I remember watching this game and when the N.Y. Rangers were up 3-0, 4-0…. 5-0!!! I was demoralized. I was going to turn off the game but I generally always watch every game start to finish no matter what. On this night I did and I went from demoralized to amazed.

It seemed as though “it all went right” for the Rangers for the first half of the game and it just totally switched.

I figured Michael Ryder looked like he could have scored 10 goals in that second half. It was amazing to watch. I also remember that Kovalev goal where he falls to the ice with legs in the air. (Check out Scott Gomez playing for NY)

Classic moment in NHL hockey and a historic game. Coming back from a 5-0 deficit is no light task.

You remember this one?

Watching this video, my memories and even emotions come back…. pretty neat.

What do you remember most about this one?

But it soon started to turn for the worst for the Habs.

Seemed like the team looked a little unorganized last night. There were many mistakes made and way to many odd man breaks for the Sens.

One Alex Kovalev had a 2 on 1 with Shawn Belle back on D and there wasn’t too much he could do. Kovalev let go a terrific shot like we used to see in a Habs uniform and just like that…. he made himself more at home with Sens fans.

Does last’s nights game mean much? No. It’s still pre-season and I suppose the defense wasn’t full of the most experience NHL DMen with O’Byrne, Belle, Benoit and Anderson taking 4 spots. It’s an important step in pre-season to ice prospects with NHLers to help in the evaluation process which helps to see where these prospects are at.

I’m curious to see who will be in the lineup this evening as Montreal meets the Boston Bruins.

I want to also mention that I’m glad Ryan O’Byrne is trying to make his presence felt. He played a good game in Montreal and again in Ottawa he tried to be more physical dropping the gloves last night. Some people have believed his time is up but I wouldn’t give up on him. He still shows great potential and having some more big veterans around like Mara and (Stanley cup winning) Hal Gill may help his development. Happy that the Montreal fans were cheering him on the other night at the Bell Center.

And now, the painful highlights (if you’re a Habs fan) of last night’s game courtesy of Sportsnet:

This game marked the second win in the pre-season for the Canadiens and another loss for the Senators as the Canadiens won 2-1…

I had a hard time really watching the game last night as I had signal problems trying to watch (yes… that means I was not at the Bell Center) but you can bet I watched what I could.

While the flow of the game wasn’t always apparent to me due to signal quality some players did stand out for me.

Ben Maxwell has come to camp in pretty good shape. He’s added some weight and he’s looking pretty good. Last night he had a breakaway chance and then later scored when he got the puck from a weird bounce off a ref…. he made a great move around LeClair showing puck handling skill and patience.

Maxwell played well in Hamilton last season and he’s showing that he’s knocking on the door this year.

Eric Neilson showed that he understands his role quite well and is capable of filling that role. He participated in 3 different bouts… while in the last one he really didn’t seem to be able to set up and was ambushed… Neilson played in Rimouski along side “Sid the Kid” as the team’s enforcer.

There’s a write up on Neilson over at HABSInside/Out featuring an audio interview with Neilson. After listening to the interview, I really like what I hear from Neilson. He’s excited to be at the camp and seems to love the role he brings.  I was also impressed because he talked about scouting the other enforcers he might face during a game…. so he gets familiar with their style and what they bring.

Brian Gionta played well last night and I think that if he continues to play alongside of Plekanec, they could certainly forge some chemistry.  Brian may also turn out to be a great influence on Plekanec… being a small(er) player who’s not scared to get into the corners and in front of the net.

Gionta managed to get many shots on goal and just like the previous night seeing Gomez and Cammalleri score, Gionta got the winner.

I’m glad that Gionta got that out of the way.

At the end of the game, Gionta missed an open net ….. give him that shot over, and he’ll make it.

One guy who I’ve been wanting to see play is Shawn Belle… I don’t think he really stood out last night, but a few times I did notice what he could bring.. He’s a big frame guy, he can skate and he’s a true defensive Dman. He can throw a hit and take ‘em. I’d love to see him play really well.

Waiting to see tonight’s lineup.

Video highlights by Sportsnet, and before you watch I have to say that I didn’t find some of the comments very funny. Referring to Gionta’s size and how the Montreal Media would call for his trade after missing the open net.

Save it for comedy night where we can amuse you and ourselves with some tomatoes flying at you…

He loved Montreal

Playing in Montreal for the Canadiens has to be a tough job at times. Really…. it’s a tough place for guys to play, but I really believe his heart was in Montreal.

