Today comes the news that Andrei Kostitsyn signs a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL.
Perhaps he's the first of many to sign come tomorrow, but his signing represents a little disappointment for the Habs organization.
Showing posts with label Ribeiro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ribeiro. Show all posts
Friday, September 14, 2012
Thursday, January 06, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Why 79 trumps 71
(No, don't worry, it's not another Brisebois article. This one's about the littlest All-Star - Mike Ribeiro. Have to admit though, it is funny that Brisebois chose that number...)
How can 71 and 79 look so similar, but yet when they hit the ice and especially when they open their mouths, look so far. The space between 71 and 79 (is more than one Garon) and must be on that part of the curve where there is pretty much no horizontal component, because if the y-axis reads NHL star quality, the difference between the two is counted in tens, not single units.
Not even changing to the awkward looking 63 can hide this reality.
An article that was at one point on RDS, but now is found on La Presse makes my job very easy, as it illustrates the difference between the two post-lockout Habs at the All-Star contest this past weekend.
Check out the quotes:
I guess there's no love from Andrei then. Can't imagine why he would disown his old teammate.
Why doesn't this quote surprise me? Career goal fulfilled? No wait there's that trophy to win, the one in all his dreams - Art Ross.
Some would argue teams might actually look at past form (or at the possibility of signing someone reliable), but who am I to burst a bubble here?
I'm surprised they got that much out of Markov. What no hyperbole about how he's always planned on being an all-star, how he could get paid more than double what Mike Ribeiro now makes, how he wishes the superstars were friendly to him?
What you've got there is the best contrast and the biggest gulf in class (in my opinion) between two 5 million plus players in this league.
Andrei Markov, the serious professional was said to enjoy the all-star experience, but would have been equally as happy somewhere else while he rested for the real challenge ahead.
Mike Ribeiro, unable to get enough photos for himself to prove to people that he actually got to this game.
Markov the number one vote getter in the East barring Sidney Crosby. Ribeiro the second choice on a team that had to provide their single all-star.
Markov the cornerstone of the Canadiens franchise with management's faith and commitment as the highest paid Hab ever. Ribeiro, the guy who fetched us Janne Niinimaa.
Frankly, I don't know where all this resentment to Ribeiro comes from. I was pleased he got shipped out of town, and he should be thanked for that, not derided. If nothing else, it has given us a chance to watch an equally as talented offensive centre play with Kovalev. And one who plays defense at that.
Ribeiro could win the scoring title, and I know it would be like watching Sheldon Souray set the record for PPG by a defenseman - providing me with not much beyond a feeling that there must be something more to being good at hockey. Markov, consequently, rarely, if ever, leaves me feeling that way.
I suppose a lot of my feelings on Mike closely mirror those of HF10 at Four Habs Fans (though I'm not sure I could find as much vitriol as he does).
Mike may be an all-star, but he's not an all-star the way Andrei Markov is. Not even the way Alex Kovalev should have been. Not even within an order of magnitude.
While Mike may mistake what he hears people saying to him in Montreal for "Markov", I think that's as close as he'll come to the skill and pedigree of our top defenseman.
How can 71 and 79 look so similar, but yet when they hit the ice and especially when they open their mouths, look so far. The space between 71 and 79 (is more than one Garon) and must be on that part of the curve where there is pretty much no horizontal component, because if the y-axis reads NHL star quality, the difference between the two is counted in tens, not single units.
Not even changing to the awkward looking 63 can hide this reality.
An article that was at one point on RDS, but now is found on La Presse makes my job very easy, as it illustrates the difference between the two post-lockout Habs at the All-Star contest this past weekend.
Check out the quotes:
«J'aimerais être accompagné d'un coéquipier, ce serait plus facile de m'y retrouver» - Ribeiro
I guess there's no love from Andrei then. Can't imagine why he would disown his old teammate.
«La possibilité de participer à un match des étoiles me trottait dans la tête depuis longtemps. Cette saison, j'estimais que mes chances étaient excellentes et j'ai été déçu de ne pas avoir été choisi initialement.» - Ribeiro
Why doesn't this quote surprise me? Career goal fulfilled? No wait there's that trophy to win, the one in all his dreams - Art Ross.
