Agenda Week: Montreal Canadiens January 29 to February 6

The weeks that were
Everyone has an agenda. That's what this week has made abundantly clear to me.

Take Eklund, his agenda is to get traffic to his website and to make money. As such, he pretends that trades are constantly being discussed (every day of the year) for every NHL team. He claims that teams successful or not will all make moves, and that they will all be exciting. I'm sure it would be nice for his site if one trade did actually happen at some point. In fact, what he could really use is one of the big teams to get involved, or big players. Haven't you heard? Hossa is coming to Montreal.


Then there's the guy at RDS (or Canadian Press) who wants the Habs to get a goon. I saw the pushing around, but I'd hardly say that was the reason the Canadiens lost. You can't get a three goal lead in the first place if you're intimidated, and losing it has much more to do with mental laziness than missing a guy who play 5:40 every game. Relics like this guy, Don Cherry and former fighters turned presenters will harp on about this, all the while ignoring the fact we actually beat the tougher teams and have the majority of our trouble against skilled teams.

We can't forget the Price agenda in this organisation. How Price can get a start immediately after his call-up, regardless of the opponent, is a baffling. It may be the final slap in the face to Jaroslav Halak, which may or may not have been part of the agenda in the first place. As I said before, the most important thing to watch here is how Halak reacts. This is important in making sure he is a prospect belonging to the Habs.

Finally, and perhaps most distressingly for me is the marginalisation of Saku Koivu. While the language issue failed to get him out of the way, his detractors have now turned his own willingness to help the team against him. I have been told, directly and indirectly that Saku Koivu has lost it, that he is becoming no more than a third line centre and that he has a discipline problem. I recognise that a penalty at the end of the game is a bad thing, but it's hardly a discipline problem.

As for his statistics and play this year, you only have to look at the game reports gone by to know he's played a bigger part than the stats show. Most nights he has been the best centre on the team. And, it should be hard to overlook that he has been key in keeping a top PP in this league and is the captain of the team with the second most points in the conference. As a player who has been (quite frankly) burdened with a large number of wingers, he has never complained publicly. All the while, he gets to watch the "top" line stay together for 30+ games. He won't care of course, because team success is all he cares about.

I don't really like agendas, but of course I must have one too.

My primary agenda is to keep the discussion about the Habs in some balance, as well as provide a bit of a different analysis of the games played (courtesy of Tobalev). If I have a goal in mind, it's the playoffs, it's 96 points, and eventually it's the Cup. Consequently, more points on the line tonight and some confidence on offer on the road to 96 points and playoff success.

As long as the players have the points/playoff goal at the top of their agenda, then we'll all be a little happier come April time, I think (regardless of how many trades, Price starts or Koivu goals transpire in the meantime).








Quote of the weeks
On Prairie hockey fans (Habs post-game show):

"Next caller is Bill from Saskatchewan, the biggest Habs fan in the prairies..."

(I wonder if Bill tapes games, writes 1000-word game reports for every game and gets it all out before the fans wake up the next day...)



Getting close to the trade deadline...

... what might Rejean Houle do?

Trade Huet after his agent turns down the first offer. couldn't lose a UFA for nothing (Better a San Jose second rounder than your captain for 20 games).



... what might Sam Pollock do?

Sit down personally with Cristobal Huet about a long-term future with the club, including at least 2 more years of playing and a guarantee of a job once his playing days are done.




The week upcoming

It's a short week when you start it on Thursday. Had I done this on time, I think I would have been hesitant to declare victory over the Sens. I knew they were riper for the picking that at any time in recent memory for us, but they're still the Sens. Anyway, we got the two points, so another 2 points this week and it'll look like a success looking back...


Thursday night: Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.

Habs fans may have to come down from the clouds for a few minutes and understand that a Leafs game is a Leafs game is a Leafs game. Position in the standings (for either team) is irrelevant. That being said, the Habs always have a chance to win these games. If they can find the same effort they've had for the New Jersey, first Washington, islanders and beginning of Rangers and Ottawa games, I like the chances of the 4 points being wrapped up for the week by tonight.