Ask Saku Koivu and I’m sure that he’ll tell you about the challenges… actually, there are some interviews out there where he mentions the pressure..etc. He’s not the only one to talk about it either. They pretty much all have.

After seeing this interview, I really believe Kovalev wanted to stay and finish his career in Montreal. First question he’s asked starts with  ”Are you happy…”.

Kovalev had many many fans in Montreal. He could “wow” the crowd at times with his amazing skill with the puck… great passes and a great shot. He also did alot in the city for charity.

Kovalev also had his critics, as everyone does, in Montreal. If you’ve followed different sports media you’ve probably heard some call for Kovalev to be traded over and over again….. it seems like at times certain players fall into a “love ‘em or hate ‘em” category. Kovalev was in that category for some.

All nostalgia aside, because I am geniunly looking forward, I think it’s pretty special in today’s NHL that a guy like Kovalev who’s got a ton of natural talent and can pick from a few teams will want to stay in a place that can be so tough on players.

I’ve got a ton of respect for Kovalev. He was one of my favorite players. Frustrating to watch at times but that frustration only stemmed from the fact that I saw his enormous talent and he didn’t always live up to my expectations. I will assume that many others were frustrated in that same way.

I believe he wants to come back

Watching the video he openly talks about it… coming back to play some more NHL hockey in Montreal. Mentions retiring as a Canadien.

Now watching the video yeah, I do believe that Alex Kovalev would like to retire a Hab. But when he starts playing in Ottawa he might enjoy it there too. Ottawa fans love their hockey too and I seriously doubt there’s as much pressure in that hockey market. So although Alex feels that way today he will likely warm to Ottawa quite a bit.

If anyone hasn’t seen it, you can view the Alex Kovalev interview here.

Trust me.

So to start, what I wanted to do was simply look at last years roster and this year’s roster (2008-2009 vs 2009-2010) and compare some numbers.

So we have 7 players coming in and something like 11 players going out. Here’s a breakdown of the numbers each player game the habs last year:

Looking at last year vs this year and taking out Mathieu Schneider’s numbers because he only finished the season in Montreal, we see something like this:
New Habs – 539 out of 574 possible games played. 35 missed games or 6.1% missed.
Old Habs – 601 out of 820 possible games played. 219 missed or 26.7% missed.

With these numbers, some things don’t really look too different if you do crunch numbers but other things kind of jumped out at me.

Did you know Scott Gomez finished 16th in the league in shots on goal last year?
Did you know Mike Cammalleri finished 25th and Brian Gionta finished 31st?

Last year’s leader (in Montreal) was Alex Kovalev who finished with 209 in 68th position overall. Tomas Plekanec was right behind him with 202 shots on goal.

Did you know that Mike Cammalleri finished 3rd in Power Play goals last year?

Alex Kovalev had 11 power play goals last season.

All those numbers are just that, they are numbers from a season gone by. All these players find themselves in new places (well, most of ‘em) and they’ll be surrouned with new teammates. So their numbers this year could vary, for better or worse.. depending on chemistry, the team’s system (or strategy), injuries…. a whole host of varialbes.

A few things jumped out at me.

1. Scott Gomez will likely shoot the puck quite a bit. Putting the puck on the net is a good thing although he’s never been scorer so much as a playmaker.
2. Mike Cammalleri will likely be shooting alot. He had 299 shots on goal in 2006-2007.
3. Robert Lang was a great pickup last year… so efficient. As was Alex Tanguay. Tanguay’s number weren’t too bad at all really. Just too bad he was hurt and seemed a bit soft in the playoffs.
4. The players coming in (7 of them) actually have a higher total of shots on goal as the ones going out (that’s 11 going out).
5. Although I was a fan of Chris Higgins and do wish him the best, I can’t seem to be disappointed in the numbers he put up last year.

I do believe this year we’ll see a more organized and tighter defensive system that will protect Carey Price. Players like Gionta and Gomez thrived in New Jersey with a similar system and if the defense is tighter it will be so much more fun for Price.

The team has a new look, the dressing room will have a new feel and the team’s culture is different. Who knows which way it will go. I’m waiting to hear more from the analysts.

Whatever they say, just remember. 2 years ago most of ‘em said the Montreal Canadiens wouldn’t make the playoffs while they finished 1st in the east. And 1 year ago most analysts picked them to go deep in the playoffs, some even to contend for the stanley cup, while they barely crawled in at 8th.

So many variables. It can’t be calculated. But the sum of the team’s efforts night after night will tell the story.

Go Habs!

