed out of the room when suggesting he's the best defenceman of all-time. Certainly, if they had to rename the Norris trophy they could do worse than naming it the Harvey trophy. More of a classic defender than, say, Orr, he nevertheless had the nous to go forward.


2. Maurice "Rocket" Richard (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1942-60	978	544	421	965	1285	H, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1950-51	65	42	24	66	97	AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1944-60	133	82	44	126	188	8 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1957-58	10	11	4	15	10	SC

5-time leading goalscorer in the league, his legacy will never be his own personal trophy cupboard. Known for scoring in the biggest games and tightest situations, he out-hockeyed Mr. Hockey by capturing 8 Stanley Cups in his career. Iconic for the fans of the Habs, he could and would be first on many other lists.


1. Jean "Gros Bill" Beliveau (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	GWG	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1950-71	1125	507	712	1219	+67	(23)	H, AR, AS, HOF
Decade best (Season)	1963-64	68	28	50	78		2	H, AS
Habs career (Playoffs)	1954-71	162	79	97	186		(2)	CS, 10 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1964-65	13	8	8	16			CS, SC

The enduring face of the franchise and its leading scorer and best centre-iceman. The epitome of Hart and Conn Smythe laureat, he won both in his long career.



* Awards: H = Hart trophy; AR = Art Ross trophy, C = Calder trophy; N = Norris trophy; V = Vezina trophy; BM= Bill Masterton; AS= All-star; HOF = Hall of Fame; CS = Conn Smythe trophy; SC = Stanley Cup.

Koivu Can't Buy A WingerEven TSN All-Time Habs Effort Begrudges Him A Scorer

It must be a great honour to make TSN's all-time Habs team. Kind of like making this year's all-star starting lineup.

You start to feel really proud of yourself and your career and then you look over and see Mike Komisarek beside you. It doesn't bear reason.


If you want to look at the piece (which is sure to generate more traffic for their website than had they done a serious attempt) click here. The pathetic reasoning for their choices is here. Their choices here are akin to responding Farhan Lalji when asked who the best hockey media person of all time would be – short on work, long on ignorance.

They threw all their effort into being able to write this (to hook people in):

"What, no Guy Lafleur?"

"Where's Patrick Roy?"

TSN staff watch too much Toronto hockey

Two top right wingers – impossible. 6 defencemen that can play with the puck – never been seen. A second goalie who can step in and win some games when the other gets injured – why bother?


Even their attempts to choose reliable, unspectacular players are silly. Top of that list is Mike Komisarek who can't hold a candle to Eric Desjardins, let alone Tom Johnson or Emile Bouchard. And adding the late John Ferguson would have been fine on the fourth line, but line 2. We know you liked his son, but come on – where's Aurel Joliat.


Koivu gets honoured then stiffed

It's a stretch to put Saku Koivu in as the number two centre of all time for the Habs, especially with Morenz and Lach not even scoring a place at all. But then to give him Ferguson on the left and Rousseau on the right is nothing more than a reminder of his last 8 years on the team – toiling with what he's given.

Had a Hab fan made the team (and kept Koivu), we would have at the very least endowed him with Toe Blake and Bernie Geoffrion, if not Lafleur and Joliat.


Third and fourth lines to shut down their better-thought out all time Leafs

Since when does an all-time team need 2 lines to kill time and penalties. Most decent GMs in the league now know that this strategy is for incompetents who haven't bothered to stock their minor league system for the past 9 drafts (hence, Toronto's initial instinct). I'm scrapping the "energy" line and putting in forwards that played with energy and skill (believe it or not, it's possible). Put Lemaire in there with Riseborough and Lambert for all I care, at least we'd be using some of the assets TSN left on the bench.


All purpose D for me

No disrespect to Mike Komisarek, but he isn't even one of the top three D on the team now. In fact, in domes at LIW he's still in 5th (even without injury, he's been far worse than the top three). I understand that the staff have to watch their own channel and thus only see what passes for hockey in Toronto. But one must cast an eye beyond blocked shots and hits – especially when those actions haven't been helping the team with defending the net by and large.

The Canadiens haven't been as well endowed with defencemen as forwards but I'd still put together this group and pick the pairings later:

Harvey, Robinson, Savard, Bouchard, Chelios and Johnson


If you want a better idea of the top team, have a look at this from a while back.


I rarely read TSN. It takes something really extraordinary for me to bother commenting on something those guys say. So I guess their mission is accomplished. I'll be watching this story with intent, but after that? Maybe a hiatus from their general shoddiness?

Even so, their tactics are interesting – I think I'll talk to Tobalev at getting Racine, Dirk, Traverse and Laflamme back in the figuring for our top 100...