Leafs to watch: Mats Sundin and Robbie Earl – it'd be rare for me to omit Sundin from this space, as he is truly world class in addition to be a Habs killer; Robbie Earl should give us an idea why people are calling the Leafs cupboard bare of prospects. As a top prospect for them, it should be interesting to see him beside Andrei Kostitsyn.

In a way, I am more interested to see how the Leafs play after this game, because after a long stretch of "insignificant" games, this one risks being the wake up call they've been waiting for.


Saturday night: Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place.

You know how the odds of flipping a coin and getting heads is 0.5, but getting two heads in a row is 0.25? If only beating the Sens twice in a row were so easy. This is more like trying to get green twice in a row on the roulette table. Not impossible, but unlikely. The good news, however, is that the table is stilltipped a bit in our favour (at least relative to normal circumstances). A win from this wouldbe very very impressive. A point would be great as well.

Sens to watch: Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley – both big boys are possibilities to start on Saturday. At the very least, it will be interesting to see how they return. Hopefully for us, the rust may take more than a few shifts to shake off.





Overheard on the Habswagon:

"I've always loved Kovy. It's his special determination, the skills he brings every night. You know he's the reason the Canadiens powerplay is so good, right? I never liked Souray anyway."




[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]

Game #54Habs Finally Solve Ottawa, Sit Just 1 Point Back of Top

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Tuesday February 5th, 2008
Opponent: Ottawa Senators
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC


Team Stripes


Final Score: 4-3 - Win

Habs starting goalie: Cristobal Huet (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Martin Gerber (L)

Habs goalscorers: Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec (2), Mark Streit
Opposition goalscorers: Chris Kelly, Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette



2007/08 first
There's a first time for everything, so they say. What they didn't tell you is that every game, something happens for the first time, you just have to look harder in March...

1st Win against Ottawa this season



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

Huet came up with some huge saves, but there is no doubt about our play of the game tonight - it was a goal.

With the game locked at 1 the Habs (Plekanec's line in particular) were looking very menacing. Kovalev received a very hard pass from 60' away and controlled it well just outside of Ottawa's zone. He then skated in, around the defenceman, and made a quick pass to the left face-off circle. There Kostitsyn basically one-timed another pass right back towards the right side where Pleks was coming in with a full head of steam. The result was a puck in the top of the net and a lead which was never again relenquished.



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

Tomas Plekanec

With 28 games left in the season Plekanec set a new personal high for points in a season by adding 3 more tonight - he now has 50. His 2 goals were really the work of his whole line and were both perfect demonstrations of the chemistry that those 3 players now have. He was the quickest player on the ice tonight and never looked out of position. He played a very smart and responsible game and that is likely the reason that Carbo rewarded him with over 19 minutes of ice time.



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

Tomas Plekanec
- Aside from his great offensive performance Tom also excelled defensively. He was used for 3 1/2 minutes of penalty-killing and formed our best unit in that department beside Kovy. He dominated a suprisingly slow Ottawa defence with great speed

Alexei Kovalev
- With a day of rest under his belt Alex was back to his usual self tonight. He had 3 assists and ended the game at +2. He had a great game in the passing department as he could have easily had another 3 or 4 assists. Was great on special teams as usual

Andrei Kostitsyn
- Not to be outdone by his linemates Andrei also got 3 points. He now has an impressive 34 points on the year including 26 in his last 27 games. He knew where to be all night and was always putting himself in the right place. Kovy creates so much space for Pleks and Andrei by owning opposing defenders and it seems like Kostitsyn not only understands Kovy's style, but is also able to anticipate the defencemen's movements to always make himself a perfecet target for a Kovy pass

Defencemen

Mark Streit
- It doesn't appear that the Swiss captain will ever slow down as the production just keeps coming. He had another 2 points tonight to give him 38 on the season; 10 in his last 7 games. That is not bad at all for a defenceman/4th liner. Last year we were all amazed when he managed 36 points, but I now wonder what he has in store for us this year? With 28 games left I think that it is very likely he will hit 50 points. Of all Gainey's draft picks Streit may be the most impressive as we picked him up in the 9th round at the age of 26

