Last night was a magical night for Montreal Canadiens fans. I thought they would have some special surprises planned but I couldn’t have guessed how it would have unfolded.

I watched RDS for many hours before the game and was impressed from the beginning. I thought it was just great.

When they dimmed the lights in the Bell Center I almost felt goose bumps all over.. I knew something pretty neat was gonna take place.

Then… when the pucks were dumped on the ice and I saw Patrick Roy walking on the ice in full gear…. I was in awe. It was awesome. Seeing all those guys jump on the ice brought back alot of memories. One guy I hadn’t noticed walk on the ice was Mats Naslund… later when he was introduced I was so pleased to see him there. He was one of my favorite players in his time in Montreal.

I won’t try to name every player that skated with the alumni… but let’s just say I thought it was very classy and very cool for the die hard Canadiens fans. Many of those guys I hadn’t seen in their playing days but like some of you (I’m sure) I’ve read about them and have seen their statistics over and over again. I’m not just really a fan of the Montreal Canadiens I’ve seen on the ice….. I’m a fan of the Montreal Canadiens rich history as much as I am the current team they ice year after year.

Seeing Dryden in gear, Larry Robinson, Bob Gainey (who we saw in a Habs uni not that long ago), Naslund… Chris Nilan, Damphousse, Turgeon.. Guy Lafleur!.. Steve Shutt…. Serge Savard…. it was great to see Lyle Odelein out there…. Carbo was back in gear and had some strong applause skating in the jersey (great to see… another of my all-time favorite players)… (captain) Kirk Muller was out for a skate….. it was awesome

As always, seeing Jean Béliveau and Henri Richard is always a treat. These guys are always very well spoken and gentlemanly. RDS interviewed Henri Richard and Dickie Moore later on in the evening and I thought it was a great treat…

After Patrick Roy was introduced and he came up to the podium and spoke… I couldn’t help but think that he just should have retired in a Habs jersey. It’s one of the modern day tragedies that the franchise had to face. I loved his speech and I also enjoyed how he mentioned that it wasn’t only a special night for the fans because of the anniversary and the festivities… but also because the fans could witness the Habs beating the Bruins on the night… I thought that was great…. pressure put on the team by an all-timer.

Patrick, you were probably my favorite player growing up and though I somehow tried to put a positive spin on the trade that sent you to another team…. I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that “spin”… because we lost one of the game’s best ever goaltenders. You will always be close in my mind when I think of “Le CH”.

I thought it was neat how Viggo Mortensen was in house to introduce Guy Lafleur. Viggo is a huge Habs fan and a big star in his own right. I’m sure that Viggo really enjoyed being a part of the special ceremonies. Well done man!

Although Guy Lafleur looked like he could still probably skate with some of these players (in the game)…. he announced to the crowd that he was in fact not playing as he cheered them on. Lafleur was probably the first big star that I watched as a kid growing up…. always happy to see him in the Habs ceremonies.

The last of the 3 speakers was Jean Béliveau and I thought it was a big touch of class that they invited Gordie Howe to the events to introduce Jean Béliveau. 2 dominant players in their time and 2 classy representatives for NHL hockey history.

I never get tired to hearing Béliveau speak and seeing his smile as he is always courteous and well spoken. Béliveau was truely a dominant big man in his time…. he captained the team for 10 years and won more Stanley Cups then most players have years in their NHL careers…. the dynasties of old have some pretty impressive records don’t they??

In Béliveau’s final season in Montreal, at 39 years old he played 70 games, scored 25 goals and tallied 51 assists for 76 points… not bad eh?? In the post season that year he had 22 points and won his 10th Stanley Cup. Legend.

There were so many great, great players… it was amazing.

Having Elmer Lach and Butch Bouchard in a ceremony which saw their numbers retired was quite fitting and long overdue. Elmer Lach was one of the best play makers of his era and Butch Bouchard was a strong shut down defenseman who would always deliver a hard check to his opponents.