When I first loaded the page up, I thought that Cammalleri looked good in the vintage Montreal Canadiens uniform.

I thought Cammalleri was a good move for sure…. but the more I watch youtube clips, saw him on OTR on TSN…. and with this interview I gotta say I like the Mike Cammalleri signing more and more.

Cammalleri seems to be well spoken and from what I heard he said some pretty interesting things about the new lineup. When asked about the identity of the new Montreal Canadiens lineup he, as well as Ken Campbell, weren’t too shure on what the identity was but as their conversation went Campbell talked about Bob Gainey acquiring guys who are hard workers and who have experience winning… and some playing together.

Then Cammalleri said they may have touched on what the identity of the team is actually going to be. I thought something similar as I learned a little more about these guys. They’re starting to look more like a team who shows up every night and plays hard.

Not to take anything away from last year’s lineup (and some prior years) but that wasn’t quite their reputation. Alex Kovalev certainly hasn’t been known as a player who would bring it every night and the team in general last year had such a major meltdown that they would just stop competing.

I think Cammalleri is just the kind of guy who we should have in Montreal. He wants to compete… he wants to win… he knows how hard the city can be…. he really seems to appreciate and respect the hockey tradition…. and he understands the pressure of playing amidst a rabid hockey fan base and the “occasional” love-hate relationships that some fans have with their players.

Here’s the link to the video:
One-on-One with Habs sniper Mike Cammalleri

Basically, I’ve always loved Kovalev in Montreal. I would have gladly taken him back.

I’m actually a bit sad to see him go… and according to reports, he did want to stay in Montreal… and Gainey did want him back. A lack of communication it seems.

Now, one thing that I don’t understand is that while people have been to the streets in Montreal prior to his (Kovalev) signing in Ottawa, in attempts to convince Bob Gainey to sign him, is that while he was a member of the Canadiens, I would often hear and read comments by people calling him the best player on the face of the earth… and other comments calling him a bum.

The opposite ends of the spectrum.

We all know that Kovalev is likely one of the very top skilled forwards in the world. I don’t think there is any doubt. But, consistency has dogged him.

Mind you, last year has been called a disappoint… but it was far better then the 2007-2008 season. Statiscally, I don’t think it was that bad a year. Since the whole team seemed to go down the drain at the mid-way point. People just see what talents he has and believe (or expect) that he should carry the team… be the offensive leader.

And while some people were calling to put the “C” on Kovalev in Montreal. I’m not so sure. In a way, if he would have signed, it certainly would have been major motivation for him. In another way, I would put the “C” on someone who brings it every night without a doubt… someone who buys into the system the team is playing… etc.

Kovalev might indeed have been a good captain and player in Montreal for the proposed 2 years / 10 Million. But, we’ll never know.

Alex, once again. Have a great year in Ottawa. Loved your time in Montreal and I will keep watching you play for Ottawa. But I hope you understand, I gotta cheer against you when you’re playing against Montreal….

No hard feelings right??

Alex Kovalev has definately been one of the most popular players in recent years in the Montreal Canadiens organisation. Kovalev, dubbed as “the artist”, has shown his mad skills on the ice in Montreal much to the pleasure of the fans… and some fans have taken it upon themselves to try and convince Gainey to sign him before he signs elsewhere.

Honestly, I would have taken Kovalev back in a heartbeat. I still would if a deal were to be reached.

I believe that Kovalev knows that he was really loved by the fans in Montreal. At least, for me, Kovalev was a joy to watch. Sometimes, I’ll admit, it was frustrating to watch him… but that is just because of the expectation that we (as fans.. and maybe the “experts”… and staff) placed upon him… due to his incredible talent that was always so evident.

I loved watching Kovalev play for the Habs.

If Gainey were to change his mind he would still have to address the defense, which may require a trade.

So far, François Beauchemin seemed to the the favorite by many to try and get signed as he would fill up the defense nicely… and rumour has it that he’s expressed a desire to play in Montreal.

So if Kovalev was resigned, it would certainly look as though Gainey would be out in the Beauchemin races….. and it would probably kill the rumour that Koivu “could” be back in Montreal.. (Eklund’s rumour here)

I know there is another petition for Saku Koivu….. I don’t know… but really, I’m still attached to these 2 great players who served us well in their time with the Canadiens. And I would welcome both back. I’m just not sure how Gainey would work signing either Kovalev or Koivu or both…. and still addressing a need at the defensive position. But.. one can always acquire a defenseman via trade.

Can’t wait for the season to start!