Josh Gorges
- With Hamrlik out someone had to step up. It looked like Carbo was giving Bouillon and Brisebois the chance to fill Hammer's void, but neither could rise to the challenge. Gorges thankfully answered the call in a big way. He played almost 22 minutes and even saw power-play time and, best of all, finished +1 and was not on for a Senators goal. This was the first time that he has played more than 20 minutes since he was a Shark and he most certainly made the most of his chance

Goaltender

Cristobal Huet
- Cristo made some absolutely fantastic saves in what was really a tight game. There were times where I thought I was watching a re-run of Sunday's loss to the Rangers and had it not been for Huet I am sure we would have suffered the same result. His worst play came when he was handling the puck behind the net - as usual. It cost us a goal and could have in theory cost us the game. At some point he is going to cost us a lot more than he did tonight so I am begging that he just stays in the net. I feel that so little is gained by having the goalie play the puck and if it weren't for the need for every coach to try and coach like every other coach it would not be part of most goalie's games



Eyes on Kovalev
Did he flit and float? Someone ought to keep track...

He was fantastic and his linemates weren't too shabby either. The difference this year vs. last is that he has a complete line. Kostitsyn gives Plekanec and Kovalev a very legitimate third option; something that Samsonov did not provide us last year. I feel that Koivu and Higgins are suffering the same fate this year as Alex and Tomas did last time around. Ryder is not the player he was last year and it has cost our whole 1st line. I used to be high on duos, but seeing the success of Kovy's line and what 3 proper threats can bring to the table I have now switched my thinking to trios. If you put 3 good, hot players together you are bound to get reults; 3 players, 9 points.

Kovalev's Assessment - Excellent



Overall Comments

The Habs may have been down 0-1 for a brief time, but other than that 10 minute stretch in the 1st period we outplayed Ottawa - until the 3rd that is. We decided that with a 3 goal lead it would be a good time to stop trying to score. This of course was the same genius strategy that we used on Sunday when the Rangers tagged us for 5 straight goals. If it weren't for Huet's heroics I think that we would have lost this game as well. We are a very successful team when we are attacking and constantly applying the fore-check. Why on earth we play in a defensive shell when we think that we have have a big enough lead is beyond me. Our third periods have to get better and it looks like it is more a coaching/strategy problem than anything else.

Despite a poor final period we still managed the win and we did it in regulation. We now sit just one point back of Ottawa with 29 games left. We play the Sens 4 more times and I think that we will have to equal them in points (or better) in those games if we want to finish top. This is the first time in a long time that I have believed we have the best team in the conference. It hasn't been since the early 90s that my goal was to finish high and get a good seeding. In the past few years most Habs fans have been content with an 8th place finish, but I think that now we finally have the team that will allow us to dream a little bigger.

Disappointing News for Halak

Well, I've made no secret of the fact that I like Jaroslav Halak as a prospect for the Habs with several articles on him here (both before the season started and during the season).


As such a fervent supporter, I take the latest news of his demotion as a massive disappointment. Not because I don't like Huet (I do, very much) and not because I don't like Price (I think he's an excellent prospect, but mainly because I can't see how the coaches or management can't figure out a way to manage more than 2 goalies.

What stings for Halak is that there is probably nothing more he can really do to move ahead of Price in the minds of Canadiens management. Outplay Price in the AHL regular season (check), outplay Price at the NHL level (check).

He couldn't win the Calder Cup as he was deemed so good that his NHL club and then his National team called him to the job – he never lost that Hamilton job. He couldn't win the NHL post at the beginning of the season because management took Price's development issues much more seriously. He couldn't win a start during this call-up because Huet played so darn well the whole time, and Carbonneau's basis for every strategy he has ever devised is "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

Now I could be wrong here. Maybe the management want to get Halak a few games and can't see a way to do that in the NHL for a little while. It's possible that all these decisions have been made with halak's best interest in mind.

I should even read my own piece so i can try and focus on the positive rather tha the negative. I should have a headline about Price turning his game around, getting a shutout and earning a call back to the NHL.

