If you were to take the internauts' word for it, the Canadiens don't have a very bright future at all.
Today, Hockey Prospectus published their rationale for placing the Canadiens 24th on the list of 30 NHL teams (behind the Toronto Maple Leafs!).
Add this to the already sad ranking of #20 at Hockey's Future, and what's a Habs fan to think?
Think is the key word.
Detroit is the first ranked team on the Hockey Prospectus page in terms of prospects. This might be your first flag that methods need investigating.
Is Detroit the only team in the NHL without worthwhile player to make the NHL from drafts 2005-2010? They very well might be. Shawn Matthis, Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader highlight the NHL leaders from the 30-odd players Detroit has selected in that time. Compare this to Carey Price (Hart trophy votes), Yannick Weber, Guillaume Latendresse, Sergei Kostitsyn (team's leading scorer), PK Subban to name but a few.
You can see the issue here. Part of it is that Montreal has promoted players to the NHL level -- thereby taking them out of the "prospect" ranking formulae. Part of the issue is that Detroit gives their players more time (partly because they can due to NHL roster depth).
Let's take the example of Brendan Smith. He was drafted #27 overall in the 2007 entry draft and played some god years in the NCAA since. Last year he put up decent numbers in the AHL as rookie. He projects as a good-looking top prospect for the Wings.
But now consider that he was taken only a few picks ahead of PK Subban, is older than PK and actually got less points as an AHL rookie than PK did as an NHL rookie. Detroit's ranking is being helped by a player much less exciting a prospect than PK, even though PK probably has many more productive NHL years ahead of him than Brendan will. And it doesn't stop there. Yannick Weber was also drafted that year and turned the AHL rookie success earlier than Smith. He has since made an NHL case and was scoring important NHL playoff goals against the Stanley Cup champions while Smith was watching the AHL playoffs.
So you see it's a bit of nonsense already, and I didn't even have to delve very far, or mention Carey Price.
The reason people came up with the saying "Hindsight is 20/20" is because predicting and foretelling very much isn't. The lesson here is to take these rankings with the appropriate amount of salt. While the player profiles provide an interesting read, the ranking process is tenuous. When one could make a case that #24 Montreal has better young prospects (NHL and AHL) than #1 Detroit, you can see my point.
Showing posts with label Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smith. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Top 100 Habs By Decade:
5. 1979-1989
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.
5 decades to go and we start to get pretty interesting. If I know my readers, I'd say there are a few who get pretty romantic about some of the upcoming decades – the 1980s being no exception.
The 1980s were a funny time. At one end, you had the clear wane of stars and a dynasty from the 1970s, with retirements and general slowing of production across the board. However, at the other end of the 1980s you have the 1985-1993 period, which as dynasties go is much more silent and forgotten than that of the 1960s. 3 Cup finals (2 in the 1980s) and the 2nd best overall record by a hair to the Calgary Flames.
The list of ten players reflects these two realities with 70s players who fared better but didn't make the grade for that team and (super)stars who were born in the 1980s.
[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – so Patrick Roy fans, don't get too ruffled]
10. Doug Jarvis (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
Strong defensive forward and big contributor to 1970s success. He won Selke after leaving Montreal.
9. Pierre Mondou (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
A solid offensive contributor who lived in the shadows of some true greats.
8. Doug Risebrough (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
A valuable contributor to the 1970s dynasty, he was still a very valuable member of the team that tried to showdown the Islanders and Oilers.
7. Rod Langway (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
A prodigal talent with the Montreal Canadiens. One wonders what might have been.
6. Pierre Larouche (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
Exceptional goalscoring talent who made a brief stop in Montreal.
5. Mario Tremblay (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
A youngster from the dynasty years who came into his own in a leadership role during the 1980s. Only a career-ending injury stopped him from lifting one more Cup.
4. Bobby Smith (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
A big-game player with a talent for passing and scoring. Led the line for the Habs in the late 1980s.
3. Chris Chelios (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
The new anchor of the Habs blueline really came into his own in his last few years in Montreal.
