Lot’s of positives by the young players tonight.

Something that sickens me is the cheers that Carey Price got in warm up turned to boos quickly.

Honestly people, I don’t understand your reasoning at all. If you’re all drunk, then yeah, maybe that’s an excuse although it’s a terrible one.

I understand you’re buying tickets, that you may be buying merchandise. I understand that some of you may love hockey. But I really do not understand your reasoning in booing a member of “you’re team” (and I use that term incredibly lightly here) and ridiculing him when he touches the puck.

I have no idea how that would have any positive impact on a team you profess to be a fan of. These hockey players, they are people… just like you. Maybe a few hundred people should follow you into your work place and just get on your back while you work…. or maybe your co-workers already do that.. who knows?

Last season Halak became the guy in the stretch. And people would boo Price… which I didn’t understand then. But, ok, you’re voicing your desire for the other goaltender.

But, now… here we are, game 1 of the Pre-Season… a game where the rust will just fall off a bit… a game that means nothing… and that other guy who some professed to love… well he’s gone!

On twitter it was said that many fans didn’t like the Halak trade. I know many fans didn’t like the Halak trade. I myself would have preferred to have both goaltenders in Montreal. But we don’t get everything we want. And there’s a possibility that Eller and Shultz turn out to be players for years to come.

Still, what would that have to do with Price? Price didn’t trade Halak.

It just seems (likely because it is) classless to get on a guy like that. One period into the pre-season.

Today Jaroslav was saying his goodbyes and thank yous to fans in Montreal and there were estimates of about 5000 fans showing up to meet Halak.

Personally, I’ll never doubt him. He just did everything he had to do in order to find his number 1 job that he now holds in St Louis. Played the ECHL, played the AHL… starting, backup… always worked hard.

I’m happy that he’s getting a number one job.

Here the link to the interview.

And here’s the video player:

(Courtesy or RDS)

Best wishes to you Jaro!

Today it was announced that Jaroslav Halak signed a 4 year contract with the St Louis Blues. That officially makes him a St Louis Blues player.

I just wanted to write a few words to say that in my opinion, Jaroslav is one of those players who earned that 4 year $15 million dollar contract and all the respect that goes with it. In his draft year he was pretty much overlooked, he did his time in the ECHL, he did his stints in the AHL (call ups, send downs), he was put in as backup (behind both Huet and Price) on a few occasions despite playing very well and he never really made a fuss. He worked hard and through that hard work was rewarded.

Jaro you always looked good in that Habs jersey. Thanks for the memories and I wish you the very best in your career.

Jaroslav Halak is long gone to his new job with the St Louis Blues and it still seems as though some fans will hold on to that one for the months to come.

New arrivals Lars Eller and Ian Schultz, who came over in that Halak trade, will be at the Habs development camp from the 6th of July until the 9th. Yeah…. camp starts today!!

On July 1st, I had been hopeful that Gauthier would be able to sign Ellis…. but it didn’t happen. And one can’t really blame Ellis as in Tampa he’ll certain get his shot at being number 1.

On on the goalie front I believe this does mark a year of change… as Price will be the Habs number 1 goaltender going into this season. He had been etched in at number 1 before, but still being so young…. behind both Huet and then behind Halak who caught fire, he had some time to taste the NHL pressure cooker…. taste the pressure, the good times and the hard times.

I think Price did some maturing last season while Halak was getting all the playing time judging by how he seem cool with the media.

No big UFA signings this year…. and I wouldn’t have expected it. I saw some people were forever hopeful that somehow the salary cap would be forgotten and we’d end up with a Kovalchuck… but really. That’s a demand for the miraculous.

I’m hoping to get back to blogging alot in coming days. It’s a busy time for me and days, weeks are flying by….

As for the Habs development camp… here’s the list of players attending!
Name 2009-10 team
AVTSIN, Alexander Dynamo Moscow (Russia)
BRISEBOIS, François Colgate (ECAC)
BRUNELLE, Jonathan Drummondville (QMJHL)
CONBOY, Andrew Hamilton (AHL)
ELLER, Lars Peoria (AHL)
ELLIS, Morgan Cape Breton (QMJHL)
ENGQVIST, Andreas Djurgarden (Sweden)
GALLAGHER, Brendan Vancouver (WHL)
KLUBERTANZ, Kyle Djurgarden (Sweden)
MacMILLAN, Mark Alberni (BCHL)
MAXWELL, Benjamin Hamilton (AHL)
MAYER, Robert Hamilton (AHL)
PALUSHAJ, Aaron Hamilton (AHL)
PATERYN, Greg Michigan (CCHA)
QUATTROCCHI, Joseph Fort McMurray (AJHL)
SCHULTZ, Ian Calgary (WHL)
St-DENIS, Frédéric Hamilton (AHL)
SUBBAN, P.K. Hamilton (AHL)
TINORDI, Jarred USA U-18 (USHL)
WEBER, Yannick Hamilton (AHL)
WESTIN, John Modo (Sweden)
WHITE, Ryan Hamilton (AHL)

I was stunned to see the news come and go. Jaroslav Halak traded to the St Louis Blues!?!?!?!

