I thought that it would stop. I really did.

In Montreal, with the Canadiens, we really have had a luxury. The last couple of years we’ve seen 2 (count em! 2!) budding young goaltenders who have both shown flashes of brilliance in their careers.

But it almost seems like there are some fans who support one and not the other. This I cannot comprehend.

I’ve noticed it alot less on Twitter. Alot less. Especially lately.

And it’s cool to have your favorite. It’s normal to have a player or more that you find entertaining…. and cheer for.

But personally, I don’t understand why everytime the Montreal Canadiens announce their starting goaltender on Facebook you’ll see about 200-300 negative comments. Saying a guy sucks or the team’s management or coaching sucks or “we’re gonna loose”… or whatever… this to me goes beyond voicing your preference for one of the goaltenders.

I’m a Habs fan. Have always been. Will always be. I don’t jump bandwagons.

While certain players have really frustrated me on the ice or if some coaching/management decisions have left me wondering,  I still don’t find it necessary to talk against the team. I just don’t. And you never know just who will read your comment… that is saved in some database on a server in a building somewhere out there…. possibly to be found and read.

Check out Patrick Roy’s first 3 full seasons in the NHL and compare them to BOTH Halak and Price. Now, some of you might want to argue, different times… different teams… sure. They were. So were the years that Roy was stealing games left, right and center.

The point is. Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price and 2 very good assets for an NHL team to have. There is no question.

Stop the hate.

Alot is being said about the goaltenders in Montreal in the media. Will one get traded? When? For who/what? Which one?….etc.

This morning I read this great article on The Hockey News site titled “Top Shelf: Re-packaging the 1-2 goalie punch“.

The author (Ryan Dixon) mentions that there is another team doing a very similar thing that is going on with the Habs as of late. That is, each goaltender has played a substantial number of games.

You see, the Nashville Predators have been playing both Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis a fair bit. Rinne has played 28 games and Ellis 20. Their stats are also quite similar:

Nashville Predators
Pekka Rinne – 28 games – 2.74 GAA – .906 S%
Dan Ellis –  20 games – 2.75 GAA – .910 S%

It’s quite similar to what’s going on in Montreal between Price and Halak statistically:

Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price – 29 games – 2.67 GAA – .915 S%
Jaroslav Halak – 18 games – 2.64 GAA – .922 S%

Just like the article mentions, if we go back to the days of Patrick Roy he played with Brian Hayward alot. In fact in Roy’s first 4 full seasons in Montreal (85-86 to 88-89) he never played more then 48 games.

Alot has changed since those days of course. I’m not sure if all the money might have influenced more of the battle to be a “number 1″ on a team. I mean, I know athletes are competitive but when you lay the chips down hockey is a team sport and if I put my “fan-gm” hat on for a minute…. it’s much better for a team and for an organization to have 2 strong goaltenders instead of having a “number 1″ and a “backup”.

Food for thought this morning.

Carey Price has been playing some fantastic hockey as of late. After a little bit of a slower start some fans were sounding the panic alarm about Price and some of us were thinking that maybe the fact that Martin seemed to be rolling with a “win and your in” game plan might create some hunger with the goaltenders… a healthy competition.

One thing is for sure, Price is looking like he’s got that confidence back.

The NHL has certainly noticed by naming him 2nd star.

Congrats Carey!

We’re about 30 minutes away from game time. Montreal faces the Pittsburgh Penguins this evening and once again Yaroslav Halak will be in net.

It’s been a long winding road for Halak as the last couple of years it seemed like no matter what he would do, steal games, stop 50 shots…. he would soon sit. He didn’t see too many games in a row as most times the reigns were always given to Price.

This season, it seems as though Martin might be playing whoever is sharp.

I’m hoping that this is a real opportunity for both young goalies… they’ll both get the games, and they gotta perform.

Is this creating a real competition? Will this essentially push both?

Only time will tell.

Enjoy the game!