2. Mats Naslund (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
The Canadiens first European superstar and last 100-point scorer.
1. Guy Carbonneau (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
Carbonneau, in retrospect, inherited the torch passed from one great Quebecois star to the next for 50 years. His defensive forward tag often clouds the fact that he was a fine scorer who knew how to show people what clutch play meant more than most. The second face of the forgotten mini dynasty of late 1980s and early 1990s.
* Awards: AS= N = Norris; FS = Frank Selke; LB = Lady Byng; All-star; HOF = Hall of Fame; SC = Stanley Cup.
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.
1979-1989
5 decades to go and we start to get pretty interesting. If I know my readers, I'd say there are a few who get pretty romantic about some of the upcoming decades – the 1980s being no exception.
The 1980s were a funny time. At one end, you had the clear wane of stars and a dynasty from the 1970s, with retirements and general slowing of production across the board. However, at the other end of the 1980s you have the 1985-1993 period, which as dynasties go is much more silent and forgotten than that of the 1960s. 3 Cup finals (2 in the 1980s) and the 2nd best overall record by a hair to the Calgary Flames.
The list of ten players reflects these two realities with 70s players who fared better but didn't make the grade for that team and (super)stars who were born in the 1980s.
[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – so Patrick Roy fans, don't get too ruffled]
10. Doug Jarvis (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1975-82 | 560 | 91 | 154 | 245 | +105 | 13 | |
| Decade best (Season) | 1981-82 | 80 | 20 | 28 | 48 | +34 | 4 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1976-82 | 72 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 1 | 4 SC | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1979-80 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
Strong defensive forward and big contributor to 1970s success. He won Selke after leaving Montreal.
9. Pierre Mondou (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1977-85 | 548 | 194 | 262 | 456 | +215 | 25 | |
| Decade best (Season) | 1981-82 | 73 | 35 | 33 | 68 | +18 | 4 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1977-85 | 69 | 17 | 28 | 45 | (+11) | 2 | 3 SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1983-84 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +8 | 1 |
A solid offensive contributor who lived in the shadows of some true greats.
8. Doug Risebrough (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1974-82 | 493 | 117 | 185 | 302 | +158 | 19 | |
| Decade best (Season) | 1981-82 | 59 | 15 | 18 | 33 | +23 | 2 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1975-82 | 74 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 2 | 4 SC | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1981-82 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
A valuable contributor to the 1970s dynasty, he was still a very valuable member of the team that tried to showdown the Islanders and Oilers.
7. Rod Langway (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1978-82 | 268 | 26 | 101 | 127 | +160 | 4 | AS, HOF |
| Decade best (Season) | 1981-82 | 66 | 5 | 34 | 39 | +66 | 1 | AS |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1979-82 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | SC | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1979-80 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
A prodigal talent with the Montreal Canadiens. One wonders what might have been.
6. Pierre Larouche (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1977-82 | 236 | 110 | 126 | 236 | +81 | 10 | |
| Decade best (Season) | 1979-80 | 73 | 50 | 41 | 91 | +36 | 7 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1978-81 | 22 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 2 | 2 SC | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1979-80 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
Exceptional goalscoring talent who made a brief stop in Montreal.
5. Mario Tremblay (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1974-86 | 852 | 258 | 326 | 584 | +184 | 36 | |
| Decade best (Season) | 1981-82 | 80 | 33 | 40 | 73 | +24 | 4 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1975-85 | 101 | 20 | 29 | 49 | (+5) | 4 | 4 SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1979-80 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
A youngster from the dynasty years who came into his own in a leadership role during the 1980s. Only a career-ending injury stopped him from lifting one more Cup.
4. Bobby Smith (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1983-90 | 505 | 172 | 310 | 482 | +34 | 30 | AS |
| Decade best (Season) | 1985-86 | 79 | 31 | 55 | 86 | +10 | 7 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1984-90 | 107 | 38 | 46 | 84 | -1 | 6 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1988-89 | 21 | 11 | 8 | 19 | +1 | 1 |
A big-game player with a talent for passing and scoring. Led the line for the Habs in the late 1980s.