«J'aurais peut-être obtenu plus d'argent si j'avais testé le marché des joueurs autonomes à la fin de la saison.» - Ribeiro
Some would argue teams might actually look at past form (or at the possibility of signing someone reliable), but who am I to burst a bubble here?
«Les journalistes russes me tapent sur les nerfs.» - Markov
I'm surprised they got that much out of Markov. What no hyperbole about how he's always planned on being an all-star, how he could get paid more than double what Mike Ribeiro now makes, how he wishes the superstars were friendly to him?
What you've got there is the best contrast and the biggest gulf in class (in my opinion) between two 5 million plus players in this league.
Andrei Markov, the serious professional was said to enjoy the all-star experience, but would have been equally as happy somewhere else while he rested for the real challenge ahead.
Mike Ribeiro, unable to get enough photos for himself to prove to people that he actually got to this game.
Markov the number one vote getter in the East barring Sidney Crosby. Ribeiro the second choice on a team that had to provide their single all-star.
Markov the cornerstone of the Canadiens franchise with management's faith and commitment as the highest paid Hab ever. Ribeiro, the guy who fetched us Janne Niinimaa.
Frankly, I don't know where all this resentment to Ribeiro comes from. I was pleased he got shipped out of town, and he should be thanked for that, not derided. If nothing else, it has given us a chance to watch an equally as talented offensive centre play with Kovalev. And one who plays defense at that.
Ribeiro could win the scoring title, and I know it would be like watching Sheldon Souray set the record for PPG by a defenseman - providing me with not much beyond a feeling that there must be something more to being good at hockey. Markov, consequently, rarely, if ever, leaves me feeling that way.
I suppose a lot of my feelings on Mike closely mirror those of HF10 at Four Habs Fans (though I'm not sure I could find as much vitriol as he does).
Mike may be an all-star, but he's not an all-star the way Andrei Markov is. Not even the way Alex Kovalev should have been. Not even within an order of magnitude.
While Mike may mistake what he hears people saying to him in Montreal for "Markov", I think that's as close as he'll come to the skill and pedigree of our top defenseman.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Koivu Asserts His Position: Montreal Canadiens December 10 - December 16
The week that was
We all knew this was coming. A winning week that is. We would never have called for our captain to be traded for an underachieving 2nd centre with a French name...
Phew. We still have our captain with more points than the second highest point getter on the Sharks and better chemistry with Higgins to boot.
Of course, the trade was no more real than the signing rumours were this summer, but it is the media's penchant for getting on the trade calls for certain players that brings the illusion of accumulated evidence about. Pretty soon, after a critical mass is reached, everyone starts to believe the old adage: "If there's smoke, there must be fire". I suggest a knew one in the case of Koivu trade rumours:
"If Koivu's in a trade rumour, he's gone at least 1 shift without scoring."
I am especially relieved that we did not traed Koivu, because not only is he our best player who plays much better than his statistics sometimes reflect (i.e., this year), he is also the only Canadiens player to top 70 points in near eternity. Personally, I chalk this up to the "minus 20 rule" - that is any player will get 20 less points on the Canadiens than any other team in the league (except Minnesota). This rule comes from our knowledge of how players did before they arrived in Montreal and how they tend to do after they leave. There are some exceptions (Brian Savage) who thrive here, but very few.
If Marleau came to Montreal, he would be a 60-70 point scorer, whereas Koivu would be getting 85-100 with his new team in San Jose. We'd all be a bit upset and wonder how we got such a slow and seemingly unmotivated player in a very big frame after the Finnish Firestarter left.
And, Koivu had quite a week to top off not getting traded. Some wins, some points and some goals. He made Sergei Kostitsyn look like an experienced NHLer at times, Hal Gill like a tall Christian Laflamme and the Bell Centre like home ice for the first time in a while - what more could we ask for.
As for the rest of the Canadiens, good things happened for them too this week. Andrei Markov answered my calls to play better. Kostitsyn, the Andrei, is giving me reason to believe I wasn't misreading his talent all along now that he decided to shoot. Higgins is finding himself again and Kovalev continues to plod along by scoring and leading by example.