It had been my hope that Gauthier try to keep both young goaltenders, but in all actuality I figured the chances of that happening were quite low.

Halak had played second fiddle to Price for some time despite showing that he certainly could play and play well. Not sure if Halak had wanted out of Montreal although I wouldn’t necessarily blame him if he did.

Let’s remember, before everyone got on the whole “Halak” stop sign trip…. he had been in numerous trade rumors all season. And even though Carey Price took alot of heat from some fans….. it’s not that long ago that Halak was seen as quite average….. and was continually thrown into trade rumors by fans…. probably some of the very fans who voiced their opposition to this trade on Facebook and Twitter.

Imagine that.

Being a GM…. it would be a hell of a job. Especially in hockey mad Montreal. I’m not sure if I’ll like this deal… but no one really can.

Trading a young guy for another young guy or two…. it’s a crap shoot. There are no guarantees as much as we’d like to think there are.

Halak could go on to be a top notch goaltender. He could. At the same time folks, Carey Price could also go on to be a top notch goaltender for many years. Yes…. he could as well. There are NO GUARANTEES. At the end of the day, a GM (Pierre Gauthier) has to pick one moving forward and stick with his choice.

Gauthier managed to get a good prospect in Lars Eller. How many of you thought that he could get a Lecavalier for Halak? Alot of people voice pretty strong words…. I was on facebook when the news broke…. (yeah, I appologize to my twitter friends… I find it harder to take time away from twitter when I get on there)….

A young restricted free agent goaltender who will certainly demand a raise…. and you’ve got another young talented goaltender waiting in the shadow of this season…. probably wanting a raise. Pretty hard to keep both and build your team up front.

Do I like this trade?

I don’t know. Honestly. I watch and follow the habs alot. But I’m not a GM. And I’m not about to start saying that Gauthier should have gotten a top six forward…. or top centerman. Because I’m not a GM. Chances are, you’re not either. Pretty hard for us to really know what “market value” is when we’re not in the market. We can speculate. But let’s not get too carried away thinking we’d do better. Me and you, we can find out what market value is for a car…. if we go shopping around.

But if you start calling Chicago, Pittsburgh, St Louis or Detroit’s head office to try and discuss a trade for a Habs player…. will they take you seriously?

Anyways, I’ll stick with hindsight on this one. It kind of went without saying that one of the two goaltenders would be moved. So we could pretty much all see it coming…. (right?)

Remember hindsight? That terrible move that Gainey made that brought us some kid named Josh Gorges and a draft pick… some Max guy…. Yeah, that one actually worked out well.

Breath folks. Give this a chance to play out. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. This is NHL hockey, moves will always be made in an attempt to improve teams. This is one of those steps taken by Mr Gauthier.

Like it or not….. Pierre Gauthier has balls.

For that, I give him my fullest respect….. he didn’t waste time lighting a fire.

Lot’s of talk already just days after the Canadiens playoff run ended.

I know that for some of you the interest in your favorite NHL team doesn’t end. For me, it certainly does not.

While the Habs were on their playoff run I tried to focus on their games. Current line ups, their performance etc…. while trying to leave the impending UFAs, RFAs, salary cap and that question that will keep lingering of which goaltender stays in Montreal??? Or IF they can somehow keep both.

Now that it’s the off-season (ok, not for you Hawks/Flyers fans) I’m starting to think about this stuff a little bit and am reading what other bloggers have to say as well as the media.

Certainly some interesting articles out there. Here are just a few.

NHL 2010 UFA Desert: Habs’ Plekanec Best Center Out There?
by Scott Weldon for Bleacher Report

Decision time for Habs’ GM Gauthier
by Pat Hickey for The Gazette

Price or Halak Could Solve Yzerman’s Problem in Net
by Alan Adams for NHL Fanhouse

There’s lot’s and lot’s to think about, dream about…. maybe even worry about. But hey, I’ll tell you straight up. I won’t worry about it. I’m a die hard fan, but I try to keep this at the “entertainment level”. NHL teams don’t pay my salary. It’s not a job. I love hockey, I love the Habs, I love NHL hockey….. it’s something fun.

However, I will admit that I’m passionate about the Habs.

So just as the playoff run has just ended.. my head is filling with this other stuff….