3. Chris Chelios (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1983-90 | 402 | 72 | 237 | 309 | +74 | 14 | N, AS |
| Decade best (Season) | 1988-89 | 80 | 15 | 58 | 73 | +35 | 6 | N, AS |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1984-90 | 98 | 16 | 52 | 68 | +8 | 2 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1988-89 | 21 | 4 | 15 | 19 | +2 | 2 |
The new anchor of the Habs blueline really came into his own in his last few years in Montreal.
2. Mats Naslund (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1982-90 | 617 | 243 | 369 | 612 | +120 | 34 | LB, AS |
| Decade best (Season) | 1985-86 | 80 | 43 | 67 | 110 | +11 | 7 | AS |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1983-90 | 97 | 34 | 57 | 91 | +5 | 9 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1986-87 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 22 | -1 | 3 |
The Canadiens first European superstar and last 100-point scorer.
1. Guy Carbonneau (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | GWG | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1980-94 | 912 | 221 | 326 | 547 | +158 | 33 | 3 FS |
| Decade best (Season) | 1988-89 | 79 | 26 | 30 | 56 | +37 | 10 | FS |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1983-94 | 161 | 30 | 43 | 173 | +3 | 6 | 2 SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1985-86 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 12 | +9 | 1 | SC |
Carbonneau, in retrospect, inherited the torch passed from one great Quebecois star to the next for 50 years. His defensive forward tag often clouds the fact that he was a fine scorer who knew how to show people what clutch play meant more than most. The second face of the forgotten mini dynasty of late 1980s and early 1990s.
* Awards: AS= N = Norris; FS = Frank Selke; LB = Lady Byng; All-star; HOF = Hall of Fame; SC = Stanley Cup.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Top 100 Habs By Decade:
7. 1909-1919
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.
From humble beginnings, the Canadiens grew over this first decade to be the only club standing in Montreal and a perennial threat for the Stanley Cup championship. They even managed to choose a uniform (more or less) after far too much time at the drawing board.
This first decade, like the 1990s and 1920s only encompasses one Cup victory. But we cut them some slack for those first years where they really never had a chance at winning anyway. To be up and running (and running rivals out of town), competing for the Cup after 4 years, and then winning a championship after only 6 years is quite impressive.
The 10 players from this first decade are quite well known, due to their mythical standing in the Canadiens lore – they all after all helped to kindle this unhealthy obsession with this new game on ice that pervades Montreal 100 years later.
[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – sorry Brisebois fans]
10. Donald Smith (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
Top-line offense for two extremely prolific seasons, along with two more seasons of service.
9. Joe Hall (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
Perhaps more famous for his Quebec Bulldogs days, where he led team to Cups. Joe was a solid producer for Montreal in the post-war years, helping the team to capture the NHL title in 1918 and then to the cusp of a second Cup in 1919. Unfortunately, Joe Hall succumbed to pneumonia that was a complication of the flu which led to the cancellation of the finals that year.
8. Bert Corbeau (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
Rugged stalwart of the Canadiens blueline from the earliest years.
7. Howard McNamara (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
The first Cup-winning captain of the Canadiens.
6. Jimmy Gardner (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
Combined coach and captain of two early editions of the team, including the first to compete for the O'Brien Cup.
5. "Phantom" Joe Malone (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
Brought his incredible Bulldogs scoring rate to Montreal for one record setting season (2.2 G/GP!?!)
4. Jack Laviolette (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
Captained and coached the first edition of the Habs.
3. Georges Vezina (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
16 years synonymous with the Canadiens. Hardly a person saw anyone else play goal for the Canadiens until the late 1920s.
2. Didier "Cannonball" Pitre (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
Original team scoring machine from the home turf.
1. Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
The original Canadiens superstar. Added captain and Stanley Cup winning coach to the CV by the end of the decade.
* Awards: HOF = Hall of Fame; SC = Stanley Cup.
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.
1909-1919
From humble beginnings, the Canadiens grew over this first decade to be the only club standing in Montreal and a perennial threat for the Stanley Cup championship. They even managed to choose a uniform (more or less) after far too much time at the drawing board.