It was announced that Ryan O’Byrne would be the last Canadiens player to wear the no 3… and in a very classy move, Ryan then took off his no 3 jersey and gave it to Bouchard only to reveal his new number 20. Heck… I thought Pierre Bouchard still looked so big in that Habs jersey that he could’ve broken Ryan O’Byrne in half…. maybe it was just the nostalgia of it all…..

The ceremonies were nothing short of great. I remember watching the ceremonies when the old Forum closed it’s doors and these ceremonies were just as great in my mind.

A great evening!

As I mentioned yesterday in the post titled “Has the season self-destructed??” I think it’s been pretty hard to clearly evaluate just how good this team is.

There has been some raunchy performances on the one hand. On the other hand there have been some great performances where they’ve been in the game or have won.

Last night against the Washington Capitals were one such game were I wasn’t filled with optimism before hand but afterwards I certainly was.




So in reference to how good the team is so far? I believe they’re right on pace where they should be, in fact maybe they are even a little better then what I would have predicted being 11-11-0 in the first 22 games of the year with all the changes and without their best player (Andrei Markov)…. and other key injuries.

Listening to Montreal’s talk radio, The Team 990 (which I am a regular listener) I’ve really enjoyed what Randy Tieman has been saying… he’s said something to the effect that it’s just to hard to say how good this team is or can be with all the significant injuries.

I still take the position that this team’s core is better then where we finished last season. So many people last year had voiced the opinion that the team needed a major change in direction. Well, the team’s direction was changed brining in a younger core and so far I don’t think they’ve been pushed around quite as much as they used to despite some of these guys being smaller. Moving forward there is something to build on.

I do believe that it would have been much better to get picks or prospects for some of the players who were let go… but it didn’t happen that way and Gainey opted to try and make a playoff run. Much debate could be made over it being the right or wrong decision. Personally I don’t think it would have gone well to trade everyone and give up on the playoff race at the deadline while they were still positioned to be a playoff team.

There are some real positives coming together for the Canadiens.

Carey Price has been playing with that fire. He’s looking as confident as we all hoped that he would be.

There has been some “Price haters” voicing there opinions that he should be traded… that in my opinion is all rubbish. To be honest at his age there are not many goaltenders who boast the numbers that he does. He’s comparable to a young Roy, Brodeur and Luongo. If anyone out there is expecting him to play like a seasoned St-Patrick 2 or three years in… then either you must not know that Patrick himself didn’t play perfectly in goal and had some real stinkers. But as he aged, he became a real game changer.

Price has all of that potential. He can be our game changer and has already started to look like a game changer in the short time we’ve had him in the CH.

Tomas Plekanec is also a guy who last year was named in virtually every trade rumour.. this summer was more of the same. He took alot of heat. I questioned openly what his future with the team was.

Well, Tomas has answered the phone…. he’s been the best player in a Habs uniform night in and night out. He’s playing with more bite.. he’s skating hard, making some great passes and creating many scoring chances. He’s even looked really good on the PK.

Andrei Kostitsyn seems to be improving his play and Max Pacioretty seems to be getting it together also. 2 guys who will certainly be asked to step it up with the recent injury to Brian Gionta. They started slow and maybe that’s just what it is… an adjustment to the new coaching staff and system.

It’s always disappointing to see the team you’re passionate about not win and play some bad games… but this is part of the growing pains of having a vastly new lineup… and the normal regular season pain of having multiple key players out with injury.

I look at this as an opportunity for some guys to be put in the position to step up and see what they’re made of. It’s really not all doom and gloom guys. We’ve got some real nice positives in the mix.

It’s a long season, last year Pittsburgh was out of a playoff position after 50+ games played. If your team can hang around, be healthy and peek at the right time.. it can make for a great finish.

Watching the Canadiens vs the Rangers last night was a treat. It went through all the emotions…. from elation and excitement to uncertainty and slight fear (well ok… maybe no fear… right?). But when the chips were down the Habs managed to come back from 2 goals down (twice they were down by 2 goals) and eventually win the game.

I saw what I began to see ever since these hit the ice in training camp. A play hard attitude, never back down, desire to win…..

