Drawing Penalties: The Illegitimate Child of Offensive Play

When you live  Boston series for a few days in a row, you really get the sense of living in a completely different world from the opposing fanbase. Besides the difference in player drafting and development philosophies, it's the complete divergence on what is hockey and what is not.

To the Bruins, there should be no penalties. Their players know the rules and that should be enough. Let them be the ones to interpret how things can be taken -- given the game situation. The Canadiens believe quite firmly in penalties and are happy to derive strategies with the fact-of-NHL-life at the centre.

Some Notes on the Bruins Comeback Machine

Forgive the Canadiens for believing it, they've succumbed themselves now twice to the feat, but the Bruins third period numbers (that is goals for vs. goals against) is tied much more closely to the story that they keep leads (the majority of their games) rather than the fact they take them back.

The numbers that has the admirers slack-jawed with awe show that Boston outscored their opponents by 50 goals in third periods to the tune of 3.80 GF/60 and 2.05 GA/60. A bump in offense over their 3.15 GF/60 generally, but very consistent with their 2.08 GA/60.

Revving Up Round 2: Boston vs. Montreal (Defending)

Next up, defending. This was really Boston's strength. Though Montreal were pretty good in their own way throughout the season too. There really wasn't an addition the like of Thomas Vanek to sway things in this. The Habs have been slightly worse defensively with Vanek, but his time coincided in the regular season with key events like Price's injury and Gorge's injury, so I didn't want to lay it all on him.

Revving Up Round 2: Boston vs. Montreal (Scoring)

A little comparison of the two rivals ahead of the upcoming series.

First up, goal scoring. The data I have here is regular season. On the left, Boston, in the middle, Montreal. For the fudge I did with Vanek in the lineup, I thought it would be fair to include his 4 playoff games as well -- it beefs up the number of games.

The Case Against Fighting

The case against fighting is made masterfully by the eloquent JT of The H Does Not Stand for Habs. Give it a read if you have a serious stake in one side or the other of this debate.

I have nothing to add to the complete argument she made on the topic. If you prefer to comment here on the debate, we have our views too. I'll engage.

Canadiens Best 2013 Draftees May Be Small Again

The Canadiens took the biggest forward of consensus quality to be selected in the NHL draft this past Sunday. This is the story.

Ottawa Does Everyone Favours

By winning the last game of the season, the Senators have done everyone some favours going into this post-season:

The Teams: How They All Did On DD13

As we sit here as Habs fans watching teams around us improve and bail out of a season, let's consider how each outfit did and how it might affect our team.

Better Than Expected: 10 Reasons For Habs Quick Start

I don't think I'd be alone in saying these Canadiens are a fair bit better than I expected them to be. With a serious face, I repeatedly called for this team to be a basement dweller, a team with negligible (if any) improvement) from a 15th-place finisher.

If you want surprises, this is the way to go, let me tell you. The team greatly surpassing an out-of-whack evaluation is more fun to follow than the 2012 edition where the team similarly surprised, but in the opposite direction.

Bring on the Bruins: These Habs Need a Test

The next game on the Canadiens slate is the Boston Bruins, recent Cup champs and current conference leaders.

Although, I'd love for the easier games to keep coming down the pipe, this most imminent test of the Canadiens current team, strategy and form couldn't come soon enough.

What To Make of Gomez

My first reaction to the news of Gomez's early morning meeting with the principal was one of slight disgust.

Told to stay home? This was not the way to treat a player under contract. This was not the team that we tout as being class of all known teams.

Montreal Press Get It Right

I give the Montreal press corps a hard ride sometimes, so it's in my mind that I should pay them compliments when I see their good work.

I am not all that enamoured by the tempest they have created by making Markov's last game in the KHL a big issue. But compared to how it could have gone, they did some positively textbook journalism.

Lockout: Part 2: Will Paying Fans Play Their Cards Now?

In this lockout of owners vs. players, or most often owners vs. other owners, the silent (even disenfranchised) party has been the fans.

Yet when all is said and done, all that money they were arguing over is 100% dependent on fans forking it over for the greedy buggers to share out.

The Buyout Two:The Case of Scott Gomez

Yesterday's big hoopla from the NHL-NHLPA marathon stare down was the suggestion that each team in the league will now be permitted to buy out two contracts with amnesty against the usual buyout conditions.

Sure, there are lots of questions, and we know not of the strings attached, but let's ignore that for a second and assume this will be as easy as it could be. Which player(s) would/should/could the Canadiens use this privilege to strike from the books in 2013 and beyond?

Happy New Year

Hello readers and friends. I wanted to wish you all a very Happy 2013.

With a fiscal cliff averted, the year may get a little better for us hockey fans if a deal can be reached between the two sides in the NHL labour dispute. As Habs fans, i think we have to hope for play, as a random draw might rob the team of their solid chance at another high pick this year.

A Tale of Two Habs

Yesterday, we were treated to a most unusual event, hockey players competing with each other. In this case, it was two players familiar to recent Habs fans: Roman Hamrlik and Erik Cole.

The episode began with a now-very-familiar interview emerging from an Eastern European news report. In it, Roman Hamrlik was reported to be critical of an approach that he deemed to be going down the wrong path and voiced a desire to get back to play before any more money is lost by the industry and players alike.

Dear Member of Parliament...

In an astonishing move the NHLPA has been revealed to have written a letter containing their rolling press babble to parliament.

It's astonishing mainly because I don't think the NHL could have made a better PR pitch if they had done so themselves.

The Skate Is Not Enough

A full month into an NHL lockout, and nearly 2 months since what was supposed to be the beginning of training camp, it's interesting to see where the players have landed and what they are up to.

Tomas Plekanec is in the process of showing just how much of a short-sighted fool Pierre Gauthier really was as he weaves magic with Jaromir Jagr every step of the way. At the other extreme, a guy like Scott Gomez, content to maintain his own program of training (we know how well that works) after briefly skating with a Tier-4 team in Alaska.

Russian Reports At It Again

 Some actual news regarding the Montreal Canadiens worth spending some time on.

Apparently, someone scouring the Internet for French radio in Montreal came across a Russian interview with Andrei Markov that indicated his hesitation about returning to the NHL.

Advantage NHL

Tennis is my analogy for this lockout and negotiation today. The side in the server's court has changed a few times, and points have been gained here and there. For the most part the teams have been playing a tight defensive set with long, concerted fights for the upper hand and advantage in public opinion.

I thought there were some good strokes in the past (players' proposal), but we have not seen anything close to the shot delivered by the NHL's owners yesterday. If the game was stuck at deuce in discussion of irrelevant detail, this was the baseline rocket that set up a break point.