I'm sure my disappointment will pass. After all, the decision to play Huet has been a boon for the Canadiens, and I am very happy that they rode momentum for so many points over the last months. But for now, I feel sorry for the Slovak star. I hope he can find the maturity he did before when he gets his chance to play and show us why he is a top prospect once again.

Game #53Montreal Blows a 3 Goal Lead Wasting a Great Start

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Sunday February 3rd, 2008
Opponent: New York Rangers
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC


Team Stripes


Final Score: 3-5 - Loss

Habs starting goalie: Cristobal Huet (L)
Opposition starting goalie: Henrik Lundqvist (W)

Habs goalscorers: Andrei Markov, Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Michal Rozsival, Brandon Dubinsky, Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Martin Straka



2007/08 first
There's a first time for everything, so they say. What they didn't tell you is that every game, something happens for the first time, you just have to look harder in March...

1st Penalty Shot Scored by the Habs this season



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

Sorry goaltending or defence you will have to do a little better than that for a play of the game.

Since the play has to go to the offence I will choose the nicest of our 3 goals - Kovalev's. The goal was our second of the game and the second to be scored on the power-play. Markov did well to keep the puck in at the blue-line and gave Koivu, who was waiting on the half-boards, a little flick pass. Saku then fed Higgs down low in the corner. Higgins, keen on keeping the quick puck movement going, fed a tape-to-tape pass to a streaking Kovy who one-timed it upstairs over Lundqvist.



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

Christopher Higgins

For the second game in a row Higgins drew a penalty on his first shift and just like yesterday it allowed the Habs to set the tone of the game. He had a very nice assist on Kovalev's goal and had a few great chances of his own. He isn't quite back to the player we saw at the beginning of the year, but the good news is he is close. Performances like today's, where he hustled all game, are a very good sign for us.



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

Christopher Higgins
- The Habs's season leader in shots added 5 more today and a lot of them were dangerous. He was very effective along the boards and his speed was very noticeable

Sergei Kostitsyn
- He was placed onto the top line today and reacted quite well. I do, however, think that he does better on the third line, much like Latendresse. He was fast and got involved all game long. He scored a very nice goal on a penalty shot and I think that now gives Carbo a different option in the shootout

Andrei Kostitsyn
- Andrei's line didn't have the best of games, but of the 3 Kostitsyn had the top performance. He, like his brother, was very quick today and exposed a fairly slow Rangers defence. Much like the whole team the first half of his game was very good, after that he looked pretty ordinary

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
- Andrei scored his 12th of the year and also started the play on Kovy's goal. He played a good game in front of Jagr as the Ranger captain was held off the scoresheet. He had a very good transition game - despite the loss the Habs moved the puck very well

Francis Bouillon
- Francis was our only defenceman not to end with a minus rating today. What impressed me the most about Franc today was his fight with Colton Orr. Standing just a hair over 5'8" Bou could be viewed as too small to drop the gloves. He, however, didn't back down from one of the league's biggest and best fighters as defending his teammates is one of his top priorities. He played another good, solid game and made very few mistakes

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
- Huet should not have started this game. There is no one happier that Cristo is now our undisputed #1 and that the Habs have been winning because of it. He shouldn't, however, be treated like Brodeur and Luongo who play 70+ games. I say this partly because I think that 3 games in 3 1/2 days is too much for any goalie, but also, unlike the Devils and Canucks, we have a good back-up, a really good back-up. Halak hasn't seen game action in a month now and I think that it is time he does so we can see what he can do. Best of all though is that this wouldgive Huet a well deserved rest. Cris let in 5 goals today which will never be good enough for a win in reality. He didn't give the Habs a chance to win and for that reason he is excluded from the dome



Eyes on Kovalev
Did he flit and float? Someone ought to keep track...

Kovy scored again and did play a good game, well at least half of it. I have noticed that the aging superstar usually doesn't play excellent in both games if we play on consecutive days. This is a trend that I can live with because like today he played well enough - most players wouldn't score during a bad game. When he plays 'badly' he is still actually very good and is a threat, but the ability to do everything all on his own fades.