But from what I’ve heard from some tv analysts and some writers, you’d swear that this “experiment” of Bob Gainey’s would surely flop. The theme of of some game highlights and video replays have referred to some of them as “the smurf line”…. their physical stature is often referred to…. Even before CBC broke to commercial just before the game was about to start there was a mention of how many inches the Gomez-Cammalleri-Gionta line gave up to their opponents.

I’m not sure I can take it seriously anymore. And what I mean is that if someone asks Gomez (again) how he or they (their line) will deal with being smaller then their opponents I’m going into “don’t take interview seriously mode”….

I’ve missed one game since the beginning of training camp and I’ve noticed some consistencies here.

Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri don’t care (I’ll assume they don’t) if you think they’re small. They don’t care if you think that being a foot shorter then Hal Gill will make it harder for them to be effective and succeed in the NHL.

While you’re worrying about those things Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri are playing some great hockey.

Brian’s averaging 3.5 shots per game through 10 games, he’s got 4 goals 2 assists and is +4.

Mike’s averaging 4 shots per game through 10 games, he’s got 5 goals and 6 assists and is +3. And imagine… Mike must have forgotten the golden rule that he wouldn’t produce without Jerome Iginla as some of you suggested.

And while you’ve been worrying about their size, both Mike and Brian have not shied away from going into the corners after loose pucks…. and usually come out with it outplaying their adversaries about 50% of the time (just an estimate friends). Heck… they’ve even skated back on defense and pick pocketed their opponents.

They have both won over many fans in Montreal with their work ethic.

Of course, while you were worrying about how small they are, they’ve had pretty fine careers up to now. Let’s hope they don’t listen to you worry. It would probably be a waste of their time as they’re currently playing in the NHL…. and the majority of us (and you who worry about their size) do not.

I had my doubts when I first heard about the signings this summer, I’ve said it before, but I hadn’t really watched them play much. Now that I have I understand.

Maybe we should all watch what they do on the ice instead of worrying about inches and feet.

Waddaya say?

We didn’t have to wait long and Sergei was called up to play in Montreal.

Fast forward a few years and here we are.

Sergei Kostitsyn had a place on this roster. There is no doubt. But there’s been this kind of cloud hovering above him since last season.

Last year all the media (well not ALL the media, but some media certainly) were finding new issues every couple of weeks…. Kostitsyn’s name was mentioned along with the word “party”…. and then later on he and brother Andrei were thought to be involved with some shady figures in Montreal (along with Hamrlik).

Sergei had been demoted after all that stuff came about… but even before that the Habs team were sinking fast. I’m not sure if half the team just stopped playing for Carbo or what…. but there had been whispers of attitude problems.

This season, Martin made it clear that he wanted to run a tighter ship… the boys better work hard…. etc.

Right off the bat Sergei got himself in the bad books.

I’m not an “insider”. I’m a fan. I watch every game I can which comes close to all the games. I follow reporting on the team…etc.

From what I’ve seen the last 2 years I’m assuming that in fact Sergei does have some growing up in the sense that he needs to learn to take directives from his boss. From the coach and from the GM.

In hockey it’s not like boxing. You’ve got teammates. It’s a team sport. And in most team sports you have a coach that analyzes his players, what their strengths and weaknesses are and not only a general team strategy but a game per game strategy.

Sergei also decided to “force” management to trade him by not reporting. Honestly Sergei, what would have been the big deal to work hard in Hamilton? There’s a spot for you on the roster dude. But here’s the deal….. it’s not gonna be handed to you because you have potential. When you’re potential comes into fruition with work ethic then you deserve the spot. I have no doubt that you would have earned that spot much sooner then later.

But at this point even the title of my blog post kind of “erks me”… because the possibility of Sergei staying has gotten very slim to none.

Now if you’re reading this you may have heard the various rumors. I don’t really write rumors and rarely write about them but one rumor has the Kostitsyn’s going to LA for Frolov. I don’t mind that deal if it ever happened.

I’m always hoping that Andrei finds his “overdrive”.. but he hasn’t as of yet. Sergei just doesn’t want to listen to his boss or so it seems.