Quite significantly, Carey Price also decided to pull his socks up this week and play some seriously good games. It is significant, because this would mark the first time he has won consecutive games in such impressive fashion. The boy is learning and he seems to have passed the first module. As things get harder for him (end of season drawing nearer, media growing more frantic), it will be interesting to see what he can do. In other goaltending news, it was disappointing to see Halak demoted with only a single period of action, but very encouraging to have our number one back in the team.
Apart from all that good stuff, the best news of all was the 5 of 6 points collected by the Habs over the week. Taking a point from the Lightning was good in retrospect, as the comeback did them good. Beating Philadelphia was great as they were ahead in the standings at the time, and any chance to send that team crashing down would be great. And then there was the win in Toronto, which apart from the points is what the hockey season is all about: not having to listen to Leaf fan braying for a whole day.
I would never have guaranteed a god week, but I thought it would come sooner or later. I'm as happy as anyone it was sooner...
Quote of the week
On sinking to new depths on the radio (Wilson):
Coming off a week where 5 points vaulted the Canadiens back to where they had been before the troubles...
... what might Rejean Houle do?
Take inspiration from the wayward press and look to trade Koivu to California at all costs.
... what might Sam Pollock do?
Meet personally with Jaroslav Halak. Thank him for his profesionalism and patience and tell him to call anytime he needs to know what the situation is.
The week upcoming
After that setup, the Habs should have built a little confidence for the upcoming games. And, the legthy losing spell should be fresh enough that they don't take these next few games for won before they even start playing. And so, with the Canadiens playing well and playing to win, I'd expect better than 4 points for sure this week, which will set them and us up for a nice Christmas break.
Tuesday night: Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre.
Florida may be in 12th, but they're also only 5 points out of 3rd, with a game in hand. Fun in the East this year... What's more, Montreal don't like Florida, and they don't like Jacques Martin. But if the Habs can score, then history will say that we can win. So score we must. A win in this one would be a nice little streak to get the confidence going too.
Panthers to watch: Olli Jokinen and Tomas Vokoun – different goalie, same story in Florida. Vokoun has been bombarded by shots recently, but still manages to pull out the wins. In the meantime, Jokinen outpaces his teammates by a wide margin in all scoring, as usual.
Thursday night: Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.
Now, Washington is the one team in the East who really do lack the form to compete at the moment. With Ovechkin and Semin, they can score, but Olaf Kolzig is getting on, and their defense is quite a collection. If scoring on Florida was key, not scoring on this defense would be criminal. The key here will be to get Markov on Ovechkin, he who thinks Markov is the best defender in the league.
This game will be at the original "Phone Booth", back when the Habs played at "The Keg". I still don't like the "Phone Booth" for us, feels like lazy naming. How about "The Switchboard" or "The Call Centre"?
Caps to watch: Alexander Ovechkin and Olaf Kolzig – Ovechkin/Markov should be worth the price of admission alone (if you like watching that sort of one-on-one play), and it will be interesting to see Kolzig, young Price's mentor, and what he does and says facing his protege. Hopefully all the lessons have been completed.
Saturday night: Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena.
A Saturday away from home against a team not in the Northeast. What's happening? This game should make for interesting viewing at the very least, since Atlanta's two big stars are nothing if not fun to watch. Plus, Kovalchuk has never said Markov is the best defender in the league...
I think the Habs need at least 3 of the points from this and the Dallas game to give themselves a good springboard into the holiday break.
Thrashers to watch: Ilya Kovalchuk and Mark Recchi – Kovalchuk is the best young goalscorer in the league, and it will also be interesting to see how Recchi does now that he's freed himself of Therrien's maniacal grip. It's telling that Marian Hossa isn't on the list, since last year at this time, it was Hart trophy talk for the Slovak. He is still a major threat, but it just goes to show that we should wait till April to see where the trophies will go (eh Lecavalier?).
Sunday night: Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
All I can say is that I hope the Candiens aren't flying on the airline named for the Stars' building (they named it that way around, right?), unless they want to play this game in their boots. One day to get to Dallas from Florida might be doable, but in my experience they need at least a few days to get any baggage to you.