Kovalev's Assessment - Good


Overall Comments

The Habs jumped all over New York right from the get go and mounted a very impressive 3-0 lead after 25 minutes. Then they thought that that was enough and they lost focus. I am also guilty of this as I was sure at 3-0, playing as well as we were, that it was in the bag. It goes to show you that if you aren't playing to the best of your abilities most teams will make you pay and even outscore you 5-0 in half a game. Games like this shouldn't be lost as there will be enough games that you just had no chance of winning at all. If the team had a collective effort yesterday to beat the Isles I would say that they had an equally collective effort to lose today. Blowing a 3 goal lead is something that hopefully we will learn from and something that, come playoff-qualification-crunch time, we will be able to use to our advantage.

We didn't have a bad week, but it was a week that could have been much, much better. We managed 5 points in 4 games, but I think we all believe that 8 points were well within our grasp. The good news is that there is always a new challenge, a new day. We have to forget this loss and now think about the week ahead. It is an all Ontario week with 2 games against Ottawa and one at home against Toronto. We will now be able to see how we match up against the best of the east (no, not the Leafs) and see if we can really win the conference. I believe that we can finish top and seeing as that would mean no first round meeting with a top seed I am all for it. One loss stings, but there is nothing that we can do about it now. Let's forget about today and start the week off right with a win against Ottawa in regulation - something that we haven't managed in a long, long time.

Game #52Canadiens Start Super Bowl Weekend With Super Win

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Saturday February 2nd, 2008
Opponent: New York Islanders
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC


Team Stripes


Final Score: 4-1 - Win

Habs starting goalie: Cristobal Huet (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Rick DiPietro (L)

Habs goalscorers: Tomas Plekanec,Mark Streit, Alexei Kovalev, Mathieu Dandenault
Opposition goalscorers: Blake Comeau



2007/08 first
There's a first time for everything, so they say. What they didn't tell you is that every game, something happens for the first time, you just have to look harder in March...

1st 60' slide by Huet this season



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

With the score at 3-1 well into the third period the Habs looked like they were well on their way to winning. Unlike previous versions of this team we kept trying to score and despite not scoring on this, the play of the game, we did add a 4th goal.

Koivu accelerated down the right wing and with one hand on his stick took the puck and the defender around the net. He then made short work of his defender with a quick pivot and made a perfect forehand pass to a wide-open Higgins who was standing to the left of DiPietro. Higgins didn't score, but, even so, Saku's play was good enough for play of the game.



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

Alexei Kovalev

This was another great performance for Kovalev in what has become a season of great outing upon great outing. He got another 2 points to give him 48 on the season - one better than all of last season (with 30 games to play). Alex was dominant in all aspects of play tonight - a common occurence when he plays the Isles.



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

Alexei Kovalev
- Some teams, like the Islanders, are just down right scared of Kovalev. They are scared of how he can shoot the puck, how he can pass the puck, how he can win the puck and most of all how he can stick-handle the puck. He was given so much space today by the Islander defence that he could hardly help himself from dominating

Saku Koivu
- Saku's play of late has been just what we needed and is another huge reason for our success. Today he set up a beautiful goal for Streit and had a few really good plays for his own linemates. People complain that for a #1 centre he scores too few goals. I say, that as long as the passes and plays like we saw in this game keep coming who cares. We have enough goalscorers on this team and our offence all year has far exceeded all expectations. Sak had another good game in the face-off circle and was effective on the PK

Mark Streit
- A usual selection, just under a new header. Thanks to the Habs playing 8 defencemen (well 6 if you think about it) Streit was forced to the wing. That did not seem to stop him at all. He got another 2 points today and now has 14 in 2008; only one back of Pleks for the team lead. Along with Dandy and Smoke they did form a very quick 4th unit and it brings more scoring potential up front. He should, however, be playing D as his absence (base on the identity of his replacement) back there is a greater loss than what he adds up front

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
- There aren't any real threats to shut down on this Islander team, but that didn't stop Andrei from making sure that absolutely nothing ever got going for them while he was on the ice. He had 2 assists, both of which were very nice, and also finished the game at +2. He now has 38 points and is +4. Do you remember when he he had a +/- in the minus before Christmas? He forms quite possibly the best tandem in the east with Komi which shouldn't come as a surprise as Marky is without a doubt the east's best himself