The Canadiens face the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Center in Montreal tonight… and might I take this time to welcome Sidney and his crew to the most intense hockey crowd in the world.

Here’s a few reasons why I think the Canadiens deserve a little credit and why they can win.

Besides the fact that shutting down the Capitals offense for 3 consecutive games and taking them in 7 games surely wasn’t any luck or bad luck. This time of year is about “want”, “desire”, “hunger”…. you better believe it.

Don’t count anyone out until they’re out.

1 – Jaroslav Halak

I don’t really need to say much here. He’s been great in these playoffs and maybe that in itself is an understatement.

One question that I’ve heard some people say is “how long can he keep it up?“… that question came up a couple of games into the Washington series and to some extent hasn’t went away. It’s not really a fluke that he’s playing well. At least I don’t think it is. For us Habs fans who watch every (or just about) game then you’ve seen this guy play some great goaltending prior to the playoffs.

He’s had nothing handed to him since coming to North America and has earned every bit of his ice time. I’d say he’s a pretty confident guy in what he does… he’s won my confidence…. I’d also suggest his teammates are quite confident in him too…

2. Hal Gill and Josh Gorges

Hal Gill and Josh Gorges have been superb during these playoffs. For a team that was generally really bad at 5 on 5 hockey during the season, all of a sudden the team is playing some pretty good defense.

Yes, there are alot of shots on goal. But many of them are taken from the outside and the Gorges – Gill pairing have done a fabulous job on the penalty kills. When it comes to the playoffs I’m not sure there’s any luck involved. There’s a strategy, a game plan… guys have their jobs…. and try to do it.

Gill and Gorges do many simple things well. They also show some patience instead of panic. Nice simple plays off the boards to clear a puck…. bumping a guy off the puck (you don’t have to decapitate people)…. sticks and bodies clogging passing and shooting lanes.

3. The big guys

While I’m sure many “experts” in the hockey world from parents to coaches to (fill in the blank) may have thought or even told these guys that they’re too small to succeed as pro hockey players they’ve always defied the odds. Luckily they’ve never believed that they’re too small…. which is something that many “experts” were saying when these guys were signed. I think some people questioned these guys because they wouldn’t be effective in the playoffs.

Well. Sorry.

Ever see Brian Gionta go in the corners? Against guys 7 inches (and more) taller then him? Yeah, he gets banged around. But he comes out with the puck his fair share of the time. And won’t back down. The crazy bugger even goes in front of the net and scores goals!! Imagine!!

And so does Mike Cammalleri!!

Seriously, Gionta’s got great hands, a great shot… and Mike Cammalleri is an artist with the puck. Yeah I know, we had another guy here a little while ago that they called the artist and in all fairness I enjoyed his time with the Habs. But Cammalleri’s got heart. He WANTS to win. You can tell.

That “want” to win and work ethic coupled with a magnificent shot…. makes Cammalleri a player you want to have playing on your team.

Maybe these 2 guys should be given a little more credit by the “experts”. Although in fairness to the experts, they often do acknowledge their skill and hockey IQ.

4. PK Subban

He’s thrown in the fire and looks like he belongs. He skates, handles the puck, shoots, hits….. and gets “mini Bobby Orr” comparisons already.

Youthful enthusiasm and energy coupled with skill can certainly help energize a team.

On several occasions PK has made the right pass or made a little stutter step to back off a defender. Subban is showing that he’s got a ton of hockey smarts to go along with all that raw skill.

All those simple plays (like the stutter step) show patience, poise and give the Habs offensive chances as well as defensive stops. The last thing you want is your guys to panic out there… that’s where you have turn overs. Subban looks at home in the firestorm.

Welcome PK. The crowd is already chanting your name buddy!

5. A few sayings that you hear this time of year

– Good teams find a way to win
– Defense wins championships
– Don’t underestimate the heart of a champion
(We’ve got a crew of guys who’ve won or come very close before)

Habs have a shot at winning tonight! Better believe it!

Go Habs Go!

I enjoyed the article and thought I’d share it here.

Click here to read “All Hail Halak” from the Upper Deck blog.

This was sent to me by a friend. It’s not meant to be insulting in anyway to anyone even though it comes in the form of a prayer. I think it was meant as a playful expression of a Habs fan’s love of the sport of hockey and his team.. the Montreal Canadiens.

My friend chose to stay anonymous… so, from Yves’s Anonymous friend

Our Halak

Our Halak who art in net
Hallowed be thy game
Thy championship come
Thy saves be done
in Pittsburgh as they were in Washington

Give us this day our daily win
And give us our best passes
As we beat those who pass against us
Lead us not into defeat
But deliver us from Ovetchkin
For thine is the series, the stardom and the glory
For the rest of the playoffs
Canadiens