Anyway, I digress. Quite a tough way for the Habs to end before Xmas, but were they to get 3 of the 4 on the weekend, they would be giving themselves a nice feeling and place in the standings for Xmas. Dallas, who once again has defied their team on paper by actually playing well, will be thinking the same, so where's the OT contract, I'll sign...
Stars to watch: Mike Ribeiro and Sergei Zubov – Ribeiro has been scoring a lot and in bunches, it will be interesting to see how he faces up against his Montreal "Buddies". Zubov is the most underrated defenseman, if not player, in the league - you know it's true because that's the first time you've heard that this year, unlike the Ryan Smyth underrated myth. As an aside, does anyone think Koivu will have a go at Ratboyero? He must be itching to...
News from the Habswagon
Canwest December 16 2007 – The tracks back and cars are full. I got my ticket this mrning, one of the last. With the Canadiens now in 5th place and challenging the conference lead, things are looking up.
"I think this train's going all the way, said one Habs fan wearing #74, 26,000 fanes couldn't be wrong could they?"
[The subjective look at the week that was and the week ahead in Montreal Canadiens Week is supplemented by the objective analysis following every fifth game]
We all knew this was coming. A winning week that is. We would never have called for our captain to be traded for an underachieving 2nd centre with a French name...
Phew. We still have our captain with more points than the second highest point getter on the Sharks and better chemistry with Higgins to boot.
Of course, the trade was no more real than the signing rumours were this summer, but it is the media's penchant for getting on the trade calls for certain players that brings the illusion of accumulated evidence about. Pretty soon, after a critical mass is reached, everyone starts to believe the old adage: "If there's smoke, there must be fire". I suggest a knew one in the case of Koivu trade rumours:
"If Koivu's in a trade rumour, he's gone at least 1 shift without scoring."
I am especially relieved that we did not traed Koivu, because not only is he our best player who plays much better than his statistics sometimes reflect (i.e., this year), he is also the only Canadiens player to top 70 points in near eternity. Personally, I chalk this up to the "minus 20 rule" - that is any player will get 20 less points on the Canadiens than any other team in the league (except Minnesota). This rule comes from our knowledge of how players did before they arrived in Montreal and how they tend to do after they leave. There are some exceptions (Brian Savage) who thrive here, but very few.
If Marleau came to Montreal, he would be a 60-70 point scorer, whereas Koivu would be getting 85-100 with his new team in San Jose. We'd all be a bit upset and wonder how we got such a slow and seemingly unmotivated player in a very big frame after the Finnish Firestarter left.
And, Koivu had quite a week to top off not getting traded. Some wins, some points and some goals. He made Sergei Kostitsyn look like an experienced NHLer at times, Hal Gill like a tall Christian Laflamme and the Bell Centre like home ice for the first time in a while - what more could we ask for.
As for the rest of the Canadiens, good things happened for them too this week. Andrei Markov answered my calls to play better. Kostitsyn, the Andrei, is giving me reason to believe I wasn't misreading his talent all along now that he decided to shoot. Higgins is finding himself again and Kovalev continues to plod along by scoring and leading by example.
Quite significantly, Carey Price also decided to pull his socks up this week and play some seriously good games. It is significant, because this would mark the first time he has won consecutive games in such impressive fashion. The boy is learning and he seems to have passed the first module. As things get harder for him (end of season drawing nearer, media growing more frantic), it will be interesting to see what he can do. In other goaltending news, it was disappointing to see Halak demoted with only a single period of action, but very encouraging to have our number one back in the team.
Apart from all that good stuff, the best news of all was the 5 of 6 points collected by the Habs over the week. Taking a point from the Lightning was good in retrospect, as the comeback did them good. Beating Philadelphia was great as they were ahead in the standings at the time, and any chance to send that team crashing down would be great. And then there was the win in Toronto, which apart from the points is what the hockey season is all about: not having to listen to Leaf fan braying for a whole day.
I would never have guaranteed a god week, but I thought it would come sooner or later. I'm as happy as anyone it was sooner...
Quote of the week
On sinking to new depths on the radio (Wilson):
"Can you hear the crowd? They seem to be chanting Visa, Visa, Visa. Wonder what they have against that?"
Coming off a week where 5 points vaulted the Canadiens back to where they had been before the troubles...