Mike Komisarek
- Just another day at the office for Komi. He was imposing all game as the Islanders rarely tried anything on him. He hit a lot today as his targets were noticeably slower than Ovechkin and company. I saw him talking a lot on the ice today (something that I'm sure he always does, but that the camera may not always show) and to me he looked like a general in battle. He is always very focused and is obviously very committed to becoming one of the league's best all around blue-liners

Goaltender

Cristobal Huet
- This was a fairly quiet game for Huet, until the 58th minute that is. At that point the Islanders had a partial breakaway, but the puck had gotten a little ahead of their incoming player. Huet made the call to slide at the puck, to make himself big, and to see what would happen. He got to the puck first and luckliy got it out of the zone which led to an offside. It was lucky because it could have been a goal against us, but at the same time it was great to see. I like seeing people that are into the game, that are focused and hungry like that. A lot of goalies, with a late 4-1 lead, may just try their luck on the breakaway and that is what I liked most about this play. The best part was that his team cheered him and it made a usually calm looking Carbo break out into laughter



Eyes on Kovalev
Did he flit and float? Someone ought to keep track...

What more can I say? He was again our best player. He was our best penalty-killer, our best player on the PP and, of course, our best all around player. He led his line all game and they obviously followed suit. Plekanec and Kostitsyn are wonderful players as I have no doubt there. They are both having great seasons, but where may they be without Alex? He has allowed those players to develop into top players on this team and in this league. The time and space that he created tonight, that he creates every game, is quite unbelievable. I always say that he must be so much better than other players because we rarely see any other player given so much room.

Kovalev's Assessment - Excellent



Overall Comments

The Islanders are stricken with injuries and illnesses and they looked a tired bunch. They are a slow, non-talented team to begin with so there would have been no excuse to losing this one. They may have had 30 shots against Huet, but that is a stat that I was surprised to read after the game. I had thought that we had badly outshot them as today we were relentless. It just goes to show that a shot doesn't mean a chance, not at all. They had moments where they looked dangerous, but only for short stints. The Habs, however, looked dangerous all game. They were fast, their passing was great and, best of all, they played like a team. All season long this team has been playing like one unit and it shows. With this kind of commitment and dedication to the team game it is no wonder that we are now only 3 points out of first.

The only negative I can take out of the game are some player selections, one in particular. Carbo decided to bring back Dandenault and Breeze-by and sit Begin and Kostopoulos. The two aging french verterans have been out of action for a while and were obvioulsy itching to get back in. Dandenault played a decent game as he scored a goal and, as usual, looked fast. I don't mind inter-changing him with Begin and Kostopoulos on a rotation basis as I think they are all more or less at the same level (with Dandenault as the suprising weakest defensively). Brisebois, however, was not a good choice and the game he played strongly defends my point of view. He coughed it up 150' from Huet to allow the Islanders to score and break Cristo's shutout. Again Patrice tried to do way too much - he tried to deke out a player (last done in a 1995 practice on a water bottle). This kind of mistake is unacceptable for a 'veteran' (that word sounds like he is distinguished...bah) and we shouldn't have to live with it. We have the players to get the job done this year, there is no reason to keep playing this fossil who will never-ever learn from his mistakes. The Habs are playing well enough right now that they can afford to make such errors, but come April and beyond these are the types of decisions that can end your season in a hurry.

The Underappreciated Cristobal Huet (Stats Suite)

In scanning the blogs today, I came across one that I thought looked a bit more unique. Although Cristobal Huet was named one of the NHL's three stars for the month of January, his play has gone largely unheralded for much of the season.


This piece by considerate and well-written blogger T.C. Denault at HabsWorld, is an excellent read and I recommend it. The piece is very complete and considers most of the relevant material (basically a professional job of it); however, I did take the liberty of supplementing it with some stats, here below, to add to the argument myself.

(I should also credit Tobalev on this one, as he has been telling me about these stats for months on end, as a tireless Huet advocate and admirer)


With Huet, we somehow know the guy is good, but perhaps don't appreciate how good. I wanted to add to Denault's piece with some stats I ran this morning on Huet, and some thoughts.