This first decade, like the 1990s and 1920s only encompasses one Cup victory. But we cut them some slack for those first years where they really never had a chance at winning anyway. To be up and running (and running rivals out of town), competing for the Cup after 4 years, and then winning a championship after only 6 years is quite impressive.
The 10 players from this first decade are quite well known, due to their mythical standing in the Canadiens lore – they all after all helped to kindle this unhealthy obsession with this new game on ice that pervades Montreal 100 years later.
[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – sorry Brisebois fans]
10. Donald Smith (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Season) | 1912-15 | 51 | 39 | 15 | 54 | 18 | |
| Decade best (Season) | 1913-14 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 0 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1913-14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1913-14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Top-line offense for two extremely prolific seasons, along with two more seasons of service.
9. Joe Hall (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1917-19 | 38 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 189 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1917-18 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 100 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1917-19 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1918-19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
Perhaps more famous for his Quebec Bulldogs days, where he led team to Cups. Joe was a solid producer for Montreal in the post-war years, helping the team to capture the NHL title in 1918 and then to the cusp of a second Cup in 1919. Unfortunately, Joe Hall succumbed to pneumonia that was a complication of the flu which led to the cancellation of the finals that year.
8. Bert Corbeau (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1914-22 | 167 | 52 | 32 | 84 | 541 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1917-18 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 41 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1916-19 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 85 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1916-17 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 22 |
Rugged stalwart of the Canadiens blueline from the earliest years.
7. Howard McNamara (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1915-20 | 34 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 123 | |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1915-16 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 119 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1915-16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1915-16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | SC |
The first Cup-winning captain of the Canadiens.
6. Jimmy Gardner (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1913-15 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 0 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1913-14 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 0 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | N/A | ||||||
| Decade best (Playoffs) | N/A |
Combined coach and captain of two early editions of the team, including the first to compete for the O'Brien Cup.
5. "Phantom" Joe Malone (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1917-24 | 58 | 52 | 6 | 58 | 35 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1917-18 | 20 | 44 | 4 | 48 | 30 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1918-23 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 6 | |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1918-19 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
Brought his incredible Bulldogs scoring rate to Montreal for one record setting season (2.2 G/GP!?!)
4. Jack Laviolette (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1909-18 | 155 | 48 | 19 | 67 | 174 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1913-14 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 0 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1914-18 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1915-16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | SC |
Captained and coached the first edition of the Habs.
3. Georges Vezina (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | W | L | T | GAA | SO | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1910-26 | 328 | 175 | 146 | 6 | 3.42 | 15 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1924-25 | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 1.81 | 5 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1914-25 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 3.19 | 3 | 2 SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1923-24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 | 1 | SC |
16 years synonymous with the Canadiens. Hardly a person saw anyone else play goal for the Canadiens until the late 1920s.
2. Didier "Cannonball" Pitre (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1909-23 | 254 | 220 | 59 | 279 | 218 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1915-16 | 24 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 42 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1916-23 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 66 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1915-16 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 18 | SC |
Original team scoring machine from the home turf.
1. Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde (Top 100 all-time, Profile)
| Years(s) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | Awards* | |
| Habs career (Regular season) | 1909-22 | 200 | 266 | 62 | 328 | 440 | HOF |
| Decade best (Regular season) | 1916-17 | 18 | 28 | 7 | 35 | 61 | |
| Habs career (Playoffs) | 1914-19 | 18 | 20 | 5 | 25 | 122 | SC |
| Decade best (Playoffs) | 1918-19 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 15 |
The original Canadiens superstar. Added captain and Stanley Cup winning coach to the CV by the end of the decade.
* Awards: HOF = Hall of Fame; SC = Stanley Cup.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Game #36
Price Drop: Carey Slashes Scoring To Boost Habs Post-Xmas Hopes
The Canadiens Game in Review
Date: Tuesday December 30th, 2008
Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning
Venue: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
Team Stripes
Final Score: 2-1 - Win (SO)
Date: Tuesday December 30th, 2008
Opponent: Tampa Bay Lightning
Venue: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
Team Stripes
Final Score: 2-1 - Win (SO)
Habs starting goalie: Carey Price (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Mike Smith (L)
Habs goalscorers: Guillaume Latendresse, (Alexei Kovalev, Maxime Lapierre - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Vaclav Prospal, (Jussi Jokinen - SO)
Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...