... what might Rejean Houle do?Take inspiration from the wayward press and look to trade Koivu to California at all costs.
... what might Sam Pollock do?Meet personally with Jaroslav Halak. Thank him for his profesionalism and patience and tell him to call anytime he needs to know what the situation is.
The week upcoming
After that setup, the Habs should have built a little confidence for the upcoming games. And, the legthy losing spell should be fresh enough that they don't take these next few games for won before they even start playing. And so, with the Canadiens playing well and playing to win, I'd expect better than 4 points for sure this week, which will set them and us up for a nice Christmas break.
Tuesday night: Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre.
Florida may be in 12th, but they're also only 5 points out of 3rd, with a game in hand. Fun in the East this year... What's more, Montreal don't like Florida, and they don't like Jacques Martin. But if the Habs can score, then history will say that we can win. So score we must. A win in this one would be a nice little streak to get the confidence going too.
Panthers to watch: Olli Jokinen and Tomas Vokoun – different goalie, same story in Florida. Vokoun has been bombarded by shots recently, but still manages to pull out the wins. In the meantime, Jokinen outpaces his teammates by a wide margin in all scoring, as usual.
Thursday night: Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.
Now, Washington is the one team in the East who really do lack the form to compete at the moment. With Ovechkin and Semin, they can score, but Olaf Kolzig is getting on, and their defense is quite a collection. If scoring on Florida was key, not scoring on this defense would be criminal. The key here will be to get Markov on Ovechkin, he who thinks Markov is the best defender in the league.
This game will be at the original "Phone Booth", back when the Habs played at "The Keg". I still don't like the "Phone Booth" for us, feels like lazy naming. How about "The Switchboard" or "The Call Centre"?
Caps to watch: Alexander Ovechkin and Olaf Kolzig – Ovechkin/Markov should be worth the price of admission alone (if you like watching that sort of one-on-one play), and it will be interesting to see Kolzig, young Price's mentor, and what he does and says facing his protege. Hopefully all the lessons have been completed.
Saturday night: Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena.
A Saturday away from home against a team not in the Northeast. What's happening? This game should make for interesting viewing at the very least, since Atlanta's two big stars are nothing if not fun to watch. Plus, Kovalchuk has never said Markov is the best defender in the league...
I think the Habs need at least 3 of the points from this and the Dallas game to give themselves a good springboard into the holiday break.
Thrashers to watch: Ilya Kovalchuk and Mark Recchi – Kovalchuk is the best young goalscorer in the league, and it will also be interesting to see how Recchi does now that he's freed himself of Therrien's maniacal grip. It's telling that Marian Hossa isn't on the list, since last year at this time, it was Hart trophy talk for the Slovak. He is still a major threat, but it just goes to show that we should wait till April to see where the trophies will go (eh Lecavalier?).
Sunday night: Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
All I can say is that I hope the Candiens aren't flying on the airline named for the Stars' building (they named it that way around, right?), unless they want to play this game in their boots. One day to get to Dallas from Florida might be doable, but in my experience they need at least a few days to get any baggage to you.
Anyway, I digress. Quite a tough way for the Habs to end before Xmas, but were they to get 3 of the 4 on the weekend, they would be giving themselves a nice feeling and place in the standings for Xmas. Dallas, who once again has defied their team on paper by actually playing well, will be thinking the same, so where's the OT contract, I'll sign...
Stars to watch: Mike Ribeiro and Sergei Zubov – Ribeiro has been scoring a lot and in bunches, it will be interesting to see how he faces up against his Montreal "Buddies". Zubov is the most underrated defenseman, if not player, in the league - you know it's true because that's the first time you've heard that this year, unlike the Ryan Smyth underrated myth. As an aside, does anyone think Koivu will have a go at Ratboyero? He must be itching to...
News from the HabswagonCanwest December 16 2007 – The tracks back and cars are full. I got my ticket this mrning, one of the last. With the Canadiens now in 5th place and challenging the conference lead, things are looking up.
"I think this train's going all the way, said one Habs fan wearing #74, 26,000 fanes couldn't be wrong could they?"
[The subjective look at the week that was and the week ahead in Montreal Canadiens Week is supplemented by the objective analysis following every fifth game]
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