1) T.C. recognises that:

For an idea of Huet’s value this year, consider this; his save percentage is equal to Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo, and is better than some of his more well known contemporaries, such as Martin Brodeur, Evgeni Nabokov, Rick Dipietro, Henrik Lundqvist, Marty Turco, and Dominic Hasek.

But also consider for a minute that Nabokov, Turco and Hasek have never had a better save percentage than Huet over these three seasons. When you add to this the fact that Brodeur, DiPietro, Kiprusoff, Giguere, Vokoun and Lundqvist have only outranked him in this category once, then you can see how well he has been able to do.

In fact, only Roberto Luongo (of all goalies playing enough games to be considered) has outdone Huet in two out of the three seasons including this one. Huet may yet remedy that as he sits one 1/1000th behind the Vancouver goalie at present (.924 vs. .923).


2) Cristobal Huet is one of 13 goalies to post a Save % of greater than .920 over the three seasons. He is one of 9 to maintain this stat at the end of a season. And, he is one of 2 among those who have achieved the feat in the past to be able to achieve that height again this season. The other, of course, is Luongo.

If you indulge the belief that Save % is the true personal statistic for a goalie (best estimate in any case) like I do, this fact is truly impressive. Particularly, because I feel that .920 is a mark of excellence in goalies, just as .900 is a nminimum standard to make an NHL living.


3) Finally, consider that Cristobal Huet has the best cumulative Save % of anyone not named Dan Ellis (only 21 GP), over the past 3 seasons (Top 10 goalies over 3 years of those that have outranked Huet at least once in Save %):

Dan Ellis
41 GA, 540 SA: .924

Cristobal Huet
259 GA, 3384 SA: .923

Nicklas Backstrom
150 GA, 1932 SA: .922

Roberto Luongo
479 GA, 5902 SA: .919

Tomas Vokoun
389 GA, 4777 SA: .919

Martin Brodeur
459 GA, 5505 SA: .917

Tim Thomas
368 GA, 4323 SA: .915

Mikka Kiprusoff
448 GA, 5496 SA: .915

Henrik Lundqvist
383 GA, 4496 SA: .915

Chris Mason
239 GA, 2802 SA: .915

JS Giguere
362 GA, 4228 SA: .914


Finally, it is interesting to consider that one knock on Huet is that his ability to win when things are on the line is questionable.

As we're keeping a better log this year of performances, both objective and subjective, I'd say that's just not true. He has been among the three stars as many times as anyone but Kovalev and Tobalev has picked him as outright player of the game 9 times in 51 opportunities. Furthermore, in games where he has faltered early, his ability to regain composure and "shut the door" so his teammates have a chance to come back has been impressive.

As for big games, we can look to the spring of 2006 as evidence that he has the ability to pull those off. His regular season heroics, where he eventually ended up posting the number one Save % in the league (.929) and taking the Habs into the playoffs all came in pressure games.

Furthermore, he went on to post an impressive .929 Save % again in the playoffs against the number two team and eventual Cup champions (Carolina), who also had the third best offense in the league to that point. Of course I remember the Williams goal that sealed the deal, but one could find similar evidence against any goalie who did not win the Cup in any given year (even Brodeur).

It's for that reason, I can look past the 82nd game of last season now, even though it has taken a while.

Basically, Cristobal has earned his redemption by reproving his worth this season. He has shown us that that Toronto debacle and those 5 losses in Feb 2007 were the anomaly, not his all-star selection, league leading Save % or regular season heroics in 2006. If I'm so bold, I would say that were it not for his injury in February last season, we would have made the playoffs, even with the scoring woes.

You can't pay too much top goaltending of this variety (not when the salary fits under the max salary anyway). And, as a bonus, Huet would be the perfect mentor for any young star goalie coming through, of which we have 2. If I'm Bob Gainey, I do make an effort to re-sign the French goaltender right away. And since Gainey has gone on record as saying there is no policy for not negotiating contracts in the season, I am sure that these discussions have already been broached. Whether Huet is pricing himself out of the Canadiens salary comfort zone is altogether another matter.