How long does Gainey wait?

Frolov would be a low risk acquisition because he is UFA at year’s end.

Personally, I wish all of this would just straighten around… Andrei starts putting up points… Sergei works hard comes to Montreal and helps the team’s offense… and we all live happily ever after.

But do you think that will happen??

Maybe after all this I just need a bigger cup of coffee….

Not sure why but it almost seems to me that expectation is always so high. When the “new” guys were being signed, I didn’t expect a whole lot to happen during those days… but I must admit that after the summer was over I did feel a certain optimism. There were new players with both offensive and defensive skill.

Going into tonight the Canadiens have lost 5 straight and perhaps it feels a little worse because they started out with 2 wins in a row.

But let me ask a couple of questions…

Who among you thought they would be at 6-1 at this point??

Who among you thought they would be at 5-2 at this point??

Who among you thought they would be at 4-3 at this point??

Did anyone believe they would have won them all??? Really??

We’re only 7 games into this new season. And we’re talking about a team who haven’t just been re-tooled when it comes to the players on the roster, but the coaching staff has also undergone a facelift.

For me, this means that the familiarity that the players returning would have felt has also (pretty much) been taken away.

We’re really looking at an organization that has experienced change as few have.

I, for one, am not feeling panic at all and I’m certainly not going to throw criticism at Mr Gainey 7 games into a season where there have been so many changes. There was consensus among many that with the changes made, the team did get younger and are set up with a core group of guys for a few years to come. Gainey did display good strategy in changing the players on his roster.

However good or bad these players come together in the next 10 games is really anyone’s guess.

Are you feeling really stressed about this Habs team and the fact they are 2-5?

Well, if you are, I assure you that all is not lost and there is no need for widespread panic. At least, there is no need if you want to stay level headed. If you feel like freaking out, then by all means, be my guest.

Sure, I’d love to see the Habs win every game. But that doesn’t happen. I’d love to see them have a great team every year, month, week…. but that doesn’t happen either.

I’m concerned at this point.

But it’s important to note that the season has just begun and it’s a normal occurance that a team comes out of the gates slowly. For a variety of reasons, this happens.

This is not a straight comparison but it’s to be looked at through the context of an NHL season. The Penguins were 3 points out of a playoff spot last season after 57 games! Anyone remember that??

The Habs are NOT the penguins. But an NHL season is 82 games, not 7.

Here are a few pre-game and really “pre-season” thoughts.

Bob Gainey

Alot has been said about the Montreal Canadiens over the last few years, from the highs to the lows and everything in between.

This season is a departure in many ways for the franchise in the sense that the team has really been rebuilt with several longtime players leaving and several new faces coming in with multiple years left on contract. Maybe unlike previous years, this team is now Gainey’s team. From top to bottom his hand has been involved in one way or another in regards to management, coaching drafting, trading and UFA signings in forging the team we will see tonight and this season. In radio call in shows and internet banter I’ve seen and heard Gainey being called both a genius and some calling for his head.

This is an important year for Gainey in Montreal. There has been no shortage of criticism this summer about these off-season moves… hindsight will tell us the good and the bad. It’s the nature of the job.

We get to see the first glimpse.

Scott Gomez

Scott Gomez came to Montreal in a big trade prior to July 1st and with him came a big contract. I, along with others, didn’t really like this trade. But to be quite honest I’ve really warmed up to having Scott Gomez in Montreal. He seems to carry himself quite well and seeing him play and learning a bit more about him there’s no denying that he’s a really talented hockey player. He can really pass the puck.

Scott Gomez may very well have something to prove in Montreal and it’s not far fetched to think that he could rebound from his time with the New York Rangers. We once had another fellow that was dubbed “Kovy” come from the big apple after basically being written off…. this “Kovy” fella played a career year in Montreal.

Scott, if you read this buddy…. I’m hoping you look good in the uniform bro… glad to have you aboard!

Mike Cammalleri

Mike Cammalleri was one of the big UFA names out there this summer and it was a pleasant surprise when I heard he signed in Montreal. Cammalleri is an offensive weapon… there is no doubt.