In a game bereft of exciting goals, there was still plenty to admire for the fan of the game. There were breakaways, near misses, big hits and plenty of saves.
As far as the Habs were concerned, the highlight of their night (over and over again) was not falling behind when they probably should have been paying for defensive lapses. Carey Price made a number of saves worthy of mention in this section of the post. About midway through the second period, with the team still trailing 1-0 and looking of vulnerable of running out of goalscoring ideas altogether, the puck was sprung and so was Lecavalier. He descended in on Carey Price all alone, unleashed a great slap shot, and in game-stealing fashion Carey stopped it. As saves go, it was not a spectacular pad stacker or last ditch glove save, it was not beautiful to look at. But the timing of it, the quiet effectiveness and positioning, sent a message to the team - get me one goal and I'll win this one for you...
Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...
Carey Price
Carey Price was quite simply head and shoulders above his teammates tonight. The Canadiens skaters weren't bad, some were even very good; but Carey turned in one of the great games of his young career.
I can't remember a game where Carey challenged shooters so boldly as he did tonight. He stopped 3 or more breakaways (clean or partial), he caused players to pass when they should have shot, he showed them a hulking mass when they looked up to pick a corner. It shouldn't be surprising, as this is Carey's game. He is the positionalist, gliding from one side to the other, quietly deploying his pads against the ice. This game just seemed to show off so many of his skills in a better light than usual. Of course, statistically this game will not be Carey's best ever and will not prompt a commentator watching the scoreboard from another arena to exclaim the Carey was simply amazing (as Jacques Demers did when he saw Quebecois Fleury had faced 16 shots in one period and stopped them all - he would later let in 5). No, and this won't be a shutout. You had to watch it, but this was a Carey Price win.
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
Maxime Lapierre
Even before he won the game in the shootout with a great shot, Max was a lock for the dome. He carried his confidence that springs from not only a hat-trick game, but really a couple of months now of great hockey into this game again. His energy is beyond reproach. Recently he has added timely bursts of (to this point unrecognised) footspeed to his bag of tricks and it helped in this game to open up the zone again for the Habs.
Guillaume Latendresse
Guillaume scored the important goal Carey needed, and was mentioned as much as any Hab again. But perhaps what was most impressive was the way he stepped into the fray after Tanguay fell. It was wrong (though not surprising) of Joel Bouchard to leave Guillaume Latendresse of players who must step up after Tanguay got injured, but now that Guillaume seems to be over his own hype, it probably didn't matter. He played hard, hit when he could and found more than a few goalscoring positions when Tampa was making it hard to do that. He is the player who will need to ramp his game up, I feel, as he is the third year player who needs a breakthrough. More games like this will qualify as a step up.
Alexei Kovalev
Alex did not have perhaps his most dominant game, but he put in a good one. Wearing the C and killing penalties show off his versatility and it was on full display this night. Perhaps his best moments in this game did come on the penalty kill, and when other Montreal players were content to pursue their futile dump and chase exercise, he was a a ray of puckhandling light on the PP - even getting the puck in the zone to control (rather than just chase).
Defencemen
Josh Gorges
Once again, Josh put in the big minutes. Thanks to Hamrlik's penalty, he was third in ice time on the team. In the same way Carey Price played a quietly effective affair, so did Gorges. In fact, his contribution helped to make this game as boring as it was for stretches as he mopped up the defensive end with constant attention. It is fitting that he also had the non-Carey Price play of the game with his picture perfect 2-on-1 defending to foil Lecavalier and St. Louis before a Habs goal had been netted.