Some Thoughts on Loyalty

The NHL trade deadline is approaching and talk of waiving no-trade clauses is popping up all over the league again. The situation with Mats Sundin, in particular, got me thinking about the value of (as well as general lack of) loyalty to NHL teams from players around the league.


More and more, players at the end of their careers waive no-trade clauses or request trades to teams they view as Stanley Cup contenders. It is a strange thing. I'm sure the tradition goes back a long way, but for me all this one last throw of the dice for the Cup came to a head after Ray Bourque was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 2000. It was Ray Bourque, the heart and soul of the Boston franchise for 20 years, who requested the trade. And it wasn't just to get out, it was to a limited number of teams who he thought had a chance of winning.

This has led to a boatload of trades every year to teams like Detroit and Colorado (formerly). The teams that players will gladly waive their no-trade clauses for.


Aside from the trend of asking for trades, there has also been an annoying trend in the media to pick a player who is thought to be so deserving of the Cup, that all others should roll over and clear the way.


The press loved the Bourque win. They ate it up. It was a Cup for Ray Bourque, though it took a year, courtesy of a team who probably would have won it anyway as they had the best 2 centres in the league and the best goalie. Since 2001, there have been a number of players with long to intermediate length careers who became the feel-good heroes of the playoffs. Players who should win the Cup, just by virtue of being in the league so long:

2002: Dominik Hasek and Luc Robitaille, who found ways to miss by a couple of years in NYR and Pittsbrugh
2003: Adam Oates, who still hasn't won...
2004: Dave Andreychuk, who strangely was traded to make way for the "more deserving" Ray Bourque
2006: Rod Brind'amour
2007: Teemu Selanne

Looking at this list, there's no question that all the players had great careers (well you could question Brind'amour there...), but since when does that equate with a Cup.

So many players toiled in the league without the reward of a Cup for many years before Brind'amour came along. Many many more deserving than he. I'm picking on Rod, but really I would say that no one is outright deserving of a Cup, and it gets my back up when the media turn it into a story like that.

Apart from Selanne (who I identify with the Ducks and the Jets), the last time I was truly happy for an aging, tireless star to win a Cup was Steve Yzerman. Both players did thing the right way and won with the teams they were associated, even synonymous, with. Ray Bourque on the other hand may as well have just bought the Cup for all I'm concernned. he should have been trying to win with Boston for those last years of his career and not jumping ship.

Players like Todd Bertuzzi last year who make special requests to be on "Cup contenders" should be banished to first round upsets as far as I am concerned...


This brings me to the current Mats Sundin scenario.

I guess, first things first. No one owes Mats Sundin a Cup.

He has had a good career. he is the best player the Leafs have probably ever had. He has had some playoff success. But all that equates to nothing. the only thing that makes you deserving of the Cup is an unquenchable desire to win it. And, the only person who can give a player that is the player himself.

But you have to give the guy loads of credit. He knows that. He is still 100% focused on making the playoffs, on winning the Cup. But, he wants to win for his fans, his friends, his neighbours of more than a decade.

When you talk about a captain, isn't that exactly what you want? This kind of loyalty has to be recognised and applauded, I think. Fans of teams around the league should envy players like Sundin and his commitment to the cause.

If you're a Habs fan you don't have to look any further than Saku Koivu to see the same type of class. I'd hazard a guess that Daniel Alfredsson is the same with Ottawa. To win a Stanley Cup you need Mats Sundins and Saku Koivus. Players who play for pride in the sweater they wear.

Sure you can carry a Ray Bourque or two, but too many and you threaten to make that sweater meaningless, and take away the very fuel that fires those long Cup runs. Look to Joe Sakic in Colorado, Steve Yzerman in Detroit, Martin Brodeur in New Jersey to play big when Cups are on the line. These are one franchise players – with very good reason.

I hope the Maple Leafs can find a way to honour Mats Sundin's wishes and hold onto him. As a Habs fan, I certainly hope they don't win the Cup, but will be sure to applaud Mats if he manages to retire with the team he loves.

As for the Habs, I hope we can find ways to hang to players who want to play and win in Montreal. Ultimately, that will be where success will come from. And success will be so much the sweeter if it does come.