A big knock some people had on Cammalleri… maybe more so by some critics was that he couldn’t score without Iginla. But checking his stats…. it’s quite easy to see that it’s not quite true. And the possibility of having a guy like Gomez feed him the puck is promising.

Mike…. Glad to have you aboard man!!!

Other thoughts

Of the guys in uniform tonight, there are a few others that I think have an important year in front of them.

Andrei Kostitsyn showed lots of promise 2 years ago with Kovalev and Plekanec. Being on a line with Gomez and Cammalleri could be very beneficial to him. I mean, tonight, it’s just a pre-season game. But it’s a line that we could very well see on a regular basis this year. Both Kostitsyn and Cammalleri have a pretty good shot while Gomez is a superb passer.

Andrei, make the best of the opportunity!

Carey Price will certainly be looking to bounce back and I think he’ll be able to put last year behind him. Plus Martin’s tighter defensive system should help him alot… at least that’s what I think.

P.K. Subban…. all I’m gonna say is you’ll likely find your way into the lineup soon, you’re a great young player and if you spend the year in Hamilton we’ll see you next year. But there’s a chance we could see you from time to time in Montreal. Keep it up bro!

Mr. Desharnais, I like how you’ve continued to prove everyone wrong at every level. Keep it up!

Guillaume… this is an important year for you. I hope that we see many hard checks and some of that scoring touch around the net.

We’re almost there… the puck drops soon!!!

I had seen the Montreal Canadiens get pushed around a bit too much for my liking and I was sure that Laraque would provide some of the much needed toughness that was plaguing the team the few previous years.

But last season was a disappointment for Laraque, something I’m sure he’s aiming at making better this year.

As far as the media and all the noise coming out of Montreal last season, it seemed as though the team was ready to be better then they had in 2007/2008 when they were the best in the Eastern conference… many were claiming that Gainey’s “5 year plan” would come to fruition and we’d see a great parade in Montreal for the summer of 2009.

Something that wasn’t meant to be.

Laraque was injured most of the year and took some heat from media and fans. I’m sure this didn’t sit well with Mr Laraque.

As last season unraveled, it wasn’t just Laraque who had a subpar year, the entire team seemed to spiral downward and while there were a few positives at the end of last season (like Montreal making it into the playoffs) it appeared as though nothing could be done to turn it around.

This year I’m full of optimism looking at this team. Maybe I am every year…. quite honestly…. because I’m a hockey/Habs nut.

The Montreal Canadiens will have a very different look, a different character and for those who seem to think they’re alot smaller I beg to differ. In fact though some of their acquisitions are a bit smaller there are other acquisitions who help balance it out.

I’m sorry, but I have to say this.

In my opinion George Laraque may be like a new acquisition on this team. Last season, only playing in 33 games and being unhealthy all year he had no impact.

I’m excited to see that he’s healthy and weighing in about 20 lbs less then last season at 245 lbs.. he’s changed his diet, he’s been into Yoga…. I believe that he also knows that he needs to put last season behind him.

Laraque can be an asset on this team, there is no doubt in my mind. The eastern conference has changed a fair bit in recent years. While the Flyers seem to always ice a pretty tough team, the Bruins and the Leafs, 2 of the most hated rivals have gotten much tougher to play against in the last few years (Leafs much recently of course).

I think Jacques Martin will be using Georges Laraque in a way where he can be much more effective then he was used under Carbonneau last season. Instead of having Laraque solely act as a “defender” when somebody takes a run at his teammates, I think Laraque will be engaged in delivering some punishing blows to opposing teams…. maybe provoking them.

Jacques Martin will know how to use his players better then Carbonneau.

Carbonneau was and still is one of my all-time favorite Montreal Canadiens players and always will be. It’s just too bad he got the head coaching job with such little experience.

A healthy Georges Laraque in Montreal this year…. do you think he can make an impact? Do you think Montreal are gonna be tougher to play against physically with a healthy Laraque, Travis Moen, Paul Mara, Hal Gill?

What do you think???

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??