Francis Bouillon
The last time we played the Lightning, St. Louis and Lecavalier did not shine their brightest but generally came away thinking they could have their way with this team. If they were going to be prevented from running roughshod all over the place again, something would have to be done. That something was done by little Francis Bouillon as he outpositioned and made giant Lecavalier look like a rag doll early on. The hit was one amongst four for Frankie, but set the tone for his and indeed the Canadiens (aspired) defence for the night.
Goaltender
Carey Price
As we've said a couple of times now, Carey had a great one. He won this game. It's fitting, therefore, that he did actually win the game with his sensational shootout save on Lecavalier. You can see this getting into the head of a player like Vincent. I say: finally.
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
It's not often that Patrice Brisebois will make these reports for a moment of brilliance, even if we do accept he has his moments now. Last night he had an eye opener. No, it wasn't his best of the bunch New Year's message to the fans. Nor was it one of his blocked PP shots or passes. Patrice Brisebois is featured here because of a hit. Yes, you read correctly.
Mike Smith had come out yet again to handle the puck unchallenged by most Habs when boom - bashing him somewhat despite himself into the boards came Patrice Brisebois. As a moment in the game, it may not have been as notable as the Kostopoulos fight, but it sent a more important message: we won't let you run around doing what you like "rookie"...
I searched the play-by-play report to see the exact timing of the hit, but found nothing. It begs the question, if a goalie is hit on the ice and no one writes about it afterwards, did it happen? Apparently the NHL doesn't think so. It must be one of those unwritten rules that they have so many of. Gosh, I'd hate to see the rule book in person if so many unwritten rules must be left out for fear of bursting the seams. The hit was an eye opener for that reason really - hitting the goalie just isn't something that's done. And despite wanting to acknowledge Brisebois' wonderful revolutionary play, I think even he did it half by accident.
It really does beg the question, though, why can't a goalie be hit (or shoved as it was) in the same way every time he gets too cocky around his net. There is no written rule against it, so I say fair play. I see it as more effective and even safer for the goalies than the alternative of barreling them over in their net. I would like to see more of it. I would like to see Carey made to stay in his net too, hmm...
In the context of our own game, it was also an important hit as Mike Smith needed to be put back in his box, so to speak. Someone needed to let him know there would be no more clearances on the PP, no more fancy passing, just staying in his net. It didn't work, not really. But I think Patrice had the sentiment just right, and I give him credit for that.
Overall CommentsAnother road game, another win - quite incredible really, when you think about it. I don't buy the whole 2 games in 2 nights malarkey that everyone sells. we all work everyday, and professional athletes are capable enough guys. But, even so, we mustn't forget that each of the teams we have now beaten also needed points and each (well the Bolts got one) were left wanting more. This is the mark of a team on a roll, and I like it. This one game came down to Carey Price, but when you claim to have a franchise player in goal, stolen games should become a fact of life over a season. Hopefully they will.
As for the game, apart from a few notable hits, great shootout dominance and Carey Price, the other story to come out of this game was the injury to Tanguay. Does anyone feel the same way I do here? I mean, is there a lack of uneasiness or a sense that we'll be fine without him. It's funny, when Komisarek got injured he was playing very poorly, same for Higgins. Now Tanguay goes down after quite a stretch of floating without reward. It appears that slump-saving injuries are a new fad in Montreal. If he's gone for months, there is no doubt that his loss will hurt the Canadiens. But if he's gone a week or even two, there might be something good to come of it - namely ice time for Kostitsyn, Lapierre and maybe a keen again Latendresse. In any case, it's clear there's no fretting like there was when Koivu stumbled out.
The next game is next year now, so I'd like to add my voice to those of the Canadiens in wishing you all a Happy New Year (Bonne Annee), and a great New Year's Eve while we're at it. We hope that 2009 will bring renewed vigour to our Habs and to our writing here at Lions in Winter. If any of you are needing a New year's resolution, feel free to add commenting more on LIW (we'll do our best to respond and make sure there's room for what you need to say...). The best moments for Tobalev and I come from the back and forth with you guys, being called to defend positions, seeing new points of view, building the team differently from a different armchair. 2008 was fun for us. Thanks to all of you. See you in '09.
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